The next morning, the dawn light gently brushed against the garden outside the window, light dancing between the panes. Inside the bedroom, Su Ling lay among the soft bedding.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly as if she were trying to adjust to the early morning. Her face, illuminated by the morning light, carried a hint of hazy laziness and cuteness.
In her dream, she still hadn’t spoken to Tii.
She only saw that within the blood-colored haze, the red-haired girl seemed to be rescued by someone else and then fled in a certain direction. The images were as fragmented as shards; their figures gradually grew distant until they vanished completely.
‘Was Tii… rescued?’
Su Ling wanted to laze in bed for a while longer, but she inadvertently saw that Sista was already sitting by the bed brushing her hair. She quickly opened her eyes, sat up, and gave a long, leisurely stretch.
“Mm — good morning, Your Highness.”
“Good morning.”
“Your Highness, are there any arrangements for today?”
“Accompany me to a place,” Sista replied. “You are permitted to leave without wearing your collar today; however, you are not allowed to run off.”
“Mm, okay…”
After eating breakfast, Sista took Su Ling to a small village outside the Castle. Today, the Blood Princess had changed into a set of simple commoner’s clothing, seemingly intending to hide her identity as a princess.
The village was a hive of activity, with villagers weaving through the fields and roads. Some were setting up colorful tents, others were arranging a dazzling array of stalls, and some were erecting a high firework stand in the center of the plaza.
“They are preparing for a celebration here.” Seeing Su Ling’s curious expression, Sista explained, “It is a festival to celebrate the autumn harvest. There will be fireworks tonight.”
Su Ling was a bit surprised. ‘I didn’t expect this world to have fireworks too.’
The two wandered aimlessly through the village, watching the busy figures of the people.
As evening approached, the village became incredibly lively. People gathered in the plaza, waiting for the fireworks to bloom.
As the sun set, the sky was dyed an orange-red. The evening clouds were like fire, enveloping the entire village in a warm glow. The distant mountains stood out in sharp silhouette against the afterglow.
They chose a hillside with a wide view and sat down.
“Eat an orange.”
Sista handed over a paper bag containing freshly bought, round oranges. During the autumn harvest season, the price of fruit was always a bit cheaper than usual.
Su Ling peeled off a segment and put it in her mouth, the sweet and sour taste instantly spreading through her oral cavity. For a moment, she was dazed, remembering the time she had eaten oranges with Sista in the garden.
She suddenly remembered — ‘Sista doesn’t like sour flavors.’
“Your Highness, this orange is quite sweet. Try some.”
She handed a segment over.
Sista took it but didn’t eat it immediately. Instead, she asked in a low voice, “Are you thinking about what happened in the garden…?”
Su Ling didn’t answer. She simply leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky dyed red by the setting sun.
—
Soon after, the fireworks display began.
As the night deepened, the sky turned a profound ink-blue. The villagers sat around the plaza, children whispering excitedly while the adults looked at the firework stand with anticipation.
Finally, the craftsman lit the fuse. The flame spread rapidly, igniting the gunpowder canisters made from a mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal.
In an instant, a loud blast pierced the night sky. Trails of fire shot upward like falling stars, blooming into brilliant colors against the horizon.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”
Su Ling looked up at the fireworks, her long silver hair swaying gently in the breeze. The light of the fireworks was reflected in her clear eyes, as if the entire world were blooming within them.
Sista didn’t look at the fireworks, however. She silently watched Su Ling’s profile.
The fireworks were beautiful, but the silver-haired girl gazing up at them was even harder to look away from.
She watched Su Ling secretly like this, a faint smile unconsciously appearing at the corners of her mouth.
Suddenly, Su Ling turned her head and discovered that Sista had been looking at her, leaving her feeling somewhat puzzled.
“Your Highness, what is it?”
Sista’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“I… I was looking at the tree next to you.”
“The tree? Is there something special about it?” Su Ling tilted her head in confusion. It was just a perfectly ordinary small tree. “Does Your Highness have an interest in botany as well?”
“A little… I suppose.”
To keep the conversation going, Su Ling earnestly recalled a bit of knowledge she had learned in her past life.
“If we follow medieval theories, the botany of this world is probably influenced by the ‘Four Elements Theory’ and the ‘Four Humors Theory’…”
“The composition of plants is based on water, earth, air… and what was the other element?”
Sista was stunned for a moment, then turned her face away in dissatisfaction with a soft huff.
“Are you an idiot?”
Just then, the sky suddenly turned overcast.
—
On the way back to the city, dark clouds gathered, and it soon began to drizzle. The thin threads of rain were like needles, bringing a hint of chill as they hit their faces.
The two couldn’t help but quicken their pace, but the rain only grew heavier.
Soon, pea-sized raindrops smashed down with a *patter-patter* sound. Their clothes were completely soaked, clinging tightly to their bodies, and their hair was drenched, sticking to their cheeks and the napes of their necks. Rainwater dripped from the ends of their hair, and their vision became blurred.
By the time they returned to the Castle, the lights were already lit, their warm glow spilling through the windows and onto the corridor.
“Phew, finally back.”
Stepping inside, Su Ling couldn’t help but sigh.
The two stood in the long corridor in front of the Castle gates and shared a look.
Sista’s gaze fell upon Su Ling — her rain-soaked dress clung to her body almost translucently, revealing the girl’s gradually maturing silhouette.
In that moment, a hint of complex emotion appeared in her eyes.
“Your Highness? Why do you keep looking at me?”
“It’s nothing. I just suddenly felt… you’ve grown quite a bit.”
Su Ling was slightly taken aback. ‘Really?’
Sista tried to keep her gaze from drifting toward certain places, her tone returning to calm.
“Your body has matured, and you’ve grown taller. Human time passes so quickly; before I knew it, you started looking like an adult.”
“Mm… that is true.” Su Ling said thoughtfully, ‘The Blood Clan’s growth rate is twice as slow as a human’s. I am currently 16 and a half, while Her Highness is still 17, right?’
Sista nodded.
Su Ling smiled, stood on her tiptoes, and compared their heights.
“However, I think I’m still a bit shorter than you.”
“Of course,” Sista laughed softly. “I don’t think you could ever grow taller than me.”
The two went to the bathroom, preparing to take a hot bath and change out of their soaked clothes.
Su Ling wrung the water from her skirt, thinking back to the previous topic.
“By the way, Your Highness just said I’ve grown… do you want to see me become an adult?”
“An adult…”
Sista softly repeated the words, her expression suddenly turning somewhat lonely.
“No, I still prefer the way you are now.”
“Eh?”
“Su Ling, it would be nice if you could grow a little slower.”
She reached out, her slender fingertips gently brushing away the rain-drenched hair from Su Ling’s cheek.