“Why isn’t it taking effect?!”
“Drink it already, quick!”
Tillysha pretended to sip her tea while watching Bilodis from the corner of her eye. Just then, as Bilodis parted her lips to sip her tea, her mouth grazed the rim of the cup, and the tea slowly flowed into her cherry-petal-like lips and down her throat.
A mischievous smile crept onto Tillysha’s face. Seeing that Bilodis had drunk the tea she had tampered with, her joy was close to overflowing.
“Oops, it’s quite bad now. I forgot to warn her that this cup of water was ‘accidentally’ drizzled with a potion. Now it’s too late to warn her, I might as well not warn her at all.”
Tillysha took another sip of the bitter tea, but her heart felt sweeter than honey.
“What’s got you so happy, Tillysha?”
“Huh? Am I happy?” Tillysha kept her expression calm as she locked eyes with Bilodis, her mind untroubled. “Just being around someone like you, I can’t help but feel annoyed.”
“Is that so…?” Bilodis rested her chin on her hand and gave Tillysha a radiant smile, as if she could see right through her, knowing that no secrets could be hidden from her.
Tillysha was acting well enough, but it was the lack of dramatics that made it unnatural.
Back in the day, Tillysha would not utter a word upon seeing Bilodis, her face either sullen or turned away without a single comment.
Even though Bilodis had lost her memories, she knew her sister too well. With just a flick of her hips or a twitch of her legs, Bilodis would know what mischief Tillysha was up to.
Tillysha glanced calmly at the scenery around her, pretending not to be paying attention to Bilodis at all. However, her actions betrayed her emotions.
Tillysha disliked bitter tastes, especially this bitter and astringent tea. Compared to this tea, she preferred sweetened white tea or black tea, always paired with pastries during afternoon tea.
Now, the tea was untouched after two sips and left aside.
Bilodis seemed to be fully focused on tasting the tea, but her attention was actually on Tillysha’s every move.
Even though she had confirmed that this person was indeed her younger sister, she still wanted to be cautious and run further tests. The third test was the nectar tea.
If it were really Tillysha, she should have a strong aversion to this kind of tea.
Her initial reactions were correct, but ever since her brief absence, Tillysha’s behavior had completely changed.
She would pick up the teacup from time to time, absentmindedly looking at the scenery, and then turn her gaze back.
What was going on?
Bilodis knew that Tillysha’s actions were likely due to anxiety or uneasiness, leading to subconscious drinking. But there was another possibility.
This Tillysha may not dislike the bitter taste.
Although the possibility was very small, if that were the case…
A flicker of concealed coldness and severity flashed in Bilodis’s eyes.
Even the slightest chance needed to be ruled out.
Tillysha guessed one thing correctly. Bilodis would not tolerate putting in tremendous effort, time, and energy just to end up with an incorrect result.
She would never allow a strange soul to occupy her sister’s body.
All kindness and tolerance were based on the premise that “this person is Tillysha.” If this premise were false or violated, she couldn’t guarantee what extreme actions she might take.
These days weren’t solely about helping Tillysha with unblocking her meridians and casual banter; they were the time for Bilodis to conduct strict scrutiny and verification.
If the results were not as expected, what Bilodis might do could be even more terrifying than what Tillysha could imagine. Of course, Bilodis would never reveal these thoughts to Tillysha.
The blue-eyed blonde elf kept her calm smile while quietly observing Tillysha.
Unaware of Bilodis’s rich psychological changes and concealed thoughts, Tillysha continued to feign drinking while secretly observing Bilodis. Her eyes occasionally wandered toward the side as she pretended to appreciate the scenery. Seeing that Bilodis drank another sip of tea, she couldn’t help but curve the corners of her mouth into a perfect arch when Bilodis wasn’t looking.
There’s no turning back now.
But this was not the end. She had something more in store to make Bilodis embarrassed.
“Miss Bilodis, is life in the Secret Realm all about drinking tea and enjoying the scenery, and then sleeping?”
“Occasionally, we engage in a bit of entertainment.” answered Bilodis.
“Really? What kind of entertainment?”
“Chess.” responded Bilodis.
“Ahh, chess.” Tillysha tilted her head, feigning boredom. “So boring. How do the elves play chess? Teach me, let’s play one round.”
“Of course, we can.” Bilodis smiled without questioning why Tillysha suddenly wanted to play chess with her.
Shortly after, the maid, Lailyn, arrived in the courtyard with the chessboard and pieces.
How did she know they wanted to play chess?
Tillysha could figure out Bilodis had informed Lailyn, but how exactly, she couldn’t imagine.
Sitting with Bilodis, nothing noticeable happened. Could it be mind communication?
“The way of playing chess for elves is vastly different from that of humans, Miss Tillysha. I wonder how much you remember.” Bilodis explained the rules to Tillysha, who observed every aspect of Bilodis’ expression and behavior.
Even if Bilodis played the role impeccably, the physiological discomfort would inevitably show up as abnormality or impatience in her minor actions or facial expressions, and no one could avoid it.
What puzzled Tillysha somewhat was that Bilodis appeared perfectly normal, without any sign of urgency.
Has the effect not kicked in yet? No worries, just a bit more patience.
She simply couldn’t believe that even a fairy could be exempted from metabolism.
“Also, there is one rule different from humans: once the chess game for elves begins, it cannot be terminated without a reason.”
“If you want to play, strictly follow the rules. Vice versa, don’t play.”
Such a good deal!!
“Of course, rules must be upheld.” Tillysha’s heart was filled with joy, but on her face, she maintained indifference and serenity.
On the other side, Bilodis explained the chess rules while Tillysha listened attentively. Tillysha was serious about everything she did, following a meticulous habit even for things in which she had no interest—it was simply her character.
After finishing Bilodis’ explanation, Tillysha had a fairly good understanding of the chess rules. She could even make some reasonable derivations about certain rules that were not explained or were vague, and the probability was quite high that these were acceptable.
Tillysha had an excellent learning ability. Despite not having played this kind of chess before, her performance on the board was quite commendable. But facing Bilodis, a cunning gold elf with countless strategies, Bilodis’ mastery of this form of entertainment was almost unmatched.
Due to the experience factor, Bilodis performed a one-sided victory over Tillysha.
But that was all right because, although Tillysha hated losing, this was a necessary sacrifice.
Her goal wasn’t to win the chess game but to get even with Bilodis. So this did not count as a loss. Even if she lost this match, as long as she achieved her purpose, she would deem it a win.
Seeing Bilodis calmly placing chess pieces on the board without any sign of discomfort, Tillysha scoffed in her heart.
Let’s see how long this composed demeanor will last.
Keep pretending, just wait. There will be a moment for you to lose face.
“Miss servant, your name is Lailyn, right?” Noticing that Lailyn was about to leave, Tillysha suddenly called her out.
“Huh? Yes, Your Highness.”
“Are today’s maintenance chores done?”
“Some trivial things remain.” Despite not understanding why Tillysha suddenly became interested in her work progress, Lailyn still gave a polite and honest answer.
“If so, don’t rush to handle them. How about waiting until after our chess game?” Tillysha mentioned casually while placing the chess piece.
“If you wish, your highness.” Lailyn stopped in her tracks and, watching the two sisters sitting together peacefully playing chess, had a fleeting moment of déjà vu.
Tillysha had no idea what Lailyn was thinking. In her brain, there was only one thing—a larger audience to witness Bilodis’ embarrassment would be better. If even her direct subordinates ended up witnessing it, it might utterly destroy her authority!
Tillysha admitted her thoughts were somewhat venomous, but…
Over these days, her pride had been battered enough. Not only had she failed to match the “nourishment” and “excessive development” she once prided herself on, but her competitive streak drove her to win against this senior woman at any cost.
Thus, she employed a full defense strategy, striving wholeheartedly to delay Bilodis’ movements.
To delay; she intended to drag it out, regardless of the outcome on the chessboard. Although she was losing in the strategy game, she planned to dominate outside of it.
She already had a plan: once Bilodis intended to leave, she’d immediately grab Bilodis’ hand while smiling sweetly and say:
“The game isn’t finished yet, and Miss Bilodis mentioned that chess games cannot be arbitrarily terminated, right? Are you thinking of breaking the rules first? If so, consider this game as your loss.”
In any case, she had nothing to lose.
…Speaking of which, why hasn’t this cow of a fairy reacted yet?
Tillysha’s eyebrows began to crease together, and the speed of her chess piece placements slowed noticeably.
Bilodis’ attacks were exceptionally aggressive, and in order to counter her, Tillysha had to think deeply before making each move, which perfectly aligned with her goal of stalling time.
The elf chess, also known as flower chess, was divided into five stages: the initial phase, the early phase, the middle phase, the late phase, and the final position.
The game had passed the midpoint, meaning it had been half an hour. During this time, Bilodis frequently took small sips from her tea.
This shouldn’t be happening, right??
Tillysha’s countenance finally showed a change, but it didn’t escape Bilodis’ sharp eyes.
In fact, playing chess with Tillysha was also part of Bilodis observing her habits. Though Tillysha had lost her memory, certain muscular memories were etched deeply into the soul and not easy to alter.
Throughout the game, Bilodis’ attention seemed to be on the chessboard, but she was actually watching Tillysha’s demeanor closely.
Bilodis thought it was quite abnormal that Tillysha didn’t mind the bitterness of the ambrosia tea and even stranger that she proposed a game of chess. Now, catching a slight change in Tillysha’s expression, she pondered immediately.
Are these strange behaviors due to an incorrect result or because the girl has something up her sleeve?
She glanced at the current chess situation, realizing Tillysha was almost entirely down and out, yet she seemed not to care at all.
Is her sister this nonchalant about winning or losing?
Bilodis had her doubts.
So far, Bilodis felt Tillysha gave off a vibe that she didn’t want to win but also didn’t want to lose.
If it wasn’t due to a spiritual error, then…
Bilodis cast a quick gaze at the water cup in front of her, her gorgeous eyes curving into a crescent moon.
“Little Tillysha?”
“Huh? What is it?” Tillysha, engrossed in thinking about how to prolong the chess game, responded without looking up.
“You’ve drained your tea.”
“Uh-huh.” Tillysha, entirely absorbed in the chess game, paid no heed to Bilodis’ words.
“Little Tillysha seems to love ambrosia tea so much. My cup is still not finished, so let me share a bit with you~” She then proceeded without waiting for Tillysha’s consent and poured half of her cup into Tillysha’s.
“Huh.” Tillysha nodded absentmindedly.
No reaction??
Bilodis’ pupils flashed with barely concealed surprise and seriousness.
Not a flicker of facial change. Could it be that this cup isn’t tampered with, and she wasn’t trying to trick me??
She wasn’t guilty, yet her behavior deviates so much from her usual traits. Could it be that this soul isn’t…
“Huh?!” Just after placing her piece, Tillysha finally replayed Bilodis’ earlier words. Realizing too late, she found Bilodis already had poured half of her tea into her cup.
“No thanks, I don’t want it. You keep drinking.”
“Uh?” Upon hearing this, Bilodis quickly altered her train of thought, her smile thickening a little, followed by a seemingly puzzled expression. “Little Tillysha really enjoys tea, so why not now?”
“I’m not thirsty, you drink it.” Tillysha refused calmly.
Of course, she knew exactly what ingredients had been added—did elves drink those kinds of substances?
“Little Tillysha, drinking tea is not like drinking water. Does it matter whether you’re thirsty or not~?” Bilodis cheerfully pointed out the flaw in Tillysha’s excuse.
“Well, if Little Tillysha doesn’t want to drink, that’s fine. After all, there seems to be a different flavor in Sister’s cup this time, probably because Little Tillysha infused it with her full of love?” Bilodis said meaningfully with a playful tone.
Tillysha’s spine stiffened slightly, catching Bilodis’ innuendo.
You not drinking implies that you must’ve tampered with my cup. You have something to hide, that’s why you didn’t drink.
“Tch, such a grown-up and still behaving like a child.” Tillysha shot a glance at Bilodis, pretending not to care as she took a sip of the tea.
This act was not without reason.
If you drank it and were unharmed, I might as well drink, too.
Perhaps Bilodis accidentally mixed up fatigue reduction medicine with recovery medicine while preparing it.
