"Why..." Perhaps even Cecilia herself didn't realize that she had lost control multiple times in a short period of time. Her expressions, her thoughts, and even her actions were full of flaws.
For example, her inquiry should have been a normal pleasantry, not an anxious question.
For example, she should have dealt with the people waiting outside the door first, not tried to persuade Siegfried to leave.
She could have smoothly handled everything before Siegfried read from that little piece of paper and blew the matter out of proportion.
But she couldn't control her feelings. Siegfried had shattered more than just a window; he had shattered Cecilia's flawless facade.
"Why?" Siegfried seemed surprised by Cecilia's question. Cecilia could even read a hint of pride in his eyes.
Was he proud that she had asked him "why"?
"Isn't that simple? Since you won't give up on me, how could we give up on you? Since you're trapped here, of course we'll find a way to get you out!"
"But there were better opportunities. Why now?" Cecilia didn't understand. She wanted to explain it to Siegfried. "Their protection of me has been very tight this past year. The best opportunity should have been at the end of the ceremony, when the three families start their talks! At that..."
"At that time, the Schariac guards will divert some of their forces to protect the high-ranking members and elders of the three families. And you, according to the procedure, will have your first meeting with your betrothed alone. At that time, you'll be alone, and there won't be many guards around, right?"
Cecilia was stunned. She looked at Siegfried, who had calmly finished her sentence, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"You knew..."
"Of course, I knew," Siegfried nodded. "We all knew that was the best opportunity. The defenses would be weak, reinforcements would be slow, and the carelessness that comes with a smooth operation, as well as their fatigue at that time, we knew all of that."
We...? The other members of the Snow Wolf Squad?
So Siegfried had already discussed tonight's situation with the others and had even formulated a complete "battle plan"?
But why... knowing all this, did Siegfried still choose to come at this time? Could it be that Salome couldn't see the danger of this time? Could it be that Cheng Lixue had seen some factor that she hadn't thought of?
"Because I don't want you to wear that ring," Siegfried said in a low, almost gritted voice.
Heaven knows how much of a lump formed in Cecilia's throat when she heard Siegfried's reason.
What kind of reason was that?! Just because of that... was he an idiot?!
...Cecilia suddenly felt a little annoyed at her own thought.
Siegfried was just such a big idiot who acted on his heart!
"You still shouldn't have done this..." Cecilia's head ached. She gathered her thoughts and tried to think of a way for Siegfried to leave.
It wouldn't take long for the guards to arrive, a minute at most.
By then, Siegfried would surely be beaten without a word of explanation.
"Cecilia," The thoughts she had just managed to gather were scattered again by Siegfried's simple call. Cecilia looked up and saw Siegfried, who had, at some point, stood in front of her.
Siegfried gazed into Cecilia's pure, flawless eyes. Cecilia could even feel the heat in his gaze.
"You don't want to wear that ring either, right?"
...
No answer.
It was a century of silence, the longest moment of helplessness in Cecilia's life.
"You don't want to go along with their ideas, you don't want to walk onto that stage, you don't want to stand in that position, and you don't want to hold out your hand and wear that ring that will decide your whole life, right?"
Siegfried's voice was a little unfamiliar, but Cecilia was sure it was his.
She could shake her head, deny it. The control she had just lost had returned at this very moment, so she could deny Siegfried's question right here.
She could use a simple gesture to prove that this was all Siegfried's wishful thinking, a guess he had made from his own perspective.
It was not hard to understand that such a result would be far from the truth!
Right here, shake your head at him, deny him, even sternly rebuke him, and sever all ties with him forever!
Cecilia had a faint feeling that if she really did that, Siegfried would turn and leave without hesitation, leaving safely before the guards arrived, without any trouble.
This feeling was very strong, so strong that Cecilia believed it was the best answer.
And it wasn't difficult to do... For Cecilia, it was just shaking her head against her will, it wasn't difficult...
Just going against her will...
"Cecilia!"
Siegfried's voice shattered something again. The sound of something breaking echoed in Cecilia's mind, buzzing.
Back to reality, Siegfried was still holding out his hand to her. His gaze was hot and focused. Cecilia even had the illusion that he wasn't looking at her, but at something she couldn't see.
Something that only existed in that broken dream!
"Run away with me! Run away with me from everything you don't like!" Siegfried shouted, not caring if his voice would be heard by others.
His world had always been like this, just him and the people he cared about.
Shouting his absurd dreams in a crowd, doing incredible things under everyone's gaze...
He had always been like this...
"But..." The will that had been almost engraved into Cecilia's body over the past eighteen years made a final struggle.
But Siegfried just shook his head.
"If you're worried about anything, just throw it all away!" Siegfried finally raised his hand a little higher and placed it in front of Cecilia.
"I promise you in the name of [Kaslana], no matter what happens next, I will block everything you don't like!
"If you're willing to run away with me again, give me your hand!"
"..."
Cecilia raised her hand and gently placed it in Siegfried's palm.
It was a movement she would never make a mistake with, but this time, no one was putting a ring on her finger.
"Snow Wolf Squad, Cecilia Schariac, requesting to return to the team," The feel of tears was a new sensation for Cecilia, but it was a wonderful feeling...
So wonderful it was like a dream...
Siegfried grinned, turned around, and pulled Cecilia towards the shattered window.
The two of them jumped in perfect sync, each leaving half a footprint of a different size on the windowsill, and then, under the gaze of the people below, leaped into the air.
"This time—" / "This time..."
"You won't catch me again!" / "I won't wake up again..."
"Miss Cecilia is gone!!"