Before arriving in Esfelt Duchy, Sylvia had already noticed Kyle’s intentions.
She knew better than anyone that he wasn’t the type to easily step into a social party like this.
Despite that, his participation suggested he had other goals, and once that thought crossed her mind, one person immediately came to mind.
‘He’s definitely trying to meet someone from the Drake family.’
She remembered the conversation Kyle had shared with an informant in Ruben, a conversation still fresh in her mind.
There had been rumors that the Drake family was secretly supporting the Eyes of Dawn from behind the scenes, according to the informant, an old man.
Furthermore, Kyle’s goal was to enter the Eyes of Dawn.
By piecing together these two bits of information, she could deduce that he was trying to meet a member of the Drake family suspected to be affiliated with the Eyes of Dawn and form an alliance.
Sylvia was determined to stop that from happening, no matter what.
“I am Vermilion of the Drake family.”
But as fate would have it, the man whom Georg had introduced as a close acquaintance turned out to be the firstborn son of the Drake family.
He had the air of a blonde nobleman, and at first glance, he was someone who could easily win anyone’s favor.
However, Sylvia found herself feeling unusually uncomfortable around him.
It wasn’t just because she suspected that a member of the Drake family might be involved with the Eyes of Dawn, and she was seeing him through colored glasses.
‘Something feels ominous.’
It was the faint magical energy emanating from him that kept pricking her skin.
The energy was eerily similar to the one Sylvia had encountered before her regression, the one from a man she had met in the Eyes of Dawn.
Though he seemed to have excellent control over his ominous magic, keeping it from leaking out, Sylvia’s increasingly sharp senses couldn’t help but pick up on it.
Even Kyle, who was a skilled individual, hadn’t noticed Vermilion’s magic, so there was no need to explain how sensitive Sylvia’s perception was.
‘I have to find a way to separate them, no matter what.’
While smiling on the outside and matching the atmosphere, Silvia kept her eyes on Vermilian Drake, brainstorming ways to pull him away from Kyle.
However, unexpectedly, the variable came from another direction.
“Princess, I’m sorry, but could you bring me a glass of water? I’ve been drinking hot tea, and my throat is a little dry.”
It was none other than Kyle, who seemed to be trying to separate Sylvia from the situation by providing an excuse for her to leave temporarily.
In truth, Kyle was merely uncomfortable with how Vermilion was eyeing Sylvia and wanted to distance her from him.
However, Sylvia, misinterpreting his actions, felt a sense of bitterness welling up inside her.
‘So, he’s telling me to stay out of the way.’
From Sylvia’s perspective, misunderstanding Kyle’s intentions as an attempt to build rapport with Vermilion, her thoughts weren’t entirely wrong.
However, she didn’t think coldly rejecting him and staying firmly by his side would be the best choice, so she nodded and decided to step away for a while.
To be precise, she pretended to leave and blended into the crowd, intending to secretly eavesdrop on their conversation.
‘It’s hard to hear.’
The problem was that with so many people around, it wasn’t easy to blend in and overhear their conversation.
Still, through the scattered bits of conversation she could catch, Sylvia managed to piece together some of the overall context.
It seemed that Kyle was trying to show Vermilion his skills, while Vermilion appeared to be testing him.
However, the nature of this test was something that deeply unsettled Sylvia.
If Vermilion Drake was truly a member of the Eyes of Dawn, this could very well be some sort of initiation test.
Perhaps Kyle had made up his mind to demonstrate his abilities to Vermilion, hoping to impress him, Sylvia thought, growing increasingly anxious.
She couldn’t let the situation escalate where Vermilion started taking an interest in Kyle.
With that thought in mind, she quickly moved toward Kyle, who was about to head somewhere, and grabbed his hand.
Thud.
“Prince Lyard, don’t go.”
‘…Princess?’
Kyle’s expression was filled with confusion, while Sylvia’s eyes held a touch of sadness.
Perhaps it wasn’t just because she couldn’t bear to see him associating with someone evil, but also because the way he turned his back with such a solemn expression reminded her so much of his last tragic departure before her regression.
It was almost as though she feared that, if she let him go this time, a future where she would lose him again would unfold.
That sense of unease drove Sylvia to act.
She had promised herself. In this life, she would make sure he didn’t turn into the villain.
She would do everything in her power to prevent him from making the same tragic choices and meeting the same bitter end.
“Don’t go… What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. Don’t associate with him.”
“Why?”
“I just have a bad feeling about him. I don’t like badmouthing someone on the first meeting, but for some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t get close to that person… it was just an instinct.”
Fortunately, the two had already left, so Sylvia quietly shared her impressions of Vermilion Drake.
If he thought she was just some rude woman who badmouthed people, that was fine.
She would do whatever it took to stop him, even if it meant being blunt about her feelings.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed as he silently listened.
If it had been anyone else, they might have dismissed her as crazy, but for Kyle, who had already suspected Vermilion’s true identity, her words felt like they carried weight.
‘Did Sylvia sense something too?’
Sometimes, an instinct can be more accurate than clear evidence or deductions.
Kyle knew Sylvia well enough to understand that she wasn’t the type to casually badmouth someone, so he didn’t think her words were meaningless.
However, not taking action now wasn’t the best choice.
Currently, the only path for him to approach the Eyes of Dawn is becoming more distant.
“Princess Eleonore, please listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
No matter how much it was for her own good, Sylvia felt conflicted about coldly pushing her aside and blindly chasing after Vermilion’s footsteps.
Thus, Kyle, looking down at her from above, spoke with a serious gaze.
He wasn’t sure how much his words would convey his sincerity, but at the very least, he felt he needed to say something that might reassure her.
“I understand what you’re saying. You think Vermilion Drake is not someone trustworthy, right?”
“That’s right.”
“However, you don’t need to worry about that. I have no intention of becoming close to him.”
“……”
But that alone wasn’t enough to convince Sylvia.
What mattered to her wasn’t whether he got close to Vermilion or not.
Her concern was that through Vermilion Drake, he could come into contact with the Eyes of Dawn and potentially align with them.
She feared that by showing his power here, he might appear as an attractive piece to the villains.
Before her regression, Sylvia had heard nothing about how Kyle gained his strength, so she had assumed that his power had drawn the villains to him.
‘But for some reason, I can’t stop him.’
Despite everything, Sylvia found it strange that she couldn’t bring herself to speak up.
She knew in her mind that she shouldn’t let him go down this path.
Perhaps this was the moment when the first thread leading him toward the villains was being sewn.
‘It’s because of his eyes.’
Sylvia thought the reason might lie in the gaze Kyle had.
It reminded her of the moment when he first called her name and tried to protect her, even in the midst of danger, with his desperate eyes.
It reminded her of the look in his eyes when he did everything he could to protect her, even when under the enemy’s control.
‘What a sneaky person.’
Sylvia thought it was really underhanded of him.
When he looked at her like that, no matter the reason, didn’t it make her want to believe him?
How is it that, with just a single glance, he binds and shakes her heart, both in the past and the future?
He truly was a man full of sins.
Muttering this inwardly, Sylvia smiled a hollow smile, feeling helpless.
She had a gut feeling that she couldn’t stop him.
So, reluctantly, she nodded and offered her final compromise.
“Alright. But please promise me.”
“Yes, anything.”
Without any hesitation, he agreed before even hearing her request, making Sylvia smile bitterly.
If she had asked for something ridiculous like a marriage proposal, would he have said yes too?
He was such an enigma—she couldn’t tell if he was pure-hearted or just stubborn.
Although she wanted to tease him a little with some mischievous words, she knew it wouldn’t be effective now, so Sylvia carefully conveyed the request she had been holding back.
“When you’re with me, no matter what happens, please return to me first when it’s all over. Not just today, but any time in the future.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, that’s enough.”
As long as he stayed by her side, Sylvia was certain she could prevent him from being tainted by evil.
That’s why she made this request.
If he returned to her after experiencing something joyful, she would smile with him.
If he returned after something sorrowful, she would cry with him.
By simply repeating that, she believed he would never feel the loneliness of a hard life again, nor walk down the dark path as he once had.
She knew better than anyone how lonely a life could be.
In her past life, he had been the pillar that supported her, the one who brought color to her life.
In this life, she promised herself that she would be his pillar.
With that resolve, Sylvia held Kyle’s hand with utmost care.