Back at the guest cottage, the stove already glowed with a warm flame, its orange light softly illuminating the surroundings, driving away the chill from outside.
Tii had just finished washing, her body lightly wreathed in fragrant steam and a subtle, clean scent. Draped in a snow-white bath towel, she strode lightly to the center of the room, and flopped onto the soft bed.
“It really is so much more comfortable inside! An afternoon alone in the cottage with you, Su Ling—what a blessing.”
“Yes…” Su Ling responded, though her mind was entirely elsewhere, “Tii, when are we going back?”
She was starting to miss her mother.
“Nothing much, I just worry that if we stay out too long, Head Maid will scold us.” Su Ling hurriedly explained.
“So that’s what’s on your mind?”
As if she could see right through Su Ling’s thoughts, Tii rolled over and fixed her gaze on her.
“Sigh… Su Ling, you really can’t hide anything.”
Tii chuckled softly, then moved closer to Su Ling’s side. The two sat shoulder to shoulder, facing the cottage wall.
The fire crackled in the room.
“You don’t have to hide from me anymore. Actually, that day when you and Sista Anderson kissed… I saw everything.”
In the quiet, Tii suddenly spoke softly.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it made Su Ling freeze, rooted in place, a chill creeping up her back.
She’d seen the kiss with Sista Anderson? When? There was that time in the garden, just a brief touch, but could it be… in the prayer room?
“So, I’d like to hear the truth.” Tii’s tone was emotionless. “What is your relationship with Sista? Are you lovers?”
“No! I…” Su Ling felt it was hard to speak.
“Those were just accidents. Her Highness has always treated me as a maid, and I never had any… improper feelings toward her.”
“Oh? Then that time…”
“We really don’t have any special relationship. I’m just concerned for Her Highness out of duty,” before Tii could speak, Su Ling continued quickly,
“I know you hate the blood clan, Tii. I understand you’re doing it for my sake, and you don’t want me to get close to Sista Anderson.”
“But Sista Anderson really is special. She’s always been looking after me, and I just can’t help but care about her too.”
Will Tii believe this? Su Ling wasn’t sure. She didn’t know what Tii had been through in the past, but she hoped that speaking honestly would help Tii let go of some of her animosity toward Sista Anderson.
Tii simply sighed, then pressed her hand to Su Ling’s chest and said something unexpected.
“I can’t change my position, that’s true. But maybe you’re right—she… really does care about you.” Tii lowered her gaze.
“During the Disaster of Humanity, when you were trapped in the City Walls, Sista Anderson almost defied the King’s orders to go back and save you. I saw all of it.”
Your Highness…
Su Ling’s heart thudded, touched in a way she hadn’t expected.
Sista Anderson had always worried about her, treating her as someone truly important.
If that’s how it was, Su Ling felt all the more she should do her best in her duty as attendant, and never let Her Highness down again.
“You keep saying so much, little Su Ling. But can’t you care about me a little too?” Tii interrupted Su Ling’s thoughts, gazing at her with a hint of jealousy.
“It’s not that, I just…”
Su Ling’s words faded away, and suddenly her shoulders were pressed down by Tii, and she found herself lying on the bed. The mattress sank, and Tii’s silver hair spilled over like water.
“Clearly you’re thinking about so many people, but you never seem to put me in your heart. I’ll get mad, you know.”
There was a trace of mischief in Tii’s voice, leaving Su Ling feeling flustered.
“It’s not like that, Tii, you misunderstood…”
“Little Su Ling, am I your best friend?” Tii hugged her tightly from above, nuzzling her as she spoke.
Su Ling was momentarily stunned, letting Tii embrace her.
In this city, Su Ling did get along with the other maids like Po Yuan, Duli, and Ka Yingjuan, but ultimately, they were all just work relationships.
As for Sista Anderson, she was Su Ling’s superior, their relationship always tinged with a distance that was hard to cross.
If there was anyone she could truly call a friend, it was only Tii.
“Friend…”
A satisfied smile appeared on Tii’s lips. Her slender fingers tangled in Su Ling’s long hair, her eyes glimmering with a hint of cunning.
“Since we’re such close friends,” Tii’s words carried a teasing tone that caught Su Ling off guard, “then the things you did with Sista Anderson, you can do with me too, right?”
“Wait… Tii, what are you talking about?!” Su Ling’s cheeks flushed scarlet, and she looked nervously at Tii, as if unable to believe her own ears.
“It’s just a symbol of friendship, isn’t it? You don’t want to?”
Tii’s smile was both there and not, as she held Su Ling’s hands. The two girls’ fingers interlaced, and their bodies drew closer and closer.
“No, friends don’t do that kind of thing!”
“But little Su Ling and Sista Anderson aren’t friends, yet you did it with her?”
“I told you that was an accident—!”
“Then treat it as my little request, all right? Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone know. This will be our secret.” Tii leaned in, her breath tickling Su Ling’s ear, making her feel itchy.
“I’ll be the one to teach you, little Su Ling. Then, to thank me, you’ll satisfy my request. You won’t have to do anything else.”
“Wait, wait—ah!”
“You want to push me away? That would really hurt me, wouldn’t it? And you wouldn’t want to hurt your good friend, would you?”
Tii leaned in even closer, and her towel quietly slipped down, revealing her flawless, snowy skin.
The air was filled with a subtle, sweet scent of licorice—that was Tii’s own unique fragrance, making Su Ling’s heart flutter in confusion.
“Tii, at least put some clothes on… You can’t just stay naked like this…” Su Ling tried to wriggle free from Tii’s grip, but the other girl only held her tighter.
“No way, we’re both girls, nothing to be embarrassed about—”
Before Su Ling could prepare herself, their lips met.
Time seemed to stop. Everything around them became a blur, only the sound of their beating hearts and breaths lingering in their ears, the atmosphere slowly turning ambiguous.
Her lips were gently pried open by Tii, and Su Ling meant to resist, but her tongue was timidly explored and soon entangled.
“Mm… little Su Ling, you’re so soft, so comfortable to hold, and you smell amazing,” Tii’s voice was tinged with satisfaction, “I never thought my first kiss would be with little Su Ling. It feels like a dream…”
As she spoke, she pressed closer again, fitting together tightly, and then parted, only to entwine again, seeking each other more deeply, over and over, tireless and fervent.
“Wait, ah, Tii… wait a minute…” Su Ling finally couldn’t help but speak, her breath uneven, “let me catch my breath…”
“Then stay close for a little longer,” Tii replied mischievously, wiping the moisture from the corner of Su Ling’s lips with the back of her hand, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
Is it normal for friends to do this sort of thing?
Su Ling’s mind was in turmoil, feeling as if all her common sense had been shattered.
But even so, she still couldn’t refuse Tii. Maybe it was the charm in her words, or perhaps it was because Tii had always held a special place in her heart.
One kiss after another—whenever her strength returned, Tii would ask for more.
Amidst shyness and unease, they spent a rather strange afternoon together.
Finally, after the last kiss, Tii let go of Su Ling, sighing softly, her face thoroughly content.
“Ah—today was wonderful.”
“Why did you suddenly want to do this today…?” Su Ling asked, running her fingers through her now-tousled hair.
“It just happened, maybe.” Tii replied playfully.
“It almost feels like payback…”
“Then just think of it as me catching you for myself.”
Tii laughed brightly, more cheerfully than usual. Seeing her like this, Su Ling couldn’t help but smile too.
“Alright, let’s tidy up. We should be heading back soon.”
Tii tied up her hair and put on her patched Head Maid uniform.
Earlier, Tii had spent some coins to hire Tailor Madam Xi to mend the holes in her clothes. Though the workmanship wasn’t the best, at least the uniform could be worn outside again.
Before leaving, Tii took one last, lingering look at the humble little cottage. The fire in the stove had gone out, and the bed still bore the wrinkles left by their time together.
The memories of today would probably last a lifetime. Tii thought to herself.
To have the person you first loved taken by someone else—it really is hard to accept.
So whether it was the mischievous kisses, or the deliberate, warm words, all Tii wanted was for Su Ling’s gaze to linger on her just a little longer.
As long as it was just a little longer, the happiness welling up inside her could erase all those uneasy thoughts, allowing her to drown in the fleeting present.
But she would never cross that final line—about that, Tii was clearer than anyone.
Between them, they would always be friends. Her love would forever remain a carefully kept secret. Tii never asked for too much. As long as she could keep living her days as a maid by Su Ling’s side, that was enough.
Still, Tii had a vague premonition in her heart that these peaceful days wouldn’t last much longer.
Outside, the snow fell even more fiercely, blanketing the city in pure white. The roads were half buried under snow. The sky was veiled in a gray curtain, the streets sinking into silence.
Snowflakes settled on Tii’s head, forming a little crown of white.
“Let’s go back, little Su Ling,”
Tii smiled and reached out to Su Ling, her expression tinged with a gentle affection just for her.
[End of Volume One]
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