Volume 3, Chapter 22 – Night Talk

“Welcome ba—Eh?”

Liti, who had opened the door with a cheerful tone, froze the moment she saw the Milu beside Fia.

She must have been startled by the short-haired Milu’s eyes, Fia thought. She introduced her as she walked through the door.

“This is Milu’s older or younger sister. I found her in the bandit fortress and brought her back.”

As for the three witches, Fia had asked the front desk to prepare the lowest-grade room on the way here and had ordered Renee to lock them inside. To prevent their escape, Renee had fed the three of them the same sleeping drug she had given the bandits earlier. They wouldn’t be able to wake up on their own for two or three days.

It was worth mentioning that when Fia said, “prepare the lowest-grade room,” the front desk clerk had given her an “I understand” look and had quickly arranged a room for her. Although it was the lowest-grade room, the price was three silver coins more than a normal room. Fia was quite surprised. After asking, she learned that it was a single-person dungeon that the inn provided for guests, with special arrangements to satisfy their particular… interests. ¹ uhh

The amenities were a bit too comprehensive.

“Where’s Anastasia?”

Fia looked around the room. Only Liti and Milu were there. A chessboard was on the bed; the two of them must have been playing chess earlier—Fia was more inclined to believe that Liti was teaching Milu how to play. In this world, chess was almost an exclusive activity of the nobility; commoners had neither the time nor the energy for such a leisurely pastime.

“Sister Ana said she was going to meet with Baron Khesa, so she left about fifteen minutes ago. She probably wanted to inform him in advance, so that if he does end up joining us, he’ll choose to stand on your side, sister.”

“Doppelgänger.”

While Liti was explaining with her index finger on her chin, the short-haired Milu on the other side had already slipped past Fia and into the room. Seeing the short-haired one, the long-haired Milu’s eyes first widened slightly in surprise. Then, she placed her hands on the short-haired Milu’s shoulders and said with great seriousness.

“You’re not needed anymore. She’s a good person. I’ll let you out again when there’s a chance.”

“Mm.”

As her voice fell, the long-haired Milu and the short-haired Milu pressed their foreheads together. A faint red glow quickly enveloped the short-haired Milu’s body. Then, her white hair and body gradually became transparent, first her forehead and arms, then her shoulders and lower limbs. The short-haired Milu seemed to merge into the long-haired Milu’s body. In just a few breaths, the two had become one. Only the simple clothes of the short-haired Milu, which had fallen to the floor, could prove that there should have been four people in the room.

“Uh…”

Not knowing how to react, Liti looked to Fia for help. But Fia was equally unsure of what had happened. At first, she had thought the short-haired Milu was the long-haired Milu’s sister, but now it seemed that was not the case. If the short-haired Milu hadn’t appeared so calm, Fia would have definitely rushed over and pulled the two apart.

“Milu, are you…”

“That was my doppelgänger.” After merging with the short-haired Milu, the crimson light in Milu’s eyes became much more brilliant. She slowly walked up to Fia and looked up at her. “I can’t leave the city, so I can only have her go out in my place. You saved me again. Thank you.”

An ordinary person being stared at by these bloody cat’s eyes would only feel uncomfortable, their scalp tingling. But Fia could read sincerity in those slightly shimmering, lively eyes. Against her overly fair skin, Milu’s deep red eyes seemed to have a magical power that could suck a person in. There was a faint madness in their depths. Compared to a “human,” Milu gave off a feeling that was more akin to a monster, or a monster girl.

Since the name “Stellacryst Beast” has the word “beast” in it, there must be a big difference from humans. I just haven’t discovered it yet.

Unconsciously, she had been staring into Milu’s bottomless eyes for quite a while. Fia quickly averted her gaze. She first had the yawning Liti go back to her room to sleep, then beckoned Milu to sit at the table to talk.

“Alright, it’s just the two of us here now. If you trust me, Milu, you can tell me all your secrets. As things stand, there are too many things about you that are hard to understand. Of course, I don’t absolutely have to know. If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine too. The reason I’m asking is just to—”

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“I trust you.”

Before Fia could finish, Milu agreed in one breath. As if she hadn’t had enough of looking at Fia, her deep red eyes remained fixed on Fia’s cheek.

This is embarrassing.

Although Milu was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, after being dressed up by Liti, her petite body and delicate features already had the makings of a beauty. Especially with her grayish-white hair cascading down the back of the chair, it made her appear even smaller, and a feeling of pity washed over Fia. With time, Milu would surely blossom into a beautiful girl who would drive people crazy.

Therefore, being stared at so intently by Milu made Fia feel bashful.

As if reading Fia’s thoughts, a smile appeared on Milu’s usually emotionless face. However, this smile quickly turned into a blush of what seemed like embarrassment. She withdrew her gaze from Fia.

“Fia… should I call you master now? Um… back at the restaurant… thank you.”

“At the restaurant?”

“For letting me hit Dick.”

Milu’s reminder made Fia remember, and she gave a wry smile.

“It was Friede who caught him, not me.”

Milu stubbornly raised her head.

“But without you, master, that woman named Friede definitely wouldn’t have helped me.”

Although that was true, wasn’t the title “master” a bit strange? Fia couldn’t help but be glad that she had been reincarnated into the body of an elf princess and not a prince. Otherwise, being alone in a room at night with a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, who was only wearing light clothes and calling her “master,” would surely be misunderstood by outsiders as her playing some twisted master-servant game.

Fia placed her right hand to her lips and coughed dryly.

“Ahem, you can just call me Fia, Milu. There’s no need to call me ‘master’.”

“Is it not good?” Milu tilted her head in confusion. “But that’s how all slaves address the person who takes them in, whether they are nobles or wealthy people. Ah, I’m not master’s slave yet, so…”

“That’s not what I mean,” Fia waved her hands repeatedly. “I just don’t like the word ‘master,’ which makes it sound like you’re an object. You can use a more suitable title.”

“Then,” Milu thought for a moment,

“—Mother?”

“Uh, that’s not quite right.”

How did she jump from master to mother in one step?

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Although, according to the elf princess’s age, she could be Milu’s grandmother with years to spare, she had the appearance of a girl who was only fourteen or fifteen in human years. The title “mother” was a bit much—but she couldn’t deny that her heart had wavered for a moment.

Being rejected by Fia, the expectant look on Milu’s face gradually disappeared.

“…I still prefer to call you master.”

“Is ‘sister’ not good?”

“That purple-haired girl already calls you that, master.”

Fia wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that Milu had a pouting expression on her face.

She can’t be dissatisfied that Liti has taken the title of “sister,” can she? If so, that’s a bit too possessive. I’ve only known Milu for a few hours. Generally, possessiveness is only shown towards people one is familiar with.

“Then do as you please. Who is your master, Milu? I plan to find him in the morning and dissolve your slave contract. Then you’ll be free.”

Fia had thought Milu would shyly tell her who her master was, but instead, she answered a question with a question. She pursed her lips, a hesitant look on her face.

“Um… why are you helping me, master? First, you offended Dick to help me, and now you want to dissolve my slave contract… I’m a cursed person. Not only am I immortal, but I also have these eyes that bring misfortune. Normally, people can’t avoid me fast enough, but you brought me to an inn and even want to dissolve my slave contract. Is there any benefit in this for you?”

Although Milu had met people before who were not so afraid of her eyes and had given her a full meal, those people were usually just having a sudden burst of kindness and would leave after supporting her for one meal. And most of them were villains with ulterior motives, vastly different from Fia. Milu didn’t think she had anything to offer Fia. Since she couldn’t bring any benefit, Fia’s actions seemed astonishing. Especially since Milu could feel that Fia had no intention of harming her, which made her even more at a loss. She had never met anyone like Fia.

“Benefit?” Fia blinked, not understanding. “Can’t I help you if there’s no benefit? Seeing a group of grown men bully a little girl, if you’re strong enough, a normal person would choose to help, right?”

“But I am a cursed disaster—”

“If the curse and disaster you’re talking about refer to encountering misfortune just by making eye contact with you, then let’s stop this topic here. I’ve said it twice before, this is the third time, and I don’t want to repeat it a fourth time. Listen up, I don’t think any misfortune will happen to me. If there really is such a thing as fate, then let’s have a go at it. I believe that you just have special eyes, and you’re not as terrifying as people say.”

Fia was not the type to back down from a challenge. On the contrary, the more difficult something was, the more it aroused her competitive spirit. Besides, she could feel that Milu did not have a curse on her like Claire did. Milu was just being slandered because her eyes were terrifying.

“Believe me…”

Stunned, Milu murmured softly. A very complicated expression appeared on her bewitching and delicate face, as if she were both in disbelief at being accepted and angry at the mockery of fate.

After a long moment, Milu came to her senses. She reached out to Fia, but her outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.

“Can you hold out your hand, master?”

“I can, but what are you going to do, Milu?”

As she spoke, Fia placed her hand, back facing up, in front of Milu. Milu, as if touching a fragile object, carefully extended her index finger, not stroking, but gently pressing the back of Fia’s hand with her fingertip. The touch was so light that Fia could barely feel it.

It was almost like some ancient ritual.

“It’s real…”

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As Fia was wondering what Milu was doing, Milu, who was gently pressing the back of her hand, withdrew her finger. Her eyes shimmered slightly, and the rims of her eyes turned red. She tried hard to swallow, as if holding back a sob, but tears were already silently streaming down from the corners of her eyes. ² ?!?

Is she crying?

Fia quickly stood up.

“W-what’s wrong?”

She didn’t remember doing anything to bully Milu. If Anastasia happened to come in now, she would surely be given a suspicious look.

Milu immediately wiped the corners of her eyes and lowered her head to prevent Fia from seeing her in such a state.

“It’s nothing… I’m just so happy… I… I’ve never been treated like this before. The people in the past, when they saw me being bullied, would only laugh at me from the side… You’re the first person willing to help me, master… When you helped me this afternoon, I thought I was dreaming…”

I’m the first?

The people of this world are too heartless.

Fia tried to hug Milu, just as Anastasia had comforted her, but Milu quickly composed herself. Although the rims of her eyes were still red, she no longer looked like she had been crying.

Milu’s mental age was much more mature than her appearance, Fia couldn’t help but think. The experiences of one’s childhood could greatly change a person’s personality. Milu had no one to rely on, so it was only natural for her to be mentally mature.

“I’m sorry, I lost my composure.”

“It’s fine to vent a little more.”

Fia awkwardly sat back down.

Although the blush on her cheeks had already betrayed the embarrassment in Milu’s heart, she still puffed out her cheeks and said stubbornly.

“It won’t happen again.”

“Eh…”

I think a child can relax a little more, Fia wanted to say, but seeing Milu’s strong-willed expression, she had to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

“Are your parents still alive, Milu?”

If a slave gave birth to a child, the child would automatically become a slave as well, which was why Fia had asked about her parents.

“No.”

Milu stated flatly.

“Any other relatives? Siblings, or uncles and aunts.”

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“No.”

The answer was so decisive that Fia felt she was lying. For example, her relatives might still be alive, but because they had never cared for her, she said they were dead.

“I have no intention of sending you to them. I just want to ask if they are still alive.”

“I don’t know… I only have my doppelgänger, the short-haired me you saw earlier.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Her only family is her doppelgänger.

That was even lonelier than being alone.

The feeling of pity welling up in her chest made Fia let out a long sigh.

“Then from now on, I will be your family. Your troubles are my troubles. You can tell me anytime you have difficulties, including when you’re being bullied.”

“Family…”

As if pondering the meaning of the word, Milu lowered her head, her small hands clasped together under the table. What Fia didn’t know was that Milu’s heart was deeply shaken. Just as the past Fia had longed for someone who would respond to her, the current Fia was in the position of the past Anastasia, and Milu was the Fia who was being accepted and cared for. The word “family” was like the sun appearing on a frozen planet, giving Milu warmth and nourishment.

However, Milu’s reaction was much more mature than Fia’s at that time. She just looked up, as if to engrave Fia’s appearance into her soul, and stared intently at her face, not missing a single detail.

This staring made Fia restless. She joked playfully.

“Why are you staring at me? Am I that good-looking?”

“Yes.”

“Uh—”

Milu’s straightforward admission, in turn, made Fia feel embarrassed.

Until Milu added with great seriousness.

“As long as it’s you, master, you would be beautiful even as a pile of white bones. Yes, I’ve memorized it now. I’ll never forget you, no matter where I go.”

That sounds like a curse.

Fia couldn’t help but find it amusing. She waved her hand and said in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Now, can you tell me about your secrets, Milu? What is this immortality, and what about the doppelgänger? And what do you mean you can’t leave Byrne City?”