Eileenburg (23)
Prepare
Mi quietly withdrew from the Derek Corridor, extending her witch form to envelop the entire Derek Palace. Urgent bells rang within the palace, and several strangely shaped figures emerged from a usually deserted corner. They quickly dispersed; some ran towards the Queen, others towards the Derek Corridor, while a few gathered together, producing an oil lamp. Mi immediately retracted her witch form and departed. After Mi left, the oil lamp was lit, its pale gray ash swirling twice before settling back onto the lamp. The Adventurers' Guild's carriage also hurried towards the palace.
When Mi returned to Ellen Castle, Ellen was being dressed up like a doll, draped in various fabrics by tailors, with several tailors discussing the style of her evening gown. Sensing Mi's return, Ellen immediately removed the fabrics and entrusted Xiao Wei with the entire responsibility of the gown.
"Mi," Ailian sniffed and pushed open the door, "would you like some tea?"
Mi stood up: "I'll make you some sweet soup."
The kitchen was empty. Ailian sat by the stove, the firelight illuminating her face. Sometimes Ailian was like a wooden doll, but Mi's return was like bringing her heart back to life. A handful of lotus seeds, a diced apple, and water Mi had personally drawn from the well—that was all Ailian asked for. All the water containers in Ailian Castle were filled with Mi's water, because Ailian said that water that had passed through Mi's hands had acquired the taste of Mi. This phrase reminded Mi of a taste that could never be fully described—the taste of her mother.
“Ailian,” Mi stroked Ailian’s head. Now that Ailian had decided to get married, she wondered if she should entice her to go out into the world. Grand Duke Swei would die in a few decades at most, and Ailian had a long life ahead of her. After thinking for a moment, Mi asked her, “Do you want to go out and see the world?” Ailian didn’t have to go to the wasteland or the dangerous snowfields. The nearby Star City and Lin City were both good options. If she met more people, perhaps Ailian wouldn’t be so fixated on her destined one.
"I'll wait until I'm forty-nine. After I turn forty-nine, I'll travel around and see the world." Ailian thought of Elder Seger's prophecy. She was happy now; Mi was by her side, and Grand Duke Swei had resolved her marriage arrangements. If Elder Seger was right, she only had forty-nine years to live. She didn't want to go anywhere; spending every day with Mi was enough.
"Forty-nine," Mi murmured unconsciously. She had thought about it all night and decided it was best to leave as soon as possible; she needed to act quickly to cut her losses. This morning she had gone to the east of the city to inquire about ships. Some ships would sail eastward into the East China Sea, drifting on the sea for a very long time. Mi didn't know how to cross the boundary. She knew the Flower Kingdom and Earth were separated by a vast distance, but she didn't know if she could walk back step by step like she left the Misty Forest, or if there was a spaceship-like mode of transportation available for her.
"Ailian, I may have to leave for a while," Mi said hesitantly. She didn't know how to say goodbye to Ailian. Ailian's engagement was like a joke, just to comply with the laws of the Flower Kingdom. Ailian's heart was so pure and devoted. And her own feelings were even more of a joke; she could promise nothing, give nothing.
Ailian didn't say a word, just held the bowl and drank her sweet soup. Mi's heart ached a little too. She picked up a spoon: "Shall I feed you?" Ailian obediently clung to Mi's knee like a kitten, neither speaking nor making a fuss. Sometimes Mi didn't know what to do with this well-behaved, long-lived creature.
Mi was ready to leave. She had seen everything in the Flower Kingdom; there was nothing new under the sun. The Longevity Seeds seemed like a kind of life destined for this place, stubbornly clinging to their spot until someone appeared and took their Longevity Seeds. But once they lost their Longevity Seeds, their lives became unbearable. Generation after generation of Longevity Seeds learned not to have any expectations of their destined one; being hurt or deceived didn't matter to them. Ai Lian said that more Longevity Seeds had moved away; they lived in the Longevity Seed settlement.
Mi once asked her, "Do you want to go find a place where long-lived people gather?"
Ailian shook her head, blinked, and asked, "Mi, can I come with you?" Then she hugged Mi's head and said, "No need to answer, don't answer me." Sometimes Ailian would lie on Mi's lap like a kitten and say softly, "Mi, I'm not myself anymore. Long-lived people have never been greedy, but now I've become very greedy."
How can a person not be greedy? It's normal to want more after getting what you want. Mi stroked Ailian's head, unsure of her own feelings for her. The more she learned about longevity species, the more sympathy she felt for them. Is a long life good or bad? Perhaps living in one's own world like an autistic child isn't so bad, as long as one never meets their destined one. If a person doesn't open their heart, will they avoid such troubles? Letting someone enter your heart bring you a heartbeat, and then take away eternal life.
Did Ailian even know what love was? She was more like a controlled robot, offering herself at the moment her heart beat. Mi gave her as much pleasure as possible; Mi was Ailian's cook, Ailian's bed partner, accepting everything about Ailian and sharing in her joy. The more joy Ailian felt, the greater Mi's worry became. She once asked Ailian, "What would you do if I left?"
Ailian would watch her as tears streamed down her face, then tell her, "Mi, I will live a good life. I have a long life ahead of me, and wherever you are, as long as you appear, I will always be able to find you again."
Yes, Eileen has a long lifespan; she can wait indefinitely. Mi wanted to encourage her to go out and meet different people. There were very few men in Eileen's life, except for the servants of Eileen Castle and the king and nobles who coveted the seed of longevity.
Eileen was engaged to the Duke of Weiss, and Mi didn't understand why. Eileen didn't care about the title. She couldn't take Eileen with her when she left; the young girl could easily go on her own. Her life was still so long; who knew she wouldn't meet someone who would move her heart again? Struggling with Mi, this wisp of air and consciousness, was pointless.
Compared to the long-lived species, Mi felt the witch was the most heartless kind of person. She craved feminine tenderness; Anna had once been so close to her, but after paying Anna's wages, she never contacted her again. Weakness is temporary, dependence is temporary, and Mi knew clearly that no matter where she went, no matter how many experimental boxes she passed, no matter how many different experiments she witnessed, she would never find peace within them. Perhaps she would forever search alone, never to meet the one who initiated the experiment.
Sometimes Mi thinks of El and Joe; it would be nice for two witches to travel the world together, but what kind of relationship can withstand the test of time? Especially for two beautiful witches, with temptations everywhere, two witches who are truly in love—if one of them loses focus, won't the other quickly notice? So, will the one who loses focus leave first, or will the one left behind struggle endlessly? Love stories are beautiful because they all end with—they lived happily ever after. But how to live happily ever after—no book teaches that.
After their engagement, Grand Duke Sway and Ellen never appeared at Ellen Castle again. This betrothed, as Grand Duke Sway had said, lived their own lives. Many noble couples are like this; marriage is more important than love. The Flower Kingdom seems to have erased love. The long-lived race possesses a spirit of selflessness. The nobles of Sun City seek alliances for mutual benefit, ordinary citizens calculate how to make ends meet, and women seek men of equal social standing to share their lives. Sun City has so many pink streets; once desires are satisfied, there is no place for love.
After finishing her sweet soup, Ailian followed closely behind Mi, like her shadow. Mi thought back to what had happened in the palace. She couldn't touch the king. There were some mysterious people in Derek's palace. She remembered dealing with the man in gray; as long as she didn't touch the king, the palace wouldn't react. King Derek would only be filled with impotent rage. If she chopped off his claws, Mrs. Aldrich would be his claws.
Mi shut down all her senses again, wandering around Eileen Castle without making a sound. Eileen didn't understand what she was doing, and simply followed behind in silence.
"Good day, Miss." Xiaobai bowed to Ailian.
"Miss, is there anything you need?" Xiaowei couldn't help but ask Ailian as she walked back and forth.
"Don't worry about me, Xiaowei, go ahead and do your work." Ailian winked at the air, as if Mi was playing hide-and-seek with her. Mi climbed up the treehouse, watching Ailian tuck her skirt into her waistband, grab the rope ladder, and wobble as she climbed up, then landed precisely in Mi's arms. Mi revealed herself and asked, "Is it only you who can see me?"
Ailian nodded: "What are you going to do? Can I come with you? I can wear a cloak."
“No one in the Flower Kingdom can see me, including those adventurers?” Mi didn’t know whether she should believe Ailian.
“They can’t see you, but—” Ailian looked at her with some worry, “Don’t kill anyone. Those adventurers are very sensitive to killing intent. Even if they can’t see you, they can sense the source of danger.”
“Yes, I know.” The Long-lived Race is truly a peace-loving race, and Mi didn’t want to tell Ailian what she was going to do.
“What shall we do today?” Ailian lay down on the floor of the treehouse. “Mi, shall we paint portraits? Just like Father and Mother.”
"That would take a long time to paint, wouldn't it?" Mi hesitated a bit. If she had a painting, she could put it in the witch's space. Even if she returned to Earth, having such a painting would let her know that this was a real journey.
"Let me ask Xiaowei." Ailian immediately sat up.
"Xiaowei is too busy to spare any time right now, how about we draw it ourselves?"
“Okay.” Ailian immediately got up. “Wait for me here.” Ailian slid down the rope ladder and ran towards Ailian Castle. A moment later, she appeared under the treehouse carrying a basket. Now Ailian insisted on doing everything herself and wouldn’t let Mi do anything. The two of them were caught in a strange mood, both feeling indebted to each other.
Mi jumped down from the treehouse and stood next to Ailian: "Do you want to fly?"
"Where are we flying to?" Ailian wasn't surprised by Mi's sudden appearance. "Let's draw first."
“Close your eyes.” Mi tried to recall the first time she created a body in the Misty Forest, gathering the surrounding air and then elevating her. She picked up Ailian and gently placed her on the treehouse platform: “There you go.”
Ailian opened her eyes, about to laugh, when suddenly they widened. The air beneath Mi's feet, no longer restrained, suddenly surged violently, a buzzing sound filling the air, raising a cloud of dust beneath the pine tree, and creating a large crater in the ground. Mi, covered in dust, emerged from the grime. She squatted down, gathering the scattered dirt back into the crater; the air was still too uncontrollable. Ailian couldn't hold back any longer and laughed at her. She picked up a pen and drew a hazy ball of dust, handing it to her.
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