Chapter 273: Declaration and Prayer

“Li! Ya!”

Night.

Ariel planted her hands on her hips and glared at the girl who’d snuck into the room, huffing, “Where did you go?”

“Ar... Ariel?”

Liya, just in the doorway, flinched in fright. She drew in her neck and blinked. “Why are you here?”

“Me being here is strange?”

Ariel knit her brows a little, puzzled by Liya’s question.

This was Liya’s room.

Saint Maria Academy had always had single dorms. If anyone else suddenly appeared in Liya’s room, that would be extremely abnormal—possibly even turn into a big incident that would alarm the professors.

But Ariel was different.

Given her relationship with Liya, she’d long ago wheedled and pestered her way into getting a key.

Never mind “suddenly showing up” here—she basically dropped by this room every day.

But Liya right now...

Something was off.

Ariel’s gaze sharpened at once, sweeping over Liya like a hawk.

The girl was still that same girl, seemingly unchanged in the least.

But with Ariel’s sharpness, she still caught something different.

For example, Liya’s cute face, under the lamplight at this moment, was flushed a particularly rosy sheen—just like a ripe apple that made one want to take a hard bite.

“Liya...”

“Mm... mm?”

“Why is your face so red?”

“Eh? Is it?”

A flicker of panic rose in Liya’s eyes. Her hands went up to her cheeks on reflex.

Sure enough, an unusual warmth pressed into her palms.

Ugh...

Why...

She’d waited so long before coming back.

“Liya, don’t tell me...”

Seeing Liya’s flustered look, Ariel became even more certain of the guess in her heart. Her expression gradually darkened.

“Don’t tell me, behind my back...”

“...”

Liya’s heart gave a jolt.

It’s over, it’s over...

She’d secretly gone to see Muen Campbell—Ariel’s most hated person—and was about to be found out...

“Behind my back, you snuck off to play in the snow!”

“Eh?”

“Heh, you little thing, and you thought you could fool me? I know Liya’s hometown is in the south—seeing snow this heavy, of course you couldn’t hold back!”

Ariel stood with hands on hips, wearing a self-satisfied face that all but said “I’m a genius.”

“Your face is frozen this red—looks like you had a great time!”

“...”

“But!”

Ariel deliberately schooled her face, putting on a vicious look. “You actually went out to play without calling me—how awful can you be!”

“I... I just didn’t want to bother you, Ariel.”

Liya pinched her skirt hem and squeezed out a cute smile. “You’ve seemed really busy lately.”

“No matter how busy I am, I still have time to hang out with you. And you ditched me and snuck off during class today—thanks to that I got caught napping by Professor Prang.”

Ariel gnashed her teeth. “Do you know how miserably he chewed me out?”

“...Sorry.”

“If an apology fixed things, what would be the point of having boobs!”

Ariel pounced with bared teeth and claws, snarling, “Hurry up and let me knead you, you big dairy cow—otherwise I can’t vent the hatred in my heart!”

“Uwaa... wait, Ariel...”

“Kekeke, go on, scream—scream till your throat breaks and it won’t help. The louder you scream, the more excited I get!”

Ariel’s fingers flexed and curled, reaching with seasoned ease for Liya’s ticklish spots, ready to properly discipline this childhood friend who’d grown more and more full of herself lately.

As always, Liya quickly surrendered to her devilish assault, tears of laughter in her eyes as she struggled and begged for mercy.

But...

Just as Ariel’s devil claws were about to, as a matter of course, stray toward some of Liya’s sensitive places—

“Don’t!”

With a sudden force, Ariel staggered back a few steps, then froze on the spot.

“Li... Liya?”

Liya had actually pushed her away on her own?

Why?

Had she gone too far?

No—that was nowhere near as rough as when they fooled around before...

“S... sorry...”

Liya quickly realized her loss of composure. In her panic, she didn’t know where to put her hands. “A-are you okay, Ariel?”

“Have you finally started to hate me?”

Ariel raised her voice in grievance. “Have you started looking down on my flat chest too?”

“No, no, no—I haven’t.”

Liya explained, even more flustered. “How... how could I possibly hate you, Ariel?”

Of course she could never hate Ariel.

It was just that when Ariel had habitually tried to cop a feel again, she couldn’t help but remember that scene.

That steamy scene she’d secretly witnessed in the daytime.

And the moment she remembered it, her heart started racing beyond her control.

Ugh...

Damn Muen Campbell.

“I don’t hate you, Ariel. I just... just suddenly don’t feel well.”

“Don’t feel well?”

Ariel’s willow brows arched. The trace of grievance in her heart vanished at once as she hurried closer, anxious. “Are you okay?”

“N... nothing serious.”

Liya shook her head. “Just a small thing.”

“Don’t tell me you stayed in the snow too long and caught a chill.”

Ariel frowned and touched Liya’s forehead with her small hand.

Tss.

She did feel a bit hot.

“How can you be so careless, like a little kid!”

Ariel scolded in worry.

Liya hadn’t gone down the Warrior path; her body was much weaker by comparison. Catching a chill was normal.

But being so caught up in play that she chilled herself—somehow that didn’t fit Liya’s personality...

No—why was she thinking about that.

Someone as simple as Liya—how could she possibly lie to her?

Ariel shook her head, shooed those inexplicable thoughts away, and quickly pulled Liya, stuffing her into the covers.

“Hurry and rest well. Did you use Holy Light on yourself? Don’t tell me you can’t even cure a little ailment like this.”

“It’s fine.”

Liya nodded, then shook her head. “It’s not what you think. I’m not sick—and the discomfort is only temporary...”

“Ugh, temporary or not, just rest up!”

Only after Ariel wrapped Liya up in the quilt like a zongzi did she clap her hands in satisfaction. “Then I’ll get going first—won’t disturb your rest.”

“Mm...”

Liya answered softly, but then as if remembering something, suddenly stretched a hand out of the covers.

“Ariel, this is for you.”

“What’s this...”

Staring at the stack of banknotes in Liya’s hand, Ariel’s eyes went wide in astonishment. “So much money—where did you get it?”

“It’s... it’s assistance from the Church.”

“Assistance? I thought during the trial period the Church wasn’t going to give you any help?”

“In terms of funds, they still subsidize a little.”

“I see. I thought the Church was really that heartless.”

Ariel nodded without the slightest doubt, then bit her lip, hesitating. “But if you give all the money to me, what about you? And I’ve already borrowed so much from you—it’s really a bit...”

“Ariel.”

Liya puffed out her cheeks and pretended to be angry. “With the relationship between us, you can still have thoughts like that? Aren’t you underestimating me!”

“Liya...”

Reflected in her eyes was Liya’s cute yet resolute face, and a warm current rose at once in Ariel’s heart.

Right—given the relationship between her and Liya, what was there to fuss over?

“Thank you, Liya.”

Ariel drew a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ deep breath, took that thick stack of Aemils, and, taking Liya’s small hand in the same motion, gazed into her eyes and said with unwavering conviction, “Believe me—I will make you a Saintess!”

“Mm.”

“When that time comes, there are some things I hope you’ll listen to.” As she said this, a trace of slyness and shy restraint rose in Ariel’s eyes.

“Mm.”

“Then I’ll go.” Ariel waved.

“Mm...”

Ariel left the room and, on her way out, switched off the light.

The room went pitch-dark.

But Liya still kept her eyes wide open—eyes not yet adjusted to the darkness, unable to make anything out—as she stared at the empty ceiling.

That declaration which, in the original plot, should have deepened the bond between the two of them, under some strange influence, failed to lodge itself in Liya’s heart.

“Saintess... huh?”

She murmured under her breath.

That had always been her goal.

But...

Ever since she met that Muen Campbell, she had, by a chain of accidents, done one thing after another that betrayed the name of Saintess.

If this went on...

“Lady Goddess...”

Liya pressed her hands together and prayed, again and again, to the faith in her heart. “Will you forgive a Liya like this?”