Su Wan held Lin Xiyue's hand, the temperature of her fingertips suddenly dropping to the freezing point.
Her fingers tightened subconsciously.
"Hiss..."
Lin Xiyue felt the pain and gasped, looking at her with eyes full of confusion.
"What's wrong, Su Wan?"
Su Wan seemed to be jolted awake. The force in her fingers relaxed slightly, but she still gripped tightly without letting go.
She deliberately turned her head away, avoiding Lin Xiyue's inquiring gaze, her voice as taut as a string about to snap.
"It's nothing, your grip is just too strong."
This excuse was pale and weak; she couldn't even convince herself.
Lin Qingyue saw everything clearly from the side. The corners of her mouth turned up wildly, almost failing to maintain her composure.
My god!
The smell of this jealousy is burning my eyes from 800 meters away! It's practically solidifying into a physical entity!
Xia Lian's unintentional remark directly fried the Iceberg Young Mistress's CPU?
She looked at her sister, who was still foolishly caring about whether Su Wan's hand hurt, then looked over at Xia Lian, who looked like she wanted to ascend on the spot, and finally fixed her gaze on Su Wan's face, which resembled magma surging beneath an iceberg.
"Hilarious, this is too hilarious!"
What is a top-tier enjoyment?
This is it!
"Ahem."
Lin Qingyue cleared her throat, deciding to personally step in and forcefully interrupt this bizarre atmosphere.
"The braised pork is more important. If we dawdle any longer, there won't even be any soup left on the third floor of the cafeteria."
"Right, right, right! Time to eat!"
Lin Xiyue was finally brought back to the main topic. She grabbed Su Wan's hand even tighter and took a big step forward.
"I must eat three bowls today! No, five bowls!"
Su Wan stumbled half a step while being dragged by her, but ultimately didn't say anything else.
However, as they walked forward, the glance she cast out of the corner of her eye toward Xia Lian carried a scrutinizing and coldly vigilant look that even she hadn't noticed.
Xia Lian followed at the very back with her neck shrunk, feeling a chill run down her spine as if she were being stared at by some high-tier predator.
The atmosphere during this meal was extremely weird.
Lin Xiyue, with the momentum of a whirlwind sweeping away scattered clouds, perfectly demonstrated the terrifying energy consumption of the Paladin class.
Su Wan, uncharacteristically, only ordered a vegetable salad.
She poked the lettuce leaves on her plate with her fork, one by one, her eyes zoning out the entire time, oblivious to the taste of her food.
Returning to the dorm, the sisters each finished washing up.
"Sis, good night!"
"Good night."
Lin Qingyue closed her bedroom door, shutting out all the noise of the outside world.
From next door came the steady sound of her sister's breathing almost immediately after lying down; she was clearly exhausted.
She had roughly figured out the recovery principle of [Moonlight's Embrace]. Simply put, it was a harmless overdraft that required a massive supplement of energy and sleep to recover from afterward.
That was why her sister's appetite had greatly increased, and she fell asleep in seconds.
But she herself felt no sleepiness at all.
The miraculous nature of the Adeptus Breathing Method far exceeded her imagination; this little bit of exertion was no longer anything to her.
And the daily, unshakeable "cross-world communication" every night had long since become her habit, or rather, anticipation.
A pale gold magic circle lit up beneath her feet.
A sense of weightlessness flashed by.
When her feet touched solid ground once again, the rich fragrance of flowers and the clear moonlight embraced her gently like a long-lost lover.
Ilanier was already waiting there.
She was still wearing that moon-white silk nightgown, her silver hair draped casually, and her wine-red eyes full of tenderness.
Lin Qingyue stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her slender, soft waist from behind with practiced ease.
Over the past month, this scene had played out every night, with a tacit understanding as natural as breathing.
"Where is Cyrene?"
Ilanier asked softly, leaning back slightly and comfortably resting in her embrace.
"That little girl has been obsessed with cartoons lately."
Lin Qingyue chuckled softly.
"I downloaded a bunch of classic children's animated shows. She's watching them excitedly and said she'll come out after finishing this episode."
As soon as the words left her mouth, her mind stirred slightly.
A small, exquisitely cute figure happily bounded out from [As I've Written].
"Sis Ilanier!"
The little one called out in a milky voice. Like a precision-guided little missile, she dove straight into Ilanier's arms, her small hands already reaching impatiently for the Elven Pastries on the table.
Ilanier affectionately pulled her onto her lap and fed her the pastries herself.
The heartwarming daily routine of their "family of three" familiarly began.
Over the past month, Cyrene's growth rate had been astonishingly fast.
Not only could she engage in daily conversations fluently with a skyrocketing vocabulary, but she had also figured out how to activate the teleportation function of [As I've Written] entirely on her own.
At this moment, while munching on a pastry, Cyrene pointed at a glowing little blue flower in the garden and mumbled indistinctly, "Aglaea likes this kind of flower too."
Lin Qingyue's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.
There it was again.
This wasn't the first time Cyrene had casually mentioned those names.
From "Aedes Elysiae", to the later "Phainon" and "Castorice", and now today's "Aglaea"...
These names, like scattered puzzle pieces, were slowly piecing together the past belonging to Demiurge—a past she found both familiar and strange.
The unease in Lin Qingyue's heart deepened as the puzzle pieces multiplied.
Ilanier keenly sensed her shift in mood. She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, conveying silent comfort through her gaze.
Lin Qingyue's chest heaved slightly as she forcefully suppressed her anxiety.
She remembered Ilanier's words: true protection is not confinement, but giving her the freedom to choose and becoming her most solid backing.
Yes, what she needed to do was become stronger.
Strong enough to face any unknown enemies...
Wait, no!
Lin Qingyue suddenly remembered that this System was given by Aha, Aeon of Elation. That Aeon of Fun, who thrived on chaos, should absolutely despise tragic endings... right?
Hopefully...
Having eaten and drank her fill, Cyrene chased the Light Butterflies in the garden for a while. She soon grew sleepy and was recalled into the book by Lin Qingyue to sleep peacefully.
In the garden, only the two of them were left, quietly embracing.
"Qingyue," Ilanier suddenly spoke, her voice carrying an unconcealable smile, "did you know that Cyrene came over by herself today?"
"Huh? By herself?" Lin Qingyue was taken aback.
"Yes, just this afternoon."
Ilanier held back her laughter, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"I had just finished bathing and was about to take a short nap. Aeldara and the others suddenly activated the highest-level Emergency Communication Magic Circle, projecting the image of the Council Chamber directly into my bedchamber to discuss the abnormal movements of the Northern Beast Tide."
She paused, as if savoring the memory of that scene.
"Guess what happened?"
"What?"
"Right when Aeldara was pointing at the military map with a solemn face, analyzing the key nodes of the defense line, Cyrene suddenly went 'poof' and popped out of the teleportation light, landing right in the middle of the magic circle."
"Then, she hugged my thigh and cried out that she was hungry in her sweet, childish voice."
Lin Qingyue instantly pictured the scene in her mind.
A group of high-ranking elves holding a solemn, top-level military conference across space, the atmosphere perfectly serious and dignified.
But in the live broadcast from the Queen's Bedchamber, their legendary "Her Highness the Crown Princess" suddenly materialized barefoot, hugging the thigh of the queen, who had just stepped out of the bath, and begging for food...
"How did Aeldara and the others... react?" Lin Qingyue's voice was a bit dry.
"How else would they react?"
Ilanier's shoulders shook violently before she finally couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.
"Aeldara's projection froze into pixels on the spot and nearly crashed. She looked at Cyrene, and then at me in just a bathrobe. That look in her eyes... practically had the words 'I can't believe you guys play this hard' carved right into her face."
"Pfft..."
Lin Qingyue almost spat out her mouthful of tea.
She was doomed.
She was now 100% certain that in the minds of Aeldara and the entire Elven Royal Capital, her relationship with Ilanier, as well as Cyrene's "origins," were set in stone. With such irrefutable evidence, she wouldn't be able to wash her reputation clean even if she jumped into the Spring of Life.
"She also told me," Ilanier leaned in close to Lin Qingyue's ear and lowered her voice, her warm breath tickling it,
"Her Highness the Crown Princess is exceptionally gifted and able to precisely interfere with High-Tier Space Magic. This is a sign of Bloodline Awakening, and she should receive the highest level of royal education as early as possible."
"She even made a list of candidates for Cyrene's court etiquette teacher and magic enlightenment tutor, preparing to present it to me for review tomorrow."
Lin Qingyue: "..."
She felt that her worldview was hurtling away in an extremely absurd direction.
She had only come to another world for a trip and casually engage in "academic exchange." How did it fast-forward to the stage of arranging a school district house and elite education for their "daughter"?
"Forget it, let them think whatever they want."
Lin Qingyue suddenly sighed in resignation.
She released her embrace, scooped her arms down instead, and effortlessly lifted Ilanier up in a bridal carry, striding toward the large, soft bed.
"Anyway, our relationship... hasn't been a misunderstanding for a long time now."
She looked down at the gorgeous, smiling face with captivating eyes in her arms, a wicked smirk curling the corners of her lips.
"Today, it's time for me, as a 'mother,' to do my part for the healthy growth of our 'daughter'!"