"What are you saying, Stella? Haven't you understood what I told you?" Sina felt some annoyance from the unexpected rejection.

"Yes, I understood what you were saying to me, but I think you're mistaken about assuming that my relationship with Fayte is doomed to fail... No, I believe what you said is wrong."

"I'm mistaken? What do you know about relationships between people and their feelings at your age and with the limited experiences you've had?"

Sina's anger flared up as she realized the young girl had her own opinion, not the obedient girl she initially thought, who listens and obeys without complaint or objection.

"Age? Limited experiences? Aren't you just two years older than me? Do you have the right to say such things? You're not much different from me, are you?" Stella looked at Sina with an unusual seriousness, realizing that the girl wasn't going to give in easily.

"..... Yes, that's right, I'm slightly older than you, but you must understand that my experiences in life have never been few. One matures through experiences, not age, so listen to me, Stella, and follow me." Sina extended her hand to Stella, urging her to follow.

"...Right, life experiences are not measured by age alone. That's what my father told me..." Stella lowered her head with a sad tone, remembering the beautiful days of the past with its tranquility and warmth.

"And finally, now you understand why you should heed my words, let's not waste time, Stella." Sina urged her again, believing that Stella had surrendered to her.

"And what you're saying might be true, so are you saying these things thinking that I've lived like a flower in a glass house? Or are you claiming to know everything about me?"

Stella raised her head, looking at Sina with her violet eyes shining with traces of tears.

"Are you saying that you've seen all the life experiences I've had? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"!!...I... I..." Sina couldn't find words to respond to the young girl's speech. She never thought that this girl would be so fierce and have such logical arguments.

"But you're the one who said with your own mouth that you don't know what feelings you have for the young gentleman. How can you not know the nature of your feelings towards your fiancé?"

Sina quickly found another argument to subdue the girl, as she wouldn't back down easily.

"I still don't know well what my feelings are towards my fiancé, but I definitely don't hate him. These feelings exist in my heart, and I am the only one who knows them. So no one has the right to decide for me about the nature of the feelings I have for others. I alone decide that."

Sina argued passionately, even surprising herself, pausing briefly to catch her breath before continuing.

"I may not know well the type of feelings I have for my fiancé, but when he talks to me and looks at me, I feel joy, and when I see something bad happening to him, I feel pain in my chest, and when I see him making a mistake, I try hard to help him correct it. If these are truly feelings of hatred, then I don't know how feelings of love would be like?" With each word Stella said, her voice grew stronger and more confident, and in the end, her voice almost turned into a shout.

"........." Sina stood there in disbelief that Stella had been hiding such a side of herself, a side as strong and firm as a determined fighter, willing to win or die. She saw this as she caught her breath before continuing, with a calmness unusual for her.

Stolen novel; please report.

"..... Do you even know how it feels when I see my fiancé treating me coldly, ignoring me? Do you know how my heart constricts when I hear those hurtful words from him? Do you know how much I want him to cherish me, to treat me kindly? And even if that doesn't happen, I won't give up on him... he is my family."

Instead of convincing her, it was Sina who became convinced. Now, finally, Sina was sure that the young girl standing before her wasn't the one who still believed herself to be a princess waiting for her prince charming, but rather a determined fighter ready to face life's challenges. Stella had learned from a young age that life wouldn't always be easy, so either she accepts the harsh reality or fights against it, with strength or with faith.

"...he is my family."

The young girl couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and those transparent pearls flowed from her beautiful violet eyes to her flushed white cheeks. She remembered her loving parents, who were now beneath the earth, she remembered those warm, affectionate days, days filled with love and warmth, days that left a mark on her heart, and that mark returned to her every time she felt doors closing in on her. She warmed herself with those memories and renewed her determination in those moments.

And how could she not, remembering well how her father always supported her mother, being the solid wall standing in front of every problem that threatened his wife, and because her mother had special circumstances that made her subject to ridicule from people, friends, and even her own family. She was ostracized by society, causing her psychological harm, Indeed, the matter even escalated to attempts on her life in their home, which made her mother live a nightmare in her reality before her dream.

But fortunately for her, her husband was with her and didn't reject her as her family did. Instead, he tried to compensate for the love she needed from her family. Of course, the latter couldn't fully compensate for all this deficiency. His utmost effort was to be a husband and a friend. However, being a father or a brother was beyond his reach. Nevertheless, the wife clearly saw what her husband did for her. For her, this was reason enough not to succumb to despair and to renew her patience.

However, things didn't always go smoothly permanently. In one of the attempts on the wife's life, when her husband, who always defended her, wasn't present, the assassin seized his chance to move against her. Unfortunately for the assassin and fortunately for her, the information he received was inaccurate. the husband wasn't far from her, or else the killer would have executed his plan effortlessly. If her husband hadn't intervened, she would have been murdered right in front of her young daughter while they were playing together.

The price for the assassin who failed in his mission was that he lost his life against the husband. Of course, when the plan deviated from its course, the killer hurried to escape. However, his enraged opponent didn't allow that, and due to the significant difference in strength between them, he truly prevented his escape....and if only he hadn't done so.

The trapped assassin, unable to preserve his life, became a suicidal person whose only concern was not to make it easy for the one who forced him into this desperate situation. For a professional assassin, causing a minor injury to his enemy would be sufficient, and the enemy would be critically injured. And indeed, this happened.

Seeing the state her husband was in because of her, her husband, a handsome man with power and strength, rich and young, easily capable of divorcing her and replacing her with another woman as beautiful as she was, made her feel guilty, angry, and humiliated. She didn't even understand why her husband would sacrifice so much for her. All she could do was cry heavily, asking through tears why he did this for her.

Her husband's response was to gently place his hand on her cheek, moving his fingers gently on her cheek and saying;

"Because you're my family."

.

..

...

"Because he's my family."

It wasn't just a word; it was a strong bond, a bond that was difficult to break. Stella didn't understand that sentence only with her mind, but she also experienced it with her senses, her heart, her soul. She wasn't just a little girl repeating what she heard from others.

"I will never abandon my family."

Faced with this determination and these heavy, firmly rooted words, Sina could only nod her head in surrender. How could she not, having seen what she saw, and felt what she felt, from a girl younger than her? Her heart couldn't bear to add one more word that might diminish the determination of this girl standing before her.

'But will this determination and these words reach her fiancé? Will she even see him again? He decided to sell her to that fool. He's now outside the palace, not even bothering to see her as she leaves the palace like some cheap commodity.'

Sighing in sadness, Sina realized, from what she knew about her young master and recent events, that Stella wouldn't see him again, let alone speak to him and convey what's in her heart.

'But will this determination and these words reach her fiancé? Will she see him again? He decided to sell her to that scoundrel, and now he's out of the palace, not even wanting to see her as she's taken from the palace like a cheap commodity.'

Sina sighed in sadness. Knowing what she knows about her young master and the recent events, Stella wouldn't even see him, let alone talk to him and express what's in her heart.

She learned this after going to the kitchen to get some food for her brother and his friend. When she went to bring them the food, she witnessed the incident between Roudel and Daudrian. She saw the audacity of that effeminate called Daudrian. He was provoking Roudel to the point where things could have gotten out of control if it weren't for her brother's intervention. She knew very well what would have happened if Rayn hadn't intervened.

'He even harassed my brother, that despicable effeminate.'

Sina clenched her teeth as she remembered Daudrian's words and actions towards her brother, making her feel sick and angry.

At that moment, she asked herself if the reason he came here was because of her brother. The idea quickly faded as she heard the words spoken by Daudrian, linking them to what her young master said to her. She knew the reason he came here.

'Stella's unfortunate luck, of all people, to leave her in the hands of this person. Couldn't he find anyone else to sell her to? What hatred does he have towards her to do this to her?'

Sina was aware that Rodol's bad reputation was not just derived from being effeminate and flirting with men. He had another more sinister quality. For people, this second trait was even worse than the first one. Daudrian was infamous for being a sadist who enjoyed tormenting women, especially young and beautiful ones.