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

Chapter 164: Sylvalen's Smile

Sylvalen walked alone beneath the crystalline trees that lined the eastern ridge of the Worldseed Core. The lake shimmered quietly in the distance. Birdsongs danced in spirals. The world was gentle here—a mirror of Isaac's soul, and yet now, it felt fuller.

She paused near a flowering tree that hadn't been there yesterday. Its blossoms pulsed faintly with ambient mana—soft violet with silver veins, a color that hadn't existed outside Isaac's world until now.

She smiled.

"It changed for her."

Sylvalen didn't need to ask what had happened between Isaac and Lira last night. She had seen the moment—when Lira reached for his hand without hesitation. When Isaac's soul-flame flickered differently. When the barrier around them subtly shifted to privacy.

She hadn't intruded.

She had simply turned away and smiled.

She wandered the garden paths, her long platinum hair fluttering behind her like moonlight. She wasn't sad—not really. But she felt something... shifting.

For so long, she had walked with restraint. Regal. Composed. The ninth princess of Elaraiya. Her time with Isaac had brought her more joy than she expected—but also more uncertainty. Not about him.

About herself.

She stopped at the quiet cliff that overlooked the orchard Lira helped plant two weeks ago. The trees were full now. Ripening early.

"So much of him is here," she murmured. "And now… she is too."

Later that afternoon, she found them by the lakeside.

Isaac was reclined under a sun-shade he'd summoned from soulstone and silk. Lira sat beside him with a book in hand, her hair tied messily, cheeks still faintly pink from how she kept avoiding his gaze.

Sylvalen approached quietly.

Lira spotted her first—and stiffened.

Isaac glanced up and smiled. "Afternoon."

Sylvalen gave a slight tilt of her head in greeting, then settled onto the soft grass beside them, her posture perfect as always.

No one said anything for a moment.

Then Lira broke the silence, voice slightly nervous. "So, uh… you're not… mad or anything?"

Sylvalen looked at her, eyes calm and warm. "Of course not."

Lira blinked. "Really?"

"You made a choice from your heart," Sylvalen said softly. "And he accepted it with grace."

She looked at Isaac, and her expression held no jealousy—only sincerity.

"He belongs to himself first. But if he chooses to share pieces of that with us… that's something precious."

Lira didn't quite know how to respond. She bit her lip and glanced down, flustered.

Sylvalen smiled slightly.

"Besides," she added, a playful glint entering her sapphire eyes, "you might not mind… if I joined you two next time."

Lira's eyes widened. She turned red so fast it was as if she'd been slapped with fire magic. "Wha— I— Y-You can't just say that—!"

Sylvalen tilted her head, elegant as ever. "Why not? I would, of course, ask politely."

Isaac, meanwhile, simply chuckled under his breath.

Lira buried her face in the book, muttering something unintelligible.

Sylvalen turned her gaze to the lake, her smile subtle but real. "Don't worry, Lira. I'm patient."

Then, quieter: "And I wouldn't mind earning your trust the same way I earned his."

—

And in the soul-bound world beneath Isaac's sky, the bonds between them grew—not from pressure, not from conquest, but from kindness, choice, and time.