Faced with these two girls, who had retained their kind natures despite being crushed by the rules of the world, the exhaustion and tightly wound vigilance Xia Ya had accumulated over so many years in this life finally collapsed on a massive scale.
Why could these two children remain so strong? Stripped of worldly schemes and power struggles, having endured bloody battles where companions slaughtered one another, and witnessed the dark atrocities of those closest to them, why were they still capable of such reckless tenderness and resilience?
He had come all this way by stepping over countless lies and calculations, arrogantly believing himself above it all as he manipulated the course of the entire world. How could someone steeped in such arrogance and calculation, down to his very bones, deserve to be treated like this?
He knew full well that he did not deserve this utterly sincere affection.
Yet the breathing where their skin touched continued, the gentle words by his ear still lingered, and their intertwined fingers left not the slightest gap between them.
Even though he knew deep down that he was a madman unworthy of forgiveness, at this very moment, in the most hidden corner of a heart that had always pursued only reason and control, Xia Ya still had to admit that being pulled from the abyss by these hands made him incomparably happy.
"Xia Ya."
Hearing that calm response, Jiliang slowly withdrew her hands from Xia Ya's cheeks. The moment her fingers left, they took away the warmth that had briefly gathered there.
She straightened up and stepped half a pace back, yielding the position she had occupied all along.
This time, Lacus moved closer.
Her knees pressed into the soft mattress. As she leaned forward, her pale pink hair cascaded down from her