Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 729: It’s Not About What Others Want. It’s About What You Want [Part 2]

“W-What did you just say?” Lapiz stuttered.

Efa smiled faintly. “I said—if you keep listening to your sister all the time, someone else might steal the dance you badly want.”

Lapiz’s eyes widened. “T-That’s…”

“The truth? Yes.” Efa finished her words before Lapiz could. “Look. They’re already dancing.”

The elven princess shifted her gaze toward the dance floor. She saw Alex and Aeris gracefully take steps in rhythm with the music. From afar, they looked surprisingly compatible.

A beautiful sight.

But the view only made Lapiz uncomfortable.

A feeling she couldn’t quite describe began to form inside her chest. It was as if something precious to her was being taken away by someone else, and she didn’t like this feeling.

“Your sister is beautiful,” Efa said honestly. “She’s elegant, talented, and respected. If she decided to pursue someone seriously, how many people do you think can compete with her?”

Lapiz lowered her gaze at those words. She already knew the answer to this question since she grew up with her sister.

None.

That was the answer.

Ever since she was young, Aeris had always been better than her at almost everything.

Her sister was her idol.

Her role model.

The person she aspired to be.

Aeris was the perfect princess who was loved by everyone and could do anything she wished to do.

It was for this reason that Lapiz and many others admired her.

Yet it was also the source of Lapiz’s inferiority complex. Setting someone like her sister as the standard made all of her efforts look second-rate.

“But my sister doesn’t like Alex,” Lapiz said softly.

“Are you sure?” Efa asked back.

“I…” Lapiz hesitated.

Earlier, she would have answered immediately. And with confidence.

But now?

For some reason, she wasn’t so certain anymore.

Efa chuckled. “See? You’re already doubting it.”

The young blonde-haired lady lightly poked Lapiz’s forehead. She made sure not to leave any visible mark, but that moment of connection made the elven princess become more aware of the meaning behind her words.

“Besides, whether she likes him or not isn’t important,” Efa added.

“It’s not?” Lapiz blinked.

“No.” Efa shook her head. “The important thing is… do you like Alex or not?”

Lapiz froze.

She didn’t expect Efa to ask this question. Even her sister, Aeris, hadn’t asked Lapiz whether she liked Alex or not.

Her perfect sister only told her to stay away from Alex because he had many bad qualities.

‘Do I like Alex?’

Lapiz pondered this question inside of her head. She subconsciously placed her hand over her chest, as if she wanted her heart to answer this question.

Soon, images began to flash through her mind one after another.

Alex confessing to her.

Alex treating her kindly despite her flaws.

Alex accepting her even when she didn’t believe she was worthy of being accepted.

The small flame in her chest suddenly grew warmer.

“I…” Lapiz lowered her head.

Efa patiently waited. There was no need to rush anything. She was only giving Lapiz a slight nudge so that she could better understand her own feelings.

After several seconds, the elven princess finally nodded.

A very small nod.

But that was enough.

A bright smile soon appeared on Efa’s face. “Then that’s all that matters.”

Lapiz sighed. “But my sister told me not to dance with him.”

“Lapiz.” Efa’s expression became serious. “Tell me honestly. If Alex invited you to dance right now, would you accept?”

The elven princess didn’t even need to think about it.

“Yes,” Lapiz replied without hesitation.

Her answer came out instantly without any resistance.

Efa patted the young lady’s shoulder after hearing that. “Then stop worrying about what everyone else wants. Sometimes, being brave for a few minutes can change your life. Remember this. The one in control of that body and the one living your life is you. Not your sister.

“You are not her doll. You are not her puppet. So, you shouldn’t let her control you easily as she wills. Do you know the reason why Alex loves you instead of your sister?”

Lapiz looked at Efa in a daze. It was as if her words were opening the doors that she had tightly sealed in her heart.

Doors that she had locked in order to protect herself from the world.

“It’s because you look more ‘real’ in his eyes,” Efa said in a playful tone. “You’re more real than a perfect princess who can do anything she sets her sights on.”

Lapiz could feel her heart starting to beat faster inside her chest.

Efa’s words seemed to resound inside her head. Words that seemed to hold a profound truth.

Words that seemed to know exactly what Alex felt for Lapiz, who was currently standing at the crossroads of her life.

Since Efa and Lapiz were too focused on talking to each other while looking at Alex and Aeris, they didn’t notice a young lady in a purple dress standing a few meters behind them.

Astrea, who had decided to wait until Alex finished dancing, decided to move to the corner of the ballroom, where she had a good view of the dance floor.

It just so happened that Lapiz headed there as well, with Efa following suit.

Upon overhearing the talk between the two ladies, Astrea froze. She felt like she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

She and Lapiz could be considered friends. They had even talked a lot with each other during the training sessions in the music hall.

Plus, Lapiz was technically Astrea’s substitute for the Singing Queen competition. The two had spent a lot of time practicing together. So, it was only natural that the two of them had become good friends.

The lucky girl even wondered if hearing this secret about the elf’s feelings for Alex was because she went to the wrong place at the wrong time!

Still, she couldn’t help but look at Alex in the distance.

He already had many lovers, and yet, there were still ladies that wished to be by his side.

For some reason, this revelation made Astrea feel a little hopeful for reasons she couldn’t name.

The young lady immediately shook her head after that, trying to get rid of the strange thoughts that had appeared inside her mind.

“What am I even thinking?” Astrea thought, patting her chest to calm down her wildly beating heart.

Yet, despite saying those words, her gaze remained fixed on the young man dancing with Aeris on the dance floor.

At that exact moment, Alex seemed to sense something and glanced in her direction.

Their eyes met for a brief second, which made Astrea’s heart skip a beat.

And for the first time that evening, the luckiest girl, who watched from the sidelines, wondered if she truly wanted to remain a spectator forever.