Alice in the Land of Steam

As requested by the landlady, Ietta briefly appeared at the inn to let everyone know that she was actually in good spirits and had no major problems. She then inquired about Bai Ye's (or perhaps Gloria's) whereabouts, but no one knew where she had gone. She seemed to always be like this, solitary and unapproachable. She was only friendly when she switched to the Gloria personality, but strangely, why did she think this way? She knew Bai Ye was her second personality, so it should be said that Gloria was always friendly, but she was very withdrawn when she switched to the Bai Ye personality.

Finally, it was Xinuo, who had just finished training for the day and returned to the hotel, who told him the answer.

"Are you looking for Bai Ye? When I came back, I saw her heading into the forest. She had a sullen face and didn't seem to be in a good mood," she said, wiping the dust off the blade of her gun.

Ieta's expression immediately fell, her brows furrowing in distress. She was never good at dealing with such a cold and aloof person, and to make matters worse, the other person wasn't in a good mood. Would she become a punching bag for her rashly showing up like this? Of course, Bai Ye's personality couldn't possibly be that bad; it was just that Miss Angel herself was too soft-hearted, so she was a little intimidated.

Seeing Ietta's anxious and hesitant expression, Xinuo somewhat understood her concerns and smiled slightly: "You have something to discuss with Bai Ye? How about I go with you? I'm free anyway and want to go for a walk."

"This...this won't be necessary, will it? Didn't you just finish training, Hino?"

Ieta was initially tempted, but quickly shook her head and refused, knowing that it was just an excuse Hino made to be considerate of her. She also knew that the young knight had a habit of taking a hot bath after training every day to relax her body. That was probably her only hobby besides reading and riding horses, and she couldn't just take that away from her.

Moreover, Ieta didn't really want others to know why she went to see Bai Ye; she always felt that she was being a bit... childish.

Making such a big fuss over this reason would surely be met with ridicule from everyone, especially Alice, if they knew. Therefore, it's enough that only the landlady who made the suggestion and Bai Ye who provided the help know, besides myself.

"I'll go by myself!"

She spoke forcefully, clenching her fists and placing them on her chest, leaning her upper body slightly forward, staring intently at Xinuo with a tense yet serious expression, trying to convey a "I can do it" signal.

Of course, Miss Angel didn't realize that no matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn't fool Xinuo's eyes. She was just too easy to read; her thoughts were written all over her face, making it hard for anyone to pretend not to see.

However, perhaps that's part of what makes Ietta so endearing?
The young female knight suppressed a laugh and offered her some advice: "Then I wish you good luck. By the way, if you really don't know how to deal with Bai Ye, you might as well treat her like Ling Ge."

"Lin...Lingge!?"

Ieta's voice was a bit loud. A young man who was resting in the living room couldn't help but glance at her when he heard his name. However, the angel and the young knight were engrossed in their conversation and didn't notice. So he quietly looked away and continued chatting with Ovira.

“That’s right, don’t you think these two are very similar?” Xinuo said seriously, “They both pretend to be indifferent, both have a cold exterior but a warm heart, and both are full of awkwardness.”

“That’s right…” Ieta hesitated for a moment, but still said something nice for the young man: “But Linger wouldn’t do that anymore.”

Now everyone likes the gentle and considerate Lin Ge.

Bai Ye, on the other hand, is still the same as when we first met.

“In short,” Hino patted Ieta on the shoulder, “use the same experience you had with Linger to deal with her!”

Ieta wanted to say that she didn't have much experience, but the young knight didn't give her the chance. After offering a few words of encouragement, she waved and turned away gracefully, seemingly to take a bath. The angel was left standing there in a daze for a long time before finally making up her mind. Like a soldier about to step into the battlefield, she took the first step with a look of grim determination.

I can do it.

Certainly possible!

……

Iyeta searched in the forest.

As dusk settled, the forest was filled with the scent of damp earth and vegetation. A thick carpet of fallen leaves crunched underfoot, as if the entire forest were whispering. The deeper one ventured, the thinner the light became, with only occasional glimpses of moonlight filtering through the leaves, like silvery threads gently draped across the dimly lit path.

As she walked, she cautiously glanced around, afraid of disturbing the tranquility and the person she was searching for. The trees gradually thinned out, and a jagged cliff came into view, below which flowed a river toward Rorona's alchemy workshop. There were no dense canopies to obscure the view of the cliff, and the night sky stretched out unobstructed, a clear, full moon hanging in the center, its light like water, falling silently.

At the very top of the cliff, Ieta saw that familiar figure.

The cliff face was covered with knee-high wild grass. A night breeze swept through, causing the blades of grass to bend low, forming visible white waves that surged from the foot of the mountain towards the summit. Bai Ye sat alone on the very edge of the cliff, standing motionless amidst the swaying waves of grass, her back to the moon. The moonlight outlined her slender shoulders and slightly raised chin, her gray hair cascading down like a waterfall, almost blending into the deep blue sky. She remained motionless, as if she had become one with the night, the moonlight, and the hill, forming a silent painting.

A few strands of hair and the hem of her dress fluttered slightly in the wind, but they couldn't dispel the almost solidified loneliness surrounding her. Moonlight gilded her shoulders with a silver edge, falling into her silent eyes and reflecting a distant and detached light. The moonlight over Atorica remained eternally constant, illuminating the stirrings and anxieties of every soul in the world, yet it could not fathom the thoughts of this young woman. Thus, it uttered a lover's whisper, asking, "Why are you here alone? Do you feel lonely like me?" But in the end, only silence answered its question.

Ieta unconsciously slowed her breathing, and even her steps faltered. She suddenly felt that the white night at this moment was more like a night bird perched under the moonlight, beautiful and dazzling, yet untouchable, as if if she got too close, she would flap her wings and fly into the deeper, colder night sky.

The entire cliff was bathed in moonlight, turning it white. Dewdrops, glistening on the blades of grass after nightfall, occasionally shimmered like broken diamonds. The distant shadows of trees blurred into a dark sea, and the white night was the only solitary island in this sea. The moonlight enveloped her, and also this undisturbed silence; everything seemed so beautiful, yet so fragile, so distant.

Ieta clutched the hem of her dress, her initial trepidation gradually replaced by a subtle tenderness. She suddenly remembered what Xino had told her: she could treat Bai Ye like Ling Ge, because they were both equally withdrawn, aloof, and awkward. But the angel suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind those words: they were both equally lonely. The girl took a deep breath, the cool forest air filling her chest, pressing against her fragile lungs, but failing to calm her pounding heart. Gathering her courage, she softly called out to the figure in the moonlight, almost blending into the night:
"white night……?"

The gray-haired, gray-eyed girl finally reacted. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her gaze, which had been fixed on the night sky, slowly focused, as if she had returned to reality. She turned around with a somewhat awkward movement, fixing her gaze on the uninvited guest's face. Her expression was like that of someone thinking or reminiscing... In any case, it gave people a strange feeling.

Ietta had a strange premonition; rather than saying Bai Ye had returned to reality, it was more accurate to say she had returned to this world. It was as if, though she had been so vivid just moments before, she didn't actually exist in this world, but was merely a description in a storybook, a scene in a stage play, or even a note in a piece of music—a symbolic sign. Only when external forces intervened in this story, this play, or this piece of music did she gain meaning and come into existence in this world.

“…Iyeta?”

Her voice was lower and deeper than usual, with a hint of hoarseness from not speaking for a long time, but the next second she blinked, as if she had switched on a switch, and her previously somewhat distant and indifferent expression quickly became lively, forming a stark contrast to her previous aloofness and estrangement.

She waved happily to the angel, even her tone lifting slightly: "Good evening! Are you coming to play with me?"

"Huh?" The stark contrast almost caught Ietta off guard. After a moment of stunned silence, the angel asked hesitantly, "Gloria?"

"Yes, it's me." The gray-haired girl grinned at her, full of energy, a kind of charm that Bai Ye could never imitate. "What, don't you recognize me? That's so mean, we just saw each other this afternoon."

When Cheryl told stories in the Grand Archives of Malacași Palace, the two were only separated by Leticia.

"Ah, no, that's not it. I just feel, uh, that Bai Ye is controlling your body!" Ieta quickly explained.

However, this explanation did not satisfy Gloria. She snorted twice, quite dissatisfied: "You actually confused me with that guy, Ietta. Your eyesight is terrible. How do I resemble her?"

"Hey hey hey..."

Ietta was speechless and could only manage a silly laugh to get by, though she herself couldn't explain what was going on. Gloria and Bai Ye were indeed completely different in temperament. Although the former often changed identities, she was generally lively, cheerful, and occasionally a little silly, while Bai Ye was so cold and aloof. Even if she were slow-witted, she couldn't possibly mistake the two of them, could she?
But Gloria just now... really did look a lot like Bai Ye...

"By the way, what brings you here, Ietta?" the gray-haired girl asked with a grin. "Did you really come to play? Sorry, I might be busy right now, maybe next time..."

"No, um—" Ieta interrupted her somewhat embarrassedly, carefully stating, "Actually, I came to see Bai Ye... Is she free right now?"

"Looking for Bai Ye?" Gloria glanced at her in surprise, probably astonished that Ietta wanted to associate with Bai Ye. They never seemed to have a particularly good relationship. Besides, wouldn't Ietta, such a gentle person, get annoyed by Bai Ye's strong personality?

Thinking of Miss Angel's feelings, she kindly offered a couple of reminders: "Are you sure you want to see her? Bai Ye isn't someone you can easily deal with. If there's really something you need to say, why don't you tell me, and I'll pass it on to her?"

Ieta was somewhat tempted, but quickly remembered Hino's warning and shook her head hastily. She thought to herself, how could she back down now? If she kept backing down, she would remain in this situation forever, never able to build a good relationship with Bai Ye. Therefore, at times like this, she should forge ahead!

"No need!" Miss Angel clenched her fists, her wings unfurling like a ruffled quail, exuding an imposing aura. "Let me speak to her myself! I believe that someone as gentle as Miss Baiye would never do anything to me!"

gentle……

The gray-haired girl gave her a strange look: "So, that's what you think? She's a gentle person, huh..."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, fleeting and inexplicable. For some reason, the smile seemed to carry a complex emotion that Ieta couldn't yet comprehend, but she nodded with certainty: "That's right! Not just me, everyone else must feel the same way! Miss Baiye, like Ling Ge, is someone who appears cold on the outside but is actually very gentle on the inside!"

For example, Xinuo was the one who told Ietta this principle, but the angel girl took it for herself without any hesitation.

“I see.” Gloria looked up at the moon overhead, her profile appearing somewhat lonely in the moonlight. She murmured softly, “That sounds quite reasonable, although, being compared to that guy, I’m not exactly happy about it…”

Because her voice was so soft that it didn't even stir the dust floating in the moonlight, it was only natural that Ietta didn't hear her clearly: "What did you say, Gloria?"

"nothing."

The gray-haired girl withdrew her gaze and looked back at the angel, smiling at her: "Since you insist, then I'll call her out."

"Okay, okay!" Although it was her own request, Ietta couldn't help but swallow hard, hold her breath, and mentally prepare herself. Her serious and ready demeanor made it seem like she was about to go to war again.

Gloria shook her head helplessly.

She slowly closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again a moment later.

In the blink of an eye, the girl's demeanor changed drastically. (End of Chapter)