By the time Xuan Xi left the study of Frostmark Manor, it was almost dark.
Xuan Xi held the stack of notebooks belonging to Veralis’s mother. SigrdrÃfa stood beside her. Lady Frostmark stood at the study door, her deep blue eyes appearing especially gentle in the twilight.
She glanced at the sky outside, then at the notebooks in Xuan Xi’s arms.
“It’s already dark.”
Lady Frostmark’s voice was soft, like winter snow falling on cotton.
“It takes nearly an hour to walk from here to the Teleportation Array. It’s too much trouble. If you don’t mind, please stay here tonight.”
Xuan Xi wanted to refuse, but the words died in her throat. Because Lady Frostmark was right—it was indeed dark, and it really would take a long time to walk to the Teleportation Array. Besides, she was holding a stack of notebooks, and if she didn’t finish reading them today, she absolutely wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“Then we’ll accept your hospitality, my lady.”
SigrdrÃfa answered for her.
Lady Frostmark smiled slightly and turned to Veralis, who was standing nearby.
“Take them to the guest room.”
Veralis nodded.
“Follow me.”
The wall lamps on either side of the corridor were already lit, casting circles of warm yellow light on the walls. Veralis walked at the front, her pale blond fishtail braid swaying against her back with each step.
“The guest rooms are on the east side.”
She said.
The three of them walked through the corridor, passing door after door. Xuan Xi counted at least four doors, each with a different decoration: some had dried flowers, some had small wooden plaques, and one had a tiny wind chime.
Veralis stopped at the innermost door. She pushed it open and stepped aside. Inside was a small but tidy guest room, with a large bed in the center. The white sheets shimmered faintly with silver in the moonlight. On the nightstand was a small lamp. The curtain was half open, revealing a flower field outside the window.
Veralis stood at the door, her ice-blue eyes on Xuan Xi and SigrdrÃfa.
“This is the only guest room left in our house. You’ll have to make do with it.”
She said. Her tone was as calm as usual, but she emphasized the word “only” a little more than normal. Her gaze moved from Xuan Xi’s face to SigrdrÃfa’s and back again, a mischievous glint in her ice-blue eyes.
Xuan Xi raised an objection.
“Didn’t we pass several rooms just now—”
“Those are all under renovation, and some of the guest rooms are being remodeled.”
Veralis’s reply came quickly, as if she had prepared it in advance. Her expression didn’t change, but her eyebrows twitched slightly, as if she had gotten away with her scheme.
SigrdrÃfa stood beside Xuan Xi, her silver-white hair gleaming under the wall lamp. Her expression was exactly the same as usual—cold, calm, revealing no emotion—but Xuan Xi noticed her cheeks beginning to flush.
“Then we’ll stay in this room.”
SigrdrÃfa’s voice was as flat as usual, without a ripple. But when she said this, her gaze didn’t look at Veralis or Xuan Xi; instead, she stared at a spot above the door frame, as if studying a wood grain there.
“Toiletries are in the bathroom.”
Veralis straightened up from the door frame and turned to leave. After two steps, she stopped, without turning her head, and tossed out a line.
“Call me if you need anything. My room is at the other end of the hallway.”
Her tone was as light as if she were humming a tune.
Xuan Xi stood still, holding the stack of notebooks. Her face began to heat up, starting from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. She didn’t dare look at SigrdrÃfa. She stared at a small patch of chipped paint on the door frame, stared for several seconds, her mind a complete mess.
She wanted to say ‘I could sleep on the sofa,’ but when she looked around the room, she found there was no sofa.
She wanted to say ‘I could squeeze in with Veralis,’ but Veralis had already left, and she had a feeling that if she made that suggestion, Sige would teach her why flowers are so red.
“Go inside.”
SigrdrÃfa’s voice came from behind her.
Xuan Xi took a deep breath and walked into the room with the notebooks.
The room was quiet for a moment. Xuan Xi stood by the bed, holding the stack of notebooks, not knowing where to look. SigrdrÃfa stood beside her.
“You go wash up first.”
SigrdrÃfa said.
“Okay.”
The sound of water came from the bathroom. SigrdrÃfa stood by the window, looking out at the flower field. The moonlight cast her shadow on the floor, long and faint. She didn’t know what she was thinking. Maybe she wasn’t thinking anything, just standing there, listening to the sound of water in the bathroom.
When Xuan Xi came out of the bathroom, she wore a light blue nightgown—prepared by Veralis—with a small ice lotus embroidered on the collar. Her dark jade-green hair hung loose over her shoulders.
“You go wash.”
Xuan Xi said.
SigrdrÃfa nodded and walked into the bathroom.
Xuan Xi sat on the edge of the bed and opened the stack of notebooks. The pages were yellowed, the edges worn, and some handwriting had faded. She turned to the page on “Destiny Mark” and read word by word under the lamp light. The handwriting on the page was somewhat hasty, as if the writer had been in a hurry.
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped. When SigrdrÃfa came out, she was wearing the same light blue nightgown as Xuan Xi, her silver-white hair loose on her shoulders. She sat down beside Xuan Xi, and the mattress sank slightly.
“Found anything?”
She asked.
Xuan Xi moved the notebook closer to her.
“Here it describes the structure of the Eastern Dragon Domain.”
SigrdrÃfa leaned in, looking with her.
“Currently, the Eastern Dragon Domain is ruled by the Azure Dragon.”
Xuan Xi’s finger moved across the page.
“The Azure Dragon Clan is the supreme ruler. The purest-blooded Azure Dragon is called the ‘Dragon Emperor.’ Below the Dragon Emperor, there are the Four Directional Dragon Kings, each governing one of the four cardinal directions.”
“It’s different from the Western Dragon Domain.”
SigrdrÃfa said.
“Completely different.”
Xuan Xi turned to the next page.
“The Western Dragon Domain is dozens of families each ruling their own territory, constantly fighting each other. But the Eastern Dragon Domain is a unified dynasty, with the Azure Dragon as the supreme ruler and the Four Directional Dragon Kings as assistants. This layered feudal system is well-ordered.”
On the page was a rough map. In the center was the capital city of the Azure Dragon, with a large city in each of the four directions, marked as the territories of the Four Directional Dragon Kings. Each city had dense annotations written in ancient Eastern script with names Xuan Xi couldn’t fully read.
“The Four Directional Dragon Kings form the Council of Elders.”
Xuan Xi continued reading.
“The Council of Elders is responsible for assisting the Dragon Emperor in handling government affairs.”
“It sounds very complicated.”
SigrdrÃfa said.
“Yeah, it’s a very complex system.”
Xuan Xi nodded.
“But it’s very stable.”
She turned to the next page, revealing a hand-drawn palace map. The palace was built against the mountain, layer upon layer, extending from the foot to the summit. At the very top was a massive hall, marked with the words “Firmament Hall.” In front of the hall stood four dragon pillars, corresponding to the Four Directional Dragon Kings.
“Firmament Hall…”
Xuan Xi murmured the words.
“This is the Dragon Emperor’s bedchamber, right?”
SigrdrÃfa’s gaze fell on the map, her amethyst eyes reflecting the lamplight.
“You will definitely go there.”
Xuan Xi looked up.
“What?”
“You will go.”
SigrdrÃfa’s tone was calm, as if stating something certain.
“Go there, find your people, find your mother, and find the truth of why you came to the West.”
Xuan Xi looked at her, at those amethyst eyes. The moonlight outside the window and the lamplight intertwined, casting a soft halo on her face.
“Will you come with me?”
Xuan Xi asked.
SigrdrÃfa didn’t answer. She reached out and brushed a strand of hair off Xuan Xi’s cheek. Her fingertips slid across Xuan Xi’s skin, cool and ticklish.
“Yes.”
She said.
“Sleep first. We still have to travel tomorrow.”
Xuan Xi’s lips curved slightly. She closed the notebook, placed it on the nightstand, and turned off the lamp. The room darkened, leaving only the moonlight from the window.
They lay down, one bed, two pillows, one blanket.
Even through the blanket and nightgown, Xuan Xi could feel SigrdrÃfa’s body heat. Warm and steady, just like her.
“Sige.”
“Yeah.”
“Is your bed at home more comfortable than this?”
“…Yeah.”
“Is it big?”
“Big.”
“Bigger than this?”
“…You talk too much.”
Xuan Xi smiled, turned over, and faced SigrdrÃfa’s direction. The moonlight fell on SigrdrÃfa’s face, her silver-white hair spread on the pillow, her amethyst eyes staring at the ceiling.
“Sige.”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you for coming with me.”
SigrdrÃfa turned her head, her amethyst eyes meeting amber-gold eyes. The moonlight flowed between them, like an invisible river.
“You’re welcome.”
She said.
Xuan Xi looked into her eyes for a few seconds, then closed her eyes.
“Goodnight.”
“…Goodnight.”
The room fell silent. The moonlight outside the window slowly moved, from the floor to the wall, from the wall to the ceiling. Xuan Xi’s breathing became steady and long, like a calm lake. She fell asleep.
SigrdrÃfa turned her head and looked at her.
The moonlight cast soft shadows on her face. Her eyelashes quivered slightly, her body soft and relaxed, in a posture that only appeared when she was completely at ease with someone she trusted.
She propped herself up on her arm and slowly leaned closer. Her amethyst eyes glittered like two stars in the moonlight, watching Xuan Xi’s closed eyes, straight nose, and slightly pursed lips.
A little closer, their distance now close enough to feel the warmth of each other’s breath.
She stopped, considering a question: if she kissed, would Xuan Xi wake up? If she did wake up and saw her this close, what would she think? Would she feel violated? Would they stop being good friends starting tomorrow?
She pulled back, just a little, but she still felt dissatisfied.
Then she turned her head and gently brushed her lips against Xuan Xi’s cheek. So light, lighter than a falling petal on water.
Xuan Xi didn’t wake up. Her breathing remained steady and long, unaware of anything.
SigrdrÃfa lay back, staring at the ceiling. Her silver-white hair spread on the pillow, intertwining with Xuan Xi’s dark jade-green strands.
She closed her eyes, and only then realized her heart was beating very fast.
But she told herself it was because she was too tired today. It must be because she was too tired.