On the second morning at the orphanage, Iana sat up from the hard wooden bed, stretching and rubbing her waist, looking somewhat tired.
It was clear she hadn’t slept well the night before.
She patted the wooden board of the bed and muttered softly, “This is so uncomfortable. I wonder if Lillian’s delicate body can handle this kind of pain.”
Thinking about how Lillian had learned all the sensitive points of the Dragonkind under her guidance last night, Iana couldn’t help but smile.
“Now it’s Ethelrina’s turn to deal with this,” Iana’s lips curled up, as if she were a child pleased with a prank she had played.
Just as Iana was quietly amused, a “knock knock knock” came from outside the door.
“It’s… time for breakfast,” Lillian’s familiar voice rang out, tinged with a hint of shyness that revealed her inner restlessness.
“Got it.” Iana slipped out from under the covers, stretching out her pristine white legs and slipping her small feet into the slippers that were already prepared.
At this moment, Iana was wearing a black off-shoulder dress, decorated with black lace around the collar, evoking all sorts of imaginative thoughts.
Iana pushed open the door and saw that traces of last night’s blush still lingered on Lillian’s face, as if she hadn’t quite recovered from the previous night’s afterglow.
Iana was very pleased with Lillian’s current state.
This proved that Lillian had truly learned something, and perhaps even used her as an experiment last night.
“Let’s go.” Iana took the lead, heading towards the dining area.
Entering a wooden house at the center of the orphanage, the first thing to greet her eyes was a rather large round table surrounded by a few wooden chairs.
These simple furnishings were expected by Iana, but what made her a little uncomfortable was the figure in a silver-white, tight, high-slit gown that revealed long, slender legs, her arms adorned with silver-white silk gloves.
She was elegantly sampling some breakfast without deliberately glancing at Iana and the others, as if she hadn’t noticed them at all.
‘There’s something wrong,’ Iana thought, observing Ethelrina’s unusually quiet demeanor, unsure how to judge it.
Just a few days ago, Ethelrina would have enthusiastically greeted them, not acted like this.
“Y-hello, Ethelrina,” Lillian’s blush deepened, as if struck by Cupid’s arrow, and she took the initiative to greet her.
Ethelrina simply nodded without saying anything, continuing to eat her breakfast.
Lillian’s hand moved awkwardly in the air; she hadn’t expected such a response, so unlike the usual Ethelrina.
Iana, however, didn’t mind.
In fact, she thought this version of Ethelrina was better.
Iana sat a good distance from Ethelrina and began eating, her manner of eating rougher compared to Ethelrina’s elegance.
Lillian sat beside Iana, sensing that something was off with Ethelrina, as if she was feeling lost.
Not wanting to disturb her, Lillian chose to stay close to Iana.
The wooden house fell into silence.
After a long while, Ethelrina finally broke the eerie quiet.
“After breakfast, can you come with me somewhere?” Ethelrina asked calmly, looking at both Iana and Lillian.
“Sure.”
Before Iana could refuse, Lillian eagerly agreed.
She believed Ethelrina must have experienced something special that dampened her mood, and now was the time for comfort.
Accompanying Ethelrina could greatly improve her favorability toward Lillian, and thinking this, Lillian silently gave herself a mental thumbs-up.
Seeing Lillian agree, Iana didn’t object.
After all, it was a good chance for Lillian and Ethelrina to build their relationship.
Upon hearing Lillian’s answer, Ethelrina turned to Iana and asked, “What about you?”
“Me?” Iana pointed to herself.
Ethelrina nodded.
Unlike before, she was now sparing with words, unwilling to say more than necessary.
Iana was about to refuse but then caught Lillian’s pleading big eyes blinking at her, silently begging her to come along.
“Fine.” Iana shoved the last piece of breakfast into her mouth and mumbled a vague agreement.
Ethelrina gracefully wiped the corner of her mouth and stood up, saying to Iana, “Follow me.”
The three left the dining hall, and the morning dew dampened Iana’s slippers, causing her to wrinkle her nose in displeasure.
Lillian, on the other hand, was full of excitement, secretly glancing at Ethelrina’s back the whole way.
“Where exactly are we going?” Iana’s small feet, clad in slippers, felt a bit weary.
“The Back Mountain.”
Hearing this, Iana frowned slightly.
Back Mountain was a place Iana had wanted to explore when she first lived here, but the Orphanage Director had caught her and scolded her severely.
The Director told her that Demons had once appeared there.
Although the kingdom later quashed the rebellion and cleansed the Demons, many children who had been taken in were buried on Back Mountain.
The Orphanage Director warned Iana not to disturb those children.
Rather than scaring her, this made Iana even more eager to see the place.
But every time she tried, the Director caught her, making it a regret for Iana.
Now that Ethelrina was taking Iana and Lillian there, Iana felt a bit excited.
“Finally, I can see what Back Mountain looks like.”
After a while, Ethelrina brought Iana and Lillian to a tree on Back Mountain.
“What? All this fuss just to see a tree?” Iana was speechless, looking around.
The place seemed no different from other mountains.
Ethelrina approached the tree, her hand in the silver silk glove gently caressing it, her gaze full of affection.
“This tree was planted by her and me,” she said, her silver-white eyes flickering as if lost in memories.
“She was kind, adorable, though a bit absent-minded,” Ethelrina lowered her head, speaking softly.
“Some might think absent-mindedness is a flaw, but I thought it was one of her charms.”
Iana felt Ethelrina was acting strange.
She had no idea who this “her” was, nor what relation she had with Iana, or why Ethelrina was telling them this.
Ethelrina didn’t continue but led them a short distance away to a stone tablet standing there.
“Do you remember her? Iana,” Ethelrina asked calmly.
“???”
Iana was puzzled.
She had no memory of the stone tablet and couldn’t understand why Ethelrina was asking her this.
“Have you forgotten about her and me?” Ethelrina’s eyes were no longer confused like a few days ago, as if she had recalled some long-buried memory.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Iana turned her head away, feeling that Ethelrina was acting too odd and almost mystical.
“I understand how you feel. I’ve just started to remember some things myself,” Ethelrina said calmly.
“If you don’t remember, it’s fine. Just pretend I never brought you here.”