“Wow, this one is so big! This one’s color is so deep! And this one! The shape is truly bizarre!”
In the garden, Laura was running around the flower beds like a child, sniffing one flower one moment and touching another the next.
Kiz stood to the side, watching her helplessly. Then, she turned to Elia and said, “Sigh, it’s been 200 years, and this girl hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Girl? How much older are you than Laura?” Elia blinked.
“Just—just older by a few dozen years… Why are you asking that! Didn’t I tell you! It’s very rude to ask a girl her age!” Kiz stared at Elia’s smirking face with a stern expression.
“Hehe, but for Laura to still be so lively and childish at her age… her state of mind must be really good…” Elia glanced again at Laura, who was currently picking flowers.
Kiz also smiled and said, “Yeah… sometimes I’m quite envious of her.”
“Envious of what?”
“Envious that she can be so carefree… Because the Elves have a Queen… she can be like a normal Princess, not having to worry about government affairs, not having to be on guard against a bunch of incidents, and certainly not having to be responsible for an entire race.”
At that moment, the sunlight shone on Kiz’s calm face.
Elia reached out and took her hand.
Kiz froze for a moment, looked at her, and asked, “What is it?”
“You still have me,” Elia said seriously.
These words caused Kiz’s small face to flush red again, but she still nodded gently and said, “Mm.”
The two looked at each other and smiled, then gripped each other’s hands tightly.
“Hey—you two! Stop being so lovey-dovey over there! Come look at this! This flower is actually silver!” Meanwhile, Laura called out to them from a distance.
Kiz and Elia exchanged a look and walked over together.
The flower Laura mentioned was indeed a very special one… the edges of the petals had a silver luster that shimmered in the sunlight. In short, it was very beautiful.
“It’s a mutation, very rare,” Kiz said softly.
“Can I pick it?”
“If you want.”
Laura happily picked the flower, then turned around and tucked it into Elia’s hair… making Elia’s eyes widen.
“A gift for you! This flower suits you perfectly!” Laura said with a laugh.
Seeing this scene, Kiz’s expression stiffened.
She looked at the Silver-edged Black Rose in Elia’s hair… then looked at Laura’s brilliant smile… and her fingers tightened slightly.
However, she said nothing.
Elia also noticed the change in Kiz’s expression.
She simply smiled and took the flower out of her hair, then tucked it behind Kiz’s ear and said, “This flower actually looks better on you.”
“Wh-what are you doing…”
“It’s a gift for you. How is it? Do you like it? Hmm?”
Kiz lowered her head and stopped talking.
Watching from the side, Laura chuckled and said, “Oh my, oh my, I’m already full from all this Dog Food~”
“What Dog Food?!” Kiz instantly raised her head and glared at her.
“The kind you two are serving!” Laura made another face at her. “You know, public displays of affection lead to quick breakups! Hehe~”
“You!” Kiz was so angry that she ripped the bark right off a nearby tree.
“Just kidding, just kidding! Don’t be mad.” Seeing that the Little Princess was truly about to explode, Laura quickly waved her hands to save her own life… she didn’t want to be beaten to death.
Next, the three spent the afternoon laughing and playing in the garden.
By the time the sun was setting, Laura finally left reluctantly. Before leaving, she took Elia’s hand and said seriously, “I’m entrusting Kiz to you!”
Elia nodded and said, “I know.”
Then Laura pulled Elia further away from Kiz and whispered, “Kiz might act tough on the surface, but her heart is actually very fragile… Ever since the Vampire Queen fell into her slumber, she has persisted alone for all these years. She’s never had anyone who could stay by her side to help share the pressure… But now that you’re with her, things are much better! So please, you must treat her well… Lady Saint… no, Elia.”
After listening to this long speech, Elia remained silent for a few seconds, then she smiled and gave a thumbs up, saying, “I will. Don’t worry, bestie!”
Next, Laura said her goodbyes to Kiz and stepped into the carriage.
After the carriage disappeared into the twilight, Kiz came to Elia’s side and asked, “What did she say to you just now?”
“Nothing much, just telling me to treat you well.”
At this, Kiz was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her head and whispered, “You… you’re actually already treating me well… excluding some special circumstances.”
“It’s not enough… I have to be even better.” Elia spoke solemnly.
Kiz didn’t speak anymore, simply quietly feeling the evening breeze brush against her cheeks, carrying the fragrance of the garden flowers.
—
After returning to the Sleeping Palace, Elia went to take a bath first.
When she came out, she was wearing only a thin nightgown. Her long golden hair was draped wetly over her shoulders, making her look incredibly alluring.
Kiz was currently sitting at the desk looking through documents. Hearing the sound of Elia coming out, she looked up… and then she couldn’t look away.
Elia’s nightgown was so thin that one could faintly see the curves beneath. Her wet hair clung to her cheeks, making her skin look even fairer. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight, and a faint smile played on the corners of her lips.
“What are you looking at?” Elia asked softly.
Kiz quickly lowered her head and said, “N-nothing…”
Elia laughed and came up behind Kiz, leaning down to her ear. She blew a soft breath and asked again, “Do I look good? Hmm?”
The Little Princess jumped 3 feet high from that breath. Then the tips of her ears turned red, and she said in a trembling voice, “Wh-what are you saying…”
“I asked if I look good?” Elia repeated.
Her voice at this moment could be described as full of temptation.
Kiz didn’t dare to look at her, only staring down at the document in her hand, but she couldn’t process a single word on the page.
Elia’s hand reached from behind and pressed down on hers, asking, “Is the document really more attractive than me?”
“N-no…”
“Then what is it?”
Kiz tried to open her mouth but couldn’t find the words.
Elia gave a light laugh.
Then, she sat down in the chair opposite her.
The two sat face-to-face, very close to each other.
Elia crossed her legs, and the hem of her nightgown slid above her knees, revealing her fair, beautiful legs and slender ankles.
This caused Kiz’s gaze to involuntarily fall upon those legs.
“Kiz,” Elia suddenly spoke.
“Hmm? What?”
“Do you like my legs?”
Kiz’s face instantly turned bright red as she shouted, “Wh-what nonsense are you talking about!”
“It’s not nonsense~”
Elia stretched her leg forward a bit more.
“Look, how pretty!”
Kiz turned her face away, not daring to look.
But her peripheral vision couldn’t help but steal a glance… and instantly, a flood of descriptive words for “beautiful” rushed into her mind.
Kiz swallowed and asked, “Wh-what exactly do you want…”
“I don’t want anything, I just wanted you to see~” As she spoke, she lifted her small foot and gently brushed it against Kiz’s calf.
Kiz trembled violently, and her eyes even became misty.
“Don’t…”
“Don’t what? Don’t touch here?”
Elia’s toes lighty traced along her calf.
Kiz’s breathing became ragged. She gripped the armrests of her chair, trying her best to stay calm… to prevent herself from truly losing control.
However, Elia’s foot became more and more restless… sliding from the knee to the calf, from the calf to the ankle, and then from the ankle to…
“Ah!”
Kiz cried out and jumped from her chair.
Just then, Elia’s toes had lightly brushed against the sole of her foot.
“Y-you did that on purpose, didn’t you!” The Little Princess once again unleashed her glaring technique.
“That’s right, I did it on purpose. So what? Hehehe~”
Kiz was so angry she was gritting her teeth. Tears even slid down her cheeks, and her eyes were as red as they could be.
Elia’s mischievous streak was greatly satisfied.
She stood up and walked over to Kiz, asking, “Angry again?”
“…No.”
‘In fact, the Little Princess wants to ask if she can take back the “you’re already treating me well” comment from earlier… she regrets it.’
“Are you crying?” Elia’s eyes curved into crescents.
“No!”
Elia reached out and wiped away the teardrops seeping from the corners of her eyes, saying, “And you say you’re not crying? Then what’s this? Water? Hmm?”
Kiz turned her face away and stopped talking.
Elia sighed and offered an apologetic smile. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you, okay… Come, let’s have a hug.” After saying that, she pulled Kiz into her arms.
Kiz, who had already been teased to tears, surprisingly didn’t struggle. She just buried her face in Elia’s chest and said muffledly, “You’re getting meaner and meaner… you bully…”
“Mm, it’s all because you spoil me.”
“When did I ever spoil you?”
“Every time I bully you, you don’t resist. Isn’t that spoiling me?”
Kiz was stunned.
She wanted to argue, but she realized it seemed to be the case… every time Elia bullied her, although she would get angry or cry, she never actually resisted.
‘This definitely isn’t because I can’t resist… is it because… I don’t want to resist?’
Kiz was startled by her own thought.
Elia felt the change in her mood and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
“Really?”
“…Mm.”
Elia didn’t push any further, simply holding her and gently patting her back.
After a while, Kiz said in a small voice, “Elia, when you touched me with your foot just now, I… I felt a bit…”
“Felt a bit what?”
Kiz couldn’t go on.
Elia looked down at the Little Princess in her arms, seeing that her small face was as red as an apple, her ears were flushed, and steam almost seemed to be rising from her head.
Then, Elia placed a light kiss on Kiz’s forehead.
“Do you like it?”
“Wh-what…”
“When I touched you like that just now, did you like it?”
To this, Kiz wanted to say she didn’t like it.
But she couldn’t say it.
‘Because… I really did like it a little bit.’
Just a little bit.
“I… I don’t know,” she finally whispered.
“Then next time I’ll try a different way, and you can feel it again?”
“D-don’t push your luck, Elia!”
“Alright, alright… let’s go to sleep first. I’ve been busy all day and I’m tired!”
“Mm…”