"I can't be dreaming, can I?" This breathtaking, pure beauty, unlike any of the female protagonists in Kareliman Citrus, has a captivating power that easily seeps into one's heart, making one unable to resist the urge to worship and yearn for her.
The six wings behind her symbolize the blessed angelic bloodline, and both angels and holy flames are the emblems of the Aeciphysis family.
She looked exactly like the Aeciphysis depicted in the illustrations he'd seen before, with only one difference—the overwhelming impact that only a real person could exude.
"Absolutely real," came the reply, as the light pink-haired girl in front of him smiled playfully. Every movement, every smile, exuded an irresistible charm.
"...Did we win the resurrection match?" Upon hearing her direct response, Winnie stood still for a moment, too shocked to move, and stumbled back several steps.
Seeing a thousand-year-old monster appear in front of him—it would be a miracle if he weren't terrified.
"No, no, no. As a lady of the Aeciphysis family, you shouldn't be so rude, you know? Little Winnie," Aeciphysis' cherry blossom-colored eyes, as though they could penetrate one's heart, gazed at him with a smile.
"Lady?" Winnie was momentarily at a loss for words, pausing for a long while before he couldn’t help but blurt out, "Big sister, are your eyes failing you? I’m a guy, you know?"
"It seems the Aeciphysis family really has fallen," Aeciphysis sighed deeply. "They’ve completely neglected the education of their descendants on quality and manners."
"Well, duh. My parents are gone, what more can I say?" Winnie pouted and muttered quietly.
Not just gone astray, in the original story, Winnie ended up walking down the wrong path altogether.
For some reason, after the initial shock, Winnie gradually started to feel more at ease.
Perhaps it was because Aeciphysis' approachability made him feel safe, or maybe he subconsciously sensed that she wouldn't harm him. In any case, Winnie couldn’t stop talking.
"......" Aeciphysis smiled like a blooming flower, quietly watching him without a word.
"What, what now?" Winnie suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Little Winnie, do you know why you’re here?"
"I have no idea. I was about to ask you where the hell you brought me," Winnie replied, eyeing the six pure white wings behind Aeciphysis suspiciously. "Are you really the goddess Aeciphysis? Not some fake?"
Aeciphysis didn’t answer; she merely smiled and waved her hand, sending a few feathers flying from her wings.
Winnie hesitated, then watched the feathers glide through the air and inwardly cursed.
Damn it! They’re coming for me!
"Ahahahaha! No, stop, stop it! I’ll be good, please spare me!" The feathers pursued him, scratching him and sending him rolling on the ground, trying to shield his head.
"When speaking with elders, you must use polite language. You cannot use such crude words. This is the foundation of being a lady, understand?" Aeciphysis withdrew the feathers, acting like a patient, gentle mother educating her child.
"Who understands that? And 'lady' and 'gentleman,' you don't mean those people who spout out quotes like they’re reciting poetry, do you? Please, what’s the point of talking like that? Do you even understand the art of conversation?" Winnie grumbled, noticing that the feathers were starting to move again.
"You, what exactly do you want?" he asked, a little agitated. "Am I not telling the truth? Whether I’m a lady or a gentleman, can I decide that?"
"Etiquette and manners, did anyone teach me those? I wanted to learn, but I couldn’t find anyone."
"The Church took advantage of me, the people of the capital spread rumors. Was all of this my choice?"
"When I was at my lowest, you didn’t show up. And now you appear, talking about all these grand words?" Winnie realized that he couldn’t blame Aeciphysis for what happened to him, but perhaps her appearance made him feel like he finally had someone—a relative he could confide in. He couldn’t help but let his emotions show.
Aeciphysis stayed silent, calmly listening to Winnie’s complaints, and in the end, it all turned into a long sigh.
"I’m sorry, little Winnie. I have already passed, and I can no longer intervene in the mortal world. The only reason I am here now is because you awakened your bloodline."
"I understand what you’ve gone through, but you must continue... After all, the Aeciphysis family can only rely on you now." Aeciphysis’ voice was full of maternal love, and for a moment, Winnie felt his heart soften.
"Well, these things need someone to teach them, but they also require personal experience," Aeciphysis continued after a long silence, her smile turning mischievous as if something crossed her mind. "Soon, you’ll truly understand what it feels like to be 'compelled' to be a lady."
"After all, every generation of Aeciphysis’ holy maidens is a textbook example of a lady~"
"Huh? What’s that? What do you mean, don’t scare me?" As his emotions calmed, Winnie was a little confused.
"My child, you have passed the first hurdle of fate, and have come here to meet me. Your dormant Aeciphysis blood will now fully awaken."
"But that doesn’t mean everything will be smooth sailing. You’ll face unimaginable obstacles and hardships ahead, but you must continue forward... I will always watch over you."
"However, the name Winnie doesn’t quite fit a lady. Let me think... Hmm... How about Vanessa? Vanessa Aeciphysis, how does that sound~?"
"Huh? What Vanessa? Don’t change my name!" Winnie frowned in confusion. What was this old lady talking about?
"Come here, come closer, and accept my embrace."
Before he could even ask for an explanation, the words rang in his ears, and before he knew it, he had walked right up to Aeciphysis.
The pure and flawless pink-haired goddess opened her arms to him.
"All the hardships you’ve faced on your journey, I know them all... You are very brave, my child."
"Continue forward, Vanessa. Remember always, you are the blood of the Goddess Fanghui, the holy maiden of the Fanghui Church." Her voice, as gentle as flowing water, whispered sweetly.
"You are the representative of my will."
At that moment, Winnie couldn’t hear anything anymore.
Damn, damn, damn... What’s going on?!
Is she trying to drown me?!
Winnie’s consciousness was enveloped by a pink light, gradually growing hazy.
Where am I?
After an unknown amount of time passed in the chaos, Winnie’s weak awareness began to stir. Struggling, he opened his heavy eyelids, but the scene before him was still blurry.
Propping himself up on the bed with one hand, he slowly rose and realized he was still in his own room, surrounded by familiar furnishings.
So thirsty... Water... water...
‘Winnie’ held his forehead and slowly rose from the bed, walking to the table. Without thinking, he brushed the hair from his ear and picked up the water jug. He carefully poured water into the cup, stopping when it was about two-thirds full. Holding the cup gracefully, he took a small sip.
...Wait, what?
Noticing something was off, Winnie froze.
He was so thirsty that he wanted to drink quickly, but normally, he would have drunk it all at once.
What’s going on? Even though he was thirsty, he preferred to sip it slowly, like he was tasting tea?
What is this?
Winnie instinctively tried to cross his legs, but found himself unwilling to adopt such an unrefined posture.
What’s happening?
Winnie felt a bit frustrated.
What if I just chug it?
Without thinking, he raised the cup and tried to gulp down the water, but it felt like something inside him rejected it.
He felt like he wasn’t drinking the water himself. It was as though someone else had pried his mouth open and forced the water in.
He didn’t swallow any of it, and the water spilled out, making him cough uncontrollably.
"Mm, cough cough... That’s too rude," a sweet voice, like the trill of a warbler, rang out, and Winnie froze.
"Who... Who said that?" Winnie asked, but the voice seemed to come from her, as though they were speaking at the same time.
No, no, wait...
Winnie looked down, her pupils contracting in shock.
The silky pink hair, the delicate white skin, the soft, graceful hands, and those... obvious... breasts... This clearly wasn’t her original body!
What’s going on? What’s happening?
Is this... still me?
Winnie suddenly wanted to run to the mirror to confirm what was happening, but even the frantic motion of doing that seemed impossible. She had to slowly walk toward the full-length mirror.
"This is...?"
Looking at the dazed pink-haired girl in the mirror, Vanessa felt her breath catch, and she instinctively muttered,
"Aeciphysis?"
But quickly, she realized it wasn’t Aeciphysis. The girl in the mirror had the same features as Aeciphysis, but her appearance was noticeably different.
The girl in the mirror had fluffy, light pink hair falling to her snow-white ankles, eyes as delicate as cherry blossoms, seeming to hold both spring water and autumn waves, exuding every possible form of charm but remaining perfectly clean and pure.
Her long, smooth legs were as white as snow, making one marvel that these legs might be longer than her life.
The pink eyelashes were as thin as a cicada’s wings, and her appearance was so beautiful, her beauty incomparable to ordinary standards. It seemed that just a look, a careless smile, would be a perfect, flawless picture.
If Vanessa had to describe it, it would be like a mythical beauty, flawless in every way.
So beautiful that it was almost overwhelming, the purity and holiness that seeped into one’s heart and made everyone who looked at her feel the urge to worship.
Besides the color of her hair and eyes, what stood out most and was the most Aeciphysis-like was the pair of ample breasts, which made one inevitably think of a nurse, with an abundant supply.
Her unmatched beauty could rival even Aeciphysis herself.
(See Vanessa's appearance on the cover)