For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 20 - Favorite Type

#20. Favorite Type

Why is she angry? Lia was even more angry at Perth’s question. It seemed like all the effort she had put into being angry so far was meaningless. Lia turned abruptly. Her long hair swung around and hit his cheek too quickly for Perth to dodge it.

“There’s no point in explaining.”

She empathized with May’s previous words. Perth lacked empathy. He had not understood anything she had explained so far. She felt like getting angry and arguing, but she judged it as a waste of emotion.

He must have concluded, like the Count had said, that her being in the palace was only beneficial. It made sense from a cost-benefit perspective. Regardless of whose power she used, Lia wanted to work in the palace.

But Lia’s feelings were inevitably hurt. She thought she had earned recognition for her abilities, but she hadn’t. Instead of apologizing for deceiving her, Perth arrogantly used her relationship with her father to promise her a promotion, implying that her abilities were irrelevant anyway.

Her pride was severely wounded. On top of that, it was painful to realize that Perth, whom she had believed to be a friend, was not actually on her side. But there was little chance he would truly understand even if she explained everything. So, was it worth sacrificing her time and energy to make him understand? The answer was ‘no.’

“Lady Lia.”

Although Perth called from behind, she didn’t turn around. She had once sincerely thought of him as a friend. She had been foolish. It was all business, a transaction, and she should have known better, but she couldn’t understand why it hurt so much. 

Tears welled up endlessly on the way back to the dormitory. She lamented her lack of control, which seemed to be her only ability. She even found Alfonse’s suggestion to be humorous. Could she truly gain recognition purely through her abilities, as she had shouted? The future seemed bleak with uncertainty.

“Can I bring about the Miracle of the Desert alone?”

It was an impossible task to know for sure. She wanted to confidently bring about the Miracle of the Desert and be recognized for her skills. But at the same time, she felt uncertain. What if all she had was the ability to grow plants? Even that ability didn’t apply to the Miracle of the Desert. Her control was severely lacking. If she had no abilities other than that, did she truly deserve to stay in the palace?

Lia silently shed tears and sought out the darkest place she could find. She wanted to cry to her heart’s content where no one would come, in the pitch-black darkness. But since the sun hadn’t completely set yet, there were still bright spots here and there.

She wanted to hide in the darkness, but she couldn’t even go near it for fear that Perth might come looking for her. Even though Perth hadn’t sought her out for a while, she worried about bumping into him.

In the end, she headed towards the dormitory to hide her ever-weakening self. Fortunately, the dormitory supervisor was away. Lia managed to slip into her room and hide under her blanket without anyone noticing.

“Ugh….”

Feeling sad without even properly understanding why, it was just sad. It’s only been a month. Working in the palace wasn’t as fulfilling as Lia had dreamed. People rejected the noble Lia, and those she trusted betrayed her.

As she fully embraced the solitude, tears streamed down incessantly. What was just a trickle before now blurred her vision completely.

The sound of stifled sobs kept leaking through the tightly closed door. The quarters weren’t soundproof, so even a slight sob could be heard in the adjacent room. To keep from making any noise, Lia buried her head deeper into her blanket and hunched her body.

Knock, knock.

“Lia.”

At the sound of knocking on the door, Lia ceased her sobbing. If someone were standing outside, they might have heard Lia’s voice.

“Lia, are you in there?”

The voice belonged to May. Lia quickly wiped away her tears. She didn’t want May to know she’d been crying.

“…Just a moment, please.”

After the sun had completely set, the room had become dark. Having hidden herself under the blanket, Lia hurriedly turned on the light. May, with her keen sense, would quickly figure out what had happened in the dim room.

When she opened the door, May’s worried face was just as Lia had anticipated. She was very perceptive.

“Who is it?”

“What? What are you talking about….”

“I can tell you’ve been crying. Who was it? Mr. Kevin again?”

May was always warm like a parent to Lia. Today had been a long day, so Lia felt even sadder seeing her. Seeing May made her feel weaker again. She tried not to cry, but tears welled up uncontrollably.

“May.”

She closed the door and entered Lia’s room. Sitting Lia down on the bed, she pulled her into a hug. As she gently patted Lia’s back, sobs began to escape Lia little by little. Meeting May was truly fortunate. A real friend was right nearby, yet it felt like Lia had searched so far away. They stayed like that for a while, Lia held in May’s embrace.

After some time, Lia’s crying subsided. May, who had been silently comforting her, finally spoke up.

“Are you not going to tell me who it was?”

“Who was who.”

“Who made you cry!”

She wasn’t angry at Lia, but rather for Lia. Seeing May’s anger somehow eased Lia’s mood. She chuckled softly.

“Don’t laugh. Am I funny?”

“It’s amusing.”

“What? You think I look funny?”

Due to May’s jest, both of them burst into laughter. Lia eventually confided in May about what had happened that day. She always told May everything like this.

“Mr. Perth is a cold-blooded person, remember?”

“But he’s not entirely bad.”

“What nonsense! If he made you cry, he’s already bad.”

“Maybe he didn’t think about how it would hurt me.”

“Lack of empathy. Isn’t there something fundamentally flawed about him?”

“Is it okay to talk about him like that when he’s related to May?”

“He’s my concern, so I can say whatever I want.”

After hearing the whole story, May was just as angry as Lia. That fact alone made Lia feel relieved. At least there was someone in the palace whom she could trust. Lia could finally sleep peacefully.

* * *

Perth agonized over it. Lia simply wouldn’t accept his apology. For the past few days, whenever he found a moment, he tried to apologize to her. He couldn’t help but wonder how big an investment it was for him, someone who valued time above all else, but Lia would never understand.

‘I’m sorry, Lady Lia.’

‘What’s there to apologize for?’

‘I understand. It’s because I didn’t explain the reason for your admittance sooner, right?’

Lia glanced at Perth sternly, and she involuntarily shrank back.

‘I’m in the middle of work.’

He thought he understood what he had done wrong, but he couldn’t comprehend why. He hated ambiguity without clear answers. He wished she would at least tell him whether the reason was valid or not. But hearing that she was busy with work, he couldn’t disturb her any longer.

‘Please tell me the reason, My Lady.’

‘I already told you. You wouldn’t understand even if I did.’

What could be the reason that he couldn’t understand? By now, he even doubted if there was a reason at all. Perhaps Lia was upset, and she was just taking it out on him. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask if she was really upset. The only solution seemed to be to apologize sincerely. As he flipped through papers, signing them one by one, his mind was consumed with thoughts of how he could make Lia accept his apology.

The sound of paper rustling filled the office. He felt unfairly treated in a way. Lia coming into the palace wasn’t solely his idea. Alfonse surely agreed to it. Yet she blamed only him. Of course, the idea itself originated from Perth. Alfonse was looking for a new support base, a third force different from the existing king’s influence. That was Count Penelope, and as an excuse to bring him in, he chose his youngest daughter. Coincidentally, she was said to have abilities but lacked control, making it difficult for her to enter the palace. Naturally, Perth had planned to recruit Lia.

To those who seek entry, grant them the opportunity to enter. That was his deal with the Count, her father, in hopes of winning her favor. Through her, the Prince could gain influence. It seemed like a perfect deal from his calculations. But there was one variable he hadn’t considered—Lia’s heart.

Thunk. As he thought of Lia, a sudden surge of frustration rose within him. Some of the stacked papers couldn’t withstand the impact and fell to the floor with a muffled thud.

“What in the world is the problem…?”

He had apologized and explained, yet he couldn’t fathom why Lia would be angry with him alone. With no other options, he decided to convey his apology in his own way. Whether she accepted it or not didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had done it.

“Just this once.”

He removed the gloves he always wore. His bare hands, hidden beneath the usual white gloves, revealed themselves. His slender, long fingers were exposed. His ability was psychometry. When he touched something or someone, it would generously reveal information to him, whether he wanted it or not.

The white gloves became essential items, protecting him from the plethora of information around him. Only a few family members besides himself knew about his supernatural abilities. Psychics were rigorously monitored by the government from birth, ensuring that only the fact of being a psychic was known to the public, not the specifics of their abilities.

Alfonse, recognizing his talent from an early age, appointed him as his aide. And the Versier family willingly offered him to the Prince. It was thanks to it that he could enter the palace at a very young age. Thus, his fate had been determined since birth.

He had always despised his ability. Being born with such a power felt like a curse to him. His family members all avoided him. It was understandable—they had to reveal their secrets involuntarily upon contact with him. He also inadvertently discovered that his parents were both having extramarital affairs.

His ability only caused pain to both the user and the target. But it could easily uncover her heart. Why she was angry with him, and what her true type was. Unless it was for professional reasons, he preferred not to use it. But now, just this once, he wanted to peer into her soul. If he could understand everything in one go, it would be enough.