Summary
You should never have been born, Ariana. But now that you are, you should at least be useful, right? On my forgotten 28th birthday, used and discarded by my family, I died a miserable death. However, granted another chance, I found myself back at 16, resolved never to love or be loved again. I refuse to seek approval from those who sit in noble places with base hearts. Yet… “I heard you’re as beautiful as a painting, a woman whose mere presence sets hearts racing. It seems true.” Your calm response to my thoughtless words, “Really? Your heart doesn’t seem to flutter though.” “It would, wouldn’t it? I’d be dead otherwise.” You, who sit higher than anyone in your nobility, why do you approach me so casually, like moonlight coloring a deep night lake? “If you learn to wield your smile freely, you might just own the world.”