Go back? There's no going back.

"…I'm sorry, Master Fox, I have to go out for a while and will be back soon."

After being stunned for a moment, Su Wei took a deep breath and suddenly raised his head.

"Also, this contract you bought is absolutely not acceptable. You must change it tomorrow."

He tore the contract in his hand into pieces, left these words, then ran out the door.

At this moment, it was only around eight o'clock in the evening, but the temperature had already dropped to a rather outrageous level.

The streets were deserted and the evening breeze was icy cold.

Su Wei staggered as he ran down the stairs too fast. After barely maintaining his balance with a pale face, he went down to the hotel lobby on the first floor and pushed open the door of the hotel.

"Go to the First Palace, please hurry up."

Su Wei quickly ran to a beast cart parked at the door of the hotel, opened the door curtain, and sat directly on it.

"Ah? You're late, sir. It's so cold now, and I'm ready to go home after work—"

"I'll pay you triple the fare."

Looking at the middle-aged driver with an embarrassed look on his face, Su Wei spoke in a deep voice.

"…Okay! Sit tight!"

Hearing the sound, the middle-aged driver who was chewing bread immediately threw away his dinner, picked up the reins and a small whip, and slapped the bull in front of him on the butt.

"Moo?!"

***

at the same time.

The first princess stayed quietly in the courtyard.

She had not changed out of her dress, and even the seat she was sitting in... after watching the three people from Loulan leave, she had hardly moved.

She has been staying here since the people who came to visit the palace today left.

In the courtyard where winter was approaching, the flowers were still in full bloom. Celsia said nothing, staring at the full moon in the sky, with a look of depression on her face.

Perhaps it is the innate nature of human beings that it is easy for us to have wild thoughts late at night.

At this moment, in Celsia's mind, the look of a little kid who left in a daze when they parted during the day was still fresh in her memory.

...Did I say something a bit harsh at that time?

Sure enough, I should exercise a little more restraint.

Now, what would that little devil be doing?

Has he rested already, or is he still training in the training room to meet someone?

Or... has he already met that bitch?

Chaotic thoughts spread in her mind, and Celsia was silent for a long time.

Until a drizzle of rain fell from the sky and gently touched the tip of her nose.

"...?"

Slightly coming back to her senses, the sound of raindrops gradually came to her ears, and Celsia looked up at the night sky.

It seems that it is raining.

...Yes.

Today...it's almost time to rest.

After a moment of silence, she turned around and walked towards the palace behind her.

But at this moment, there was a sudden noisy movement on the street outside the courtyard, which suddenly brought Celia's wandering thoughts back to reality.

A hint of confusion flashed across her green eyes, and she looked back in confusion.

Looking through the tall fence at the animal cart that had hurriedly stopped not far from the front door of her house, Celsia frowned slightly.

It was already late, and she didn't remember that there were other people scheduled to visit her today.

"Sir, the total is four silver coins, but you just said you are willing to pay three times... so..."

Jumping off the carriage, he threw a gold coin behind him without looking back. Ignoring the screams coming from behind him, Su Wei quickly walked to the main entrance.

hiss--

The weather was not good. Su Wei, whose breath turned into white steam, never expected that it would not only be terribly cold tonight, but it would even start to rain soon after he left the house...

At this moment, the evening breeze blew at the right time. Su Wei was in a hurry to go out and even forgot to bring his coat. He just felt cold all over.

Although he had just had an idea and wanted to use the ability of affinity with all spirits to gather the free elements in the nearby air to form a temporary umbrella above his head, but for some reason... the free elements near the First Palace had been completely drained before he came over.

At this moment, he was being hit by a mixture of wind and rain, especially his upper body which had been soaked by a large number of raindrops. Whenever the evening breeze blew, he felt a chill all over his body.

Trembling, Su Wei looked at the closed door in front of him, swallowed, raised his hand, and was about to ring the doorbell.

Ding--

However, for some reason, almost at the moment when Su Wei pressed the doorbell, the door in front of him shook, and then slowly moved away to both sides.

"……Eh?"

Seeing this scene, Su Wei was obviously stunned and subconsciously turned his head to look inside the door.

Then, his gaze froze.

In the courtyard, in front of the main entrance of the palace that was as majestic and magnificent as white jade, the figure that Su Wei was eager to see... was now quietly looking at him.

After a moment of stunned silence, another gust of evening breeze blew past Su Wei from behind.

The expression on his face froze instantly. Su Wei took a step forward, stepped into the courtyard and walked towards the other party.

"that."

After approaching and standing in front of her, Su Wei's brain, which was filled with various emotions when he first came, suddenly became a little blank.

He looked at her, rubbing his hands helplessly at first, then he seemed to remember something and whispered, "Good evening."

"..."

Watching the kid in front of her trembling slightly, Celsia subconsciously frowned.

"What's up?"

But the next second, she fell silent again, having wanted to say something, and moved her lips in a flat tone.

"...Yes, I do. I have something... to tell you."

When Su Wei opened his mouth, another gust of evening breeze blew past him.

Someone who had just run out of the heating room shivered violently.

"Um, Princess, can we go in and talk first? It's a bit cold here..."

Looking at her in front of him, Su Wei, who was standing outside the door with his teeth chattering in the cold wind and could hardly speak clearly, gritted his teeth and suggested this.

"Why? I don't feel cold."

With her hands folded across her chest, Celsia turned her head away with a cold expression.

"But I'm a little cold."

As he spoke, Su Wei shuddered again.

"..."

Hearing the voice, her expression froze slightly, Celsia blinked slightly, and looked at Su Wei with some surprise.

moment.

The first palace, the brightly lit entrance hall.

The door behind Su Wei slowly closed, blocking out the evil evening wind.

"…Then what do you want to say by disturbing me so late at night?"

Instead of inviting Su Wei to sit down in the hall, Celia leaned against the door, looking at Su Wei calmly.

...Wow, it feels like he's ready to leave if we don't agree.

Facing the other party's extremely oppressive gaze, Su Wei's instinct, which had been developed over the years, immediately made him back off.

But, after a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "I...I shouldn't have been so stubborn and refused to listen to you during the day."

Hearing this, her heart skipped a beat. Celsia silently smoothed the long hair by her ears, still expressionless.

"I...actually, I still haven't figured out why you insist on making me love myself more than you."

Su Wei mustered up his courage and looked directly into the eyes of the princess for the first time: "But now, I want to work hard to become a person who knows how to love myself, just like you said."

It was not until the moment when he was driven mad by a certain fox fairy in the inn that Su Wei once again confirmed...how gentle the princess in front of him was.

Not only did they take him in for eight years.

When he was fired, he still promised to continue sending people to help find his mother.

When we returned from the Roseau Mountains, we took care of him in the hospital all night.

Today... I am teaching him to learn to love himself.

Su Wei suddenly felt that perhaps the luckiest thing in his life was that he had the good fortune to meet such a gentle person when he was most lonely.

Even if it was just to live up to the expectations of the princess, he should not let her down again.

“…Whether you love yourself or not, what does it have to do with me now.”

The expression on her face was slightly tense. For the first time, the little ghost in front of her took the initiative to look at her. Celsia turned her head to the side and said in a dull tone: "If you are done, then go back."

"...Ah? But it's cold outside and it's raining, and I don't have an umbrella or a coat with me."

Hearing this, Su Wei was stunned for a moment, and then blinked in horror: "Besides, there are no taxis nearby. If I go out now, I will definitely get sick the next day..."

"If you're sick, can't you just take medicine? Didn't you like drinking cold air before?"

Staring coldly at Su Wei, Celsia showed a look of disgust on her face: "What, are you acting like a scoundrel in someone else's house now?"

"…I, I just want to protect my health."

Observing the expression of the princess in front of him, Su Wei seemed to be vaguely aware of something, and said carefully: "If you want to see a rogue, I can learn it."

"Do you dare to learn?"

As soon as Su Wei finished speaking, he saw the princess' beautiful eyebrows frowned together, and her eyes, which had just softened, turned cold again.

"…That's enough. Go sit there."

There was silence for a while. As if she was amused by the kid in front of her who clearly hadn't figured out some things but still ran in the rain to apologize like a fool, Celsia turned sideways and raised her white chin towards the direction of the hall.

"Ok."

……

Half a minute later, after Su Wei sat down seriously on the sofa in the hall, the princess walked out of another room and handed a small blanket in her hand to Su Wei.

"Thank you."

He took the blanket and wrapped it around himself. Although it would take a while for it to warm up, Su Wei still breathed a sigh of satisfaction.

"I said."

At this moment, Su Wei heard the princess' voice and subconsciously looked up at her.

For some reason, although she called Su Wei, she did not look at him. Instead, she turned sideways and stared at the dripping rain outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

"It doesn't matter if you can't figure it out now. You still have a lot of time in the future."

"But, from today on, don't let me see you acting like a loser in front of anyone again."

At this moment, the princess's cold voice fell into Su Wei's ears, making him slightly distracted.

He could probably tell that the person the other person was referring to was... probably the self that he had hallucinated in the carriage during the day.

"No matter who you want to find or follow in the future, at least you must hold your head high and meet her with dignity."

"You...but you are the child I watched grow up, do you understand?"

In my ears, the princess's words gradually became lower and lower.

Su Wei vaguely caught some indescribable complex emotions in the other person's voice. He subconsciously turned around and wanted to see her face.