I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

Perhaps, no one but himself will ever know the answer.

but……

Am I just supposed to passively wait like this?

No, absolutely not.

I am the eldest daughter of the Mortari family.

If he continues to hesitate...

Then, I'll take the initiative!

Volume 1: Chapter 102 Go to Hell, Gabelina! [Third Update]

I suddenly have a craving for ice cream.

On the way back to the hotel, Yuno suddenly stopped, her gaze falling on the warmly lit window of a dessert shop on the street corner. She didn't say anything, but simply turned her head slightly, her smiling eyes glancing between Duanmu Yan and Koleta.

Duanmu Yan/Koleta: "..."

The two subconsciously glanced at each other, then quickly looked away, both understanding the helplessness and knowing look in each other's eyes.

What else can be done?

Should I reject Yuno's expectant eyes?

It's just an ice cream.

Let's just indulge her little bit of willfulness for now.

Duanmu Yan sighed softly and resignedly walked towards You Nuo: "Didn't we just finish dinner? Are you sure you can still eat?"

"It's just ice cream, what's the big deal?" Yuno crossed her arms and snorted softly. "Besides, it's summer now, eating ice cream is perfectly normal, okay?"

"Okay, okay, no problem."

Looking at You Nuo's adorable little expression, Duanmu Yan knew she was being willful, but he couldn't bring himself to get angry at her.

Sigh, what can you do when this world is all about looks?

"Where's the second young lady? Would you like to try some too?"

Duanmu Yan turned to look at Koleta behind him, only to find that she seemed to be lost in thought. It wasn't until his voice reached her ears that she snapped back to reality and nodded slightly in a flustered manner.

"Uh? Hmm, sure... It's a bit hot and humid tonight, having some ice cream to cool off is a good idea."

"In that case, let's go in and take a look."

The three of them walked into the dessert shop together. There weren't many customers inside; only a few people were slowly selecting desserts at the counter.

Although Yuno vowed to only buy ice cream when she entered the store, her eyes were immediately drawn to the crystal-clear honey-preserved olives in the glass jar next to her as soon as she stepped inside.

"Duanmu, Duanmu, I want this!" She tugged at Duanmu Yan's sleeve, her voice full of excitement.

As a serious sweet tooth, Yuno's favorite is this sweet pickled olive—no complicated processing required, just let the natural fruit roll gently in honey, and it can conquer her discerning taste buds with its purest original flavor.

"If you like, then buy some."

"Really? That's wonderful! Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back once we get back to the Four Directions Palace!"

It seems this imperial envoy isn't entirely willful after all.

However, Duanmu Yan didn't care about this amount of money at all—the Second Miss had plenty of bonuses to spend as she pleased!

Meanwhile, Koleta was thoughtfully examining the small print on the counter, softly reading aloud, "'Puff Puff Meow Meow' flavor ice cream... Just shout this name to the clerk and you can get a 30% discount?'"

She frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.

Would anyone really... shout out such shameful lines in public just to save a little money?

Just then, the bell on the shop door rang crisply.

A tall woman with short, silver-blue hair pushed open the door and walked straight to the counter without glancing at anyone, almost completely ignoring Colette standing to the side. Then, she spoke to the clerk in a serious tone, almost like reading an announcement.

"Please give me a 'Puff Puff Meow Meow - So Delicious It Awakens Your Resonance!' flavored ice cream. A super-sized one, please."

Coleta: "?"

Can such people really exist in the world?

Doesn't she feel ashamed?

Under Coleta's incredulous gaze, the woman deftly took the ice cream with the shameful name and turned away without hesitation.

However, in the instant she brushed past Duanmu Yan, her steps paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

The pause was so brief it felt like an illusion. Then, without looking back, she pushed open the door and left, disappearing into the night outside.

……

……

In the deep alley, only a faint light was cast by the distant streetlights.

The woman leaned against the mottled wall, taking small bites of the ice cream in her hand.

The cool sweetness melted on the tip of the tongue, as if briefly suppressing the eternally burning fire within, bringing a moment of chilling tranquility.

"That feeling just now..." she murmured to herself, her brows furrowing slightly.

Kuroshio.

A voice rang directly in her mind.

But there was clearly no one around her.

“It does feel very similar,” she said, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of the cup, “but the frequency is too faint… I can’t be sure if it’s just a hallucination.”

Why don't you go and swallow him whole?

"Hmph." She let out a soft snort, tinged with disdain.

Admit it, your hunting instincts are burning with an intense desire to be satisfied.

"Go ahead and satisfy yourself. I have bigger plans." She sneered. "Don't forget, we are still exposed to Ming Shi's vision. If I die, you won't survive either."

[Hmph, stubborn as a mule.] The voice, tinged with anger, gradually faded away.

The extra-large cup of ice cream was quickly devoured.

She stretched contentedly, her joints making a slight cracking sound.

"So, what did Leviathan say to you today?" she asked casually.

"Go to hell, Gabelina." The voice in my mind responded maliciously.

"We've arrived, my friend, we've arrived."

……

……

Back in her hotel room, the warm yellow light did not dispel the gloom between Koleta's brows.

She was still somewhat absent-minded, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair.

She was still hesitant—whether she should muster the courage to confront the stirrings deep within her heart.

Or...

It is the doctor (seven) 45 wine master (eight) who went to face the possible answers in his heart.

What if the final outcome is just her wishful thinking?

The thought washed over her like a cold tide, causing her to unconsciously tighten her arms to shut out the potentially heartbreaking assumption.

"Tsk, what am I thinking?"

"To presume failure before things have even begun... that's not like me."

She took a deep breath and decisively banished all negative emotions from her mind.

Anchoring to the future—that is indeed an enticing proposition.

There is a divine maiden before us who can foresee the future; with her help, we might truly be able to glimpse the answer in advance.

But Koleta Motari has no intention of doing so.

In the girl's heart, there still remained a little pride, which would never allow her to bow down to fate or any unknown.

Aside from that one person, she was unwilling to reveal even a glimpse of her true feelings to anyone else.

So she drank the rest of the wheat juice in her glass in one gulp. The icy liquid seemed to give her a final burst of courage, and a crystal-clear plan took shape in her mind.

Well, that's it.

—Right after Yuno fell asleep!

P.S.: The ending is great, no further explanation needed.

The only problem is that Anbao and Chunbao didn't have a single line of dialogue, which felt a bit perfunctory.

Volume 1: Chapter 103 Koleta's Confession

In the stillness of the night, all things are bathed in the cool moonlight.

The sky was filled with countless stars, like fine sand flowing into a Milky Way that stretched diagonally across the heavens, flowing silently in the dark blue night sky.

Occasionally, a shooting star streaks across the sky, its cool trail fleeting, its bright white light both dazzling and melancholic against the deep night.

It was just an ordinary night.

Before dawn breaks, the bright moon and the stars are the eternal protagonists of this world.

The soft, rhythmic breathing of a young girl reached his ears—Yuno had fallen asleep an hour ago.

Perhaps because they had played all day, her voice gradually faded as she lay in bed and barely exchanged a few words before drifting off into a sweet dream.

This is quite in line with her easygoing and simple nature.

"Yuno? Yuno?"

Koleta propped herself up and softly called her name in the dim light.

Yuno beside him merely wrinkled her small nose unconsciously, uttering a faint nasal sound, before falling silent.

Only after confirming that she was truly asleep did Koleta feel a little relieved.

She carefully got up, her fair feet silently stepping onto the cold floor.

She tiptoed to the door, and as her fingertips touched the cold doorknob, a complex emotion suddenly gripped her—fear, tension…

Or...

A secret anticipation of what is about to happen?

She herself couldn't tell the difference.

"Now that we've made up our minds, we can't back down now!"

"Hesitation isn't Mortal's style!"

So the girl bit her lip, as if to crush all her distracting thoughts.

Without further hesitation, she slowly pushed open the door.

The living room was quiet, with only Duanmu Yan's even breathing echoing softly in the air.

Apart from that, all was quiet.

Duanmu Yan was already asleep.

He was really exhausted today—not only did he spend the whole day showing off with Yuno, but he also had to fight with the governor and the Remnant Star Society in the evening.

The combined physical and mental exhaustion had left him completely drained, and he fell asleep almost immediately upon returning to the hotel.

Koleta quietly approached the sofa and, using the dim light filtering in from the window, gazed at the peaceful face of the sleeping young man.

She took a deep breath, gently picked up the corner of the blanket with her fingertips, and like a nimble kitten, carefully slipped into his bed.

……

……

It seemed like I had a very short dream.