Chapter 117: My Body and Soul Belong to Him Alone
The Saintess of Dawn, Suren, quietly watched as Xia Ya’s figure disappeared down the corridor at the far end of the hall.
She didn’t follow him imdiately. Instead, her gaze shifted to the golden-haired girl sitting across from her.
Ailora had clearly dressed up for the occasion today, yet ever since entering the lounge, she’d stayed silent, quietly sipping her drink through a straw while observing Xia Ya and Suren’s conversation from the sidelines.
“It’s been a while for us too, Ailora,” Suren said softly.
“I rember you never liked dressing up much. What’s with the change today? You seem a little down.”
“And those letters I sent from the Holy Court to Calot… you never replied to even one.”
She lifted her glass, took a light sip, and smiled faintly.
“Didn’t we agree back then to compete fairly?”
“You’re already so far ahead now… you’ve got to let put in a little more effort too, right?”
The relationship between Suren and Ailora was… complicated.
They were both close friends and love rivals.
Six or seven years ago, when the three of them were living together in Lokiah, Suren and Ailora had been practically inseparable—true best friends who shared everything.
Even their open competition for Xia Ya’s affection didn’t damage their bond.
But now, eting again after so long, Suren could clearly feel the distance—Ailora wasn’t even trying to hide it.
“Well, well, how admirable of the exalted Saintess of Dawn to still rember that old promise,”
The golden-haired girl bit lightly on her straw, her voice cool and cutting.
“With your current status in the Holy Court, there’s no need to humble yourself by staying involved with Xia Ya and just because of so past favors.”
“Xia Ya rely helped the once penniless Miss Suren learn the basics and beco a chanist… A small investnt. With the Holy Court’s wealth, I’m sure repaying that debt would be easy.”
“Then we’d be even. No more need for the Saintess to lower herself.”
Suren finally understood.
It wasn’t about her “getting ahead” with Xia Ya. That rivalry had always been there, and Ailora had never seed to mind it before.
What she really cared about—was that farewell six years ago.
Back then, Suren hadn’t followed Xia Ya and Ailora to the Imperial Capital, Calot.
Instead, she’d accepted an invitation from the Holy Court to beco a Saintess candidate… and eventually erged victorious from brutal competition, becoming the adored Saintess of Dawn.
To Ailora, that choice was nothing short of betrayal.
Faced with a not-yet-famous, still-ordinary Xia Ya and the powerful Holy Court, Suren had chosen the latter—the better future.
And to Ailora, Suren’s continued connection with Xia Ya now could only be seen as a guilt-fueled attempt to make ands.
“Ailora—”
Suren looked at the beautifully dressed golden-haired girl in front of her—her fair shoulders bare, radiant like a proud swan—and let out a quiet sigh.
Ailora had always been stunning, but her usual bare-faced look and military background gave her a sharper, more commanding aura.
But today, she wore light makeup and had softened her presence, showing more of her feminine side—attending dressed to match her status as the noble daughter of the Winter Flower Family, the heiress of the Ingulite family.
All of it… was for Xia Ya.
To support him in front of an ex-girlfriend.
To silently tell this woman who once chose ambition over love:
Xia Ya is doing just fine now.
Better than when you were with him.
“But Ailora, you don’t really think I’m that shallow of a girl… do you?”
Suren’s voice turned distant and wistful.
“After becoming the Saintess of Dawn, I’ve seen many people, witnessed many things. I gained a level of status and power I never imagined, and received admiration from countless followers…”
“But…”
Her voice grew even quieter.
“For , the most precious ti was always those days in Lokiah, when we three squeezed into that cheap little dorm and struggled just to get by.”
“I’ll never forget how Xia Ya used to take to Steam School bookshops and buy secondhand magitech textbooks…”
“Or how, because we couldn’t afford a proper instructor, he would sit under the glow of a kerosene lamp night after night, piecing together junk scraps to teach the basics of being a chanist…”
“Technically, his focus at the Black Tower was classical arcana. Who knows when he even found the ti to learn so much about machinery…”
Her chestnut eyes shimred with mories.
“Those days were simple, poor, and exhausting… but also full and satisfying.”
“Even now, those mories are my most treasured possession—tiless and unfaded.”
She smiled softly.
“I’ve always known one thing—very clearly.”
“That everything that is Suren—my body, my heart, my accomplishnts, my wealth… past and future—all of it belongs to him alone.”
A gentle light flickered in her chestnut eyes.
“I could give up my title as Saintess, abandon my strength, my fa, everything I’ve built…”
“But the one thing I can’t live without—is him.”
Ailora stared at the black-haired girl across from her, her own expression flickering with a trace of doubt.
And yet…
That old sense between close friends—sothing deeper than logic—told her this wasn’t a lie.
That Suren ant every word.
The icy distance in her gaze softened just a little.
“Then why did you leave Xia Ya back then?”
“Because… I was greedy,” Suren said quietly.
She raised her glass, gently pulled down her mask, and took a small sip.
Then, she looked into the reflection of her own face in the surface of the drink.
“I didn’t want just five years or ten years by his side. I wanted forever—until the end of our lives.”
“That’s why I had to leave.”
“Separation… was for the sake of a better reunion.”
She looked deeply at Ailora as she spoke.
“Ailora, you know… there are tis I truly envy you.”
“You’re different from . You’re Xia Ya’s very first companion, his most trusted sword and shield. You’re the one he calls his warm little cotton jacket…”
“Which ans, most of the ti, you don’t have to think too hard. You can just stay by his side, follow his lead, fight for him—without hesitation.”
“But I’m not like you. I didn’t experience the things you did in Ceylan. I hold a different role.”
“I have more responsibilities. I have to fight for the things you already have.”
“But no matter what… there’s one thing I know for certain.”
Suren stared into Ailora’s blue eyes, unwavering and resolute.
“The feelings I hold for him… are not a single bit less than yours.”
“Even if I can’t be by his side like you can…”
“Even if it costs double—or ten tis as much—to hold onto these feelings.”
The air froze.
By the window, a regal, lazy white cat looked at the two girls locked in a silent standoff… and flicked its tail in irritation.
It let out a low ow—a little numb, a little annoyed.
Great. Another one.
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