"Since that's the case, then I'll sleep on the sofa too. That way, I can conveniently take care of Miss Vanessa."
"I’ve already been so indebted to you. I really can’t ask for more," Vanessa said, maintaining her polite smile, though another hashtag of worry appeared above her head.
"Eh, it’s no problem at all! Look, my sofa is so big it can easily fit two people, you know? If Miss Vanessa needs to get up in the middle of the night, and can’t hold it, I can even help support you to the bathroom..."
"Please, no more of these strange words!" Vanessa finally lost her composure, each word carefully enunciated with embarrassment and frustration.
Get up in the middle of the night? To say that to a girl going through puberty?!
Help support her? Even if she really couldn't hold it, she absolutely did not want Aesphyra’s help!
She wanted to... but no, better not — she would reluctantly accept Aesphyra’s help?
Thinking of the consequences, Vanessa’s firm stance instantly softened.
‘Virtue +50.’
‘Current Virtue: 5304.’
Heh, heh heh...
Could this damned destined heroine be deliberately saying these things just to get that kind of reaction from her?
Watching the faintly joyful curve on Aesphyra’s lips, Vanessa felt it was very likely.
Why was this exquisite, beautiful silver-haired princess-cat so cruel? Did she just love teasing her?
No, no—that wasn’t right. Being treated like a dog while in male form was bad enough. How come as a female, she still had to be teased like this?
Wasn’t it all for nothing then?
Tonight, she’d exploded a lot of Aesphyra’s virtue points. By rights, that should have been good news—but Vanessa wasn’t happy at all.
Aesphyra was the first female lead who made her feel like she lost out even after gaining virtue points.
"I'm sorry, sorry~ I misspoke. I’m just worried something might happen to Miss Vanessa at night, and that you’d need me," Aesphyra said, lightly covering her mouth.
"Nothing will happen to me. I feel much better now. There’s no need for you to worry, Miss Aesphyra."
"Alright then. If Miss Vanessa feels tired and wants to sleep first, I’ll go boil some hot water for you."
"? Miss Aesphyra, in my current state, even if you boiled hot water, I wouldn’t be able to bathe."
"That’s okay. Didn’t I say I can support you to take a bath?"
"N-no need." Vanessa took a deep breath. "I really [N O V E L I G H T] can’t trouble you like that. I’ll manage on my own."
Was she really refusing every chance to get an advantage?
"But Miss Vanessa, you can’t even move at all," Aesphyra said, worry etched across her face. "Don’t push yourself. If you need help, just say so, okay?"
"Or could it be that Miss Vanessa is shy?" Aesphyra tilted her head, giving Vanessa a strange look. "Honestly, we’re all girls here, so why is Miss Vanessa the one acting shy?"
"Miss Vanessa insists she’s straight but feels shy about bathing with other girls? That’s odd. Maybe Miss Vanessa doesn’t even realize she’s not as straight as she says?" Aesphyra teased, her gem-like eyes shimmering with colorful light.
"That’s not the case. In fact, I feel I’m almost able to move again, so I won’t trouble you," Vanessa said, wiggling her fingers to show she didn’t need help.
Though not bathing made her feel filthy, if she let Aesphyra help, it wouldn’t just be about feeling dirty anymore.
No matter how uncomfortable, she’d endure it and just wait to regain mobility.
"Is that so? Well then, since Miss Vanessa says so, alright. But if you need anything, just call me, okay?" Aesphyra smiled, sitting down on the sofa nearby. Habitually, she picked up a book, turned on the desk lamp, and opened to the bookmarked page.
Apparently, she’d been reading here for some days now.
With nothing else to do, Vanessa glanced over and saw it was a book on the continent’s ancient history.
Under the lamp’s glow, the silver-haired girl’s snowy eyelashes caught the light, her half-lowered lids looking indescribably beautiful.
If only her personality weren’t so mischievous.
"Miss Vanessa, interested in history?" Aesphyra looked up, smiling faintly when she noticed Vanessa watching.
"It’s alright. Miss Aesphyra, you’re really interested in history, huh? Your home has so many books. I’m surprised you’re such a book lover," Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
"Me? Actually, I read not only to kill time but mostly to see how others interpret events and the world," Aesphyra said, resting her cheek on her hand, eyes deep with meaning.
"Since I’m free, Miss Vanessa, want to hear a bedtime story? I can read it aloud to you."
"If it doesn’t trouble you, Miss Aesphyra."
"Of course not." Clearing her throat, Aesphyra began reading from the book with great feeling.
One had to admit, Aesphyra’s voice was lovely—elegant and soft, more pleasant than a professional announcer’s, perfect for storytelling.
Vanessa had some interest in history too, but this book contained lots of specialized knowledge and analyses of historical events.
Though Vanessa understood it, it was mentally taxing, and she was already exhausted.
In the warmth of the villa, the flickering gentle light and Aesphyra’s melodious voice, drowsiness crept in.
Her eyelids fluttered, and soon her body and mind completely relaxed.
Lying on the sofa, her breathing gradually evened out.
Aesphyra closed the book and rose.
She approached the peacefully sleeping cherry-haired girl, picked up a stray lock of peach-colored hair from her forehead, and smoothed it down.
Gazing at the girl’s breathtakingly beautiful sleeping face, she leaned slightly forward.
Like a noble princess-cat eyeing her prey, she licked her lips.
After a long moment, she sniffed the lingering scent of hair on her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips as she whispered softly near the girl’s ear, "Sweet dreams, my dear. I hope someday you’ll open your heart to me."
Then, Aesphyra fetched a blanket, gently covered Vanessa, turned off the light, tied back her own silver hair, and quietly ascended to the second floor like a cat, moving without a sound—including her washing routine.
****
Late at night.
Perhaps because she was sleeping somewhere unfamiliar—or truly uncomfortable on the sofa—Vanessa suddenly woke.
She found a cartoon-style blanket with a white cat printed on it covering her.
It gave off a soothing fragrance of rose and wild roses, calming and refreshing.
No doubt, it was Aesphyra who had tucked her in, the scent of her hair and body still on the blanket, clearly used by Aesphyra herself.
Looking around the dimly lit hall, Vanessa wondered when she had fallen asleep.
Where was Aesphyra? Had she left after seeing her asleep and tucking her in?
Vanessa looked down at her clothes.
Nothing was disturbed.
Except for the blanket over her, everything was exactly as before she fell asleep.
Had she been that tired? That she couldn’t hold on and just fell asleep?
And right under Aesphyra’s watchful eyes.
Could it be that being near Aesphyra gave her some sense of security?
Vanessa shook her head, brushing away such thoughts.
Trying to think positively, this was a good thing.
If she were still awake, she’d probably be struggling over whether to bathe or not.
Sleeping through it avoided that.
Plus, after rest, she felt refreshed.
On impulse, she raised her hand—and was surprised to find her body could move.
Finally, she wouldn’t have to remain like a wooden doll.
She needed to hurry and let Mirexia know she was safe.
Pushing off the blanket, she stepped down barefoot, white stockings wrinkled slightly around her ankles.
But she didn’t rush.
After thinking it through, she decided it was better to leave a note for Aesphyra.
Not because she feared that annoying person worrying about her—but because Aesphyra had helped her so many times, it’d be rude to leave without notice.
She found paper and pen, wrote a neat and delicate line of script thanking Aesphyra and letting her know she was leaving.
Her handwriting was as beautiful as she was.
After a moment’s thought, she added a strand of her hair on the note.
Then, searching the wooden cabinet near Aesphyra’s entrance, she found a cloak to conceal her face.
Only then did she put on the white knee-high boots by the door and left Aesphyra’s villa.
She mentioned borrowing the cloak in the note and promised to return it when she had the chance.
Pulling the cloak tight to cover her face and hair, Vanessa quietly opened and closed the door behind her, stepping out of Aesphyra’s residence.
It was late. Aesphyra was surely still asleep, and Vanessa didn’t want to disturb her.
The time was well into the late night.
Though dark, there were likely people on the streets.
Many injured had appeared, so post-battle Carillian Academy would mobilize all rescue efforts—searching for students, repairing buildings, tallying losses.
With so much work, Mirexia, the overworking princess, certainly wouldn’t rest.
This troubled Vanessa, who wondered where to find Mirexia.
No one knew for sure where the student council president had been assigned.
At times like these, the first person you want to find when in trouble is your most trusted friend.
For Vanessa, that was Mirexia—the childhood friend she trusted above all.
Normally, in crises, people first think of their parents.
But Vanessa’s parents were dead.
Her first thought was her closest childhood friend.
Where could she be?
Lost in thought, a childhood memory suddenly flashed in Vanessa’s mind.
"Mirexia, Mirexia! What if we ever get into trouble and can’t contact each other? Let’s make a promise—if one day we can’t find each other, we’ll meet at the local park! Okay?"
A blue-haired boy held the hand of a golden-haired girl as they made their pinky promise.
Right—maybe she could check the academy’s park?
But that was a childhood promise.
Who knew if Mirexia even remembered?
Besides, there were many parks on campus.
How could she know which one?
Though still late at night, the academy was buzzing with activity.
Students mostly couldn’t sleep; the streets were full of people.
If Mirexia remembered the promise, the meeting place would be obvious.
Vanessa cloaked herself in the shadows and headed toward that destination.
As expected, tonight was lively—streets crowded with tutors and medical staff, some nervous students.
Though tutors urged everyone to return to dorms and rest—claiming the academy was now safe—some students still clung to each other, peeking out to check on the situation.
At night, even more bustling than the day.
Every park had people, except... the abandoned park in an old unused school building.
Just like always, no signs of life there.
Vanessa wasn’t sure if Mirexia would be inside.
The cherry-haired girl in a cloak entered the deserted park.
Her eyes instantly caught a golden figure wandering absentmindedly.
As if connected by telepathy, the golden figure looked toward Vanessa the moment she stepped inside.
Their gazes met in midair.
The moment the cloaked girl was seen, the sapphire-blue eyes of the golden-haired girl sharpened.
Though she couldn’t see the cloaked girl’s face in the dark, she sensed this was the person she’d been waiting for.
"...Vanessa, is that you?" Mirexia called out.
The cloaked girl was silent for a moment, then removed the cloak covering her face and hair.
Mirexia looked at her nervously.
When she saw the familiar face—so beautiful it was impossible to look away—she finally relaxed.
The heavy stone pressing on her chest was lifted.
Half a day had passed since the "Goddess’s Return to the Divine Realm."
Mirexia had thought Vanessa had returned to Saintess Selina Cathedral.
To avoid Vanessa being seen and having her identity exposed, Mirexia had immediately flown to the cathedral, hoping to rescue her quickly.
But when she arrived at the Radiant Sanctum in the cathedral, she found Vanessa wasn’t there at all.