The figure turned around, the halo of the magic lamp outlining her quiet face and the black braid draped over her shoulder—
She was none other than Feliel, Teacher Shalina’s assistant.
Ellaria followed the figure’s movement and noticed that Feliel was holding a large wooden box. She couldn’t tell what was inside.
A sense of curiosity rose within her. ‘It’s so late. Why isn’t Feliel back in the school dormitory? What is she doing here near the edge of the academy?’
‘This direction…’ Ellaria subconsciously followed for two steps, but she immediately stopped. Something felt wrong.
‘Feliel must have her own reasons for being out. I can’t just follow her like some protagonist in an adventure novel, looking for trouble whenever I see someone suspicious. That would be far too rude!’
She shook her head and decided to turn around and head back to the school.
However, in the next second—
“Princess Ellaria? What a coincidence.” Feliel’s cold voice drifted over. She had already spotted Ellaria and was walking toward her.
‘Ugh…’ Since she had been seen, it would be even ruder to simply ignore her and leave.
Ellaria had no choice but to stop and turn around. Maintaining a polite smile, she responded softly, “Good evening, Feliel.”
She asked casually, “It’s so late. Where are you heading?”
Feliel lifted the wooden box in her hands and replied in a flat tone, “I’ve already arrived.”
“You’ve arrived?”
Ellaria followed her gaze and looked to the side. Standing there was a building that, while not luxurious, was tidy and well-kept. A simple wooden sign hung by the entrance, carved with the words—
“Dawn Orphanage.” Ellaria read the name softly, a look of realization dawning on her face.
Feliel nodded and explained, “I come from a commoner background; I used to live here. Teacher Shalina prepared a very lavish dinner, and there were leftovers. They were delicious, so I wanted to bring them for the children to taste.”
Her tone remained level, but her eyes seemed to soften slightly when she mentioned the “children.”
Ellaria nodded. So that was it. Her opinion of Feliel improved significantly. She hadn’t expected such a delicate, thoughtful side beneath that cold exterior.
“Would you like to come in and take a look?” Feliel invited casually.
Ellaria hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Alright.” ‘Visiting the children at the orphanage seems quite meaningful,’ she thought. ‘Besides, I really don’t have any other plans tonight.’
‘Except for going back and washing Teacher Sefina’s… *cough, cough, cough*.’
The thought made Ellaria’s cheeks flush with heat, and she quickly shook it off.
‘But it would be bad to go empty-handed.’
Ellaria immediately spoke up. “Feliel, wait for me for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
With that, she lifted her skirt and ran off in a certain direction.
***
About 5 minutes later, Ellaria returned as promised. She held a delicate paper bag filled with various colors of fruit hard candies and several pieces of cutely packaged chocolate.
During her weekends off at the Oselenka Magic Academy, she would occasionally buy some sweets when passing by this area. Fortunately, that little shop hadn’t closed yet.
When Feliel saw the candy in the princess’s hand, she was briefly stunned. Then, the corners of her mouth curled into a very faint but genuine smile.
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” she said softly.
The two of them walked through the gates of the orphanage together.
The courtyard wasn’t large, but it was very clean. Simple wooden swings and seesaws sat in the corners.
The main building looked like it had some years on it, with ivy crawling up parts of the walls, but it was well-maintained. The windows were polished bright, giving off a sense of simple, rustic warmth.
Since it was night, the courtyard was quiet. Only the inner rooms glowed with warm light, and the faint sounds of children laughing and chatting could be heard.
As they walked toward the lit room, Feliel raised her hand and knocked on the door with practiced ease.
A flurry of chaotic footsteps immediately sounded from inside, accompanied by the joyful shouts of children.
“Sister Feliel is here!”
“Sister Feliel!”
The door opened with a creak. A lively 7- or 8-year-old girl with twin tails poked her head out. When she saw Feliel, her eyes instantly lit up.
Soon, the other children swarmed to the door at the sound. There were about seven or eight of them of varying ages, all wearing old but clean clothes.
Their faces beamed with happy smiles as they crowded around Feliel, calling her “Sister” all at once.
Then, their curious gazes turned toward the stranger standing beside Feliel—the blonde girl with refined clothes and an elegant aura.
“Sister Feliel, who is this pretty sister?” the girl with twin tails asked boldly.
Feliel gently patted the girl’s head and introduced Ellaria to the children.
“This is Sister Ellaria. She’s a real Princess.”
“A Princess?!”
The children let out a small collective gasp. Their eyes widened, and some of the shyer ones even subconsciously shrank back.
Seeing the children’s innocent and slightly reverent expressions, Ellaria’s heart softened. She crouched down so she was at eye level with them. With a gentle smile, she opened the bag of candy.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Ellaria. Since it’s our first time meeting, I brought some candy for everyone to share. Is that okay?”
Her gentle tone and kind gestures quickly dispelled the children’s nervousness.
Looking at the colorful candies, the children’s eyes lit up again as they cautiously stepped forward.
Ellaria patiently distributed the candy to every child, patting their heads and speaking to them softly.
The children were soon won over by this beautiful and kind “Princess Sister.”
Their previous restraint vanished, and they surrounded Ellaria like stars around the moon, chirping with all sorts of innocent questions. Every time they called her “Princess Sister,” their voices were sweet and clear.
Although Ellaria was a bit embarrassed by their enthusiasm, her heart felt as if it were filled with warm sunshine.
This feeling of being simply liked and relied upon was vastly different from the respect and distance she usually felt in the imperial court.
Feliel stood to the side, watching the harmonious scene. That shallow smile remained on her face.
Once the children had quieted down a bit, she clapped her hands and held up the wooden box.
“Alright, children, let’s stop for a moment. I’ve brought some delicious food made by a very powerful teacher at the academy. Do you want to try it?”
“Yes!”
The children answered in unison, their attention immediately drawn by the delicious food. They crowded around Feliel as she walked toward the small dining table inside.
***
In the bedroom of Teacher Sefina’s villa.
Kefi and Mia looked at each other, the air thick with embarrassment and shame.
On the bed, Teacher Sefina seemed more comfortable after being soothed by the honey water. Her mumbling had subsided, and she was now fast asleep.
However, the sticky stain on the front of her dress was particularly eyesore-inducing.
Mia took a deep breath as if she were heading to a battlefield. With an expression of “do or die,” she asked in a low voice:
“K-Kefi… are you ready?”
Kefi’s face had long since turned redder than anything imaginable, with the flush even staining her fair neck.
She bit her lip tightly, her heart thumping so hard she barely dared to look at the teacher on the bed.
At Mia’s question, she trembled like a startled rabbit, nodded vigorously, and squeezed out a weak syllable from her throat.
“Mhm—!”