It was now about a couple hours or so after that dinner party, and Cecilia Lenore had only grown more worried for her friend, Marilyn Althorn. She was not sure if she would open up anytime soon, after all—

“It's been a year, and no progress…”

This wasn't the first time Cecilia did try to get through Marilyn. To be more precise, it could be considered as the umpteenth time. And at every attempt the princess’ words were brushed away, ignored and left in the depths of that girl’s mind.

Marilyn would often say those same words, of how she could handle things by herself, how she would heal eventually. She tolerated such phrases and acts of stubbornness for some time, but that most recent attempt…

“Am I being too harsh on her?”

She sighed, heavily. She was currently in their assigned bedroom, waiting for her to finish her solo training session.

The bedroom was large but simply furnished, with two beds set against opposite walls. The deep green curtains were drawn, letting only a faint glow from the manor’s garden lights slip through.

Each bed had soft, cream-coloured sheets and matching wooden nightstands, holding small lamps that cast a warm, golden light. A thick rug covered most of the wooden floor, and a single wardrobe stood by the far wall, its doors slightly ajar. The room felt quiet and private, with the faint scent of fresh linen lingering in the air.

“Well, maybe not…”

It was always like this. She often woke up early to train alone, and she would often sleep late to train alone. At this point, she was a bit bewildered how her messed up sleep schedule hadn't gotten to her yet.

She wasn't a bit too harsh on her, she needed that push towards opening up, no matter how strong it was. If she acted stubbornly when it came to this, she had to respond with that same vigour.

She already tried a softer route many times, but hopefully that less soft attempt managed to get through her, somehow.

“Hm?”

She heard a knock on the door, then a voice.

“Oi oi, are you asleep yet~?”

It was Elysia. She sounded a bit tired, but that was presumably because of her over-eating again. The royal princess smiled, chuckling even.

“Nope, you can come in if you want.”

The sound of the door opening was heard right after, Elysia coming into the room and closing it afterwards. The room was darker than the hallway, so the brightness of the lights outside caught Cecilia slightly off-guard.

“Well then, you seem a bit sad about something!” Elysia stated, as she would then sit beside the princess on her bed. “Something wrong?”

Cecilia blinked, her eyes gazing towards her, “I mean…maybe?”

Elysia sighed, “It's about Marilyn again isn't it?”

Cecilia nodded, she could not really hide it even if she wanted to. “I don't think I can get through her at all…she needs to open up more,” she said.

“Yeah…I get it,” Elysia replied, “At this point I’m just letting her be, she's going through things that I can't really begin to understand.”

“That’s the problem though,” Cecilia argued, “I want to understand, even if it confuses me I want to know more about it. We're her friends, shouldn't we be doing that?”

Elysia huffed, “We’ve tried, remember? Multiple times.”

The princess gazed downwards, her eyes heavy with worry and concern, a bit dim with their light. “I don't want her to suffer…especially since she saved me two years ago.”

Elysia gave a small sigh, her brow furrowed as she leaned back on her hands, gazing up at the ceiling. "I know," she said quietly. "And I'm sure she knows that too. But...you can't force her to let us in, Cecilia."

“I know that, but this is just getting too frustrating, you know?” Cecilia bit her lip, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of the blanket beneath her. "I just don’t know how much longer I can sit by and watch her spiral like this. I can see it, we all can, even if she thinks she’s hiding it well."

Even with Cecilia's promise, that she would be there for Marilyn, and how she would wait, the princess did not have infinite patience to do so. And despite the fact that she was willing to do so, to wait for that moment, that sudden leave by her friend from the dinner party caused her to worry about this more than ever.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"She's always been the type to try and carry the weight of the world on her own," Elysia remarked, her voice soft, almost contemplative. "Recently stubborn as hell, too. Not that we're any different." She gave a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Cecilia didn’t smile back. Her voice was quiet, almost distant. "It’s not just that she’s shutting us out…It’s like she’s shutting herself out, too. She’s disappearing into her training, like that’ll do anything much.”

Elysia’s gaze softened, and she reached over to place a hand on Cecilia’s shoulder. "We’ve done all we can, princess. I think, maybe, she just needs more time."

The dragon girl could feel the princess' body trembling, now that she was reminded of the quest they're about to take, how Lydia said that they could face something they're not prepared for.

"But what if she doesn’t have time?" Cecilia’s voice wavered, betraying the fear she’d been holding back. "What if this gets worse? What if—"

"Hey," Elysia interrupted gently, squeezing her shoulder. "Don’t go down that road. She’s strong, we know that. She’s been through worse and come out the other side. Maybe she just…needs to figure this one out on her own."

Cecilia swallowed, her throat tight. "I don’t want to lose her."

Even if she was immortal, she didn't want to lose the Marilyn she knew. She didn't want to have that thought, ever.

"You’re not going to lose her," Elysia reassured her. "She’s still here. And so are we. All we can do is be there when she’s ready."

The room fell into a brief silence, the weight of the conversation settling between them. The soft hum of the hallway light outside seemed louder now, filling the gaps where words failed.

"I just wish I could do more," Cecilia whispered.

"You’re doing enough," Elysia said firmly. "Sometimes being a friend means waiting. No matter how hard it is."

Cecilia nodded, though the worry still sat heavy in her chest. She knew Elysia was right—forcing Marilyn wouldn’t work. But that didn’t make it any easier to watch someone you care about suffer in silence.

But now, considering the sombre mood they’ve built, the dragon-kin girl had a plan to try out. It was a certain topic she had in her mind. “You know…this reminded me of something, in terms of stubbornness that is,” she said.

Cecilia perked up, “Huh?”

“I was a bit too hard to get through when I was little, you know?” Elysia said, “Born as the princess of the Dragon Maiden Clan in Nihon, it's very much a privilege. People love and respected me, but I grew up with that hint of pride and absolute stubbornness in my mind.”

“...Right, and dragon-kin are known to be prideful and hard-headed,” Cecilia reminded.

She nodded, “Yep, and that meant I was the type to try and do everything by myself. I wanted to be the best at everything, or at least be able to show off that I can do them in my lonesome. I’d get pissed off if I didn't get to, I had no semblance of teamwork at all.” Elysia laughed for a bit, and it baited Cecilia into laughing as well.

“It was to the point that I pushed people away, accidentally or not,” Elysia continued, with a sigh. “I felt suuuper lonely because of that, just wanting to have someone to get attached to, to understand me. I wasn't happy-go-lucky like I am now during that time either, so it was plain suffering on my end.”

“So your current self is the result of that, huh?” Cecilia said, chuckling. Her mood was raised up a bit, it was more casual than it was before.

The dragon princess nodded, “Mhm, it was. I basically rebranded myself as this silly gal that won't let go the moment she finds one friend to meet. Totally my darkest secret yet!”

Cecilia had to admit, that bit of exposition succeeded in making her smile. In fact, it made her realise a certain thought in her head. “I was a bit like you during my younger years too,” she said.

“Oh? I thought you were still like that~?” Elysia teased, a jeering smile on her face.

“What? No! I’m much softer now!” Cecilia exclaimed, a blush on her face, backing away from that girl's leaning face. It caused Elysia to laugh a bit as she did.

Cecilia continued, “But anyways, I regarded myself as an independent person, still do, but I was too prideful to ask for anyone to help. It quickly did change though the more I grew up, thanks to Sebastian and Cassian scolding me, would’ve been very stuck-up if I didn't.”

“Yeah, that much is obvious. You change fast!” Elysia smirked, patting the princess on the back. She was holding back, but—

“Gahk-!” It caused Cecilia to cough up, she was too strong. “You should definitely hold back some more! I’m definitely praying for Adrian's body if you two get to that point!”

“Naahhh, he’ll be fineeee, he’s much tougher than me, seriously!” Elysia laughed, before suddenly getting serious, “Like seriously, he’s strong as hell now.”

“Stronger than you?” Cecilia was a bit sceptical about this.

“In strength? Not yet, because I ain't letting him! He’s the type to grow fast in fighting, but he's also the kind of guy to let people catch up to him cuz he’ll feel bad somehow!”

Cecilia just sighed, “He seems to be too nice sometimes…”

“Yeahh, but I like that part of him, makes me feel all giddy and such!” Elysia responded, a smile on her face as she swung her legs back and forth.

Cecilia smiled, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Watching Elysia speak so fondly of Adrian, she felt a hint of longing—not really for a love like that, but for the simplicity of connection. Elysia made everything seem so effortless, her feelings worn openly, without hesitation or fear.

In contrast, Cecilia felt weighed down by all the things left unsaid between her and Marilyn, as if their friendship had become a delicate balancing act, ready to tip at any moment. The thought made her chest tighten again, the brief lightness vanishing as quickly as it came.

But somehow, she knew she must persevere. For the sake of her friend, she must hold onto that hope.

And after a beat, Elysia stood up and stretched, letting out a small yawn. "Alright, too tired now, I’m heading back to my room, Addy’s definitely waiting for me. You should get some sleep, too."

"I will," Cecilia said, though they both knew she likely wouldn’t.

And as she was about to leave, Elysia paused at the door, turning back to give Cecilia a faint smile. "Try not to worry too much, okay? We’ll figure it out. We always do."

Cecilia managed a small smile in return. "Yeah…I hope so too.”

And with that, Elysia slipped out of the room, leaving Cecilia alone with her thoughts once more.