Mi… Milin?
This completely unexpected visitor left Lian frozen in place for quite a while.
As the girl’s knocking on the window grew louder and cracks began to appear in the glass, only then did Lian confirm that this wasn’t just her imagination.
“Mi—Lady, what are you doing here? I heard you were sick…”
As soon as Lian opened the window, Milin impatiently jumped inside.
Seeing that she was wrapped in nothing but a few blankets, Lian hurried to the wardrobe, grabbed a few pieces of clothing without caring if they fit, and started dressing Milin in them.
“…What are you doing?”
Milin was stunned by Lian’s flurry of actions.
She wanted to take off the clothes being draped over her, but Lian’s stubbornness made it impossible.
“Autumn nights are really cold—how can you come out like this? Not to mention you’re still sick… Ah!”
Flustered, Lian finished dressing her, then hastily wrapped a scarf around Milin’s neck without any hesitation.
She looked left and right, then found a shawl hanging on the rack—
“Stop! Are you trying to wrap me up like a gift box? I’m already plenty warm!”
Milin, silently enduring Lian’s concern, finally couldn’t take it anymore.
She took off the shawl, then lowered her head to loosen the scarf around her neck.
“Ahaha… Sorry, I guess I went a little overboard.”
Seeing Lian’s awkward, flustered expression, Milin paused with the scarf half-untied.
“How did you know I was sick?”
“Of course I asked arou—no, that’s not it! I heard from the other maids while chatting! They’re such gossips, it’s like they know everything that happens in the Palace…”
“Pfft.”
Lian stuttered as if she’d swallowed a screw, her words full of holes, making Milin burst into laughter.
She didn’t know what this girl was like normally, but whenever Lian was in front of her, she seemed to become unbelievably clumsy.
They say caring makes you anxious… Looking at her now, she really must care about me, right?
“Sorry, Lady… I shouldn’t have asked about your situation without permission…”
“What are you apologizing for? It’s not like my condition is something I need to keep secret.”
Milin swaggered past the remorseful Lian, then sat down on her bed.
“Yes, Lady…”
“When your master visits you late at night, what should you do? I’m feeling a little thirsty…”
“Right, tea! I’ll make tea right away! Please wait just a moment, Lady!”
Lian rushed to the tea table, took out the tea set she rarely used, and started preparing it.
To save time fetching and boiling water, she simply summoned water and fire elements directly into her hands, then began heating the water right there.
“…Wow.”
Milin watched the entire tea-making process.
Seeing the water sphere floating between Lian’s palms begin to steam and hiss, the girl let out a quiet gasp of admiration.
What she was doing required an almost unimaginable level of skill in Elemental Manipulation.
Anyone could just summon fire and water and leave them alone, but to let these two opposing elements blend and influence each other so precisely to achieve a specific goal…
The difficulty and effort required was nearly the same as developing a new Elemental Spell from scratch.
And this highly demanding use of Magic Power—using two elements—was all just to make tea. The efficiency was outrageously low.
Milin had seen her teacher, Sephy, brew tea the same way before.
But at that time, when Milin’s eyes had lit up and she’d asked to learn, her teacher had said:
“I’m just showing off… This kind of wasteful Magic Power and effort, I neither recommend nor encourage it.”
So Vera was right… She really is going easy on me.
She watched as Lian skillfully poured the boiling water into the teapot, then dumped in a huge spoonful of tea leaves.
After finishing, she poured the tea, then, sweating profusely, brought it to Milin.
—Only the spellcasting was graceful; her actual tea-making was hopeless.
So Milin thought.
“I don’t usually drink tea, so if there’s anything wrong with it, please forgive me, Lady…”
“It’s not just wrong. From the steps to the amount of tea leaves, you didn’t get a single thing right.”
“Eh…”
Lian stared blankly at the tea on the tray as Milin’s criticism landed mercilessly.
“You made black tea, right? It’s one thing to forget the milk, but you didn’t even add any at all. Plus, with so many tea leaves, you didn’t add any sugar—trying to poison me with bitterness? And you didn’t filter it or even let it sit before handing it over. That alone is a huge deduction… How did you even pass the Maid Training Course?”
What training course? I got in through the back door! Ugh…
Lian looked at the tray in dismay.
She truly didn’t drink tea often—when she did, someone else always made it for her.
Now, she realized her rush had trampled on the feelings of those who’d made her tea in the past.
“I’ll go make another pot right away… I’ll remember to add milk this time…”
“But actually, I’m not really someone who loves tea all that much.”
Just as Lian was about to leave with the tray, Milin grabbed the cup, brought it to her lips, and, with not an ounce of elegance, downed the tea in one gulp.
“Wow… That’s bitter as hell. But I’ll make an exception and forgive you this time, okay?”
Milin flashed Lian a brilliant smile.
Staring at that smile, Lian was completely stunned. The tray slipped from her hands, and as the teacup crashed to the floor and shattered, tea splattered everywhere.
“Whoa—what are you doing! Did you burn yourself… No, there are shards in your skin!”
Maybe she really did get pricked.
But what was pierced wasn’t her body—it was her heart.
Milin’s smile, so identical to Meliya’s, brought a warmth to Lian’s heart that was different from Meliya’s own.
She regretted not seeing this smile sooner… regretted that for sixteen whole years, she hadn’t been able to stay by the side of the one who owned that smile.
“Hey, hey! Are you listening to me? There’s a shard in your leg! You’re bleeding!”
“It’s all right.”
Lian suddenly hugged Milin tightly.
This sudden move startled Milin so much she nearly jumped:
“Wha-wha-what are you doing! I never agreed to let you act like my big sister… No, I might actually be older than you, maybe I’m the one who’s the big sister… Anyway, let me go!”
Milin flailed and smacked Lian’s now-slim shoulders.
Being hugged by this girl was both embarrassing and awkward… But she didn’t really resist or push her away.
Why does it feel so warm?
Probably because she dressed me in so many layers that I’m roasting.
Milin stopped hitting her back.
She stayed silent like that for nearly a minute—
“How long are you going to hold me? Hurry up and deal with your wound!”
…
……
…………
“You’re such a klutz… I’ll definitely get Feiyin to give you a good scolding later!”
“I’m sorry, Lady…”
Lian sat on the bed as Milin tended to the cut on her leg.
The shard from the cup had sliced her calf, leaving a trickle of blood.
Such a minor wound would heal almost instantly if she activated her Magic Power—but she didn’t.
Partly because using such inhuman abilities would immediately expose her true strength and identity. And partly because…
“Hehehe…”
“Why are you grinning so creepily… Lian-nee.”
Milin looked speechless at Lian’s silly smiling face as she wrapped the bandage around her leg.