Chapter 98: Weapon Showcase
“Growing flowers?”
Elise turned into a curious child, looking at the suddenly flustered Peiya, and couldn’t help asking again.
“What flower? I didn’t see you bring any flowers when you came here.”
“It’s flower seeds.” Peiya took a small bag out of her pocket and poured the seeds into her hand.
“The old lady gave them to me on the way here. She said something magical will happen when they bloom.”
The confusion in Elise’s eyes slowly faded. She gently reached out, picked up the seeds from Peiya’s palm, and as she pulled her hand back, she secretly pinched the softest part of Peiya’s hand again.
“You just take the seeds, why are you pinching my hand?” Peiya’s clear eyes became a little cloudy.
“Because I like it. So I pinched it a bit more. Is that not okay?”
“…?”
“I’ll pinch yours too.”
“Alright.”
Peiya’s pupils trembled slightly. She did not expect Elise to agree so easily.
Elise then held her hand out in front of Peiya.
Her hand was thin and graceful, with clear joints but not bony. Her fingers were long and slightly pointed at the tips, like an artist’s hand. Fine lines could be seen in her palm.
Her nails were neatly trimmed and rounded, like small shining moons. Her fair skin looked so soft that faint veins could almost be seen under sunlight.
Peiya looked at her own hand again.
Hmm… not bad either.
Thinking about fingers again, Peiya suddenly remembered what President Maya had said earlier. She had clearly tried very hard to forget it, but now it came back again.
Peiya took a few deep breaths, then reached out and lightly pinched Elise’s palm. It felt a little cool.
Like chilled herbal jelly tea bought outside, the feeling was very similar.
As for why she first thought of food… maybe it was because Elise had a faint, pleasant scent on her body.
It felt like standing in a field full of lavender. One deep breath was enough to make someone feel slightly drunk on the fragrance.
“How is it? You look so absorbed… don’t tell me you’re addicted now?”
“Am I…?” Peiya looked up and met that gaze, as if it could burn a hole right into her heart.
“Yes. You even pinched my finger until it turned a little red.”
What Elise said wasn’t wrong. There really was a faint red mark on the lower part of her palm.
But honestly, that was just nitpicking. The mark was so small it was almost nothing, yet she made it sound like it was a burn wound.
“I didn’t mean it. Let me blow on it, then we’re even.”
Elise shook her head.
“I didn’t say I was angry. You don’t need to feel guilty.”
“I don’t really understand. I just don’t like owing people anything.”
Peiya let go of her hand, her expression returning to normal. She cleared her throat.
“Also, I came today to talk about our team after this. This Ice Bear King mission was actually unfair to you. There was basically no loot. As for payment… let me think. Next time, if you need help with anything, you can call me. Think of it as paying you back. Free of charge. How about that?”
Elise’s eyes moved slightly, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face.
“So you’re saying you’ll help this time, and then charge me later? How much? Should I just book you for fifty years first?”
“Fifty years? That long?”
“Yes. Should we sign a contract or something? So you don’t go back on your word.”
“Stop, stop, stop… I feel like we’re talking about completely different things.”
“I mean I’ll help you with anything I can do. Not hiring labor like you’re thinking. For this Ice Bear King mission, you worked so hard, you can’t get nothing in return.”
Elise shook her head.
“No. I think I already got enough reward… for example… you?”
She gently pressed her finger on Peiya’s forehead. Peiya looked away a little.
“I can’t really do anything useful. What do you even want me to do?”
“How can you say that? You can do so many things. There are plenty of people who would be jealous of you. But that’s for later. First, change your clothes. You’re wearing the new dress today. Leave this old cloth here. I’ll have a tailor fix it. Look at the hem, it's already falling apart.”
Peiya was a bit surprised, but she didn’t think too much about it. She went into a small room and changed into the new dress.
The dress fit her body very well. No wonder they measured her for so long. The tailor really knew what they were doing.
It was not only breathable, but it also had a light, pleasant smell from the fabric.
After changing, Peiya walked out. Her steps now really felt like a jellyfish in the sea. With every step, the skirt moved and swayed like floating water.
From far away, she really looked like a jellyfish swimming in the ocean.
“Where is the old clothes? Give them to me.”
“Huh? They’re dirty. What do you need them for?”
“I’ll wash them.”
“Oh…”
Peiya handed over her coat and a small shirt. As for underwear, it was too dirty, so she definitely couldn’t give that.
Elise took out a small wooden box from the cabinet, folded the clothes neatly, and put them inside. Then she pointed to a chair.
“Sit there. I’ll brush your hair.”
………
Peiya didn’t say anything and sat down on the narrow wooden chair.
Behind her, Elise took a few hair ties from the drawer. She picked up a strand of Peiya’s hair, then reached across with her other hand. Her fingers moved quickly and skillfully, weaving and tying the hair into neat braids.
The most surprising thing was that, even though it looked complicated and decorative, it didn’t hurt her scalp much.
Only the first combing was really painful. It felt like her whole scalp was being pulled up from her head.
After that, it became much more comfortable. Sometimes, she even felt cool fingertips lightly brushing her neck.
Sitting there, Peiya slowly became sleepy. To stay awake, she gently swung her small pale legs under the chair.
“How much longer… I feel so sleepy.”
“There’s a bed over there. If you want to sleep, go sleep.”
“No. I was just saying. By the way, earlier Yuni called you ‘Second Young Lady’. Do you have another sibling?”
Peiya asked casually, just noticing a small detail.
“Yes. I have an older sister. But I haven’t lived with her for a long time. If you come to my family later, just stay by my side. If she talks to you, you don’t need to pay attention.”
“Do you two not get along? Wait… if it’s not something you want to talk about, it’s fine.”
Elise shook her head.
“It’s not a secret. My sister has always had her own goals. She thinks more long-term than I do. So we often disagree.”
“When we were children, we fought over toys. At parties, she always tried her best to stand out.”
“She always wanted to do better, to prove she was the real heir of the family. When we were kids, it didn’t matter. But as we grew up, I started to dislike her more and more.”
“Sorry, I said too much. By the way, Peiya, what about you? What was your childhood like?”
“I…”
Peiya’s gaze went blurry for a moment.
In her mind appeared a gray, muddy house. From when she was little, she would look up at it. As she grew older, she could finally look at it straight.
She murmured softly.
“I already forgot what my parents look like. Maybe I had parents… otherwise I wouldn’t exist. But I haven’t seen them for a long time. It feels like I’ve always been alone… just surviving on my own.”
Elise stopped brushing her hair.
Her gaze trembled slightly.
Then she gently wrapped her arms around Peiya’s shoulders from behind, like vines, and rested her chin lightly on the top of Peiya’s head.
“…Then now, you have me.”