Hearing Evony's question, the girl thought for a few seconds before answering.
"At the very least, I don't dislike it. I also have some curiosity and appreciation for the art style. What about you, Evony?"
"I liked it a lot when I was a child. I even collected quite a few similar poetry picture books back then," she said, sitting down next to Thilan, smoothing her skirt as she did so.
"And later?" Thilan sensed a hint of regret and sadness in her words.
"Later, as I grew up, my parents gradually stopped letting me read such things. They wanted me to go out and socialize more, to make good use of my advantages," Evony rested her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs.
"Fairy tales are for children. You're grown up now; don't get lost in these things anymore. That's what they told me back then."
"After hearing that, I felt ashamed and tried my best not to read or engage with such things anymore," Evony's eyes slowly closed and then opened again.
"Because I inherited my mother's good figure and even better looks, my dance practice yielded excellent results back then. I often received praise from my teachers, as well as compliments from my family and those around me."
"Of course, as a child, I loved such praise. So I practiced more and more, and my skills improved rapidly. I could even easily perform many difficult moves."
"That doesn't sound so bad, does it?" Thilan turned her head to look at Evony.
"No, it wasn't bad. But praise can become tiresome over time. Eventually, I developed a bit of a rebellious streak. I didn't want to just be a girl who was good at dancing."
"My mother is a very beautiful woman. It's said that she was quite the star in her youth, pursued by many. My father, on the other hand, is ordinary-looking, a bit overweight, and rarely speaks softly or smiles. On the surface, my mother had the advantage, but in life, she always accommodated my father, even going so far as to fawn over him and occasionally act coquettishly."
"I didn't understand this back then, but I gradually came to realize it was only natural. My father is a high-ranking official in charge of an important department within the star region. Many corporate groups outside have to curry favor with him, so he doesn't need to appear approachable. In fact, being cold and stern helps him avoid many shameless people seeking favors. My mother, though beautiful, isn't unique in the entire star region. There are many women like her."
"Being good at dancing isn't enough. Even though my mother was a famous star in her youth, she still had to please others. I didn't like using my looks and dancing skills to curry favor with others, because it felt like begging for someone's 'favor,' and I had no control over it. It was also very fragile; others could easily withdraw their liking and generosity."
"So, I started focusing my energy on cultivating my transcendent sequence. It was the most direct and tangible way to gain power."
"My parents found me the best teachers, and because my talent was related to 'fire,' they even contacted the 'Red Death Cult' from another star region, a well-known transcendent faction skilled in this field."
"At first, I progressed quickly, and my strength far surpassed that of my peers. This became a frequent topic of conversation in my social circle. People always paid attention to my every word and action, and many of my peers were urged by their parents to befriend me."
"I didn't have to put in much effort to make friends with many people, and they, in turn, constantly invited me to various gatherings, events, trips, and games to deepen this 'friendship.'"
"This kind of intention was easy to see, and after experiencing it too many times, it felt twisted and artificial. So, I started to put away my usual gentle and approachable demeanor, becoming more aloof and even harshly rejecting people or expressing disdain. Because if you show even a little softness, those people will latch onto you."
Evony slowly revealed some of her inner thoughts, perhaps because she had grown closer to the black-haired girl beside her, allowing her to open up about her past.
"After doing certain things for a long time, they seem to become part of your true personality. Unconsciously, I grew accustomed to this, even becoming the kind of girl everyone described as haughty, disdainful of ordinary people, and hard to approach, all because of my privileged background."
After saying this, she sighed. Who wouldn't want to be loved and welcomed by everyone? But to avoid some of the annoyances, she had no choice but to act this way.
"Gradually, my friends became fewer and fewer because I kept rejecting their invitations. My life's focus slowly shifted to cultivating my transcendent sequence, and this was an entirely new field. The knowledge I had learned in dance, music, social etiquette, and manners was completely useless here. Although I made rapid progress in accumulating magical energy in the early stages, when it came to theoretical understanding and constructing imprint formulas to form a complete transcendent core, my shortcomings began to show."
"So, I was stuck for a long time at the stage of advancing from Sequence 3 to Sequence 4. During this period, my mindset went from stable to anxious, and eventually, it became completely unstable."
"Because I was stuck in the same place for so long, making no progress, my thoughts became increasingly confused. I even started imagining what would happen if I couldn't live up to everyone's expectations and became an ordinary person. Would I really have to be just a pretty vase who dances well, living off my father's influence as a young lady who is praised to her face but mocked behind her back?"
"The more I thought like this, the more afraid and anxious I became. The more unstable my emotions and thoughts grew, the harder it was to advance, creating a vicious cycle."
"During the holidays, I locked myself in my room, lying on the floor doing nothing, and I dug out those poetry picture books I had collected as a child."
"Honestly, the world of children is so simple and beautiful."
"With just a few colorful, static images and a handful of words, you can imagine a beautiful world. Adults, because they've experienced and seen too much, find it hard to let go of their existing knowledge and ideas, making it difficult to imagine such distant and beautiful stories."
"Looking back at those childhood picture books, my mind slowly calmed down. Later, I went through all the poetry picture books my family had collected, and my mindset finally improved a lot. Perhaps it was those vibrant colors and touching stories that reignited some hope and fantasy in my life."
"And then, after coming to school, I received a notice from the club. I learned that Thilan wanted to organize a training expedition, and at the time, I was looking for a change of pace and perspective, so I joined in."
"Fate is so strange. The path that had been blocked for so long began to loosen as my horizons broadened during the expedition and my mindset shifted. Especially after Thilan's explanation and demonstration, it felt like a new door had opened for me."
"I really like these kinds of poetry and picture books, just like fairy tales. Even though adults say such stories are naive, I still love the simple yet vibrant colors and the stories that spark endless imagination and anticipation."
"If possible, I hope Thilan can be like the characters in those fairy tales—beautiful and adorable, always maintaining a kind heart and gentle demeanor."
"Thank you," the girl replied, feeling a bit embarrassed, as if she wasn't as perfect as the characters in fairy tales.
"But reality isn't a fairy tale..." she murmured softly.
"Still, I'll do my best to bring everyone a fairy-tale-like happy ending."