Xylia quietly left the auditorium to meet her mother.
She did not expect her to visit the university since she was usually busy attending parties, charity events, and social gatherings.
"Hello, Mother," Xylia greeted politely. "What brings you here?"
Her mother slowly turned around to face her, crossing her arms elegantly over her chest.
"I came to visit my only daughter," she replied calmly. "So? How was your first day with those boys?"
Xylia immediately understood the true reason behind the visit.
Her mother wanted to personally observe the atmosphere inside the university.
Even now, Xylia still could not fully understand why her mother agreed to let her remain in the merged university.
Ever since she was young, she had never experienced studying alongside boys.
At first, she was homeschooled. But only a few months later, her parents transferred her into an exclusive academy for girls.
Her parents—especially her mother—never allowed her to mingle with the opposite sex.
She was an only child, and even her male cousins were forbidden from getting too close to her.
At the age of seven, her mother had already begun warning her repeatedly.
"Xylia, never trust anyone except your father and me. Do not place your trust in your friends. Do not speak to strangers."
Then came the strictest rule of all.
"And never interact with boys."
As a child, Xylia never questioned her parents' behavior.
Whenever she asked for an explanation, her mother always gave her the same answer.
"It's for your own good. I'm only trying to protect you."
Back then, she believed every word wholeheartedly.
But as she grew older, everything slowly began to change.
The endless rules started suffocating her.
There were countless moments when she wanted to run away from everything.
But she was afraid.
Afraid of being alone.
Afraid of disappointing her parents.
Afraid of losing the only world she had ever known.
Xylia looked back at her mother, who was still waiting for an answer.
She already knew her mother was beginning to lose patience.
"It's only the first day," Xylia answered carefully. "So I'm not really sure how I feel yet. I'm sorry, Mother."
Her mother narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at her intently.
Xylia knew exactly what she was doing.
She was trying to read her emotions.
Searching for lies hidden behind her expression.
So Xylia forced herself to calmly stare back.
She was not lying.
It truly had only been the first day.
After a few seconds, her mother finally looked away first before sitting down gracefully on the couch.
Meanwhile, Xylia remained standing in front of her obediently.
"Remember the rules, Xylia," her mother said coldly. "I do not want to repeat myself."
Her sharp eyes lifted toward her daughter again.
"You only need to obey and believe my words."
"Yes, Mother," Xylia answered softly.
Outside the slightly opened door, Aciel silently listened to the entire conversation.
His expression darkened when he heard the final warning.
It was obvious.
Xylia's mother controlled every aspect of her life.
And Xylia simply accepted it.
Aciel clenched his jaw before finally walking away from the room.
He could not bear listening any longer.
Without another thought, he headed toward the rooftop.
Meanwhile, after her mother finally left, Xylia felt as though she could no longer breathe properly.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She pressed her trembling hand against it before clenching her fist tightly.
She tried calming herself down, but the suffocating feeling only worsened.
Unable to endure it any longer, Xylia rushed out of the student council room.
Her footsteps echoed loudly throughout the hallway as she searched desperately for somewhere quiet.
Anywhere far away from that suffocating atmosphere.
She eventually found a staircase and ran upward without stopping until she reached a metal door.
The moment she pushed it open—
fresh air immediately greeted her.
It was the rooftop.
Xylia slowly walked toward the center and lifted her eyes toward the clear blue sky above.
But the pain inside her chest returned once more.
Earlier, it had briefly subsided.
Now, it came back even stronger.
She desperately tried to calm herself, yet nothing eased the overwhelming pressure crushing her heart.
Not far away, Aciel silently stared at her.
He had not expected Xylia to come to the rooftop after what he overheard inside the student council room.
Perhaps he should have pitied her.
But instead—
his frustration toward her only deepened.
He watched her grip her chest tightly, clearly struggling to calm herself down.
He did not know the full story behind her mother's words, but judging from Xylia's condition, the conversation had definitely hurt her.
Aciel slowly walked toward her.
"Why do you always agree with everyone?" he suddenly asked coldly. "Is that really what you want?"
Xylia immediately froze.
Startled, she turned toward him and met his dark expression.
She had no idea he was already on the rooftop.
"I-I…" she stammered helplessly.
Aciel frowned.
"You know what I hate the most about people like you?" he continued harshly. "You look perfect on the outside, but inside, you're completely broken."
His voice grew colder.
"If you keep living like that, you'll eventually lose yourself."
Xylia stared at him silently.
"W-What do you mean?" she asked weakly.
Aciel scoffed softly.
"Stop acting naive," he replied. "You're just like those spoiled rich brats. Pretending to be gentle and kind in front of everyone so they'll see you as perfect."
His sharp eyes locked onto hers.
"But in reality, it's all fake."
Every word struck Xylia deeply.
"You only want attention," Aciel continued mercilessly. "You want people to admire you and treat you as someone special. You want everyone to believe you're above them."
Xylia was stunned by his accusations.
So that was the reason behind his behavior toward her.
Now she finally understood.
Aciel hated her because he believed none of her actions were sincere.
And honestly…
he was both wrong and right.
Not all of her smiles were genuine.
Not all of her reactions came naturally.
Many of them existed simply because they were necessary.
Necessary to maintain peace.
Necessary to satisfy expectations.
Necessary to survive the life forced upon her.
But Aciel was wrong about one thing.
She never wanted attention.
And she never wanted to be treated as someone special.
As Aciel continued speaking, Xylia eventually stopped hearing his words completely.
She simply stood there staring at him silently.
And strangely enough—
for the first time in a very long while—
she felt relieved.
Because someone had finally noticed the truth.
She was not perfect.
She never had been.
She only kept obeying because she did not want to disappoint her parents or create trouble for them.
But little by little…
that obedience was destroying the real her.