8~ A glance worth a needle, appraised as genuine.
At the long table in the library of the Crown Villa, four people were seated. Wenfu was in charge of serving tea. As soon as they returned to the Crown Villa, Wenfu quickly got into her role, even finding herself a maid outfit from her hometown. According to Wenfu, her hometown’s maid industry was incredibly developed, which explained her excellent caretaking skills.
The reason behind the prosperity of the demi-human maid industry was understandable to Tillysha, after all, who could resist a furry-eared maid with a gentle and supple demeanor? This local culture had driven economic development, naturally becoming celebrated.
“The Demon Race was probably born out of resentment. No, they were definitely born out of resentment. I’m absolutely sure about this,” Tillysha said, noticing that everyone else was deep in thought, and took a sip of tea brewed by Wenfu.
The tea was sweet and rich, made from tea leaves, yet it didn’t taste bitter at all.
Tillysha had always been averse to bitterness, so she disliked tea, even slightly bitter tea. In the past, whenever Bilodis wanted to drink tea with her, she would come up with various excuses like, “I suddenly need to use the restroom,” “I’m a bit busy today,” or “I slept wrong last night, and my b*tt aches a little,” similar to having a phone with no battery. However, she would always end up being caught by Bilodis with a smile, forced to sit down and drink tea obediently.
Because of this, as well as developmental issues, Tillysha had privately nicknamed Bilodis ‘Demon Old Cow Udder.’ Naturally, this earned her quite a few punishments from Bilodis.
Memories were good to recall, but there was a downside, as old embarrassing memories came back as well.
She thought being tickled by Bilodis until she begged for mercy was the most embarrassing moment she had ever had, but when her memories returned, she realized it was just the tip of the iceberg.
In the past, she was frequently disciplined by Bilodis. When mustard sauce was discovered in her water bottle, she was stripped down, her hands tied behind her back, and spanked in a humiliated position on the floor.
Recalling those moments, Bilodis would confine her in the room in a submissive position on her knees, sitting elegantly on the bed drinking tea, ignoring her cries, and spanking her whenever she got excited.
Thinking about those shaming memories, Tillysha still blushed with embarrassment.
These memories shouldn’t have resurfaced, making her feel both helpless and awkward.
But Bilodis did care about her dignity, ensuring punishments were never in front of others, always in private.
“Sister Tillysha, are you okay?” Suddenly, Wenfu’s voice reached her ears.
“Huh? Why do you ask? I’m fine, of course.”
“But, your ears were just so red.”
“… Are they? You must be mistaken.”
Aistride and Yimi suddenly turned their gazes toward her, their eyes filled with doubt.
Unlike other outsiders, they knew that red ears signified embarrassment for elves.
“Ahem, I’ve pretty much laid everything out for all of you,” Tillysha quickly changed the subject. “In summary, for the peace of this continent and the prosperity of the Light Race, I believe it is necessary for us to visit Ruglien again.”
“But this is just my personal opinion. How do you all feel? I respect your thoughts.”
“After saying all this, if I were to decline, it would make me seem rather narrow-minded, wouldn’t it?” Princess Filisia’s stance was predictable by Tillysha.
“Mm, since everyone says so, then… Wenfu will have to go along with everyone.” Wenfu shrank a bit at the mention of Ruglien, as her experiences there haunted her with nightmares. However, since everyone decided to go, she had no choice but to follow.
Besides, hearing Tillysha say it was important, Wenfu felt that although she was insignificant, she was willing to contribute to the Light Race.
But she was scared of pain.
Yimi and Aistride were naturally aligned as elves, let alone the fact that Tillysha should originally be the queen of the Elf Clan.
Deciding on the semester’s practical coursework, Tillysha began introducing Yimi to Princess Filisia and Wenfu.
“This is Yimi, my kin. For certain reasons, I want her to join our team.”
“Eh? Is she also a Gold Elf?” Wenfu looked at the little golden-haired loli about her size in surprise.
Since joining Brilliant Sun and Moon, she had seen more Gold Elves than most people would in several lifetimes.
“You’re the team captain, so of course, it’s your call.” Princess Filisia teasingly said, then realized she had misspoken and quickly covered her mouth.
“Captain? Shouldn’t the captain be Dillin?” Aistride asked, confused.
“Yes, I made a mistake. Sorry,” Princess Filisia subtly sent an apologetic glance to Tillysha, whose all-disclosing tone had made her unintentionally blurt out.
She didn’t realize that Tillysha was no longer concerned about it.
“By the way, why hasn’t Dillin come?” Aistride asked. “School starts tomorrow, and he hasn’t returned to the dormitory yet. Isn’t that unusual?”
“He’s already back,” Tillysha said with a teasing smile. “You just didn’t see him because you stayed in your room all day yesterday.”
“He left this morning, I don’t know what he was up to.”
“Is that so? …” Aistride didn’t understand the deeper meaning in Tillysha’s eyes.
Dillin was back, wasn’t he?
For some reason, Aistride felt a strange sense of nervousness at the thought of seeing Dillin again after school resumed. It wasn’t due to excitement or joy but rather a feeling more akin to awkwardness.
She couldn’t understand why her feelings towards Dillin had shifted, making her hesitant to face him.
Aistride couldn’t quite grasp the changes in her own heart but still categorized these reactions as shyness.
The discussion ended.
Tomorrow was the beginning of a new semester, and everyone had their own preparations to make. Wenfu returned to her previous role, bustling about as the Brilliant Sun and Moon’s head cook.
“Hey, what’s the name of the book you’re reading, Miss Yimi? It’s all in Elvish—it must be incredible,” Wenfu asked curiously, seeing Yimi sitting on the sofa in the living room holding a thick book borrowed from the library.
“Only a historical classic. It’s also available in this collection, which I usually use to pass the time.”
“Oh! So you’re reading such profound literature to pass the time? Miss Yimi must be so knowledgeable!”
“Not, not really,” Yimi’s cheeks turned pink from Wenfu’s sincere compliments, though it was clear that her vanity was greatly satisfied.
Soon, it was dinner time, and everyone from Brilliant Sun and Moon came down from the third floor to prepare for the meal. Just then, Princess Filisia returned from her outdoor training.
Princess Filisia, dressed in sportswear, with her snowy skin shimmering with sweat, carried her bag and another bag in her hand. Seeing Tillysha come downstairs, she gave her a teasing smile.
“Tillysha truly has quite the charm, drawing so much admiration.”
“Such unexpected flattery from Filisia throws me off,” Tillysha responded.
“I am simply stating a fact. Honestly, if I were a boy, I would definitely pursue you crazily,” Filisia joked, leaving the audience uncertain whether it was meant seriously or not.
“Hey, this is what I found in the mailbox outside. It’s for you.”
“Wait, I didn’t subscribe to any newspapers, and this isn’t a scrap paper warehouse.”
“That’s too harsh. How could you call the heartfelt love letters from confused teenage boys scrap paper? I’m sure they’d be heartbroken if they heard their dream girls calling them scrap,” Filisia teased as she handed the paper bag to Tillysha and smirked.
Her comment immediately drew everyone’s attention, including the graceful silver-haired elf coming down the stairs.
“…Love letters?”
“How surprising, is this the first time you’ve received love letters, Tillysha?” Filisia sounded amazed.
“Love letters, are they those letters filled with sweet words given to the opposite s*x out of confusion?”
“What do you mean confusion? Their intentions are quite clear,” Filisia joked. “I counted, most of the letters in the mailbox were love letters for you—sixty-three in total! Tsk tsk, enough to fill a drawer.”
“So, they are proposing marriage?” Tillysha tilted her head.
On hearing this, Aistride paused on her way downstairs.
“You shouldn’t be so direct. No one in this era would get married so suddenly. You’d date first, see if you’re a good match, right?”
“To aim without intending to marry is just being a flirt, isn’t it?” Tillysha paused, contemplating.
“…” Filisia was momentarily speechless, a strange look appearing on her face. In her eyes, Tillysha’s words sounded like something would be uttered by an old-fashioned elder, not a vibrant young girl.
“While you could say that, how would you know unless you try? And how can you be sure they aren’t sincere?”
“But they’ve only seen my face. They know nothing about my personality or inner self and have already written love letters. Isn’t that hasty?”
“They just want to marry my appearance, not me.”
“…Filisia found it hard to respond. In matters of love, Tillysha seemed surprisingly serious and, strangely, pure.
At this, Aistride, who had been observing silently, felt a sense of relief as if something heavy had been lifted from her chest.
“So, are we going to ignore those love letters?”
“No, I will reply to each one.” Tillysha said seriously, believing it was unwise to be careless about this matter.
Hearing this, Aistride’s heart, which had just settled, rose again.
“However, there are sixty-three letters…”
“No problem,” Tillysha took the paper bag from Filisia, “I won’t eat tonight. Don’t prepare my meal.”
“Eh? Oh…” Wenfu nodded. Though elves could skip a meal easily, she paused, asking, “What about Mr. Dillin’s portion?”
“I think it’s unnecessary.” Filisia smoothly intervened. “I heard from Tillysha this afternoon that Dillin seemed to be occupied with something outside and couldn’t make it back.”
“Oh…”
Aistride watched Tillysha go upstairs. Although reason told her that Tillysha wouldn’t agree to these rash confessions, there was still an inexplicable worry.
How strange.
Aistride realized the issue. Why was she worrying about something like this for no reason? It was Tillysha’s decision to accept or reject; why was she so concerned?
“Aistride, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No.” Hearing Filisia’s voice, Aistride noticed all eyes at the dinner table were on her. She had been staring blankly, not touching her food since she started eating.
“Really?” Filisia looked somewhat suspicious. Yimi remained silent, looking at Aistride curiously.
“Is it because tonight’s dish doesn’t suit Aistride sister’s taste?”
“No, it isn’t that.” Aistride shook her head and looked at Filisia, hesitating to speak. “Filisia, you…”
“Go ahead and speak up if you have something to say,” Filisia encouraged with a playful gaze at Aistride who hesitated.
This reaction from the usually stoic elf was unexpectedly cute.
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Sure, but maybe not the kind you’re imagining.”
“?”
“However, if you have any doubts about love, I could help answer them.”
“No, I haven’t,” Aistride hurried to deny.
“Oh, my apologies. What I mean is, feel free to ask me anything, I’m quite experienced,” Filisia teasingly replied, enjoying making the silver-haired elf squirm.
From the way Aistride seemed lost and preoccupied at times, Filisia could easily deduce that she had feelings for someone.
Of course, it wasn’t hard to guess who.
“Suppose, I mean if a girl were to be particularly concerned about someone else’s being confessed to, even becoming obsessed, having her joy or sorrow tied to whether they reject or accept it… then…”
“They’re probably in love.” Filisia interrupted Aistride before she could finish. “It’s definitely love.”
“But, it could also be a friend-level…”
“PuPu…” Filisia couldn’t help but laugh. “My dear Aistride, with such strong territorial instincts, it couldn’t possibly be just friendship, could it?”
“Rest assured, regular friends wouldn’t feel like this. Calling it just friendship is probably an excuse to fool yourself.”
“…” Aistride was speechless, lost in thought.
There was one thing she hadn’t mentioned to Filisia—what if the other person was also a girl? What would that situation be called?
