21~ The Ultimate Cure for Insomnia
“I never said that!” Tillysha immediately denied, not even knowing herself why she was reacting so intensely. Though she had no memory of ever saying such a thing, it felt like being exposed for some dark past, causing her to react fiercely.
“Don’t make stuff up, it never happened.” Not really, it wasn’t about exposing old secrets. Who would willingly accept such embarrassing fabrications about themselves?
“Uh-huh~ If little Sha says it didn’t happen, then it didn’t.”
What a dismissive response.
“Now get out.”
“Aww, are you really going to send your sister away?” Bilodis put on an exaggeratedly heartbroken face. No one could figure out why this centuries-old woman could act so much.
No matter how hard Tillysha tried to shoo her away, Bilodis couldn’t be moved, so Tillysha just stood there glaring at the clothes displayed around the room. She grabbed a silk coat at random, didn’t even bother to take off her pajamas, and threw the coat over herself.
“Is this okay now?” Tillysha’s tone was fairly dismissive; she didn’t really like this kind of coat-style garment either.
“Changing your look without changing the essence won’t do, little Sha!” Striding confidently with long, elegant steps, Bilodis approached Tillysha, her slender white legs stepping gracefully. “Sleepwear plus coat, going outside dressed like this would get you laughed at by the animals in the courtyard!”
“Come on, little Sha, let me help you pick out something proper.” Bilodis, smiling sweetly, walked over to a red palace-style fish-tail dress, pinching the hem.
“I’ve already said I don’t need help; I’ll pick something myself.”
“This formal gala dress from the Empire is supposedly custom-made for the daughter of a marquis’s house, and since little Sha loves human culture so much, this would suit you perfectly.”
Tillysha glanced at the dress Bilodis was holding and immediately looked away, with a look of disdain, as if instinctively rejecting Bilodis’s taste. “Red and green? Ugh, garish.”
“Ah, no problem. If you don’t like that, we can try another. How about this pastel-pink kimono-style overcoat? It was quite trendy in the demi-human world, I hear.” Bilodis continued to introduce smilingly.
“Looks like something a baby would wear, wearing this out and you might get someone handing you a lollipop on the street.” Tillysha crossed her arms over her generous bust and squinted as she snarked. “After all, you’ve been around for hundreds of years, how can your taste still be so childish?”
“…………Ah, ah… Little Sha, what are you saying? I am still a young maiden, you know!” Upon hearing this, Bilodis’s eye seemed to twitch slightly, but then she covered her mouth and smiled elegantly.
“Hundreds of years old and still calling yourself a young maiden? In human terms, that’d already be called an auntie.” Tillysha continued to bicker with Bilodis, as if once she started, she simply couldn’t stop, reacting to every sentence from Bilodis with her own comeback.
“Hehehe… In that case, by human standards, wouldn’t you, little Sha, also be considered an old lady?”
“Who told you that? I’m not even twenty yet!”
“Alright, alright… If you don’t like this style, how about another? This is the ‘Wind’s Creation,’ a traditional elf gown. The top part is white, gradually transitioning to light green, with a cloak and embroidered with blue roses at the bust, so it really suits you.”
“Which is why I’m telling you, your sense of style is outdated, just like your expiry date.” Tillysha said expressionlessly.
“…………Ah, alright, then let’s try another one, this one’s a really nice Lolita outfit with an umbrella.”
“Probably only you would think I’d look good in something like this.” Tillysha lifted her elegant white neck and arched an eyebrow. “At a glance, this thing seems even bigger than XL, and I’m not that fat. How could it fit properly? It’d be all loose on me.”
“But you have good eyesight, this outfit fits you quite well.” Tillysha even seriously compared the size of Bilodis against the outfit with her hands.
“…………..Ah, ah… Little Sha shouldn’t say things without basis. Where am I fat?” Bilodis smiled and tilted her head. “Saying things like this without proof is not allowed.”
“I’m just telling the truth.” Tillysha replied nonchalantly. “Anyway, do you have a weighing scale here? If you do, we could compare who’s lighter and who’s heavier.”
Even without the comparison, it was pretty obvious.
Tillysha was already a prodigy in the heavyweight category, but then again, there’s always someone bigger. The current Elf Empress, Bilodis, topped her in size, which made Tillysha think back to a certain mobile game from her previous life where people called themselves ‘fat travelers.’
Seriously, Bilodis wasn’t fat; she had an incredibly perfect hourglass figure. However, due to the sheer size, she gave off a rather ‘chubby’ vibe.
“If you lived in our world, you’d probably have a tough time,” Tillysha suddenly chuckled.
“Eh?”
“Because you’d have to take the stairs. Elevators wouldn’t carry your weight; they probably wouldn’t even move under your weight.”
Bilodis kept smiling. “Little Sha, making fun of someone’s weight isn’t polite.”
“But stairs wouldn’t be great for you either, the steps might consider you a heavyweight, and maintaining balance would be tricky. You might accidentally slip or crush the step, and if you started rolling down, there’d be no stopping.”
Bilodis just stared at Tillysha as she laughed at her own joke, not speaking a word.
They ended up trying on several more outfits, but without exception, Tillysha didn’t approve of Bilodis’s taste, and didn’t just disapprove, she had something snarky or scathing to say every time about it. Sometimes, she wouldn’t even bother commenting, just looking away with an audible ‘Tsk’.
Bilodis persevered through it all with her composed and amiable smile, never contradicting Tillysha.
People and elves alike have their social faces, appropriate for different crowds. Perhaps Tillysha herself didn’t realize it, but when facing Bilodis, she was extremely ‘uninhibited,’ almost to the point of saying whatever came to her mind.
Ultimately, Tillysha didn’t accept any of the clothes Bilodis had picked. She chose a simple, cool, and minimalist elf gown herself. The top was a light ruffled cropped top, and the bottom was a light-colored short skirt with white knee-high socks.
Being chosen in the palace, the material and craftsmanship were naturally top-notch.
Tillysha didn’t dislike those opulent and ornate outfits; if needed, wearing them at banquets would be suitable etiquette. But she still preferred simple and comfortable clothing.
“Alright, I’m done changing,” Tillysha said as she stepped out of the dressing chamber, tugging at her dress.
“It’s unbecoming for a girl to do that, little Sha. Make sure you’re properly dressed before stepping out,” remarked Bilodis as gently as before.
“I’m not a girl,” Tillysha muttered, averting her eyes.
Of course, she understood all the etiquette rules. She usually followed them when in public, not being this careless. But for some reason…
In front of Bilodis, she just wanted to counter her remarks.
It might be inappropriate to say so, but it was akin to a rebellious child.
Perhaps she still harbored some resentment toward Bilodis. Or maybe, since the hairpin wasn’t in her possession, the form she transformed into was not entirely complete, leading to a personality more akin to Dillin?
While Tillysha was contemplating this, Bilodis walked up to her with her hands gently clasped in front of her belly and took her hand.
“? What are you doing?” Tillysha startled as she felt the softness of the two palms enveloping her hand.
“It’s getting late, little Sha, you’re tired. Even though the time flow here is different from the outside, you should rest.”
“Rest? Sure, then could you please escort me out?” Tillysha pouted. “It’s not my bed, so I can’t sleep.”
“Not your bed, huh?” Bilodis’ tone carried a deeper meaning. “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be able to sleep. Your sister will make sure you fall asleep.”
“You’re responsible for making me sleep? What does that mean?” Tillysha was confused but sensed an ominous sign.
Elves didn’t need much sleep anyway; adopting the habit of regular rest was borrowed from humans. Even if she skipped one night, it wouldn’t significantly affect Tillysha’s energy.
She didn’t quite understand what Bilodis meant.
Bilodis didn’t bother explaining, smiling enigmatically as she took Tillysha’s hand and headed towards the rear hall.
The rear hall, opposite the entrance of the main hall where the throne was located, was reserved exclusively for the elven empress’s rest. The back hall consisted of several smaller palaces, the largest and tallest of which was the empress’s own.
It was also built from Golden Wood.
Golden Wood was an incredibly magical and precious building material, unique to the elves, and generally not exported as a trade item.
“I said, let go first.” Even though Bilodis didn’t apply much force, Tillysha somehow couldn’t free herself, frowning slightly.
“Besides, how long do you plan to keep me here? I’ve already told you, I’m not your little sister anymore.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. Come with me.” Bilodis gave no direct answer but kept nodding and smiling leading Tillysha ahead.
They passed through a few palaces and palaces, with the main palace standing centrally as if embraced by the smaller ones. Around it, golden sunflower beds and laurel trees were planted in a regular pattern, and the fresh air was unmatched by heavily populated human towns.
Walking into the palace smoothly, Tillysha felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity as she observed every plant and tree around her, allowing herself to be led by Bilodis up the stairs.
“Here we are,” arriving at the upper floor, the view of the palace courtyard was unobstructed from this balcony, revealing each flower and tree in vivid detail.
Tillysha’s eyes fell on the large velvet bed placed in the center of the spacious room.
This bed was more than ample for five people.
“Alright, time for bed~” Bilodis led Tillysha to the bed, gently pushing her shoulder and easing her down to sit on the edge.
“Little Sha said earlier she’s been suffering from insomnia, right?” Bilodis asked with a beaming smile.
“Insomnia? When did I say I had insomnia?”
“You just mentioned that you couldn’t sleep, right? So, take off your shoes and lie down nicely.” Bilodis smiled with an unsettling glint and said softly.
“Sister will help you tonight, to cure your insomnia~” Then Bilodis leaned close to Tillysha’s ear, her slender hand playing with a strand of her hair, her voice seductive as she breathed gently onto Tillysha’s earlobe.
“I think I’ll pass, I don’t need it.” Tillysha shifted back.
“How can you not need it? Little Sha must be exhausted but can’t sleep; it feels terrible, yes? I have a technique that works wonders for insomnia.” Ignoring Tillysha’s resistance, Bilodis supported herself gracefully on the bed, cornering Tillysha in the center.
“Living in human society, irregular sleep schedule, staying up late, overeating, and eating whatever human foods, these habits and lifestyles aren’t good.”
“To some people, you can eat whatever and still not gain weight. But there are those who stay in the secret realm, drink nectar and grow bigger, what can you do?” Tillysha said, eyeing Bilodis.
“Yes, little Sha doesn’t gain weight. Good~”
“You, this must be retaliation? I didn’t say anything mean, I was just speaking the objective truth…”
“What retaliation? I’m not mad; what’s your problem~?”
“…” Seeing that relentless bright smile, Tillysha got the feeling something bad was about to happen.
“Come on, let’s take those shoes off.” Apparently finding Tillysha’s hesitance frustrating, Bilodis bent over, holding Tillysha’s ankle, and pulled her shoe off.
“We’re going to cure your insomnia now.” After taking her own strappy high heels off and getting onto the bed, Bilodis said that while also gently pinching Tillysha’s skirt hem to stop her from sliding away. “Let’s begin.”
“I don’t want to; I suddenly feel like I can sleep again.” Tillysha replied composedly.
“Can sleep? That’s great, but wouldn’t you like a deeper more restful nap~?”
“No thanks……..”
“Come on, sister here, what are you so shy about? Don’t move.” After tying her soft golden hair into a high ponytail, Bilodis knelt on one knee on the bed and moved behind Tillysha.
“What are you going to do?” Tillysha wanted to break free. Although she still maintained a calm expression, she was beginning to panic. Unfortunately, her attempts were futile.
“Good girl, little Sha.” Speaking, Bilodis deftly grabbed the white silk stockings at Tillysha’s thigh roots, curving her knee slightly, and gradually peeled it off Tillysha’s full, white leg.
Just when Tillysha was puzzled about what she would do next, Bilodis folded the stockings in half and, to prevent Tillysha from struggling, wrapped her white, slender legs around Tillysha’s waist from behind.
Then, she gently blindfolded Tillysha with the stockings.
“Half-transparent might not cover well enough, folding in half works better. Can you still see anything, little Sha~?”
“WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!” Now blindfolded, the alarms bells in Tillysha’s mind were ringing full force. She began to squirm, but to no avail……
