I woke up to bright sunlight outside the window.
Winter light always carried a lazy air that made one want to stay buried under the covers a little longer.
But my punctual biological clock still woke me up, so I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and wondered how to casually deal with breakfast today.
Just as I lazily dragged myself toward the floor, preparing to head to the kitchen and throw something together to eat, the door was knocked with a series of dong dong dong.
So early… who could it be?
With that question in mind, I went over and opened the door.
Standing outside was actually Seraphina.
She was dressed in a warm, light-colored winter outfit, her little face flushed red from the cold wind, eyes sparkling bright. The moment she saw me, she immediately broke into a brilliant smile.
“Happy New Year! Sister Zhongmushi!”
“Happy New Year, Seraphina!” I replied with some surprise. “Why did you come so early today? Did something happen?”
As I spoke, I quickly pulled her inside, afraid she would freeze.
You had to know that Seraphina was never this fast on ordinary days, especially on a day perfect for sleeping in.
At the same time, I also saw a carriage parked by the roadside behind her. From the window, Dekalorin leaned out halfway and waved at me with a playful grin.
I waved back in greeting.
Once inside the house, Seraphina waved her hand and said in a relaxed tone, “Nothing else! Just… um, I wanted to invite you to a picnic!”
“Ah? A picnic?” I was startled. “In this winter? Even though the sun looks nice today, the temperature outside is no joke. Who’s going?”
“Lots and lots of people!” She immediately started counting on her fingers and rattled off a long list of names as if reciting family treasures. “There’s Movira, Lina, Erasia, Ailinuo… and…”
Hearing that string of names, I instantly understood.
Holy crap! Such a big lineup—practically gathering almost everyone we knew!
“So many people!” I exclaimed, then looked down at the set of clothes I was wearing that were definitely not suitable for going out. “I just got up, so… you’ll have to wait a bit while I get ready.”
As I spoke, I ran toward the bathroom. Seraphina sat in the living room, looking around my house.
Her gaze landed on the huge star map on the wall. “Every time I come to Sister Zhongmushi’s home, it feels a little different. Especially the star map on the wall—it seems to have changed again?”
I was quickly washing up, my voice muffled as I answered loudly, “Of course! After all, the trajectories of the stars I see every day have subtle differences! Alright, alright, I have to hurry. I can’t keep so many people waiting for me!”
After finishing my washing at the fastest speed, I rushed back to the bedroom to change clothes. Yet the moment I pushed open the bedroom door, the scene I least wanted outsiders to see was still seen by Seraphina.
Inside the room, worn clothes were piled into a small mountain on the bed, and books and papers I had read were scattered all over the place.
Sure enough, Seraphina’s teasing voice was inevitable. “Wow… this bedroom is still as… full of life as ever!”
My cheeks heated up. I hurriedly shouted while scrambling to find clothes to change into, loudly “defending” myself through the door:
“What are you looking at! It’s already pretty good that I can keep the living room outside clean! The bedroom is my own territory, of course I do whatever’s most comfortable!”
Actually, the main reason was that I was simply too lazy to organize clothes that had only been worn once or twice, so I just piled them all together.
As for the books… as long as I could find the one I wanted to read, it was fine!
The bedroom wasn’t a place that needed to be opened for people to visit every day!
When I finally changed into a proper set of clothes and opened the door again, this time I learned my lesson and used my body to firmly block the mess behind me!
Seraphina was looking at me with eyes that seemed to see right through me, wearing an expression that said she knew me inside and out.
I… of course I was going to pretend I didn’t notice!
Once outside, the winter cold still made me shiver, even though I felt I had already wrapped myself into a ball!
I quickly boarded the carriage and discovered that it wasn’t just Dekalorin inside—Movira and Saint Eustacia were also there.
The moment Dekalorin saw me, she immediately used her usual tone: “Oh my, you’re finally out! You really made us wait!”
I retorted right back, “How is that my fault? None of you specially notified me! I didn’t even know there was such an event. If I had known earlier… would I have been this late!”
But I didn’t say that last sentence out loud.
At that moment, my sleeve was tugged. It was Seraphina. She pointed at the mailbox by my front door that seemed already stuffed full of letters, which I had never gone to check, and said:
“We sent you letters several days ago, yet you stubbornly refused to leave the house! It feels like aside from the necessary times when you go out to buy a bit of food, the rest of the time you just hide at home!”
I put on a deliberately serious face. “What’s the point of going out! There’s nothing fun here. When I was in the Xun Forest, I was more than willing to go out for walks! It’s only because you insisted I move over here…”
In the pause between words, I thought for a moment and found a point to counterattack. “Besides, since you were notifying me, why not just use magic? I only check that mailbox once in a blue moon, and you know that!”
Beside us, Movira heard this and gave me a faint glance, picking up the topic. “And who was it that, after we used magic to send messages and caught you, then nagged at us for a whole long while? How would we dare!”
The moment she said that, I instantly heard a wave of laughter rise inside the carriage. I specifically looked at Saint Eustacia, only to find that even she was covering her face and laughing!
Fine… I really didn’t have the moral high ground…
Laugh all you want! It’d be best if you laughed yourself to death! Especially Dekalorin, who was laughing the hardest, even choking until she was gasping for breath!
I cursed darkly in my heart.
But I somehow felt that the words Dekalorin was about to say… didn’t sound like anything good!
“There’s every type of weather over there, not like here! And also! If you hadn’t brought it up I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but I don’t even want to talk about you! Who doesn’t know that the weather in the Xun Forest is as changeable as clouds? What…”
So once I was with them, the first one to get roasted was always me! In this relaxed atmosphere… yes, to me it didn’t feel particularly special… or rather, was it because I rarely went out all year that the carriage soon left the outskirts of the city and arrived at a small hill with pleasant scenery.
What was amazing was that on this hill that should have been covered in snow, there was actually green grass mixed with a bit of withered yellow showing through! Under the winter sunlight it looked especially warm.
Quite a few familiar figures had already gathered on the hill. From afar one could already hear the cheering.
The first to come up and greet us was Astraea in a long dress, her face still wearing that same calm smile as always.
“Happy New Year, Miss Zhongmushi. Have you gotten used to living here?”
I immediately put on an extremely exaggerated expression of misery. “Aiya, not very well! I feel like nowhere can compare to even one ten-thousandth of the Xun Forest! Astraea, when are you going to take me back there to stay for a while?”
I sincerely missed that forest full of life! (Definitely)
With Astraea’s sensitivity to emotions, she had probably already seen through my true thoughts, yet she still cooperated with a smile and said:
“Her Majesty the Queen often mentions you as well. Hmm… perhaps around the middle of the year? I should need to go back then to handle some matters.”
“Middle of the year? That’s way too long!” I immediately protested.
“…February!”
“January!” I bargained.
Astraea finally couldn’t hold back her laughter and shook her head. “Fine, fine, then January. I’ll try my best to arrange it.”
My eyes lit up, and at the same time I felt a bit of regret. If I had said January… so I did say it.
“Would this month work?”
She took a step back, pushed my shoulder, and said, “Still not done yet! Getting carried away! Alright, hurry over. There are still a lot of people waiting for you!”
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw Lina holding a plate of sliced raw meat, standing beside a temporarily built bonfire. When she saw me, she gave a forced smile and nodded in greeting. “Happy New Year, Miss Zhongmushi.”
Perhaps my expression leaked a bit of my true thoughts, because Lina smiled with some understanding and said, “To tell the truth, along the way, the first thing everyone said when they saw me was ‘Happy New Year.’ I’ve almost formed a conditioned reflex! It’s just a nice blessing, expressing a bit of goodwill. You don’t need to feel pressured, and no one is forcing you to respond to these words.”
“Alright, I need to go prepare the ingredients. Feel free.” Although the other party didn’t show any obvious change, I felt that the smile on Lina’s face deepened a little. “Thank you. Some of the things in the Demon Realm this year…”
I quickly waved my hands. “No no no, I should respond, I should respond! Happy New Year, Lina! I hope everything goes smoothly for you this year as well!”
She spoke, then turned and walked toward the pile of just-lit bonfire.
Next, I saw Dekrian and his daughter Ailinuo walking toward me.
The lively little girl, the moment she saw me, pounced over like a little cat.
“Sister Zhongmushi!”
This time I answered first. “Happy New Year, Ailinuo!”
The little girl was clearly stunned for a moment. Apparently, in front of Dekrian who held a certain status, she had been taught more than a few times that she should greet first.
But her reaction was extremely fast. She immediately showed an ultra-cute smile. “Happy New Year!”
Yet when she lifted her face, I clearly saw those faintly visible little fangs at the corners of her lips, and still couldn’t help shivering.
Sigh… it was really because last time she was so hungry she accidentally bit me that one time. The impression was deep…
Dekrian must have noticed, after all I was still very easy to “see through.”
His face carried an apologetic expression as he said, “Miss Zhongmushi, about last time… I’m truly very sorry. I’ve already strictly punished her.”
Ailinuo also lifted her head from my arms, her little face completely red, and said in a soft, embarrassed voice, “I’m sorry… that time really was my fault… but Sister’s blood was really so sweet! Mommy said that the sweeter a person’s blood is, the healthier their body!”
Dekrian pressed his daughter’s shoulder, signaling her not to continue, then turned back to me and said, “Being able to attend today’s gathering is my honor.”
“The honor is mutual.” Of course I knew what to say when facing someone like this. Then I looked around him. “And Madam? She didn’t come together?”
“My wife is over there.” Dekrian pointed toward a slightly higher part of the hill. “Together with Lady Erasia.”
I looked up and indeed saw Erasia and Dekrian’s wife Finiel sitting on a picnic blanket with thick padding.
Finiel was still her usual energetic self, as if she had endless energy, currently saying something to the cold Erasia, seemingly trying hard to make the other laugh.
After a simple temporary farewell with Dekrian, I started up the slope.
When Finiel saw me coming, she immediately warmly invited me to sit. “Morning, Miss Zhongmushi! Though it looks like it’s almost noon… but it’s all because of a certain ice-cold person. Sitting here is just like sitting next to an iceberg. The scenery!”
As she spoke, she pointedly glanced at Erasia beside her.
And Erasia, the head maid of the Demon King’s Castle and also Movira’s favored person, when faced with Finiel’s so direct teasing, actually remained expressionless with not the slightest intention of getting angry. This was something I hadn’t expected. Although it was their family matter, I still asked, “Finiel, you and Erasia… look quite familiar? I don’t really understand these matters of yours, and you have no obligation to answer.” Facing this kind of vampire who valued etiquette and hierarchy, I definitely knew how to adjust my wording!
Heh, I’m so capable!
But Finiel clearly didn’t avoid the topic and even laughed heartily. “Speaking of which, Erasia and our family actually have a bit of a connection. Simply put, she and my adoptive father Dekrian share the same great-grandfather.”
“Oh—” I suddenly understood. “So she’s also a distant relative of yours?”
“That’s exactly right!” Finiel nodded, then used a tone that felt to me like she was coaxing a child and said, “So smart, you understand with just one hint!”
I was immediately caught between laughter and tears. “Finiel, I feel like you’re treating me like a kid…”
She said righteously, “What’s wrong with that! Anyone younger than me can be treated as a kid in my eyes!”
Faced with this self-formed theory of hers, I could only smile helplessly. “Alright, alright.”
Then I noticed a tall figure standing alone not far away, gazing at the mountains, and used my eyes to signal Finiel before standing up and walking over.
That was Bask. He stood straight, his figure revealing the bearing of someone long tempered on the battlefield.
I walked to his side and struck up a conversation. “Long time no see, General Bask!”
He turned around. The seriousness on his bronze-colored face seemed welded on. “Mm… I’m a rough man. Not very good at saying those pretty words.”
“It’s fine. I’m the same. But seeing you standing here alone, is something on your mind?”
Bask was silent for a moment, his gaze returning to the distance. “Actually… it’s nothing much. I just don’t quite understand why I was also called here… is it just because… I know you?”
His words carried confusion throughout, as if he felt he didn’t fit into this occasion.
I understood his feelings and patted his solid arm, comforting him. “Knowing me isn’t necessarily a good thing. Not knowing me isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Don’t overthink it. Since you know me, it proves it was arranged by fate. Since you’re already here, relax a bit. After all, the border doesn’t have such long holidays, right?”
He nodded. “That’s true.”
I then added one more sentence. “We might have taken one wrong step and never met in this lifetime, let alone gotten to know each other. Alright, enjoy yourself, General.”
Bask was a general after all, used to orders and obedience. He really wasn’t adapted to this kind of pure social gathering. I didn’t say anything more and let him have some quiet alone.
At that time, the picnic officially began.
Lina, Astraea, and Finiel—these “cooks”—of course handled the cooking skillfully.
Movira also knew a bit and would occasionally help out.
As for Dekalorin… she was strictly ordered by Saint Eustacia to sit down and rest, after all her injuries still hadn’t fully recovered.
Dekalorin didn’t accept it at first, until everyone joined in persuading her. Only then did she sit down extremely unwillingly, muttering something about the heavens not looking after her or whatever…
Of course, as for my task… “altar cleaner”? Interesting!
I was definitely in charge of eating! I couldn’t cook at all, otherwise I wouldn’t go out to eat every day.
They prepared a rich variety of food—roasted meat, bread, and all kinds of fruit and pastries. The aromas of food from all over the world filled the air.
Everyone sat together, chatting and enjoying the food.
Time passed quickly amid the laughter and voices. Before I knew it, the sun was setting in the west, and the sky was dyed with gorgeous sunset clouds.
When the last ray of light disappeared behind the distant mountain ridge, the deep blue curtain of the sky opened the stage for the stars!
Seraphina and I found a soft grassy slope and lay down, looking up at the brilliant starry sky.
Movira was also there, sitting beside Seraphina.
But I knew she was mainly here to accompany Seraphina. When chatting with Seraphina, I had to be careful with my sense of propriety, after all that was the Demon King!
If she felt I had “crossed the line” because of some sentence and gave me a hard one, I wouldn’t be able to take it!
“Sister Zhongmushi really likes looking at the stars!” Seraphina’s voice sounded by my ear.
“Yes.” I looked up at the starry sky, my heart filled with peace.
“Because they only look like such tiny points. You see them as weak, but actually they are too far away. They are also boiling stars just like the sun. You have to get closer to them and observe carefully. When the distance shortens, you’ll be surprised to discover that some of them are even larger and hotter than the sun! They are also the only sun in their own world!”
After speaking, I raised my staff, lifted my hand, and used that thread of starlight-like glow as a brush, gently drawing across the night sky.
The light connected several bright stars and gradually outlined a lively little deer that was leaping.
When I returned home, it was already late at night, but I was quite energetic.
From the chaotic room I barely managed to dig out that diary notebook that I didn’t even know when I had last written in.
At least this time, let me record it…
Thinking this, I lifted my pen and wrote the title:
“A Sky Full of Starlight”
I woke up to bright sunlight outside the window…