Rosalin sat quietly under the shade of a broad tree, with the afternoon light filtering through the leaves in small fragments.

In her arms was a small black rabbit, whose soft body was curled up calmly against her chest as the breeze blew faintly through the grass.

Patting the rabbit gently, Rosalin carried a soft smile on her face while her fingers brushed along its smooth fur in slow, comforting strokes.

The creature twitched its nose and squirmed in her arms. Then it suddenly broke free from her hold and landed softly on the ground.

Later, it ran across the grass and disappeared among the roots.

Rosalin followed its path with her eyes, the gentle smile on her lips slowly fading as her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The words from Ruvian surfaced in her mind once more.

—"...standing beside Calyra is no longer your goal, Rosalin. Don’t chase that. What you must do and what you must strive for is to surpass her."

’To surpass her...’

Her gaze lowered slightly, lingering on the patch of grass where the rabbit had vanished.

’Did Silvena tell him about my relationship with Calyra?’

The thought bothered her more than she expected.

Ruvian had spoken those words in such a confident way that it felt as though he had seen through a part of her.

’And did he also know about that banquet event?’

Rosalin remained beneath the tree, unmoving, while the memory of that night lingered faintly at the edge of her thoughts.

Then, footsteps brushed softly against the grass nearby.

Turning her head slightly toward the sound, she saw Silvena walking toward her through the scattered sunlight.

Silvena cleared her throat lightly, raising one hand to her mouth as she tried to steady her voice.

"Ahem... ahem."

She paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Erm, Rosalin. The academy has called everyone. We are about to return now."

As the words left her lips, Silvena suddenly looked awkward, as if she had more to say but was unsure how to begin.

Rosalin slowly rose from the ground and brushed the loose grass from her clothes. A light and friendly smile appeared on her face as she answered.

"Oh. Alright, thanks for letting me know."

She looked toward Silvena, and saw that her expression shifted slightly. Silvena’s gaze lingered on her in a strange way.

Rosalin tilted her head a little.

"Is there something on my face?"

Silvena quickly shook her head.

"Haa~ I don’t think I should meddle in what happened between you two..."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"But I think I still have to let you know."

Rosalin blinked in surprise.

Then, Silvena said:

"Calyra didn’t actually mean what she said back then during the banquet that celebrated your birthday. I know she hasn’t come to apologize to you yet, and honestly I don’t understand why that fool still refuses to do it when she clearly feels bad about it."

"...But I think it’s only fair for you to know that there was a misunderstanding at that time."

A faint smile rested on Rosalin’s face.

"Yeah, I know."

Silvena looked at her in disbelief, clearly not expecting that answer.

"Eh, you... knew?"

Rosalin nodded.

She lowered her gaze slightly as her thoughts drifted back to that distant memory.

"It was such chaos at that time, right?" she said softly.

"Y-yea..." Silvena replied in low voice.

Rosalin continued. "My brother almost attacked Calyra, too, the moment he heard what she said to me. That incident almost tarnished the relationship between the House of Arcanis and House Varion."

She shook her head slightly.

"Thankfully, both of our fathers were close friends. Because of that, they managed to settle the matter before things went too far. If not because of that... I think our families would already be enemies."

Silvena listened quietly as Rosalin spoke, and the expression on her face slowly dimmed.

Rosalin gave a faint breath before continuing.

"However, Silvena..."

"After some time, I realized that despite what she said back then, despite the shock and sadness I felt... I couldn’t bring myself to hate her."

’She... couldn’t bring herself to hate her?’ Silvena wondered what Rosalin meant by that.

A gentle smile slowly formed on Rosalin’s face.

"Because at that time... she also looked to be in pain," she added quietly.

The memory of that period remained vivid in her mind. Back then, Calyra had only just survived the high scale inter dimensional dungeon.

It had only been seven weeks since that terrifying incident, so it was understandable that she was still unstable, both physically and mentally. The fact that she had survived at all was already considered a miracle by many.

And yet, she still attended her birthday banquet...

So, Rosalin was already contended with that fact.

Silvena’s brows slowly drew together as she processed Rosalin’s words.

"What did you mean by Calyra looked to be in pain?" she asked, slightly confused.

Rosalin gave a small nod before turning her gaze toward Silvena.

"Silvena, have you... have you ever lost someone dearest to you?" she asked softly.

Silvena fell silent for a moment as she thought about the question.

Rosalin continued speaking while her eyes drifted toward the distant grass. "During that time, while she said those harsh words to me, I saw her face clearly."

"Calyra, back then, looked as though she was in immense pain, like someone who had just lost someone precious to them. I knew that feeling very well, so I can somewhat tell..."

"Because of that... when I remember the weakened state she was in back then, I simply couldn’t bring myself to hate her."

"And even now..."

Her voice softened as the words slowly left her lips.

"And more than anything, how can I hate someone who gave me the inspiration to keep going."

A brighter smile slowly appeared on her face, yet the warmth in it remained calm and serene.

Silvena watched her for a moment.

"Well, if you say so..." she replied with a thin smile.

"I’m glad then."

Even so, after hearing everything from Rosalin’s side, Silvena felt a quiet question stirring within her thoughts.

What exactly had happened to Calyra inside that dungeon? It was after that incident that Calyra no longer felt like the same person she used to be.

Before entering that high scale inter dimensional dungeon, Calyra had been a bright child who laughed easily and carried a cheerful energy wherever she went.

She used to speak freely, and the confidence in her eyes was always filled with innocent curiosity. But after returning from the dungeon... that light seemed to have dimmed.

The cheerful child who once laughed without restraint had slowly become quieter.

Silvena lowered her gaze slightly as she continued thinking about it. The quiet field around them felt calm as her thoughts slowly drifted somewhere deeper.

Everyone believed that she behaved that way due to the psychological shock of the event. However, Silvena had a feeling that it wasn’t due to that.

And more than that, there were a lot of missing pieces as to how she and a few people had managed to survive that dungeon event.

Then, suddenly, a certain memory surfaced in her mind.

A voice echoed faintly within her thoughts.

—"And if you fail to keep that promise..."

—"You’ll forever regret your life and never feel happiness again."

Silvena remained still as the memory replayed itself in her mind.

At that time, she had only thought those words from Ruvian sounded strange and overly dramatic.

Yet now, after hearing Rosalin speak about Calyra, those same words carried a strange and unsettling weight.

Her brows slowly drew together as she recalled another memory.

—"I was just confirming something about what I saw of her future."

Silvena quietly tried to piece Ruvian’s words together.

A faint unease slowly formed in her chest.

In the end, a chilling possibility forced its way into her thoughts, one that she could neither dismiss nor ignore no matter how much she tried.

Was it truly Calyra’s future that he had seen?

Or was it, far more disturbingly, something that had already happened to her long before.

’Was it... her past?’ Silvena wondered.

Lost within the quiet drift of her own thoughts, Silvena failed to notice the small grey bug that had quietly settled itself at the back of her neck, its presence so light and fast that it escaped her awareness entirely.

Then, without warning, a sharp sting pierced through her skin.

"Ouch!"

Her hand flew instinctively to the back of her neck, fingers pressing against the spot as a brief wave of irritation followed the sudden pain.

"Ugh, stupid bug," she muttered, her brows knitting together as she rubbed the area lightly, still wincing from the lingering sting.

Ahead of her, Rosalin had already begun walking back toward their carriage, though she paused and turned at the sound, her gaze settling on Silvena with mild concern.

"You good?"

Silvena straightened slightly, lowering her hand, though a faint discomfort still lingered where the bug had bitten her.

"Yeah. I’m good," she replied.

"Anyway, Rosalin... thanks for forgiving Calyra."

Silvena let out a warming smile.

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[Chapter 118: Why She Couldn’t Hate Her]