The moment Donna’s lips left Aier’s cheek, the burning sensation and the lingering, unique scent of Aier at the tip of her nose jolted her frozen mind back into motion.
Ahhhhh! What did I just do again?!
In front of everyone! I kissed Aier!!!
A huge wave of molten embarrassment, panic, and helplessness instantly flooded Donna’s mind!
Her cheeks turned bright red, like a ripe apple, and it was as if steam was rising from her golden hair!
Her orange eyes were filled with terror and confusion, completely overshadowing her earlier anger.
She looked like a rabbit that had suddenly realized she’d made a huge mistake, not daring to meet Aier or Mary’s eyes.
Then she let out a muffled wail—“Waaah!”—and covered her face, dashing off like a bolt of golden lightning, even faster than before, fleeing in utter defeat and disappearing into the crowd.
“Ahaha…” Mary shrugged, a rare hint of helplessness flashing in her emerald eyes. “Even I didn’t expect her… hmm, to be so ‘aggressive’ and to react so intensely.”
To avoid bringing Aier even more unnecessary attention, the one who started all this ended up being the one to clean up the mess.
Mary waved her hand with a big-sisterly aura, easily shooing away the students who had gathered to watch the commotion. “Nothing to see here! Go eat your lunch!”
With that, Mary winked at Aier. “Little junior, looks like today really isn’t the best time for a ‘deeper conversation.’ Next time, when you’ve recovered~”
She turned with a flourish, her long pink hair drawing an arc behind her, and melted into the stream of students heading for the main building.
On the quiet, secluded path, only Aier was left.
The two distinctly different warm imprints lingering on her cheeks left her frozen in place as if under a spell.
Where am I?
Who am I?
What am I doing?
Aier: (º﹃º)
Aier’s brain was about to overheat.
“Yo, our little cutie… really is popular, huh~”
A voice she knew all too well, tinged with teasing, sounded from behind her, but to Aier, that heavenly voice was like a thunderclap.
Aier’s drifting soul snapped back instantly. She jolted and hurriedly turned toward the voice.
It was Ailei!
She leaned against a nearby decorative Roman Column.
The afternoon sunlight outlined her sharp silver-haired profile and the gentle curves beneath her butler’s uniform.
But at this moment, that ever-icy, perfectly sculpted butler’s face actually wore a genuine mischievous grin.
“A-Ailei… Butler?” Aier was a bit dazzled by that smile, instinctively using the honorific. Her heart was still pounding from the shock just now.
At her words, the mischievous grin at Ailei’s lips froze for a moment.
An extremely rare hint of… displeasure? flickered across her face.
Her deep blue eyes fixed intently on Aier. “Aier, what did I say last time you should call me when it’s just the two of us?”
“Uh… A-Ailei sis?” Aier hurriedly corrected herself in a small voice.
A barely audible “Mm” slipped from Ailei’s nose, so light it could’ve been an illusion.
The corners of her tightly pressed lips lifted in a tiny arc, and the subtle pressure in the air instantly dissipated.
Much better.
Noticing Ailei’s expression softening, Aier finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.
If it’s Ailei, then there’s nothing to worry about—Ailei could be trusted.
But before she could celebrate, another, even scarier thought struck Aier!
Right, there was still a spy nearby!
She tensed up instinctively, her green eyes anxiously darting around, like a startled fawn searching for hidden traps.
“Don’t bother,” Ailei’s voice returned to its usual calm, with a knowing smile. “I already had her leave before I came.”
In other words, the spy that Xie Yier had planted by Aier’s side didn’t witness the intimate scene between Aier and those two girls.
As expected!
Aier knew it—there really was a spy planted by her side. No wonder Xie Yier always knew exactly what happened to her at the Academy.
Luckily, Ailei sis had appeared just in time and sent the spy away.
Seeing Aier’s obvious sigh of relief, Ailei deliberately slowed her speech, lowering her voice with a touch of elegant mischief. “But… you do know what this means, don’t you, little cutie?”
Aier tensed. “Eh?”
“If I wanted to report everything truthfully, our Duke… would know all about how you were so passionately welcomed by two beautiful upperclasswomen tonight~”
She deliberately emphasized “report everything truthfully” and “passionately welcomed,” enjoying the way Aier’s face went from pale, to terrified, to bright red in an instant.
“Eh?! T-then, Ailei sis… please, I’m begging you…” Aier panicked, her voice full of genuine pleading as she imagined the hellish scene that would follow if Xie Yier found out. Her emerald eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she looked at Ailei.
Ailei was thoroughly amused by Aier’s pitiful expression.
So easy to tease. She really was just joking, after all.
How could she ever do anything to harm Aier?
“Relax, if I really planned to do that, I wouldn’t have told you.” Ailei smiled and ruffled Aier’s golden hair. “My Lady heard you fainted this morning and specially sent me to check on you.”
Hearing that Xie Yier wouldn’t find out what had just happened, Aier’s nerves finally relaxed, like a taut string slowly going slack.
Thank goodness, Ailei sis is on my side! She really is someone I can trust!
Within Ailei’s familiar aura of safety, Aier finally felt like she’d found a safe harbor where she could let her guard down.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally let out all the confusion and frustration she’d bottled up all day, her voice low and weary, less a complaint now and more a lost plea for answers.
“Ailei sis, what do you think is going on?” Aier’s voice was soft, almost like she was talking to herself. “I really tried to avoid them… so why do they still do things like this…”
She frowned slightly, her eyes filled with genuine confusion.
Ailei listened quietly, and in the depths of her calm, deep eyes, a very complex light flickered.
Why else? That face of yours, that innocent yet stubborn look… it’s a spark that ignites some people’s possessiveness.
Mary and Donna are like that, Duke Sheiyl is like that, and even I…
“Little Aier, there’s no need to worry too much. It’s just that some people… have their own special ways of expressing closeness.”
But in the end, Ailei didn’t voice her true thoughts, only offered a few gentle words of comfort.
After confirming that Aier was alright, Ailei chatted with her a little longer, then soon left as well.