Chapter 48: The Young Lady Slams the Table and Asks Who Hides Things at Home

The smell of rotting wood filled the air.

Leonora hesitated, curling and uncurling her fingers several times before finally deciding.

‘This flimsy plank door can’t even keep out thieves, let alone bugs.’

Just as she was about to knock hard to get it over with, the wooden door swung open from the inside.

Leonora’s curled index finger landed squarely on the girl’s smooth forehead.

A mix of surprise and complaint escaped Shiya’s lips, and the young lady felt utterly satisfied.

“Miss, why do you hit people the moment you see them?”

Shiya rubbed her slightly sore forehead, hands on her hips in annoyance.

Leonora didn’t answer.

Instead, she frowned as she scanned the shabby interior.

“How is your place so—”

Before she could finish, she spotted a chestnut-haired girl lying on the only bed in the room, wearing nothing but a black set of lingerie.

“You—you’re hiding someone at home?!”

Shiya’s eyes darted away for a moment, but she quickly recovered and explained with exasperation:

“She’s a child the Flower God Village chief asked me to look after. She’s just staying temporarily.”

But the young lady wasn’t buying it.

She grabbed Shiya’s cheeks and squeezed them hard.

“Then why is she only wearing a black slip?”

Even Shiya felt a little uncertain as she said this.

“Well… I didn’t have a spare nightgown ready, and she didn’t want to dirty my bed.”

She quickly walked back inside and gently shook Ilya awake.

The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, blinking with a dazed light blue gaze.

“A guest is here. Get dressed first.”

After a pause, Ilya leaned in and kissed Shiya on the cheek.

Another familiar good-morning kiss.

The girl was already used to it from her time in Flower God Village.

In Shiya’s eyes, little Ilya’s feelings were just budding, and she was subconsciously projecting that affection onto someone trustworthy.

Maybe in a few years, the girl would blush and beg her not to tell anyone about this embarrassing history.

Behind her came the sound of a palm slamming into a wooden table, shattering it.

“Miss, that was one of my few pieces of furniture…”

When Leonora pulled out a stack of bills worth a hundred of Shiya’s shacks and tossed them carelessly onto a chair, she finally cut to the chase.

“Shiya, do you want to get stronger?”

The girl froze for a second, then pulled out a single bill and tried to push the stack back.

She followed up with a quick quip:

“No, Miss, I want—”

She paused, glancing at the two flat-chested ladies in the room, then shook her head.

Both Leonora and Ilya felt insulted.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the chestnut-haired girl moved first, pressing her small body—

Still clad only in a black slip—

Against Shiya’s back, even as Leonora glared coldly.

“Sister Shiya already promised to help me find a job today~”

Leonora turned her head away, a hint of sourness in her voice:

“You’ve lost your own job, and you’re still worrying about others?”

Ever since those baseless rumors spread throughout the Imperial Capital, Elena had removed her from the student council to avoid suspicion.

That was exactly why the young lady had come looking for her today.

To help Shiya grow stronger, and also to take her mind off things.

Shiya’s gentle brows lowered slightly as she took Ilya’s hand, who had already changed clothes.

“How about we help little Ilya find a job first?”

With the approaching Flower God Festival, the Imperial Capital’s commercial streets grew livelier.

Familiar faces from Flower God Village wandered among the stalls, selling exquisite flowers to couples and groups.

Now that the century-long shadow of the Flower God’s core had completely vanished from the village, Chief Aiwen changed the old rules and began expanding trade across the empire.

Ilya took a free blue hydrangea from a villager she knew, then ran back to tug on Shiya’s sleeve, signaling for the older girl to lean down.

“Thank you, Aunt Vera.”

Then she stood on tiptoes and personally tucked the blue hydrangea into Shiya’s white hair at her temple.

The blue petals nestled against the snowy strands, making those pale golden eyes shine even brighter, lending the girl an ethereal, celestial air.

But the very next moment, Shiya shattered that otherworldly image by burying her face in Ilya’s cheek and rubbing vigorously.

The playful laughter of the girls reached the ears of the young lady standing idly by.

It stung.

She had come up with a perfect excuse for a date today.

Leonora clicked her tongue inwardly.

She hadn’t been doing nothing, though.

In a jewelry shop, she had picked out a decently crafted gold hairpin, only for Shiya to flatly refuse it.

The reason was simple: the gift was too expensive, and she couldn’t accept such kindness.

The thought made the young lady’s chest tighten.

She didn’t hold back anymore.

With ice-cold fingers, she pinched the back of Shiya’s neck and lifted her away from Ilya, as easily as picking up a white kitten.

“Miss, what are you doing?!”

Shiya puffed out her cheeks in protest, pressing her hands against Leonora’s fingers to pry them off, but her strength was too weak to do anything.

Her face flushed bright red as she felt her dignity as an older sister crumble in front of Ilya.

Leonora’s tone was flat.

She pointed with her other hand at the elegantly decorated cake shop next door.

“Aren’t you finding her a job? Hurry up.”

Get the troublesome little thing out of the way.

The young lady had no intention of having a third wheel on today’s date.

Without waiting for a reply, Leonora grabbed Shiya’s hand and strode into the cake shop, leaving Ilya behind.

The bell above the door chimed crisp and clear, and the warm air inside enveloped the three girls.

The shop owner, who had been lounging behind the counter, shot to his feet the moment he saw the duke’s eldest daughter in person.

But before he could shout his loyalty, a single glance from Leonora silenced him.

The message was clear:

Don’t reveal her identity.

Then she gave a slight nod toward little Ilya.

The owner immediately understood and gave a subtle nod in return.

Shiya, oblivious to all this, scanned the shop’s atmosphere.

Confirming the work environment was decent, she looked up at the owner.

“Excuse me, are you hiring? This child is hardworking and will give her all.”

She gently patted Ilya’s shoulder.

Under the young lady’s eager gaze, the owner’s face turned cold.

“Desperately.”

Then he added:

“We’ll hire anyone except chestnut-haired, short little girls.”

Leonora took a deep breath, feeling her blood pressure spike.

What the hell is this guy saying?

I want you to take this little nuisance off our hands!

Shiya opened her mouth, then closed it.

Finally, she turned to leave with Ilya, ready to try the next place.

But Leonora grabbed her shoulder.

“Do you have something against chestnut hair, or short people?” she demanded coldly.

The owner, sweating, frantically waved his hands.

“Of course not! It’s just that her style doesn’t quite match our staff.”

Leonora raised an eyebrow and cut him off:

“Then change the shop’s name to ‘Loli Sweets’ and put all the employees in fluffy cake skirts. Anyone taller than her can crouch when greeting customers.”

“But if we do that—”

The owner pretended to hesitate, rubbing his hands together, but he couldn’t suppress the grin spreading across his face.

He had always wanted to put the waitstaff in dresses to boost sales.

Now that the young lady had given the order, no one could object!

Shiya tugged nervously at Leonora’s sleeve.

“Forget it, Miss. Let’s not make things difficult for him.”

The owner slapped his thigh.

“No way. This little girl is staying—”