Felyn handed the contract back to Bernice. The newly added clause about compensation had already been written in, along with Felyn’s signature.
With a gentle wave of her hand, the parchment vanished into the air.
“What was that just now…?”
“Spatial Divine Art,” Bernice replied casually. “I’m a member of the Mir Church, remember? Since it’s a branch of the Church of Space, it’s perfectly normal for me to know a bit of spatial magic.”
“Can I learn it too?!”
Felyn scooted closer to her, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“If the God of Mir acknowledges you, then sure—you can learn it.”
“Welp. Guess that’s a no, then. The three strongest gods all ran away when they saw me. Mir probably runs faster than the rest.”
Just then, the door opened, and Daiyi stepped into the room.
She placed her communication seal on the table and frowned slightly.
“Miss Daiyi, what’s wrong?”
Felyn quickly noticed the shift in her expression.
She rubbed her forehead, seeming unsure how to begin.
“The meeting with my father has been postponed again.”
It felt to Felyn like everything in the capital was constantly being delayed. Adelina’s negotiations, Daiyi’s father’s visit… nothing went according to plan.
“Is there a curse over this place?”
“It’s been pushed to Saturday,” Daiyi said. “He… he’s coming to the Zervanie concert.”
The moment Felyn heard that name, his entire demeanor shifted.
“Wait, why is your father showing up at a Zervanie concert?”
“He’s leaving the capital on Sunday, but he doesn’t have time before Saturday afternoon. And since I already promised to accompany the princess to the concert that evening… he figured we might as well meet there.”
“That was his idea?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Daiyi tilted her head, confused.
Felyn hesitated. Maybe her dad’s just a big Zervanie fan too…?
“Nothing, I was just curious.”
Bernice stood up and dusted off her clothes.
“Well then, that’s it for tonight’s training. Don’t call me next time.”
If she didn’t leave now, she felt like she’d end up caught in the middle of their little game.
And with that, the room was left with only Felyn and Daiyi.
Daiyi rested her hands on her knees, quietly staring down at the carpet.
Felyn got up and went into the kitchen to wash some fruit.
Up until now, aside from the essential information needed to play his part as her boyfriend, Felyn had never asked much about Daiyi’s past.
But things had changed.
Now that he’d signed a new contract with Bernice, it was his responsibility to understand Daiyi’s background better.
“Hey, Daiyi… come to think of it, I still don’t know what kind of person your father is. If I knew more, I could play the role more convincingly.”
Felyn used the contract as a natural segue into the conversation.
Daiyi rarely spoke about her past. But perhaps because of the recent call with her father—or maybe because of the intimate moment they’d nearly shared earlier—she hesitated, then finally opened up.
“He’s a strict man. Stricter with me than with anyone else… maybe because he had high expectations for me.”
“I’ve never seen him smile. But I’ve also never seen him angry.”
She paused, then added, “At least… not until that happened.”
“I was what people called a genius. Growing up, I never faced any real difficulties. I only needed to hear something once to learn it. By the time I was thirteen, I’d already gone through three tutors.”
She recounted all of this calmly, without a trace of pride. To her, being a genius wasn’t something to boast about.
Her father had placed great hopes in her—and she hadn’t let him down.
But when she was seventeen, she did something she shouldn’t have.
After that, her father refused to see her. In fact, her entire family shut her out.
During her time in Saiwa, she slowly began to realize just how extreme her past research had been.
She had tried to prove that gods didn’t exist.
Even though she had received divine revelation, had personally seen the God of Truth, she believed it was just a programmed illusion—a machine playing back a performance like something out of a comic.
Just having such thoughts was already considered blasphemy. And Daiyi hadn’t just thought it—she had truly researched it.
“Was it really that serious?” Felyn asked.
“Yes. Very serious. If not for my father’s position, our entire family probably wouldn’t have survived.”
If her father hadn’t been a senior elder of the Church of Truth, they likely would’ve all been condemned under divine punishment.
“Do you regret it?”
“I…”
If she had been asked this before meeting Felyn, Daiyi would’ve answered without hesitation: no.
But ever since meeting him, she had experienced—for the first time—what it meant to live a normal life.
It wasn’t just endless research and a cold, stern father who only cared about her achievements.
There were birds chirping in the morning, the breeze at noon, and someone in the kitchen cooking dinner at night.
If someone appeared now and disrupted this peaceful daily life with Felyn… would she hate them?
Most likely, yes.
Her research had thrown her family into chaos and stolen away that peace.
“So… do I regret it?”
For the first time, Daiyi found herself wavering.
Felyn noticed her silence and didn’t press her further.
The night breeze drifted in through the balcony, carrying with it the laughter of boys out on the street.
It was a dark night—so dark the stars had disappeared, so dark it felt like the shadows outside the window might slip in at any moment.
There were many questions in life without answers. People couldn’t be clear-headed all the time—and maybe they didn’t need to be.
Felyn and Daiyi sat quietly until ten o’clock, listening to the soft crackling from the fireplace, each lost in their own thoughts.
“By the way… about Zervanie’s concert this Saturday,” Daiyi spoke suddenly, her voice slicing through the century-long silence that had settled over the room. “Didn’t you say you didn’t really want to go?”
“Yeah, there’s someone there I’d rather not run into,” Felyn admitted, scratching his head awkwardly.
Daiyi was going with Princess Dorothy. If Felyn appeared beside Daiyi, he was bound to be spotted by Dorothy.
And with Daiyi’s personality, if she found out about the kind of relationship he’d had with Dorothy… she’d probably say something outrageous in front of her.
“But aren’t we lovers?” Felyn said, reaching out and gently holding Daiyi’s hand. He smiled at her. “Lovers should always be together, right?”
“We’ll figure it out,” he added. “It’s just the princess going, right? None of my clients should be there. Should be manageable.”
What Felyn didn’t know… was that most of his clients—and even former clients—would be attending Zervanie’s concert.
“Always together… does that include tonight?” Daiyi looked at their joined hands and whispered, “I just told you something really sad. Tonight’s the perfect chance to win me over, you know.”
As always, she teased him playfully.
But tonight, Felyn wasn’t the same as usual.
He remembered Bernice’s request.
And this time, he didn’t dodge.
“It includes tonight.”
(End of Chapter)