Chapter 11: Heartbeat
While taking a short break to think, Elise quietly looked at Peiya again.
The girl’s shiny silver hair gave off a soft glow under the light. As for her face… Elise honestly couldn’t find anything wrong with it.
Especially her bright blue eyes, they looked like they had a tiny star inside. When she smiled at you, her eyes would blink gently.
Elise stared at her, a bit lost in thought.
Can someone like her really come from a place like the old district?
If Elise had to describe Peiya with one word, she would say… she looked like a blueberry mousse cake that had run away.
She looked so sweet and tempting, making people want to…
Wait, what am I thinking? How can I think like that about a friend?
Elise calmed herself down. Now it was her turn to speak. She couldn’t let Peiya control the whole conversation.
After all, she was the one who invited her out.
She couldn’t let the mood become awkward.
She had to say something.
After thinking for a long time, Elise finally spoke.
“Miss Peiya, can I take up one day of your time?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Elise regretted it.
Was this really the best she could say after holding it in for so long? It sounded so embarrassing.
She might as well have stayed quiet.
This just proved that she really wasn’t good at socializing.
Peiya didn’t answer right away. It seemed very likely that she had annoyed her.
But actually, Peiya had just been busy looking for something. When she heard Elise, she quickly replied,
“Of course you can! The gold coins you gave me before helped me a lot. I didn’t know what you like, so after searching for a long time, I found a bag for carrying dolls. Next time, I’ll try to find a gift that suits you even better!”
Peiya handed over the neatly folded bag, along with the black-and-white rabbit plush toy resting inside.
Elise held her breath. Her eyes clearly showed how she felt.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to describe her feelings. It was like standing there and being completely pierced through.
She felt so foolish. Really.
Peiya had been caring about her the whole time, yet she was still trying to test her feelings.
That made her feel even worse about herself.
Suddenly, she felt like maybe she really should just stay alone. She almost ruined everything again.
“This is too valuable. I can’t accept it… unless you’re willing to accept my gift too.”
Elise took out the wallet she had folded into the shape of a greeting card. At first, she was quite satisfied with this gift, but now she suddenly lost interest.
Because she had already fallen in love with Peiya’s gift.
Even if the bag didn’t match some of her clothes, she wouldn’t mind carrying it every day.
Maybe she was just that foolish, she simply couldn’t think of any reason not to use it.
“A wallet~”
Peiya opened the gift. She didn’t expect Elise to wrap it so carefully.
Is this how girls usually do things? So thoughtful.
Compared to that, her own gift felt much simpler. Still, she couldn’t understand why Elise kept staring so closely at the bag in her hands.
Does she think it’s ugly and doesn’t want to use it?
But that really wasn’t her fault. You know how it is, men usually only choose between black and white when picking clothes.
When in doubt, just pick black. That rule never changes.
Your clothes might not look great, but black usually makes up for it.
But what about after becoming a girl? Should you still wear those plain, unfashionable clothes?
Peiya wasn’t sure either. But back when Anna was around, her wardrobe was always full of clothes. Since Peiya often helped organize it, she learned a few things about fashion.
She had even taken lessons on outfit matching before, though she never understood why a stand-in like her needed to learn that.
But Anna often reminded her that as a servant, she must not embarrass her.
Looking back now, Peiya was glad she had learned something useful.
For example, the outfit she was wearing today was put together using what she had learned before, simple adjustments to create a clean and fresh look.
And it matched perfectly with the wallet in her hands.
“Thank you. I really like it. I’ll take good care of it.”
Elise felt a little surprised. She thought Peiya might not like her gift. The heavy feeling in her chest finally went away.
Maybe because of the warm mood Peiya brought, Elise started to talk more.
“The medicine you gave me before worked really well. I’m a bit curious, where did you find it?”
When the past was mentioned, Peiya was clearly not as relaxed as before. For her, the past was like chains.
That was why, when she embraced her new life as a witch, she didn’t resist much.
There was nothing worth holding on to in the past anymore. If you keep clinging to it, you will never grow up.
As if she had made up her mind, Peiya said seriously,
“The magic medicine you mentioned, I searched for a long time to find it. I didn’t expect your illness to be that serious. Do you still feel unwell now?”
“I’m fine now. Back then, I rushed into something beyond my level. I tried to challenge the Ice-Sealed Demon Eagle in the far north, and I got badly injured by the cold. I even thought I was going to die. I didn’t expect to meet someone as gentle as you.”
“You’re praising me too much. I was only able to survive because of the gold coins you gave me. But you don’t need to worry about my living anymore. I prefer to create value with my own hands.”
“Oh… I see.”
Elise didn’t argue. She chose to respect Peiya’s decision.
Everyone has their own way of living. You can’t force your own ideas on others.
That wouldn’t help them, it would only hurt them.
Elise didn’t mention money again. She only said that if Peiya ever needed anything, she should come to her.
Elise also tried to imagine Peiya’s life, and suddenly felt a little sad. The sandwich left in the basket yesterday…
For noble ladies who live in luxury, they probably wouldn’t even look at it.
But Peiya ate it happily.
She even folded the napkin using noble table manners she learned from books.
Some nobles may look elegant on the outside, but that doesn’t mean they are truly good people inside.
But Peiya was like a beam of light, shining through ice and snow in bright colors.
Elise herself was a noble lady. She understood what such a difference in life could mean.
Or maybe they shared some similar fate.
So when Peiya walked toward her, Elise didn’t step back. She just quietly waited to hear what Peiya would say.
It was like two wet matches trying to create a small spark to warm themselves.
“Do you have any plans now? I came this time to thank you. Also, I plan to stay here for a while. If you need anything, just come to me. This is my address. If my maid asks you questions, just say I invited you.”
“That’s great. If I need anything, I’ll definitely come to you.”
Peiya didn’t refuse. They had been stuck in this awkward moment for a while, and someone needed to take the first step.
Elise nodded, then asked,
“What would you like to eat? The desserts here are quite good.”
Elise remembered that Peiya liked desserts, so she chose something safe.
“Let’s have dessert, I already ate a little on the way here, so I don’t need much. But I’m more curious, what kind of request do you have for me?”
Elise shook her head and answered carefully,
“My purpose this time is just to thank you. As for the request, I already mentioned it. I want to take one day of your time. I haven’t been back here for a long time. So I’d like you to show me around, help me find some of my old memories. Is that okay?”
“Of course, no problem.”
Peiya agreed quickly. Just walking around was easy for her. She used to go shopping in this area often with Anna, so she knew many of the shops nearby.
Guiding Elise around would be simple for her. She had done similar things before.
Back then, Anna liked to walk at the front of the group, chatting with her friends about interesting places.
And Peiya would act more like a moving clothes rack, carrying bags, holding things. After a long day, she would go home and still be ordered around, even having to think about whether she had made Anna look good that day.
Those days felt suffocating.
But now, everything was over.
Her life was slowly getting back on track. It was time for her to have a new life.
Peiya took another bite of her dessert.
At that moment, the clock struck noon. A waiter stood up and pulled open the curtains to block the midday sun.
A strong light came in. Peiya raised her hand to block the sudden sunlight, then slowly lowered it.
It felt warm.
And somehow… she didn’t dislike it.