“I just didn’t take it back.”
“……”
Uh, that kind of answered the question, yet it also didn’t.
But the moment Lin Nuo asked that question, he completely dismissed his own suspicion.
Seeing Amidina get up and walk over to the desk, she even had a chance to softly murmur to the little bird chirping in her arms:
“You’re making sense. How could I possibly take the initiative…”
“Accidentally kissing and touching someone, then expecting them to hand over their family’s secrets? That would make you a silly sweetie…”
Silly… sweet…
Amidina’s ears twitched slightly, and the hand hidden beneath her gauzy skirt clenched gently.
“This book was originally something I wanted to give to you.”
‘Pfft—!’
‘You really gave away your family secrets?’
Silly… sweet?
Seeming to catch Lin Nuo’s thoughts, Amidina’s tone turned a bit playful: “I can sense the Magic Book’s location. Yes, it’s also my Sacred Relic, but unlike those elves who are controlled…”
“Mental Suggestion doesn’t work on me.”
“Hm?”
“You probably don’t know, but records say the Goddess of Nature bestowed her magic upon the elves by hiding one of her Divine Artifacts and many magical items within our bloodline. That’s why we can summon items imbued with the goddess’s magic, though mostly they’re just high-quality magic items. No elf has ever summoned the legendary Divine Artifact.”
“Perhaps my Sacred Relic is more ordinary in quality. I’m naturally immune to the Elf King’s Curse.”
“Besides, I can’t even use my own Sacred Relic. This Magic Book is blank except for the title page; at most, it lets me sense its location. Still, Sacred Relics represent a kind of sentiment to elves, so I thought I could give it to you as a gift.”
Maybe feeling a little bad for being mistaken for a silly sweet, Amidina explained a bit more.
“I understand,” Lin Nuo said. “Since Mental Suggestion doesn’t affect you—”
“Mm.”
“Then why did you take off your clothes when I entered your room?”
“…!!”
Yulilian, who always thought she was holding the Magic Book when saying she hoped Amidina would wear less at night, was utterly confused about why Amidina, usually sleeping fully clothed, would strip naked and let Lin Nuo fondle her.
Amidina’s dark brows knitted slightly as her two slender white legs strode straight toward him.
“Hiss…”
She slapped the Magic Book onto his thigh, then pinched his flesh to ease her tension.
“Stop with all the questions.”
After turning away, Amidina’s peach blossom eyes flicked away from him, and a faint snort sounded from her nose.
“…I’ll tell you another time.”
Clutching her pinched waist, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but think once again: ‘Honestly… A girl’s thoughts are like a kaleidoscope, impossible to figure out.’
***
Fountain Garden.
‘That old man is a bit annoying!’
Yulilian had found a little old man who seemed to be against her.
Not quite knowing the route, she gave the old steward named Hans a piece of candied fruit, hoping he would lead her upstairs after tidying the chess pieces on the stone table.
But Hans pretended not to hear, and as soon as Lin Nuo came down, Hans was ready to lead the way without even looking at her.
When asked why he treated them differently, Hans twirled his small mustache and said he only listens to Master Lin Nuo, the master, and madam.
First time seeing such proud servants to three families!
Seeing her sister approaching, Yulilian hastily shoved the chess pieces into Hans’s hands and tugged Lin Nuo’s mouth open to babble:
“Let me ask you something. If my sister and an old man both fell into the river, who would you save first?”
Lin Nuo’s glance involuntarily pulled away from Amidina’s soft, full lips and back to Yulilian:
“Your sister.”
“Hehe~”
Yulilian gave Hans a look full of smug satisfaction: “Then, what if it was me—the lively, adorable little joy-bringer—and that old man standing right in front of you? Who would you choose?”
“Send the girl away, keep the old man.”
“……”
Angrily huffing, Yulilian grabbed a big pouch of pastries and honey glutinous rice balls brought by her sister before following the steward upstairs to store away the tidied items from the stone table.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to roll her eyes at Lin Nuo in a cute yet exasperated way.
“You can actually cook?” Lin Nuo picked up a honey-glazed glutinous rice ball on a bamboo skewer and tasted the princess’s handiwork.
A layer of crispy honey enveloped the sticky rice, crunchy on the outside, tender within.
Not only was it beautifully presented, but the flavor was surprisingly good.
“I learned it long ago. Yulilian always gets hungry, so I have to make these for her.”
Drawing closer to Amidina, a faint, fragrant breeze wafted through the air.
She gracefully lifted a clay pot with one slender hand while the other quietly held her sleeve.
As the juice was poured, the dress clinging to her body traced the shape of an impossibly round, juicy, honeyed pomelo-like curve of her hips…
It seemed that after having a little baby, this figure, dotted with a small melon and big pomelo, might grow into a more voluptuous and capable build…
No denying it, Amidina looked absolutely perfect no matter how you looked at her.
“What are you standing there for? If you want the pastries, come wash your hands first.”
Rubbing his nose, Lin Nuo walked over and let Amidina use a magical water flow to wash.
It really felt like if it weren’t just the two of them in the garden—add Yulilian to the mix—being with Amidina like this would be more like a warm scene of a husband supporting his wife and educating his sister.
“The silver bricks and ingots from Silver Tears Lake…”
“You must’ve heard from Yulilian. Most of those are made from coarse salt, and half the credit for making them quickly goes to your sister. If Your Highness wants to return real gold and silver to me, the Clemence Family wouldn’t accept it.”
“……”
“What about this crystal bracelet? What do you think?”
Amidina sipped juice in small sips, hiding her chin behind the cup.
“Pretty.”
Seeing Lin Nuo’s slight gesture, the bracelet appeared floating on his wrist.
Amidina knew it wasn’t a particularly valuable magical item, but he didn’t sound dismissive and actually kept wearing it, which perhaps meant he valued her after all.
“This bracelet was left to me by my mother. Legend says that when a hero loses their way, the goddess will appear to guide them.”
Amidina touched the bubble-like bead on his wrist: “But I’ve never seen the goddess appear.”
“Lin Nuo, that Spirit Pearl—was it also something important to you?”
“When I was little, I was afraid of the dark and liked to hold something glowing to sleep. It probably has the same sentimental value as your crystal,” Lin Nuo asked, “Why?”
“Um… um, it’s nothing much.”
Amidina hummed twice in a row, seeming to understand why Lin Nuo took back that Spirit Pearl.
“Before I left for Silver Tears Lake, Yulilian told me that the light of that Spirit Pearl was the brightest and most beautiful. I thought if I gave it to Yulilian, she’d definitely be happy.”
Her attention seemed stirred for a moment, and the clear peach blossom eyes reflected Lin Nuo’s figure again.
Seeing he said nothing more, she grew absentminded, her lowered eyes mirrored in the cup flickering with a trace of melancholy.
“But then I thought, if I give it to Yulilian, I’d have nothing to give you.”
As if sensing something, Amidina suddenly looked up and saw Lin Nuo opening an ivory box.
Inside lay a finely crafted necklace, resting quietly.
“This is for you.”
Lin Nuo pushed the ivory box forward with a smile: “Since the princess has already given me a gift, I have to return one.”
The snowflake silver chain bore a delicate and unique spiral pattern, with obsidian set into a clasp shaped like an elf tribe sacred tree leaf.
The pebble-sized Spirit Pearl pendant emitted a clear, moonlight-like glow, all plainly telling Amidina that he took the Spirit Pearl to have it exquisitely crafted by an artisan and then gifted it to someone who had already wanted to give it to him…
That strange feeling of being distanced was drawn close again.
“This Spirit Pearl isn’t a magical item, nor blessed by any goddess. I hope Your Highness likes it…”
Looking at Amidina’s face, the faint chill seemed to melt away.
She gently nodded: “Mm, I like it.”
“You…”
“Could you help me put it on?”
She lifted her delicate hand: “My hand still hurts a little.”
“…”
Lin Nuo came up behind Amidina and fastened the necklace.
Only when the pebble-sized Spirit Pearl slid deep into the endless valley between her collarbones did he realize—
‘Wait a minute!’
‘That was the very hand that pinched me earlier, right?’
‘Why didn’t it hurt when she twisted my waist?’
But since Amidina said nothing, he tacitly kept quiet.
***
Afternoon.
Back in the room, though Amidina’s face still held a natural coolness about a third of the time, it seemed clear her mood had brightened considerably.
The sunlight streaming through the balcony warmed her, making her look a bit sleepy, yet she had no intention of letting Lin Nuo leave.
Lin Nuo took off his coat, and Amidina casually took it from him.
He thought she wanted to help fold it and was about to say the maids could do it, but instead, she folded it neatly and placed it on the oak table on the balcony.
Then, quietly, she pressed her cheek against it, basking in the sunlight, and slowly closed her eyes to rest.
Wanting to nap while sunbathing definitely meant needing something soft beneath…
Remembering Yulilian had said she would help wash Amidina’s clothes, it made sense that without other clothes, Amidina would want to use Lin Nuo’s coat as a cushion.
Lin Nuo had no other thoughts.
Nor did he notice that when he turned around, Amidina grasped the collar of his coat, gently pressing her delicate nose against it…
Seeming to recognize the calming cedar scent, she made no other moves, only looking even more serene.