Chapter 23…
The Bond Between the Mirage Princess and the Demon King.
Tears wouldn’t stop flowing from Felicia’s eyes, and this time, Yoan was the one who embraced her.
“Felicia… I wanted to see you again. During the days I wandered in darkness, you were the only light that illuminated the path I should follow. The fact that you’re alive—that is the very reason I’m still living.”
He had once held onto her fading life.
When she lost all support and her heart was deeply wounded, he sent Noah to her side to bring comfort.
He rescued her again when danger returned, and gave her a place of peace.
To think that someone had always been there—watching over her, reaching out a helping hand.
“Lord Yoan… Thank you, for everything you’ve done all this time. The truth is, I no longer knew why I was living. When I ceased to be Lord Alexis’s fiancée, I lost my role, my purpose. My mother and brother crossed into the afterlife, and my father was seldom home due to his duties. I rarely left the estate, merely existing, called the Mirage Princess—as if I were nothing but a ghost lingering in this world. I knew that my stepmother and stepsister only felt uncomfortable when I was around, but there was nothing I could do. So when it was decided that I would marry into a neighboring country, I thought—if someone wanted even me, I would go along with it. I thought… maybe I could finally find a place to belong.”
Before she realized it, Felicia had begun pouring out feelings she had never shared with anyone—while in Yoan’s arms.
Being called the Mirage Princess had made her feel as though she were fading away, becoming transparent.
Even though she was alive, she didn’t feel alive—her days had no sense of reality. She hadn’t told her father, not wanting to worry him.
Unconsciously, she had been searching for a place to belong—and Yoan had given her that place.
More than that—he had told her that her life was the very reason he continued to live.
“I… even though you went so far as to save my life, I found myself wondering what I was living for… But now I understand. I will treasure this life that you have preserved for me, Lord Yoan. I will live it fully—here, in the place you’ve given me.”
Held firmly in his strong arms, she gently placed her hand upon his chest. Yoan tightened his embrace in response.
Enveloped in his warmth, Felicia felt as though her form, once blurred and uncertain, had finally regained its shape—
and that she truly existed here, in this moment.
In the silent library, the two of them remained close for a long time,
savoring the warmth of the one who had always been there—supporting and sustaining them.
