Shiya’s body stiffened.
She felt an almost imperceptible gaze fixed directly on her.
The hand holding her chopsticks paused in midair.
“You… aren’t you eating?”
Elena was taken aback, then lightly nodded.
She pushed aside the hair on her forehead and leaned slightly closer to the young girl.
Shiya’s throat tightened.
Obediently, she brought the chopsticks to Elena’s lips.
After a moment, she withdrew the chopsticks.
The tips were already stained with a warm, glistening wetness.
Looking at Elena’s lips, like roses wet with morning dew, Shiya’s heartbeat quickened unconsciously.
She instinctively pursed her lips, holding the chopstick tips in her mouth, feeling a little nervous.
Elena seemed to notice something amusing.
Her pale blue eyes deepened slightly.
“Shiya, the Student Council’s work is so busy. My hands are starting to feel sore and weak, I can’t use them anymore.”
She hinted at the girl.
Shiya had no choice but to continue serving this princess her meal.
But every time she brought the food to her lips, Elena held the chopsticks for an unusually long time.
Vaguely, Shiya could even feel through the chopsticks a very slight stirring of the tongue at the other end.
It was just a piece of fish.
Was such slow, careful chewing really necessary?
Shiya was a bit confused.
Seeing that the girl was only focused on feeding her and hadn’t taken a bite herself, Elena knew the timing was right.
She deliberately furrowed her beautiful brows.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Shiya snapped back to reality and realized she had been too absorbed.
She responded shyly.
She picked up a piece of beef and brought the wet chopstick tips to her own mouth for the first time.
She had to admit, the chef who could prepare lunch for the princess was truly remarkable.
Completely captivated by the food, Shiya narrowed her eyes and let out a soft, satisfied “mm.”
But for some reason, after swallowing the tender beef, she curled the tip of her tongue slightly against her teeth.
She felt a faint scent of bamboo leaves lingering on her taste buds, refusing to fade.
The two girls ate like this, sharing one chopstick after another, completing a nearly invisible yet incredibly intimate intertwining.
In the end, Shiya covered her burning cheeks, feeling strangely self-conscious.
It was just a meal.
Why was she so shy?
She touched her flat stomach.
Even though she had used her chopsticks many times, she hadn’t actually eaten much.
Why did she inexplicably feel her stomach was full and warm?
The girl gently licked her increasingly rosy lips, savoring the almost undissolvable fragrance of green bamboo.
Then she came to a conclusion.
Could it be that she had swallowed her own saliva and filled herself up?
For a moment, even Shiya was bewildered by this thought.
She quickly shook her head to drive away the absurd idea.
Beside her, Elena picked up a teacup and took a sip, moistening her dry throat.
She rested her chin on her hand, a joyful light in her eyes, watching the girl who was blushing in her own little world.
“Want some more?”
Elena asked softly.
Shiya shook her head decisively.
Finally, she gave the chef who had worked so hard a fair review:
“It was very tasty, but it’s a bit monotonous to use bamboo leaves to season every dish. It could get cloying.”
As time passed, the sailboat slowly arrived at its destination.
The Flower God Village, built on an isolated island.
The ship docked.
The wooden gangplank was lowered, embedding into the soil that smelled of grass and trees.
Even though they were mentally prepared, when the Student Council’s advance negotiators were surrounded by a group of villagers working in the fields, Elena’s heart tightened.
Karlen straightened his tie and stepped forward: “Everyone, we are the Student Council—”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a burly man who was at least two meters tall.
“Enough. Our village chief won’t see outsiders. Go back.”
The negotiation hit a dead end from the start.
Even though the Student Council members were confident they could use force to bring these ordinary people to the bargaining table, what did that matter?
What Elena wanted was willing cooperation, not submission through coercion, which would only plant seeds of future disaster.
Just as they were all at a loss, even considering the desperate measure of outright bribery, Shiya slowly walked off the boat with the last group of Student Council members.
She let out a long breath.
God only knew how weak her legs had felt when she stepped onto the swaying wooden board and looked down at the endless deep sea.
The girl patted her chest, feeling like she had survived a disaster.
But when she looked up, she found everyone was silent.
The burly man, who seemed to be regarded as the leader among the villagers, suddenly changed his expression to one of kindness.
He walked quickly to Shiya with a respectful attitude.
“You are Miss Shiya, right?”
The uncommon snow-white long hair and her appearance matched the village chief’s description exactly.
Before the girl could react, the burly man knelt down with a loud thud, prostrating himself devoutly.
“The girl chosen by the gods, the bride who will serve our Lord Flower God. We have finally been waiting for you!”
His voice started with a tremor and gradually grew fervent.
It wasn’t just the burly man.
The villagers behind him, and even those who had heard the news from further away, all followed suit.
They knelt down one by one, muttering words of blessing, prayer, and atonement.
But this fervent devotion did not earn Shiya’s favor.
She stepped back repeatedly, finally bumping into Elena.
Elena gently supported her waist.
Her pale blue eyes were also utterly shocked by the absurd scene before her.
“Don’t be afraid, Shiya. I will protect you.”
But her voice was hoarse, already lacking the calm confidence she had earlier.
In just a short moment, the swelling crowd of villagers had almost covered the entire hilltop.
What the hell was this “Flower God Bride” they were talking about?
Elena felt a growing sense of unease.
Shiya nervously clutched her skirt.
Vaguely, she felt as if a stone statue at the center of the island had slowly opened its eyes and cast a sinister glance in her direction.
She could no longer care about anything else.
She grabbed Elena’s wrist and whispered in her ear:
“Sister Elena, I feel something is very wrong here. We all need to leave quickly.If that’s absolutely not possible… give me a small boat. Let me leave alone.”
The girl’s voice was almost pleading.
Karlen, standing nearby, heard everything clearly.
A glint of amusement flickered in his dark eyes, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Miss Shiya, since the villagers are so respectful to you, there’s no need to make a fuss and think about running away.”
The man didn’t bother to lower his voice.
Everyone present, including the burly man, heard him clearly.
The villagers’ previously respectful expressions twisted entirely into suspicion and coldness.
The burly man snorted coldly.
Immediately, several female villagers surrounded Shiya, trapping her in the center, forming an impenetrable human wall and giving her no chance to escape.
Then the burly man turned to look at Karlen.
A meaningful look flickered in his eyes.
“So you two are the leaders of the Student Council, right? Since Miss Shiya has also come to visit, follow me to see the village chief and discuss the matter of the Flower God Festival.”
Elena exchanged a glance with Karlen.
They understood.
Bringing Shiya along had indeed been the right choice.
Without her, they would probably have been expelled from the island by now.
Before leaving, the burly man turned to the female villagers and instructed:
“Take Miss Shiya to her quarters to rest. She is an honored guest and must be housed separately from the others.”
Elena gently patted Shiya’s shoulder and casually reassured her:
“It’ll be fine, Shiya. I’ll come and take you home later.”
With that, she followed the burly man and left.
Shiya lowered her head, feeling dejected.
She probably should have given up on naive fantasies long ago.
Now, if she wanted to escape, she still had to find a way on her own.
For now, Shiya had no choice but to feign submission and follow these female villagers.
As they walked, the surrounding houses, mills — all the buildings were entirely constructed from various kinds of flowers.
Even the windows were made of dazzling crystal flowers in full bloom.
When she leaned in, the girl’s reflection did not distort as expected but appeared clearly like a mirror.
If it were sold in the Imperial Capital, it would surely be a huge hit.
Unfortunately, the Flower God Village had no intention of expanding outward.
On the contrary, they were extremely conservative.
Even common magical furniture was rarely seen here.
After crossing a high flower bridge built from small yellow flowers, they finally stopped.
“We’re here,” one of the female villagers said.
It was a simple, old wooden house.
Even though it was two and a half stories high and fairly spacious in area, compared to the splendid flower buildings around it, it looked particularly shabby and ordinary.
Shiya noticed a few remaining flower stems left uncleaned in the gaps of the logs, as if this place had also been a gorgeous flower house not long ago.
Another female villager stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The thin woman standing beside Shiya watched her, half-introducing and half-warning.
“The person inside will tell you what the Flower God Bride must do, and what kind of duties a wife should uphold.”
The door creaked open.
Contrary to Shiya’s imagination of a strict, stern, and overly formal old matron,
it was a girl with chestnut short hair and clear, pure blue eyes.
Her first impression was like a little squirrel popping out of a treehouse.
The female villagers outside gave her a few instructions, glanced at Shiya, and then left with the others.
The scene fell into a subtle atmosphere.
Neither side spoke immediately.
Shiya noticed that the girl had been staring at her snow-white long hair,
especially the blue ribbons tied at the tips of her hair by her temples.
An idea formed in Shiya’s mind.
She untied the two blue satin ribbons and stepped forward, handing them to the girl.
“My name is Shiya. And you?”
“Ilya,” the chestnut-haired girl said in a very soft voice.
Seeing that Ilya also wanted to tie the blue ribbons in her hair, she was clumsy and fumbled for a long time without success.
Shiya kindly moved closer to the girl, tied them for her, and even casually smoothed out a few messy strands.
Ilya’s breathing suddenly became short.
She gazed at this pretty older sister who was so close, with such gentle eyes.
After finishing, Shiya nodded in satisfaction, but then noticed the girl’s flushed face.
She paused for a moment, then brushed aside the fringe on her forehead, revealing a fair brow, and let out a light laugh.
This child was so cute.
But Shiya knew very well why she was doing all this.
Her moist, lively golden eyes dimmed a little.
Shiya asked casually, as if unintentionally.
“Ilya, do you know what the Flower God Bride and the Flower Marriage Ceremony are for?”
She paused, then lowered her voice further.
“After they say the ceremony begins… what will they do to the bride?”
Ilya nodded.
“Of course—”
But just as the girl was about to say more, a young man’s voice suddenly came from inside the room.
“Ilya, don’t be fooled by someone with ulterior motives.”
Shiya’s heart tightened instantly.
So… there was another adult hiding in this house, spying on them the whole time.