Sophia pressed her lips together.
It was happening again.
Whenever Sophia felt that the distance between them had shortened, that they could understand each other better, Celitia would harshly push her away.
This ti was no different. Before falling asleep, Celitia had even called her directly by her na, but after waking up, she reverted to this cold attitude.
Charlotte had said Celitia was just playing hard to get...
Once this suspicion arose in her mind, it wouldn't go away. Sophia felt increasingly troubled.
"There's sothing I want to ask you," Sophia finally spoke. "Have you heard about last night's rumors?"
"Rumors?" Celitia paused, then suddenly realized. "You an the rumors about the two of us, right?"
Celitia was puzzled. She had assud that after hearing such outrageous gossip, Sophia would be furious.
Perhaps she hadn't heard the most outrageous version yet...
Thinking of this, Celitia couldn't help but add: "There are many versions of the rumor... which one are you referring to?"
Sophia's voice deepened slightly: "So you do know."
"What's wrong?"
Celitia raised her eyes in surprise, carefully examining Sophia. In the girl's delicate features, she could see the deep exhaustion hidden beneath.
"You look very tired. You should go back and rest."
Celitia's heart softened a bit, her voice gradually becoming gentler as she persuaded her. "As for the rumors, don't worry too much. I'll think of a way—"
Before Celitia could finish, Sophia interrupted her.
"Stop playing your little tricks," Sophia said. "Tell the truth, did you spread those rumors? I know you don't have a good life at ho. The admission spot was originally given to your brother, but you took it from him. Was it all to get close to and change your situation?"
Celitia was stunned.
Her first reaction wasn't anger at being misunderstood, but a slight surprise.
Sophia actually believed that she had been promoting the spread of rumors.
How to put it... suspicion wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, Celitia also thought the speed at which the rumors had spread was alarming.
Moreover, given the current situation...
...So be it.
eting Sophia's questioning gaze, Celitia nodded, accepting it directly:
"Yes."
If they beca enemies from now on, then Sophia would stay far away and would never be drawn into the troubleso whirlpool surrounding her.
"You—" Sophia's eyes imdiately reddened.
Even though she had chosen to confront Celitia directly, Sophia never expected to actually receive an affirmative answer from her.
All the genuine feelings she had invested seed to have beco a joke.
Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, her nails digging deep crescent marks into her palms.
It was only because of that pain that Sophia didn't lose her composure on the spot.
She took several deep breaths and finally managed to suppress her emotions, standing up from the bedside.
"I understand... from now on, I won't ddle in your affairs again."
With that, Sophia walked toward the door.
She rembered how last night, it was Celitia who had grabbed her hand, begging her not to leave.
But the conscious Celitia rely lay quietly behind her, watching as Sophia's figure departed.
As the wooden door closed and the regular footsteps gradually faded away, Celitia finally let out a long, deep sigh.
"Sigh..."
Laboriously sitting up in bed, Celitia instinctively looked for her outer garnt, but only saw the elegant cloak with traces of dirt at the bedside.
After a mont's hesitation, Celitia picked up the cloak and wrapped it around herself.
The familiar fragrance enveloped her once more. In that mont, Celitia couldn't help feeling a slight daze, as if the girl were still sitting beside her, smiling and talking to her.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Celitia stood up and walked to the pink-haired girl who was still sound asleep in the adjacent bed.
"Shanie?" Celitia called her several tis in succession. "Shanie? How are you?"
However, Shanie was sleeping soundly and didn't hear anything.
Concerned, Celitia reached out to check Shanie's forehead.
There were indeed faint traces of sleep magic... Shanie must have been under a sleep spell, putting her in a deep slumber.
Perhaps because Celitia had poked her a few tis, Shanie felt a bit uncomfortable. She impatiently swatted Celitia's hand away, smacked her lips a few tis, pulled the blanket, and turned over, continuing to sleep soundly with her back to Celitia.
Celitia was montarily speechless.
Well, let her sleep. Forcibly waking Shanie from her sleep state would only make her uncomfortable.
She herself had woken up because of Kassy, and still felt weak all over.
Dragging her feet back to the bed, Celitia crawled under the covers, planning to get more rest. However, just as she closed her eyes, she heard another set of footsteps.
"Celitia?"
As the voice sounded outside the door, soone unceremoniously pushed it open.
Who is it now...
Celitia lanted inwardly, forced to open her eyes.
"Mr. Colton, why are you here?"
Celitia was genuinely surprised that Colton would co to visit her.
Perhaps Sophia's criticism about "looking old" had taken effect, as Colton wasn't wearing his gold-rimd glasses this ti.
Colton instinctively raised his hand to adjust his glasses, but found nothing there, and could only awkwardly rub his chin.
"I just saw Princess Sophia leaving here, seeming rather unhappy, and I was concerned, so I ca to check."
Regarding matters related to Sophia, Celitia didn't want to discuss them with anyone: "Her Highness was a bit tired, so I persuaded her to go back and rest."
"I see," Colton looked up, glancing at Shanie on the other bed, and asked, "And what's wrong with Shanie?"
Concerned that Colton might approach and discover the sleep spell traces on Shanie, Celitia replied vaguely: "Shanie was also tired and fell asleep."
"Everyone's tired, it seems," Colton said with a self-deprecating smile. "It appears I've co at an inconvenient ti."
Celitia's gaze fell on Colton's face, and she felt that his deanor without glasses differed considerably from when he wore them.
It strangely gave her a feeling of... inexplicable vigilance.
"A few days ago, I t with the Dean," Celitia suddenly spoke. "Do you rember?"
"Of course, it was in your family's courtyard." Colton smiled. "I was accompanying Her Highness to check the pre-term preparations and happened to be passing by."
"I'm honored that you rember," Celitia watched his expression closely. "May I ask, when you left, you took a strange person with you. How is she doing now?"
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