A happy mont.
A sad mont.
A fun mont.
A boring mont.
A strange, confusing mont.
Scenarios after scenarios, scenery after scenery—an endless flow of shifting atmospheres that most people seed to adapt to naturally.
Social awareness.
That invisible thread connecting people.
A natural quality everyone was born with the mont they interacted with another.
Everyone but her.
For as long as she could rember, Seo Gyeoul had always found that concept foreign, like trying to read a language she was never taught.
Why did people expect her to smile during a happy mont?
She was already happy inside—wasn’t that enough?
Why did she need to constantly react when a conversation was flowing?
When she enjoyed simply listening.
Why did others expect her to cry when soone close to her was gone?
Didn’t her quiet sorrow matter less because her tears refused to fall?
Emotions.
She understood them, in her own way—she could feel them clearly within herself—but translating those feelings outward had always been a troubleso puzzle.
A wordless gap stood between what she felt and what others demanded she show.
For all her innocence, Seo was painfully aware of her ignorance. She knew she wasn’t "normal." She knew the eyes on her carried judgnt, disappointnt, sotis even pity.
"Be more aware," they told her.
"Act like the others," they urged.
"React properly," they demanded.
And Seo tried.
Truly, she did.
But the truth was, no matter how much she learned, no matter how much she mimicked, the rhythm of the world always felt one step ahead of her—while she remained a quiet observer, standing just outside the circle of light everyone else seed born to bask in.
"Hehe, Seo, you really are too cute... though I think you need to be more aware of those around you,"
her older sister once told her, laughing lightly as if it were just a harmless remark.
But even in that playful tone, Seo felt the weight behind the words—an expectation she didn’t quite know how to et.
"My little princess doesn’t need to change. You can be as innocent as you want!"
Her doting grandfather always said so, his hand gently patting her head, his smile warm and indulgent.
He made her feel safe, made her believe that being herself was enough—that she didn’t need to force a mask she didn’t understand.
"Seo... as long as you perform your duties, it doesn’t matter to how you view the world, nor how you let others view ours. Just don’t let your actions reflect poorly on the clan’s prestige."
Her father’s voice was colder, steadier. It wasn’t cruel, but it was detached—like he was addressing not a daughter, but a successor, a piece of the clan’s legacy.
Different people. Different opinions.
Close or distant, everyone seed to be concerned, invested, or quietly affected by her simply being herself.
Was that a good thing? Or was it a bad thing?
Seo didn’t know. She never fully understood.
But she wasn’t oblivious. She was painfully aware, in fact.
Aware that her silence, her lack of reaction, her stillness—these things made people uneasy, made them question her, made them try to push her toward sothing else.
And although she often brushed off their words, pretending she wasn’t listening, deep down Seo knew they were right—at least in part.
She needed to change.
She needed to show more.
To express more.
Her emotionless self couldn’t always remain. Not forever.
Because if she kept hiding behind her quiet indifference, she feared one day no one would be able to understand her at all.
....
"Seo... if you want an important person in your life to realize how you truly feel, grab them, show them, and let those words deep inside you spill out. Let them see it. Fufu~ that’s how I managed to catch the clan head’s attention, you know..."
"What you committed was adultery, Mother."
Her mother’s lips curled in amusent, not sha. "Fufu~ adultery? Whoever told my sweet innocent Seo such words... was it the maids again?"
"No... I often hear it from my siblings. Mother, they say what you committed was a sin—both to the clan head and to their mother. And that I was the greatest sin of the clan."
For a mont, silence.
Then her mother laughed softly, a light, airy sound that carried a bitterness hidden beneath.
"I see... fufu, well I suppose in their eyes I am the devil who stole their father’s attention. And you, my little one, would naturally be branded as the proof of that cri. But don’t ever let their words reach you, alright?"
Seo tilted her head, blank eyes reflecting her mother’s face. "How would it get to ?"
Her mother paused, then chuckled again, softer this ti.
"Haha... oh, silly . With my dear Seo, perhaps I never have to worry about that. Though now... I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad one, hah..."
"What do you an?"
"Hnn-hnn—it’s nothing. Don’t mind ."
Her mother waved the question away too quickly, the flicker of unease already buried under her usual teasing tone.
"Just promise you’ll ignore your siblings’ words. They don’t matter. And besides, all of this... it’s Beol’s fault. Even though I told him I’d leave imdiately after what happened, he’s the one forcing us to stay here—" she stopped herself, coughed lightly, and changed tone with practiced grace, "—a-ahem, anyway, just take my advice to heart, alright my dear?"
"Alright."
Her mother’s smile softened then, a rare glimpse of sothing tender, sothing without the mask.
She reached out, cupping young Seo’s cheeks between her hands.
"And one more thing, Seo. Waiting for sothing to happen will more often than not lead to an ending you’ll regret. Especially in matters of love. If you want sothing... don’t wait. Seize it."
Her thumbs brushed Seo’s face gently. Her voice dropped, just above a whisper. "And rember this above all: you are not a sin. You are a being born out of love. Never let anyone make you forget that."
Seo blinked slowly, her expression unchanged, but her small voice answered, "Okay..."
...
She recalled her late mother’s words.
Back then, even up to the present, she had never truly understood what her mother was trying to tell her.
She knew the aning behind those words, but understanding had always co to her like fog—visible, tangible even, but impossible to grasp. And so she never really minded them.
At least... not until she t him.
Riley Hell.
When they first crossed paths, only one word had ever stuck in Seo’s mind. Interesting.
He seed like a mage at first, yet turned out to be a great swordsman.
He looked thin, almost fragile, yet his body was strong—solid, trained, as muscular as her grandfather’s.
He carried the face of soone cold and unfeeling, but his voice, his gestures, the way he always paid attention to little things... were warm, almost irritatingly so.
He looked like he didn’t care about the opinions of others, and yet, Seo had noticed how he often sighed or twitched when those sa opinions piled around him.
Riley was contradiction itself.
A mirror and an opposite. Soone who felt strangely familiar yet entirely foreign.
Her first real friend.
Her first best friend.
The only person who seed to understand her, even when she failed to express anything at all.
Her indifferent stares, her blank silences, the pauses that others always misread—he never took them as walls.
For Riley, they were simply a part of her.
He never forced her to smile, never demanded her to react.
He simply existed beside her, and sohow, that was enough.
Looking into his eyes had beco its own habit.
Those warm, steady eyes that made her lips tug upwards without her even realizing it.
Or at least... she thinks so.
Just being around, him made her day brighter.
Just being around, him made her heart feel lighter.
Touching his hand, hearing his voice, feeling the warmth of his presence—every little thing about Riley stirred sothing inside her she couldn’t define.
He was fun.
He was kind.
He was everything she never thought she needed.
And every ti she was with him, her heart would beat in ways she could neither control nor explain.
Emotions were always a hard concept for her.
But even she eventually realized what she might be feeling for him.
Love...
She wasn’t fully sure. But... she often thought so.
"Miss Seo, you need to make a move now or else you won’t be able to keep up with the others! I heard from Yui that young master Riley’s been all too chummy with his girls lately!"
Her personal maid, Lina, was relentless with her teasing, always pushing her forward.
Lina insisted the feelings Seo carried were love, plain and simple.
That she was in love with Riley.
But was that really the case?
Or was she just... interested in him?
Was it admiration? Curiosity? Sothing deeper?
She didn’t know.
But what she did know was this—she wanted to be with him. Forever.
The thought of a world without Riley in it felt dull, colorless, unbearably empty.
That’s why it never really bothered her when she noticed others drawn to him too. It only felt natural.
After all, who wouldn’t want a Riley in their life?
If she was lucky enough to have him, why shouldn’t others feel the sa way?
At least... that’s what she kept telling herself.
But then—
"I, Snow Luvenitia White Germonia Leven, First Princess and Crown Princess of the Germonia Empire, am pleased to announce—before everyone here—my engagent to Riley."
"Hehehe~ I, Alice Holloway, also announce before everyone here that I am betrothed to Riley as well~."
"I, Rose Brilliance, am also betrothed to him."
The grand ball.
The sudden announcents.
The dazzling lights, the music, the way the entire crowd held its breath.
She could still see it clearly.
The way Riley was pulled close, kissed openly, kissed boldly by three different girls—while she stood in the background, watching.
Her heart sank.
A sharp, unfamiliar ache spread through her chest, heavier than any blade wound she’d ever suffered in training.
She didn’t cry.
She didn’t move. She didn’t even look away.
But inside, sothing fragile had cracked.
It hurt.
More than she ever thought it would.
It felt like her heart had stopped breathing.
A suffocating weight pressed down on her chest, sharp and unrelenting, like the tip of a sword poised against it.
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak.
She could only watch the scene unfold—the glittering ball, the dazzling gowns, the radiant smiles.
Riley surrounded by three girls, each basking in their own unique happiness with him. And she... she wasn’t part of it.
But everything should be fine. Yes... everything should be fine, shouldn’t it?
As long as she was still by his side, it didn’t matter.
As long as she was there, watching, following—everything should be fine.
If Riley is happy... then I’m happy.
That was what she repeated to herself over and over, like a charm, like a spell to ward off the crack inside her chest.
His attention might be divided now, shared across others, but... surely she had her own place in his heart too.
A place only she could occupy. Just like how he was special to her... surely, she was special to him as well. Right?
The ball ended, and the music faded. But the ache inside her remained.
That night, quietly within her room, Seo stood before the mirror.
Her blank reflection stared back at her—except her eyes were wet, her face streaked with tears.
It was the first ti she had ever seen herself cry.
The first ti she truly understood what she felt for Riley.
It wasn’t just interest. It wasn’t just friendship.
Much like the others around him... she too loved him.
Her mother’s words ca back to her then.
She clenched her trembling hands against her chest. I have to change...
She needed to make a move.
So, she tried.
She started small—changing how she presented herself, how she carried her expression, how she dressed.
She wanted him to look at her differently.
She wanted his gaze to linger.
"How is it?"
"She’s beautiful,"
And it worked—at least, on the surface.
Riley noticed her, complinted her, gave her those sa warm looks he always did.
But to Seo, it wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t the sa.
Not the sa gaze he gave Rose. That gaze—gentle, tender, brimming with sothing heavier than friendship. The affectionate eyes of a lover worried for his beloved.
Seo could see the line clearly now. A line between her and him.
"Seo, child... aren’t you going to eat?" Lavine said.
"Oh... yes. I will."
She picked up her fork, poked a small bite of cake, and placed it in her mouth without tasting it.
Her eyes drifted again.
To Riley. To Rose.
Watching them smile, laugh, lean into each other.
Watching them share another kiss.
Don’t wait. Seize it.
Her mother’s voice echoed once more, louder this ti, resonating with the ache in her chest.
That was the mont Seo realized what she needed to do.
If she wanted his gaze—the sa gaze, or sothing even greater—she couldn’t just wait quietly anymore.
....
As she and Riley walked side by side, Seo recalled another mory of her late mother.
"Seo... if there ever cos a ti when the one you love is already taken by another... I want you to understand sothing. Love doesn’t just end there. Don’t give up. Push him—push him into a corner where he can’t escape, and make him see how you truly feel. A little skin might help, though in your case, your face alone is enough to make anyone reconsider. What I’m saying, my dear... is don’t let him run from you. Not if you truly want him."
Those words had once sounded strange, even ridiculous. But now...
Yes. Ti and ti again, Riley always seed to drift away from her. Always slipping just out of reach.
Seo tightened her grip on his hand, fingers interlacing firr, as if anchoring him beside her.
She glanced at him. His eyes weren’t on her.
They were wandering sowhere else. Sowhere far.
When he’s with Snow, he always smiles softly, like the world itself eases around her.
When he’s with Alice, he can’t contain his grin, all mischief and delight.
When he’s with Rose, his gaze never leaves her, steady, unshakable, almost worshipful.
But when he was with her? Seo could tell. His thoughts drifted. His gaze strayed past her, always toward sothing ahead. Sothing not her.
That needed to change.
She moved.
"Riley."
He turned to her. "Yes?"
Her lips pressed together for a second before she spoke. "...Do you like kissing in public?"
"Huh?" His expression shifted in surprise.
She took a step closer, her voice steady despite the tremble inside her chest.
"Since we’re in public right now... can I kiss you as well?"
Riley’s eyes widened slightly.
"...Seo, I think you’re misunderstanding sothing—"
"But you kissed Rose openly earlier, and back at the grand ball, you kissed Snow and Alice too. In front of everyone. So... as your best friend, doesn’t that an I can kiss you as well?"
His brows furrowed.
"Seo, I think... you’re rushing things too fast. And also... I don’t know where you heard all that, but—kissing isn’t sothing you do just because of titles or roles. You’re supposed to only kiss soone you like. Soone you love."
Her chest tightened. She leaned in, locking her gaze on his, refusing to let him look anywhere else.
"But I do like you, Riley." Her voice cracked faintly, the slightest tremor breaking through her usual calm. "Do you... not like ? Back then, you said you did. Was that a lie?"
Her grip on his hand grew firr.
Her other hand moved to his chest, pressing against the warmth of his heartbeat, needing to anchor him in place.
She needed him to see her.
To truly see her.
So, she spoke, her voice ringing with all the emotions she never managed to show before.
"Please... like as well, Riley."
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