TGS - Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Feeding a Princess Cat

On the high, wide city walls, Solancian soldiers cleaned up the battlefield, ever-watchful for counterattacks from enemies who weren't quite dead yet.

At the same time, they had to take valuable items from the dead—like armor and ornaments. These were their spoils of war.

The several heads that had been hung outside the walls were finally carefully taken down, waiting to be reunited with bodies whose existence was still unknown, so they could be given a proper funeral, their names inscribed for burial.

Lena closed Lord Hephit's eyes without a word.

The battle within the city was mostly over. There might still be scattered, lone Sanur tribesmen hiding somewhere, but they couldn't change the outcome of the battle and could only passively await death.

A golden eagle flew over the city walls, skimmed past the streets and houses, and finally landed with a flap of its wings in the garden of the Lord's manor in Digebia.

There, she found her sister—another golden eagle was perched outside a half-open window, tilting its head to look inside. So she copied it, her sharp talons gripping the windowsill, the raptor's tea-red eyes reflecting the scene within the room.

At first, they could see something, like the golden-eyed master who was responsible for feeding them meat taking off her armor and starting to untie her tunic.

But then, the blue-eyed master, who rarely fed them meat but had a very friendly aura, walked over and, very un-friendly-like, drew the curtains.

The golden eagles couldn't see anything anymore. They stretched out their beaks to tug at the curtain but couldn't move it, so they resorted to preening each other's feathers.

Inside the room, Lotus turned around.

Alyuin had already untied her tunic. Her straight black hair fell loose, the ends level with the bottom of the soft white cloth wrapped around her chest.

Below her smooth waistline was a wrap of fine linen. These two garments were somewhat similar to undergarments of later eras, and later researchers would consider them the prototype of an underwear set.

"I'm wounded in so many places," Alyuin said, examining herself. "I didn't feel it on the battlefield, but it seems to be starting to hurt now."

Lotus, who had been trying to avoid letting her gaze settle anywhere in particular, froze at her words and moved closer to take a look.

The only bleeding wound was the one on her shoulder, and it was quite deep, as if the tip of a Sanur scimitar had gouged into it. It was quite serious. Ironically, the injuries inflicted by several Sanur princes combined were not as severe as the one caused by a single soldier's desperate strike.

The armor on other parts of her body was intact, but bumps and scrapes were inevitable in battle. A quick glance revealed bluish-purple bruises, not conspicuous on her smooth, honey-colored skin, but not to be ignored either.

Lotus said, "You should wash up first..."

She paused, remembering the risk of infection, and corrected herself: "No, let me do it."

No water could be cleaner than that which the River Goddess deliberately controlled. Flowing fresh water washed away the blood and grime. Lotus stared fixedly in the direction of the windowsill, trying her best not to look away.

Therefore, she couldn't see what Alyuin was doing behind her.

The Princess reached out her hand, closing it slightly, and the clear stream of water flowed through the gaps between her fingers.

She seemed to want to grasp this endless, cleansing stream of water, but no matter how strong a person's hand was, it was impossible to hold water.

"If I touch this water, would you feel it?"

Alyuin asked on a whim.

Before Lotus could process the meaning of the question, she unconsciously turned her head slightly to see why the Princess would ask such a thing.

The moment she turned, Lotus froze.

The water, under her control, flowed from a mass of water above the Princess's head, dutifully acting as a showerhead. This wasn't the first time such a scene had played out; back in the military camp, when conditions were harsh and they couldn't bathe often, Lotus would sometimes do this.

This time, however, the Princess seemed to have suddenly become curious about the endless stream of water.

Alyuin extended the tip of her tongue and lightly touched the clean curtain of water, as if tentatively tasting it. Her tongue flicked up and curled back into her mouth, like a thirsty feline acting on a living creature's instinctual need for water.

"...No."

Lotus asked, "Are you thirsty?"

Alyuin retracted her tongue and looked back thoughtfully.

After a moment, she said with a hint of regret, "It seems you really don't."

As soon as she said this, the words the Princess had spoken not long ago when she discovered the messenger's identity resurfaced.

"I know there are many things you haven't told me."

"But that's alright. Perhaps I'll have discovered everything before you have a chance to explain. It's perfectly normal to guess ahead of time, isn't it?"

So, was Alyuin guessing right now?

Lotus understood, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "The things I haven't told you don't include this."

Alyuin replied, "Alright, I just wanted to try. After all, I really want to understand you better."

Lotus chose not to reply and turned away again. At the same time, she manipulated the water to form the shape of a human hand. The transparent, jelly-like hand changed its posture and slowly flicked the side of the Princess's forehead.

After a simple wash, the Princess—who was perfectly fine when left to her own devices but whose wounds started to hurt in the presence of a goddess—put on her underclothes and sat on the edge of the bed. Her beautiful golden eyes didn't blink as she waited for Lotus to help treat her injuries, even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.

Lotus sighed.

The wound on her shoulder needed to be bandaged, and the bruises elsewhere needed ointment.

Compared to the many seriously wounded soldiers in the army, these injuries weren't severe, but it would be best for her to rest and recuperate properly, or at least not use that arm for anything strenuous.

Lotus thought this, and so she said it.

Alyuin nodded obediently. It wasn't that she thought the injury was particularly noteworthy; the army was going to stay in Digebia to rest and reorganize for a while anyway, to guard against another Sanur attack. This also served as an opportunity to recover.

Besides—

When dinner was brought that evening, Alyuin rested her bandaged arm. The fork was right there, but she made no move to pick it up.

"I need to recover," Alyuin said. "Could you feed me?"

"..."

It was her left arm that was injured. Would that really affect her ability to hold a fork?

Alyuin skillfully raised her head and gave the goddess floating in mid-air a sparkling look, a silent plea more effective than any words.

Lotus relented, materializing to sit beside her.

"Just this once. It won't happen again."

Feeding the Princess was something Lotus had done before. Back then, it was in public, in her capacity as a lady-in-waiting, taking care of an Alyuin who, in the eyes of the people of Wash City, had been "shot by an arrow and couldn't even lift her arm." Her care had been meticulous.

But for some reason, it felt completely different this time.

Perhaps before, there was more of an element of performance in front of others. Lotus's focus had been more on whether her actions were plausible and how outsiders would react, rather than on the person being fed.

Now, there were only the two of them in the room.

Lotus picked up a piece of cut fruit with a fork and brought it to the Princess's lips. Alyuin cooperatively opened her mouth and took a bite. Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she chewed, her long, thick lashes half-lowered. In profile, she had a quiet, well-behaved air.

In truth, Alyuin's appearance had little to do with being "well-behaved."

The childishness of her youth and girlhood had completely faded; she was now a mature woman who wielded power.

The features and temperament inherited from her parents blended into a stunning, cold beauty. Her eyes were deep-set, her nose high-bridged, and her slightly high cheekbones made her look unapproachable when she wasn't smiling—though smiling didn't necessarily make her seem any friendlier.

But compared to a truly severe face, Alyuin's eyes were not narrow. In fact, they were on the larger side, with the corners tilting up, drawn out long as if lined with kohl, like a cat's eyes.

The wonderful thing about cats is that their eyes can be terrifying, like any predator's, or they can be cute and harmless, like any creature in need of protection.

Whether kitten or adult, they have mastered the essence of both begging for food with cuteness and hunting for themselves. No one can refuse a cat.

Lotus—Lotus never could.

For instance, this cat right in front of her—she was completely unable to refuse her.

Moreover.

Lotus's expression remained calm as she forked another piece of fruit and fed it to her.

Watching Alyuin eat this piece as well, Lotus felt a strange sense of satisfaction. This repeated over and over, and by the time the plates on the table were about half empty, her heart was nearly filled with this soft contentment.

"..."

No wonder they say feeding each other is a sweet gesture for couples. It really did seem more satisfying than eating it herself, and there was an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

No, that's not right. We aren't a couple right now. At most, it's just feeding someone I like, right?

Lotus settled on this definition.

But Alyuin suddenly leaned in and, catching her by surprise, pressed a light kiss to the corner of Lotus's lips.

The sweet fragrance of fruit and the rich scent of roses were gone in an instant.

Lotus barely managed not to flinch. When she turned her head, Alyuin asked innocently, "What's wrong?"

Lotus subconsciously raised a hand to touch the corner of her lips. The definition she had just settled on was no longer accurate.

Perhaps because of Lotus's "It won't happen again" before the meal, Alyuin didn't ask to be fed again. The next morning, when it was time to eat, she sat quietly at the table and ate by herself.

Lotus, on the other hand, felt a little disappointed.

Ah, she's really not asking.

The River Goddess didn't show this disappointment, but she failed to notice that the Princess—who was eating independently, as she should have been all along—had her head slightly lowered, a faint, pleasant curve constantly playing on her lips.

---

Several days later.

Digebia was completely back under Solancian control, but the damage brought by the Sanur people would not fade in a short time.

On this day, by a tributary of the Yilu River outside the city, Alyuin held a mass funeral for Lord Hephit and the other officers and soldiers who had died on the battlefield.

Not all the bodies could be found, nor could all the remaining limbs be matched to the roster. But whether it was the dead with family by their side or the nameless soldiers with no kin, all were now laid out by the river for Alyuin to perform a symbolic purification ritual.

Afterward, their souls could follow the Yilu River back to the Death God's underworld, even though Emute himself would certainly not be there.

There should be an avatar to take on the duty of guiding the souls... or is it the Ravens?

Lotus's mind wandered a little.

The moment the purification ritual ended, numerous translucent souls floated up from the bodies, the severed limbs, and even the remaining articles of clothing.

Hundreds, thousands, nearly ten thousand—they were like an army of the dead.

In the battle with the Sanur, Solancia's losses were not just a light statistic; every Solancian life was precious, and now they were all here.

Most of the souls seemed to lack self-awareness, hovering blankly above their mortal shells. Then, as if drawn by a mysterious call, they plunged into the Yilu River without hesitation and vanished beneath the surface.

According to the myths, they would travel upstream back to the location of the Kingdom of the Gods.

But there were exceptions, such as the elderly but spirited Lord Hephit.

The old lord was not surprised by the scene before him. He looked from side to side, and then he saw Lotus.

Lord Hephit: "..."

As a faithful believer of the Moon Goddess, the former lord and defender of Digebia, Hephit stared dumbfounded at the Goddess of the Yilu River appearing at his and his many subordinates' funeral, floating behind the Princess like a guardian spirit.

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