Chapter 409 - Continued 2. (2/2)

”Qing'er...I'm...sorry..”

He kept repeating over and over again.

She stood up and looked at him with a rueful smile.

”Is she someone you care about?”

But there was no response. She felt even more guilty. Despite the current circumstances, Ceni was not a bad person. It was just that she had no other option left now.

So to make herself feel better, every other day she would visit Hao Xuan. Talking to him about her own troubles, telling him stories of her childhood. It turned into a habit that she quite enjoyed. Being the princess of a major power, she couldn't really talk to anyone openly so this was a new feeling.

But now, even though the conversation was one-sided, she quite looked forward to visiting him. From every other day to daily to sometimes several times a day, the frequency kept increasing. She visited him too many times to even remember.

On one random night, she was laying next to Hao Xuan in the bed. Her head rested gently on his arm as she spoke animatedly like she was talking to a close friend.

”You won't believe what happened today. Do you remember that senior sister I told you about? She also awakened her bloodline and was taken as a personal student by an Elder of the academ-.”

Hao Xuan's lips moved, murmuring the same name he had so many times before.

”Xu.....Qing...”

Ceni paused. Her expression turning somewhat gloomy.

”I know I know. It's all about her. Why do you always talk about her? I'm right next to you but all you do is call out another girl's name. Such...a heartless man...”

Her voice started breaking up and tears rolled down her face.

”I'm sorry, I'm...so sorry,” she repeated over and over again while stuffing her head in his chest.

***

Of course, she kept most of it to herself.

Ceni looked towards Dai Yuan with a bright smile etched on her face, only her wet eyes were holding back tears.

”We met on the journey coming over to the academy. He was injured and knocked out for most of it. I visited him every single day, talking to him about things I couldn't say to anyone else. For more than two months I did that every single day because I didn't think he would wake up. And every time he would repeat another girl's name. Without even realizing, he would call for her in his sleep.”

Dai Yuan saw the tears in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. The pain in her voice couldn't be faked. Only, she mistook the pain of guilt for heartache.

”I'm sorry, child,” she hugged her tightly.

Ceni who was holding back her tears all this time couldn't hold on anymore. They rolled down her cheeks like a broken dam as she wept like a child.