Chapter: 57. Doubt
Timani has fallen asleep.
Perhaps she cried herself out, or maybe she hasn’t slept on a soft bed for a long time and misses it.
In any case, she only touched the blanket for a moment before sinking into an uneasy sleep.
Even in her dreams, she tossed and turned, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket, showing a considerable lack of security.
At first, Timani insisted on leaving. While she shared her experiences with Xue Feiya Xiya, she did not do so to gain sympathy; living under someone else’s roof was not her style.
However, when Xiya asked where she would stay if she left at this late hour…
Timani’s response was quite heartbreaking.
“Isn’t there a forest outside this house? I see those trees are quite tall; I can just find a sturdy one. As long as the branches don’t break, I can sleep soundly. There aren’t as many bugs in the trees as there are on the ground; it’s much better than sleeping outside.”
Don’t say that.
She thought Xue Fei wouldn’t mind her sleeping rough, but the idea of doing it right under her nose was another matter.
Even if Xue Fei was devilish, she wouldn’t fall asleep on a soft bed while looking out the window at a dragon girl lying on the branches.
But with Timani being this stubborn, Xue Fei had no choice but to use her trump card.
“If you stay here for one night, I promise to tell you in the morning who exactly defeated you, Xial.”
The effect of this strategy was immediate.
Timani, although still hesitant, compromised slightly in order to learn the identity of such a powerful being.
As for the result of this “compromise”—when she finally encountered the long-lost soft mattress, she melted away like a dragon, unable to rise again.
Confirming that Timani was indeed sleeping, Xiya gently grasped the doorknob and closed the door carefully.
Timani was staying in a small room temporarily vacated, and there was sleepwear available; a few days ago, Xiya had gone shopping with Xue Fei and bought a bunch of new clothes, including a new nightgown that she hadn’t worn yet, which was perfect to give to Timani.
Silently shutting the door without causing any noise, Xue Fei marveled at the sleepwear fitting.
“Who would have thought, Xiya, that someone could actually wear your size! This means that the Fire Lizard is really quite large, just like you!”
“Ugh…! Don’t say such things! If we really talk, Xue Fei, didn’t you give your extra sleepwear to Sister Xial? It fit her just right too. I wouldn’t have thought that someone could wear the same size sleepwear as you; you both are truly small.”
“Hey, reasonably speaking, I was complimenting you just now, but you turned around and attacked me; that’s not fair.”
“Not at all.”
Xiya was shy by nature and clearly wasn’t very interested in this topic. Still, when she turned around, she intentionally leaned in close to Xue Fei, causing her two cotton-candy-like fluffy bits to gently brush against Xue Fei’s little face, seemingly delivering a silent message.
—If we are talking about size… I must have the advantage here, Xue Fei; don’t make hasty judgments.
Girls’ thoughts are truly hard to grasp~
Timani was asleep.
But the two who had heard her story found it hard to calm down quickly.
They quietly moved to the window sill illuminated by the double moonlight and each took a seat on a wicker chair.
They looked at each other and at the shimmering, calm lake outside.
Above the lake, fireflies flitted back and forth, like floating stars shimmering on the water’s surface.
After gazing for a long while, it was Xiya’s soft sigh that broke the silence.
“Alas… the world is filled with suffering; everyone has their own troubles… even for the powerful Fire Dragon Clan, life isn’t necessarily carefree. Timani always says that her efforts are to go home, but in reality, she has no home to return to. Talking about it is just a way for her to motivate herself to keep living. Compared to her… Xue Fei, perhaps we are quite fortunate.”
Fate has burdened us with many things; there’s nothing we can do about it; otherwise, we wouldn’t be hidden away here.
But at least we have a home and parents.
Looking up, we see scenery; looking down, we have each other.
Even expressing our feelings can be done with such leisure.
Xue Fei agreed with Xiya’s statement.
Isn’t there a saying that goes: people can be more envious than death, and whether life is comfortable or not is something one knows, but only by comparing with those who are less fortunate do we realize we are already happy.
It’s true.
However, Xue Fei’s mind wasn’t solely focused on lamenting Timani’s sad experience.
Now that she had changed into her nightgown, Xue Fei disliked wearing slippers, and her two bare, crystal-clear little feet intertwined under the moonlight, radiating an amber-like beauty.
“You’re right, but I still find it odd how Timani told her story; some parts are strange.”
“Are you saying that Timani didn’t fully tell us the truth…?”
“No, she’s already shared everything she knows without holding back; her perception of illusion is not just for show. Furthermore, even if I don’t pry into her heart, do you think this simple-minded Fire Lizard could have any schemes? Although she’s stubborn, her character is still quite honest.”
“So what do you find ‘strange’?”
Alright, Xiya, you are really here to listen to a story, right?
If you want to achieve a breakthrough in wisdom, you must learn to “find flaws” while hearing stories!
Xue Fei extended two fingers.
Xue Fei didn’t understand why Xiya suddenly tightened her legs when she pointed, but she continued to speak.
Extending her first finger, this was her first point of suspicion.
“Think about it; Timani said her childhood life was perfectly normal, and her parents even helped her hide the truth about her ears. You could say she didn’t know what her ears represented, but her parents must have known, right? If it were as she said, and it was her father who had an affair with the Elf Race and gave birth to her, how could her Dragon Race mother, who raised her during her childhood, wholeheartedly nurture Timani, knowing she was obviously not her biological daughter? Xiya, did you hear Timani say their family was harmonious and had no arguments? Isn’t that strange?”
“Exactly…!”
Once Xue Fei said this, Xiya suddenly found the logic behind it quite bizarre.
But it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“Maybe after her father brought her back, her mother had no other choice but to raise her as she was? Even if there was no blood relationship, time could still forge a bond…? But that’s not right… it wouldn’t be fair to Timani’s mother in the Dragon Clan…”
“We’re just guessing.” Xue Fei waved her hand to dismiss the topic. “In any case, there’s something strange here; I really can’t understand how her parents could not argue in this situation. Look at my family; my father and mother can argue over the smallest things. My mother would directly throw my father out of the Demon King’s Castle, and sometimes in her fury, she would even throw the innocent me out too. An angry mother is terrifying; she would absolutely not be so gentle and harmonious.”
“Xue Fei, your examples are always so vivid and relatable… Do you have any other parts you find strange?”
“Yes.”
Xue Feiya slowly raised her second finger.
“Xiya, stop staring at my finger; you need to listen to what I’m saying.”
“Oh… I’ll try. Ahem, go ahead.”
“Alright, the second point I don’t understand is why the Fire Dragon Clan’s chief spared Timani’s life in the end.”
“Weren’t we told it was because the chief had a change of heart?”
“It’s not that easy for the leader of a clan to have a change of heart…” Xue Fei shook her head, her silver hair swaying side to side. “With the pursuers already that far behind, it would be hard to handle. Besides, according to Timani’s description, the Fire Dragon Clan shows no tolerance towards mixed-blood lineage and would chase them down to the end if discovered. Yet the leader spared Timani because of her parents protecting her, which is quite strange… If he was so easily swayed, wouldn’t the parents of those mixed bloods who were killed before have appealed for mercy? Why didn’t he show mercy back then?”
Xiya contemplated these words and frequently nodded in agreement with Xue Fei’s speculation.
“Could it be that the chief of the Fire Dragon Clan spared Timani’s life because he needed to use her for some purpose?”
“Spot on, but if that’s truly the case… Heh.”
“Xue Fei…”
“Haha, it’s nothing, nothing~ Anyway, let’s just take a casual trip to the Northern Region Flame Land! Walking around and seeing more can never be wrong~”
Xiya and Xue Fei shared a deep connection.
Xiya could naturally empathize with the anger that Xue Fei felt just now.
Timani doesn’t know anything.
She was just an ordinary girl who should have lived a peaceful and happy life.
However, a series of changes left her battered and scarred, and now, bearing psychological trauma, she was facing even more risks.
If the Fire Dragon Clan still plans to continue using Timani for something… to continue exploiting this already homeless poor thing might be a bit too inhumane, don’t you think?
That’s why Xue Fei felt a vague sense of discomfort and anger.
Anger is fire.
But fortunately, Xue Fei has the water beside her that can extinguish the flames in her heart.
Xiya stood up and moved to sit behind Xue Fei.
She sat on the ground, her nightgown flowing like ripples, embracing her from behind, pressing her chest tight against Xue Fei’s back.
“Xue Fei has unknowingly learned to empathize with others’ experiences… becoming more gentle.”
“That’s not empathy…” Xue Feiya leaned back slightly, her tone softening considerably. “I just find some things hard to accept, and when I can’t accept them, I need to say it out loud, otherwise, I might as well suffocate myself.”
“Mmhm… I understand, I feel the same. It’s one thing to not know, but if you do know and pretend not to see, then it just becomes uncomfortable for yourself. So if Xue Fei is determined to go to the Northern Region Flame Land, I will go with you!”
“Haha, do you really want to fight for justice, or do you just want to accompany me?”
“Both? Hehe… actually, I think we don’t need to worry about uncertain matters, Xue Fei.”
“Mm?”
“Isn’t it time for us to go to bed?”
“……”
Xiya, you…
Even after listening to such a heartbreaking story, you still have the mood for this kind of thing!
Xiya believes that the more sorrowful it is, the more a release wants to happen.
Moisture will always flow away; if you can’t cry, you need to find another way to substitute it.
Ahem… if I could put it more elegantly…
——That is, when feeling down, we need each other’s embrace to warm our hearts.
Xiya stood up and lifted Xue Fei in a princess carry.
Because Xue Fei did not refuse, she had given her silent consent.
Steadily, they walked toward their shared bedroom.
The light of the magic stone in the living room extinguished in response.
Soon, everything fell into silence.
Only at night, a different kind of noise rose and fell, adding many new notes to this silence.
Timani was destined not to sleep soundly.
For the entire night, even if she buried herself deep under the covers, she would still hear a series of strange sounds!
Is this house haunted or what?
