Chapter 61: The Master’s Game

But in any case, at least it didn’t turn out to be as bloody as she had imagined. That was already a small blessing in the midst of misfortune.

Aier didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her.

Still, she didn’t expect Donna’s family to be so formidable that even Xie Yier would have to give them some face…

As she continued picking out ice cream, Aier was still thinking about what just happened. Absentmindedly, her gaze happened to meet the cashier’s eyes.

At that moment, the cashier was looking at her with a strange expression.

The cashier only felt that today’s shift was totally worth it! She actually got to witness such juicy gossip.

Was this little girl a succubus or something? She managed to attract both the Duke and the Count’s daughter at the same time.

Truly terrifying.

Thinking of this, the cashier’s gaze toward Aier was full of awe.

Aier felt uncomfortable under that stare and quickly repeated her order for Original Ice Cream.

The cashier moved quickly. When she handed over the ice cream, she also swiftly slipped her a Raspberry Ice Cream.

“Huh?”

Aier was about to refuse, but the cashier put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.

She whispered sneakily, “This one’s on the house, Miss, you’ve… worked hard.”

Anyway, that Count’s daughter probably wouldn’t be coming back. The Raspberry Ice Cream she paid for earlier was left behind… Since she’d enjoyed the show so much, wasn’t it only right to show a little appreciation?

Spending someone else’s money to build her own connections—so satisfying!

Holding two ice creams, Aier returned to Xie Yier’s side, a little at a loss.

“Why did you buy two?”

“Uh… because I wanted to get one for Master too, but I didn’t know what flavor you’d like, so I picked Original and Raspberry.”

Aier didn’t hold back, taking the ice cream the cashier had given her and playing her own little “connection.”

Society really is a circle (bushi).

“Then I’ll take the Original,” Xie Yier thought for a moment, then decided to accept.

“Okay~ Let me feed Master.” Aier offered proactively.

After what just happened, Xie Yier was surely still angry. Aier wanted to please her a little and help her cool off.

If she didn’t help her cool off now and let that anger build up until tonight, she’d have to use her body to put out the fire.

Aier wanted to feed her ice cream, and of course, Xie Yier was more than happy.

The two of them sat on a public bench by the street. Aier didn’t mind, but thinking of Xie Yier’s little preferences, she took out the Wind-blocking Cloth she used for the Bunny Cage and carefully spread it over the bench.

Xie Yier sat down gracefully. Aier placed the Bunny Cage by her feet, then took the Original Ice Cream and, using the little spoon from the shop, scooped out a small bite and brought it to Xie Yier’s lips.

Doing this kind of thing in public… was a little embarrassing…

But since she’d said it herself, she had to pretend not to notice. Besides, helping Xie Yier cool off was the most important thing.

Normally, Xie Yier never touched food from outside, but today was different—this was her little darling feeding her personally.

She lifted her hair, opened her mouth with satisfaction, and took in the ice cream. It melted on her tongue—cold and sweet.

But what pleased her even more was Aier’s obedience at this moment.

Because of that little episode with Donna, she’d indeed been upset, especially since the daily spy reports always mentioned how Donna liked to cling to Aier. It made her feel like her own possession was being coveted by someone else.

But now, with every bite Aier fed her, the fire in her heart cooled a little more.

Meanwhile, passersby were staring in surprise at the scene.

In this era, it was rare to see people showing affection so openly in public.

But they had to admit, witnessing such affection (or at least, what looked like it) was healing in its own way.

Especially for couples—whether they were girl-girl or boy-girl—they all instinctively squeezed their partner’s hand a little tighter.

Aier focused on feeding the ice cream, completely ignoring the commotion around them.

Xie Yier, however, saw it all clearly.

Because of this, she felt a strange sense of superiority in her heart.

How odd—she actually felt delighted over such a small thing.

One serving of ice cream wasn’t much; Aier soon finished feeding her.

Just as she was about to start on the other one, Xie Yier naturally reached out and took that one as well.

“M-Master?” Aier looked at her in confusion, a bad feeling rising in her chest.

Imitating Aier, Xie Yier scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Aier’s lips.

She even deliberately let the spoon gently brush Aier’s lips.

“Eh?”

Aier never expected Xie Yier to pull something like this and was momentarily at a loss.

“Courtesy demands reciprocity~ It’s not often Master gets to feed you herself~”

Aier’s face turned bright red in an instant.

This was a hundred times more embarrassing than feeding Xie Yier! Being fed like this under the subtle gazes of passersby…

Aier wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

But under Xie Yier’s gaze, full of anticipation, she really couldn’t refuse.

Since Xie Yier had just eaten from it, the spoon still had a trace of her lipstick, bright and alluring.

Aier couldn’t help but swallow.

She didn’t mind at all—in fact, she felt it was a reward…

No one would dislike sharing a spoon or a cup used by a great beauty. It was practically an indirect kiss.

Aier’s heart beat a little faster. She slowly opened her mouth, closed her eyes, and quickly took the spoonful of ice cream, then immediately lowered her head, forcing herself to focus on savoring the taste.

The creamy flavor of the ice cream mixed with the sweet and sour taste of raspberry, bursting into an indescribable deliciousness in her mouth.

No wonder it was personally selected by that ice cream maniac.

Wait, why was she thinking of Donna?

Eat the ice cream, eat the ice cream.

The passersby didn’t know what was going on, but seeing the two beauties being so intimate, they all showed envious smiles.

Only the bunny in the Bunny Cage looked on in confusion, moving closer to the edge, its pink nose twitching, seemingly attracted by the faint scent of sweetness—or maybe it just wanted to get out of the cage.

After finishing their ice cream, the two continued shopping.

Xie Yier didn’t buy anything particularly special, just some expensive fruits and delicate pastries.

Aier, on the other hand, carefully picked out a few of the latest popular novels and several beautifully bound writing notebooks.

She gently stroked the pages, her green eyes filled with tenderness and a hint of nostalgia.

Back when life was hard, Xiqi could only borrow novels to read. Now that she could afford it, of course she wanted to give her little sister the best.

Xie Yier took in Aier’s expression completely. She wished she could pull this soft little Ai into her arms right now and do all sorts of things.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right. If she tried anything now, Aier would just retreat back into her polite, distant shell.

But… there were still other kinds of fun to be had…

“Little Ai, do you want to play a little game with Master?”

“Eh? A little game?”

Aier snapped back to her senses, completely puzzled.

“Ta-da~”

Xie Yier pulled something out from the pile of purchases.

“T-This is…”

It was a Neck Collar from the pet shop!

Suddenly, a sense of foreboding swept over Aier, and her face darkened slightly.