It wasn’t that she was against having a child with her sister, but she didn’t want a third party to intrude on the precious time they shared.
After all, if there was a clingy little kid around who needed constant attention, it would definitely take up a lot of time and care.
Looking at the little girl peacefully sleeping, Lorabel rubbed her forehead with a slight headache. “I was careless. I didn’t carefully check her condition.”
“There’s no need to blame yourself. Having another child around can be quite lively,” Misha said.
“Look, in this huge mansion, there are only the four of us. Misha is busy with her research, Lorabel is busy with sword training, Miss Aurora is busy studying, and no one has time to play with me!” Azalea puffed out her cheeks, clearly displeased.
Back at the palace, she could at least spy on other girls when bored, but here, there was nothing to do.
She had already finished all the sketchbooks she brought along in the past few days, and now she was at her wit’s end.
“Azalea, can’t you find something to do?” Misha looked at her with utter disdain.
For Aurora, having a few little girls around was actually a good thing. After all, she used to always have a little girl by her side — though she had grown up now.
But there was still the problem of what to do when she went to school.
She couldn’t possibly bring the child to class, right? If that happened, she could already imagine the rumors spreading wildly, just like back in the village.
“By the way, can’t she shrink down to the size of those little fairies?” Saga held up one of the tiny fairies for everyone to see.
“The Fairy Queen can shapeshift,” Xiao Mo replied. “I remember the book said they can turn into a flower, but only after they are fully matured, which takes… about fifty years or so.”
“Fifty-five years,” Misha immediately added.
She leaned in to carefully examine the little girl in Aurora’s arms, then said, “She still needs fifty-four more years.”
“That means she’s basically a newborn baby!”
“Lorabel, how can you be so cruel! Her mother must be worried about her!” Azalea snapped angrily.
Before the utterly speechless Lorabel could say anything, Misha spoke up, “You idiot! How did you go to school? Fairies reproduce asexually!!”
‘Thud.’
“Ow!”
Azalea’s heavy slap on Lorabel’s pear-shaped head rendered her immobile again…
“So, what should we do then…?”
Looking at the little girl in her arms, Aurora stretched out her fingers and gently brushed the petals off her face.
Sensing the touch, Guda grabbed Aurora’s hand and softly rubbed it against her cheek.
“Actually… it’s not such a bad thing, right?” Aurora said suddenly.
“Oh? So Miss Eve plans to take her to school?”
“I’ll take care of her. I don’t think she’s a bad kid.”
Saga looked at Aurora’s sweet, rosy face and said, “This kid is so adorable, there’ll definitely be lots of attention in class.”
Though Lorabel still felt reluctant about the child staying by her sister’s side, for now, there seemed to be no better option.
They would just wait until the witch’s familiar’s red chain was lifted, then think of something else.
…….
After sending Saga and Xiao Mo back, Aurora carried Guda upstairs and returned to her room.
The child hadn’t opened her eyes since earlier, and Aurora didn’t know how long she’d sleep.
Gently placing her on the bed and covering her with a blanket, Aurora sat down at her desk to read.
Having been unconscious for days and resting at home, she had fallen behind in her studies, so she had to work twice as hard.
From five in the afternoon until one in the morning.
Only when Lorabel adopted the attitude of “if she doesn’t sleep, I won’t go to bed either” did Aurora finally close her book.
Her whole body was sore from sitting, and she stretched while looking at the deeply sleeping Guda on the bed.
“How can you sleep so much?” she said helplessly.
Maybe it was because she had formed a connection when signing the familiar contract with her, that even seeing this unfamiliar face, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity — as if they had known each other for a long time but hadn’t met in ages.
“Sleep well, my little fairy.”
Fingertips brushing aside the slightly messy strands of hair on her forehead, Aurora then lay down beside her and gently hugged her to sleep.
…..
Morning.
A ray of golden sunlight shone on the edge of the bed.
Aurora, still asleep, felt a little discomfort on her chest. She tried to turn over, only to hear a coaxing voice by her ear…
“Guda~~”
She snapped awake to find two crystal spheres sealed with cherry blossoms before her eyes… no, they were a pair of eyes!
“Ura!”
“Wow!”
The sudden exclamation startled Aurora fully awake.
She sat up abruptly and finally saw the owner of those “crystal spheres.”
“Guda~”
After a long sleep, Guda finally opened her eyes.
Her eyes shimmered like pink gemstones, and when viewed up close, the cherry blossom-shaped pupils made it look like a flower sealed inside crystal — making one instinctively want to reach out and touch these beautiful crystal orbs.
“Guda!”
Seeing Aurora awake seemed to please her, and she spread her slender arms, lunging toward Aurora.
Her strength was so light, incredibly light. Even though her hands wrapped around Aurora’s neck, causing her body to sag, Aurora only felt as if she were holding a cup of water.
In fact, that cup of water’s weight might just be the weight of the white nightgown she was wearing.
“Ura~”
Her cheeks kept rubbing against Aurora’s neck, and the cherry blossom scent emanating from her hair and soft skin filled Aurora’s nostrils.
After letting the clingy girl rub against her for nearly five minutes, Aurora finally said helplessly, “Guda, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
“Guda~”
Though she didn’t understand what Guda said, Aurora thought she must be agreeing.
But now that Guda had changed into this form, what should she eat?
If she gave her flower nectar again, this little body would probably consume a ton of it. It might take several baskets of flowers to satisfy a sixteen-year-old girl’s appetite for nectar.
Better ask Misha.
With that in mind, Aurora changed her clothes and prepared to go downstairs.
She glanced at the gown Guda was wearing — Aurora’s own clothing…
“It really is a bit too big…”
The neckline was wide open, looking completely ineffective against the wind. That wouldn’t do; she’d catch a cold.
Thinking this, Aurora already decided in her mind to have a dress tailored for her.
Carrying the girl hanging around her neck, Aurora went down to the basement, where she found Misha reading.
“Misha.”
Hearing Aurora’s voice, Misha looked up and noticed the restless little girl.
“She’s awake.”
“Yeah, she opened her eyes as soon as I got up this morning.”
“By the way, what’s her name?” Misha suddenly asked.
“Guda. I gave her that name.”
“Change it.”
“Huh?”
“Change it. What kind of little girl is named Guda?”
“Guda!” Guda exclaimed.