I Was Reborn in Another World, But I Awoke Inside a Corpse

Chapter 147: Between Us, No Walls

The moon hung high above the palace of Elaraiya, casting soft silver light over the treetop towers and garden paths. A soft breeze stirred the vines that climbed the marble terraces, and the city had long gone quiet—peaceful in a way that felt rare these days.

Sylvalen sat alone at a small pavilion nestled above the moonlily pools. Her long hair was unbound, and she was sipping from a cup of warm nectar tea. She didn't look regal or untouchable tonight. She looked… open.

"You always pick the prettiest spots to think."

Lira's voice drifted in as she stepped into view, her boots quiet on the polished stone. She held a second cup of tea in both hands, awkwardly.

Sylvalen turned, then nodded toward the bench beside her.

"You're welcome to join me."

Lira hesitated just a moment before settling beside her.

They sipped in silence for a while.

There was no tension—just the kind of quiet that comes between people still figuring out what they mean to each other.

"You know," Lira said after a while, "I always thought we were supposed to hate each other."

Sylvalen glanced sideways. "Because of Isaac?"

Lira shrugged. "Because you're elegant, brilliant, terrifyingly calm—and I'm… me."

"A reckless thunderbolt of mischief and stubbornness?" Sylvalen offered.

Lira blinked. Then snorted. "Yeah. That."

Sylvalen smiled. "Isaac would be lost without you."

Lira shifted, thoughtful.

"I used to worry that you were everything I wasn't. That he'd only have space in his heart for one of us."

Sylvalen looked back toward the moonlight on the water.

"I thought the same."

Lira blinked. "You? Jealous?"

"Not jealous. Just… uncertain."

"You were always with him. Laughing. Fighting. Standing in places I hadn't yet earned."

Lira tilted her head. "But you never tried to push me away."

Sylvalen gave a faint laugh. "You don't strike me as someone who can be pushed."

Lira grinned.

They sat in silence again, but this time, it was easier.

Lighter.

Eventually, Lira stood and pulled something small from her coat pocket—a silver-threaded bracelet, braided with violet ribbon and a single moonstone bead at the center.

"I made this. For you."

Sylvalen looked surprised. "For me?"

Lira scratched the back of her neck. "You're not the only one who knows how to work with runic thread. It's nothing flashy. Just… something I thought you might like."

Sylvalen took it delicately, studying the simple, thoughtful craftsmanship.

"It's beautiful."

"It's a protection charm," Lira said, half-grinning. "Woven with intent. If anything ever tries to hurt you when I'm not around, that bead will warm up. And I'll come running."

Sylvalen fastened it on her wrist carefully.

Then looked at Lira with something softer than gratitude.

"Thank you, Lira."

Lira shrugged, trying to stay casual.

"We're not rivals anymore, are we?"

Sylvalen shook her head.

"No. We're family now."

Lira smiled, almost shyly.

"Good. Because I'd rather fight with you than against you."

Sylvalen raised her teacup.

"To no more walls between us."

Lira clinked her own cup against it.

"And no more awkward glances across the courtyard."

They laughed.

And beneath the moonlight, a new bond settled between them—not born of romance, but of understanding.