Chapter: 60. The Gift
Thinking about this lifetime, only three things can overshadow Xue Fei.
First is Xiya.
Then there’s the lively big fish.
Lastly, the disappointment of not catching the big fish.
And now, there’s also Livra’s bear hug!
“Hey…! What are you doing?”
“I found you…”
“Ah?”
“I finally found you…”
“I wasn’t playing hide and seek with you.”
After murmuring a complaint, Xue Fei wisely fell silent.
Go ahead and press down, it’s not like I’ll sink anyway.
After all…
It seems Livra really did cry.
If you think about it… this cheerful and optimistic princess doesn’t often cry.
Excluding her emotional outbursts during negotiations, which can’t really be considered crying, Xue Fei has seen her genuinely cry only twice.
Once was during their first meeting.
The other time was when they met again.
During their first meeting, they were surrounded by bandits, blood everywhere, so soft and vulnerable.
In their second encounter, with the wind blowing the willow catkins, the princess was handling it all alone.
And this “second encounter” must be right here and now.
Her sobs were low, pitiful.
But alas, Xue Fei, as a witch, isn’t one to show tenderness.
Xue Fei suddenly rolled over, trying to shake off the girl pressing down on her.
A little pressure is fine, but I have a bit of a psychological shadow about “being pressed down,” it’s pretty uncomfortable.
“Hey, heave…!”
“Eh?”
“……”
Who would have thought that Livra would cling on like a koala.
She tightly wrapped her arms around Xue Fei’s waist, and this roll only changed their positions from top and bottom to lying face to face without separating.
Looking at each other, Xue Fei finally saw that Livra was indeed crying like a rain-soaked pear blossom.
But Livra saw—Princess Xue Fei suddenly looked grave and in pain!
“What’s wrong with you…?”
“Ugh… my waist… my waist!! You silly thing, do you know this is a thankless task! Let go!!”
“Okay… okay!”
You silly princess, do you have any idea what my waist went through last night, and you are squeezing it so hard!
Of course, Xue Fei could use magic to recover, but isn’t there a stubbornness in her heart?!
There’s a saying that is timeless: caring about face while suffering in silence.
Though Livra had agreed to let go willingly, it took her a long time to ease her grip, as if afraid that something would run away again if she let go too quickly.
Seizing the chance, Xue Fei supported her waist and sat up, only to see the big fish in the lake bubbling up to come and laugh at them.
Fish don’t laugh, but Xue Fei felt as if they were laughing.
Alright, dinner will be grilled fish tonight.
Although Livra didn’t know what she had done wrong… she still sat up with an apologetic expression.
This time, she didn’t sit at the edge of the big stone, but deliberately moved closer to Xue Fei, shifting her bottom towards her.
They didn’t touch shoulders, but the distance was no longer as far as before.
Livra didn’t care that her crying had made her face look terrible.
Only then did she realize… she had truly lost her composure just now.
Without saying a word, she had rushed to hug Miss Shaya… surely she only felt confused and pushed her away.
That was understandable; this moment was precious to Livra, but just a trivial matter to Miss Shaya…
Hmm…?
Speaking of which…
Did Miss Shaya remember that response from just now?
To her, such an “insignificant little thing,” she actually remembered it…?
Livra didn’t have to think too long.
A small hand held up a light, snow-white handkerchief.
Filling Livra’s vision.
“Miss Shaya…?”
“Wipe your tears. Why are you crying like this? If you have something to say, just take your time. I haven’t forgotten.”
Xue Fei offered the handkerchief this way, while keeping her gaze forward.
Though Xue Fei currently looked like the Demon Princess, Livra knew that every time Miss Shaya spoke without looking at someone… it meant she was concerned—and a bit shy.
Livra carefully accepted the handkerchief, but she couldn’t bear to use it to wipe her tears.
She clutched it tightly in her hand, then turned to wipe her tears with her own sleeve.
“Wuwu… Miss Shaya is indeed Miss Shaya… you just now…”
“No need to thank me, I just grabbed that handkerchief casually.”
“You were shy just now, weren’t you!”
“I’m saying, can you stop being so thankless…?!”
“Ow…!”
A light chop landed on Livra’s forehead.
It hurt but she didn’t dodge, still looking foolishly happy.
Xue Fei sat on the big stone, her feet not reaching the ground.
So she tried not to look at how easily Livra could touch the ground.
“You just said you were looking for me? Don’t tell me you’ve been climbing over the palace walls every day just to find me.”
“Definitely not…! Ugh… I only had a bit of luck in mind, but I knew ‘that person’ was a girl from the Demon Race, so no matter how far I walked on human streets, I wouldn’t be able to meet her, but… miracles do happen, you know…”
She didn’t even need to finish talking.
After all, even Xue Fei found it quite interesting.
Thinking about it, the princess of the kingdom, strolling through the kingdom’s streets, searching for the figure of that young girl from the Demon Race… not knowing who she really was or what she looked like, she might not even recognize her if they brushed past each other.
No… there wouldn’t even be a chance to brush past, how could there be a Demon strolling on human territory?
From the start, it seemed destined to be a missed encounter that would never happen again.
But who could have guessed?
That third princess, who insisted on coming to the palace every day, never met Xue Fei.
—But she met Shaya.
When she knocked over the strawberry doughnut stand, that day when they exchanged glances, the miracle was already set in stone.
Xue Fei never intentionally tried to get closer to her, but fate seems to hold some kind of mystery, always puzzling yet unforgettable.
Listening to the sounds of the lake echo back.
Xue Fei swung her legs, resting her chin on her hands, feeling inexplicably sentimental.
“Finding me, so what? I never planned to listen to your gratitude all the time; saving you back then was my own willingness. I can understand your gratitude, but you’d better not keep following me to say thanks. Saying it once is enough; saying too much will only make me feel heavy, and I don’t like feeling too burdened.”
“Mm! I understand! I won’t say thank you again!”
“Mm?”
You don’t say this too readily?
Xue Fei thought Livra would keep going like some of the Demon soldiers she saved on the battlefield, endlessly expressing their gratitude, as if having saved their lives was something that meant they had to bear endless goodwill, given infinite burdens and expectations.
Sometimes, it’s not just malice that weighs heavily…
Too much goodwill can become the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
A person’s emotional capacity is limited, regardless of good or evil.
Livra’s straightforwardness is quite good.
“Because I’m not thankful to Miss Shaya at all… so I won’t say those to you.”
“Oh no, you really are the ungrateful type. You never thanked me at all? Just kidding~”
“No, no! Because instead of gratitude, I think what Miss Shaya said back then was the motivation that supported me to live, not just some trivial ‘thank you’ that can summarize it!”
So heavy!
Xue Fei was left speechless.
Look at Livra, smiling and saying “I’m the motivation for her to live” such ridiculous things, it’s really heavy!
But that’s just the truth.
Livra scratched her head and laughed foolishly.
Now her appearance is entirely different from when she was called the “Ice Princess” in her childhood.
Others may not know, but Livra herself understands.
During that time, she really could barely hold on.
She couldn’t smile, so peers shunned her, privately calling her an anomaly, but out of respect for her royal status, they could only keep their distance.
She wouldn’t cry, so the elders were wary of her and said she was a strange child, definitely not promising.
No one had any expectations of her.
She didn’t have any expectations either.
So she could only befriend the birds.
Talking to the birds kept her from being ridiculed.
It wasn’t a big deal.
But the moment her best friend, the bird named Bai Yu, was killed before her eyes…
Livra really didn’t know what she had left.
On the day when there was nothing, she was reborn.
The black wings appearing from above burned a mark into her pale mind.
—Live for yourself.
—Punish evil and promote good.
—Protect those who are important to you.
—Stop crying and learn to smile.
That loud cry drowned out Livra’s pale past.
From then on, besides the sound of birds and flowers, her life also included her own joys and sorrows.
It doesn’t matter what others say; from then on, she became herself, a happy and silly Livra.
All of this was thanks to the person in front of her.
More than just gratitude, it was dependence, a support.
Forever grateful.
“Hehehe… before I met Miss Shaya, I really didn’t know anything. By the way… Miss Shaya, I want to give you this!”
There was a slight pause in her words.
Livra’s beautiful eyes sparkled as if hiding precious, indescribable memories.
She carefully pulled out a delicate item from her pocket.
Xue Fei focused her gaze.
—It was a bracelet woven from the white feathers of birds and vines.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, quite stylish.
“Did you have the seamstress or maid at the palace make this?”
“No! I made it myself!”
“Is… is that so…”
Xue Fei looked down at the bracelet quietly resting in her hand and felt inexplicably healed.
The white feather might hold a unique symbolic significance for Livra.
“Then I’ll accept it; it’s really quite beautiful…?”
Xue Fei put the bracelet on, lifting her left hand high so it could catch the sunlight, like a bird clad in white feathers taking flight.
Livra saw that Xue Fei didn’t express satisfaction,
But at least her feelings were good, as she didn’t dislike the gift.
In fact, what she didn’t say was that to make this bracelet, she specifically consulted her maid Anne, asked many birds, and spent several days and nights thinking about what design would be most suitable.
She also didn’t know why she worked so hard for a bracelet.
But she felt she could work harder for the person to whom her bracelet was meant to be given.
All of this, Livra wouldn’t say.
Because she now understood that Miss Shaya didn’t like pressure.
“Actually, it’s just a casually woven item, nothing precious, and I’m glad Miss Shaya can accept it.”
“You’re lying…” Xue Fei stopped her illusory visual magic, then sighed in exasperation, “Forget it, I’ll keep it well. By the way, why didn’t you give me a gold one… at least it could be exchanged for some coins.”
“Wuwu, don’t say something so vulgar!”
“Ahem, I’m saying this one is pretty good! Really quite nice!”
“Mmhm! I heard that white feathers and vine rings symbolize proposals!”
“Oh, that kind… Pfft…! Livra?!”
“But this is a bracelet, not a ring!”
“If you keep gasping for breath while talking, I really will smack your head, you know?!”
“You already smacked me! Hehe… I didn’t do it on purpose…”
“Really… why do you keep acting silly?”
