Chapter: 9. She Said She Was Tired
In the flower forest, the wind makes the flowers intoxicating, petals fall and butterflies dance, captivating the soul.
The Demon King was moved along with his throne to the flowerbed.
Not because of his nobility.
But because he was still in a faint state.
From how his eyes were still spinning and he remained unconscious, he was probably “drunk,” with his soul far away.
The real culprit behind this situation, Herlith, seemed a bit surprised.
“Ah… Strange? Did I use a lot of strength just now? It doesn’t seem like it, right? Why is Dizna still asleep? Sigh… Clearly, we need to discuss important matters with Miss Xialet now, and this person always lets me down at critical times, really unreliable.”
“Y-You… you must have hit him a bit too hard just now, right? I think I heard a sonic boom…?”
“It’s fine, since the head of the family is avoiding conversation, let’s just forget it. Miss Xialet, let’s talk about things just between us.”
“Sure… but I don’t think the Demon King is avoiding it…? Isn’t… he still alive?”
“Let’s talk about Princess Xue Fei, and also about your thoughts on this trip.”
“!”
Your Majesty, the Demon King, there’s no time now to focus on your life or death!
Thump!
Xiya’s heart tightened and beat slowly for a moment, then it felt like it was racing.
Even though she was mentally prepared, when this topic really came up, various feelings of tension were unavoidable.
Feeling nervous was one thing.
But responding as needed was another matter altogether.
“Yes, I came because of Xue Fei, hoping… to gain your recognition.”
“Recognition? What kind of recognition? Is it the acknowledgment that you can be Princess Xue Fei’s friend?”
“Yes… as a friend, but… it’s deeper than that.”
“Oh, deeper than that… Can you be more specific?”
“……”
To be honest, Xiya really did not understand how the Queen was so sure that her relationship with Xue Fei went beyond friendship.
But from her various expressions and hints, it was clear that the Queen was already quite certain.
Xiya’s vocabulary was quite limited.
It might not just be vocabulary but also due to her introverted nature.
She had wanted to avoid speaking as much as possible, but the Queen’s smiling inquiry made her feel like she already knew everything but still hoped to hear Xiya articulate it more clearly.
If it were just Xiya here, she would definitely have a hard time mustering the courage to say these things.
But fortunately, in the direction where the sunset’s afterglow shone—there was the figure of Xue Fei.
She was there.
So there was nothing to be afraid of.
For Xue Fei…
Sister could do many things that seemed impossible!
“I…!”
“Princess Xue Fei is actually quite a fragile child.”
“Eh…?”
Xiya did not expect to be interrupted the moment she spoke.
Herlith was still smiling gently.
At the same time, she slowly crouched down.
She gently caressed a flower in the soil of the flowerbed and beckoned Xiya over to take a look.
Xiya hesitated a bit, but Herlith’s invitation seemed sincere, without any hostility.
So, Xiya adjusted her skirts and squatted next to her.
At the same time, she saw the little flower she was gently stroking.
—A vividly blue flower, radiating a magical glow.
It stood out distinctively among the other flowers, and it was already quite something to see so many flowers blooming in late autumn.
Even among the blooming garden, this flower had a unique and mysterious beauty.
Herlith lightly brushed it with her fingertips as if nurturing her own child.
For a moment, Xiya didn’t know what to say, so she responded to the Queen’s earlier statement.
“You said… Xue Fei is very fragile?”
“Yes, Miss Xialet, since you followed Princess Xue Fei here, it proves that… you know her strength, right?”
“Yes.” With no one else around, Xiya could speak bluntly, “I know Xue Fei’s true strength is the Eight Wings.”
“That child actually told you that… Sigh… Indeed, throughout the history of the Demon Race, besides the elusive deities, there has never been the existence of someone with Eight Wings.”
Herlith gently tapped the petals.
Causing blue sparks to fall, breathtakingly beautiful.
Yet in her eyes, there was no pride in her daughter’s power.
—Instead, there was a fullness of a mother’s helplessness and sorrow.
“Light and shadow are two sides of the same coin. Strength will give rise to weaknesses we cannot understand. No… I can understand her, but I cannot help her. I feel heartache for her, but that is of no use.”
“Queen…?”
Xiya was a bit unclear about the meaning of the Queen’s expression.
But for some reason, deep within her spirit, she resonated with a touch of bitterness.
【Sister… you have to live, be strong…! Terminal illness is nothing; just treat it like a little cold; hold on, and it will pass!】
【If only I had learned medicine earlier… If only I were the strongest doctor in the world… If I had more time, could I research a cure for you…?】
Brought back to reality from the words that could never be erased from her memories.
Xiya happened to hear Herlith continuing her speech.
It seemed she was telling a story.
“Xue Fei was not born with Eight Wings, she had excellent magical talents. When she was young, we all believed she would definitely reach the realm of Six Wings in the future. But Eight Wings… even we in the royal family are too unfamiliar to it. Miss Xialet, do you know? Princess Xue Fei actually likes small animals. She said she likes vibrant, jumping, healthy little animals, animals without illness that offer healing to people.”
“Mm… I think I can understand.”
Healing, life, nurturing.
Maybe all of these were the regrets of a past life, the compensation and gifts given to Xue Fei.
Herlith nodded, tying her flowing silver hair back, and continued to speak softly.
“She said she liked them. When she was eight years old, she wanted to raise a Kolo Forest Dog.”
“Kolo Forest Dog? That sounds great, a small dog known for its docility, very suitable as a pet.”
“Yes… I saw her stuck in the Demon King’s Castle studying magic and etiquette every day, which was indeed quite boring, so I got a pretty, healthy forest dog from Kolo Forest to give to her as a companion.”
Xiya listened with great interest, her tension dissipating.
Because she wanted to know more about Xue Fei’s past.
Those stories during the time she was in this world when Xiya couldn’t be by her side, Xue Fei’s stories.
But stories aren’t always fairy tales.
Not everything is beautiful.
Herlith lowered the flower a bit, her gaze filled with pity and depth.
“It is a tradition in the Demon Race that when raising pets, a contract must be established with them. This way, both sides can know each other’s whereabouts and won’t get lost, and they can also share magic with their pets. It’s a necessary process for longevity. But…”
“The process of the contract didn’t go smoothly?”
“Yes…”
Releasing her hold on the flower, the blue flower still bloomed as before, but it no longer sparkled as brilliantly as before.
“This has never happened before… Establishing a contract and creating a magic circuit doesn’t require a massive input of magic; it only needs to divide one ten-thousandth of the magical power to give to the contracted party. Even Dizna and I have never had any issues with this magic. But… that day, Xue Fei was happily holding that Kolo Forest Dog, following the contract ceremony to channel magic into it, and the result…”
“The result… that forest dog couldn’t withstand even one ten-thousandth of Xue Fei’s magical power, right…?”
“That’s right.” Thinking back to Xue Fei’s expression at that time made Herlith’s heart ache immensely, “That forest dog exploded right in her arms, turning into a puddle of blood.”
Herlith would never forget Princess Xue Fei’s expression at that moment.
Still holding the little dog, with an expectant smile that hadn’t fully disappeared from her face.
But that splashed blood would stain her face, her body, reflecting her originally vibrant eyes into an immensely hollow state.
For those days, Princess Xue Fei locked herself in her room, not speaking at all.
She would take many baths every day, even though the blood had long since disappeared.
Little Belis would occasionally cry, and when Herlith asked her what was wrong, she would say she heard her Queen Sister crying in her room and then cried along with her.
Yet when Herlith went to Xue Fei’s room to comfort her, she had never seen Xue Fei shed a tear.
“Not long after… Xue Fei’s Eight Wings awakened. But compared to the shock of this, both Dizna and I hoped more for her to come out of the shadow sooner. I knew that incident caused her significant psychological damage; she is a child who cherishes life yet feels lonely… What pains my heart even more is that Xue Fei didn’t need our comfort. A few days later, she walked out of her room by herself.”
When she walked out of the room.
She said she was fine.
Even though her eyes were still red, she insisted that her Father King, Mother Queen, and Belis need not worry about her.
Even though everyone knew it was a forced smile, no one knew where to start with comforting words.
She said everything.
But from then on—she never mentioned wanting to raise a pet again.
Not a single word.
Every time she went out, she would deliberately avoid the Kolo Forest.
While people said she was a disaster, Belis gritted her teeth in anger.
Xue Fei… she did not deny it herself.
Just a bitter smile as she turned to look back, then disappeared into her room alone.
She said she was tired, and wanted to go to sleep.
After waking up.
She still wore that carefree smile, saying, “I’m fine.”
