Chapter 18: That Touch of Color That Belongs to Her
“Move a little closer to me. There’s wind where you’re sitting, you might catch a cold.”
Elise’s soft voice sounded beside her ear. The two of them were so close that they could almost see the shape of each other’s eyebrows clearly.
Peiya froze for a moment. She didn’t expect Elise to come this close.
Oh no…
Just a moment ago, she was teasing Elise for being sensitive and easily nervous, how did it turn back on her so quickly?
Elise held a soft handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from Peiya’s face. She even wiped away a small bit of food at the corner of her mouth.
Because they were so close, Peiya could even hear the faint crunch sound as the food crumbs were brushed away.
She felt so embarrassed she almost wanted to disappear.
Her toes curled tightly, pushing against her shoes and lifting her legs slightly off the ground, making an awkward scraping sound.
So close…
“What’s wrong?”
Elise didn’t notice how close they had become. Right now, all she could think about was making sure Peiya didn’t catch a cold.
The manor didn’t keep heat well, and there was a large fountain outside. The moisture in the air could easily make someone sick.
She needed to wipe away all the sweat quickly.
“Let me check if you’re sweating anywhere else.”
When Elise said that, Peiya froze for a moment and quickly realized how strange the situation had become.
She had just said Elise was sensitive, but now she wasn’t much better…
It felt like every part of her skin was reacting, like she had fallen into a field of soft dandelions, the light touch making her feel ticklish.
“Th-this isn’t necessary, right? If I rest a bit, the sweat will go away.”
Just imagining it made Peiya quickly reject the idea.
“But what if you catch a cold?”
Elise insisted seriously, not letting it go.
“I won’t. Besides, I’m pretty healthy—achoo!”
“See? You just used so much magic and sweated a lot. Of course you might get sick.”
Elise brought a towel and told Peiya to turn around.
“I’ll do it myself.”
“Can you even reach properly?”
“It’s fine. I can’t keep troubling you.”
Elise wanted to say more, but Peiya didn’t give her a chance. She quickly slipped into a nearby room, ignoring whatever Elise was about to say.
“Wait…”
Elise tried to stop her, but she was already gone.
“That’s my room…”
Her unfinished words lingered in the air.
In her rush, Peiya ran into the room without thinking. Before she could fully understand what was going on, she felt a soft texture under her.
Looking down, she noticed part of a stocking sticking out.
Then she looked around and remembered what the maid had said earlier.
She had entered Elise’s room.
The room was very neat. It had a clean, white tone overall. A large window was covered by curtains, and beside it stood a tidy desk and a half-open wardrobe.
Then there was the large bed she was sitting on.
Peiya quickly adjusted her position, afraid her clothes might dirty the clean bed.
Even the towel she was holding felt softer and better than her own clothes.
So this is how rich people live…
It really opened her eyes.
But unlike Anna, who acted like a spoiled rich person, Elise didn’t give off that kind of feeling.
Instead, she felt more like a slightly clumsy but gentle older sister.
Thinking about it, it seemed like something was missing from the room.
Peiya looked around but couldn’t find a single doll.
That didn’t feel like Elise at all.
In Peiya’s memory, Elise’s room should have been filled with dolls of all sizes.
But now it was completely clean, almost like a blank sheet of paper.
Not even a trace of a doll.
Did she stop liking dolls?
Peiya suddenly felt worried, did Elise dislike the gift she gave her?
But why did she care so much?
If Elise didn’t like it, at most they just wouldn’t stay in touch in the future.
But from Elise’s attitude, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Could she have been pretending?
Peiya quickly shook off that thought.
That was too far-fetched. With Elise’s status, she probably received many gifts.
Most likely, it was just too ordinary, so she put it away.
However, just as Peiya was about to use the towel to wipe her sweat, she noticed something.
At the other end of the bed, there was a single pillow placed neatly. It looked almost unused, with barely any marks on it.
Judging by the slight marks on the bed, it seemed newly placed.
But that wasn’t what caught her attention the most.
She gently lifted the blanket, and the bag she had given Elise earlier was right there, carefully hidden underneath.
The small cloth bag was now resting gently beside the pillow, as if it was keeping Elise company while she slept.
Peiya froze for a moment, unable to understand what was going on.
So… she didn’t actually dislike it?
After all, who would keep something they hate right next to their pillow? Something you see the moment you open your eyes, can you really hate that?
Her chest felt like it filled with air all at once, and her breathing became faster.
Her heart was beating so fast.
It suddenly felt like she was standing in front of a glass window, with sunlight shining through, lighting up the dust that had built up over the years.
A warm feeling spread in her heart. Peiya lowered her head and gently pressed her lips together, feeling a small sense of happiness.
As long as she wasn’t disliked… that was enough.
If she had to describe her impression of Elise in one sentence, it would be this.
A well-mannered young lady.
A trustworthy friend. And if she had to describe it more clearly…
Elise felt like the kind of older girl at an amusement park just before closing time, wearing a big bear costume, kneeling down, and giving her balloon to a little girl who didn’t get one and was crying.
Because Elise’s care felt like sweet candy, making you want more and more.
But eating too much candy will ruin your teeth, right?
So maybe… she should resist a little. Because right now, she didn’t feel like herself anymore.
Her past memories were like chains holding her back. Even when she wiped away her tears and tried to smile at a new day…
Late at night, when everything was quiet, she would still have the same nightmare.
In the dream, her former teammates would blame her for not working hard enough, for holding everyone back.
Anna would punish her for not being like her “perfect person,” making her go without food for a whole week, until her face turned pale and she fainted.
She had tried so hard to forget these memories, but whenever they came back, her whole body would tremble.
“…It should all pass someday, right?”
Peiya murmured to herself. She reached to wipe her sweat, only to realize it had mostly dried. She simply wiped the remaining sweat on her neck.
When she opened the door and walked out, she saw Elise still waiting for her.
“I’m done. Don’t worry about me.”
“Wait a moment. Turn around.”
“W-what now?”
She had already wiped off the sweat, so why did she still need to turn around?
“Lift your hair, Miss Peiya. There’s still sweat on the back of your neck~”
Ah… she had missed that spot.
“Wait, I’ll do it myself.”
“This time, let me do it.”
Elise untied Peiya’s messy hair tie, and her beautiful silver hair fell down. Elise gently lifted the hair with her right hand.
With her left hand, she used a warm wind spell, while slowly combing through the slightly messy hair. She carefully moved a few loose strands away from Peiya’s face.
Her movements were very gentle. It didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, it even felt nice.
It was like someone waving a cat toy in front of you, slowly and softly.
Peiya swallowed quietly, and her whole back relaxed.
The warm air made her feel cozy. Even those cold hands could create such gentle warmth.
It felt like the worries from earlier were being blown away bit by bit by the wind. Her neck felt itchy, and she really wanted to scratch it.
Just as her restless hand moved, Elise stopped her.
“It’s not done yet. Don’t move.”
“Okay…”
Peiya nodded and held back the itch, sitting properly in front of the mirror with her legs together.
Her mind couldn’t help but wander, what was Elise thinking right now? What should she say later?
Should she praise her? Say thank you? And then what?
What if Elise didn’t want to end the conversation yet? What should she do then?
After thinking hard with no answer, she finally gave up.
How could she possibly understand what a young lady like Elise was thinking?
When she looked up again, Peiya was surprised. The person in the mirror looked completely different.
Her silver hair had been neatly arranged by Elise.
Every strand was carefully styled, like soft moonlight resting on her hair, giving off a calm and gentle beauty.
It was still twin tails, but Elise had styled them much better than she ever could.
Her hair didn’t feel as heavy anymore. The weight was evenly balanced, and even her posture became straighter.
Was this really her?
Peiya’s body trembled slightly, and even her breathing became softer.
“Do you like it?” Elise asked gently from behind.
Faced with the sudden question, Peiya panicked a little.
Oh no… she really asked.
And so directly, too.
She tried to calm down, but she didn’t want to lie to Elise. So she could only reply in a very soft, hesitant voice,
“Li… like it?”