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Chapter 194: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 194



Waking up early in the morning, Sylvia noticed something different from usual and tilted her head in confusion.


It felt strange to wake up and feel warmth like this.


After a moment of confusion, she heard the sound of breathing nearby and remembered that she had fallen asleep next to Scarlet last night.


And just knowing that one fact made her realize how much her mood could change upon waking up, causing her to let out a small chuckle.


Ever since she was young, raised as the heir to the Astra family, Sylvia had hated mornings.


To be more precise, she hated that moment of waking up in the morning.


The pressure to live up to her family's expectations as the perfect successor meant that childish actions like sleeping with her parents were long-forgotten memories.


Her wake-up time was earlier than most people, and every morning when she woke up, the only thing that greeted her was the cold air left from the previous night.


When she opened her eyes in the morning, the chill that touched her skin made her feel lonely and desolate.


That was why Sylvia always moved about busily after waking up, trying to erase that feeling.


But today, she didn't feel like doing that.


Was it because she felt the warmth of another person nearby?


A morning where she didn’t feel lonely or isolated upon waking was, for Sylvia, a surprisingly fulfilling experience.


Who knew when she would feel like this again?


With that thought, Sylvia decided to indulge in this rare feeling instead of starting her morning with her usual diligence.


Convincing herself that since she had already taken the liberty of staying out last night with just a brief call to the estate, this small indulgence was harmless.


And not long after, she felt a slight movement and the sound of a small gasp beside her.


Scarlet was waking up.


Realizing this, Sylvia felt a pang of regret, thinking that this precious time was coming to an end.


Still wanting to savor even just one more second of this, she pretended to be asleep.


And then, something unexpected happened.


Instead of getting up, Scarlet, still lying beside her, began to gently stroke her hair.


Sylvia was a little startled by the touch, but she quickly regained her composure and continued to pretend to be asleep.


If Scarlet realized she was awake, this extended moment of closeness would end.


The only problem was that maintaining this act was not easy.


Scarlet's touch was, in many ways, stimulating—in a purely innocent sense, of course.


Having been exposed to many social activities from a young age, Sylvia was sensitive to people's emotions.


Scarlet's touch was filled with a gentleness, as if she was worried about making the person she was touching feel uncomfortable.


Even the small, brush-like strokes of her fingers through Sylvia's hair felt so full of care that it made Sylvia’s heart flutter.


She was grateful for her ability to maintain her composure.


If she hadn’t been so good at controlling her expressions, she might have ended up smiling uncontrollably.


But then came a critical moment.


As Scarlet gazed at her sleeping face and softly whispered, “...You’re beautiful.”


Sylvia was used to being called beautiful.


She had heard it countless times from others, to the point of growing tired of it.


But she knew that this was not a flattering remark, but a genuine, pure expression of Scarlet’s feelings as she looked at her. That made her happy, but also brought a strange sense of embarrassment.


And Sylvia, who barely managed to suppress the scream that threatened to escape her lips, was hit with Scarlet’s final blow.


“Thank you for yesterday. You must be tired, so please sleep a little longer, my princess.”


With those words whispered softly, Scarlet left the room.


“Haah... p-princess...”


If she hadn’t left, she would have seen Sylvia’s face turning bright red.


Is that how Scarlet sees me? As a beautiful princess...?


Trying to hide her embarrassment and the heat in her face, Sylvia pulled the blanket over her head and buried her face in the pillow.


She stayed like that for a while, kicking her legs and squirming under the covers. It wasn’t until Scarlet called her for breakfast that she finally managed to calm down.


* * *


When she went to the dining table after being called for breakfast, Sylvia saw what could only be described as a mountain of food.


“...Did you make all of this, Scarlet?”


Sylvia couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the extravagant breakfast spread before her.


Even at the rather lavish estate, meals were never this extravagant.


Feeling a little sorry for Scarlet, who must have put in a lot of effort, Sylvia also couldn’t help but think that this was a bit too much, considering there were only three of them to eat it.


She glanced at Yoon Si-woo, wondering if this was normal for this household, but he looked just as surprised, confirming that this was not the usual situation.


Wondering if Scarlet might be unusually hungry, she looked at her and asked, and Scarlet, with a slightly crestfallen expression, responded.


“Well, um... I thought I’d repay you both for the trouble yesterday, so I wanted to make something in return... But I guess it’s too much, right? Sorry. It’s okay if you can’t finish it all, just eat as much as you’d like.”


Hearing her mention of repayment, Sylvia felt a jolt of realization.


She remembered the sight of the empty refrigerator from the time she had visited Scarlet’s old house.


Scarlet was once someone who survived on mung bean sprouts alone.


Would such a person really prepare so much food just because she was hungry?


Of course not.


Which meant this huge amount of food was probably a reflection of the debt she felt toward them.


She didn’t need to feel sorry for anything at all.


The look of dejection on Scarlet’s face tugged at Sylvia’s heart.


She felt as if leaving any of this food behind would only leave that much more of Scarlet’s guilt unaddressed.


And she didn’t want that.


She wanted to ease as much of Scarlet’s burden as possible.


With that realization, Sylvia made up her mind.


Even if her stomach were to burst, she would eat everything on the table.


Of course, it wasn’t something she could accomplish alone, so she signaled Yoon Si-woo for help.


Fortunately, he seemed to be on the same page. After a few exchanged glances, he looked at her with a resolute expression.


It was as if he was ready to eat himself to death if necessary, which was somewhat reassuring.


Even though heroes like him are known for their impressive appetites, that amount of food would still be a challenge.


Well, if worse comes to worst, I can just skip a few meals...


Sylvia thought as she put some food in her mouth, savoring the taste and exclaiming in admiration.


“Wow, this is delicious! I knew you were good at cooking since you made those macarons by yourself, but I didn’t know you were this skilled.”


Even to her refined palate, accustomed to the finest meals, Scarlet’s cooking was truly impressive.


It didn’t have a luxurious taste, but it was a warm, heartfelt meal that felt like home.


When Scarlet shyly mentioned that she had put in a lot of effort to learn how to cook, Yoon Si-woo’s face reddened slightly.


He seemed to be thinking, “Did she work this hard at cooking for me?”


The sight made Sylvia laugh, and she teasingly remarked to him.


“Hmmm, someone’s really lucky, huh? Living with Scarlet, who’s such a great cook.”


“Ahem...”


Despite his awkward cough, Sylvia was sincere in what she said.


If she lived with her, she could spend every morning like today.


So, she added a subtle warning to her comment, implying that if Yoon Si-woo didn’t treat Scarlet well, she would really take her away.


“Well, we don’t know who you’ll end up living with in the future, right? Scarlet, if you ever get tired of being here, just let me know. I’ll get you a place of your own.”


“That’s a bit scary, Sylvia... It sounds like you might actually do that.”


Although Scarlet laughed as if asking her not to joke like that, even if it was in jest.


Well, it wasn’t really a joke.


If Scarlet wanted, Sylvia was willing to become the kind princess who would buy her a lovely house, and she smiled lightly at the thought.


Then she made an appointment with Scarlet, saying there was a place she wanted to go with her.


It was to find a way to prevent Scarlet from ending up like she had yesterday.


Talking with someone who knew Scarlet’s body better than anyone would surely provide a solution.


With that thought, Sylvia asked Scarlet to get ready first.


After all, there was still a mountain of food to finish, and she needed to talk to Yoon Si-woo about something important.


Scarlet nodded and stood up.


“Alright. I’ve finished eating, so I’ll go get ready. Enjoy your meal.”


With Scarlet gone to wash up, Sylvia turned her gaze to Yoon Si-woo.


She had something to ask him.


“Yoon Si-woo, may I ask you something?”


“Sure. You said earlier that you had something to discuss. What do you want to know?”


“It’s nothing too serious, but I’ve been wondering. It seems like you know a lot more about Scarlet than I do. Has she been talking to you about her condition? I’m curious why she would confide in you and not in me. What makes you different from me? Why did she tell you things she didn’t tell me?”


Sylvia had been puzzled by this for a while.


Scarlet had avoided getting close to her, saying she didn’t want Sylvia to suffer later on.


If that was the case, why was Yoon Si-woo an exception?


Why hadn’t she shared anything with her while telling him everything?


What was the difference between them?


She couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked, but Yoon Si-woo’s expression hardened.


“Are you really that curious?”


“Yes, I am. How could I not be? Knowing that Scarlet tells you things she hides from me—it’s hard not to feel left out, you know? It’s not like I’m treating her differently or anything. I honestly felt a bit isolated.”


Sylvia’s voice was tinged with frustration, and Yoon Si-woo, looking troubled, muttered.


“It’s kind of hard to explain, but there are a lot of things you wouldn’t want to know. Besides, like Scarlet said yesterday, she didn’t tell you to protect you. So, could you just let it go?”


“...You still can’t tell me?”


Sylvia’s expression hardened at Yoon Si-woo’s evasiveness.


After what happened yesterday, she thought they were all in this together, but it still felt like he didn’t trust her completely.


Feeling upset, Sylvia pouted and mumbled to him.


“I get it. To Scarlet, you’re the only one who’s special, right? I’m jealous. You’re so special to her.”


“...Jealous?”


Yoon Si-woo let out a laugh, as if he found it ridiculous.


Then, with a bitter smile, he said,


“From where I’m standing, there are times when I’m the one who’s jealous of you.”


“...Jealous of me? Why would you be?”


Sylvia couldn’t comprehend his words.


Scarlet depended on him completely, so why would he be jealous of her?


But Yoon Si-woo’s face twisted into an expression of intense pain as he spoke.


“You’ve never had Scarlet ask you to kill her.”


In that moment, Sylvia realized she had made a terrible mistake.


“...It’s not all good, you know. Being the one Scarlet depends on. Every time something like yesterday happens, she looks at me like I’m the only one she can rely on. And when things get really bad, she asks me to kill her, to stab her in the heart. You can’t imagine how that makes me feel.”


Scarlet did rely on him.


Truly, she entrusted her very life to him.


That’s why she must have told him everything that had happened to her.


And Yoon Si-woo had seen it all.


He had witnessed her condition deteriorating day by day.


How must it have felt to watch that happen?


To live every day in fear that he might have to kill the girl he cherished with his own hands?


Sylvia knew that she wouldn’t be able to bear it.


Yet, what had she said to someone carrying such a burden?


It was nothing to be jealous of.


“...I’m sorry. I didn’t know how you felt and spoke without thinking...”


“...Don’t worry about it. But just remember this: what Scarlet said to you yesterday—about not wanting to make things hard for you—don’t take it lightly. Being close to her could be harder than you think.”


The look on his face was so strained that Sylvia could only nod silently.


After that, no further words were exchanged at the table.


They ate in silence, forcing the remaining food into their already full stomachs.


Sylvia watched Yoon Si-woo as he continued to eat, his head bowed as if weighed down by something.


It wasn’t the responsibility of meeting the expectations of many people that weighed on him.


It was the weight of a promise made to one girl.


Reality wasn’t as beautiful as a fairy tale.


If there were a color to their story, it would be that of an abyss, dark and endless, perched at the edge of a cliff.


After the meal, it wasn’t the discomfort of their overstuffed stomachs that bothered Sylvia.


What truly tormented her was the crushing weight of this unbearably heavy reality.


--------------


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