In Nori’s eyes was an uneasy hesitation; though Su Ling felt some unwillingness in her heart, she understood she couldn’t refuse.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to nod. “Alright, Your Highness, I’ll do my best. But please, you must tell me what you need me to buy, and… why does it have to be at night?”
When Nori saw Su Ling agree, her face immediately lit up with a brilliant smile, as if all the tense atmosphere from before had dissipated in an instant.
“That’s wonderful, Su Ling! Actually, Nori wants to buy a Special Potion. I heard it’s only sold at a Temple outside the city, and the doors only open tomorrow night. Don’t worry, I’ll give you detailed directions and instructions. All you need to do is follow what I say.”
After speaking, Nori drew a slip of paper from her breast, densely filled with handwriting, as well as a simple Map.
Su Ling took them, her heart full of questions, but she could only press them down and prepare to set out.
“Remember, Su Ling, you must buy it before you come back,” Nori’s voice called out from behind Su Ling as she left.
Su Ling nodded, turned, and walked toward the city’s outer gate, each step feeling especially heavy.
Because Nori had been so anxious, she hadn’t changed into the proper servant’s attire. Since it was winter, heading outside dressed as she was felt a bit thin for the weather.
Relying on the faint, trembling glow of the small oil lamp in her hand, Su Ling squinted and tried her best to make out the indistinct markings on the Map.
The location was outside the city walls, far from the familiar glow of the lamps, as if it were a corner forsaken by the night.
According to Nori’s instructions, by the time she reached the outskirts, it was already nearing midnight.
Su Ling had a feeling that this Mission would not be as simple as just shopping; Nori was definitely hiding something from her.
Yet, as a humble maid, she could only quietly obey, burying her worries deep inside.
Fortunately, the weather was still holding up, with no snow falling. The road ahead was slightly damp and slippery from the night’s mist, but it was still much better than trudging through the snow.
Even so, the cold wind continued relentlessly, weaving through the narrow streets, carrying a bone-chilling cold that pierced through Su Ling’s thin clothes and made her head ache faintly. Even her thoughts seemed to slow from the cold.
She kept moving forward, step by step, feeling as if she’d walked a very long way, until the road beneath her feet gradually became quiet and peaceful.
This meant she’d already stepped into the central district of the Royal Capital.
But at this moment, the whole Royal Capital was shrouded in darkness, silent and still. Only the vast Moonlight overhead and the tiny lamp in her hand remained as the only sources of light in this deep, dark world.
“Next… go straight, then turn left, and cross the second alley,” she muttered to herself, silently repeating Nori’s instructions. Each step was extra cautious. “Then huh?!”
Just as she was about to follow the Map’s directions into that winding alley, suddenly, a shadow darted out from the depths of the lane like a ghost, so fast it caught her completely off guard.
The black figure clamped something over Su Ling’s nose and mouth, using something that seemed to carry the scent of some kind of drug, with a strange, sweet aroma.
Immediately after, she felt her body hoisted into the air by a powerful force. The person gripped her tightly, as if she were a package, and swiftly carried her away into the dark depths of the alley.
“Kidnapped at night! Could it be human traffickers?”
Su Ling instinctively struggled, trying to break free from the sudden attack, but her nose and mouth were covered, making it impossible to call for help. On top of that, the drug’s effect made her mind grow fuzzy and her limbs quickly lose their strength.
She could only stare helplessly, eyes wide, watching everything around her blur as she was carried swiftly away.
She was dumped into a pitch-black room, and finally the person released her. Su Ling collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath, gradually regaining her senses in the cool air of the room.
The person stuck their head out, cautiously peering out the door. After confirming that no one was following, they quickly locked the door and lit the lamp inside.
The candlelight flickered, driving away part of the darkness. Su Ling’s whole body trembled. Her heart pounded like a drum; anxiety and fear tangled together, nearly drowning her.
In this chaos, she forced herself to remain calm.
No, I must find a way to get out of here!
Just as her eyes roamed around the room, searching for an escape route—
Footsteps sounded. The person walked up to her. Su Ling looked up, and the face before her made her heart quake, rendering her nearly speechless.
“Phi… Phil?” She spoke the name in disbelief, her voice tinged with trembling.
The person pulled back their cloak, and golden hair fell down. The girl revealed her true face, as well as a pair of furry fox ears atop her head.
The girl before her was indeed Phil.
Compared to last time they’d met, Phil was much thinner and her skin had grown darker. She wore a simple gray short tunic and long pants, her hair grown much longer and tied into short twin ponytails behind her head.
“It’s me! What, after just a short while, have you forgotten me already?” Phil put her hands on her hips, and was just about to finish her sentence when Su Ling stood up and threw her arms around her.
“Phil, Phil, Phil! Is it really you? I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Su Ling clung to her tightly, afraid she would suddenly disappear.
“After you went missing, I worried about you every single day. There wasn’t a single bit of news in the Royal Capital! We clearly went out together, and you always took care of me… yet I couldn’t protect you…”
“S-stop, let’s not talk about that anymore!”
Caught in Su Ling’s embrace, the golden-haired girl blushed and tried to push her hands away.
“It’s really good that you’re safe…” Su Ling wiped her eyes. “Everyone said something must have happened to you, but I believed you’d definitely come back.”
“Of course! I came back just fine, didn’t I?”
Being stared at so earnestly by Su Ling’s silvery eyes, Phil’s heart grew chaotic for reasons she couldn’t explain. She turned her gaze away, deliberately avoiding Su Ling’s eyes.
During all those days and nights away from the Royal Capital, the once proud temperament she’d had as a noblewoman had long since faded. The Phil of today was much more mature and far less willful than before.
She’d originally had no lingering attachment to the bustling Royal Capital. The only reason Phil had come back was the silver-haired girl before her.
Shame, guilt, and a tangle of other feelings Phil couldn’t even name them. All she knew was that, with her body pressed close to Su Ling’s, her heart beat with a strange sensation.
“Ahem… Phil, having finally hugged the other girl, Su Ling released her grip, her eyes still sparkling. “It’s been so long, where have you been all this time? And how did you come back to the Royal Capital?”
“Well, that’s a long story.”
Seeing Su Ling’s expectant look, Phil couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. After so much hardship, she finally had the chance to share her experiences with Su Ling.
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