Pink butterflies, guided by the dying light, fluttered by white flowers lining the street, an eye-catching sight amidst the milling crowd.
Freya was truly beautiful, possessing a style entirely different from Bai Cha. If Bai Cha was like the cold, white moonflower blooming in the abyss, then Freya was a pink sprite born under the most brilliant sunlight. She was nature's darling, pure, warm, adorable, and sweet.
The pink sprite meandered through the streets, drawing frequent glances from passersby. But she paid them no mind, dancing around her beloved flowers.
"Cha Cha~ Smile for me, look how cute you are now~" Freya hugged Bai Cha's arm, acting spoiled and seeking praise.
Bai Cha could only offer a helpless smile. Her seven-part white suit, paired with pink cat ears, was a combination that defied any sense of appropriateness. Bai Cha could even feel Lucifer, standing not far behind her, struggling to suppress his laughter.
It was an unavoidable situation. Their usually calm, aloof, steady, and rational master, having been caught in the rain, had changed into an ill-fitting white suit. And now, she was even wearing a pair of cat ears.
It would have been fine if it were just a cat-ear headband, but the crucial point was that the cat ears on the headband could actually move! They twitched every now and then.
It was indeed cute, but Bai Cha was truly not the cute type. All she felt was helplessness and weariness, though she didn't refuse and quietly watched Freya's antics throughout their outing.
Except for that one time Freya had insisted she wear a maid outfit.
Bai Cha had resolutely refused, guarding her last shred of dignity.
"Oh, don't force a smile, you should be happy." Freya moved closer to Bai Cha, placing her delicate hands on Bai Cha's cheeks and gently kneading her face. "Cha Cha isn't happy? What do you want to do next?"
"I'm happy." Bai Cha was caught between laughter and tears under Freya's gaze. Those pink pupils seemed to hold a fire that prevented Bai Cha from remaining serious. "Whatever you want, as long as you're happy."
The way this little girl looked at her was uncannily like a Husky staring at a bone; the gleam in her eyes was visible even from across a mountaintop.
"You said it yourself, then let's go watch a movie!" Freya's spirits lifted upon hearing this. Turning her head, she then huffed at Lucifer, "You're not allowed to sit in the same row as us. You sit in the back!"
"Yes, Miss Freya." Lucifer responded politely. Freya seemed to harbor a strong sense of animosity towards him.
However, he didn't mind, as Freya couldn't be by Bai Cha's side anytime, anywhere, like he could.
Freya had certainly had her fill of fun for the entire afternoon. Watching a melodramatic movie, she smeared Bai Cha's clothes with her snot and tears. She insisted on sharing a bucket of popcorn with Bai Cha and then visited every high-end boutique in the capital, buying a large pile of items. The last shop owner even happily gifted the two a pair of best friend bracelets.
It wasn't until three in the morning that Freya's day ended, after visiting the night market, singing karaoke, and viewing the night scenery. This outing had lasted seven to eight hours, and Bai Cha's robust physique was starting to feel the strain, yet Freya was still full of energy. In the end, she still wanted to walk back to the academy with Bai Cha.
It was already late into the night. Even the most energetic people were returning home one after another. However, the city lights remained, and even though the sky was dark, the city was still as bright as day. It wasn't until the outskirts that it gradually grew dim.
Junyao was quite remote. After all, the capital was worth every inch of gold. Despite Junyao's extreme importance, it was ultimately arranged in the most secluded large tract of land in the capital. Freya and Bai Cha walked together along the small river, the quietness bordering on abnormal.
Freya held Bai Cha's hand, unsure whether she was happy or unhappy. Perhaps there were moments of happiness while shopping, but standing beside Bai Cha, Freya felt less joyful.
Though she held Bai Cha's hand, she couldn't feel her, as if an invisible air wall had isolated their hearts.
Freya remembered when she was very young, Bai Cha was a tiny bundle, like a porcelain doll. They often huddled together, secretly eating sweets, only to be caught by their respective guardians. That feeling of security and closeness, she didn't know when it had disappeared. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Oh, Cha Cha, don't make such a long face." Freya hooked her arm around Bai Cha's neck, breaking the silence. "Cha Cha, who gave you that red crystal necklace? Was it from a man?"
Bai Cha blinked and instinctively touched the vividly colored blood-red crystal at her neck, which radiated a faint glow like a teardrop of blood.
"It's a memento from my parents, and a family heirloom of the Bai family." Bai Cha steadied Freya, afraid she might fall. "My mother gave it to my father, and then my father gave it to me. I've told you before."
"Uh... that." Freya's face fell. Knowing she had chosen the wrong topic, she inwardly cursed. The sky was too dark, and she had mistaken the necklace at first glance. "That... I just thought this necklace was very special."
"You get flustered?"
This sentence seemed to carry a hint of teasing, even her tone was laced with a chuckle, causing Freya to involuntarily pause. Joy immediately surfaced on her brow.
In that very moment, she felt as if she had returned to their childhood days, when they were carefree and innocent. She felt Bai Cha's presence again.
"Thank you."
Bai Cha's voice floated lightly to Freya's ears, causing Freya to fall silent. Usually, when Bai Cha said this, it was just politeness. But this time, Freya could discern the sincerity in Bai Cha's tone.
"You know, I always felt this necklace was alive." Bai Cha's lips curved into a beautiful loneliness, her voice gentle. "It helps me stabilize when I lose control of my emotions."
"Eh? That magical?" Freya's interest was immediately piqued. "You never told me about this."
"Yes, it helped me a lot in the early stages, but I've rarely relied on it for several years now." Bai Cha nodded. "And this necklace is unbreakable."
"Unbreakable?" Freya sounded confused.
"Yes, it can only come off when it senses its owner is about to die or is determined to die." Bai Cha said, "It has a connection with its owner."
Sensing that Bai Cha wasn't resisting the topic at all, Freya finally felt relieved and continued chatting with Bai Cha. She felt her efforts were paying off, and Bai Cha's attitude had softened considerably.
It wasn't until they reached the school that Freya voiced the question in her heart.
"Bai Cha, I won't bother you tomorrow. I still need to find Asteria to discuss this." Freya hesitated and asked, "Do you really want me to attack you?"
"You'll understand when the time comes. You've always been very smart..."
...
That night, lying in the spacious bathtub, Bai Cha finally breathed a sigh of relief. The warm bathwater steamed, and the petals and steam shrouded the large bathroom in a hazy veil.
Bai Cha leaned against the edge. Lucifer stood behind her, holding a tray with brewed tea and sliced fruit, a towel draped over his arm. He was attentive, truly making every effort to be thorough.
However, Bai Cha hadn't touched any of the food. She didn't really have the habit of drinking tea or eating while taking a bath, but Lucifer had prepared everything nonetheless.
"Lucifer, if you're tired, you can rest." Bai Cha sighed. "You also accompanied us for seven to eight hours of shopping."
It was more than seven to eight hours. Lucifer had carried a large pile of purchases along the way. During meals, he hadn't eaten properly to accommodate the two young girls. Although Lucifer often called her "Master," Bai Cha didn't feel that Lucifer was inferior to her.
"Thank you for your concern, Master. You don't need to worry about me." Lucifer smiled gently, his expression tender as he looked at Bai Cha's flushed cheeks, made rosy by the steam.
Perhaps the resonance between master and servant had deepened? Looking at Bai Cha's ice-white skin, faintly visible through the mist, Lucifer felt as if he, too, was affected by the heat, his heartbeat quickening.
"The appointment with Mr. Colwell has been confirmed. What do you think..." Lucifer was about to say more when he looked closer and realized Bai Cha had actually fallen asleep.
The steamy water in the pool continued to diffuse. It seemed she was truly exhausted. Falling asleep in such an environment? If he weren't nearby, the bathwater would likely have gone cold by the time Bai Cha woke up.
Lucifer felt a bit helpless, so he set down the tray, gently lifted Bai Cha from the bath, wrapped her in a towel, dried her body, and carefully placed her on the bed.
Modern advanced medicinal ointments were indeed very effective. In just a few hours, the wound on Bai Cha's wrist had left only a faint trace.
After some thought, Lucifer gently moved Bai Cha's hair from beneath her to spread on the pillow, softly blow-dried her hair, and applied skincare products before finishing.
This looked much better. Lucifer sighed in satisfaction.
Without him, how terrible would his master's life be? Although she never seemed to care about these things.
Lucifer lightly kissed Bai Cha's injured wrist. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped.
The hem of his tailcoat had been caught by Bai Cha unconsciously. Bai Cha hadn't woken up. Whether it was because she had sufficient trust in Lucifer or because Lucifer was gentle and non-threatening, even when her fingers were pulled, Bai Cha showed no signs of waking.
Lucifer sighed softly, reluctant to remove Bai Cha's fingers. He gently sat down beside Bai Cha and quietly gazed at her sleeping face.
Since she finally had a chance to sleep soundly, he would take the liberty of requesting leave for her tomorrow.
A few days passed, and everything seemed to have returned to a state of calm. Even common criminals had quieted down. Apart from a dark red celestial body, about the size of a thumb in the sky, which caused brief public speculation, no other waves were stirred.
The Winter Olympics proceeded smoothly. The opening ceremony was as grand and spectacular as ever, and the athletes were, as usual, full of praise for the hospitality of Country Z.
As the saying goes, guests are guests. Country Z's etiquette towards guests from afar had always been beyond reproach.
Since the advent of Dragon Knights, it had been stipulated that athletes could only be ordinary people, not Dragon Knights, as that would be too much of a cheat. This year's Olympics, however, was different from previous ones. This year, each country brought two Dragon Knights.
The stated reason was that the dragons had responded unusually to the call of Country Z's Light faction, bringing guards. In truth, it was somewhat like watching a show of the two factions' struggles. However, what everyone hadn't expected was that Bai Cha, in a departure from her usual behavior, had removed all strict security personnel, bringing only a few people to sit in the floating security seats.
The security seats were originally arranged in rows, forming a circular suspension around each venue. A single venue could have over ten people previously, but now, each venue had only two to three.
On the ice rink sat Bai Cha and Lucifer. On the mountain ski slope sat Meng Qinghuan and Yun He. In another gymnasium sat Lang Mo and Cang Liu...
In the past, the Shadows would be fully deployed. Even if nothing happened, they would meticulously carry out this formalism. This time, it was as perfunctory as it could be.
Of course, Bai Cha's actions drew protests from some, accusing her of not being dedicated enough. Bai Cha merely responded indifferently.
"Are your personal guards all freeloaders?"
It was ridiculous. To visit someone else's home and bring A-class bodyguards for protection, implying whose capabilities were lacking? If you don't trust me, then come yourself.
This was a disguised way of completely pushing away the responsibility of guarding, leaving the various countries speechless.
"There are complaints. Leave your information, and tell him to say it to me at the International Elite Competition."