While Sophy was still struggling to forget, she heard a knock on the door.
"Go away... I said don't bother me anymore," Sophie shouted, desperate to be left alone.
"Hey, Lady Sophy, it's Amelia... There's something important I want to discuss with you," Amelia replied from behind the door.
Sophy had a strong relationship with Amelia, who often helped her train with the sword. But in her current state, she didn't want to talk to anyone; she just wanted solitude.
"Who is it? I'm not in the mood," Sophy tried to reject her politely. But Amelia piqued her interest with the topic she mentioned.
"It's about the kid who saved you," Amelia's voice penetrated Sophy's ears, compelling her to quickly get up and open the door.
When she opened the door slightly, Sophy peeked out to assess the situation. She looked at Amelia with a pale face and disheveled hair. "What's the matter?" she asked.
Amelia couldn't believe that the daughter of Leader Victor wasn't ready for the ceremony yet, knowing it would cause trouble if she remained this way. Amelia replied, "Well... Let's discuss it inside... May I come in?"
Sophy couldn't find a convincing reason to refuse, and with Amelia's insistence, she finally allowed her in.
After Amelia entered the room, Sophy quickly threw herself onto the bed, lying on her back. Amelia glanced around the room in surprise at its untidiness, as Sophy hadn't allowed the maids to come in and clean it. Finally, Amelia sat in a chair next to Sophy's bed.
After a moment, Amelia began the conversation. "I heard about what happened to you from Philip, but he didn't give me many details... Could you describe what happened, my lady?" Sophy was tired of repeating the same story to everyone and was annoyed by the question. "Why is everyone so interested in what happened... I wish those Nomads had succeeded in killing me; it would have saved me from this repeating headache."
Amelia wasn't shocked by the response, knowing Sophy's stubbornness. A regular conversation wouldn't work, so she decided to pique Sophy's interest. "Well... To be honest, I'm not really interested in the attackers... I'm more interested in the boy who saved you... I want to know everything about him... His name, his facial expressions, his voice, even what he wears... I'm interested in the details."
Sophy turned her eyes toward Amelia and asked, "And why is that?" Amelia ignited Sophy's curiosity further. "If he's really as strong as they say... I'll recruit him into my legion before someone else does... I'm always on the lookout for talent."
Sophy looked up at the ceiling. "Don't bother... He refused my father's offer to become my personal guard... Can you believe that?... And on top of that, he's annoyingly arrogant."
Suddenly, Amelia clapped her hands together, expressing her realization of Sophy's strange behavior. The sound caught Sophie's attention, and she turned her head toward Amelia.
"So that's it... You're upset because the boy refused to become your bodyguard... Now I understand," Amelia finished with a wide smile, "Teenagers these days fall in love so easily I assume"
Sophy's face turned bright red. She got up and grabbed a pillow, hitting Amelia with it. "Stop joking around," she scolded her. "It's not like that at all... Quite the opposite."
Sophy's attempts to deny the matter didn't convince Amelia at all; instead, they confirmed her suspicions. "Is he that handsome, I wonder... This is the first time I've seen you like this... It's hard to believe."
Sophy grew angrier, ruffling her hair in frustration, and screamed, "Damn him... Stop joking now or leave me alone."
Amelia responded immediately, "Calm down... I will find him and force him to join me... Then you'll get your chance to do whatever you want with him".
Ah... please, be quiet," Sophy muttered to herself, trying to calm down. Seeing that Sophy was regaining her composure, Amelia decided not to delve further into the matter, but she knew she had to persuade Sophy to get ready for the ceremony somehow.
"Get up now and sit beside me... I'll do your hair... If you attend the ceremony like this, everyone will mock you... not to mention the great embarrassment you'll cause your father." Sophy pondered her words, aware that she had no choice in the matter; her father's anger would be difficult to get away with.
With great reluctance, Sophy stood and moved towards Amelia, turning her back and presenting her hair to be styled. Amelia began to comb Sophy's silky hair while Sophy sat in silence.
"You have such beautiful hair... you should take better care of it… Beautiful hair reflects a woman's beauty and femininity, my lady."
Sophy sighed at Amelia's words. "Please, don't speak like my mother... I'm not interested in how I look... All I want is to be free," she said, raising her hands toward the window and clenching her fists as she gazed at the sky, "just like an hawk."
Amelia knew that the spirit of adventure lived within Sophy, and nothing but freedom would satisfy her. "Like an hawk, huh?" Amelia paused for a moment and then added, "May I ask you a somewhat deep question?" Lowering her hands, Sophy replied, "Of course... as long as it's not trivial."
"If you had wings like an hawk, what would you use them for?" Amelia asked. This question intrigued Sophy. For years, she had dreamt of freedom and wished to fly like hawks, but she had never thought of it this way.
Eagles and hawks use their wings for hunting and traveling, so what would a human use wings for if they had them?, For selfish reasons, to benefit others, for enjoyment, or just to be unique?, Many questions flooded Sophy's mind, but none brought any real answers.
Sophy's silence stretched on, and realizing she had no answer to this question, she said, "I don't know... I've never thought about it before." All expressions of hope and dreams vanished from Sophy's face as she lowered her head.
Noticing Sophy's deflated spirit, Amelia wanted to offer her perspective. "Would you like to know what I would do if I had wings?"
In a faint and hollow voice, Sophy replied, "What would you do?"
Amelia gently cupped Sophy's face with both hands, lifting her head, and said, "I would conquer the skies."