"I pretended to have amnesia, deliberately imitated my elder sister's every move, and completely regarded myself as her substitute to be able to accompany you," Yue Ran said.
Her voice sounded a little bitter, and Silas could already imagine how embarrassed and dejected her expression must be at this current moment.
"I do not mind Your Majesty treating me as a substitute, nor do I mind being in someone else's shadow for the rest of my life," Yue Ran continued. "I just hope that one day, when Your Majesty turns around, you will see my existence. Since you like my sister very much… I can pretend to have her personality. In this way, Your Majesty may be happier when you see me."
Yue Ran smiled again as she spoke, her eyes full of tenderness.
Her fingertips lightly touched his palm, and her voice became softer, "Everyone says that Your Majesty is a violent and evil demon, but even so, I am willing to stand on your side. So, can you like me a little bit? It does not need to be a lot, just a little is enough. I am not that greedy, and I am also very easy to keep."
The woman's sudden confession was like a soft knife, unexpectedly embedding itself into the very core of his heart, making his chest feel all stuffy and suffocated; even breathing felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, as if an invisible weight had settled upon it.
How could there be such a naive and foolish person in the world? She was fully aware that she was being used as a substitute, yet she did not mind it at all. She was even hoping that he would treat her as a substitute— an unfathomable notion that left him bewildered.
Silas did not understand why he had developed new feelings. He just felt that the strange sensation in his heart surged up again, more intense and apparent than before. In response, he instinctively curled his fingers into a fist, trying to quell the insistent pounding that reverberated within him.
Yue Ran noticed the subtle shifts in his breathing, the way his chest rose and fell with a newfound urgency, and she could not help but reach out to gently pull the corner of his clothes, deciding to add fuel to the fire. Leaning slightly closer, her fingers gently brushed his open skin in a silent invitation to delve deeper into the man's emotional turmoil boiling beneath the surface.
"Does Your Majesty remember the scene when we first met?" Yue Ran asked. She tilted her head slightly to the side, and her thoughts drifted away as she said, "The first time when I went to the academy to find my elder sister, I was attacked by monsters on the way. Fortunately, Your Majesty rescued me. At that time, Your Majesty descended from the sky, appearing like a god with a layer of ethereal halo around you, which made people want to reach out to you but dare not get close."
There was a trace of piety and longing in her voice.
"Your Majesty also patted my shoulder to comfort me and told me not to be afraid," Yue Ran said, staring at the male protagonist. Her voice was light and gentle. "It was also from then on that I fell in love with Your Majesty."
Silas did not remember these things at all, but before he became the Demon Lord, he had killed many monsters and saved numerous villagers at the foot of the mountain, a distance away from the academy. He had never cared about these trivial matters, but for some reason, when he heard her words, he suddenly felt his heart beating faster.
"I am afraid you do not remember me since I was wearing a veil at that time," Yue Ran said. "I only dared to look at you secretly, yet you did not see my appearance. In the days that followed, I kept thinking, if you had met me first, then would the person you liked… be me?"
A low sigh floated into his ears from her lips.
"It is a pity that there is no 'if' in the world," Yue Ran said regretfully. " I thought I would never see you again in this life, but I did not expect that after many twists and turns, Your Majesty would still come to the Tallis noble family to ask for a proposal… for my elder sister's hand in marriage."
There was a brief moment of pause.
"At that time, I thought: could this be fate?" Yue Ran murmured to herself, with a hint of joy in her tone. "I am actually willing to marry in place of my elder sister…"
Silas unconsciously clenched his hands under his sleeves. He never imagined that there was such a story between her and him. He never knew that this woman had admired him so early on.
There was no indication of it happening, at least not from his point of view. But even if he had known about it, would it have changed anything? Would it have changed his feelings?
The person he liked was Ellie. There was no doubt about this. This is an unchangeable fact. From the beginning to the end, there was only Ellie.
There was only Ellie in his heart.
There would be no one else.
No one.
No matter how similar the substitute may look to the genuine product, it is merely a substitute. A fake is a fake. And all he had ever wanted was the genuine one.
Thinking of this, Silas felt calmer. It was at this time that he suddenly realized that Yue Ran had gradually stopped talking. Just when he was confused, he suddenly felt a warm sensation closing in, as if something was approaching him.
Silas was stunned, but his mind reacted quickly.
This woman… does she…?
Upon realizing what she was about to do, his breathing seemed to stop for a moment.
