Midday light poured down from the high casement windows of the castle. It was not dazzling, yet it was clear.
The passage outside the castle had been prepared, and the motorcade used by the visiting blood clan was parked in the outer court.
Their dark red emblems looked steady and low-key under the sun. Servants moved back and forth, but they deliberately lightened their steps, undoubtedly maintaining a quiet environment.
Flora stood before the steps.
She did not stand too far forward, nor did she intentionally move back. She simply stood in the perfect position, enough to show she was seeing them off without appearing intrusive.
Lias stepped toward her first.
Her expression had not changed much since she first arrived; she remained calm and composed, though her gaze lingered on Flora for a slightly longer duration.
“Thank you for your hard work these past few days.”
She spoke with a natural tone.
Flora was slightly startled and subconsciously shook her head.
“…It was nothing,” she said. After thinking for a moment, she added, “At least, it was not as difficult as I imagined.”
Lias gave a light smile.
The smile was faint, but genuine.
“That only shows that you adapted better than you thought you would.”
“Safe travels,” Flora said.
Lias gave a soft sound of acknowledgment and then turned away.
At that moment, Xueli walked over.
Her pace remained cold. When she came to a stop in front of Flora, her expression was not solemn, but it could hardly be called close.
The two of them briefly locked eyes for 1 second.
“You were quieter than I expected,” Xueli spoke first.
The tone of this sentence did not sound like an evaluation; it was simply Xueli stating a fact.
Flora blinked and responded softly, “You were also… not as difficult to get along with as I imagined.”
Xueli raised an eyebrow slightly, looking as if she had not expected her to say that.
***
Immediately after, she huffed.
“That is because you did not keep making mistakes.”
She paused for a moment and added, “At least, you stood exactly where you were supposed to be.”
Flora did not say anything more and simply gave a light nod.
“Take care,” she said.
Xueli glanced at her.
“You as well.”
Her tone was as cold as ever. “Next time we meet, I hope you can stand a little firmer.”
After saying that, she turned to follow Lias.
The motorcade slowly started up.
The dark red ornaments gradually moved further away, eventually disappearing bit by bit.
Flora stood in place and did not leave immediately.
It was not until that splash of color was no longer visible in her sight that she let out a soft breath.
The visit had ended just like that.
There was no grand farewell, only a send-off like that of friends.
Yet, it had left a trace in her life that could no longer be ignored.
She turned around and walked back inside the castle.
***
When Flora returned to her room, her first reaction was not to sit down, but to stand there in a daze for a while.
It was not that she was contemplating life; it was simply a state where the matter seemed to have ended, but her body had not yet reacted to it.
She stood at the door and looked at her room, which felt both familiar and strange.
Several seconds passed before she realized she was still maintaining a posture that was a bit too upright, so she sat down on the bed with very little grace.
“…Whew.”
The sound was very small, but the moment she said it, she even startled herself for a moment.
She looked down at her hands and then at the hem of her skirt. After hesitating for 1 second, she took off her shoes, pulled up her legs, and curled into a ball on the bed. Her posture was clearly not elegant, but it was very real.
It was quiet outside the window.
There was no sound of servants moving back and forth, nor was there the sound of footsteps that made one subconsciously nervous. It was as if the castle had suddenly remembered what it usually looked like.
A short while later, a knock sounded at the door.
Compared to previous knocks, it was lighter and more casual.
“Come in,” Flora said.
The door was pushed open, and Lena walked in.
As soon as she entered the room, she clearly relaxed quite a bit. She did not even stand straight to salute immediately as she usually did.
Instead, after closing the door, she stood in place as if she had finally found a place where she could breathe.
“…It has been so stressful these past few days.”
She spoke almost with a sigh.
Flora blinked. “You too?”
“Of course!” Lena nodded quickly. “Every day I was thinking about the flow, time, and positioning. I was even rehearsing the order in my head while walking.”
As she spoke, she let out a small laugh.
“Last night I had a dream that I served the tea the wrong way.”
Flora: “…”
“And I was seen by the Vampire Queen,” Lena added.
Flora could not help but laugh out loud. “That certainly sounds quite terrifying.”
“Right!” Lena felt an immediate sense of resonance. “After I woke up, I specifically checked the direction of the cups.”
After she finished speaking, she realized she had said a bit too much and quickly cleared her throat, trying to pull her tone back a little.
“Cough… Anyway, it is over now, and I have really breathed a sigh of relief.”
Flora nodded.
“Me too.”
Lena looked at her with a surprised expression.
“Does Your Highness get nervous as well?”
“I do,” Flora answered bluntly. “And I am not very good at hiding it.”
Lena looked at her seriously for 2 seconds and suddenly said, “Then you actually hid it quite well.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Lena nodded. “At least in my eyes, you did not look that nervous.”
Flora was stunned by those words.
“But I truly am tired.”
Lena blinked and then revealed a somewhat cautious smile.
“Then at least for now, you do not have to keep up appearances, right?”
Flora looked down at her curled-up posture on the bed and then looked up at Lena.
“Does looking like this count as being very un-princess-like?”
Lena thought about it seriously. “If it were any other princess, probably.”
“Then what about me?”
“You…” Lena paused. “I think it feels quite like you.”
Flora was dazed for a second and then could not help but smile.
“Is that a compliment?”
“I suppose so.” Lena nodded. “Because I think you are easier to get along with like this.”
Flora rested her chin on her knees and slowly let out a breath.
“That is good, then.”
The room became quiet once more.
But this time, the silence was the kind where one no longer had to be tense.
Flora curled up on the bed for a while before slowly lifting her head.
“…I am a bit thirsty.”
When she said those words, her tone was very natural, as if she had just remembered it rather than making a deliberate request.
Lena was startled and subconsciously asked, “Should I go have someone send tea?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she stopped herself.
The two of them locked eyes for 1 second.
Flora blinked and did not answer immediately. She just lowered her head to think for a moment and then looked up at her.
“What if it is not tea?”
“…Not tea?”
“For example,” Flora thought about it seriously, “something sweet? Or fruity? The kind that is not so formal.”
Lena’s expression quickly shifted from thinking to understanding.
She lowered her voice and leaned in a bit closer.
“Your Highness, you want to drink those… little things the kitchen makes in secret, right?”
Flora was surprised.
“They can even make things in secret?”
“Of course they can!” Lena nodded quickly. “And since everyone else has finished their work, there are the fewest people around this time in the afternoon.”
She looked left and right as if confirming that it was truly just the two of them.
Flora’s eyes clearly lit up.
“Really?”
“Really.” Lena gave a somewhat proud smile. “But we have to be stealthy.”