Livia and Allen exchanged a brief glance, and a tremor ran through her heart.
Allen de Laval’s gaze was nothing like that of the pretender among the Naxiu Scions.
His deep eyes seemed to pierce countless cycles of reincarnation, seeing through everything about her.
Does he also retain his memories?
What should she do next? How should she walk the road ahead?
Livia instinctively wanted to seek help from her “friends,” but strangely, she suddenly couldn’t hear any response from them.
The consciousness space that always held gentle whispers was now dead silent.
This girl, whose heart had always been resilient, had long ago developed a deep reliance on the guidance of the “Stellar” after enduring a seemingly endless nightmare from which she could never awaken.
Without their voices, the confusion in Livia’s heart magnified at once.
Her icy expression was nearly impossible to maintain; a sudden, unexpected fragility and helplessness almost surfaced on her face.
Of course, the people around her noticed nothing strange.
She passed through the cheering crowds, bathed in flowers and applause, like a true triumphant hero.
Was she a hero? Perhaps she was.
But the heavier the expectations, the deeper her fear.
This time… can she really save everyone?
As she rode through the noble district, some scions stared at her intently, as if admiring a rare treasure, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
Some brazen fellows even ignored the Ceremony Officer’s obstruction, dashing to her side and declaring their love for her in exaggerated tones.
Her father, Friedrich von Stern, the Count of the Borderlands, was furious at this, nearly raising his riding crop to lash out on the spot.
The soldiers who had fought beside her, and who likewise despised these Naxiu Scions, went a step further—directly beating up those fools and tossing them back to the livid Ceremony Officer to be recorded.
It was obvious these guys would get a good thrashing from their elders once they got home.
These minor incidents only made Livia loathe staying in this hypocritical Capital even more.
For the rest of the parade, Livia remained in a daze until she and her father left the procession, guided by the Kingdom Guard to the majestic Royal Palace.
Inside the palace, she met two people both familiar and strange—Crown Prince Charles and Princess Charlotte Durand.
In some fragments of her nightmares, it seemed she would get entangled emotionally with them; her fate was supposed to be bound to one of them. At least, that was what “Stellar” told her.
But she disliked such a fate. It wasn’t that she hated the two noble heirs, but she felt that, once involved with the royal family, she would lose all freedom, becoming a splendid caged bird.
She yearned for the thrill of battle and had no interest in becoming a royal consort.
In her past nightmares, she was always alone, and even “Stellar” had tacitly allowed her willfulness.
But this time, it seemed she could not escape.
Because of her contact with Allen de Laval, she had been designated by “Stellar” as the key to saving humanity.
Can she be willful just once more?
Is “Stellar” silent this time because it’s finally grown weary of her stubbornness?
Though confused inside, Livia relied on her impeccable noble upbringing to maintain proper manners, exchanging friendly words with the two heirs and accepting their congratulations.
“Thank you, Your Highnesses, for your concern. I will not fail your trust and will dedicate my strength to the kingdom.”
“Miss Livia, you are such an exceptional lady. May I invite you to attend my tea party in the future?” Princess Charlotte Durand, famed for her gentle beauty, warmly clasped Livia’s hands.
“I would be honored to attend your tea party, Your Highness,” Livia replied with a smile.
Livia knew very well that Princess Charlotte was not as simple as she appeared.
In front of the common people and most nobles, she was always this approachable and lovely, but at heart, she was a master at using her femininity as a weapon—a schemer well-versed in political intrigue.
She simply recognized Livia’s value and wanted to pull her into her own camp.
Of course, beneath her mask, she was also a fifteen-year-old girl with a maiden’s heart.
When all was said and done, these two heirs were just children forced to bear heavy burdens from a young age.
Their adept disguises were merely a means of survival.
Livia had expected Crown Prince Charles, as the leader of the Sword-Bearing Nobles, to also try to recruit her, since by birth she belonged to their faction.
However, the Crown Prince unexpectedly asked a question that left her momentarily speechless:
“Miss Livia, your great achievements make you a true ‘noble model’—a rarity in our kingdom for many years. But I heard you may be engaged to the son of the Bernard Viscount, Allen de Laval? Is this true?”
“……” Livia fell silent at once, not knowing how to reply.
At that moment, her father Friedrich spoke up: “This matter has indeed been considered by my wife. However, my daughter may have her own thoughts on the matter. So whether the engagement is finalized is yet to be determined.”
The Count of the Borderlands regarded the handsome Crown Prince, then shifted the conversation: “Your Highness, I hear you too have not yet set an engagement. Is there perhaps a young lady you favor? How about…”
When Livia heard her father’s words, she immediately understood what scheme he was plotting again.
No… I cannot let Father ruin the engagement with Allen de Laval…
I still need… to save humanity!
In an instant, the emotions and resentment she had long repressed exploded from deep within.
With a hint of anger, she spoke out, “Father! Please don’t make decisions about my life on your own!”
Her words stunned everyone present.
Especially the Count of the Borderlands, who was at a loss when his daughter confronted him publicly, his face instantly written with shock and grievance.
He knew Livia had been enduring much, but he had long grown used to her obedient nature and thus made a grave mistake—
He once again ignored Livia’s personal wishes, especially when she had repeatedly emphasized wanting to maintain her engagement with Allen de Laval.
He actually tried to arrange her life without her consent!
Even someone as cold as Livia erupted in public; it showed how serious the problem with his family education was!
This was entirely his failure as a father!
The two heirs exchanged glances, wisely pretending not to have heard anything.
This was Stern family business; it wasn’t their place to interfere.
Still, Crown Prince Charles was now all the more certain that the engagement between Livia and Allen de Laval would proceed.
He had already looked into the Stern family’s situation, and Livia’s anger convinced him that the Count of the Borderlands hadn’t realized just how discontent his daughter was with their cold, exploitative household.
Her insistence on the engagement might be nothing more than an escape from home, regardless of who the fiancé actually was.
Allen de Laval—what a lucky fellow.
The Crown Prince felt he’d made the right move in recruiting the Laval House.
His own royal father had probably never expected that the Count of the Borderlands couldn’t control his daughter at all.
Thinking his father might have to swallow his pride over this amused the Crown Prince.
After all, the three of them were peers—each with their own complaints about their birth families.
After uttering her angry retort, Livia realized her emotions had gotten the better of her.
She wanted to apologize, but some deep-seated pride made her continue the standoff with her father.
Perhaps those nightmares weren’t entirely a curse; at least she could now face her true feelings.
She hated the Stern family. She wanted to cut ties with that so-called “home.”
She also hated those half-brothers—they weren’t family, so why must she play the good sister?
Why couldn’t she decide her own life? Why did others always pull her strings?
Fine then, she’d really marry that “devil!”
That way, she could also keep her promise to be with Marianne, and if she “submitted” to him… she wouldn’t have to worry about so much anymore.
Whether or not humanity was destroyed would have nothing to do with her.
At the very least, she could still enjoy a brief, but truly lived, beautiful dream, couldn’t she?
Such a decadent thought actually brought Livia a sense of…shameful, yet undeniably real, pleasure.
She wondered if she’d always been this strange. Had she ever had thoughts like these before?
Maybe it was a side effect of her long nightmares.
Still, after speaking up to her father, Livia felt much more at ease, as if she had snapped out of a fog.
At last, the gentle Princess Charlotte broke the awkward silence: “You two, Father is already waiting. Miss Livia, today’s meeting was arranged in haste, and our hospitality may be lacking. Next time, I’ll prepare a proper tea party for you, and then we can chat at our leisure.”
Crown Prince Charles also nodded: “My father has not personally received nobles for a long time. Today’s triumphal ceremony proves how much he values both of you—pillars of the kingdom. Count of the Borderlands, Miss Livia, I wish you a pleasant meeting with my father.”
“Thank you, Your Highnesses!”
Livia and Friedrich bowed to the two heirs, then, under the guidance of the king’s personal attendants, continued on their way.
Father and daughter walked silently for a while. After some reflection, Friedrich spoke first: “I’ll prepare those hundred thousand Livre for you.”
“Eh?” Livia looked at her father in surprise. He was always so stubborn; she hadn’t expected him to yield this time.
“Livia,” Friedrich’s voice carried a trace of relief, “actually… you don’t want to return to that home, do you?”
Doing everything but making living and Allen meet