Go back? There's no going back.

For example, is the sudden change in the princess' attitude towards me because she is completely fed up with Karami like me?

Or maybe the princess already knew that his mother was the witch who brought disaster to the country, and she was displeased with him for not reporting the truth...

Thinking about these reasons that might have caused the princess to be in a bad mood, Su Wei subconsciously held his breath.

But, in the next second, when he heard the words coming from the princess's mouth, he was stunned for a moment.

"Tell me, who are the people you care about the most right now?"

She looked at him, her green eyes showing no emotion: "Who among these people are the ones you love?"

Ah...ah?

"You, Lady Elsie, and Mom...are the people I care about the most."

After a moment of silence, although he didn't know why the princess suddenly asked him this question, Su Wei organized his words and quickly said, "You three are the people I respect most in my life."

After he said this carefully, the entire carriage fell silent again.

However, after hearing the answer, the princess remained silent and stared at him quietly.

"Yes, yes, there is another lifesaver, including the Queen who is willing to generously guide me after leaving office today."

Observing the expression on the princess's face, Su Wei realized that his answer did not satisfy her at all. He racked his brains and added carefully: "And... and the bodyguard lady who never abandoned me on Mount Rosso..."

"They are also people I respect and love."

However, even though Su Wei had honestly expressed everything that was in his mind, the princess in front of him remained silent.

"…Think about it again."

An unknown amount of time had passed, but under Su Wei's increasingly nervous gaze, a barely perceptible sigh escaped his lips.

At this moment, Celsia's expression, which was originally covered with a layer of frost, completely froze... and then gradually became depressed.

Finally, she let out a long sigh after quietly watching Su Wei stammering for a long time but unable to say any other name.

"Have you forgotten an important person?"

“…How strange.”

She stared at him quietly, and all the emotions on that flawless face... for some reason, all turned into self-blame at this moment:

"You, you've always loved others, but you don't know how to love yourself at all?"

Chapter 39: Can you love yourself a little more? (16k)

Even when he first moved into the palace and had to rely on himself for food, clothing, shelter and transportation, a certain little devil always had the courage to come to him and take the blame and share the hurt when he was feeling down.

But, I don't know since when, he gradually turned into a punching bag who had to accept everything in front of me.

At first, Celia was confused by this change.

But at this moment, after realizing the reason why the other party became like this, her face turned paler and paler.

——Are you willing to... be his replacement and stay with me?

——Your voice is nothing like his. Please talk less when you are with me.

——When communicating with others, your expression and tone should also be more sunny and positive like him...

Suddenly, the words I had said to a little kid in the past eight years emerged in my mind.

Apart from these, she couldn't think of any other reason that could make a little kid... grow up to be what he is now.

"Um... Princess?"

At this time, Su Wei's voice came to Celsia's ears.

"You misunderstood. Of course, I love myself, including my respect and love for you."

Carefully observing the princess who suddenly fell silent in front of him, Su Wei's face was still a little confused when he answered in a low voice.

He didn't quite understand what the adult was saying.

Rather, he was confused when the other party suddenly pointed out in a low voice, "Don't you know how to love yourself?"

.

……no.

Why did the princess suddenly come to such a strange conclusion?

Is it just because he didn't include himself when he was asked about the people he cared about before?

But...normally speaking, except for some extremely narcissistic people, most people will subconsciously ignore themselves when asked similar questions, right?

Su Wei believes that this conclusion is obviously biased.

"is it?"

However, it seemed that she knew very well what Su Wei was thinking at the moment. Celsia did not say much, but just stared at him with cold eyes: "Then, sit up straight."

"..."

Hearing the voice, although confused, Su Wei quickly sat down upright on the carpet in the carriage.

Then, the atmosphere in the entire car froze slightly at this moment.

Soon he felt a cold and hard touch near his knees. After waiting quietly for a moment, Su Wei carefully observed the expression of the princess in front of him.

However, he saw that the other party was still looking down at him with extremely cold eyes.

Even when their eyes met, the princess in front of Su Wei seemed to suddenly remember something. She leaned over slightly and stretched her hand directly to his neck.

Then... he directly tore off the amulet that his mother had bought for him, which he had carefully kept.

"...!?"

The red rope broke, and Su Wei was stunned as he watched the pendant, which had faded for a long time and had only a few hand-carved characters left on it, being crushed bit by bit in the palm of the First Princess's hand.

He subconsciously stretched out his hand...but in the end, even his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air under the other party's cold gaze.

"…That's enough. I'm tired of it. Whether it's you or helping to find your so-called adoptive mother, it's just a waste of my time."

She loosened her palm, letting the shapeless remains of the pendant slip from her palm. The empire's first princess looked at Su Wei calmly: "Leave here. From now on, I don't want to see your face in the royal city again."

"..."

He stood there in a daze, his blank eyes following the remains of the pendant that had fallen to the ground. After a long time, Su Wei raised his head and looked at the First Princess who suddenly seemed like a different person.

He became overwhelmed.

"Don't make me do it again."

The cold words were like a chill wind in the middle of the night, and the other party's patience with him seemed to have run out.

However, at this moment, looking at the princess like this, Su Wei had a vague illusion in his mind for some reason.

He always felt that this lady princess... seemed to be waiting for him to rebel against her.

Refute her sudden arrogance and accuse her of unwarranted toughness.

But in the end, Su Wei remained silent.

Without saying a word, he collected the scattered pendant fragments on the ground one by one and held them in his palm, then he stood up staggeringly.

"I'm sorry, I'll...get out of here."

Finally, he looked back at the First Princess in front of him, was silent for a moment, bowed deeply, then lowered his head, turned and walked towards the exit of the carriage.

However, the moment he stretched out his right hand and pushed open the door curtain, Su Wei, whose mind was blank, suddenly felt dizzy.

When his vision returned to normal, Su Wei suddenly realized... he was still sitting upright, in front of the first princess.

"Huh...?"

He subconsciously raised his hand and touched his neck. The pendant and the red rope were intact.

Then, as if he suddenly realized what he had just encountered, Su Wei's face suddenly became extremely stiff. He quickly raised his head and looked at the first princess in front of him.

The All-Spirit Affinity Body... can it also use illusions?

In stark contrast to the tough and domineering look in the hallucination just now, when she looked into Su Wei's eyes, the expression on the face of the empire's first princess... was extremely rare, and she looked a little helpless.

"…Feel sorry."

"It was my fault."

Although she had confirmed her own judgment with her own hands, at this moment, there was no expression of joy on the princess' face.

The next second, she managed to raise a faint smile on her lips, looking at Su Wei, she murmured: "If I hadn't asked you to become someone's substitute then, you wouldn't be like this now."

"...Huh? No, you are wrong to think so. If you hadn't taken me in back then... I wouldn't have grown up healthily now."

Su Wei gritted his teeth and realized that he could no longer explain himself after the sudden illusion just now. His face looked a little ugly.

--it's over.

For some reason, at this moment, this thought suddenly emerged in his mind.

He gradually realized that if nothing unexpected happened, this time... might be the last time he and the princess met.

Even if it wasn't her fault at all, given the princess's gentle personality, she would probably find it difficult to accept this reality.

“Actually, I think I’m pretty good the way I am now.”

Thinking of this, Su Wei was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and said in a dull tone: "I don't think there is anything wrong with the fact that I respect you a little more than myself."

"So, you don't have to take it to heart."

As Su Wei finished his nearly showdown speech, the entire carriage fell silent.

Even though they might not meet again in the future, he really didn't want to leave too many knots in the heart of this gentle princess.

But unfortunately, the only response he got at this moment was the princess' increasingly self-blaming... no, increasingly cold eyes?

"Do you think I was just apologizing to you?"

The next second, the princess' originally slow and dull tone suddenly changed.

"Eh??"

Hearing the sound, Su Wei was stunned.

He blinked and looked at the princess in front of him with a confused look.

"I was not sure at first, and was a little worried that I might have wronged you, but now, I won't do that anymore."

Raising her hand and rubbing her temple, the princess seemed to be... becoming increasingly unhappy.

"...Love others more than yourself? Do you think that's cool?"

"Even if I am to blame for this, what is the difference between a person who doesn't know what's going on and doesn't even love himself and those self-degrading bugs outside the city?"

The voice suddenly turned cold, and as she spoke, the expression on the face of the empire's first princess gradually became stern.

She looked down at Su Wei, and her green eyes revealed an undisguised coldness: "...Su Wei, don't let me down too much."

"..."

Looking at the princess who was in a much worse mood than ever before, Su Wei shuddered all over, his back felt cold, and he remained silent just at the moment their eyes met.

Ah, ah… ?

Next, shouldn't the gentle princess feel guilty, and I continue to comfort them, saying that even if they never meet again in the future, at least they can get together and make dumplings before they say goodbye?

Why did the princess's reaction suddenly change 180 degrees?

At this moment, being stared at coldly by the other party, Su Wei's scalp tingled, and he felt a thought that he had never had before... gradually emerged in his mind.

He suddenly realized... this princess seemed quite scary?

***

A few moments.

Training camp, main entrance.

Half leaning against the window, watching Su Wei who had already walked out of the car but still looked a little dazed, Celsia remained silent, her expression still tense.

Now, she has mixed feelings.

Just now, she confirmed something personally.

——The stupid kid who was fired by her really didn't resent her for it.