Elina was startled by her words.
"Wait… What did you just say?"
Novaria felt awkward, but she had already come this far. There was no way she was backing down now.
Taking a deep breath, she repeated herself, this time a little louder.
"Please help me become like you!"
Elina fell silent. For a moment, she thought she had misheard her, but she hadn't.
"Can you tell me why?"
Seeing that Elina wasn't making fun of her, Novaria felt a little relieved.
She straightened up and looked into Elina's eyes.
"I feel like I'm just a burden," she said honestly. "I used to think highly of myself just because I'm the Second Princess of the Great Velmora Empire. But after meeting you, I feel… kind of ashamed."
Her voice softened as she looked away.
"Seeing how capable you are at governing Virella makes me envious. My mother always praised Aldric and never took me seriously. The same goes for Cedric and Adalen. They each have their own talents."
She lowered her head sadly.
