“Wetting the bed?”
Aiweila tilted her head, looking half-confused.
“That’s right! Wetting the bed! Aiweila wouldn’t want it getting out that you still wet the bed at your age, would you?”
Luo Xiaosu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, spouting nonsense with a straight face, while inwardly screaming.
‘No way. When I get home, I have to destroy all those picture books…’
‘Wait… maybe not?’
Luo Xiaosu paused, those exquisitely beautiful paintings slowly surfacing in her mind.
‘After all, they were created with so much effort and sincerity. It wouldn’t be right to just destroy them.’
‘And… what if I want to use them for reference later… No! There is no “what if”!’
‘Anyway, I’ll hide them. Hide them somewhere Aiweila will never find them!’
Luo Xiaosu shook her head vigorously, trying to shake those strange thoughts out of her mind.
She pointed at the sun overhead, attempting to change the subject.
“Anyway, let’s head home first. Look, it’s already noon. Let’s go back, and I’ll make you lunch.”
With that, as if afraid Aiweila would ask another question she couldn’t answer, she took Aiweila’s little hand again and quickly walked toward the small cottage.
Behind her, Aiweila watched Luo Xiaosu’s somewhat flustered back, a small curve forming at the corner of her mouth.
‘Sister’s shy look… it seems even cuter than what’s drawn in the books.’
—
A few days later, in the early morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the grass in the yard in front of the cottage.
“Aiweila, raise your hand a little higher. Yes, like that.”
Luo Xiaosu, dressed in loose loungewear and holding a wooden comb, sat in front of the cottage, patiently combing through Aiweila’s long golden hair.
Ever since the “Vines Incident” that day, the atmosphere between them had become even more subtle.
Aiweila had grown even clingier, wanting to be with Luo Xiaosu every moment.
And Luo Xiaosu, after these few days of getting along with Aiweila, had gradually gotten used to her own body and Aiweila’s boundaryless affectionate gestures.
Except for those times when Aiweila would occasionally tease her with that innocent, precocious look, which still made her blush a little.
“Sister, can we go pick mushrooms today?”
Aiweila shook her head, her hair brushing against Luo Xiaosu’s hand, tickling her.
“Okay, but we have to finish breakfast first.”
Luo Xiaosu smiled and booped her nose, then got up and headed to the kitchen.
In the iron pot on the stove, the stewed meat was bubbling with steam, filling the entire cottage with a rich aroma.
It was the wild boar they had hunted together in the forest yesterday, even though during the process, Aiweila’s vines had “accidentally” torn Luo Xiaosu’s clothes again.
Now, aside from those vines that would suddenly pop up from time to time trying to get close to Luo Xiaosu, Aiweila had gained fairly good control over her magic.
Meanwhile, in the City Lord’s Mansion several kilometers away.
In the study, Di Leike sat in a high-backed leather chair, holding a cup of freshly brewed black tea.
His expression was calm as he flipped through the documents on the table, but the constant tapping of his fingers on the desk betrayed his current irritation.
“My Lord, the person sent to the Imperial Palace has returned.”
The old butler emerged silently from the shadows, holding a letter in his hand, his voice very low.
“According to the news he brought back, His Majesty the King has approved your request for reinforcements. However…”
He paused, a hint of difficulty in his tone.
“It seems they intend to send a Royal Mage and five hundred soldiers from the Royal Dragon-Eagle Knights to assist us in subjugating the witch.”
Clink
The silver spoon in Di Leike’s hand clinked against the teacup, producing a crisp sound.
“Hmph! That old bastard, he couldn’t hold back after all.”
Di Leike put down the document and let out a cold snort.
“Five hundred Dragon-Eagle Knights—that’s the Royal family’s most elite force. He says he’s coming to help me subjugate the witch, but I think he’s using this as an excuse to take a cut from my hands!”
Di Leike put down his teacup, straightened up, and looked at the old butler beside him.
“Go, summon that fellow Kaixi. I have important matters to discuss with him.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The old butler withdrew respectfully, gently closing the study door behind him.
The study fell back into dead silence.
Di Leike picked up his teacup again and took a small sip of the black tea.
His gaze fell on a report regarding the exploration of the forest’s environment.
“Hmph, this Magic Forest really has quite a few treasures. Too bad it’s too dangerous.”
He set the teacup down on the table, stood up, and slowly walked to the window, looking down at the town below.
On the bustling streets, people came and went, seemingly not panicked by the incident a few days ago.
“Money—I basically don’t lack that anymore. But power? With the forces I have under me now, even if I wait another ten years, I’ll only be a minor city lord stuck in this remote border region.”
His gaze crossed the town, landing on that deep, mysterious forest, a hint of greed in his eyes.
“Those people in the Imperial Palace are all as shrewd as foxes. They wouldn’t bother personally with something that has no benefits.”
“It seems the news of the witch’s appearance really caught their attention, enough to send five hundred Dragon-Eagle Knights in one go.”
Di Leike’s lips curled into a cold smirk, and he spoke through gritted teeth.
“They’re planning to take everything—both the person and the spoils.”
He rubbed the gold ring on his finger, which he had bought from a traveling merchant years ago.
“But I’m not without any cards up my sleeve.”
He muttered to himself, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.
Knock, knock, knock
A heavy knock broke the silence of the study.
“Enter.”
Kaixi pushed open the door, strode in, and knelt on one knee.
“My Lord, you summoned me?”
Di Leike stood with his back to him, hands clasped behind his back, remaining silent for a long time.
The sunlight streaming in through the window stretched his shadow long, casting it over Kaixi, creating an intangible sense of pressure.
“Kaixi.”
Di Leike finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, enunciating each word.
“How many troops do we have right now?”
Kaixi lowered his head even further, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness and helplessness.
“Reporting to you, my Lord… the situation is not optimistic.”
“For the City Defense Army, we have about seven hundred men left. As for the Guard Squad…”
He paused, his voice dropping even lower.
“The original one hundred and fifty men are now less than seventy. Most of them are severely wounded, only able to lie in the infirmary.”
Seven hundred city defense soldiers, less than a hundred personal guards.
Listening to his report, Di Leike calculated silently in his mind.
‘This amount of troops is definitely not enough to deal with the witch in the forest, but if I use it to bluff in front of the Royal soldiers, it might just barely suffice.’