Chapter Sixty-Six: Birds
As evening fell, Aili and I headed to the market again.
It was the first day of the Rest Zone, and I would probably stay in the mansion for the next two days, so I needed to buy enough ingredients for both days. Thanks to Aili helping me carry things, it became much easier. We managed to grab enough fruits, vegetables, and venison, along with some seasonings and butter. By the time we returned, the sky was completely dark.
That night, I made donuts with Captain Gray, and Aili assisted me. The little girl was interested in learning how to make them, so following the steps my mother taught me, I patiently showed her how to create delicious and pretty donuts, step by step. Aili picked it up quickly; she had a knack for this kind of thing and soon enough was able to bake a whole box on her own. Though they didn’t look as good as mine, the taste was already pretty close.
While enjoying our donuts, we chatted about all sorts of trivial matters. Aili told me the construction in Cataloma was going smoothly. In about three months, the children would be able to return to their familiar home, and the church would appoint a new Dean. It seemed, however, that many children were rather resistant to this change.
“Everyone really likes Teresa. They think no one could love us more than her… they’re pretty upset. But every time I hear them say those things and see someone crying secretly, it makes me even sadder…”
Aili whispered this, making my heart heavy too.
All I could do was gently pat her back, trying to comfort that small yet strong heart of hers.
Besides that, there wasn’t much else I could do.
After all, most children didn’t know the truth behind everything. Teresa held an irreplaceable place in their hearts—this was what was most frustrating and saddening, and it was Aili’s greatest pain, because she couldn’t tell anyone. Doing so would shatter the still-maturing worldviews of countless kids, and of course, no one might even believe her.
How could an eleven or twelve-year-old girl bear such a dark secret yet still face her old friends with a smile every day? Listening to them talk about how much they loved that person who almost killed them, all while pretending she knew nothing and remained silent… Would she be able to remain the same day after day?
Would she still be able to see the beauty in the world and feel the sincerity between people?
That was my biggest worry.
So I hoped she’d come here to play often.
Luckily, the little girl was strong enough. So far, her attitude was moving in a positive direction, which was the only thing that brought me any comfort.
After dinner, Aili told me she had to leave.
“Even though I live at the church, the nun is as strict as ever. We can’t just run around; we have to record when we go out and be back on time for bed at night, or else we’ll get punished… the sisters can be quite fierce when they scold.”
Since she said that, I had no excuse to keep her any longer.
“We were just starting to chat more at night… what a pity.”
“It’s okay, Sister! I’ll come back next Rest Zone~”
I saw Aili off at the door, watching her small figure disappear down Longdoll Street. I turned back to the mansion, headed upstairs to my bedroom, and lay on the bed for a while, feeling bored and sticky. So, I dashed to the washroom for a refreshing cold shower—ah, the Frost Order really is beneficial. No matter summer or winter, heat or cold, I can enjoy a cold shower without worrying about catching a cold.
After soaking for about half an hour, feeling thoroughly refreshed, I stepped out of the tub, shook my wet hair, dried off, and changed into a new white pleated dress I had just bought. I looked down to see my favorite bird pattern on the hem and nodded in satisfaction.
But still, there wasn’t much to do… I didn’t want to read, it was so boring.
After thinking for a moment, I decided to step out to the terrace for some evening air.
Tonight, the night color of Royal City was still enchanting. The moonlight spilled softly through the leaves like a light veil draping over the brightly lit houses. The smell after the rain was faintly refreshing but mixed with a hint of summer heat.
Standing at the edge of the terrace with one hand resting on the vine-covered railing, I took a deep breath and glanced over at the neighboring mansion, number 2.
There, candlelight flickered to life.
Was Victoria back already? Or were only the maids there…
“Cheep…”
In my line of sight, a pair of unknown white birds flew across the night sky, swirling, dipping, and rising like carefree lovers. I watched them quietly as they landed on a rooftop, then on a tree branch, and finally, they flew to the railing less than five meters away from me, pecking at each other with their red beaks, making beautiful chirping sounds.
“Cheep cheep—”
How adorable…
I really want to eat them.
My pitch-black eyes, even deeper than the night, stared unwaveringly at the two white birds nearby. I slowly raised my left hand, extending a finger as soft as jade. Black mist began to flow and swirl from my fingertips, and in the next moment, like an arrow shooting from a bow, it shot out.
“Cheep…”
Realizing the danger, the birds barely managed to spread their wings when they were enveloped and completely swallowed by the black mist. Two wisps of white smoke entwined with the black smoke, stealthily returning in the night, quickly merging into my chest.
I closed my eyes.
After a moment, I suddenly opened them wide.
“Ha—”
Gently exhaling.
Delicious…
I want to eat more delicious things.
The chaotic power of the Abyss within me had stabilized since I lapsed into unconsciousness for several days last time. But I could faintly sense… its “capacity” seemed to have grown larger, and today I felt that familiar “hunger” that was slightly different from just being hungry. Though it wasn’t strong yet, it was well within my tolerance.
But if there’s an opportunity to eat, why should I hold back…
Consuming the two birds satisfied me. I lingered on the terrace for a while, hoping to see more birds or some other creature land in my palm, but nothing came.
Before long, I began to sweat from the heat.
Furrowing my brows, I pondered for a moment before my eyes lit up, turning to present my right hand in front of me, a thin blue glow blossoming on the terrace.
Smaller… even smaller… imagine the feeling from when I saved Aili…
Good…
That should be about the limit.
Puff—
A burst of ice mist erupted from my palm.
The vines on the railing rustled violently in the wind, even the furniture on the terrace shook abruptly. At that moment, I quickly stepped into the still-dissipating ice mist, tilted my head back, closed my eyes, and lifted my skirt, swirling around.
… So refreshing!
“Hehe.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I suddenly recalled my female friends from my past life, who would sometimes spray perfume like this. An idea clicked, and I thought I’d give it a try—sure enough, it worked wonders. It didn’t freeze my clothes, and afterward, there was no need to clean up; a little ice mist would evaporate quickly on its own.
Oh, I’m such a clever little thing~
“Ha ha ha.”
Huh?
I suddenly stopped, my eyes slowly opening.
The ice mist gradually dissipated before me, leaving a thin layer of silver covering the nearby vines and railing… but I couldn’t care less about that now. I looked around, a bit puzzled.
Just now… was someone laughing?
Flap flap—
Suddenly, I heard the sound of wings flapping above me.
!
I quickly looked up.
A huge black crow was flying rapidly overhead, circling around before diving down sharply, landing gracefully on the railing in front of me.
“Caw—”
It squawked, tilting its head, its scarlet eyes fixed on me.
“… Goat cheese?” I tentatively called out.
The black crow didn’t react, merely staring at me.
Wait…
It’s not goat cheese.
