Chapter 32
But this could not completely hide the worries in her heart.
Just now, before parting, Princess Livra had once again mentioned the matter of the Prime Minister’s proposal in a pleading tone.
Xiarette was not that naive. Of course she could hear that Livra was worried about the king and hoped that she, as the Hero, could step in to help the kingdom out of its predicament.
In fact, there was no need for her to hint at it like this at all...
Since it involved Sheffy.
There was no way Xiarette could afford the slightest carelessness.
Her brows gradually furrowed, and various ideas and plans intertwined and churned in her mind.
Suddenly...
"Xiarette sis\~"
"Hmm?!"
"Pfft... I was just trying it out, you see. I can’t help it, that’s just how the 'Shaya' persona is set up— a poor child you brought home, only sixteen years old, of course I have to call you 'sis'. Don’t you like it?"
"Of course not...! Uh... I get it now, Sheffy, you’re deliberately trying to cheer me up, aren’t you?"
Sheffy smiled without saying a word.
She clasped her small hands behind her back and walked backward with a mischievous grin, simply refusing to speak.
Well, can you blame me for teasing you\~?
Who told you to walk home the whole way with such a worried face, completely lacking the spirit of a triumphant return.
Xiarette’s steps gradually slowed.
Sheffy also matched her pace and slowed down.
Before long, the two of them were walking side by side.
Well... not exactly side by side—Sheffy’s shoulder only barely brushed against Xiarette’s arm.
Her movement was very subtle and rather awkward.
Xiarette carefully cupped a lock of black hair that had transformed from Sheffy’s silver hair, letting the strands and sunlight slip through her fingertips.
"Don’t worry, Sheffy... I’ll figure something out. I won’t let the Theocracy disrupt your life. Today was fun, wasn’t it?"
"Mhm...! We bought so many things! The best part is we made a fortune!"
"What a little money-grubber... If you’re happy, then we should go out and play more often. Alright, let’s head home. It’s time to cook those rare ingredients today, right?"
"Yay!! We still haven’t cooked that big fish! Ah... but, Xiarette, there’s something I forgot to tell you."
"Hmm?"
The carriage was already just ahead.
Xiarette stopped and tilted her head in confusion, looking at Sheffy, unsure of what she wanted to say.
Sheffy gave a mischievous grin, deliberately keeping her in suspense for a while before finally speaking.
"I, actually just now, thought of a way to solve this whole thing!"
"This whole thing... which thing?"
"Obviously the matter of the Theocracy demanding someone from the kingdom! Isn’t that what you’re worried about? It’s no big deal\~"
"!"
So quickly... she had already thought of a way to resolve the fundamental dispute between the two nations?!
Sheffy did not immediately explain the specific plan to Xiarette.
Because, with the wind rustling through the wheat fields and the mountains and rivers stretching endlessly, it was not the right time to speak of such troublesome matters that would spoil the mood.
Sheffy squinted her eyes, feeling the gentle breeze on her face. Her long hair fluttered about, dark as ink and flowing like a song, distant and melodious.
Sheffy... had not come to the kingdom just to be protected by her sister.
The words "living under another’s roof" were only meant for outsiders to hear.
In truth, that roof was family, a place where they watched over one another.
"Hehe, anyway, tomorrow we’re going to the Royal Palace. I’ll handle that foolish Prime Minister!"
"Sheffy, you want to go to the Royal Palace?!"
"It’s not me who’s going. It’s Shaya who’s going."
"But that’s still you..."
After a moment of focused thought.
Xiarette could only let out a helpless chuckle and a light sigh.
"Alright, alright, I understand. In any case, whenever you say you want to go somewhere, I’ve never been able to stop you."
"Hehe, I knew Xiarette would understand me\~"
Besides, there was no need to stop her.
Since Sheffy had said it.
No matter where it was, her sister would be willing to go with her.
32. Tender Moments!
The moon hung high in the sky, the light of the lake and the mountains reflecting a brilliant starry glow.
A petite silver-haired girl sat alone by the swirling lake, lifting her gaze to the moonlight in a trance.
Feeling at ease, she could not help but unfurl eight pitch-black wings, stretching them out to the sides in relaxation, like a mischievous dark angel visiting the mortal world — breathtaking beyond words.
The moon in this world was not exactly the same as the one in Sheffy’s previous life.
In the western sky, a red moon hung with little luster.
Beside it, a deep blue bright moon rose high, casting a gentle glow across the night.
One sky, two bright moons.
This had long since become a familiar sight for Sheffy in this world.
— Of course, this was only familiar to Sheffy.
But for the frightened big fish, forced to hover above the water and gaze at the starry sky, this was certainly a novel scene!
"Puhahaha...! Look how scared you are. Don’t worry, I’m not eating you today\~ I just had braised fish yesterday, so I’ll let you off this time, hey!!"
As the light at Sheffy’s fingertips dissipated.
The big fish, which had been thrashing above the water for quite a while, could finally return home.
It quickly retreated into the depths of the lake, swimming far away out of sight!
Seeing this, Sheffy cheerfully placed her hands on her hips and let out a hearty laugh, showing her small tiger teeth as she stood by the lake. All eight wings were raised high, as if cheering along with her mood.
That look of gleefully bullying the big fish suited her title as a witch perfectly. The contrast of black and silver instantly made this angel appear more like a demon!
If this scene were witnessed by the bards of the Royal Capital, they would surely claim once again that Sheffy was nothing short of a savage and tyrannical alien being.
Look at how scared that fish was. Wasn’t that a bit too mean?
But gradually...
The laughter faded.
For some reason, a trace of melancholy suddenly appeared on Sheffy’s face.
Her eight black wings scattered into points of light, and the lake’s surface returned to calm.
Since there was no one around, Sheffy simply kicked off her slippers and stepped barefoot onto the damp grass.
She was about to lie on her back on the muddy ground like she usually did, gazing up at the sky, but then stopped abruptly — remembering that she was wearing the new nightdress she had just bought while shopping today.
For once, she behaved sensibly.
She patted her backside, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles on her nightdress, then took out a cushion from her storage magic and placed it on the ground with a soft grunt before sitting down on it.
Gazing at the still lake...
Sheffy thought of how, back in the Demon King’s Castle, she would occasionally come alone to the lake outside the castle to look at the water and catch fish.
She had never gotten along well with her younger sister, so she had thought about asking her to come along to catch fish together — after all, staying cooped up alone in her room all the time must be boring.
It had taken quite an effort to bring her sister, Belith, to the lake, but unfortunately, she had worn a look of disdain the entire time.
When Sheffy happily presented a lively, flapping fish to her, all she heard was her sister quietly clicking her tongue and saying it was childish.
Her plan to improve their relationship had failed.
Sheffy believed that Belith had called it childish because she had not seen what *real* fishing looked like.
So, Sheffy used her magic to float all the fish in the lake out of the water at once, hoping to make the always cold-faced Belith smile.
But... she had used a bit too much force.
By accident, she had floated her sister up too — and tossed her into the lake.
When she pulled Belith out of the water, the look of disdain had turned into loathing. A crimson glow of displeasure flickered in her sister’s eyes. After throwing one sentence at Sheffy, she had stormed back to the castle in anger.
That sentence, Sheffy still remembered very clearly to this day.
【You have such great power... yet you always use it for these childish things... you should show some restraint. At the very least... don’t call me out for something like this again.】
Sheffy had been left alone, standing by the lake, holding a fish that was still struggling and flopping about, staring blankly for a long time.
She had only wanted to improve her relationship with Belith... but instead, she had made things even more strained.
In the end, she grilled the fish herself and placed it in front of her sister’s room, but it had gone uneaten.
— Perhaps because the fish hadn’t been cooked through; she had forgotten to flip it.
At this moment, sitting on the cushion and looking at the lake again, Sheffy could only let out a soft sigh, clasp her hands together, and apologize once more to her sister far away.
"Sorry, Belith... Sister has already drifted far away now and won’t bother you anymore. But Sister still hopes you can one day experience the joy of fishing. Sigh... Forget it, saying this to you would only earn me another scolding."
Being stirred by the scene — this was, of course, one of the reasons for Sheffy’s sudden melancholy.
But as for the main reason...
Sheffy turned around and looked toward the rising smoke from the cooking in Xiarette’s villa — it was still steadily wafting upward.
The main reason was obviously that she was hungry! Her stomach had already started growling!
"Ah...! So hungry! I haven’t eaten a grain of rice for six hours, I’m about to starve to death, ah ah ah! Eh-heh...? Good thing I’m resilient — I haven’t starved!"
She didn’t throw a tantrum or roll around. To protect her new nightdress, Sheffy only splashed her feet in the lake a few times.
Those words she had spoken just now were really just playful self-talk.
But unexpectedly...
She actually received a sympathetic response.
"Oooh... poor Lady Sheffy, so late and still no dinner."
"You don’t know a thing. The cabbage and mushrooms Xiarette’s cooking today are tough to stew — it takes time... uh, who are you?!"
"Lady Sheffy, that’s so mean! It’s me! Your daughter!"
"You say that one more time about being my daughter! I’ll tie a stone to you and sink you in the lake, you hear me?!"
Faced with the sudden appearance of a blue-haired loli-shaped Holy Sword Sylatrella standing behind her, all Sheffy could do was grab her in a reverse hold, putting her in a stranglehold!
Sylatrella’s face turned red from the choke and she hurriedly patted Sheffy’s delicate arm in surrender, trying to prevent the scene from turning into two lolis wrestling in the grass. But perhaps Sylatrella’s blush wasn’t entirely from being out of breath...?
Haa... Being choked by Lady Sheffy and unable to breathe—this feeling was strangely... exciting!
Sheffy could spare her life.
After letting go, she finally noticed something — Sylatrella in front of her... was actually wearing clothes?!
A Gothic-style mid-length dress with dark blue fabric and dark gold patterns fit Sylatrella quite well, though the cuffs seemed a little too long.
"You actually have clothes now?"