Volume 2 Chapter 16 - "Long Time No See, Your Highness~"

“After finishing desserts, Astrid, you should remember to wipe your lips,” said the golden-haired girl with a sugar-sweet smile. Her full chest swayed slightly as she leaned forward, carefully dabbing the corner of Astrid’s lips with a napkin to clean off the cream.

“Don’t move, there’s still a bit left,” Teresa spoke up when Astrid instinctively leaned back to avoid her.

Though her lips held a gentle smile, Teresa’s eyes were meticulous. She wiped away the cream from Astrid’s lips with care, then neatly folded the napkin containing the wiped-off cream before tossing it into the waste bin.

“Ah, looks like there’s still a little left,” Teresa glanced at Astrid and then at the discarded napkin, tapping her forehead lightly with her knuckle.

Before Astrid could react, a soft, smooth finger, like a jade ointment, brushed across her lips. Except for the fleeting coolness and a breath-stealing fragrance, it was as though nothing had happened.

A second later, Astrid finally realized what had happened. Her violet-gem-like pupils contracted. Though her expression didn’t change much, a faint and unnoticeable blush bloomed across her cheeks. She didn’t even know why an inexplicable sense of embarrassment stirred in her chest.

“Excuse me, waiter, could I have another napkin?” Teresa asked, using the new one to wipe the finger that had touched Astrid’s lips. “Thank you.”

“Astrid, the sun’s about to set. We should head back,” Teresa stood and noticed Astrid still sitting, prompting her. “Or do you want to stay a little longer to admire the breathtaking sunset?”

When Astrid quietly stood up from her seat, she saw Teresa already turning to leave. At that moment, Teresa looked back at her and tossed a playful glance.

A faint sense of grievance flickered in Astrid’s eyes.

Miss Teresa really enjoys teasing people, doesn’t she…

On the way back, the golden-haired and silver-haired girls walked side by side. The striking sight naturally attracted many glances.

“Astrid, what happened just now—did it bother you?” Teresa suddenly asked, hands calmly resting in front of her.

“Hmm?” Astrid was caught off guard by the question, but replied with a soft, “No.”

“Really? If what I did earlier made you uncomfortable, or even disgusted you, please accept my apology. I won’t do that to you again.” Teresa herself wasn’t sure why she had developed such a penchant for teasing. Before she realized it, she was already acting that way.

She hadn’t been like this with Astrid before.

Maybe it was her own personality that had changed her behavior toward Astrid.

Uncomfortable? Disgusted...?

Astrid fell into silent thought, recalling Teresa leaning in to wipe her lips.

In Elvish culture, that was already quite a transgressive gesture. Even lovers wouldn’t show such affection before marriage.

But…

For some reason, Astrid just couldn’t bring herself to dislike what Teresa did.

Not only did she not dislike it—she even felt a little…

Why would she have such strange thoughts?

Even Astrid herself couldn’t make sense of her heart right now.

But it should be normal for close female friends to mess around like that, right? I’m just being too uptight… Otherwise, why didn’t it feel bad to me?

Yes. For girls, it’s normal. That’s what all the picture books say. Feeling embarrassed over it is what’s strange.

Having thought it through, Astrid shook her head. “Not uncomfortable.”

“Really? That’s good.”

They entered the student dormitory area, the elegant Crown Estate rising over the horizon.

“Hmm?” Just as they were about to reach the door, Teresa glanced toward the distant cross-street with a strange expression. There was nothing there except a few scattered leaves.

“What is it?” Astrid asked, noticing Teresa’s odd expression.

“It’s nothing. Probably just my imagination.” Teresa shook her head. Maybe it was the habit of staying on high alert in Ruglian—after coming back, she was still overly sensitive. It just felt like someone was watching her from that spot.

But this was Coleman Academy. Absolutely safe. No way there’d be any danger here. She was just being paranoid.

“…Miss Teresa?” Astrid’s eyes flickered strangely when she saw Teresa bend down as she entered the estate, seemingly picking something up, but in the end, she said nothing.

Maybe it’s just another one of her quirks.

But…

Astrid couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Teresa seemed… off.

“Wenfu, we’re home~”

“Yaa! Teresa-sis, Astrid-sis, where did you two go today?” The cat-eared little girl ran barefoot from the kitchen, wearing a tiny apron.

“We went to a dessert shop for some coffee,” Teresa replied, tapping Wenfu’s forehead before her gaze was caught by a dazzling diamond ring on the shoe cabinet.

“Wenfu, what’s this?”

“Oh, this? I went to the accessory shop in the entertainment street today, and the owner gave it to me as a gift! But it didn’t really suit me, so I thought I’d give it to you instead, Teresa-sis~”

“Oh? For me?”

“Yep yep~ It’s from my heart,” Wenfu said with a sweet smile. “You’ll accept it, right?”

“Of course. It’s lovely.” Teresa turned the ring over in her hand, her emerald eyes reflecting the ring’s pink glint.

She… kind of liked it. An inexplicable affection. Though she’d never cared for jewelry, something about this ring made her reluctant to let go.

“Why don’t I try it on?”

“Sure.” Teresa instinctively nodded and slid it onto her index finger.

“See? It suits you best, Teresa-sis~” Wenfu smiled with her hands behind her back.

“Does it?”

Teresa accepted it with pleasure.

During dinner, all five of them sat at their spots. Both Astrid and Felicia seemed curious about Teresa’s ring, frequently glancing at her, but Teresa ignored them—her attention was entirely fixed on the exquisite ring that so perfectly matched her taste.

Night fell. Rarely, Teresa changed back into Dylin and went to bed.

After his bath, he felt abnormally tired. It wasn’t long before his eyes drooped.

Half-asleep, he thought he heard someone calling him.

No—not him. They were calling “Teresa”…

Wait, wasn’t he Teresa?

The subconscious doesn’t have awareness or logic. That’s why dreams are chaotic and lack a sense of time.

“This ring was given to me by a shop owner when I went to the entertainment street today. It didn’t suit me, so I wanted to give it to Teresa-sis.”

“It’s a gift from me! Isn’t it beautiful?”

…

In that hazy in-between state, Dylin suddenly felt something wasn’t quite right.

This afternoon felt… odd, though he couldn’t say exactly how.

…Wait.

“I went to the entertainment street today…”

That’s wrong.

Wenfu was supposed to have been home studying all day. She wouldn’t have had time to go shopping, let alone be randomly given a ring that looked so expensive. What kind of shop just gives away jewelry?

Why hadn’t he questioned it earlier?

And everything from dinner to bedtime felt… blurry. Like the memory had been forcibly compressed, with only a beginning and an end and no middle.

When did things start to go wrong?

It felt like someone had inserted a foreign memory into his head.

Dylin stood up, realizing he was barefoot, wearing only sleepwear.

Had he been spatially transferred while sleeping?

Unlikely. Spatial Divine Authorities were exceedingly rare and difficult to master.

He looked behind and saw footprints leading straight to where he stood. The grass was clearly pressed down.

So… he had walked here himself?

He looked down at his right index finger—and froze.

There was no ring.

Instead, a pink-flowered bloom with thorny petals was tied to his finger like a cord.

He could still smell its faint, strange fragrance.

It seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place it.

Whatever this flower was, it couldn’t be good. He yanked it off and threw it to the ground.

As it touched the earth, the petals visibly withered and crumbled.

No ordinary flower withers that fast from dehydration. It was definitely something bad.

“Ah, looks like something went wrong,” a slightly familiar voice floated to him.

He looked up to see a girl in the distance, face obscured by a cloak, only her silver hair visible.

“Waking up at the critical moment—that’s not very perfect,” she said, gently pressing a finger to her lips in mock frustration.

“Who are you?” Dylin’s tone was wary. He hadn’t brought his accessories, and the two of them seemed separated by some kind of blurry barrier, preventing him from seeing her clearly.

“Tsk, looks like your mental strength has increased lately. I didn’t anticipate that—my mistake.”

“So it was you who brought me here. What do you want?” Dylin narrowed his eyes.

“We’re already so close. Aren’t you curious about what I want?” Her voice turned enchantingly seductive, as if it were whispering directly into his ear. Dylin’s pupils dimmed slightly under the spell.

He stepped forward.

“Come~ Step through. I think we have a lot to talk about.” From behind the barrier, the girl reached out her hand. “Take mine.”

Dylin obeyed—and just as his hand was about to pass through, his pupils regained clarity.

“Oh dear.” The girl sounded troubled. “Not in the same dimension, and even illusions are weakened this much?”

“So close…”

“But it doesn't matter.” Suddenly, her hand pierced the barrier, becoming visible. But as it did, repelling forces tore at her skin—blood bloomed across her snow-white hand.

Before Dylin could react, the bleeding hand seized him and yanked him across the threshold.

“Ah, sh—!”

That déjà vu hit him hard.

That was it—the same sensation he’d felt when he first entered Coleman Forest.

So that meant…

With a deafening hum, Dylin lost all senses for a moment—as if suffering a blow from another dimension.

When he came to, he landed on the grass with a thud.

Looking around at the all-too-familiar scenery, a bad feeling began to rise.

“Welcome home, Your Highness~” Under the moonlight, a teasingly amused voice rang out like a death knell. It told him one thing: No mistake—he was in serious trouble.

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