[First-person POV: Nadya]

'He is good, even better than Elysia'.

As my gaze followed the masked boy, I thought to myself. Even though he isn't trying to show it, the way he handles Elysia's attack with precision without making any extra moves displays his mastery over spears.

'I hope he beat her up thoroughly'.

Fantasizing about beaten-up Elysia I moved towards the corner of the training ground to find a quiet place to read the novel.

As I sat down in a corner, I took out the novel from my space ring and started continuing from where I stopped last night, but my mind was still fixated on Lady Sylvia's disciple.

'Why can't I feel his emotions',

My gaze shifted from the novel back to him, as he was in a heated battle against Elysia, not one bit overwhelmed or overpowered by her.

The first time I felt someone's emotion was when I was 7 years old, and that isn't pleasant to remember because the first emotion I felt was that of Elysia when grandma decided to give her the doll that mom had sent for me. The emotion that I felt from her was one of happiness and satisfaction she had after winning the doll that was supposed to be mine.

But I wasn't interested in that doll anymore; I was more confused about why I was feeling her emotions, and after some experimentation, I was able to confirm that I can feel other people's emotions.

After that, I was on cloud nine. I felt like I was special and that I could finally be better at something that Elysia wasn't. Oh, how naïve I was.

I eagerly waited for my mother to return so I could tell her about my abilities. As she moved frequently on expeditions around the continent, she wouldn't be at home for months.

But before she could even return, I was already exposed to the dark emotions of the people around me, from Elysia to Grandma and even my nannies, who had been taking care of me since the beginning.

I felt their anger, disappointment, and fear. I felt every emotion from them but little to no love, and that took a toll on me, and months after all that happened, my mother finally arrived.

I didn't tell her about my feelings or my ability, nor did I complain about Elysia like I always did; all I did was cry in her arms when I felt her genuine love and care for me.

But that also didn't last for long because my mother went missing three years later.

"Stop it; well done, both of you. Now go get some rest", Lady Sylvia's words brought me back out of my depressing thoughts.With a sigh, I returned my gaze back to the novel. No longer lingering in the past.

'Why is he coming here?',

As I noticed him walking in my direction, I thought, and an uneasy feeling creeped in. This discomfort didn't arise from any aversion I had toward him; instead, it was from the fact that I couldn't sense his emotions.

He resembled a blank sheet of paper, devoid of emotional fluctuations. Every time I see him, it triggers a deep fear within me—the fear of the unknown.

I tried my best to ignore him as he stood in front of me.

"Hello", he said in a friendly voice as he sat beside me, as if he hadn't noticed that I was trying to avoid him.

"Hello", I replied meekly, my voice as low as a whisper. After that, I pretended to be deep in my reading as I tried my best to ignore him.

Being the granddaughter of one of the faction leaders, both me and Elysia had to attend different parties, and at Galla's, where every type of person from a noble or imperial family is present, I had met enough boys around his age, and the only thing their minds are filled with is lust.

That was the only emotion I could feel from them every time I was around them. They will have a bright smile on their faces but will have lustful thoughts in their minds, which disgusts me to the core.

And because of the alliance between the imperial family and the royal family of Eve's continent, there are even more people coming from noble factions to ask for our hands in marriage. That's why we forced to move away from our house until the academy started.

"What the fuck are you reading?" I glanced at him in confusion as he muttered those words, only to realize his eyes were fixed on the cover of the novel.

"What do you mean?" I asked, quickly covering the title of the novel with my hand.

As if he aimed to embarrass me, he continued, "Oh, come on, don't act like I didn't read the novel title. It's 'Domineering Daddy CEO's Lovely Slav—'"

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" I hastily exclaimed, trying to make him hush. 𝗳r𝐞𝐞w𝐞bn𝚘ve𝚕.co𝐦

"Linda, come forward; I will be your training partner, and your turn will be after this, Nadya." Lady Sylvia's words made me look back at her, where I found Linda excitedly moving to the middle of the ground while Elysia approached forward to have a better look at their fight.

"Yes, Lady Sylvia," I replied, my gaze shifting between them, and in those brief moments, my grip on the novel loosened quite a bit.

"Let me have a look." Before I could even process his words, he swiftly snatched the novel from my hands.

"Hey, give it back," I protested, attempting to retrieve the novel, but he skillfully dodged my efforts. I got on my knees. As I leaned closer in an attempt to reclaim it, my hand unknowingly rested over his thighs.

But his body scent overwhelmed my senses, and an unusual calmness washed over me. It's hard to put it into words, but he smelled too good to be true.

Each breath I took seemed to bring more peace. Before I could comprehend this strange phenomenon, much to my horror, he began reading the novel out loud.

"We both lay in the bath tub. I sat on his laps, his one hand wrapped around my waist, while the other one gently patted my head. I closed my eyes, cherishing the otherworldly sensation that I was feeling right now, but my eyes soon opened up as I felt something poking my back. With a burning gaze, I looked at him as I said," /Daddy, give me that thick, juicy―/"

"AHH!, LIGHTNING BOLT!",

As I felt like dying from embarrassment without much thought, I threw a magic spell right on his face, but even then he was able to avoid it.

"Boom!"

Unfortunately, the bolt soared through the air and hit the ground just behind where Elysia had been standing.

"Lips." He finished the sentence with a frown as if he remembered something, then turned to look back at the spot where Elysia was.

"What are you doing, Nadya!" she shouted angrily, advancing toward us.

"Sigh." I let out a tired sigh, moving away from him slowly and standing up, bracing myself for another scolding from my high and mighty sister.

She has always been like this: a person who follows rules and regulations in any and every situation. She is the perfect match for Grandma, who prefers everything to be done within the rules.

And they also expect me to adhere to these rules, even though Grandma never really tried to be overly strict with me. However, Elysia practically always forces me to follow the rules.

I bowed slightly, prepared to apologize for my mistake so she could satisfy her adherence to rules and just keep her mouth shut.

"I am sorry; it was my fault," but before I could say anything, he spoke to Elysia, standing in front of me.

'Why is he standing up for me?' I thought as I looked at his back. Is he trying to hit on me by being nice? Or does he have any other motive behind this?

As I tried to understand why he was doing this, Elysia came to a halt, looking at him with surprise.

"What do you mean? It's your fault; she is the one who cast the spell," she said with a frown, trying to understand his words.

"I was the one who was trying to be overly pushy with her; it wasn't her fault," he replied, glancing towards Lady Sylvia.

"Let it be, Elysia," Lady Sylvia said, bringing the matter to a close.

"Humph," she huffed as she moved back to her spot, and I tried my best not to smile. It's been years since she didn't get something she wanted, and that would have surely left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Hey." As I was lost in my thoughts, his words brought me back.

"Yes?" I replied, looking at the masked boy.

"Where did you get this book?" he asked, handing the book back to me.

"From the merchant guild," I replied, snatching the book back.

"Do you have more books like this?" he asked, and I looked at him strangely.

'Does he also like this kind of book?'