Chapter 493: ’Scarlett’s Dilemma.’
"Prince Florian!" Scarlett exclaimed the moment her eyes landed on him.
Florian had barely knocked before she pulled the door open, her movements unusually frantic. With a sharp gesture, she dismissed her maids from the chamber, not even waiting for them to fully leave before she tugged Florian inside.
Her grip was firm, almost desperate, and Florian’s brows furrowed as he allowed himself to be dragged into the lavish room. Scarlett’s usual air of confidence was nowhere to be seen—instead, her expression was riddled with worry.
The sight of it immediately set a weight in Florian’s chest.
"Did something happen? Is it the ball? Your family? What is it?" Florian asked quickly, his voice carrying more urgency than he meant.
Deep down, his stomach twisted. The last thing he needed was yet another problem piled onto the mountain he already carried.
"The ball? Nonsense!" Scarlett scoffed, though her voice lacked its normal steadiness. "We’ve planned that perfectly. I’m not letting anyone ruin your birthday tomorrow but..."
Her words trailed off as she pushed him down onto a red-and-gold couch, its embroidery as elaborate as her palace décor.
Relief flickered through Florian—it wasn’t the ball. But then...what could it be?
Scarlett’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. "It’s more of a... personal problem." She stood before him, covering her face with both hands, though she peeked at him through the gaps between her fingers.
Florian tilted his head, curiosity sparking.
’Personal?’
"By personal you mean..." He crossed his arms, leaning back slightly. "It’s related to Athena?"
Scarlett’s ears turned scarlet, matching her hair.
’Bingo.’ Florian chuckled softly. "Alright, what about Athena? Did you finally confess—"
"No! Of course not!" she interrupted, her voice far sharper than her flustered expression allowed.
"Then?" Florian pressed, his grin widening.
Scarlett hesitated, fingers tightening against her cheeks. When she finally spoke, her voice cracked with nerves. "W-Well... I wanted to ask her if we could... be partners for the ball. But I don’t know how."
She shifted from foot to foot, still refusing to lower her hands. "I think she assumes I’ll spend most of my time with Camilla or my family... but I—I wanted to try asking her if she’d want to... be my partner."
Florian blinked. His eyes widened slightly at her admission. Princesses partnering up for the ball wasn’t unusual—but for Scarlett, this was different.
This was a step forward, one that exposed her in a way she never allowed herself to be.
Her usual fire and boldness had melted into uncertainty, leaving behind someone wracked with doubt.
"I’m not sure if she’ll say yes," Scarlett murmured, her hands finally slipping from her face. Her shoulders trembled with the weight of her words. "And I’m not even sure if she’d want to be my partner. I... hate the thought of rejection. But at the same time, I really, really want to try..."
She drew in a shaky breath, her eyes glistening with unspoken hope. "I want to ask her."
Florian exhaled, half a laugh, half disbelief.
’Damn. She’s really got it bad.’
To think, this was the same loud and very proud princess who used to look down on Athena—and even on him.
It was almost absurd how much she had changed.
Florian chuckled softly. "You’re overcomplicating things. You two are practically glued to each other already. Athena clearly admires you, Scarlett. Whether or not it’s the same kind of admiration you feel for her, I’m a hundred percent sure she’ll say yes."
"It’s not just that."
Scarlett finally lowered her hands from her face. Her earlier blush of embarrassment had drained into something heavier, her gaze dimming with a somberness Florian rarely ever saw from her.
She crossed the room in slow, hesitant steps, her usual confidence nowhere to be found, before sinking onto the couch beside him.
Her back curved against the cushions as though weighed down by her thoughts.
She dropped all her practiced elegance, lounging ungracefully with her arms folded over her lap—an image so unlike the commanding princess most knew her to be.
Florian glanced at her, the corners of his mouth twitching faintly. He mirrored her posture, leaning back until they were side by side, not prince and princess but simply two people sitting together in shared silence.
"What is it?" he asked gently, keeping his voice even. He didn’t look directly at her; he knew better than to force eye contact when she was already this fragile.
Scarlett let out a long sigh, her hands tightening against her gown until her knuckles whitened. For a moment, she said nothing.
Only the sound of her uneven breaths filled the space. Florian waited patiently, resisting the urge to prod her further.
Finally, her voice slipped out in a whisper. "I do... feel that maybe... just maybe she likes me back."
That made Florian turn to her at last. His brows lifted slightly, but he stayed silent, giving her room to keep unraveling the thoughts tangled inside her.
"But do you ever feel like you don’t... deserve something? Or someone?" Scarlett’s words cracked faintly, her throat tightening. She looked down at her hands, twisting them together as though she could wring out her guilt. "I used to be so mean to her. Not even just mean, I..."
Her voice broke again, and she bit her lip, unable to finish.
Florian’s chest tightened. He remembered.
Back in those first months after his transmigration, he had seen it himself—the snarky remarks, the mocking glances.
The way Scarlett seemed to go out of her way to remind Athena of her kingdom’s poverty, of her plain gowns that stood out amidst the silks and jewels of others.
Scarlett’s eyes glistened now, though she stubbornly blinked the dampness away. She swallowed hard before pressing on.
"The more I got to know her," she said, voice trembling, "the more I saw what she’s been hiding. What her kingdom is enduring. And I realized how strong she really is. I keep... appreciating that about her. More and more, every day."
She let out a shaky breath, shoulders quivering. "But at the same time, I can’t stop feeling like I don’t deserve her. Not her kindness. Not her friendship. She was betrayed by Alexandria, and she still mourned her. And now... she’s friends with the very person who bullied her."
Her voice cracked into something raw. "That’s just who she is—kind, forgiving. And I’m... I’m not."
Florian’s heart clenched at the sight of her—this proud, fiery princess looking small, almost fragile, beneath the weight of her own guilt.
Slowly, carefully, he shifted closer, letting his shoulder brush lightly against hers, a quiet reminder that she wasn’t alone.
Because she wasn’t.
Florian had been feeling, deep down, that he didn’t deserve anything that belonged to the original Florian.
It was a sudden heaviness, one he hadn’t expected to feel. Watching Scarlett now, seeing the cracks in her carefully-built façade, it pressed on him harder than before—an ache of guilt he couldn’t quite shake.
"I really... really like her, Florian." Scarlett’s voice broke into a whisper, her words trembling on the edge of fear and yearning. Her hands were twisted together so tightly in her lap it looked painful.
"I never knew I could like anyone this much. And I have apologized to her so many times. She says she’s forgiven me, but..." Her voice faltered, eyes darting away, shining with the kind of vulnerability she hated to show. "...but I haven’t forgiven myself."
Florian drew in a slow, deep breath, steadying his own emotions before speaking. Scarlett’s confession hung heavy in the air, fragile and raw. He couldn’t rush this. He couldn’t say the wrong thing.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, letting the silence stretch. His chest tightened with memory—this reminded him of when Kaz had nervously asked him about love at sixteen, cheeks red, voice cracking with the kind of shy hope only first love could bring.
He had handled that carefully, like cradling glass.
But this—this was heavier. This was Scarlett, who rarely let herself break. This was more than advice. This was her heart on the line.
Florian turned slightly, resting one elbow against the couch, shifting so he could face her more directly.
He studied her for a breath, the way she kept her gaze fixed downward as if afraid of what he might see in her eyes. Then, with the calm tone of an older brother, but softer—gentler—he finally spoke.
"I understand that you feel that way," he began carefully, his voice low, steady, meant to ground her instead of letting her spiral.
"I understand that you feel that way," Florian said quietly, giving her space to breathe.
He leaned back, his hands resting loosely in his lap, and let his tone soften, almost like he was speaking to a younger sibling.
"But Scarlett... if Athena said she’s forgiven you, then maybe it’s time you let yourself believe her. She doesn’t give out words like that carelessly. You know how sincere she is."
Scarlett’s lips parted, but she stayed silent. Her eyes were lowered, her hands twisting in her gown.
Florian glanced at her, a small, gentle smile tugging at his lips. "You’ve changed, Scarlett. I’ve seen it myself. You’re not the same girl who used to push others down just to stand taller. You’re sitting here now, worried that you don’t deserve the very person you care for. That says more than you think."