Actually, at first, Sophia hadn't had much interest in this profound subject.

But by some strange twist of fate, when selecting courses, Sophia had signed up for Authentication Magic.

Perhaps it was because the sight of Celitia earnestly constructing spell formations had left too deep an impression on Sophia.

Or perhaps it was because she wanted to use this subject as a starting point to understand her a little more.

Looking at the notes on her desk while using her pen to adjust the complex spell formation, Sophia was now completely immersed in her studies.

"Hmm, maybe if I adjust this part a bit more, the precision could become higher? Change it to... change it to..."

Silently, a hand reached over from behind, gently pressing down on the back of Sophia's hand.

"Your thinking is correct, but not here. If you want to increase precision, it's best to adjust this part—"

A familiar voice suddenly came from above, and a strand of silver-gray hair drifted down, loosely sliding in front of her eyes.

Sophia even felt two soft mounds lightly pressing against the back of her ear, and could faintly hear the heartbeat coming from within—one beat after another, steady and regular.

In this instant, Sophia's heartbeat became completely chaotic.

"Kyaa—!"

Sophia cried out in alarm, her hand holding the pen recoiling as if electrocuted, her whole body bouncing upward, nearly jumping out of her chair in fright.

"Mmph...!"

Completely unable to anticipate that Sophia's reaction would be so intense, Celitia was caught off guard as Sophia's head collided squarely with her chin, causing her to let out a muffled groan.

The magic formation that hadn't been fully constructed was disrupted by this commotion, its light flickering before going out entirely.

Celitia quickly moved aside, rubbing her aching chin while apologetically saying:

"Sorry, Sophia, for disturbing you when you were concentrating, and causing you to mess up your formation... How about I help you build an identical one, and you can start over from where you left off?"

Sophia didn't even look at the formation that had taken her over half an hour to barely construct, her eyes only fixed on Celitia.

"Did... did I hurt you?"

She didn't know why her reaction had been so intense just now, her mind in complete turmoil.

It was just that this heart of hers was completely beyond her control, beating frantically in her chest with such loud thumping that Sophia worried Celitia might hear it.

"Ah... I'm fine, it doesn't hurt much."

Looking at the girl before her, Celitia noticed her shifty gaze, flushed cheeks, and unnatural expression, and couldn't help feeling puzzled.

"Is the study pressure too much? Are you feeling unwell?"

Authentication class was probably still too difficult for Sophia. She should have stopped her from enrolling back then.

If she failed the final examination and unfortunately failed the course, Sophia would definitely be very upset—she was such a proud person...

Thinking this way, Celitia couldn't help but reach out her hand, wanting to touch Sophia's forehead.

"Don't be too nervous. If you have any questions, you can ask Teacher Meilan, or you can ask me too—"

Before her hand could touch Sophia, the girl suddenly leaned back sharply, dodging Celitia's touch.

Celitia's hand paused uncertainly in mid-air, the confusion in her eyes deepening as she looked at Sophia.

"No, I'm fine," Sophia frantically explained, trying to find an excuse for herself, "It's just... it's just..."

It's just that she was worried that with each additional moment of contact, the possessive desire burning in her chest would grow stronger.

It's just that she was afraid those dark thoughts stirring in her heart would be noticed by her, and then she would be hated.

Her lips moved for a long time, but Sophia still couldn't come up with a suitable excuse.

Celitia's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she nonchalantly withdrew her hand.

"That's good then. In any case, Sophia, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Thoughtfully providing an excuse for Sophia, Celitia gave her a faint smile.

"I won't disturb you anymore then. If you have any questions, you can call me anytime."

When she sensed that Sophia seemed to be keeping her distance, Celitia chose to cooperate.

This was what she had been doing anyway—there was nothing to hesitate about.

At most, it was just... that elusive, faint sense of loss in her heart that wouldn't go away.

Staring blankly at Celitia's calm smile, Sophia felt as if something was missing from her chest, leaving it empty and hollow.

Meilan, who had been observing from nearby, had witnessed the entire small incident between the two.

Looking at Celitia walking back, Meilan lowered his voice: "What's wrong? Did you have some kind of disagreement with Princess Sophia?"

Celitia shook her head: "No."

"I may be old, but my eyes aren't dim yet," Meilan chuckled, "If you have a rift with a friend, you need to clear things up promptly."

"Really, there isn't. You're overthinking it, Teacher."

"Is that so," Meilan didn't continue pressing, only saying gently, "When it's time to open your heart, you should open it. Don't wait until the rift has formed and become irreparable before feeling regret."

Celitia silently lowered her eyelids.

The phrase "opening one's heart" was a bit too luxurious for her current self.

Those rotting roots in her heart, those past experiences she didn't want others to know about, should remain hidden in damp corners, never seeing the light of day.

Just like this, only showing her sunny side, standing beside them, watching their smiles—that was already enough.

"I understand," Celitia replied very softly, "The way things are now... is already very good."

○

Since the next day was a rest day, after school ended, Sophia returned directly to the royal palace.

Facing a table of exquisite dishes specially prepared for her homecoming—all dishes she liked—Sophia found herself unable to eat.

"Regarding your question from a few days ago, I sent someone to inquire. Ariel has finished her pilgrimage and will be returning soon."

Marianne sat across from Sophia, looking at her daughter's dejected expression with amusement.

"Why are you asking about Ariel? Even when she returns, you don't have to see her. Although, personally, I still hope you two can get along well..."

Sophia's head was practically buried in her plate, her whole being radiating an aura of extreme dejection:

"It's not about Ariel..."

Marianne asked in surprise: "Then what is it about?"

Sophia folded her hands on the dining table, resting her chin on her arms as she let out a dejected breath that blew the loose strands of hair on her forehead.

Sophia didn't know whether she should confide this inner turmoil to Marianne.

"Well... everyone please step back for now."

Marianne dismissed the attending maids around them, then gently raised her hand to stroke Sophia's head.

"Good child, whatever troubles you have, feel free to tell Mom. Mom promises not to tell anyone."

Unconsciously nuzzling against her mother's palm, Sophia finally opened her mouth hesitantly:

"It's about Lily..."