311 Pride and Prejudice
Selma Payne’s POV:
Frank grabbed Aldrich’s collar and carried him to the edge of the training ground. Outside the wire fence were the trainees from the same batch participating in the weekend movie night.
“Look at this group of young people of your age. They are innocent, pure, and passionate and can become friends with just one look. And you? At the age of fifteen or sixteen, you’re living like a dying old man, arrogantly digging out the dark side of other people’s hearts, but you don’t know that you’re the one who’s stuck in a dead end!
“What do you have that others want? A powerful duke for a father? Noble status? Wealth? Let me tell you, kid, don’t think you’re so likable. When people greet you, it’s not because they want to ask you for something. It’s just a form of courtesy. They might not even remember your name! The things you value are not even worth a fart. No one cares about them at all!
“This is the military camp, not your home. Don’t throw your young master temper here! The people living with you are your comrades. Now you’re giving them a dirty face, but when you’re on the battlefield in the future, are you going to tell your comrades, ‘Don’t come and save me. I won’t give you anything’? If you’re still so laughably na?ve, then let me tell you, you’re not worthy of being a warrior!
“Now, answer me: do you want to continue staying in the military camp, put away your young master temper, and obediently go roll in the mud with your comrades, or do you want to pack up and leave immediately? ”
Aldrich was already completely stunned. For many years he had been lingering in the shadow of his mother’s family, unable to extricate himself, using his violent appearance as a cover that he did not dare to get along with others. Having his disguise suddenly exposed, he felt embarrassed and angry, but at the same time, he felt a huge emptiness.
“From then on, I began to try to integrate into the group. At that time, we were all young, and there was no overnight enmity between us, so we accepted me very quickly.” Aldrich said, “Thanks to that beating from Frank. He made me understand one thing: you can’t know a person’s heart. Never speculate about other people’s thoughts. ‘Relatives’ who smile at me may want me to die, and strangers who say bad things to me may want to get close to me. Preemptively predicting the outcome won’t change anything. Instead, it’ll block my eyes and interfere with my judgment, making things worse.
“So, you don’t have to worry about your future. Whether it’s true or false, it’s inevitable in social life. This has nothing to do with our identity. Whether we are kings or beggars, we can’t escape the shackles of social rules – we are the creators and users of these rules. We should have expected everything, so there is no need to be discouraged.”
I looked at him for a long time before suddenly bursting out laughing. “Do you know what you look like right now?”
“What?”
“The male host of the Midnight Love radio station!”
After saying that, I tried to escape from Aldrich’s arms, but he grabbed me back to the bed and pressed me down.
“It seems that you’re not sad at all,” he said with ill intentions. “In that case, let’s do something happy.”
𝙛𝒓𝚎𝙚w𝑒𝘣𝘯𝘰𝐯𝚎l. cｏ𝙢
The room was dimly lit.
After I stopped wasting my time, I swept away my dejection and appeared full of energy in front of everyone the next day.
Before I left the Silver Moon Pack, I especially looked at Teresa to comfort this panicking lady I had angered.
She was wary when she spoke to me, not as friendly as she was at the beginning. She probably didn’t know how she had offended me, so she didn’t dare to ‘be presumptuous’ anymore.
“I must apologize for my attitude last night,” I got straight to the point. “I was too tired yesterday and rude to you because of some things. I’m very sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. You’re a very good person, and I like to get along with you.”
Teresa was surprised and a little flattered. “You’re being too serious, Your Highness. I don’t feel anything.”
I didn’t expose her little pretense. I smiled and asked, “When are you returning to the Shadow Pack? I think we can be friends.”
“I- I still have to keep Father company for a few more days.” My friend’s request caught Teresa off guard, but she quickly reacted naturally as an extrovert and smiled sweetly. “I’ll go to the Shadow Pack before your honeymoon with Sir Aldrich ends. It’s my honor to be your friend.”
“Then, I wish you a happy life. We’ll meet again at the Shadow Pack!”
After resolving this knot in my heart, I felt unusually comfortable. Just as Aldrich said, ‘Don’t assume anything.’ If I wanted everything to develop in a good direction, then I had to work hard in a good direction, right?
“You guys had a good time chatting?” Aldrich asked.
I nodded. “Of course. Selma and Teresa will become friends. Definitely!”
After so many years, the Shadow Pack didn’t change much. I could even find the tree I used to hide in when I was young.
Back then, I was always the one who was ignored. Often, no one could find me even when it was dark because everyone had forgotten about me.
