Chapter 259

8. What are you saying?!

Shaya’s clever scheme settled everything under heaven—she only needed to use a small trick, and Livra agreed not to go back and report for the time being.

“How about this! I’ll teach you the诀窍 of Teleportation. If you learn this, wouldn’t you be able to go anywhere you want? That’s so free~ This should be fine, right!”

“Mm, I promise I won’t report you. I’ll just pretend you never said ‘gentle big sister.’”

“Alright, alright! Now that’s more like it! Hahaha, I was just saying it casually earlier, I didn’t mean anything else by it. If Xiarette found out, that would be bad.”

“I’ll only say that you secretly accepted donuts from a gentle big sister outside and smiled so much your mouth couldn’t close.”

“You really just won’t let me off, will you?! Come on, let’s duel!”

As they quietly took a small path into the castle, Sheffy used both softness and firmness, yet she still couldn’t move Livra’s stone-like stubborn heart.

At this point, they could no longer continue using Teleportation.

Inside the Royal Castle, there were magical restrictions. Although they couldn’t limit Sheffy’s magic power, even the slightest fluctuation would trigger the sharp alarm of the Magic Crystals. If they were discovered, things would get lively—and once Livra returned, leaving again would be difficult.

So from here on, infiltrating the castle relied on Livra to lead the way.

Sheffy actually felt quite puzzled.

You would think this castle was an important royal site, heavily guarded. Logically, how could there be any small paths? If people could just sneak in through side routes without being discovered, wouldn’t thieves be able to move freely inside the castle?

But when she followed Livra to the spot—

Sheffy realized how naïve her thinking had been.

“Ah…! Good thing this place wasn’t discovered! Miss Shaya, look— the hole I dug a month ago is still here!”

“……”

Livra pushed aside the piles of weeds in front of the wall. Beneath the cover of vines and overgrowth, there was actually a hollow dug into the wall—large enough for a person to crawl through.

With none of a princess’s elegance, Livra lay on the ground, reached her hand inside, and pushed away the weeds and stones on the other side that were used for concealment, then beckoned Sheffy with her hand.

Even though she was returning to her own home, she acted as cautiously as a thief.

“This spot I dug is very hidden. The Knight Order hasn’t discovered it yet. Before they fill it up, let’s hurry and crawl in.”

“Uh… may I ask—was this how you usually went home before?”

“When going out, I climbed over the wall. When coming back, I crawled through holes! There’s no other way—if I went openly, I wouldn’t be able to get in or out at all!”

“I’m going to report you to the Knight Order.”

“Miss Shaya?!”

Just kidding~

Who told you to say earlier that you’d report me to Xiarette? This is called returning the favor.

Livra puffed her cheeks as she looked at Shaya’s mischievous smile, knowing she was just scaring her.

Hmph, I won’t bother with you anymore. I’m going in first.

Livra’s figure was slender enough. Whether her movements were elegant or not aside, at least when she wriggled through the hole, she didn’t face much resistance. With rustling sounds that almost seemed like her chest might get flattened, she squeezed through the wall skillfully.

It seemed she had indeed done this many times before—practice made perfect.

Sheffy couldn’t help but think that if it were Xiarette, she definitely wouldn’t be able to get through. Her figure was good, but her chest would definitely get stuck.

Soon, with a huff, Livra stopped crawling. Looking back, her shoes had already passed through the hole, and her entire body had entered inside the castle walls.

After confirming no one was patrolling nearby, Livra softly reminded behind her:

“You can come over too, Miss Shaya. There’s no one here. If I could make it through, your figure can definitely make it as well.”

“Haven’t I already come over?”

“Eh?”

Livra blankly turned her head back forward.

—Only to see that Miss Shaya had somehow already appeared standing right in front of her.

Livra was completely startled!

“How is that possible! This hole was clearly only big enough for me to pass through alone—could it be that Miss Shaya has shrunk down to such a petite size?! You came through at the same time as me, and I didn’t even notice your presence?! You’re even thinner than a red fire ant! Ugh…!”

“I’ll smack you to death! Tsk—above. I flew over.”

“Hm…?”

Livra covered her aching head where she had been smacked, stood up, dusted off the dirt on her dress, and looked up toward the top of the wall.

Only then did she notice that the magic particles around Miss Shaya were gradually dispersing—she must have revealed her black wings just now.

Looking down at the red fire ants crawling past her feet, Sheffy let out a disdainful chuckle.

“The wings of the Demon Clan aren’t magic—they’re a natural part of our bodies~ So even if we use them to fly, it won’t trigger any magic alarms.”

“Ah…! That’s cheating!”

“You were the one who insisted on crawling. You didn’t ask me.”

“Red fire ant.”

“Ah?! You really want to duel, don’t you?!”

………………………..

As the sun set in the west,

Livra finally managed to find her mother without letting anyone know she had returned.

It just went to show that family understood each other best. Even without asking, Livra knew that at this time, the Queen of the Kingdom of Aurus—her mother—would habitually stroll alone in the castle’s rear garden, admiring flowers, picking branches, and gathering willow twigs. It was one of her few pleasures in life.

It was also a leisurely time Livra would often spend with her when she had nothing else to do.

Amid flower shadows and dancing butterflies, within the fading glow of sunset, one could see that mature woman whose features bore some resemblance to Livra.

“Mother! I’m back!”

Unlike the silver-bell-like chirping of a nightingale, her voice rang out, breaking the garden’s tranquility.

When their gazes met in midair, the flower branch in the woman’s hand fell to the ground. She suddenly turned her head, and only then could one see the countless worries etched upon her still peerlessly beautiful, though slightly aged, face.

She froze for a brief moment, then in an instant hurried forward, stepping over flowers and soil as she rushed toward her.

No words were needed.

With just one embrace, this reunion of a mother longing for her daughter’s return became a picture so vivid and colorful that it needed no embellishment.

Sheffy let out a soft sigh and gave a faint, wry smile as she stepped aside, making more space for the mother and daughter’s not-so-long-awaited reunion.

Livra had originally returned with a smile. She had wanted to tell her mother about everything she had seen these past days, and even share the amusing story that the hole she dug hadn’t been discovered by the Knight Order—

But now, she couldn’t say any of it.

Held in her mother’s embrace, even her carefree smile gradually faded, and for no clear reason, her eyes grew moist.

“My child… is it really you…? This isn’t a dream, is it…”

“Uu… it’s me, it’s me! Mother, I snuck back!”

“You’ve suffered…”

Fallen flowers paved the path of return. What the traveler had experienced, she already knew, and so there was no need to say more.

When a mother listened to those amusing stories, it was only out of indulgent affection—

What she truly wanted to ask was simply to confirm that her child had not endured hardship and exposure.

After the mother and daughter confirmed that the warmth between them remained just as it had been before their separation,

In the Kingdom of Aurus, Machiya Aurus—the Queen who had reigned for over thirty years—reluctantly let go of Livra’s shoulders, her heart full of tenderness and concern. Looking into Livra’s emerald-green eyes, she gave a gentle smile.

Livra returned the smile, deliberately adding a playful touch to it to reassure her mother. She quickly supported her and helped her sit on the wooden bench beneath the willow tree.

“Oh my… Mother, what are you doing? You’re making me emotional. Look, I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? Sit down, sit down! I have so many things I want to tell you from this trip!”

“This child… you say it so lightly. Do you know that you went to the Demon Domain as a hostage…? Don’t force yourself to endure it. If you’ve suffered any grievances, tell your mother. Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more… even if the sky were to fall, you shouldn’t have to bear it alone.”

“But the sky hasn’t fallen, right? Hehe.”

As they walked toward the bench, Machiya finally noticed Shaya, who was standing beneath the flowering branches catching butterflies.

The Queen greeted her, and Shaya responded with a nod. At the same time, Shaya signaled with her eyes that the Queen need not mind her and should focus on catching up with her daughter~

Perhaps, given Shaya’s status as a member of the Kingdom’s Knight Order, such behavior might seem somewhat impolite. However, it was actually normal and reasonable. After all, Shaya had been personally granted the title of honorary Earl by the King. Among the privileges of this honor was the exemption from strict etiquette when meeting royalty—it could be considered the King’s acknowledgment of Shaya’s rather unconventional personality.

Moreover, the Queen did not care about such minor formalities at all. From the looks of it, it was Shaya who had brought Livra back safely—she ought to be thanked.

“Livra, how did you come back? Didn’t the Demon Clan Princess say anything?”

“Hm? No, not at all. This trip back was permitted by Princess Sheffy. It’s just… I can only stay for a short while. I’ll see you and Father King, and then I’ll have to go back soon.”

“She actually… ah, you’ve truly suffered. Your Father King also had no choice… the Demon Clan Princess made such a demand, he was in a difficult position… Child, there’s not much time—quickly tell your mother, did you suffer in the Demon Domain? Did that witch force you to do anything you didn’t want to do?”

“No! Absolutely not! Princess Sheffy treated me very well!”

Very good, Livra! That’s the attitude!

Sheffy caught a butterfly by its wings, released it, then caught it again, quite satisfied with Livra’s answer.

That’s right—when talking to your Father King and Mother, don’t say anything bad about me. Try to salvage my cruel image a little!

However, judging from Machiya’s half-believing, half-doubting expression, she didn’t seem reassured. Instead, she felt that her daughter might just be putting on a brave front.

“Can you… be more specific? When you say she treated you well, what exactly happened?”

“Yes, Mother! Princess Sheffy taught me many, many things I didn’t know before! I’ve broadened my horizons!”

For example, things like Word Spirit techniques and learning magic.

And also many little life tips and common-sense tricks—things she had never known before!

“Things you didn’t know?” Machiya grew even more anxious. “Be more specific, child. If you speak like this… how can your mother feel at ease? You’ve always been like this—when you understand something yourself, you explain it too briefly. That’s not a good habit.”

“More specific…? Uh… putting it into words all of a sudden is a bit… let me think…”

Livra stood up to think, pacing lightly back and forth.

Touching her chin, she tried to come up with words that her mother would understand best.

If she talked about magic learning, her mother might not understand.

If she talked about ordinary things, it wouldn’t highlight Miss Shaya’s greatness.

Logical thinking—usually starts from the most recent events.

Right!

“Didn’t Miss Shaya just use Teleportation to bring me back? That’s already a very good example!”

Eek—if it weren’t for the 【Resonance Magic Chain】, I probably would’ve been crushed into a meat paste. Miss Shaya is really so good to me.

When talking about this—

Livra’s face inexplicably flushed slightly red, and her behavior was no longer as carefree as before.

Because when it came to Miss Shaya… there was a certain emotion in her heart that went beyond mere gratitude.

And even though she couldn’t voice those feelings, just talking about her in front of her parents made ripples stir in her heart.

Driven by this emotion, even her tone became slightly more alluring.

“Princess Sheffy… taught me many things I never knew before… and feelings I didn’t understand in the past… just now, she even put chains on me… just like iron chains, cold and chilling… although it made me feel dizzy… I’m still very grateful… actually, it wasn’t that painful… rather… after it ended, how should I put it… it felt quite comfortable…? But the aftereffects are pretty strong… my legs are still weak, I can’t stand very steadily, haha.”

“……!”

Hm?!

Sheffy’s whole body suddenly trembled—this was the reaction of catching some outrageous nonsense!

Livra!!

I just looked away for a moment—what exactly have you been saying?!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep