The Princess and the Persistent Socks

“Ziyao, your library card is ready!” Elena’s voice drifted from the doorway, a hint of excitement in her tone.

However, Ziyao, whose thoughts had been abruptly interrupted, felt a pang of displeasure.

“Elena,” Ziyao said to her, setting down her pen. “As a princess of the Empire, could you perhaps act with a little more decorum?”

“I know, I know,” Elena replied, settling herself beside Ziyao. “But this isn’t a public place, so there’s no harm in me being a little relaxed.”

As for Raphael, she had already departed from the small cottage. “I need to keep an eye on Aiya,” she had said. Thus, only Ziyao and Elena remained.

“This dress you’re wearing… it’s Aiya’s, isn’t it?” Elena mused, stroking her chin. She recalled seeing Aiya wear it before. “It fits you perfectly. You look rather good in this type of clothing. Perhaps I should take you shopping for a few more when we have time.”

“No, thank you,” Ziyao waved her hand dismissively. “These clothes take far too long to put on. If I had to dress myself, it would probably take half an hour.”

Spending such a substantial amount of time on the triviality of dressing felt like an utter waste to her.

“I truly don’t understand you.”

“Let’s focus on the matter at hand.” Seeing the conversation veering wildly off course, Ziyao swiftly brought it back to the main topic.

“Ah, right.” Elena pulled a small card, shimmering with a seven-colored radiance, from within her robes. “This is the highest-level borrowing card for the Royal Library.”

Accepting the small card, Ziyao was thoroughly impressed with Elena’s efficiency. The card bore Ziyao’s color portrait, her name was clearly inscribed, and her identity was listed as a Seven-Star Alchemist from the Alchemist Guild.

“I heard that after you arrived in the Imperial Capital, the old man from the Alchemist Guild was practically waiting at my place for me,” Elena began to explain the unusual speed of the process. “When he learned you needed a library card, he immediately used his special privileges to issue one for you.”

“Understood. I will be sure to thank him properly the next time we meet.” Ziyao held a rather favorable impression of the old man, even if she occasionally found his intentions perplexing.

Putting away the card, Ziyao decided to visit the Royal Library. She had lost her train of thought for the moment, and coincidentally, she had been quite idle these past few days.

“Are you going to the Royal Library? I’ll come with you, just in case you get lost.” Upon hearing Ziyao’s intention, Elena unhesitatingly assumed the role of a tour guide.

Watching Elena’s eager demeanor, Ziyao found herself at a loss for words. Returning upstairs, Ziyao donned her black robe and pinned the seven-colored emblem to her chest, dressing herself as a quintessential alchemist.

Back downstairs, Elena was already waiting by the door. She wore white stockings as usual, though her shoes had been changed.

“Aren’t you wearing socks?” Elena inquired, noticing Ziyao’s calves exposed to the air.

“Don’t even ask. Miss Ailin collected all my short socks for washing. I have no idea where she’s hung them to dry.”

Miss Ailin’s expression at the time had been quite severe. While Ziyao didn’t believe her socks were particularly dirty, the meticulous maid clearly thought otherwise. This was precisely why Ailin had been holding a pair of white stockings that morning. Ziyao had no socks to wear today.

“Walking barefoot in shoes can be really uncomfortable; you should really put some on,” Elena advised. She had tried it herself once and had no desire to repeat the experience.

“I won’t,” Ziyao replied with a blank expression.

“Eh?”

“I’ve never worn this type of sock before, so I simply don’t know how.” This, she thought, was an excellent excuse. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t wear them, but that she couldn’t.

“Then I’ll help you!”

“No, no, no! How could I possibly let you do such a thing, Elena? You’re a princess! Let’s just go quickly.” Ziyao had never imagined Elena would lack such basic royal self-awareness. What kind of princess put socks on someone else? That was a servant’s duty!

“But I often help Aiya put on her socks.”

“You two are sisters! It’s perfectly fine for an older sister to help her younger sister dress.” Ziyao was starting to panic. If this continued, Elena might genuinely try to force the stockings onto her.

“Is that so?”

“It absolutely is! You are the Princess of Roland, the very face of Roland. What kind of propriety is there for a princess to do such a thing?” Ziyao desperately tried to dissuade Elena.

“Huh? Propriety? Ziyao, let me tell you, that’s the phrase I hate the most!” Elena’s voice rose a notch. “I’m definitely putting socks on you today!”

No, how had things escalated to this point?

Watching Elena dash upstairs, only to return with those two white stockings, Ziyao suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to ram her head into a wall. She should have just said she didn’t want to wear them. Why had she bothered with an excuse? Was she an idiot?

“Elena, I am actually male. These are not meant for me to wear,” Ziyao declared solemnly to Elena, who was now kneeling before her. She had already been pressed into a chair.

“You’ve already used that excuse,” Elena retorted, accustomed to Ziyao’s occasional eccentricities. As long as her body was female, that was all that mattered.

Cupping Ziyao’s calf, Elena had to admit it was one of the most perfect pairs of legs she had ever seen—the other belonging to Aiya.

“Hey, don’t just randomly pinch!”

After a gentle squeeze to Ziyao’s calf, which elicited a small gasp, Elena finally began to pull the white silk stockings onto Ziyao’s legs. Elena’s hands were steady; she had dressed her younger sister countless times. And Ziyao, in truth, wasn’t all that different from Aiya. While Ziyao and Aiya were poles apart in temperament, their physiques were quite similar.

Thus, Elena was experienced, and in a short time, Ziyao’s legs were covered by the thin, white layer.

“How does that feel?” Elena’s hand lingered, slowly tracing Ziyao’s leg.

It was a peculiar sensation—cool and smooth, yet incredibly comfortable. Perhaps it would feel even better if she rubbed them together.

“Take your hand off me.” Ziyao slapped away Elena’s mischievous hand and rose from the chair.

The hem of the skirt Ailin had chosen for her was long, revealing only a short section of her calves. Coupled with the black robe, the white silk stockings didn’t particularly draw attention.

Sigh. Just this once.

Now that they were on, she couldn’t possibly take them off right in front of Elena, could she? This was all her own doing. How much better it would have been if she hadn’t made excuses. Who knew Elena would be so insistent?

“Come on, let’s go! We’ve already wasted too much time.”

Watching the white-haired girl’s somewhat anxious expression, Elena felt her heart quicken slightly. She truly was adorable, quite on par with Aiya.