Wei Yang twitched her lips and quickly realized what had happened.
‘Lu Ran, well done.’
Although she had sacrificed Lu Ran, she had at least achieved her goal of being alone with Namei. The end result was what mattered most. She turned around and looked at Namei, who was rubbing her eyes, seemingly confused about what had happened.
“Um, they probably have some things to discuss. Let’s wait here for a while. By the way, how long have you been here, Namei… Princess?”
Namei snapped out of it slightly, her face returning to a proper smile.
“Just call me Namei. We’ve been here for less than one week. Oh, while Lilith isn’t here, there’s something I’d like to understand. I wonder if I may ask for your advice?”
“Ask me? I suppose you can, though I’m not sure if I’ll be able to answer.”
Namei hesitated for a moment, her furrowed brow looking quite endearing.
“Since coming here, I’ve only been able to interact with Lilith. Because of our identities on this trip and the deterrence of the White Dragon, everyone generally feels hostile and fearful toward us. I want to know, as an outsider, what kind of feelings do you have toward me? If you feel deeply uncomfortable being with me, I will leave.”
This left Wei Yang a bit unsure of how to respond. She hadn’t given much thought to her attitude; she had simply been treating it as a mission. She had to work hard to complete the task and solve the problems to receive the Divine Artifact reward. So…
“I don’t care, whether it’s you, Lulu, or the White Dragon. I only want to help Lu Ran solve the problem, and I actually really hoped to be alone with you to improve our relationship.”
Before she could finish, Namei’s smile froze. A deep red quickly flushed her face, and white steam faintly drifted up from the top of her head.
“Wh—What?! Is this… the legendary… confession?!”
“It’s not! Don’t get the wrong idea!”
*Sniffle.*
“What are you crying for?!”
“I’m crying over my fleeting love.”
“Why are you crying over something that never even existed?! Be serious!”
Wei Yang was truly speechless. This girl looked poised and elegant, but her inner self didn’t match her appearance at all. These kinds of people were the hardest to deal with. It was a headache. However, she had no choice but to steer the conversation back on track.
“Alright, back to business. I heard from Lu Ran that you’re part of the pro-peace faction, right?”
Namei’s eyes flashed with a lonely light.
“That description isn’t quite accurate. I also came for the interests of Jiuzhou. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. A peaceful resolution would be best.”
“Then, can I understand it as… if the negotiations break down, the worst-case scenario is that the White Dragon will use force to conquer this town and take Zhuji for themselves?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what my younger sister, Lulu, thinks. Although we desperately need Zhuji, I really don’t want anyone to bleed for it.”
Wei Yang guessed she could only ask this much for now. The two of them weren’t even considered friends yet; asking further might provoke resentment. Thus, what needed to be done was clear: get closer to Namei.
*Buzz—*
A sharp sound rang out. Wei Yang looked toward the source; it was the noise emitted by the magic stone pillar beside her as its brightness increased. Wei Yang looked toward Anna’s home. It was silent, as if she hadn’t come out since returning home.
The street was also very quiet. No Nightmares had come out to cause trouble like last night. Had they not appeared because they were injured by her attack? But that was unlikely; that bit of damage certainly wasn’t enough. Anna didn’t appear to have any difficulty walking today either.
Strange.
As Wei Yang was thinking, Namei moved a little closer to her.
“Um, your name is Wei Yang, right?”
“Uh, yeah, it is. What’s wrong?”
“Then, can I call you Little Wei Yang?”
Wei Yang looked at the somewhat nervous girl in front of her, feeling a bit confused.
“Sure. What are you worrying about?”
“Ah… Actually, I don’t really know how to gauge distance. Everyone I’ve met treats me with absolute respect because of my identity as a princess, and they never refuse any of my requests. I’ve always been quite troubled by it.”
“You mean you want someone to refuse you and bully you?”
“N—Not to that extent! You’re very special to me, Wei Yang. Even Lilith looks at me with that gaze reserved for a princess. But you’re different; you don’t treat me like a princess. I can tell.”
Wei Yang felt awkward.
‘Actually, I just haven’t been taking her seriously. As a shut-in, the only thing I’m interested in is that dragon girl.’ However, if this raised Namei’s favorability toward her, then it was truly a stroke of luck.
Seeing that Wei Yang didn’t respond, Namei thought she had been too aggressive. Right, no one would want to be friends with a girl who had such heavy emotions, right? Everyone just liked the title of princess, the identity of a princess. They loved the princess, not her. Namei lowered her head in disappointment.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. I’ll keep my mouth shut in the future. I’m sorry.”
Wei Yang was stunned. What was going on? Why the sudden apology? She hadn’t even done anything, so how did she already sink this little princess?
“What are you saying? Why are you apologizing? I haven’t even said anything yet, have I?”
“Eh? But didn’t you hesitate? I thought…”
Wei Yang waved her hands hurriedly.
“Don’t, don’t overthink it. In short, you want to get on good terms with me, right?”
“Mm… Yes, I like you. I want to be friends with you.”
Wei Yang lamented that she indeed didn’t know how to handle distance. If it were Lu Ran hearing the aggressive statement “I like you,” she would probably have fled in fear.
Seeing that Wei Yang was silent again, Namei’s eyes dimmed.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“No, my dear girl, why are you apologizing again? I’m begging you, don’t overthink things. Really. I just have a slow brain and talk slowly. Good grief.”
“As I thought, you also think I’m a troublesome woman, right?”
“What does a princess like you have to be so insecure about?!”
“I’m insecure because I don’t deserve the sincerity I can never seem to get.”
“You…!”
While Namei was immersed in her own little world of melancholy, unable to extricate herself, Wei Yang saw two figures approaching. Right, it was about time they returned anyway.
Lilith had a melancholy look on her face, whereas Lu Ran, who was in front of her, had no expression at all. Wei Yang met Lu Ran’s eyes and immediately began their unique exchange of glances.
‘What happened?’
‘I don’t quite understand. Miss Lilith asked me not to tell anyone about the fish, and she gave me a lot of money.’
‘That’s an unexpected surprise. I’m having a big feast tonight.’
‘Okay, Lady Angel.’
The unique exchange between the two ended, and Lilith returned to Namei’s side. Seeing the sad Namei, the melancholy on her face turned into confusion.
“Miss Wei Yang, may I ask what happened to Namei…?”
Wei Yang shrugged with both hands.
“I don’t know how to explain it either. Should I just say it’s her personality?”
Namei was on the verge of tears.
“I—I want to get closer to Wei Yang, but… I can’t do it! Because I’m a troublesome girl, waaah…”
Lilith looked at Wei Yang helplessly and sighed, as if saying, “You’ve really had a hard time.”
Wei Yang had no choice. Right now, she was the only one who could resolve Namei’s emotional issues. She moved closer, leaned down, and gently hugged Namei.
“You said you liked me just now, right? I like you too. If you have time, let’s meet again, okay, Little Namei?”
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