Bang—
The sound of the massive collision was loud enough for even the butler and the guards outside to hear.
A guard hurried over and called out through the carriage window and curtains.
“Ladies, what happened? Do you need our help?”
“No, it’s nothing. I just accidentally bumped my head,” Liyakade replied, her voice stammering.
Hearing that no one inside the carriage had been involved in an accident, the guard quickly withdrew.
“Hiss… that hurts!”
Liyakade rubbed the back of her head, feeling a large lump already swelling up.
Her sudden movement had startled both Field and Alice.
A moment ago, Liyakade had been like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
Suddenly, she had acted like a Spinosaurus, her hair standing on end as she lunged upward and slammed into the roof of the carriage.
“Li, Liyakade, are you okay?”
Alice asked with concern.
For the past two days, Alice had been reducing the frequency of her conversations with Liyakade.
Only after she had sorted out her thoughts did she decide to take Liyakade back home, hoping to continue cultivating their relationship during the journey.
When Liyakade had spoken to her just now, Alice had been prepared to respond.
However, for some reason, Liyakade had suddenly acted as if she were having a seizure.
“I—I’m fine! It’s just… my body suddenly hurt a bit, and the pain made me jump!”
Liyakade stammered out an excuse.
In reality, she hadn’t jumped because of physical discomfort.
She couldn’t even find the words to describe the sensation.
It was like walking along and suddenly having a piece of ice shoved down her neck without warning.
Or perhaps like eating a bowl of steaming hot noodles, forgetting the temperature, and scalding her tongue.
In short, it was a sudden, jarring sensation that had startled her so much she leapt into the air.
Liyakade knew exactly why she felt that way and where the feeling came from, but the answer was hard for her to accept.
It was Alice…
After Liyakade had finished speaking, she had lightly nudged Alice with her elbow.
The moment she touched her, that strange sensation shot up from Liyakade’s elbow and straight into her brain.
Caught off guard, Liyakade hadn’t been able to react in time and had jumped right out of her seat.
But… shouldn’t I only feel uncomfortable when Alice is using magic?
Why do I feel it now just by touching her…?
Oh no… if I act like this, won’t it make Alice very sad?
Although Liyakade hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Alice when she was accidentally burned by her Light Element a few days ago, she felt that someone as kind and sensitive as Alice would be heartbroken if she saw her power hurting someone she liked.
Moreover, since she had jumped immediately after touching Alice, Alice might realize that she was the cause.
She had to find an excuse to fool her!
“A sudden pain in your body?”
Field hadn’t noticed the change in Liyakade yet.
She still thought Liyakade was just joking around as usual, so she began to tease her.
“Acting like that is a sign of osteoporosis. You should get more sun, hahaha! Besides, wasn’t that reaction a bit much?”
“Hmph, what’s the use of the sun? When you’re older and suddenly feel a sharp pain, you’ll understand!”
Liyakade bickered with Field, trying to act natural.
Then, she leaned toward Alice and gently took her arm.
“Mock me all you want, I’m not playing with you anymore. I’m going to snuggle with Alice.”
“Heh, then go ahead and snuggle with her.”
Field smiled, not thinking much of it.
After all, Liyakade and Alice hadn’t shared much physical contact or spoken much over the last few days.
It was good for them to mend their relationship now.
As for Liyakade, even though she had felt that strange sensation, she wanted to confirm if touching Alice was truly what had startled her.
If it was, she wanted to see if she could suppress the feeling if she was mentally prepared for it.
At the same time, this gesture was meant to reassure Alice and prevent her from overthinking things.
The moment Liyakade grabbed Alice’s arm, the strange sensation returned.
However, because she was prepared this time, Liyakade didn’t pull away.
Instead, she held Alice firmly.
What on earth is this… this feeling…?
But…
Alice shouldn’t be overthinking now, right?
Maybe she talked to me less these past two days because of this.
Can she feel at ease now?
But… why?
Why does it feel so strange?
Didn’t they say it would be fine as long as I stopped using Blood Magic?
I haven’t used it at all! Did that girl Korim leave something out?
Liyakade believed her facade was perfect, but the reality was quite different.
“Liyakade…”
Alice called her name softly, her voice tinged with hesitation.
“Hmm? What is it, Alice?”
“It’s nothing.”
Looking at Liyakade’s lively smile, Alice ultimately closed her mouth without saying another word.
When Liyakade had taken her arm, it was brief, but…
Alice felt her tremble for a split second.
Moreover, Liyakade’s muscles felt tense, which was different from how it used to be when they held hands.
Did Liyakade… jump and hit the ceiling because of me…?
Self-doubt began to slowly take root in the depths of Alice’s heart.
No, that’s not right…
Field said before that it would only affect Liyakade when I use magic and condense the Light Element!
It’s definitely, definitely not because Liyakade is afraid of me, right?
“I’m a bit sleepy after sitting in the carriage for so long… I’ll sleep for a while. Alice, you don’t mind if I lean on your shoulder, do you?”
Before Alice could respond, Liyakade leaned her head against Alice’s shoulder.
“Good afternoon. Don’t move around, Alice.”
“Okay…”
Alice responded softly.
Liyakade leaning on her shoulder did make her feel a bit more at ease.
I’m definitely overthinking it.
Liyakade’s body is just stiff because she hit her head and hasn’t calmed down yet.
It’s actually the same as always…
“Good afternoon, Liyakade…”