Chapter 101: Honey Flower Candy
Since the last time she fell into the valley, Anna had not smiled again.
Right before she fell, she thought she saw a shadow of her younger sister. But it disappeared in a moment. When she opened her eyes again, she was already lying on a bed in the healing center.
Beside her, Lisa was cutting fruit, and Stella was lying on another bed reading a novel.
The two teammates greeted Anna, but since she woke up the latest, she had no mood to catch up.
She was still thinking about Peiya. For some reason, when she fell into the valley, she felt like she saw magic that only Peiya could use.
Her stomach suddenly hurt, and only then did she remember she had not eaten for a long time.
But just when Anna wanted to eat, she was told that people who had been unconscious for too long should not eat for a while.
So Anna could only sigh and stay in the healing center with her two teammates for some time.
And today was the day they were discharged.
As a way to celebrate, Stella took the two of them out for a meal. The place was a nearby noble gathering.
When they arrived, Anna realized it was actually a celebration party for Ron, the son of Saines.
The reason for the party was to celebrate Young Master Ron’s successful return.
When she heard the name Ron, Anna’s heart started beating faster. Ron used to be the man she dreamed about day and night. Looking at her messy hair in a small mirror, she felt a bit upset.
Anna looked at Stella with some blame. She didn’t understand why Stella didn’t tell her in advance. Bringing her here like this, wasn’t it just to embarrass her?
But Stella acted like she had been starving. As soon as she arrived at the party, she kept eating non-stop, as if she wanted to make up for all the food she missed in the past week.
Lisa was no different. She grabbed several desserts and went to a corner to eat them.
Why say “eat”?
Because if you asked any art student to draw her, they would probably make a picture of Lisa biting into a cake directly.
These two really looked like starving ghosts…
Anna felt very confused. She was upset because she didn’t prepare to meet Ron, and even more confused because… she felt like she didn’t really want to meet him.
When she was young, she once saw Ron surrounded by many girls at a party. She thought that if she could date a man like him, she would become famous in noble circles.
Instead of always being talked about with empty praise.
When she was young, she liked that kind of praise. But as she grew older, it only made her feel empty.
Anna stood up, took some food, and casually returned to her seat. Lisa shared a piece of cake with her.
“You can’t just eat that little. Or are you still mad at Stella? You know her, she’s famous for having a thick skin. We’ve known her for a long time. But I remember you used to like parties, right? Now that work is done, why not take a break?”
Maybe because she had been hungry for so long, Lisa’s tone sounded a bit warmer.
“No, I’m just not very hungry. And I don’t like parties that much anymore.”
“What, are you still thinking about the past? I know we’re not that strong right now, but I heard other adventure teams also failed to defeat the boss. So the guild rankings haven’t changed much. We can still stay near the top for a while.”
“That’s not it either.”
Anna rubbed her temples. Her head hurt, and she felt like she had forgotten something very important.
“Oh, could it be that you didn’t dress up before coming, so you feel a bit shy? I have a mirror in my bag. You can find a place and fix yourself before coming back.”
Lisa thought about the times she had attended parties with Anna before. Back then, Anna was full of energy and spirit. She was nothing like how she looked now, so tired and weak.
“Forget it, I don’t really want to dress up,” Anna said.
“Then what’s going on? If you keep looking this worn out, your body will have problems,” Lisa replied, swallowing the cake in her mouth.
“By the way, I remember you mentioned Ron before. He came back today. Don’t you want to go see him?”
When Lisa said this, she felt a bit uneasy. It wasn’t because she liked Ron, but because the person she had admired for so long was now unable to eat because of a man.
It gave her a strange, mixed feeling.
It was like seeing the girl you like feeling sad because of another man, while you stand beside her, trying to comfort her.
There was a kind of sadness that couldn’t be described. But at the same time, she couldn’t just leave her alone and ignore her feelings.
Deep in her mind, she even thought that maybe, if Anna became sad enough, she might forget that man and start to notice her instead.
With this kind of conflicted feeling, Lisa slowly became more and more depressed.
She turned her head and looked at Stella, who was still busy eating, and felt so speechless.
Sometimes, you really had to admit it, Stella was a very selfish person. People like her rarely treat themselves badly, no matter the situation.
Even in extreme conditions, she could always find a way to live well.
For example, right now, Lisa felt a bit angry. At least Stella should come and comfort Anna.
But instead, she said she brought everyone to the party, yet she was just eating non-stop by herself.
In the end, she was just using the group as an excuse for her own desires.
Anna raised her eyes, looked at Lisa who was quietly upset, then glanced at Ron in the distance. For some reason, she suddenly lost interest in everything.
At this moment, Ron also noticed Anna.
At first, he didn’t see her, because she was sitting very far back.
This was not like the Anna he remembered. Then he recalled what his father had told him. Suppressing his discomfort, Ron walked over to Anna with a glass of wine.
“Beautiful lady, it seems you are not in a good mood. My father and your father have had many dealings. If you have something on your mind, you can tell me.”
Ron walked over with a bright smile, just like how he presented himself in front of other women.
However, Anna only nodded.
“Thank you for your kindness. I’m fine.”
?
Ron’s expression became a bit strange. It was hard for him to connect this Anna with the one in his memory.
He even wondered if he had drunk too much, and everything felt unreal. He remembered that Anna used to chase after him quite strongly.
Could it be that another man had already taken his place?
It wasn’t that Ron liked Anna. But if that was true, it would not be good for his future plans. So he quickly changed the topic.
“I see. Then if you need anything, you can tell me anytime. By the way, I heard your sister has also returned. If there’s a chance, you can invite her to my estate. My father rarely comes back, and he would also like to meet your parents and you sisters. After all, you were once comrades. Maybe there’s a lot to talk about.”
Ron still kept his bright smile, like a cheerful and friendly young man.
In contrast, Anna looked gloomy. She just sat there blankly, without any response.
This made Ron feel very awkward. Some noble girls nearby also frowned as they looked over.
Some were confused, while others looked down on Anna, thinking she was just pretending.
Even Ron himself found it strange. He wondered if Anna was just acting pitiful on purpose.
Had he even started acting just to win her over?
Knowing that continuing would only lower his image, Ron exchanged a few polite words with Lisa, then went back to his seat.
“Anna, tell me, what number is this?”
Lisa held up one finger in front of Anna.
Anna shook her head. “I’m not sick. I just don’t like the food here.”
“Alright, then rest for a while. I’ll call you when it’s almost over.”
Anna nodded. Her mind was full of messy thoughts, so confusing that she couldn’t sort them out. Then, near the end of the party, Anna suddenly stood up and walked toward the food table.
Lisa looked surprised and followed her, feeling a bit worried.
Then she saw something shocking.
Anna picked up a lot of honey flower candies and put them straight into her pocket!
After doing this, Anna seemed to “restart” like a machine, and let out a long breath.
“Let’s go back.”
“Anna… y-you… why did you put the candy directly into your pocket?!”
Lisa was confused. At that moment, Anna also came back to her senses. She looked at the candies in her pocket and paused for a moment.
A flood of memories rushed into her mind.
She remembered that in the past, whenever she attended a party, she would pack the leftover food from her plate and bring it back. Then she would throw it in front of the boy who acted like a puppet every day.
She would talk a lot about what happened at the party, how many noble young men greeted her, how many noble ladies came to befriend her.
She kept talking, hoping to get some reaction from the boy.
But every time, he only listened seriously and gave simple, flat replies. That was all.
It was like a well-wound machine. Only when you turned the key would it move a little. Once the energy ran out, it became a motionless doll again.
This went on for a long time. She even thought Peiya had no expressions at all, as if the person had completely lost its emotions.
Until one time, by chance, she brought back a few honey flower candies from a party.
That time, the boy finally smiled.
She thought it was because of her story.
But when she thought about it carefully, she realized Peiya only liked the candy. It had nothing to do with her.
From then on, every time she went to a party, Anna would try to bring back some candy.
At least this way, when she talked about how popular she was at the party, the boy would show a small smile, giving some kind of reaction instead of being completely cold.
Even though she knew that what he was looking at was never really her.
She did not deny it, Peiya’s cold attitude made her want to conquer him.
Seeing Peiya’s emotionless face always made her angry.
Anna still remembered when Peiya first came to her house. He was like a machine, just a tool. Anna even set strict rules for him.
She wanted to prevent Peiya from developing unnecessary feelings, because she was the daughter of a duke, how could she fall in love with someone of lower status?
But the other side played the role too well. No matter what Anna did, Peiya always acted like a machine with no emotions.
He only carried out orders, never crossing the line even once.
At first, Anna just wanted to experience what it felt like to have a “stand-in.” But slowly, she became curious whether Peiya truly had no emotions.
So she began testing him under all kinds of pressure.
But she found that Peiya really was like a machine. Only following orders, never going beyond them.
The only thing that could make him show a crack was the honey flower candy.
But Anna never expected that it would be the last time she ever saw that small weakness in Peiya.