"You don't have the necessary drive."
The mont the words left his mouth, sothing inside Lilia snapped.
Her body tensed, her fingers curling into fists. "What the hell is that supposed to an?" she asked, her voice lower, colder.
Astron didn't blink. "It ans you hesitate."
Lilia's glare sharpened, but he continued before she could interrupt. "You hesitate when it cos to doing things the way Adrian or Selene would. You hesitate when it cos to manipulation, when it cos to using everything at your disposal. You hesitate because, deep down, you don't want to be like them."
His tone remained infuriatingly steady. "And that's why you lost."
Lilia took a step forward before she even realized it, her crimson eyes burning with barely restrained anger.
"Are you saying I lost because I didn't cheat?"
Astron t her burning gaze without flinching, his dark purple eyes steady and unyielding.
"Cheating is when you go against the rules." His voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "But we both know that when it cos to politics, the rules are often written by those who win."
He tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "There is no cheating. There is only what is allowed and what is enforced. And that—" his voice dipped, quieter but sharper, "is your fundantal flaw."
Lilia scoffed, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Cheating is cheating. If those in power can't uphold a certain standard, then what is to beco of this world?"
Astron nodded slightly, acknowledging her words. "That's a valid point."
Then he exhaled, looking at her with sothing that wasn't quite condescension, but wasn't far from it either.
"But that is the duality of this world." His voice remained level, but there was sothing colder underneath it, sothing that suggested he had long since accepted this truth. "Those things that should be done are often harder…"
His gaze flickered, his next words cutting through the night air like a blade.
"…and those things that must be done are often crueler."
Silence.
Lilia's breath hitched slightly.
Her fingers twitched at her sides. She hated that—for just a second—those words struck sothing deep inside her.
Astron continued, his tone never wavering. "You're not wrong for wanting standards. For wanting a system that isn't ruled by deception." He took a step closer, his gaze unwavering. "But if you think that alone will win you the Olympus Vanguard, then you're either naïve… or lying to yourself."
Lilia's jaw clenched.
Astron simply looked at her, waiting.
And for the first ti in a long ti, she had no imdiate response.
Astron didn't break eye contact, his expression as unreadable as ever. "And we both know that you're smarter than that. You're not naive." His voice was even, devoid of condescension, but it carried a weight that pressed down on Lilia all the sa. "Which ans there's only one option left."
Lilia scoffed, crossing her arms. "Since when did you beco a psychologist and a mind reader?"
Astron rely tilted his head, his dark purple eyes steady. "Truth is often laid bare for those who are talented enough to observe… and brave enough to look at it."
Lilia's lips twitched slightly. Does he even hear himself when he talks?
"You really sound narcissistic, you know that?" she muttered, shaking her head.
Astron's mouth moved—just slightly, barely enough to be called an expression. "Possibly."
Lilia exhaled, her crimson gaze sharp as she t his eyes once more. "And what makes you think you're better at seeing through than I am myself?" Her voice carried a challenge, a flicker of irritation woven into her tone.
Astron simply shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "A sailor often cannot sew their own clothes."
Lilia blinked, montarily caught off guard by the random yet oddly fitting analogy.
She let out a short chuckle, shaking her head. "You'd make a good debater."
Astron tilted his head slightly. "I'd rather not argue just to argue. Besides, I only state what is evident."
Lilia rolled her eyes but found herself exhaling in sothing that almost resembled amusent. "Of course you do."
For a mont, the weight of the night, the frustration, and the lingering sting of disappointnt felt… lighter. It wasn't gone, but at least, with Astron standing there with his unreadable gaze and effortless words, it didn't feel suffocating.
Lilia's fleeting amusent faded as a different feeling settled in. Sothing more rigid, more unsettling. She didn't like this. She didn't like how it felt as though Astron knew more about her than she had ever let anyone know.
Ethan, Lucas, Irina, Julia, Carl—none of them. Even those closest to her didn't see this part of her. The part where doubt crept in, where the weight of expectations pressed down. The part of her that questioned, even if only for a second, whether she was moving forward in the right direction.
But sohow, Astron had peeled it apart—piece by piece—like he had always known it was there.
And that wasn't good.
She turned her gaze back to him, her crimson eyes sharp and filled with suspicion. "You think you know , don't you?" she muttered, folding her arms tightly.
Astron t her glare without hesitation, his expression unreadable.
Lilia scoffed, shifting her weight slightly. "You say I don't have the drive, but do you even know how much effort I've put into this? Since I was a child, I've been working for this. I've trained, I've studied, I've recruited people—built a foundation from nothing. I've spent years carving out my own influence, making sure people respect , follow . I don't sit back and let things happen. I make things happen. Can you really say I don't have drive?"
Her words were sharp, almost defensive. But she ant them.
Astron listened, as he always did, letting her words settle before responding. And when he did, his voice was calm. Unshaken.
"But is that really what you want?"
Lilia's breath hitched slightly. Her fingers twitched at her sides.
"What can you even know about what I want?" she countered, her voice colder now.
Astron exhaled softly, his gaze never wavering. "Simple." He tilted his head slightly, his tone steady. "Why do you work this hard right now? Why push yourself to achieve such a high rank in the Academy, for instance?"
Lilia frowned, her arms tightening around herself. "Because it matters. It contributes to my prestige, my reliability. It proves my talent. Do you think the position of the guild leader will just be handed over to ? No. My accomplishnts matter. My rank shows that I am capable."
Astron nodded slightly. "That makes sense."
But then he tilted his head slightly again, his next words cutting deeper.
"It may improve how others see you. But does it improve enough to cover for the opportunity cost?"
Lilia's expression flickered, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Astron continued. "Achieving that rank, maintaining it—it's not easy, is it? You spend hours training, refining your technique, ensuring you're ahead of everyone else."
He paused, then spoke again, slower this ti.
"But do you need it?"
Lilia clenched her jaw. "Of course I do."
"Do you?" Astron's voice remained infuriatingly steady. "Or have you simply decided that you do?"
Lilia's breath was slow, controlled, but her irritation was growing.
Astron studied her reaction, then shrugged slightly. "You could be using that ti differently. Recruiting more people. Expanding your network. Strengthening alliances. If your goal is true power, then raw skill shouldn't be your priority. Influence should be."
Lilia knew he wasn't wrong.
But she hated that he had said it.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, but she didn't respond imdiately.
Astron continued. "So, I'll ask again. Are you sure this is what you want?"
Her crimson eyes burned into his, but he didn't waver. He didn't look down at her like Selene. He didn't mock her like Adrian. He just… stood there. Watching. Waiting.
And for so reason, that infuriated her even more.
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