At that moment, Zervanie had no energy to be sarcastic. She quickly pulled out dozens of envelopes from her bag, inside were her prepared autograph sheets. Originally intended for fans who asked for her signature, Zervanie gave them all to Felyn in one go.
"Felyn, I want some water… could I trouble you to get me a cup?"
Zervanie licked her lips, trying to suppress her inner nervousness.
"Oh, no problem." Felyn agreed immediately and turned toward the counter.
Right now, Zervanie wasn’t just a beautiful girl. She was a living, breathing money printer.
He ought to worship her; what’s one bottle of water in exchange?
While Felyn was away, Zervanie quickly drew a small heart on one of the blank envelopes.
Strands of silver hair slid past her ear, blocking her view, and she hurriedly tucked them behind her ear with her fingers, which brushed lightly against her cheek in the process.
What she was writing wasn’t her autograph.
Her pen glided gently across the paper. She kept glancing up at Felyn’s back to make sure he hadn’t returned yet.
Her breathing grew faster, her chest rising and falling softly, and more and more words filled the page.
Zervanie was writing a love letter.
The hand that had signed countless autographs was now putting all a girl’s feelings into words for one person.
Her posters might hang in bedrooms across the continent, but here she was, crouched in an unnoticed corner, writing a confession to the one she liked.
In any world, love letters are known to be one of the least efficient ways to confess.
You can’t see the other person’s expression, can’t feel their mood, and if your writing is bad or your penmanship is ugly, it can all fall apart.
But this was Zervanie’s only option.
She couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud anymore.
All she could do was place her fragile hope into this letter.
To Zervanie, the handwriting in the envelope looked very neat, elegant and gentle.
She poured all the words she couldn’t say into it.
Because time was short, she quickly scribbled a few lines, then hurriedly slipped it into the stack of envelopes.
"Zervanie, Zervanie, your water."
Felyn’s voice came from above, and she jumped in fright.
She’d been so focused on writing, she hadn’t even heard his footsteps returning.
Zervanie forced herself to look calm as she took the cup, sipping it in small sips.
Not until Felyn had stuffed the stack of envelopes into his bag did Zervanie finally relax.
"What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"N-nothing."
Zervanie avoided his eyes and gripped her pen tightly.
Felyn noticed that Zervanie was acting a little strange.
That expression…
It looked exactly like a student secretly slipping a love letter into their crush’s backpack after school.
Could it be… she got so impressed by her own signature that she became narcissistic?
But Felyn didn’t dwell on it. He patted his now-stuffed bag.
Inside were forty-nine maids.
He’d sell them all to that princess.
Of everyone around him, only that princess would be willing to buy something like this.
Felyn didn’t check the signatures. He never expected Zervanie to slip something else inside.
And he certainly didn’t expect the consequences that letter would bring.
"Miss Zervanie, it’s getting late, it’s already noon."
"Huh? Already?"
Zervanie checked her watch. Sure enough, it was lunchtime, and she still had to rush back for her next event.
She lowered her eyes, nervously twisting her fingers together.
If that love letter didn’t work, this might be her last time seeing Felyn.
There were so many things she wanted to say, she wanted to explain why she had acted wrongly in the past, wanted his forgiveness, wanted to beg him not to hate her.
She had too much to say. And now, she didn’t even know where to begin.
"Felyn," she called softly, her voice laced with hesitation, "Will we… meet again in the future?"
"No." Felyn didn’t hesitate.
Zervanie closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the bench.
Even though she’d already expected that answer, hearing him say it still hurt, deeply.
"Then… will you remember me? Remember the times we…"
Sunlight filtered through the window, outlining her face in gentle light. The once-proud idol now looked fragile and small.
The moment she finished speaking, she regretted it.
Felyn’s memories of her were mostly bad. What was the point of him remembering a woman like that?
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her misty blue eyes glistened like the sky after rain.
Because of the things she’d done, she didn’t even feel qualified to say, Please don’t forget me.
Zervanie took a deep breath and forced a bitter smile.
"Felyn… you should forget about me."
As she spoke, she held her chest and slowly removed her hat and mask.
Sunlight immediately fell upon her porcelain-pale face, highlighting her nearly perfect features.
Her silver hair spread like flower petals in the air, lighting up the entire shop.
"Hey, Zervanie!" Felyn jumped in shock, thinking she was about to make some kind of dramatic gesture.
He quickly looked around the shop. Luckily, there weren’t many people, the staff and customers hadn’t noticed yet.
"What are you doing?! That’s dangerous!"
Zervanie didn’t respond. She only smiled softly, a smile Felyn had never seen before.
It wasn’t the flawless stage smile.
It wasn’t a copied expression borrowed from others.
It was the smile of an ordinary girl, one who had fallen in love, summoning her courage to confess.
This was the last wish of a girl: that she might at least be remembered for something good in the mind of the boy she loved.
Zervanie didn’t give Felyn a chance to reply.
She lowered her head slightly, as if saying goodbye, as if she couldn’t bear to see his expression.
The next second, she stood up, put her hat and mask back on, and turned toward the door.
This time, the contract was truly over.
Felyn heard the sound of the bell at the door fade away as Zervanie’s figure vanished from the shop.
He glanced at the cup she had used. A faint water stain slid slowly along its rim.
It all felt like a dream.
But dreams had to end.
Zervanie couldn’t keep living in dreams, there were many people who still needed her.
And he couldn’t live in a dream either, reality wouldn’t allow him to.
"Check, please."
"That young lady already paid," said the cashier. "And she bought you a sun hat."
The staff handed him a hat and leaned over with a conspiratorial smile.
"Hey sir, did you know she likes you?"
"...Huh?" Felyn glanced at the overly enthusiastic store clerk.
"I just had to tell you. I can’t be wrong. The way she looked at you, you were in her eyes."
"When she was buying the hat, she even mumbled to herself, Will Felyn get sunburned on the way home? She was totally worrying about you. By the way, her voice sounds just like Lady Zervanie’s. You’ve got good luck, man!"
Felyn stared at the hat, it looked expensive.
Also, why were ice cream shops selling hats now? Is there business that bad?
"If you ever have any love problems, come talk to me!" the clerk said, patting his chest, “I’ve seen a lot. I hang out with girls all the time. I totally get how they think."
"Thanks, but I’m good for now."
The cashier shrugged. He’d seen guys like this before, clueless about girls.
Sigh, he thought. Another one about to miss a great romance.
He probably wasn’t that old. His romantic experience must be zero. Otherwise, how could he not have noticed that girl’s feelings?
The clerk watched Felyn step toward the door—and stop.
Maybe he changed his mind? Was he coming back to ask for advice?
But Felyn wasn’t looking for love tips.
He’d just seen Viloti standing outside the shop.
A light blue floral dress swayed gently in the wind, revealing a pair of pale, slender legs.
White lace stockings were tied with small bows, and she wore black leather shoes.
A brown teddy bear backpack hung over her shoulder, full of girlish charm.
Why was Viloti here?
Felyn checked the clock in the shop. It was still over an hour before their scheduled meeting.
The sun-warmed breeze blew through her carefully styled pink princess braids. She stood at the entrance like a cherry blossom tree, drawing everyone’s gaze.
And standing next to her—
Was Zervanie.
She stood quietly by Viloti’s side.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them looked at each other.
But for some reason, the atmosphere between them clashed in the air.
Like sparks were about to fly.
(End of Chapter)