Volume 6, Chapter 84 – A Bedtime Story, and a Little One Who Came to Apologize

After finishing her nightly routine, Ailiya carried Bai Lianyue to the room Luo Fei had specially arranged, easing her onto the soft bed with movements so gentle they might have been handling something irreplaceable and fragile. Stripped of her power, Bai Lianyue’s body had become as delicate as any ordinary girl’s — even lifting her hand carried a languid, listless quality. Her long hair, shading from emerald to silver-white, fell loose across her shoulders, catching the light with a soft sheen.

“There we go. Rest up now, like a good girl.”

Ailiya tucked the blanket snugly around her, fingertips grazing the faint blush on her cheek, her eyes brimming with a tenderness too deep to dissolve.

Faced with such an utterly lovely girl lying there in the bed, the old Ailiya would absolutely have let her mind wander somewhere mischievous — would have found some way to tease her.

But now?

Looking at Lianyue in her little dazed state, Ailiya managed, for once, to maintain the “pure and innocent maiden” image she had long since abandoned.

That said, the moment the silver-haired girl turned to gather the examination equipment from beside the bed, her skirt was gently tugged.

“W-wait… wait a moment.”

“Mm?”

Ailiya startled. Turning back slowly, she found Bai Lianyue clutching the hem of her skirt, fingertips tinged faintly pink, dark-red eyes glittering like a kitten begging for a treat. Her voice was soft and sweet, laced with a coaxing lilt:

“Ai’er… tell… tell me a bedtime story.”

“A— a bedtime story??”

Ailiya blinked, momentarily dumbstruck.

It wasn’t as if she’d never seen Lianyue slip into this little dazed mode before. But the current situation seemed somehow even more out of it than usual?

She actually wants me to tell her a bedtime story?

“…Hah.”

With a helpless sigh and a small smile, Ailiya gave in all the same, settling back down on the edge of the bed. She reached over and ruffled Lianyue’s gradient-colored hair. “What would you like to hear? Ai’er will try to make it interesting~”

But at that, the elf girl shook her head.

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“No… not… not Ai’er telling it…”

“Hm?”

“It’s… me. I’ll tell it… I’ll tell Ai’er a bedtime story.”

“Huh? You… you’re going to tell one?”

“Mm-hm.”

Bai Lianyue nodded, eyes radiating an endearing warmth.

“That way… Ai’er can sleep well too.”

After all — when Ailiya was small, this was almost always how Bai Lianyue would coax her to sleep. Especially in those early days after she first came to the Veiled Domain, when the nightly wailing of Corrupted Beasts would leave her too frightened to close her eyes — it was always Bai Lianyue’s bedtime stories that finally lulled her under.

Not because they were particularly interesting, mind you.

It was more that Bai Lianyue told them so boringly that they had a hypnotic effect.

Thinking back on those ordinary evenings, Ailiya couldn’t help but smile.

She’s already half-asleep herself, and she still wants to tell me a story. You’re too cute, you know that?

“Alright then… Ai’er wants to hear the story of Tang Sanzang and the Three Battles with the White Bone Demon~”

“Mm.”

Bai Lianyue beamed and nodded, dark-red eyes bright with enthusiasm.

But just as the elf girl parted her lips to begin, the bedroom door was nudged open a narrow crack, and a small silver-white head peeked carefully through.

It was Weiya. She gripped the doorframe with both hands, her orange-red eyes still glistening with undried tears, the tip of her nose flushed pink — the very picture of aggrieved misery. Behind her, Miya had poked out half her body, giving her younger twin a small nod of encouragement, mouthing silently:

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“Go on, Weiya. You can do it.”

As she said it, Miya gave Weiya’s bottom an encouraging pat. The pat was enough to make Weiya’s small frame jolt, fresh tears springing instantly to her eyes. Clearly, the disciplinary spanking courtesy of Sister Ailiya had left wounds that were very far from healed.

“Ow, ow… that hurts…” Weiya whimpered under her breath.

“Go on already! Once you’re done… I’ll rub it better for you, okay?”

Miya continued her encouragement from behind.

Feeling the eyes on her from inside the room, Weiya drew a small sniff, shuffled her little feet forward, and stepped quietly into Bai Lianyue’s room — stopping a few paces short of the bed. The little one clutched the hem of her clothes tight, shoulders trembling slightly, and spoke in a tearful, hushed voice:

“Mama… s-sorry.”

Her voice was soft and thick with guilt, tears sliding down her cheeks to drip onto the floor.

“Before… before I listened to that bad thing, and said awful things, and I almost did something terrible… I’m sorry, Mama. Please don’t be angry with me? I promise… I’ll never, ever do it again, sob sob sob…”

“Weiya?”

Bai Lianyue tilted her head at the sight of the pitiful little figure, a flicker of puzzlement crossing her eyes. Needless to say, the elf girl had no clear idea of what had actually happened. She had no knowledge whatsoever of Weiya having been controlled by Valerdis, nearly made to do something dreadful.

But in truth, Bai Lianyue wasn’t particularly troubled by it.

Kids were kids — making mistakes was normal.

And since she’d already admitted it and apologized, there was no need to dwell on it.

So Bai Lianyue pushed herself up to sit on the bed, reaching out and beckoning the little one over with a gentle wave:

“Weiya… come… let Mama give you a hug… Mama isn’t angry.”

At those words, Weiya’s eyes lit up — and her tears gushed all the harder.

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“Mama!!”

The moment she felt absolved, the little girl abandoned all her careful restraint. Arms flung wide, she launched herself in a flying leap straight toward the bed.

Of course, she never quite reached Bai Lianyue — Ailiya’s hand shot out and caught her mid-air.

“Easy there.”

Quick as a flash, Ailiya snagged Weiya by the back of her clothes and hoisted her up, holding her dangling in the air as she offered a long-suffering reminder:

“You little thing, watch yourself. Mama’s body is fragile right now — she can’t take you cannonballing into her like that.”

Indeed. With Lianyue currently reduced to an ordinary person’s constitution, Weiya launching herself at full force would probably crack her ribs on impact.

Only after Ailiya forcibly suppressed Weiya’s strength with her Augury Force did she set the girl down.

Catching the reproach in Ailiya’s tone and realizing she’d nearly caused another disaster, Weiya immediately stilled, ducking her head in embarrassment.

And at that moment, Bai Lianyue simply smiled, reaching out and gently taking hold of Weiya’s slender wrist — drawing her to the bedside and carefully gathering her into her arms. The soft blankets wrapped around the two of them.

“Good girl, Weiya… it’s alright, it’s alright… Mama’s… right here.”

Soothing words drifted from the girl’s lips.

And all at once, the faint lily-of-the-valley fragrance that clung to Bai Lianyue put Weiya’s heart immediately at ease. The unease and grievance that had been building up finally broke free — tears rushing out in a torrent, soaking into Bai Lianyue’s collar.

“Sob sob, Mama, Mama… I’m sorry, sob sob sob…”

“There, there… it’s alright… Mama’s… not angry.”

With Ailiya watching warmly from the side, Bai Lianyue softly stroked the back of Weiya’s head.

“Miya, come here too.” Bai Lianyue beckoned toward the doorway.

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She had clearly noticed the other twin lingering at the threshold, wearing an expression of undisguised envy.

At the sound of Bai Lianyue’s call, Miya’s eyes lit up. She scurried happily over, bouncing up onto the bed and perching there, resting a small hand lightly on Bai Lianyue’s arm. Her blue eyes were full of joy. She’d been worried Mama might scold Weiya, but seeing Mama’s gentle expression now, the knot in her chest finally loosened.

With Weiya tucked against her side, Bai Lianyue patted Miya’s head and let a playfully mischievous smile curl at the corner of her mouth. “Since… Weiya knows she was wrong… Mama is going to… punish you both.”

“Punish?”

Miya blinked blankly.

“Me too?”

“Yes… Weiya is the older sister… the older sister didn’t look after her little sister… there’s… responsibility involved.”

The elf girl said this with an entirely serious face.

The twins exchanged a look, and a moment later both settled into expressions of resigned acceptance. Weiya even nodded between sniffles:

“Mama, I know I was wrong. But please… please don’t spank me again.”

“What’s the punishment?” Miya asked, a little anxiously.

“The punishment is — — —”

Bai Lianyue paused, drawing the suspense out deliberately, then smiled with half-lidded eyes and declared:

“Tonight… you two… are going to be Mama’s… body pillows!”

The twins: …Huh??