Chapter: 8. Reunion (6K)
“Damn it, that Livra girl just won’t appreciate my kindness. Xiya, look at me, I rarely comfort others, right? Yet, Livra actually said my words are unpleasant! And she’s been crying like a baby, it’s really weird.”
“Well… I think there’s hope for this. Shaya, you should pay attention to the wandering minstrels in the capital, you can go listen to them.”
“What for?”
“Of course, to learn the art of language.”
“Ah! You’re saying my words are unpleasant too!”
“No, I’m not.”
Whether something sounds pleasant or unpleasant depends on who is listening.
From her sister, everything Xue Fei says sounds nice, her little mouth like it’s coated in honey. Even if she says something unpleasant, a kiss would make it sweet again, no problem.
But it’s different with Livra…
Her Highness the Third Princess has lived in the castle palace since childhood; how could she have experienced such a verbal onslaught as if it were a mudslide!
Xiya and Xue Fei had just left the council chamber.
The two were leisurely strolling in the most prosperous central area of the capital, having just walked away from the outer area of the castle.
Merchants were shouting, and the streets were filled with lights.
Residential areas with small flat houses coexisted on the same street as the vendors.
No one minded the noise, and everyone ignored the commotion.
Children laughed as they waved light magic stone-decorated wooden rods, weaving through the streets, amid a mix of chatter and calls for sale.
In the noise, this was a unique tranquility belonging to a rare period of stability.
Originally, Xiya and Xue Fei planned to take a carriage directly home from the council chamber. However, after discussion, they felt since they were already here, and the sky was getting darker, they might as well walk along the streets of the capital.
After all, Xue Fei didn’t dislike night markets, and Xiya didn’t mind the flourishing era.
Xiya’s gaze gradually wandered towards Xue Fei’s profile illuminated by the moonlight. Whether it was that small face or Xiya’s own bright blue eyes reflecting it, both were as beautiful as a painting.
Hmm… deciding to take a walk here was indeed the right choice.
Seeing the children chasing and playing, Xiya felt their innocent joy was precious.
Wherever the flames of war did not reach, smiles thrived; lands that were untouched by blood had no fear.
Xue Fei surely thought this laughter was…
“Ouch…?! I’m really going to smack that little brat; she almost bumped into my forehead! Can’t you watch where you’re going?! If it had been a horse, would it have kicked you to death?!”
“Woo… woo woo woo ah ah ah!!”
“……”
If Xiya wasn’t mistaken… it seemed a little girl was running ahead without looking and almost bumped into Xue Fei.
As Xue Fei dodged agilely, she reflexively struck the back of the little girl’s head with a swift chop, and Xiya distinctly heard a strange sound like a board hitting a winter melon. The poor girl fell to the ground and started crying.
Today’s kids are still quite strong.
The little girl dazedly stood up, glanced back, and within a moment, ran off covering her head and crying.
The child’s smile… had vanished.
Miss Shaya rubbed her palms together and continued to educate the little girl who ran away.
“Hey! I told you! Don’t tell your parents! Just say you bumped into a horse, and the horse kicked you! Don’t say it was me! I didn’t hit you! And be careful next time, watch where you are walking!”
“Woo…!! She’s clearly the same age as us! Just a little brat…! And she’s lecturing me… how dare she hit someone! So shameless!”
“Hey?! Who’s calling you the same age?!”
Is walking without looking because of bad eyesight at a young age?!
Xue Fei rolled up her sleeves, wanting to continue to deliver a chop, but that little girl had already run far away crying.
She hadn’t really meant to teach her a lesson; it was just an accident.
But that little girl’s last sentence was simply abominable!
Xiya covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter, while Xue Fei could only selectively ignore the scene. After all, she felt completely embarrassed by this!
“Hmph… this is why I say I hate brats. That Belis girl had this brat phase when she was young too; she was hard to manage.”
“…As long as they’re kids, they’ll be naughty, right? Shaya, you say your sister was similarly troublesome too… Hmm… thinking about Belis being all serious in negotiations, I can hardly imagine her being mischievous.”
Although Xiya wanted to comment on what just happened, she had missed the best opportunity to do so.
She was quite curious about Belis’ brat phase.
Because it’s truly hard to imagine.
Xue Fei nodded repeatedly with her hands clasped before her, clearly recalling Belis’s childhood, her expression turning serious.
“How could there not be? Let me give you an example. I remember once I took Belis to a village under the Demon Territory to check on camping. I went fishing by the river, but suddenly, a demon bear showed up at the camp, and the adults weren’t around. Other kids ran away to seek shelter, but she took a stance and actually fought with the demon bear! When I came back and looked… my little ancestor…! I was terrified at the time, not knowing she was already putting the bear down. That night, we had bear meat for a midnight snack.”
“Is that what you mean by a brat?!”
“Isn’t that a brat! Since that day, the demon bears in the village would avoid her!”
“……”
Alright, it seems like there are indeed different kinds of brats.
Some brats at seven are busy laughing and running without looking, while others at seven are already taking down demon bears to barbecue.
The Demon Territory indeed has a rugged temperament.
Shaya crossed her arms behind her head as she walked forward, looking at the lights by the street while reflecting on the matters discussed in the council chamber just now.
The little one couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh as if bothered by the trouble.
“Ah… so after we get home, we still have to set up the venue? Do we really have to act with Livra?”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Since Livra has made up her mind, it’s hard to convince her to give up. She’s always had this character, decisive and straightforward. Everyone in the palace knows.”
Unintentionally, Xiya opened her palm to the side.
Xue Fei only glanced at her, and very naturally and tacitly extended her small hand to hold Xiya’s hand.
The action of holding hands was fluid. Walking together like this in the street felt like they were a pair of beautiful sisters.
Holding Xue Fei’s delicate hand, Xiya’s tone became lighter and more satisfied as she spoke.
“And Shaya, this is also a good thing for you, right? Just think, if everything goes smoothly, you might be able to walk in the capital in your original form, upright and open, without needing to hide. Isn’t this what we’ve always been looking forward to?”
“That’s true… but if we actually talk about it, it’s not that simple. Some things aren’t so easily smoothed over.”
“Is that so…”
“Yes.”
All the bustling scenes of the streets, these residents of the capital could relax like this because this street had no demons present, because they knew the Demon Princess had been sealed and would not cause trouble again.
If any demons were to descend upon this place, even if they had no ill intentions, everyone would likely pack up and hide at home, not daring to come out.
The same situation applies in the Demon Territory.
There, the streets and alleys similarly avoid human merchants, and some even patrol the streets to drive them away.
It’s just like that at this stage, the term “water and fire do not mix” fits these two races quite well.
Xiya quietly gazed at Xue Fei, whose eyes still shimmered with spirit and light in the night.
Xiya didn’t want those eyes to be tainted by the night, so before the darkness descended, she wanted to embrace that faint beam of moonlight.
“It’s okay.”
“Xiya?”
“If it can’t be done in the short term, then let’s take it slow. Let’s consider this operation as the first step for Xue Feiya Halder to ‘see the light of day’ again, shall we?”
Xue Fei widened her eyes slightly, a bit surprised by Xiya’s words.
But it was only for a moment…
That strong little mouth immediately blossomed with a vibrant smile!
“Alright! I like that phrasing!” Xue Fei began to swing her arms back and forth, pulling Xiya’s arm along, “Hehe… then I have to see what skills this princess of the human race has. Just so you know, Princess Xue Feiya is fearsome too! When Livra shows up, don’t expect it to be an easy escape; you must scare her first!”
“Scare her…?”
“Of course, if we don’t put on a fierce front, it’ll be exposed, right? It’s not just that humans can’t accept demons; my demon race… still needs time to accept humans!”
“Got it, hmm… listen to you; we’ll scare Her Highness Livra when the time comes.”
“Alright! It’s settled then.”
“Good.”
Xue Fei… despite saying she doesn’t want to accept humans.
But right now, you are tightly holding my hand, okay?
As the pampered little princess of the Demon race, in the kingdom, she bears oppressive hatred and insults multiple times more than that pampering.
This is the first time since her birth that Xiya feels grateful for her identity as a human.
Because I am human… I can proudly say — not all humans hate Xue Fei, right?
Just like me.
I am confident that I love you more than anyone else in the world.
But Xiya would not be satisfied with just this situation; after all, the ambition of a hero is vast.
“Xue Fei, I hope that one day… humans can cheer for you. Not for Shaya, but for Xue Feiya Halder.”
“Wow! If a hero says such things, wouldn’t that count as treason?!”
Xiya whispered this very quietly, a secret between Xue Fei and herself.
However, “suspected treasonous” Xiya responded softly to the fleeing Demon Princess?
“Not at all~ A hero protects the nation, while Xiya Let loves Xue Fei; both are fulfilling their duties, and the two do not contradict each other, right?”
“Hmm?! Don’t… don’t ask me!”
“Shaya?”
“Ugh… you wait here, I’m going to buy a… buy a… ah! Boss! Get me a grilled octopus tentacle! Make it spicy!”
“Alright! Want chili, little girl?”
“No chili, add ice!”
“Huh?”
While talking, Miss Shaya blushed, suddenly looking left and right, hopping to the stall to buy something.
Hmm…? Wasn’t the conversation not over? Why did Xue Fei suddenly run off?
Oblivious Xiya might not know the term.
——High attack, low defense.
Miss Shaya is usually sharp-tongued, always able to occupy the high ground of discourse, making others feel ashamed and very haughty.
But simultaneously, Xue Fei is unable to withstand the kindness from someone she likes!
What Xiya just said… made her little heart thump, like the grilled octopus tentacles on the fire curling up into a ball.
Nothing else; it’s just that the heart of this small princess… isn’t as carefree as it seems.
But is truly delicate and sensitive.
When Miss Shaya came back with a trembling little hand holding the grilled octopus tentacle, she raised her hand shakily to offer it to Xiya.
And there were still some droplets of water on Shaya’s face, as if she had grabbed some ice from the nearby iced fruit juice shop to cool it down.
“As expected of me, I can always come up with good ideas. Eat it, Xiya; when you eat, it’ll help you keep your mouth busy and talk less!”
“Ugh… I never thought there would be a day when Shaya says I talk too much. Hmm… it’s delicious, but eat less; we’ll be having dinner soon.”
“Eh? Isn’t dinner still a while off? We’ll still have to walk home for at least an hour; shouldn’t we eat something first?”
“We can eat when we get home, but I’m just worried you’re hungry now…”
Gurgle gurgle~~~
What little animal is chirping?
The proud Miss Shaya covered her stomach with one hand, while with her right hand she raised the box of octopus tentacles and poured it straight into her mouth, trying to stop the strange sounds from continuing.
But Shaya’s insatiable appetite, how could a small box of octopus tentacles satisfy her?
Gurgle~~~
“!”
Xiya looked down at the direction of Xue Fei’s stomach.
This time, Xue Fei was no longer bothered about covering her stomach.
——She decided to prioritize freeing her hands to cover her already embarrassed little face.
“Ugh… don’t look at me; I’m not a useless person who gets hungry enough to have my stomach growling just because I missed a meal… I’m not…”
“Shaya… your lingering thoughts in your heart have already come out, didn’t they?”
“Damn hunger, truly the source of all evil in the world.”
Princess Xue Feiya’s continuous embarrassment had made her utterly lose face in front of Xiya.
As she slowly moved her small hand away from her face, the sparkle in her eyes had already dulled by more than half.
But at that moment.
Xiya suddenly proposed a rather constructive suggestion.
“Actually, what I was just thinking is that, since it would be too late to cook dinner when we get home, how about I take you to find a tavern in the capital? By the way, Shaya, haven’t you tried the local dishes of the Aulus Kingdom yet?”
“Local dishes… what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
“Shaya?!”
Xue Fei, your completely uninterrupted flow of steps has caught me off guard!
Does it turn out that eating is more important than everything else?!
Not really.
Eating also depends on who you are eating with and the mood during the meal; it tastes better when you’re in a good mood.
Although Xue Fei can scent the aroma of food and find a good tavern, it’s undeniable that Xiya, as a local resident, is certainly more familiar with this aspect. So leaving it to her to lead the way is foolproof.
Following her memories of the capital, Xiya led Xue Fei through several streets, explaining the reasons along the way.
“If we’re talking about exquisite food, the high-end restaurants hosting nobility in the capital are still better. But the ingredients I usually cook for you at home are no different from those in those restaurants, and even better in some cases. So going out to eat there isn’t as good as making it at home. But the local taverns in the capital, Shaya, you probably have never been to. Though I myself rarely have time to eat… Anyway, it’s a rare opportunity today; shall we go try?”
“Genuine! Slurp… the soul of eating lies in changing flavors often; you understand quite well, Xiya!”
“I don’t understand food; I understand you~ Little glutton.”
“Hehe, say what you want; as long as I can eat, I’ll be shameless!”
…………………………………
Through Xiya’s own recollections and inquiries with street vendors about good nearby taverns, she finally brought Xue Fei to a tavern wooden house located in the middle of the street.
Unlike some taverns with pretty ladies outside to attract customers, the entrance here only had a wooden sign, not much fancy, which made it look more comforting.
The tavern was bustling, with the sounds of voices talking loudly and laughing echoing everywhere.
A waitress carrying two large wooden barrels of wine passed by the door and, seeing the two entering, quickly smiled and arranged for them to sit in a secluded corner. She asked them to write down the food they wanted, and she would help take it to the chefs in the back.
From their clothing, it was clear they weren’t ordinary townsfolk.
Sometimes, taverns do have such elegantly dressed noble visitors, and the tavern only needed to treat them well to avoid offending anyone; it had recently become busier, and no one wanted to stir up trouble.
As Xue Fei sat there, her big round eyes scanned everything around; everything was quite novel to her.
The wooden tavern, not very high in structure, had the aroma of wine and food wafting through the air, and this worldly atmosphere was something this Demon princess found difficult to encounter regularly.
However, here, it wasn’t just interesting and benign things…
Xiya noticed that most of the diners here were either merchants of the capital wearing coarse linen clothes or adventurers of the human race with scabbards at their waists and faces scarred from battles.
For the most part, people were just eating and drinking as usual.
But undoubtedly, some people have been glancing this way occasionally since Xue Fei and Xiya entered.
There’s no way; two stunning young girls walking into such a tavern will catch attention without a doubt.
But unfortunately, Xiya didn’t want their annoying stares and discussions to affect Xue Fei’s mood for eating.
While making no overt movements, a magical barrier that influences perception quietly enveloped the range of the table and chairs where Xue Fei and she were seated.
At that moment, those gazes became fewer and fewer until they disappeared entirely.
At Xiya’s level of power, she could designate targets for her “Aura Isolation Barrier.”
For instance, the patrons dining there would notice nothing about the situation on this side, while the staff serving would be aware.
From the perspective of the adventurers who were just debating whether to approach and strike up a conversation, that row of tables suddenly became quite blurred. They felt like something was there, but saw nothing.
The two noble young girls had probably left?
Tsk tsk, what a pity. If they could date daughters of noble families, they’d be rich for life and wouldn’t have to do tiring adventurer work!
Xiya kindly added a layer of light soundproofing to this barrier.
Not completely blocking out sound, but the raucous laughter and crude cursing were entirely excluded.
In this comfortable atmosphere, poor Xue Fei sat on the wooden chair, still unable to reach the ground with her toes.
She found the design frustrating!
“I don’t understand what the designer of these chairs was thinking? Didn’t they consider the feelings of short people?”
“Pfft… I think it’s probably because taverns are too noisy; there are usually no children eating here.”
“Short people are not necessarily children! Children aren’t always short… who are you calling short?!”
“Hahaha, it’s fine, Shaya, I’m not mocking you.”
“Ugh, how frustrating.”
Seeing Xiya’s mature and confident demeanor as she smiled and played with her golden hair made Xue Fei feel delighted—yet she also gritted her teeth in frustration!
If it weren’t for that curse… if it weren’t said that I wouldn’t grow tall, I’d definitely be sitting here looking at least like an adult.
What a tragedy.
As Xue Fei lay her head on the table and went silent, Xiya pressed her fingertip against her lips and chuckled a few times, shaking her head while reporting on the meals they’d be having.
“I’ve already ordered the food? It’s probably some ingredients you might not see from the Demon Territory, like Aulus sweet potatoes, Komir smoked duck, and we can order other dishes to try. Anyway, whenever I eat with Shaya, there’s never leftover food…”
“We should just go to the kitchen and eat there.”
“……”
What a creatively bold suggestion.
Xue Fei lay on the table watching the large wooden barrels with handles being placed on other tables, feeling curious.
“Xiya, what’s in that big wooden barrel?”
“Wooden barrel…? Oh, that is the wine brewed by this tavern itself; you can find it everywhere.”
“I want to try some.”
“That’s not possible, minors and Xue Fei can’t drink alcohol.”
“Ugh… what kind of rule is that?”
As a substitute, Xiya ordered chilled fruit juice for Xue Fei.
It wasn’t looking down on her; it was just that subconsciously seeing Xue Fei’s state, one would definitely not let her drink alcohol, which is a normal thought process.
The two chatted while listening to Xue Fei’s stomach grumbling intermittently.
Before long, the long-awaited dishes finally arrived!
A plate of steaming roasted duck that looked a bit oddly unattractive was placed on the table.
Xue Fei stared at the duck meat, her eyes sparkling, but just as she reached out to grab the knife to cut the meat…
She slightly tilted her head up.
But she saw something strange about the person bringing the dish.
Not just a little strange… it was downright weird.
The person brought the dish without saying a word, which could still be explained by shyness.
—But who brings food with a hood over their face?!
Xiya had also noticed this situation.
The sight was so obvious; the person wearing the hood definitely noticed who was sitting at the table.
Xiya distinctly heard a sharp intake of breath from beneath the brown robe, and it was clear that the person in the robe was also quite surprised, looking as if they had seen a ghost!
Normally, Xiya and Xue Fei might not recognize her immediately.
But having just seen that brown robe at noon, failing to recognize it would be downright impolite.
You are…
“Fire Lizard!!” Shaya immediately declared.
“You’re the fire lizard! Your whole family is fire lizards! You brazen girl, how dare you call the noble Fire Dragon clan a lizard?!”
“Ah… it’s really you. Didn’t you say you disdain wealth? Are you working part-time? That’s really hard.”
“!”
In a fit of anger, she yanked off the hood, revealing the true face of the Fire Dragon girl, Timani, who now looked very distressed.
Why do you two ghosts keep showing up everywhere?!
