Flora and the others ate a simple lunch. Xueli ate very little; in fact, she barely ate anything at all.
Lena was still concerned about her. “Xiao Xue, do you have no appetite? Why are you eating so little?”
Xueli gave a simple answer.
“No, I just don’t eat much. I just had ice cream, so I’m not very hungry right now.”
“It’s fine, Nana. If Xiao Xue doesn’t want to eat, let’s not force her.” Flora gave Lena a symbolic pat.
Flora naturally knew why. As a member of the blood clan, Xueli couldn’t eat many things other than blood products.
Lena wanted to keep persuading her, but seeing that Xueli truly didn’t want to eat more, she stopped talking.
Soon, the lunch was essentially over.
“I’m going out for a bit. Just wait a moment, I’ll be back soon.” After saying that, Xueli stood up and walked outside.
“Mm, come back quickly,” Lena said with a smile.
Watching Xiao Xue leave, Lena turned to look at Flora.
“Your Highness, I’m thinking of going back home this afternoon to see my parents. I haven’t seen them in a long time and I miss them. They must miss me too, so I want to go spend some time with them.”
“Mm, when do you plan to go?”
“Well, in a little while. I’ll leave shortly after Xiao Xue gets back. I want to stay with them for a bit longer.”
Going home to visit…
‘When will I be able to go back and see my sister, even if we can’t meet face-to-face? How is Eileen doing now? Did she pull herself together and live a good life?’
Speaking of parents…
Lena was going to spend time with her parents. Flora wondered what their family of three would look like.
‘I’ve never had the feeling of a complete home. I’m not even sure what that really feels like.’
Flora’s chest and throat felt slightly tight, as if various emotions were tangled together. It was an indescribable, vague sensation that left her somewhat dazed.
Ever since she could remember, she had never seen her own mother. There was only herself, her father, and Eileen.
“Father, where is Mama?” a little boy asked, sitting on his father’s lap.
“Mama… she went to a very, very far place.” He paused for a significant moment before finishing the second half of the sentence.
“Then when can Mama come back?” the little boy asked in a childish voice.
“When… probably when you can stand on your own.”
Being curious, Flora had wanted to find out the specific details regarding her mother.
Later, she occasionally overheard her father talking to himself and reached a conclusion.
Her father didn’t know where her mother had gone either. He only knew she had left.
He had no idea where she was or what her situation was. Flora didn’t plan to ask again; perhaps that mother had already forgotten them.
Flora had never felt anything like maternal love before.
‘Ha, how ridiculous. The first time I felt maternal love was actually from Mother Ilya. Truly absurd.’
Later on, her father died. He passed away from illness in his early 40s when Flora was only 16 years old.
That was why Flora had risked her life to pick the demon heart flower for her sister back then. At that time, Eileen was her only family.
Feeling a bit dazed, Flora rubbed her forehead.
“Eh, Your Highness, what are you thinking about so intently?” Lena’s voice rang out beside her.
“No… it’s nothing.”
“Right, Xiao Xue should be back soon. Let’s go pay the bill first,” Flora added.
After settling the bill, Flora and Lena walked out of the restaurant and saw Xueli.
“Xiao Xue, you’re back!” Lena waved her hand high.
Flora looked at Xueli and noticed her complexion was a bit more flushed, lacking that pale look she had before.
“Mm, I’m back. Did you finish paying?” A hint of indifference flickered in Xueli’s eyes.
“Yes, it’s done.”
“Good. Where do you plan to go next?”
“Nana said she’s going home to see her parents.” Flora spoke up directly, explaining the situation to Xueli.
“Oh, is that so? Then what should we do?”
“The two of us can wander around together while Nana visits her parents,” Flora suggested.
“That works. Let’s do that.”
“Alright, then I’ll head out first. Have fun, you two!” Lena turned and walked away.
“So, where do you want to go next?” Xueli asked calmly.
“Let’s just wander around. Maybe we’ll see something interesting.”
***
After walking for a while, about 30 minutes, Flora heard a voice.
“Come and play! An interesting game for two, a little game to test your tacit understanding and cooperation!”
It was the voice of a middle-aged man. Flora looked in the direction of the sound. There was a table with something that looked like a screen on it.
In front of it was a wooden bench that didn’t look too rough. Beside the table stood a brand-new sign that read “Tacit Understanding Challenge,” with some small prizes displayed behind it.
Flora pulled on Xueli’s slender arm and pointed her right hand in that direction.
“Look at that. How about that game? It looks quite interesting.” A smile of anticipation appeared on Flora’s face.
Xueli looked where Flora was pointing, a trace of confusion appearing on her face.
Flora watched her. It seemed this was the first time she had ever seen Xueli look confused; previously, she had always been very calm and serious.
“Hmm, I can’t tell how it’s played.” Xueli’s voice was unexpectedly soft.
“Then why don’t we try it together?” Hearing Xueli say that, Flora’s interest was piqued. If even Xueli couldn’t tell how to play, it must be something special and interesting.
“Okay. Since I’ve never seen it, we can certainly give it a try.”
Flora and Xueli walked over hand in hand.
To be honest, Xueli was a bit nervous, which was evident from her state. Her fingers noticeably tightened their grip, her steps were shorter and faster than before, and Flora could even hear Xueli’s breathing.
‘It seems she rarely holds hands with others like this. Then again, that fits the “cool and elegant” impression she gives off.’
The middle-aged demon race man saw Flora and Xueli approaching and quickly greeted them.
“Oh, oh, oh! Do you two young ladies want to play? I guarantee it’s fun, and there are small prizes if you pass.”
“How is this game played?” Xueli asked tonelessly.
“Well, the goal is for two people to operate one character to clear the level. One person controls movement, while the other controls jumping and other actions. You have to cooperate.” The demon man explained very seriously, likely sensing they wanted to play.
“Hmm, two people operating one character at the same time?” Xueli muttered to herself, her tone carrying a hint of doubt as she tried to imagine the scene.
Flora thought it sounded very interesting. She had never even heard of a game where two people controlled one character, and she was already imagining some “uncoordinated” scenarios…
“Xiao Xue, it sounds really fun. Let’s try it together. Boss, how much does it cost to play once?”
“20, it’s not expensive. Oh, and the first prize is a pair of rings. The prizes depend on the time it takes to clear the level.”
“Two rings…” Xueli murmured.
‘Rings again?’ Flora couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. ‘Isn’t the only jewelry I’m wearing right now a ring? If I get another one, my only two accessories will both be rings. Am I that destined to be with rings?’