The next morning, Alpha appeared at the door of the Potion Shop.
The sky had just begun to lighten, the mist still lingering in the streets, and the air carried the damp coolness unique to early morning.
She raised a hand and knocked.
A rustling sound came from inside, followed by footsteps.
The door creaked open, and Gelinlite poked her head out. Seeing the familiar black robe at the doorstep, she paused for a moment, then broke into a smile.
“Oh? You’re here this early?”
She stepped aside, waving her in. “Come in, come in. I just got up and was tidying up.”
Alpha stepped into the shop.
Gelinlite wore a simple house dress, her hair tied into a side ponytail resting over one shoulder, making her look much softer and more refined than the capable figure she’d cut while gathering herbs the day before.
As she walked deeper inside, she asked casually, “Have you had breakfast?”
“If not, Grandma made some porridge. Want some?”
Alpha shook her head.
“No need.”
Her voice was as calm as ever, carrying no extra emotion.
“I just came to check on how that child is recovering. I’ll leave soon.”
Gelinlite stopped in her tracks.
She turned around, looking at Alpha, and a subtle shift crossed her face.
First, she froze for a second. Then the corners of her mouth drooped, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her entire face instantly radiated hurt.
“Hey—”
She dragged the word out, her voice dripping with obvious disappointment. “I thought you came this early just to see me.”
“So you didn’t?”
Alpha stared at her exaggerated expression for a moment, silent.
“You’re too full of yourself.”
She replied calmly. “Our relationship isn’t close enough for that yet.”
Gelinlite’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if she’d discovered something new.
“Wait—”
She leaned in, peering at Alpha’s mask, a hint of excitement in her voice. “That means, once we do get closer, you’ll come early in the morning just to see me?”
Alpha: “…”
Her expression stiffened behind the mask for an instant.
“You’re overthinking it.”
Her voice remained steady, but a faint ripple of exasperation crept in—the helpless resignation of being cornered.
Gelinlite caught that subtle shift perfectly. She immediately clutched her chest, pretending to be wounded.
“Hey—how can you be like this—”
“You helped that beggar girl you only met once, and I thought after we went to the forest to gather herbs together, we were already friends.”
Alpha took a deep breath.
“That’s just your wishful thinking.”
“At best, we have an employer–employee relationship—backer and enforcer.”
“Uwaaah—so cruel—so cold—”
“My heart hurts—it hurts so much I’m gonna die—boohoo—”
Gelinlite suddenly clapped both hands over her chest, letting out an exaggerated sob.
Alpha watched her over-the-top performance for two seconds, then couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead.
That gesture silently conveyed exactly what she was feeling.
Gelinlite caught sight of it through her fingers, and the corner of her mouth curled up again. She burst out laughing.
Seeing that she’d had her fun, she dropped her hands and resumed a normal expression. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you.”
“Take a look.”
“That little one’s already awake. She’s in much better shape, and the fever’s gone. Go on in.”
Gelinlite nodded toward the inner room.
Alpha lowered her hand from her forehead and nodded.
“Mm.”
She walked toward the inner room, and as she passed Gelinlite, she paused for a moment.
“…Thanks.”
The words were soft, but carried more sincerity than before.
Gelinlite smiled and waved a hand.
“Don’t mention it. Go on, go on.”
The door to the inner room was left ajar.
Alpha gently pushed it open and stepped inside.
Morning light streamed through the window lattice, spilling onto the small recliner.
The beggar girl, who had been unconscious last night, was now sitting up. She leaned back against the recliner, the clean blanket draped over her. Though her face was still a little pale, the frightening flush from the night before was gone.
Her younger sister sat beside her. The two were huddled together, each holding a bowl, taking small sips of porridge.
Hearing footsteps, they both looked up.
The moment the younger sister saw the black robe, her eyes lit up with joy.
“Mysterious big sister!”
She set down her bowl and practically jumped up, rushing over to Alpha and throwing her arms around her legs.
“Big sister, you came!”
Alpha looked down at the upturned little face, said nothing, and simply reached out to gently pat her head.
The younger sister squinted her eyes, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
But the beggar girl on the recliner froze.
She stared at the person in black robes, at the head-to-toe black clothing, at the mask that covered most of the face—
Who was this?
Her sister had told her that last night, a black-robed person had saved her, taken her for treatment, and paid for everything.
But she had never seen this person before.
The beggar girl’s gaze lingered on Alpha for a long time.
When Alpha looked over, she quickly set down her porridge and spoke gratefully, “Unknown big sister, thank… thank you for saving me.”
Her voice was still weak, but earnest.
“I… I’ll work hard to collect bottles and earn money… Once I save up enough, I’ll definitely… definitely pay you back…”
Alpha looked at her.
At her lowered head, the way she gripped the edge of the blanket, and the seriousness in her voice—as if debt repayment was simply a matter of course.
She shook her head.
“No need. Focus on getting better first.”
Her voice was calm, brief, with no extra explanation.
But just that one sentence—
The beggar girl’s eyes widened.
This voice…
Where had she heard it before?
Right!
In that dark alley!
It was the girl who had tossed her the bread!
It was her!
Back then, she had been wearing a clean long dress.
No black robe, no mask—just a girl about her own age.
Now, the two figures perfectly overlapped in the beggar girl’s mind.
She stopped breathing for a moment.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself utterly speechless.
Only her eyes grew brighter, brighter.
Slowly, they began to shimmer with tears.
She started crying.
“Wahh…”
“I’m sorry… That bread you gave me… I couldn’t keep it either…”
“I’m so useless…”
“I messed everything up… wahh…”
Alpha frowned. Holding the younger sister’s hand, she came closer to the recliner. “What’s wrong? What do you mean you couldn’t keep the bread? Did something happen on your way back yesterday?”
“Big sister… Please don’t cry… I’ll give you all my red dates…”
The younger sister, seeming just as unsettled seeing her strong sister cry, didn’t know what to do. Both worried and heartbroken, she could only clumsily try to comfort her.
But hearing those words only made the beggar girl cry louder. Tears kept falling, drop by drop.