Win Her Heart

Opening the door, Eden came outside and walked towards the garden. It was the garden next to his room. Not the garden where he went to train.

Shortly, he arrived and noticed Emilie from behind the bushes. She was sitting beneath the blossom tree as if she were enjoying the cold breeze of the night.

He took a step forward but then halted again.

'What should I say to her now?'

He wondered since the way he behaved with her became crystal clear in his mind.

He didn't want to ruin their relationship as roommates. He didn't want to lose her again.

'Alright, if any mishap occurs, I'll just apologize immediately. I don't want to lose her.'

After mustering up some courage, he stepped forward towards her with an amicable smile, calling out,

"Hey, Emilie."

"Hmm? Oh, Eden."

With a dull look, Emilie called out and averted her eyes, asking,

"What do you want now?"

"Uh…" seeing her behaviour, Eden felt uneasy.

He placed his right palm on his nape, averting his eyes, replying, "Umm, sorry for my behavior earlier. My mind just went blank back then, and I didn't even realize that I made you terrified. I'm really sorry."

Even though Eden apologized, Emilie didn't pay any attention to him and replied,

"If you are apologizing, then I accept it. But you should know that an apology in words will never erase what has been done. Your behavior still gives me the creeps."

'I'm dead…'

With a defeated look, Eden realized that a mere apology wouldn't do anything.

That's why he bent down a little, asking, "Is there something I can do for you to forgive me?"

He didn't want to lose her; she meant a lot to him, after all.

"Anything, you say?"

Emilie repeated it in a solemn voice as Eden's declaration finally piqued her interest.

'....Just don't ask something weird.'

Eden thought while biting his lips, then he raised his gaze towards Emilie, replying,

"Yes, anything."

Emilie was left quiet for a while, then she shifted her gaze towards Eden, calling out,

"If an angel gives up on his life, wanting to become an irresistible desire just to get irresistibly desired, do you know what the angel desired? And your reply was 'Love,' correct? So, may I ask, 'What exactly is this Love'?"

"Hmm? What do you mean–gasp?!"

Eden was about to ask Emilie why she was asking this basic question, but as soon as he glanced into her eyes, he was left awestruck.

Her shining eyes were replaced by the golden voids as if hers had been replaced by a dead person's eyes.

"E…Emilie…?"

Eden was left frozen by her look; he didn't know exactly what to say anymore.

"What?"

Emilie asked as if nothing happened, adding,

"Say something. Why are you quiet now?"

In the next moment, she rested her head on her palm and asked in her angelic voice,

"What exactly is this love?"

"It's…"

Eden tried to reply, but her look made him awestruck enough that he wasn't able to speak at all.

Seeing him not being able to speak, Emilie sighed and began explaining,

"Love is just a temporary feeling of adoration that will eventually fade away as the years pass by. That is Love to me. That's something my older sister, Jesse, always told me."

"To be honest, I never found it anywhere except in the stories, but you know what? I always thought that love was something beautiful, where two people could live in harmony and understand each other perfectly."

"But that does not exist in reality, right? It's just an illusion, something that you would see only in fiction."

"What do you mean…?"

Her words startled Eden, making him wonder, 'How could the second daughter of the rich family be saying something like this? Does her parents not care about her at all?'

But before Eden could even say anything, Emilie revealed,

"You see, when you don't get the love you desire, you start to think, what's your worth? My parents didn't really care about me. They just brought me into this world so that I could be of some use to them."

"'What are you doing? You're the daughter of the Sakurasou family. Don't talk to that weakling.' 'As the second daughter, you should be perfect as well, just like your sister'."

She tried to giggle as she remembered how her parents treated her, trying to make her perfect.

"They have never understood me from the inside; they just know me from the outside. I'm alone in this accursed world."

She sighed, adding, "My father once told me that love can only be achieved by the success you have. That's why I tried to get the achievements that will be recognized by this world so that they can become the reason behind my pride."

"Wait…"

Eden interjected. Trying to maintain his cool, he gazed at Emilie and snapped,

"What about your sister? Has she not even tried to stop them?"

"Ah…My sister, hmm?"

Emilie wistfully smiled and confided,

"She and my parents are the same. She treats me as her own tool, just like my parents."

"I was never allowed to choose my own path; only Jesse was there to choose. I was never allowed to choose what I wanted; instead, I was always bound by Jesse's will."

"My parents have a strange obsession with perfection, so if I just mess up a little, then they will start comparing me with Jesse and keep on asking me to follow in Jesse's footsteps. Jesse is everything to them. I'm just an extra in their life."

"Why…?"

Anger started boiling within Eden; he didn't expect Emilie's life to be like this.

"What's so special about your older sister?"

Gritting his teeth, he inquired.

"I hate to admit it. But Jesse is the only genius born in our family. She was loved by my parents for this reason."

"She can control all elements, including the advanced ones, with absolute perfection and accuracy. Jesse is the Platinum-ranked human."

"?!"

Eden was left baffled after knowing that her older sister was a platinum-ranked human. He stepped towards Emilie, asking,

"H…how old is your sister, Jesse?"

"She is currently 25 years old and the youngest professor at the Elite Dragon Team. She is the only one in our family who has the most achievements."

"She was awarded many prestigious titles, like - 'The Princess of Magic' and 'The Genius of the Evolutionary Era' for controlling the elements with absolute precision."

With a deadpan look, Emilie replied, deeply sighed, and gazed at Eden, asking,

"So, do you still think I'm being weird by asking what love is?"

She seemed to have predicted that Eden might think that she was being weird.

"No."

Eden, on the other hand, smiled and knelt in front of her while holding her palms, replying,

"You're not weird at all. What you seek is not the definition but the feeling called Love."

He gently placed his forehead on her palms as if taking an oath. He vowed,

"You know, Emilie. I know there's a huge gap in status between us. But I promise you one thing."

His gaze shifted to Emilie, and he smiled.

"I, Eden White, will one day show you the true, ethereal power of love. You may reject me now and even break my heart if you wish. But know that my words carry depth and sincerity. I genuinely intend to make you fall in love with me, my dear Lady Emilie."

"...."

Emilie was left speechless but continued to gaze at him.

Ending his sentence, Eden gently kissed the back of her palm, smiling,

"The feeling within my heart is destined to awaken a kindred sentiment within you, my Emilie. Like an invisible string connecting our hearts, it has the power to set one another's pulses racing, building an unbreakable bond of love."

"What's this? Are you a knight now?"

Finally, Emilie chuckled after noticing Eden's vow.

The way he expressed his feelings about love was the most unique thing she had seen.

"Something like this."

Eden kissed her palm again.

Witnessing his passionate vow, her heart was pounding heavily, her face was getting hot, and she started feeling butterflies in her stomach. She never expected to see this side of him.

As her heart was racing, she slowly took her hand from his grip, took a deep breath to compose herself, and finally replied to him.

"Alright then."

A little smile shaped her face, she added.

"If you think you can make me fall in love with you, then go for it."

"!"

Eden was taken aback in surprise since he had thought that perhaps she might creep out, but instead, she agreed.

"You…really mean it?" He doubted with a dumbfounded look, unable to believe that his dream was about to become a reality.

"Yeah, but I know that love can never exist. So, do what you want, but believe me, that love never existed in this world and it never will."

"Do whatever you want to; there's no guarantee that I'll reciprocate your feelings."

With her haughty comment, Emilie got up from her seat and started walking away.

"But I will be glad to see your effort, and then we can live together like a couple instead of just roommates."

She gushed silently while passing by him and giggled, "At least, I can guarantee this because if you try hard enough, maybe I can develop some feelings for you. Who knows?"

Hearing this, Eden beamed, took a breath, and resolved to win her heart at any cost.

"Don't underestimate me. I'll definitely make you fall head over heels in love with me sooner than you thought."

His words reached Emilie's ears, and she chuckled once more before commenting, "Alright, I'll wait. But don't drag it out, alright? If you truly believe you can make me feel love for you, then give it your all."

"Otherwise, I'll just appreciate every moment of your failure. After all, that's the best entertainment I could ever hope for."

Shortly, she left Eden alone in the garden and returned to the dorm room.

*Creak!*

She closed the door and leaned against the door, and in the next moment, she sat on the floor.

She admitted that it was the first time in her life that she made this big of a decision, all by herself.

A little smile shaped across her face as she remembered Eden's face, mumbling,

"You know, you are lucky to get the chance to be in this situation. But I have to tell you that this won't last for a long time."

"I don't think that my heart is ready to accept yours. I have seen love, but only in books, not in real life. Love is nonsense and just something that exists in fictional stories."

"I just want to see his determination, that's all. It doesn't mean that I might fall in love with him."

Then she raised her gaze, still smiling, and lifted her right arm towards the ceiling, adding,

"Looks like I am actually in a mood to try this love thing. Let's see if he really can break my defense. Now Eden, let the game begin~"