Before Celitia could voice her objection, Sophia suddenly grabbed her hand and led her running forward.

The surrounding scenery rapidly retreated. The dark, narrow alley came to an end, bright light bloomed before their eyes, and everything opened up magnificently.

Ahead of them, the vast sea reflected the morning sun, sparkling with golden ripples; seagulls cried as they skimmed across the water's surface, tracing one flying trajectory after another.

The ships moored at the shore rested quietly beside the dock, their hulls gently swaying with the waves; workers carried heavy cargo, shuttling between the decks and the wharf.

Everything before them was full of vitality.

"Good morning, Princess Sophia!"

To Celitia's surprise, quite a few workers greeted Sophia.

"Good morning!" Sophia smiled, responding to each of them.

Seeing Celitia's confusion, Sophia explained:

"I've loved this harbor since I was little and would often run to the dock to play, so I'm very familiar with this area!"

Recalling the past that Sophia had described, Celitia once again confirmed that this princess had definitely been a little monkey when she was young.

"Let's go sit over there for a while."

Holding Celitia's hand, Sophia walked to the railing by the dock and sat down on a long bench facing the sea.

"I've never been to the dock before," Celitia said. "So just walking a few more steps forward through that alley leads to such a boundless sea."

"Yes."

Sophia looked up at the vast, endless scenery before them, a trace of emotion floating in her eyes.

"Just like life—you think you're walking on the darkest, narrowest path, but actually, maybe you just need to persist a few more steps to see the vast sky and sea."

Celitia also raised her head, following Sophia's gaze to look out at the broad distance together.

Vast sky and sea?

It sounded quite wonderful.

But...

"Is this what you wanted to say to me?" Celitia asked gently.

"No," Sophia shook her head and smiled at her. "This is what I wanted to say to myself."

It was like this before, and it's like this now.

Moving toward the direction she had determined, never giving up, until reaching where she should be.

On this long and lonely road, if she could choose someone to accompany her...

Sophia hoped that person could be her.

Just like before, holding hands with her, keeping each other company, passing through the dark and narrow alleys together, welcoming life's vast sky and sea together.

"What I want to say to you is..."

The girl's reflection appeared in her eyes, gently flickering along with the rippling waves in those sky-blue pupils.

Her fingers tightened on her skirt hem, creating wrinkle after wrinkle. Sophia finally began to speak slowly:

"I like you, Lily."

Her voice carried a tremor, and the overflowing emotions could no longer be suppressed, gushing forth.

"I hope you can stay by my side."

Celitia's eyes widened slightly.

In this instant, her mind went completely blank.

Like?

It seemed like it had been a very, very long time since she had heard this word.

So long that the depths of her heart had forgotten the meaning of this word, so long that she could no longer remember what liking felt like.

Celitia stared blankly at Sophia.

She saw the morning light like broken gold pierce through the gaps between the girl's eyelashes, igniting an eternal flame in those eyes—vibrant, hopeful.

But she was different.

This heart had long become an endless wasteland, with only some completely burned ashes remaining, flying everywhere in the misty air.

If Sophia's life was about passing through dark paths toward the boundless sea, then she must be traveling in the opposite direction.

Being able to brush past each other was already a blessing from the goddess.

The girl still gazed deeply at Celitia, seeming to wait for her answer.

The mist in her eyes tangled into whirlpools, connecting to nightmares deep beyond deep in places the girl couldn't reach.

Her long eyelashes trembled violently once, and Celitia silently lowered her eyelids, covering that deep, dense fog.

She didn't dare look into Sophia's eyes anymore. Her lips pressed into a tight line, and after a long moment, she hesitantly spoke:

"I'm sorry, Sophia... I probably can't respond to your feelings."

The bright radiance gradually faded from those azure pupils, and Sophia's expression slowly became dejected.

From the changes in Celitia's expression, Sophia had actually anticipated her possible answer.

But when she actually heard this response, boundless disappointment still spread up from her chest.

"It's okay, you don't have to respond."

Hiding that disappointment, Sophia forced a smile and spoke slowly after careful consideration.

"I just wanted to convey these feelings to you. I'm not demanding that you respond to me. I thought about it, and perhaps it should be described this way?"

Those boundless sky-blue eyes still gazed at her, and even though Celitia kept her head down without looking at Sophia once, there wasn't the slightest retreat.

"Liking you is my own business and has nothing to do with you. You don't need to feel pressured because of it. Although, I might hope from the bottom of my heart to get your response... but if that's not possible, then it's not your problem."

Disappointment gradually transformed into determination as Sophia spoke word by word slowly, "My thinking is simple—as long as you're still by my side, accompanying me forward, I'll be very satisfied."

During that restless night, Sophia had thought for a very long time.

Liking her, wanting to tell her, being with her, creating new memories.

These feelings were so simple.

Past and future, worldly concerns and shackles—Sophia didn't want to consider any of it.

Celitia bit her lip bit by bit, her teeth gradually applying pressure, leaving a deep mark on her tender lips.

She thought too little, while she thought too much.

When it came to herself, things perhaps became complicated all at once.

That emotion was so pure and flawless, so brilliant it made her feel ashamed of herself.

Such a bright star should hang properly in the sky, overlooking all living beings. Why should it become a burning, falling meteor for her sake?

"How could that be."

Celitia closed her eyes, allowing night to fall before her, isolating all the scenery outside the darkness.

"Liking requires a response—it's not unrelated to me."

She spoke extremely softly, "Otherwise, these feelings will only become your torment."

Celitia stood up from the long bench. The morning light gilded her surroundings with a gentle golden edge, and her face was backlit, making her expression almost impossible to see clearly.

"I'm sorry, Sophia."

Not daring to look at Sophia's reaction, Celitia hurriedly stepped away and fled from the harbor dock.

Her figure merged into the crowd and disappeared from sight once again.

And this time, Sophia didn't get up to chase after her.

She remained sitting on the long bench, staring blankly in the direction where the girl had disappeared, her eyes completely vacant.

"Was I... too hasty?"