Chapter 229
At first, Jaha thought Rikanan was just teasing her—some tired old game of ‘Who do you like better, him or me?’ The kind of meaningless, flavorless comparison couples play.
But unexpectedly, his eyes wavered. Cornflower-blue irises, fragile and pitiful.
Jaha, who had been about to brush it off with a joke, stopped.
Something told her she shouldn’t.
For some reason, he was anxious. She had no interest in toying with someone who looked like they’d crumble at the slightest push.
“The prince was handsome in a human way. Rikanan is handsome in a non-human way.”
His blue eyes darted busily, trying to read Jaha’s intent. Clever as he was, he should’ve understood immediately—yet for some reason, he seemed distrustful.
“That’s not an answer to who’s more your type.”
The sharp retort made Jaha flinch. She’d tried to dodge, but he’d caught her.
By conventional standards, Rikanan’s looks were undeniably superior to Cedric’s—an incomparable gap. But if she were being honest, Cedric aligned more with her personal taste.
Beauty that defied common sense sometimes felt less like difference and more like something incomprehensible.
Cedric’s elegance, on the other hand, stayed within the bounds of familiarity—approachable, reassuring. Handsome enough to make your jaw drop, but still the kind of good looks you might find on Earth. But more importantly—
“Listen. Preferences go beyond looks, and feelings go beyond preferences.”
Jaha met Rikanan’s restless gaze firmly.
“Why are you even worrying about something so pointless? The person I like right now is you.”
Honestly, it was ridiculous.
“Even if the prince were my type, what—you think I’d dump you and throw myself at him? And even if I did, you think a prince would just welcome me with open arms? He’d have his own preferences too, you know.”
What a waste of a face.
She’d told him before—if she looked like him, her confidence wouldn’t just pierce the sky, it’d break through the stratosphere. She’d never fret over her partner’s loyalty.
His expression grew inscrutable.
“You like me.”
“Yeah.”
She expected him to be moved. That’s how it always went—not out of narcissism, but based on experience.
He’d rejoice excessively, and she’d feel like a failure, her stomach twisting at the sight.
But not this time.
There was no joy on his face. If anything, his eyes were creased with tension.
“Jaha, do you know my name?”
“It’s Rikanan, obviously.”
“Not that one. The other name.”
Jaha froze.
She had heard it once—during their first meeting. But all she remembered was that it was an unbearably long name, impossible to memorize after just one listen.
To be fair, she’d only just arrived in this world back then, overwhelmed and disoriented. The name was a string of syllables long enough to fit eight people—hardly something anyone could commit to memory on the spot.
As she hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain this without upsetting him—
“My title? My family?”
Her tongue locked again.
His expression twisted further as he pressed on.
“Do you even know who I am?”
The silence that followed was suffocating. Jaha could feel her blood running cold as she waited under his expectant gaze, each ragged breath he took making her wish this hellish moment would just end.
When she still couldn’t answer, his lips curled into a bitter, knowing smirk.
“You’ve never tried to learn a single thing about me.”
His voice was calm, but beneath it simmered something darker.
At first, Jaha thought it was anger directed at her.
“How can you say you like me and still be like this?”
But then she saw his face—not furious, but devastated.
‘He’s not blaming me.’
He’d already given up on her, long ago. Yet he couldn’t fully let go, and now he was furious—not at her, but at himself for still caring.
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
‘He never had even a shred of hope in me.’
Disappointment only exists where there’s expectation.
If he wasn’t disappointed, it meant he’d never expected anything from her in the first place.
In a normal relationship, this would’ve been the moment to lash out at the other person. But his anger was turned inward—because he’d never truly believed she could love him. Not even when they laughed together, talked, kissed, tangled in bed.
It wasn’t just him. She wasn’t normal either.
Deep down, Jaha knew.
If she’d forgotten his name, she could’ve just asked again. But she hadn’t—she’d kept calling him Rikanan.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.