What do I plan to do...

After Viloti's thoughts about the contract are dispelled, in order not to expose the contract's existence, do I leave her again?

Do I repeat what happened with Viloti before, and watch her stand in the sunset, looking at me but not daring to approach?

Or should I risk facing Silafiel's wrath and Viloti's breakdown, and just tell her the truth?

Felyn wanted to say, "I don't know."

He was a little tired.

Too many things had happened recently.

Daiyi, Viloti, Dorothy, Olivia.

The professional bottom line he had set for himself was in constant, violent conflict with his own thoughts, endlessly torturing his heart.

During this period, this feeling of being pulled back and forth was stronger than at any other time in his past.

Daiyi's problem that he was destined not to be able to solve, Viloti's psychological trauma, Dorothy's excessive dependence on him, and how to get along with Olivia.

These complicated problems constantly roamed in Felyn's mind, making it hard for him to breathe.

He slowly realized that if he wanted to solve Daiyi's and Viloti's problems, he would definitely have to do things that went beyond the scope of the contract.

In that case, the professional bottom line he had adhered to for so long would be broken.

I don't know what to do anymore.

The anxiety gave Felyn a headache for a moment. He rubbed his temples, leaned back on the bench, and tried to let the wind carry away his worries and pain.

He wanted too many things, wanted to serve too many clients, wanted a Happy End for every outcome.

But reality wasn't a game where, even if you got a Bad End after clearing it, you could just reset and start over.

To make no mistakes, yet not invest too much emotion—this was a very difficult thing for anyone.

And he had been walking this path for too long, with no one to listen to, no friends to talk to.

Only Olivia, lying in her hospital bed, could serve as an outlet for his frustrations. And now Olivia was about to wake up. If he talked to her about work matters again, she might, like a rebellious teenager, find it long-winded and annoying.

Seeing Felyn hesitate, Adeline slowly lowered her head.

She could very well understand Felyn's current mood.

Adeline felt she shouldn't have asked. Felyn should be nervous about meeting Olivia right now, but here she was, adding to his troubles.

Felyn's recent life had indeed been a bit... difficult.

He was just a young man pretending to be strong. He couldn't be completely cold-blooded. Maybe he didn't know what to do right now either.

"About that matter with Viloti, the key issue isn't actually the contract."

Adeline looked at her tall boots, noticing the sheen of the sunlight on them.

"Some things can't be hidden forever, not to mention that Viloti now knows about the possibility of a contract's existence. She will find out sooner or later."

"The key to the problem should be, before the contract is exposed, to make it so that Viloti no longer cares about her past psychological trauma, so she can accept this fact calmly. That would be the best solution."

Felyn lifted his head, as if he had thought of something, and gazed at the last sliver of sunset in the distance.

Adeline was right. That was the best solution.

Whether he confessed to Viloti or not, she would be able to accept it calmly.

"You can spend more time with Viloti, let her get to know the real you. Or you can encourage her to actively protect herself, just like how you had Viloti tell Isabella that she's not to be messed with."

Adeline thought again of the scene in the storage room where she heard Viloti say, "I'm not to be fucked with."

She covered her mouth with her right hand and chuckled softly, never having thought that the usually cold-faced Viloti could say such words.

Only Felyn could do this, because Viloti trusted Felyn, relied on Felyn.

"This way, Viloti's psychological trauma will heal a lot, and then you can confess to her, and you can be with her..."

Adeline wanted to say that Felyn could then be with Viloti, but she couldn't bring herself to say those words, no matter what.

To let the man she liked be with another girl—even someone as strong as Adeline couldn't do it.

"Adeline..."

Felyn saw Adeline's downcast eyes, saw the last rays of the setting sun fall on her face, her rose-tea colored hair drifting listlessly in the air.

"Felyn, it's okay. I won't stop you from being with whoever you want. Although I like you, I... I don't want to control your life." She smiled at Felyn, but the red glow of the setting sun made the smile look incredibly desolate.

"Adeline, you don't have to go this far for me," Felyn said, lowering his head to look at the tips of his shoes.

Adeline had not only explained the solution for Viloti to him but had even provided concrete steps.

For the confused Felyn, this was nothing less than a lighthouse in the fog.

On the matter of Viloti, for the first time, Felyn was not alone in trying to figure things out; there was someone who could point him in the right direction.

Adeline was very outstanding, both in her work and in handling interpersonal relationships. Her ideas sometimes brought Felyn sudden enlightenment.

"Miss Olivia... has she woken up?" Adeline didn't respond to Felyn's words.

"Yes, I was just about to go see her."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little, I guess."

Perhaps because of what Adeline had just said, Felyn revealed a corner of his true feelings at this moment.

"Don't be nervous. Olivia will think she has a good brother. I can feel it." Adeline watched the setting sun fall on Felyn's face, a sudden ache of sympathy in her heart.

Felyn had come this far all by himself over the years—paying off debts, earning money, coaxing clients, studying.

Of course, he would be confused, would be in pain, but there was no one around him to listen to his inner hesitation and struggle.

If, if only I could take on that role.

Adeline wasn't trying to earn favor with Felyn. She just felt sorry for him; she just wanted to make him happy.

"Thank you, Adeline."

Adeline looked at Felyn's hand resting on the bench. She took off her black silk gloves, and after a moment's hesitation, slowly placed her hand on his.

Felyn's arm trembled slightly. He looked down at the point where their fingers met.

"Felyn... you can, you can trust us a little more, rely on us a little more. Whether it's me, or Viloti, or Miss Olivia."

Felyn blinked, not understanding Adeline's meaning for a moment.

"You're also afraid of getting hurt, right? You're afraid that the client likes a fake you. You're afraid that if you invest your true heart and feelings, you'll only get the client's disappointment in return."

"I don't know about your relationships with other clients, nor do I know what you've been through. But even though your contract with Viloti has ended, you are still considering her feelings now. Just for this point, I think you are a trustworthy person, not someone who treats those around him casually."

"So, I won't hurt you. I won't be disappointed when I see the real you after the contract ends."

Adeline's hand finally intertwined with Felyn's, their fingers locking together.

She held Felyn's hand tightly, not letting him pull away.

"What I like is you as a person, not the Felyn in the contract. But you know what? The you in the contract is also you. Putting aside those words and actions you deliberately used to please me, I still like you. Don't think I'm the kind of girl who gets tricked by a boy's casual sweet talk."

"It's not just me. I believe Viloti is the same, and Miss Olivia is the same. So, please rely on us a little more, trust... trust us a little more, just as we trust you."

Adeline gently pulled Felyn into her embrace, and Felyn's cheek unexpectedly bumped against her soft chest.

Her faint scent of roses immediately enveloped Felyn.

Felyn could hear Adeline's regular heartbeat, could feel her fingertips passing through his hair, gently stroking him.

"You've worked really hard, Felyn. You've already done well enough."

(End of Chapter)