“Senior Sister Lia knows Madam… no, Mother… the best, doesn’t she? She always supports us in making our own choices. If we choose to become doctors, she definitely won’t object.”
With that, Cinderella added, “If Mother objects, then I’ll take the scolding alongside Senior Sister Lia. Then we can beg Mother together and ask her to agree to our choice.”
Gloria let out a puchi laugh, feeling her taut heart finally settle slowly.
……
After being summoned by Duke Wilson once, Ye Tang was frequently called to his mansion to answer his questions and dispel his doubts. She had to rush back and forth several times a day and often returned home late at night.
Even after returning to Hedelin House, Ye Tang could not rest. She still had to finish the work she had not had time for during the day—facing a pile of ledgers in front of her, Ye Tang desperately wanted a civilized tool like a tablet computer, a simple and quick Excel document.
Reconciling accounts held no difficulty for her; it just wasted time and strained her eyes. With Excel, she could finish several hours of work in just over ten minutes.
“Madam, aren’t you going to sleep yet?”
“Ah, Ian…”
Seeing how exhausted Ye Tang was, not even wanting to say much, Ian considerately said, “Then I’ll make the fireplace in your room even warmer for you.”
Ian worked lightly and quietly. He soon lit the fireplace for Ye Tang and bowed toward her. “Then, Madam, please rest early.”
“Mm.”
Ye Tang was still reconciling accounts and did not even lift her eyes.
Soon after, Ye Tang heard another knock at the door. She casually said, “Ian? Come in.”
“I’m not Ian~ But I’ll come in anyway!”
The one who opened the door was Fian, the Pigeon Spirit whom Ye Tang had forgotten about for quite some time. Behind Fian was Hope, carrying a tea tray.
“……Why are you two here?”
Watching Fian close the door and come over to help Hope set out the tea set and biscuits, Ye Tang began to suspect if that “personality” inside Cinderella had done some “good” deed again.
She had been quite busy lately and had indeed neglected things on Cinderella’s side.
“We can’t come if there’s nothing going on?”
Hope’s mouth was sharp, but his tea-pouring movements were quite proper.
“Peppermint tea, very hot.”
When he handed the tea to Ye Tang, he remembered to remind her.
“Did Cinderella do something?”
Ye Tang stirred the tea with a small spoon while Fian, on tiptoes, fed a biscuit to her mouth.
“It’s got nothing to do with Cinderella.”
Hope’s words only puzzled Ye Tang more. Seeing Fian tiptoeing so much that his toes were shaking, she quickly lowered her head and ate the biscuit he fed her.
“Hope, do you have to be so gruff every time you speak? We’re not here to pick a fight. We’re here to heal Anna Rochel.”
As Fian spoke, he turned to Ye Tang with a sweet smile. “That biscuit just now was a special one with an energy tonic!”
Energy tonic!?
Ye Tang, who had already swallowed the biscuit, regretted it. She had a bad premonition.
“……What kind of energy tonic?”
“It’s our eggs! Pigeon eggs are very nutritious!”
Fian hugged Hope’s shoulder as he spoke, winking at Ye Tang. Hope’s face was flushed red, his lips pressed tight.
?!?!?!
Ye Tang’s head began to ache.
“You two…… aren’t you male pigeons? Can male pigeons lay eggs?”
“Hehe! We’re not just male pigeons; we’re pigeons that can use magic!”
Fian let go of Hope and drew in the air with his finger. The biscuits he had brought flew up and began circling Ye Tang, dancing.
“Stop that quick! Biscuit crumbs will fall on the floor!”
Hope, still red-faced, spoke without daring to look Ye Tang in the eyes. “The pigeon egg thing is all nonsense! These biscuits are just…… just ordinary ones that Fian and I baked together! If you’re hungry, eat them! There’s nothing weird added inside!”
Fian pouted. “Tch, Hope is no fun……”
Ye Tang seemed to understand.
These two Pigeon Spirits had not come to cause her trouble today. They had come to comfort her.
……Well, she had a good idea of the reason. It was because Cinderella seemed to have found her life’s goal and direction forward alongside Gloria recently.
The two girls had been full of energy lately and no longer fixated solely on caring for Claudia like before. This put Ye Tang slightly at ease regarding them. She did not restrict what they did too much.
It was just that Ye Tang always left home before dawn and returned late at night. During this time, she had hardly any chance to talk with Gloria or Cinderella.
“I haven’t done anything special for Cinderella. You don’t need to come comfort me.”
In that instant, Ye Tang seemed to see anger flash across Hope’s face. But the next second, Fian shook his head like a rattle drum.
“It’s not like that, Anna Rochel.”
“We’re grateful to you for Cinderella’s matter. But that’s one thing, and this is another. Anna Rochel, we’re thanking you for something else.”
Pigeons were, after all, symbols of peace. Though this “symbol of peace” was a meaning imposed on pigeons by humans. Still, influenced by human faith, Fian and Hope carried some awareness as “peace emissaries”—gods and myth-related existences were all like this; magic too needed human belief to exist.
“We know. You’re rushing about for so many people, for so many lives. You’re trying to defend the balance of this world, to protect the peace of this city……”
Ye Tang nearly laughed out loud. She was just someone who did whatever she wanted, selfish and self-centered. Everything she did was for her own satisfaction. If someone happened to be saved in the process of her self-satisfaction, it had nothing to do with that. It was just that the person had saved themselves successfully, or had good luck.
A slender finger pressed against Ye Tang’s lips. Just as Ye Tang had done to Cinderella, Fian used his index finger to stop her rebuttal.
“Shh…… Don’t rebut. It doesn’t matter what you think. How Fian and I see you is Fian and my business.”
Realizing his height made it too hard to reach Ye Tang, Fian transformed into an adult form. He cupped Ye Tang’s cheeks and planted a gentle kiss on her right one.
“Fian’s right. Your thoughts have nothing to do with us. Fian and I are here not for Cinderella, nor for anyone else…… We just wanted to come to your room.”
Hope’s kiss was not as gentle as Fian’s, but his lips were very hot.
The two Pigeon Spirits each kissed one of Ye Tang’s cheeks before bang—they transformed back into pigeon forms.
With their current power, Fian and Hope could only maintain adult form for a very brief moment. And in that moment, they exhausted all their accumulated ability. Which meant……
“So hungry……”
Fian cooed pitifully as he squatted in Ye Tang’s arms, looking at her with ruby-like eyes full of expectation. “Can you feed me a biscuit?”
Hope, standing on Ye Tang’s shoulder, cooed angrily. “You ate all the biscuits for Anna Rochel. What’s the point of us coming to bring biscuits to Anna Rochel!?”
Ye Tang was speechless for a moment, then could not help but laugh hysterically.
“See, we still had a point in coming.”
Fian cooed, tilting his head. “At least we made Anna Rochel laugh.”
Hope cooed and swatted a wing at Fian’s head.