Eileenburg (24)
Star Appears (1)
Ailian and Mi spent the afternoon in the treehouse. Mi noticed that all of Ailian's paintings were gray or black orbs of light. Staring at the ink droplets on the paintings, she couldn't help but ask, "Is this what you see in me?"
"I can't paint light," Ailian said, a little troubled. They spent the afternoon painting in the treehouse, and Ailian carefully put away the paintings, asking Xiaowei to put them in the storage room.
“Miss, Lady Aldrich has sent an invitation. She’s here on behalf of the Royal Family to deliver gifts.” Xiao Wei followed behind Ai Lian and reported to her one by one the various invitations: “The Queen’s lady-in-waiting asked when you are available. The Queen wishes to see you.”
"I'm busy right now, Xiaowei." Ailian pulled Mi along; she didn't want to see anyone.
"Can the Queen wait until after the wedding to see Mrs. Aldrich?" Xiao Wei hesitated for a moment. The royal gifts couldn't be sent after the wedding. "Should I have Mrs. Aldrich come the day before Juneteenth?" The day before the wedding, many nobles would come, and Ai Lian could meet them all then.
“Okay, let’s arrange it this way.” Ailian pulled Mi and tried to leave again, but Xiaowei had to stop her: “Miss, you still have wedding jewelry. Please try it on tonight and see if it needs to be altered.”
The royal family was sending more and more gifts to Eileen Castle. Every day, Mi saw new crowns and jewels waiting for Eileen to try on. Mi grew increasingly irritable. She would quickly leave Eileen Castle and, in a secluded grove or by the Lotus Lake, unleash her witch form, letting her consciousness envelop the castle. Mi became increasingly focused on Eileen. Eileen would try on her wedding dress in front of the mirror, with Xiao Wei always praising how beautiful she looked. The smiles on Xiao Wei and Xiao Bai's faces deeply irritated her. The royal family and adventurers surrounded Eileen Castle. The royal family said it was to show respect to the future Grand Duchess. Mi became irritable again. She ran out again, this time to the Adventurers' Guild, but she couldn't find the skull. The door to the secret chamber remained tightly shut; the guards had been removed, and no one had gone in or out.
Now, in the entire Sun City, apart from the Adventurers' Guild, which still makes Mi wary, she feels no suspicion anywhere else, and even hopes that someone will appear to fight her. But suddenly, her desire to explore vanished, and she increasingly frequented the Flower River, meticulously investigating the direction and destination of every passing ship. Sometimes she would immerse herself entirely in the Flower River, and just when she thought she was about to leave the Flower Kingdom, she found herself back in Lovele Castle.
Mi frantically tried to find a way to leave Eileen Castle, to leave Sun City. Even though she had already left, when she came to her senses, she found herself back in Eileen Castle, Eileen holding her as she slept. For the first time, Mi didn't know what to do. She realized that longevity wasn't so simple; Eileen must have cast some kind of spell on her, making her return here again and again.
As the June Festival drew closer, the mimosa tree in the courtyard shed a large number of blossoms every day. Ai Lianhua spent more and more time picking up these blossoms, often looking at Mi with worried eyes. They both knew they were waiting for each other to speak.
In two days it will be the June Festival. Tomorrow, all the nobles of Sun City will come to congratulate Ailian. Tomorrow evening, Ailian Castle will hold a banquet, and Ailian will be hosting guests for the first and last time as Lady Ailian. Mi watched as Xiaowei decorated the banquet hall and left Ailian Castle again. After Mi left again, Ailian released all the servants. Xiaowei looked at her worriedly: "Miss, are you leaving?"
Ailian didn't know how to tell her loyal old servant that she had nowhere to go. She comforted Xiaowei, saying, "Don't worry, I just want to be alone with Mi for a while."
"Then I'll come back early tomorrow." Xiao Weiyi said, turning back as she walked.
Mi returned to Ellen Castle and found it completely dark and silent. Ellen sat under the acacia tree, a handful of fallen acacia blossoms in her hand. Mi picked up her cloak and draped it over her shoulders: "It's so cold outside, let's go back. I'll make you some sweet soup."
Ailian grasped Mi's hand, staring intently at her face before lowering her head again, and slowly followed Mi to the kitchen. The kitchen had been rarely used these days, mostly for making sweet soup; it was filled with water Mi had drawn from the well.
Ailian sat to one side, watching Mi busy herself, pouring water into the pot and lighting a fire in the stove. The firelight reflected off Mi's face. Mi placed the cooked sweet soup into Ailian's hands, and Ailian's tears dripped into the soup bowl one by one. She cried louder and louder until she could no longer breathe and collapsed into Mi's arms.
"Mi, can't you really take me with you?" Ailian sobbed, finally managing to ask the question.
Mi didn't know why she felt so bitter. Ailian was like her little daughter; she had shown her everything about being a woman, taught her to enjoy pleasure, and taught her to observe the world. Ailian listened to her so obediently, as if she were a life completely dependent on her. Her emotions were so intense that Mi felt joy every time, even if this joy was only something she felt from Ailian.
Ailian was like a blank sheet of paper, allowing Mi to paint on it. She loved Mi wholeheartedly, a love that encompassed both reverence for her mother and tenderness and affection for her lover. By the time Mi realized that Ailian was completely different from Anna, Ailian had already enveloped Mi completely, wrapping her up entirely in her presence.
Mi kept asking herself, did she really have to go back to Blue Star? Wouldn't it be better to just stay in Ailian Castle and live with Ailian, who only had eyes for her? Whenever she thought that way, she felt like she was betraying Ailian. She couldn't bear such deep affection. She always told herself that Ailian was like the little duckling that saw her the moment it hatched from its egg and regarded her as its mother. Their intimate relationship was just her provoking Ailian's nerves; nothing had actually happened between them.
“I’m sorry.” Mi turned her head away, unable to give Ailian any response, because a voice kept clearly telling her, “You can’t take her back to Earth. You can’t leave here together.”
"It's okay, Mi, it's okay." Ailian quickly recovered. She wiped away her tears, took Mi's hand and said, "You've been out all day, you must be very tired. Let's get some rest."
Ailian stood at the door of Mi's room, waiting for Mi to open the door and let her in. Mi stroked her hair: "It's late, you should go back to sleep." Ailian stubbornly stood at the door. Mi placed her hand on the doorknob, and she could not go any further. The night wind whistled through the eaves. Ailian finally couldn't hold on any longer, and she walked back to her room step by step.
Mi watched as Aileen entered the room before opening the door herself. Aileen's manuscript lay on the table by the window. The curtains were half-drawn, and blue moonlight streamed in. For the first time, Mi felt the room was so large, so empty, filled with lonely shadows. Mi rushed out the door, and there stood Aileen, barefoot and clutching a pillow. She hugged Aileen, experiencing emptiness for the first time. What was a witch? What was the point of El and Jo's passionate affair? They had no feelings of their own.
Mi didn't want to experience how happy or joyful Ailian was. She wanted her own body, her own feelings, and she wanted to know what it would feel like to actually hold a woman in her arms. She wanted to know if Ailian's skin was as smooth and delicate as she imagined, and if Ailian's kisses were full of heat, rather than relying on the feeling she got by comparing it to a thermometer.
Guided by Ailian, Mi decided to let herself go this time. Perhaps she should tell her that she was a bodyless wisp of air, a mindless path, a consciousness without feelings. But she dared not; El's warning still echoed in her ears, and nothing was more important than returning to Blue Star. Mi completely indulged herself, frantically experiencing Ailian's feelings—red passion, green vitality—all passion and life intertwined, enjoying the final feast.
Eileen clung to Mi, refusing to close her eyes. Mi watched her with a smile, their gazes meeting. Finally, Eileen drifted off to sleep, and Mi greedily gazed at her face. Suddenly, a gray ribbon floated before Mi's eyes, the guiding stone on the witch's headband glowing brightly. The hands spun rapidly, and Mi's heart pounded as she watched the endlessly turning hands. She gripped the witch's headband tightly, silently saying, "I want to go back, back to Blue Star." The blue moon suddenly lost its color, and countless stars burst forth with dazzling light. Taking advantage of the starlight, Mi slipped away. Lady Aldrich's inescapable trap lay outside Eileen Castle. Mi brushed past it lightly, like a mere breeze.
* * *
Mrs. Aldrich was even fatter than when I last saw her; her plump face was devoid of wrinkles, and her eyes were almost squeezed into slits. She lay half-reclined on the bed, enjoying the service of her maid, her short, chubby fingers pinching the cheek of a pretty young woman. The room was filled with a nauseating fragrance; Mrs. Aldrich's nose was becoming increasingly sensitive, and only a strong scent could mask the stench emanating from beneath her fat body.
"Madam, would you like to wipe your body?" a maid asked cautiously from the side.
"What?" Mrs. Aldrich slightly opened her eyes and stared sharply at the maid in front of her.
“Madam,” the maid bowed her head, “His Majesty has summoned you.”
"When?" Mrs. Aldrich sat up, her layers of fat swaying around her waist.
"The carriage is waiting outside."
Why didn't you say so sooner?
"Just arrived."
"Bring water." Mrs. Aldrich had to take this seriously and pointed to a maid to fetch her clothes. The maid brought hot water and carefully peeled back Mrs. Aldrich's layers of fat, quickly wiping her with a warm towel. "Be gentle!" Mrs. Aldrich angrily kicked the maid who was standing a little closer. Soon Mrs. Aldrich was dressed and hurried downstairs, the maid running after her.
“You, you—” Mrs. Aldrich stood by the carriage and pointed at two of them, “You come with me.”
“Madam, His Majesty requests that you go alone,” the coachman said in a low voice from the front.
Lady Aldrich leaned over to glance at the coachman, whose face was obscured in the darkness, swallowed her accusations, and, with the help of her maid, boarded the carriage. In a small room behind the palace, King Derek smiled grimly: "My dear niece, have you forgotten what I said?"
Lady Aldrich entered and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, I will be able to enter Eileen Castle tomorrow."
“Tomorrow?” Derek turned and leaned forward to stare at Mrs. Aldrich. “If I don’t see her tomorrow,” Derek stood up, “you’ll never have to show your face again, my dear niece. You’ve exhausted my patience.”
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty." Lady Aldrich lowered her head and let Derek step on her skirt and leave. After a while, Lady Aldrich slumped to the ground, staring fiercely into the void.
Lady Aldrich strolled through the palace, slowly making her way to her room. The king wouldn't provide her with a carriage to return home unless she wanted to walk back in the middle of the night; otherwise, she would have to spend the night in a small room in the palace. Mi quietly followed behind Lady Aldrich, watching her stop near the guards' quarters. Under the lamplight, the uniformed guards stood motionless. Lady Aldrich watched for a moment, then turned and walked along the path into the darkness. Mi carefully observed her surroundings. The guards were far enough away, and Lady Aldrich's heavy perfume had mostly dissipated. Mi quietly stepped forward, took out a dagger, and slashed at Lady Aldrich's neck. The thick, greasy neck made Mi momentarily lose her grip, and she unconsciously increased the pressure. Lady Aldrich's head quickly tilted to one side, gushing blood shooting into the sky. Before her obese body could even sway, Mi reached out and supported her excessively obese body, gently pulling her aside. A patch of bushes was knocked down, but the night was too dark for anyone to hear the faint sound.
The blue moon emerged from the clouds. Mi wiped the dagger clean on Mrs. Aldrich's clothes and took out the witch's headband. The compass needle turned eastward; following the Flower River would lead east. Mi looked up at the distant Eileen Castle, shrouded in night, and set off eastward.
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