Volume 4, Chapter 76 – The Snow is Coming

The goose-feather snow arrived as expected.

Although Blossom was located in the central part of the kingdom, the terrain between the northern border and the capital was flat, with no large mountain ranges to block the cold currents. As a result, the autumn was exceptionally cold, and it was not at all strange for heavy snow to fall in November. At this time, if one were to get up at night, one could even hear the faint sound of snowflakes accumulating on the ground—a silver world that could be “seen” without needing to be confirmed by the eyes.

In just one night, Blossom had transitioned from a desolate autumn to winter. Snowflakes covered every corner of the city. As far as the eye could see, there was only white. The ice and snow made one subconsciously pull their collar tighter and breathe on their aching, frozen hands.

“Hah, it’s so cold.”

Accompanied by Liti and Erin Slate, Fia, walking through the corridor on the first floor of the palace, breathed softly on her hands and rubbed them together.

Although she was already wearing thick, furry gloves, it still couldn’t alleviate the cold that swept through her body. The princess’s body was not afraid of fire, but correspondingly, it had no immunity to the cold. Whether it was the cold wind pouring down her collar or the bone-chilling cold scraping against her face, it all made her wish she could immediately return to her own palace and curl up on the sofa by the stove.

If not for that demon yesterday, she should have been in a warm room teaching Anastasia the Human Alliance language.

It was a mistake not to have eliminated her with [Hellfire] and [Mind Blast]—mainly because the demon’s escape speed was unexpected. Who would have thought that a man-high silver mirror would be like a portal? If I had known she had teleportation magic, I would not have chosen to capture her alive.

It was precisely because of the great commotion last night, and the fact that the demon had escaped with injuries, that she had to get up early in the morning to go to the audience chamber and report the situation to the anxious ministers and nobles. Fortunately, before the demon had left, she had used [Demon’s Bane] and Laevateinn to cut off one of her wings. Otherwise, for the dignified elf princess to let a demon slip away under her nose, Fia would have felt ashamed.

Of course, the nobles and ministers were only relieved by this and did not feel that she had not done enough. When they heard that the demon had the strength of the Eighth Rank, they all just felt that they had escaped with their lives, glad that they had not been targeted by her.

It was worth mentioning that because of the demon’s Eighth-Rank strength, some nobles had begun to doubt whether Greyan’s death was really the work of Prince Schain. Although these nobles were not clear on the demon’s motive for attacking Greyan, in terms of strength, she was the most likely suspect. Besides, the actions of the Darkborn could not be judged by common sense. They were a group of demons who would do anything to satisfy their own desires. It would not be surprising for them to kill someone because they were in a bad mood.

“You’re still cold even with the Foxy-Fox Gloves, Sister?” Liti asked, tilting her head from beside Fia. Unlike Fia, who was wearing a black scarf, a long furry dress, and a cloak, Liti, although also wearing a cloak, was dressed more lightly, in just a top and a short skirt. Her small legs, wrapped in white fabric, complemented the snow on the side, and with her waist-length purple hair bouncing, she was like a pixie walking in the snow.

Because Fia was only going to the audience chamber to report the situation and would be back soon, she had not let Claire and Anastasia accompany her in the heavy snow. Only Liti had volunteered to go out with her to have a look. Erin Slate, on the other hand, was following her under Yelido’s orders. Fia had almost been attacked last night, and Yelido believed the demon might make a comeback.

As for Milu, as she was the weakest of them all, she had been receiving all sorts of guidance in the palace recently, from magic chants to Martial Skills, not missing a single thing.

On this point, there was another thing that made Fia smile. A long time ago, she had felt that Milu and Claire were very similar. She hadn’t expected that now even the weapons they used were exactly the same, both being two single-handed swords of different colors. Fia couldn’t help but imagine that Milu was a daughter or a younger sister tailor-made for Claire.

Liti’s question made Fia tilt her head in confusion.

“Foxy-Fox Gloves?” She took off the gloves, which were covered with silver fur, and shook them at Liti. “You mean these? Although they are indeed warm, that name…”

It was a little cute.

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From her observation, the architecture and clothing culture of the elf race leaned towards a grand, solemn, and magnificent style. It was hard for her to imagine them giving an item such a cute name.

Liti placed an index finger on her chin and answered with an innocent face.

“They are indeed called Foxy-Fox Gloves. Even among the nobles of the kingdom, they are a rare luxury item. They have first-class warmth and are also a status symbol. Mother has a pair that her family gave her when she got married, but those are red fur, and the quality is slightly lower than this silver pair in your hand. Even so, she only wears them on important occasions and treats them like a treasure.”

“Just a pair of gloves, so expensive that even the children of noble families can’t afford them…”

“They are that expensive. Because they are made from the hands of young fox-kin girls, with the silver fox being the most expensive model.”

“Uh, Liti, what are you saying?”

Subconsciously, Fia thought she had misheard. The hand holding the gloves trembled, and she almost threw them away.

Seeing her stiff expression, the innocent cuteness on Liti’s face quickly turned into a mischievous grin of a successful prank. She covered her mouth and let out a series of chuckles.

“I’m just teasing you, Sister. Although it is indeed related to the fox-kin, it’s not that terrifying. Foxy-Fox Gloves are made by collecting the fine down from the ears of young fox-kin girls in the spring and weaving them together. And it can’t be just ordinary fox-kin; only the fur of the Multi-tailed Fox Tribe girls has a warming effect.”

“No, even so, that’s still not right, is it?”

To pull out that tuft of fur from the ears of a beast-kin, no matter how you thought about it, it would be very painful. If she remembered correctly, the Constellation Witch Lianne of the Witch Hall was of the Multi-tailed Fox Tribe.

“It’s not like that, Sister. The reason the fur is collected in the spring is because after the winter, the foxes shed a lot of fur. Even without external interference, most of the fur in the ears of the Multi-tailed Fox Tribe will fall off. We just have to collect the part that has shed.”

“The quality of the fur collected outside of spring is very poor, so few people use the method of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. And the Multi-tailed Fox Tribe has a very high status among the beast-kin. Without their consent, it is impossible to collect the fur from their ears no matter what. It’s just that something happened in the Cold Moon Alliance many years ago, and the Multi-tailed Fox Tribe, as the great sages, were wiped out by the Lionfolk. Now it’s very difficult to find new Foxy-Fox Gloves on the market.”

“I see…”

Fia was instantly relieved. She had just taken this pair of gloves from her wardrobe before going out. If they had been produced in a sinful way, she would surely never use them again.

“Do you have a pair, Liti?”

“How could I have such a luxury item? Even Mother treats hers like a treasure. Only a crown heir like you can easily buy them.”

“Then these are for you.”

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Fia pushed the silver-furred gloves towards her. Liti was first startled, then quickly waved her hands in refusal.

“No, I can’t just accept anything. Putting aside the fact that the gloves themselves are so expensive they can’t be measured in ordinary currency, just the fact that they are something you’ve worn makes their value incredibly high. You should keep them for yourself, Sister.”

“I can just buy a new pair.”

How could an older sister wear gloves while the younger one had her hands bare in the cold? Besides, Liti was her cute and sensible younger sister.

These past two days with Yelido had made Fia understand that although they were both his daughters, he didn’t care about Liti at all. He had even said something like, “I would rather let your younger sister Liti do it than let you restore the Holy Tree Dance.” This had made Fia, who was caught in the middle, feel a little uncomfortable, and she felt that she should, on his behalf, care more for Liti.

“No need. I’m not as afraid of the cold as you are, Sister. And if Father saw them and thought I had stolen them from you, he would surely punish me.”

“Don’t worry. I guarantee Father won’t blame you.” As Liti was still unwilling to accept, Fia had no choice but to sigh lightly. “I said they are for you, so they are. And I don’t just plan to give them to you. Claire, Anastasia, and Milu will all have a pair. If you’re unwilling, then I’ll go and ask Milu, okay? But I will still prepare a new pair for you afterwards.”

Although Fia vaguely heard a wistful sound from behind her, there was only Erin Slate there. She didn’t think for a moment that Erin Slate would make such a sound, as if she had lost something.

As if she were thinking about an extremely complicated matter, Liti’s mouth formed a cute pout.

“Mmm, if everyone has a pair… then I won’t be polite. I want the ones you’ve worn!”

No longer refusing, as if she were afraid Fia would go back on her word, Liti unceremoniously accepted the silver-furred gloves she handed over. It was just that she did not put them on, but carefully held them with both hands with a look of satisfaction.

“Ehehe…”

“Aren’t you going to try them on, Liti? If they don’t fit, we can change them.”

“As long as they’re from you, Sister, I’m very satisfied. As for the size… Can you hold out your hand?”

She probably wanted to compare sizes with her. Understanding her meaning, Fia spread her fingers, her palm facing Liti. And just as she had imagined, Liti pressed her delicate, pinkish palm, which was like a baby’s, against her own—the size of their hands was not much different, and could even be said to be very similar. The princess was only about twenty years older than Liti. Among elves, a twenty-year age difference was less than a one-year difference among humans.

That being said, although the age difference was the same, the difference between Anastasia and Fia was like heaven and earth, which made one marvel at the wonder of the magic world.

Seeing the comparison, Liti sighed as if she were disappointed in Fia.

“You haven’t grown at all, Sister.”

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“You don’t need to tell me.”

Although she said this defiantly, Fia was thinking about something else in her heart. Liti seemed to be a person who was not afraid of the cold (she was more inclined to think it was because children had a higher body temperature). The warmth from her palm was much higher than her own, and it restored some of the feeling to her cold fingertips.

As if she had noticed something, Liti’s cute eyebrows rose, and a hint of a happy emotion appeared in her large, reddish-purple eyes.

“To think you’re this afraid of the cold… I guess I have no choice. Since you’ve given me the Foxy-Fox Gloves, then let me warm your hands until we get back to the palace.”

As she spoke, Liti took her hands with great ease, and was also very careful to let her own cuffs cover them to protect them from the cold wind.

Almost instantly, Fia felt her hands warm up. If they were at home, she would surely have thought Liti was very considerate. But this was outside. The way her hands were held by her made their walking posture strange.

It was as if she had become a naive child, which was embarrassing. Although there were almost no maids in the courtyard because of the heavy snow, she still felt as if countless eyes were on her, saying things like “look, the princess is like a child,” which made her feel uneasy.

“Liti, we’re not children anymore.”

Fia buried her embarrassment in her heart and said, pretending to be serious. She tried to pull her hand back, but Liti held on very firmly.

“You’re not being honest… you even said I was a child in the bath, Sister. You don’t have to care about what outsiders think. Even if they see, they will only think that we have a good relationship as sisters. They might even envy me for being so close to you, and then regret it at night, alone in their cold beds, wishing they were your younger sister.”

“That’s right…”

“Did Erin Slate say something?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Erin Slate quickly corrected herself.

Liti, in turn, pressed her advantage. A cunning look appeared on her charming face. She deliberately took a step forward, twisted her shoulders, and, at an angle that only Fia could see, subtly opened her collar, revealing the mysterious and subtle, shallow valley within.

“It’s actually warmer here~”

If it were a lolicon, they would surely have been seduced by the current Liti and become a captive of this little princess of the elf kingdom. Unfortunately, she had chosen the wrong person. Fia, with a straight face, pulled her hand back and, in exasperation, pinched her small nose.

“You little brat, if an outsider saw this, you’ll never get married.”

“Ooh, my heart has already been given to you, esteemed Sister. No one can take it away!”

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“…”

Fia was at a loss for words for a moment. For Liti to be able to say something like a confession so seriously in public, from a courage standpoint, was truly remarkable. At least, she could not do the same as her. It was just that Liti had initially wanted to win the princess’s favor to avoid being with the Prime Minister’s son. Now that she had already canceled her engagement to him for her, there was no need for her to do such a thing anymore.

Fia couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time in the carriage, when Liti had pitifully asked her if she could be the second consort. She didn’t know if what she had just said was from the bottom of her heart, or if she was teasing her, or if it was simply a sister’s admiration for her older sister. Liti’s expression was too direct, which made her hard to read.

She was like a little pixie.

As an older sister, she absolutely could not lose the upper hand. In response, Fia, taking advantage of the fact that Liti had closed her eyes with a smug look, slipped her cold hand down her back.

“Eek!” Almost instantly, Liti almost jumped on the spot like a rabbit. “S-Sister, you’re too mean!”

“Oh my, you were the one who said it was warm here, Liti. Are you going back on your word now?”

“That’s not what I meant at all! Nu, nu, nu…” Like an angry, resentful wife, Liti pouted and snorted.

Fia couldn’t help but smile. She stroked Liti’s purple hair and pointed to the palace that had already appeared in their vision, as stately as a royal library.

“Let’s hurry back. It’s too cold outside.”

“Are you in a hurry to see Miss Maiden? First you had Father annul her engagement, and then you brought her to your own palace. What you’re going to do is already written on your face. Everyone can see your thoughts. For a daughter to snatch her father’s—”

“What is that little head of yours thinking about? I only brought Mizuki over to learn the Holy Tree Dance. There’s something unusual about her, and her own residence doesn’t have a suitable place to dance. I can’t let her go and dance under the Holy Tree in this heavy snow. Also, don’t forget our agreement. If your strength is not enough, even if you beg, I will not take you with me when I leave Silvar. During this time, you should study magic properly with Anastasia. If you really don’t understand something, you can also ask Claire.”

Hearing that she had to study again, Liti’s expression instantly fell.

“You’ve never asked Milu to do this. This is differential treatment. I protest!”

“That’s because Milu doesn’t need me to supervise her to know how to study. Stop dawdling. Let’s go back.”

“Yes…”

Dejectedly, Liti, her hand held by Fia, hung her head and unwillingly followed.