Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

Is this what she wanted?

She never imagined things would turn out this way.

She had only met Lilith and Felicity at the time, and she never thought she would actually survive in the Duke's mansion.

At least, she had ultimately chosen to give up on everything and wanted Rhodes to leave on his own.

It was Rhodes who broke free from Cecilia's scheme and pulled her out of the painful border.

Of course, she wouldn't complain that Rhodes wasn't faithful after rescuing her, because it was already good enough that Rhodes was willing to save her;

But... no matter what, even though she didn't do anything right, she at least didn't do anything wrong, right?

Shirley's gaze seemed to be accusing her. What was this all about?

Of course she knew she wasn't good enough; she knew she had flaws all over her body.

Being fierce and unable to truly meet one's partner's emotional needs, and then displaying a terrible attitude when trouble arises, which is annoying to others.

Moreover, he doesn't know anything, is immature, and can't do anything.

But because of this, at least she tries to do better, to learn new things, to speak in a way that is less offensive, and to act in a way that is more obedient and sensible.

At the very least, it can help Rhodes a little in terms of combat power.

Therefore, she is not wrong no matter what, and there is no possibility of her backing down no matter what.

So what if Shirley is strong?

I didn't really care whether I was alive or not...

Conflicting thoughts surged in her mind, and a lump of air stuck in her throat, causing her to bite her lip tightly, her gaze unwavering.

"You're lying; your eyes are clearly full of emotion."

Shirley, too, never let her eyes wander, keeping her fixed on Ivina.

"I'm only upset because you're annoying me, it's inexplicable..."

Ivina's voice was initially firm, but gradually it became more and more indistinct, until she was unwilling to continue speaking.

Shirley saw all of this.

A soul seed, especially one of her level, can easily detect even the slightest emotional fluctuation in its opponent.

Not to mention how intense the emotions emanating from Ivina were.

But she doesn't understand.

I don't understand why the core of what this girl is saying can't escape the word "extinction".

Despite his strong tone and seemingly casual, high-spirited demeanor, behind every word and thought lay the underlying thought of "I might as well die."

I'm feeling very irritable...

Shirley's emotions were also stirred, and she spoke earnestly:

"Shirley doesn't want to be unreasonable, so Shirley also wants you to explain yourself properly. Shirley isn't a bad person, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

"There's nothing to explain, hmph..."

"Hey, if you keep acting like this, Shirley is really getting annoyed." Shirley gritted her teeth. "Shirley hasn't done anything wrong either, so what's the point of you acting like this?"

No one makes a mistake, and it's not wrong for Shirley to look at Ivina with a scrutinizing eye.

They simply found their emotions clashing, discovering their own awkwardness and inability to tolerate each other's presence.

Shirley naturally couldn't let go and continue to possess him, while Ivina, faced with this entanglement, often chose to simply retreat.

Because Ivina has already retired, retreated too far back.

It's too difficult to get her to take a step forward, but it's far too easy to get her to take a step back.

"I told you, it's nothing, so don't look at me like that."

"You're lying."

"I didn't lie."

"Damn it!" Shirley scratched her head and gritted her teeth. "Fine, Shirley won't argue with you anymore."

After saying that, feeling unhappy, she turned around, walked to the edge of the church, sat down on a parish chair, and closed her eyes.

Ivina remained motionless, slowly leaning against the pillar beside her, and then remained silent.

Natalie and Felicity watched this scene unfold, not daring to utter a single careless word.

If those two get involved, it won't just be Ivina and Shirley arguing; it will be a whole group of people debating.

So, Natalie didn't speak until the two of them separated.

“I understand.” Natalie leaned against the pillar as well, adjusting her monk’s hat. “Running away from trouble… is not the way to go.”

The voice was addressed to Ivina.

Ivina's negative attitude actually stung her deeply.

In essence, she and Ivina are not the same kind of people at all. At least in her previous life, she was able to withstand the pressure from Lilith and bravely confess her feelings to Rhodes, which already surpassed Ivina.

But the result is obvious and well-known... the result of being proactive and enterprising is ultimately a complete failure.

So she also had moments like Ivina when she wanted to back down, and she was also negative, thinking things like, "Wouldn't everyone be better off if we really gave up on our feelings?"

But even at the very end, after Rhodes died, she still didn't change her mind and say, "Actually, I don't like you anymore."

Because liking is liking, and loving is loving.

The emotions within cannot be changed by external things; no matter how much they are hurt, the feelings remain unchanged.

My liking for it has been there for years;

She cherished the time when she and Rhodes went to the academy to study Imperial Criminal Law, Natural Ecology, and many other things.

I also like seeing Rhodes's shadow when we walk down the golden streets after leaving the Imperial Academy and casually buy something to eat.

That's all the trouble I could come up with.

Everyone understands.

In that instant, all the problems that had been deliberately suppressed in the past were indeed brought to the surface after Shirley and Ivina met.

The reason for yielding and giving other girls a place is because everyone understands that they need each other's support.

But the love in one's heart will not diminish because of rational thinking, while the resentment born of love will slowly accumulate.

Ivina didn't respond to Shirley's support; she simply bent her knees quietly, then squatted down, burying her head behind her knees.

"Then you go and argue, you go and fight back, and you go and ask Rod with bated breath who he really likes more?"

At that moment, Felicity reached out and gently patted Ivina's head—

“Ivina, you’re just saying things out of spite. You’re only angry that Shirley looks at you with that scrutinizing gaze. Don’t let other things get tainted with that.”

“I…of course I know.” Ivina turned her face away. “But isn’t that the truth? Everyone just doesn’t say it, but everyone definitely wants to know, right?”

"Who you like more or less, who weighs more or less."

“That’s not how it is,” Natalie interrupted Ivina, squatting down beside her. “At least, I think just a little bit is enough, and then, on top of that, a little more would be even better.”

"Because...do you want to hear about what happened between us?"

"Things from the past?"

"Well, Lilith was Rhodes's official girlfriend, while we were both losers in our past lives. Cecilia's memories of you must be incomplete, after all, she's the kind of person who only talks about things that are interesting to hear."

"Tell me about it," Ivina said sullenly. "I'm just killing time anyway."

"Ah."

Natalie composed herself, cleared her throat, coughed, and began to speak slowly:

“That was a time when Rhodes was monopolized. Lilith rejected all of our approach, and whenever we got close to Rhodes, her eyes would be filled with a cold arrogance.”

"It's actually quite funny. She seems indifferent, but when we try to touch her, she barks at us like a dog guarding its food."

Even if we like someone, we never have the chance to express what we really think.

"Or rather, even if it is expressed, it will be ruthlessly extinguished."

Echoes of Ivina:

"So what? What's wrong with that... Isn't this how normal monogamy is? It's fine..."

"Is it really okay?" Natalie pursed her lips and lowered her head. "It's not okay at all, because you can only helplessly feel yourself losing the most important thing in your life."

"Ivina, don't you like Rhodes?"

“Ha—how could I not like it…” Ivina clenched her hands and blurted out, but then quickly shut her mouth.

“You can’t hide your feelings,” Natalie continued softly. “Even if you do manage to hide them, they’ll only turn into regret.”

"Regret can never be erased. The more you like something, the more severe it becomes."

“I’m not some great philanthropist, and I know that if you back down, I can have more empathy.”

“But I don’t want you to become like we used to be, or rather, I don’t want you to run away in anger because of this level of sulking, and then regret it, just like Lilith did.”

“Shirley wants to resolve the issue, so we need to make things clear.”

"Back then, we didn't have the option to move forward, but now you at least have the opportunity. Or rather, how can you guarantee... that you're not the one Rhodes likes best?"

"Don't let your love for each other turn into regret."

Natalie also reached out and patted Ivina on the head—

At that moment, Ivina, her heart filled with mixed emotions, lowered her eyes.

"I don't want to have any regrets. Or rather, in my past life, I didn't even have the chance to meet someone I liked before I died..."

"So in this life, we should be bolder in trying new things. What does it matter if we back down?"

“…I don’t know.” Ivina shook her head gently. “It went forward…”

"The situation is bad enough, so just do what makes you happy. Do whatever makes you happy. If you like Rod, then don't back down so easily."

Natalie lifted Ivina's head and pinched her cheeks;

“Natalie…”