2~ Is someone really dead?!
Indeed. Sophia had noticed her sister’s odd mental state from a long time ago. Her sister often sat in the courtyard, zoning out while staring at the bushes. It wasn’t just the increased time spent idly sitting in the courtyard. The durations she spaced out during meals, prayers, and even reading had extended. She seemed absent-minded, almost possessed by something unclean.
Like a spell or something.
Out of concern for her sister, Sophia decided she had to observe whether her sister had some strange hysteria. As a result, the time she spent playing with her sister decreased, and the times she spent thoroughly dressed, following her around, increased.
After some time had passed, Sophia discovered that this sneaky spying on her sister was strangely addictive for her.
Even though her sister was right there in front of her, Sophia could have easily approached and questioned her or jumped into her embrace. But she didn’t. From a distance, she secretly observed every move her sister made. She realized that from this vantage point, she saw many aspects of her sister she hadn’t noticed before.
For example, she had never realized that her sister’s casual thinking, leg crossing, and bored expressions were so irresistibly cute when done absentmindedly.
And, well, to be honest, spying on her sister while she was clueless was giving Sophia an indescribable thrill, making it even more entertaining for her.
However, she wasn’t entirely doing it for fun. While fulfilling her hidden desires, Sophia also noticed her sister, Astride, acting strange in several ways.
For instance, her sister appeared more distracted, as if her attention had been drawn by something else—so much that her usually keen senses didn’t even detect she was being spied on.
What could her sister possibly be thinking about?
Could it be that some cunning fox had entered her sister’s heart without her knowledge?
Sophia, who was entirely preoccupied with thoughts of her sister, took advantage of Astride’s absence during a prayer session and sneaked into her sister’s room. While she initially didn’t detect anything unusual, she spotted something off.
Astride’s bedsheet had been changed.
It was an extremely strange phenomenon. As someone completely infatuated with her older sister, Sophia knew the frequency at which Astride changed and reorganized her bed sheets.
The bedsheet, which had been used for only three days, must have been changed by Astride herself—it definitely wasn’t done by the servants.
What could have possibly occurred that made Astride decide to change the sheet herself?
Sophia detected an unusual scent in the air. During her search in Astride’s private quarters, she finally found the bedsheet that had been replaced.
The bedding was damp, clearly showing signs of wetness. This might have been the reason why the sheet was discarded and a new one was put in place.
Did her sister wet the bed?
Sophia paused, finding this possibility quite baffling. But she realized quickly that if her sister, who was so old now, wanted to keep the fact that she wet the bed from the servants, she would naturally take it upon herself to change the sheets. That made sense.
In a way, a sister who was so absent-minded was so adorable!
A suspicious flush colored Sophia’s little face.
“Hmm,” it wasn’t that there was anything wrong with her mental state; it was just a matter of checking if her sister was ill through her excretions!
So, the silver-haired girl, trembling slightly, held the bedsheet in her hands, wiggled her delicate nose, and sniffed closely……
Not it!
The moment the smell hit her nose, Sophia was almost certain her sister hadn’t wet the bed.
“Come on,” she thought, “I’ve smelled her scent often enough—her natural aroma. I know this is something different.”
So, what could it be? Something wasn’t adding up.
But this smell—oh, it was bizarre. It wasn’t sweat or any other byproduct of metabolism. It carried a strange allure that was hard to break away from, along with a subtle fragrance.
What on earth could this be?
This was something Sophia didn’t know and had never encountered—a knowledge gap even she couldn’t fill.
Surely, her sister couldn’t be that sick, right? That didn’t seem plausible. Elves were almost disease-resistant, and Astride showed no signs of any kind of decay.
And asking her sister outright was out of the question; she definitely wouldn’t say. More than that, it would expose Sophia’s sneaky behavior, and perhaps even make her detest her curiosity about it.
Nor could she tell anyone else. Absolutely not an option.
Lost in contemplation, she realized the school term was approaching, and it was the year Sophia was set to enter Coleman Academy. She decided to observe her sister’s actions and demeanor as a student after starting school.
From then on, more mysterious events unraveled.
During the final days before school started, her sister’s melancholy mood improved significantly. After praying, Astride would hum gentle ballads all the way to the pool as she washed her body, her ethereal gaze filled with newfound longing and expectation.
What in the world was going on with her sister?
To find out, Sophia devised a simple yet effective plan—dropping hints indirectly.
“One afternoon, you seem so cheerful recently, sister,” Sophia said, pretending to be unaware as she nestled in Astride’s embrace. “Is something making you happy?”
“Hmm? Happy things?” Astride replied, shaking her head after a moment’s thought. “Do I seem happier recently?”
Astride nonchalantly touched her cheek, not sensing any difference. She was entirely oblivious to how her current state differed from the previous days.
Definitely up to something.
This realization only strengthened Sophia’s determination to uncover the truth.
The long-awaited school year arrived despite her reluctance and anticipation.
After bidding farewell to the king, Astride expressed her intent to depart early. “After all, it’s been a while since the start of term, my room is likely filled with dust. I’ll clean it up and refocus my mind,” she said, which was a reasonable excuse.
Unquestionably justified, Astride left early, returning to the academy premises.
Three days before the school term, with her luggage in tow, Astride strolled the familiar path toward the Crown Mansion, the academy regaining its vitality after the holiday break.
Looking at the garden, everything seemed exactly as it was before she left.
What surprised Astride was that the door to the mansion was already open.
This meant someone had returned to the mansion before her.
Could it be Wenfu? Princess Filisia? Dillin? Or…could it be Tillysha?
Thinking of the last person, Astride instinctively recalled a series of dreams involving her over the holiday.
Logically speaking, having such consistent dreams can easily blur the line between dreams and reality, causing misconceptions about Tillysha’s personality. But on further thought, Astride hesitantly realized the Tillysha in her dreams wasn’t much different from the Tillysha in reality. The only difference perhaps was the extent and level of intimacy—but apart from that…
She couldn’t find much difference. Everything seemed fitting for her character.
So, could the scenarios she dreamed of ever come true in real life?
The moment this thought crossed her mind, Astride shook her head to rid herself of this presumptuous idea.
Could it be that having such impure dreams throughout the holiday period had made her feel unclean herself?
Could the person who returned to the dorm earlier be Princess Tillysha? It likely was. During the holiday, only Dillin and Tillysha had no specific destinations, no other places to go, so it was probable they stayed in the mansion the whole time.
Thinking this, Astride eagerly pushed the gate and dragged her luggage straight toward the door.
Just like last semester, upon opening the door, Astride expected to see a golden-haired girl diligently reading by the window. Upon sensing her arrival, she would lift a strand of hair behind her ear, flash a sweet smile, and ask that familiar line: “Student Aistride, it’s been so long. Are you doing well~?”
How should she respond to that?
Despite the irresistible force she felt, knowing she had spent the whole holiday period dreaming inappropriate things about the other party left Astride feeling guilty.
She was anxious, her mind working overtime but drawing a blank. Yet, she couldn’t stop moving forward.
Very soon, she pushed the door open and took off her boots.
True to her suspicion, at the entrance, she saw a pair of Tillysha’s usual student loafers, and Dillin’s shoes were there too.
Astride stepped into the room, inhaling slightly, and tiptoed into the living room but didn’t see the familiar golden figure.
“…” As Astride pondered, a petite golden-haired loli descended from upstairs.
Their eyes locked in a brief, silent moment.
“…”” Clearly, this golden-haired loli was unfamiliar to Astride.
Golden hair, emerald eyes, snow-white delicate skin, slightly chubby cheeks—Astride thought she was like a miniature version of Tillysha.
How did an unknown child enter the Crown Dormitory?
Wait, could it be…
Astride thought of something and her lavender eyes widened in shock.
She suddenly remembered: during the holidays, it was entirely possible that Dillin and Tillysha stayed together, without leaving the premises, alone under the same roof. Given their past behavior, it wouldn’t be surprising if they impulsively did something “irrational!”
Could it be…?!
Seeing the golden-haired girl standing silently on the stairs, Astride’s eyes nearly bulged out in shock.
After a whole semester’s absence, had they already…produced an…accident?!
This, this this?!…
Astride held her forehead, almost losing her balance, unsure if it was due to the immense shock or emotional stress.
So, who made the first move—Dillin or Tillysha?
Which one liked the other?
No, it’s not the time to focus on that now right now…?
A disaster has already been brewed!
Noticing the trademark elf ears on the girl, Astride became even more certain of the truth.
Golden Elves were an endangered species. Other than “creating” one, how else could a second be found?!
Leaning against the wall, Astride’s expression turned extremely complex. She wasn’t sure how to react towards Dillin and Tillysha.
She felt a deep sense of unease, pressing her chest.
Was it because of something Dillin did…?
She and Dillin hadn’t established any relationship, so what right did she have to demand fidelity from him?
But…
She realized an internal contradiction in her thinking—if it were just Dillin, she wouldn’t feel this distressed. So why did she feel this way?
Could it be because of Princess Tillysha?
Because the princess was also so casual with Dillin, handing her body over as if it were so insignificant…?
Could this be the reason?
It probably is…
Astride didn’t have the energy to deliberate who was wrong and who was right. She felt utterly exhausted.
Meanwhile, Yimi was also observing Astride.
This was undoubtedly a Moon Elf. However, strangely, Yimi felt no ill will upon encountering her for the first time. Instead, she sensed a certain familiarity.
Even at first glance, Yimi thought it was Patch coming to Coleman, only to realize after a few moments that this silver-haired elf was not Patch.
But despite the good first impression, Astride’s subsequent behavior made Yimi question if the moon elf had some sort of issue with her.
Though her expression didn’t change much, the shock evident in her eyes suggested Yimi’s presence had caused her emotional waves.
Could it be that this Miss Moon Elf didn’t welcome her arrival?
With that thought, Yimi’s eyes darkened with a trace of melancholy.
Astride had calmed her emotions somewhat, emotions swirling in her eyes, and slowly approached Yimi, crouching down with a tone that was both helpless and friendly, yet as cold and clear as the moon.
“Child, what’s your name?”
“?” Yimi felt Astride’s greeting was slightly off the mark. According to Tillysha’s explanation, they should be peers. Referring to her as a “child” was odd.
Yimi frowned ever so slightly but didn’t show any displeasure.
“Miss Astride, nice to meet you, call me Yimi.” Emphasizing the “Miss,” Yimi stressed that they were equals.
“Ah, I see. So you’re called Yimi, is that a name she gave you?”
“???” Matching Astride’s overly caring gaze and tone of voice, Yimi noticed something fishy.
Why would this Moon Elf ask who gave her a name the moment they meet? Hardly polite, the question felt incredibly awkward between two people meeting for the first time.
“By the way, where is your mother? Why haven’t I seen her?”
“???” Yimi’s expression grew stranger. Was this person deliberately rubbing salt in the wound by asking her about someone she had lost?
“Did your mother tell you my name?”
“?” Yimi’s face finally contorted as she realized what Astride had mistakenly thought.
Just as she was about to say something, the stairs rustled with movement, and down came a golden figure in fluffy slippers.
“Yimi, why didn’t you tell me about the guest? Oh, it’s you, Astride.”
“Figures you’d be the first one back, welcome home~”
The golden girl descended as beautiful, if not more alluring, than in Astride’s imagination, with an aura of mature womanhood that caught Astride’s attention even more now…
