Reborn After Betrayal: The Frail True Princess Decides to Give Up-Chapter 46 : May I Call You Lily

Sophia's golden hair fell down, brushing against Celitia's cheeks, evoking a slight tingling sensation.
The girl's sky-blue eyes stared intently at her, filled with seriousness:
"Celitia, listen to me, it's really not what you think! It's all a misunderstanding!!"
Seeing Sophia's nervous and earnest expression, Celitia finally withdrew her teasing intent and laughed as she replied: "I know."
"Huh?" Not expecting her to accept it so quickly, Sophia was taken aback.
"I know this has nothing to do with you."
Celitia repeated, her voice containing amusement, her face rarely showing a trace of mischief.
"I just thought you looked so flustered, it was funny, so I was just joking with you."
"Wh-what?" Sophia was completely dumbfounded.
Seeing her frozen in place, Celitia asked unhurriedly: "Can you release me now?"
Only then realizing that their position had an indescribable intimacy, Sophia suddenly sprang up from the bed, hurriedly undoing the magical restraint.
Finally freed, Celitia half-sat up on the bed, stretching her arms.
She gave Sophia a sidelong glance, secretly snorting coldly in her heart.
Being tied up and thrown onto the bed by Sophia... this incident would remain in the grudge-holding Celitia's memory for a long time.
Being stared at by Celitia, Sophia felt she had already lost all face for a lifetime.
She pretended to be calm, turning her back, not letting Celitia see her cheeks that were almost steaming.
"Well, rest well then. I'll go downstairs."
With that, Sophia walked toward the door.
From behind her came a gentle voice: "Sophia."
Sophia finally heard her name again from Celitia's lips.
Her heart skipped half a beat, and she unconsciously stopped in her tracks.
"This bed is very large, probably enough for two people," Celitia said. "If you don't mind, let's make do with this arrangement tonight."
Since neither could convince the other, perhaps this compromise was the only solution.
Sophia's breath paused slightly for a moment: "You don't mind?"
Warming the Princess's bed was an honor many would seek but never obtain.
But Sophia always remembered how resistant Celitia was to any contact with her.
Celitia was silent for a moment.
To be honest, she did have some concerns about this.
But what Celitia was concerned about was whether she—someone who had died and been reborn, entangled with a curse—might accidentally contaminate Sophia.
Having chosen to live on, even precariously, she should accept the reality of that precarious existence. Yet she had become entangled with Sophia, and despite repeatedly trying to push her away, she hadn't succeeded.
Until she finally accepted her fate and said that "okay" to Sophia.
If one day Sophia discovered her hidden secrets, what kind of expression would she show?
Celitia's gaze suddenly became complex.
"As long as you don't mind," she said slowly, "I won't mind."
From those empty, misty purple eyes, Sophia once again felt a strong sense of loneliness.
She didn't understand where this loneliness came from, but she empathized with it, to the point that her heart ached in response.
In front of Celitia, Sophia took off her outer clothes, slipped into the side of the bed closer to the edge, expressing her answer through action.
The steady, long breaths beside her ear were reassuring, inexplicably evoking in Sophia a desire to confide.
Of course, perhaps it was also because she had seen a pair of equally lonely eyes.
Looking up at the canopied ceiling, Sophia slowly began:
"Do you find it strange that I, the kingdom's heir, would come here to study?"
"Why?" Celitia asked.
"Because I wanted to live a period of time truly belonging to myself before my coming-of-age ceremony."
Sophia said, her voice calm, carrying a hint of faint sadness.
"All along, I've been the Princess first, the heir first, and then Sophia."
The burden about to be placed in her hands was heavy. Sophia didn't know if she could bear it, but she would certainly try her hardest.
Before that, she hoped she could experience a final period of willfulness.
"In the royal court, antiquated and conservative, I've never... lived like this before, lying shoulder to shoulder with a friend on a bed, chatting about little secrets."
As she said this, a smile appeared on Sophia's lips, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.
"Although there have been some unpleasant experiences, I think getting to know you... I'm still quite happy about that."
Hearing this, Celitia raised her hand in a daze, staring at her palm.
This hand was pale and thin, delicate and seemingly boneless, no longer its original form.
The vibrant days of the past flew by before her eyes. Friends who had shared their hearts, lovers who had been intimate—all had turned to ashes, never to be found again.
In her palm, emptiness. Things she thought she had firmly grasped had all become passing clouds, nothing remaining.
Another slender, fair hand suddenly reached over, grabbing Celitia's palm, pulling her entire arm back under the blanket.
"It's cold outside," Sophia admonished gently. "Don't get sick again. I don't want to keep sending you to the hospital."
"...Mm."
When the fire in one's heart has burned to ashes, leaving only an endless wilderness, perhaps all Celitia could feel was this sole warmth from her palm.
Sophia suddenly turned her face, her cheeks turning slightly red as she coughed lightly, anxiously asking: "Um... Celitia."
"Hmm?" Celitia made an indistinct sound from her nose.
"Uh, I wanted to ask... to ask..."
Sophia twisted her fingers, extremely shy. After much hesitation, she finally stuttered out what was in her heart.
"Um... may I... also call you 'Lily'?"
They both seemed quite fixated on the matter of names.
Celitia didn't really understand this fixation. Would using a nickname actually bring them closer?
Even with their bodies pressed closely together, the distance between their hearts could still be as vast as heaven and earth.
However...
In the girl's sincere eyes, Celitia saw something quite nostalgic.
She couldn't even remember how long it had been since she had seen such pure, unadulterated emotions.
Sophia waited for a while but didn't receive Celitia's answer. Her expression turned deeply disappointed, clearly suffering a significant blow.
"Alright, I was being presumptuous. I guess our relationship hasn't reached that stage yet..."
Sophia didn't dare look at Celitia's expression anymore, shrinking into the blanket in disappointment, almost wanting to bury her head.
However, a soft hand gently covered Sophia's head, slowly smoothing her disheveled hair.
Celitia spoke gently, her voice slightly hoarse, but her words were not the least bit ambiguous, absolutely clear:
"...Okay."