Jhed brought Silia over to the dining table.
"You, Daichi—" Preka was about to say something more, but then she caught sight of Silia. Everyone's eyes turned to Silia.
She's so beautiful. Her skin is so fair too — like milk. And me... Nain looked down at her own hand, completely charred, and pressed it against her own burnt face. And here I am, my face burned, unable to even bear looking at myself. No matter how good a person becomes, there's always a part of them that envies someone better — that compares itself. Silia was strikingly beautiful, and Nain found herself comparing her own self to her, which was why she looked so downcast. Nain had no idea yet that the beauty she admired so much was false — that Silia was a demon, one who had grown so fair by drinking human blood.
"Wow, looking at you this close, you really are quite fair," Shine said, gazing at her pale cheeks.
Come on, Shine, this isn't her real face. She's a demon — underneath, she actually looks quite grotesque, Jhed thought to himself, standing beside Silia.
"Oh my god... you look like an angel." Preka moved closer to Silia and touched her cheek. "No, this isn't a dream, and you're not wearing any makeup either — you're genuinely this fair..." She began tugging at Silia's cheeks.
"Ahh..." Silia was growing quite irritated.
Hey, old woman, let go of my cheeks. Don't put your filthy hands on them, Silia thought to herself, a flicker of fury in her eyes.
"Look, I haven't fully forgiven you yet. I still don't trust you," Daichi said, addressing her directly.
He wasn't wrong to feel that way — trusting someone like her wasn't wise, especially someone who had just stolen something so important. Even if she was a demon, she had still stolen something from someone, and that alone made her a thief in anyone's eyes.
"What do you mean — what did she steal?" Preka looked at Daichi.
"She stole something very important from our guest," Daichi said.
Preka looked at Silia again and went right back to tugging at her cheeks.
"I don't believe a word of that. A girl this beautiful couldn't possibly be a thief. You're wrong, Daichi... Go on, tell me the secret behind this gorgeous skin of yours." Preka asked Silia directly.
Oh, auntie, she's a demon — she'll tell you the secret to her lovely skin only after she's drunk your blood, Jhed thought to himself.
"Go on, tell me," Preka pressed.
"Even I don't know — I've just been like this since I was a child," Silia said with a smile.
"Alright, everyone, let's eat now." Daichi had prepared breakfast for all of them.
"Please, Princess, come sit here." Daichi pulled out a chair for Nain.
Nain stood off to the side, hesitant. Daichi called her over.
Nain seemed a little uneasy — or perhaps she simply felt uncomfortable in front of Preka.
"I'm not sitting next to this monster. By the way, Daichi, if people find out about her, they'll come to kill her... I'll sit next to Silia instead." Preka went and sat beside Silia.
Nain remained standing.
"Nain, come sit next to me." Shine called her over. Nain ended up sitting between Shine and Jhed.
They all began eating breakfast.
"I apologize on my wife's behalf," Daichi said.
"Oh, Daichi, she's no princess at all. She's lying."
"Be quiet. Preka, she really is a princess."
"Oh, it's fine — I'm not really a princess anymore anyway," Nain said with a smile.
Nain... I feel for her. But there's nothing I can do. Isn't there some kind of medicine that could restore her to how she used to be? Jhed wondered to himself.
And so, they all sat and ate their breakfast together.