Chapter 82

“Chirp chirp——”

“Chirp chirp——”

The clock bird on the wall chimed on time, and Liu Yu opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling for a long while before realizing she was no longer in her cramped apartment in the northern capital.

She was on the Elven Continent, a magical world teeming with mystics.

The down quilt brought by the Fergus Family was light and soft. Liu Yu nuzzled her face against it before throwing off the covers and stepping down the stairs of the bed.

Mary, the princess with short brown hair, was half-buried in her blanket, sleeping like a little pig. Liu Yu called out half-heartedly:

“Mary, time to wake up.”

“Kitty! Get lost!”

So Liu Yu grabbed her toothbrush cup and got lost.

She went to the bathroom to freshen up.

The mushroom house only housed two people, with a private bathroom. Outside, there was a guest hall decorated in a minimalist, fresh style, with a few chairs scattered around.

Liu Yu stood in front of the mirror and washed her face thoroughly.

The reflection showed a young woman in her prime, with plump cheeks, smooth skin, and eyes so bright they seemed to hold stars.

Liu Yu smiled at herself, hung up the towel, and reached for a jar of lanolin cream and a pot of flower balm from the small basket by the sink.

The lanolin cream was solid, a small jar that required only a tiny scoop to apply to her face, neck, and hands.

A single jar cost four hundred Luso, enough to sustain an ordinary family of three for a year.

But Liu Yu bought it anyway.

It worked wonders. The potions in this world were surprisingly effective, and the skincare products were no exception. Rumor had it that the lanolin cream even contained a hint of divine magic.

Liu Yu knew all too well the benefits of beauty. It often turned her tasks from hard mode to easy mode.

As for the other jars and pots of flower balm—red, pink, blue, green—there was every color imaginable.

In every world, women never tired of turning their faces into a palette, eager to add color to their features.

Liu Yu studied her reflection for a moment and decided against it. Her natural beauty didn’t need such embellishments—

Adding makeup would only make her look artificial.

But…

She frowned and decided to trim her eyebrows.

After tidying her brows, she braided her hair, pulling two strands from the middle and weaving them down, securing them with a clip. The mirror now showed a woman with an exotic charm, her face fully revealed.

An oval face, fair skin, and azure eyes that could drown anyone who looked into them.

But it felt a bit too formal.

Liu Yu carefully pulled out two strands to frame her cheeks. Her golden hair had a slight curl, and the two loose strands added a touch of softness and sensuality.

Satisfied, she packed away all the jars and pots, tidied the counter, and slipped into a pure white gauze dress:

She wanted to match Gaia’s color.

Gaia always wore white, likely because his aura was so striking that others only prepared white clothes for him.

The hem of the dress was embroidered with silver threads forming four-leaf clovers. As she walked, the flowers seemed to appear and disappear, as if she were heading to a grand feast.

If tonight went well, it would indeed be a feast.

There was a bonfire party at Lake Berna that evening, hosted by the deans to welcome the new students.

Liu Yu tucked a small gourd close to her body.

“Princess Mary, I’m off to class.”

The clock bird stuck out its sickly green tongue and chirped a few more times. Mary threw a pillow:

“Get lost!”

“Goodbye then.”

Liu Yu obediently pushed the door open and left.

Walking onto the lush green lawn, she was surprised to find it quiet outside. Even the dorm supervisor was dozing off with a long ruler in hand.

It seemed everyone was exhausted from yesterday, or perhaps too excited, tossing and turning until dawn before finally falling asleep.

Liu Yu lifted her skirt and walked out, deciding to wait by the boys’ dorm—

She wanted to have breakfast with Gaia.

The boys’ dorm was equally silent.

Liu Yu stood under a locust tree by the entrance, gazing at the gray sky—it wasn’t yet dawn. It was a habit she’d had since childhood.

Humming a tune when alone made things feel livelier.

“That’s lovely.”

Someone emerged from the dorm—it was Prince Carlo.

He looked at her:

“Good morning, Miss Fergus.”

“Good morning, Prince Carlo.”

The girl greeted him playfully, pleased to see the spark of admiration in his amber eyes. “Could you do me a favor and check if Mr. Lesley is still inside? If he is, please tell him I’m waiting outside.”

“Mr. Lesley? He left a while ago,” Carlo said with a regretful smile. “We share a room.”

“…Oh.”

The girl’s face fell instantly, her ears drooping like a kitten abandoned by its owner.

Carlo suddenly felt the urge to pat her head.

A girl who could be so heartbroken over a man might not be as the rumors in the city claimed.

Dejected, the girl turned to leave.

“—Wait,” Carlo called out suddenly. “Mr. Lesley said he was going to watch the sunrise.”

“Thank you! You’re so kind!”

Her eyes curved into a smile, revealing eight pearly teeth. She waved at him, lifted her skirt, and hurried off with a series of “tap tap tap” steps.

Carlo caught a glimpse of her slender, pale ankles and the delicate golden heels on her feet.

Goodness, she looked like an angel, absolutely stunning.

Liu Yu hadn’t expected that when she stopped clinging to the prince like her original self, he’d actually warm up to her.

She was still pondering where Gaia might have gone to watch the sunrise.

If there was a best spot for sunrise viewing, it would be the Starwatch Tower to the north. It was said to be the favorite spot for those studying the divine art of “Foresight”—

The highest point, with the best views, where one could observe the stars at night.

She circled around, walking for a good ten minutes before reaching the Starwatch Tower.

A few Foresight deans waved at her with a smile:

“Hey, dear angel, come join us to watch the sunrise!”

Liu Yu scanned the terrace but didn’t see the person she was looking for. She shook her head: “No, thank you. I’m looking for someone.”

She turned and left.

The staircase down was long, with the Starwatch Tower nearly a hundred meters high. Wearing heels, by the time she reached the ground, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.

She glanced at her heels—they were a bit red and chafed.

She pressed on.

The classroom building.

The stables.

The library.

Finally, Lake Berna.

By now, she had practically traversed the entire Academy of Light. She had passed Lake Berna earlier, but now she decided to cross the embankment to the dining hall. She wasn’t planning to search anymore.

She’d see him in class later.

Her heels were probably bleeding. A “duck egg yolk” hue began to rise on the horizon, and the earth slowly awakened.

But Liu Yu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Her slightly labored breath tightened for a moment, then steadied.

By the pavilion at Lake Berna stood two people.

The girl’s white cotton dress fluttered in the wind, its hem brushing against the man’s white silk trousers. They stood side by side, the green willows swaying gently, the morning glow casting a soft light on them, as if they were part of the serene lake scenery.

Gentle and timeless.

Natasi and Gaia.

Liu Yu’s eyes seemed stung by the sudden sunlight—

She blinked away the tears brought on by the glare, smoothed her hair and dress, and walked over with graceful steps.

Gaia seemed to have said something, and Natasi covered her mouth with a laugh. She stood on tiptoe, seemingly fixing his wind-tousled hair.

“Natasi.”

Liu Yu called out.

She felt a pang of displeasure, like a hunter whose territory had been invaded.

This displeasure manifested in her voice, sharp and tense.

Natasi flinched like a startled rabbit, her face turning pale:

“Beiliya… sister?”

“What are you doing here?”

Natasi shrank under her gaze but quickly regained her composure.

She had come to watch the sunrise too.

“I happened to run into Mr. Lesley here, so we watched the sunrise together.”

“What a coincidence, it seems.”

Natasi nodded, unsuspecting:

“Yes, it really was.”

“…I left early in the morning and went to see the Poof-Poof tree in the garden. There, I met Mr. Lesley casting a divine spell on the tree. It was amazing—the tree perked up instantly. I left, but then I saw Mr. Lesley again on Marling Road… I went back to change my apron and came to Lake Berna to watch the sunrise, and there he was again… It was really lucky.”

Liu Yu: …

She glanced at her bloodied heel and suddenly understood with perfect clarity those stepsisters who forced their ill-fitting feet into glass slippers.

She had sought and sought, walking on blistered feet, only to find it in the end—

And yet, this person had obtained it so effortlessly.

The purer and kinder Natasi's smile was, the more Liu Yu wanted to grip her chin and shatter that innocence.

Why?n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Am I destined to have a miserable fate?

She asked herself.

Liu Yu admitted that, by nature, she was indeed a villainous antagonist, and there was no saving her.

"Move aside."

Liu Yu rudely stepped between the two.

Natasi was pushed to the side, looking at her with red, rabbit-like eyes, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Liu Yu turned her head away, ignoring her, and when she faced Gaia, her voice instantly softened:

"Gaia, why didn't you wait for me?"

"Wait for you? Why?"

Gaia was genuinely curious.

"No reason, I just like it," Liu Yu said, unable to read his expression. "Good friends should stick together, right?"

In those few sentences, she had completely brushed away the sentimentality that had briefly surfaced in her heart.

For her, wallowing in self-pity was utterly meaningless.

"Sorry," Gaia said, unaware of the emotional turmoil his friend had just experienced. He shook his head, "I think every pair of friends has a different way of interacting, don't they?"

"Alright," Liu Yu shrugged, "then I'll wait for you every day."

"Beiliya—"

Gaia called her name disapprovingly.

But Liu Yu was already smiling softly.

"Gaia," she said sweetly, yet with a hint of stubbornness, "you can't stop me."

"Fine," Gaia sighed deeply, "then I'll wait for you."

"Let's go have breakfast, I'm hungry."

She naturally took Gaia's hand and, noticing Natasi's increasingly pale face, blinked, "Natasi, dear, it's a private moment, so please give us some space."

"But... Mr. Leslie said you and he aren't lovers—"

Natasi blurted out.

"You two had quite the deep conversation," Liu Yu said to Gaia, half-teasing, half-accusing.

"Miss Leonard asked," Gaia replied, which was entirely in line with his character.

Liu Yu felt a slight discomfort, but it quickly faded.

She pointed to Prince Carlo, who was approaching with a bright smile, "Natasi, your target is over there. Didn't you tell me the other day that you liked Prince Carlo and danced with him all night at the coming-of-age ball...?"

Prince Carlo, hearing this, widened his eyes:

"You... you're that... elven princess?"

He looked at Natasi in disbelief.

But Natasi was already overwhelmed.

She didn't understand how Beiliya could know! That night had been so magical, she had thought it was just a beautiful dream and had never told anyone.

Natasi felt that her stepsister's smile was as terrifying as a demon's.

By then, Liu Yu had already taken Gaia to the dining hall.

A cup of cocoa, a French crepe, and a slice of fried sausage—Liu Yu finished them quickly.

Gaia ate gracefully, his movements natural and elegant, making the cutlery seem more valuable in his beautiful hands.

Liu Yu propped her chin on her hand, watching him, and noticed that he didn't show any particular preference for the food.

He was always polite, yet emotionally detached—a "pseudo-human." Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted the loss of his eyesight without complaint.

"What do you feel when you see Natasi?"

She suddenly asked out of curiosity.

"She wants me, with a desperate, intense desire—it makes me uncomfortable," Gaia said slowly, "I can see it."

"Pfft—"

Liu Yu spat out her cocoa, "You can see it?"

How terrifying.

Natasi probably had no idea that her feelings were exposed, her infatuation laid bare before him. It was destined to be a hopeless chase.

But then again, adoration was common for a deity, nothing special. He wouldn't cherish it, which was why, in the original story, he granted Natasi eternal life but never stayed with her.

A god should stand alone in the clouds, because he sees too clearly.

"Yes, I can see it.—But she is a devout believer," Gaia added, as if remembering something.

Liu Yu almost saw a halo of light above his head.

"What about me?"

She had a feeling that after learning divine magic, his "prayer-hearing" ability had evolved.

"You? You're strange, I still can't see..."

Gaia reached out his hand, almost precisely landing on her chest, separated by a layer of emptiness, "...Not just prayers, but stronger intentions, desires, emotions—I can sense them all. But, Beiliya, you're the only one I can't."

He put down his half-finished glass of milk, a bit of milk foam sticking to the corner of his mouth, making him look adorably... clueless.

And the clueless boy was still asking:

"Why?"

Liu Yu stood up, leaned over the narrow table, and kissed the corner of his mouth. Amid the excited gasps of countless students and teachers, she pulled back:

"Want to know?"

Gaia nodded.

"Then stay with me until you figure it out, how about that?"

Gaia touched his lips with his fingers, then nodded belatedly, only to shake his head again:

"That won't do."

"Why not?"

"People should be free. And... Beiliya, don't joke like that anymore. I don't like it."

"You don't like it—do you not like me kissing you, or do you not like me?"

"I don't like you like this," he said matter-of-factly.

"Then what kind do you like? I'll change."

The girl asked shamelessly.

"I... don't know," the boy said, his face still blank with confusion.

But after a moment, he stubbornly added:

"The person I like should have a pure heart, unwavering faith. She should be gentle, kind, pure, dignified..."

Liu Yu: ...

What a clueless straight guy.

"...She would love me with a heart as clear as a diamond, never deceiving or mocking me..."

Liu Yu gritted her teeth and decided to add an extra drop to his medicine tonight as payback.

Nickname: