The Familiar Taste of Home

Everything in the kitchen was free to use, though ingredients were scarce.

If Liss liked it, Lena would surely cook it for her.

Lena meticulously prepared a few simple homemade dishes and brought them before Liss. Half an hour had passed, and the wine glass in front of the young girl was now empty, her pretty face flushed with a tipsy red.

Yet, as the aroma of the dishes wafted into her nose, the tipsiness on Liss’s face vanished without a trace. In its place emerged a blend of joy and nostalgia.

It had been over a decade since her mother had personally cooked lunch for her. The long passage of time had blurred her memories, but the taste—that, Lena had vividly captured, telling the story of that past.

“How does it taste?”

Seeing Liss take a gentle bite of the steak she had prepared, Lena cautiously posed the question.

Juices oozed forth as Liss responded with a look of utter contentment:

“Mmm, it tastes just like childhood!”

“Is that so? I thought my cooking might have changed a lot over the years.”

“How could it? Mama’s cooking is Mama’s taste. It would be the same even after another ten years, mmm.”

“Don’t talk while you’re eating. You might choke.”

“But Mama asked me, so I spoke, mmm.”

“But Mama asked me, so I spoke, mmm!” Liss protested, still gnawing on her steak, asserting that she was not the one at fault. Lena, however, merely tilted her head, watching her silently, a gentle smile unconsciously gracing her lips, her eyes brimming with profound love.

Time seemed to rewind to the past. Within the opulent palace, the Demon Queen, like any ordinary mother, sat quietly beside her, gazing at her without a word, her brilliant eyes reflecting only Liss’s image.

When juice spilled from the corner of her mouth, she would thoughtfully wipe it away. For places her knife and fork couldn’t reach, she would actively bring the dishes closer to her. It seemed that no matter what difficulties Liss encountered, her mother would resolve them.

It was solely due to this boundless love that she had been so wantonly mischievous as a child. She knew that no matter what she did, her mother would forgive her, would never bear to punish her, and even when angry, Liss only needed to feign pity.

It wasn’t until much later that she realized the mother who loved her so deeply could also leave. And her departure was sudden. She had simply gone to sleep, yet the next day, she could never return to how things once were.

Only she and her mother, busy with state affairs, remained in the vast royal palace. Even a change of skin could no longer garner attention. Gradually, Liss lost interest. The evening lessons no longer required catching her sneaking into the kitchen for snacks, and her figure was conspicuously absent from the curriculum her mother arranged.

The flowers in the garden still bloomed, beautiful in every season. Years passed, and she still couldn’t help but gaze into the garden when she walked past.

It wasn’t to see the flowers, but for the vanished figure.

Sometimes, the white blossoms would resemble her silver hair, swaying gracefully and dancing in the breeze. Whenever this happened, she would stop and stare for a long time, as if seeing her again in the garden.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing her lost in thought, Lena asked with concern. Liss snapped back to reality, shaking her head as she replied:

“Nothing.”

She lowered her gaze to the dishes before her. Liss knew that their taste had, in fact, changed from over a decade ago, but the mother’s love hidden within them had never wavered. It was still as sweet as ever.

Liss devoured the dishes ravenously. Afterward, she held Lena’s hand, and they left the restaurant amidst the farewells of the manager and several waiters.

They chose not to board a carriage, but instead strolled hand-in-hand through the streets.

White doves occasionally flew across the sky, leaving a few people sitting on the benches by the central fountain, holding birdseed to feed the pigeons that landed nearby.

The midday sun warmed their bodies, bringing a pleasant warmth. Lena slightly retracted her index finger, and the white dove resting on it ruffled its wings, flying off into the distance.

Unlike Lena’s affinity, Liss offered a small amount of birdseed, but the doves simply refused to land on her hand. They would only peck at the scattered seeds on the ground from a safe distance.

This made her somewhat exasperated. Eventually, she laughingly caught a dove and forcefully fed it some birdseed, feeling much better afterward.

Passing through the shopping district, Lena looked at the dazzling array of shop names and asked:

“Is there anything you like? Like jewelry or perfume?”

“Is Mama planning to give me a gift?”

“Yes, and I’d like to know what you prefer.”

Placing a finger to her lips, Liss pondered for a long time, mumbling:

“Mmm, I can’t really think of anything I like right now…”

As a Demon Princess, she genuinely lacked nothing she truly desired. Jewelry and perfume were abundant, and treats like cakes felt like a waste of her mother’s kind intentions.

She harbored a small, selfish desire: to receive a gift from her mother that she wouldn’t normally get.

“Hello, please take a flyer. The Firefly Gala will be held in six days. You’ll get to see many famous heroes dance!”

Just then, the sound of a voice drifted to their ears from nearby. A woman in a splendid dress, clutching a stack of flyers, handed them to every passerby.

Behind her stood Saint Se’s largest opera house, rumored to accommodate nearly seventy thousand people. At this very moment, a colossal poster was plastered on its towering walls.

Featured on the poster were several vibrant idol girls. To their side, the words “Firefly Dance Troupe” were written, along with some promotional slogans.

‘Is this the gala Firefly mentioned to me earlier?’ Lena wondered.

“Tickets are only thirty silver coins, and the first two thousand tickets even come with a discount!”

“Please take a look, please take a look.”

The flyers seemed difficult to distribute, as passersby waved their hands in refusal. The woman’s initial enthusiasm gradually waned, and her movements became more hurried.

Sighing, Josie looked rather dejected.

Lena could tell that the tickets for this gala weren’t selling well.

Liss led her to the woman. Josie’s eyes lit up upon seeing them, and she handed a flyer to Liss.

“Hello, the Firefly Gala will be held in six days. The venue is this opera house…”

“Is this the gala Firefly talked about?” Liss muttered to herself, looking down at the flyer. “These heroes are…”

“Firefly of Saint Se, Swallow of Baya, Blackfang of Main… these are all very famous heroes! Their dance performances will absolutely not disappoint you!”

Josie explained quickly, then turned to Lena, handing flyers to other passersby. Liss, clutching the flyer, asked Lena:

“Mama, you’ve also learned to dance, haven’t you?”

“It’s gotten a bit rusty. Why, Liss, do you want to see it?”

“Not really, but… I used to skip class and go to the garden, where I’d accidentally stumble upon Mama dancing. I would hide in the bushes nearby and secretly watch, then you’d discover me and scold me by pulling my ear.”

“Then, in front of you, I’d promise it wouldn’t happen again, only to do it the next time. Thinking back to those days, I feel a little nostalgic.”

Liss covered her mouth, laughing aloud at the memories of the past. Lena gazed at her smiling face for a long time, then gently ruffled her head and softly asked, “Then, would you like to see me dance again?”

“Dance again?”

Liss paused, and before she could answer, she saw Lena walk up to Josie and inquire, “Hello, does the gala still need heroes? I have a rather good candidate here.”

Josie was initially surprised by her words, then hurriedly replied, “Yes, of course we do!”

“However… as you know, Miss, there are only six days left until the gala. New heroes joining at this point might not be able to perform on that day.”

Lena understood the implication of her words. A gala naturally required heroes, but needing heroes didn’t mean there were no prerequisites. Heroes without much fame or a dance foundation would only hinder the dance troupe.

The reason she didn’t ask about the hero’s identity on the spot was primarily that such a thing could easily offend people.

After all, being rejected for a lack of fame would make anyone feel humiliated and angry.

“I understand all of that. I believe she can perform on that day.”

“Mm, if she’s ready, she can come to this location for an audition. The sooner, the better.”

Pulling out a card with an address written on it, Josie handed it to Lena. After accepting the card, Lena left with Liss.

Liss knew this dance was her mother’s gift to her, something she had once loved but could never attain.

Those graceful dances and the comforting presence of flowers had long been buried deep in her memory with her mother’s departure in childhood, only to be revisited again and again through her dreams at night.

“Shall we go together?” After Josie was out of sight, Lena shook the card in her hand.

She didn’t mean for Liss to join the dance troupe with her, but simply to accompany her to the place recorded on the card—a building bearing the sign of the Firefly Dance Troupe.

Liss’s actions provided her answer.

Afterward, she stroked her smooth chin and said with a hint of admiration, “Mama, if you were to participate in the gala as the Silverbloom Sword Princess, wouldn’t the entire opera house be packed?”

As Liss mused, Lena spoke, dousing her with a bucket of cold water.

“How could that be? The Silverbloom Sword Princess was a hero from over twenty years ago. How could she still have such great fame now? It would be good enough if she could sell a few more tickets.”

“Eh? Mama shouldn’t underestimate herself. I really admire the Silverbloom Sword Princess!”

“You’re my daughter, of course you admire me. Others might not, right? Only popular heroes coming to Saint Sevel would fill the seats.”

Lena knew very well that the Silverbloom Sword Princess’s fame had long since fallen into decline with time. Few people remembered her now, let alone would come to see a gala.

If she could help sell a few more tickets for this charity gala, she would consider it a success.

However, she wouldn’t be disheartened by a lack of audience. She was dancing this performance for Liss; as long as Liss was there, she would continue to dance.

“Is this it?”

After asking some passersby, Lena, having spent a considerable amount of time, arrived at the address recorded on the card.

The words “Firefly Dance Troupe” hung on the building before them. The location was some distance from the city center, leaning towards the suburbs, so the rent should be cheaper.

Firefly’s claim of financial problems was indeed true.

Lena had now shed her disguise, returning to her appearance as Dorothy. Her golden eyes held a gentle softness, captivating Liss, whose gaze remained fixed on her face.

She put away the card, and just as she was about to knock, she faintly heard voices coming from inside the door.

“Has that hero not arrived yet?”

“Don’t expect too much, boss. There aren’t many well-known heroes in Saint Caesar these days. Even if your Nightingale Squad all went on stage together for this gala, you probably wouldn’t sell many tickets.”

“Hey, isn’t that a bit harsh to say?” This was another, much younger girl’s voice.

“Oh, Miss Swallow, this place is too far from where you used to be active. It’s perfectly normal that people haven’t heard of you. Besides, we didn’t do much promotion before due to lack of funds…”

“Fortunately, with that funding, the dance troupe doesn’t need to disband. But I still think we should focus our efforts on the next gala, doing some early promotion in the next city to expand your recognition. Then, the ticket sales shouldn’t be so dismal.”

“Mm, I think Qixi makes a good point…”

Hearing this, Lena pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong—-

“Coming.”

Hurried footsteps sounded from behind the door. Soon, the door opened, revealing a blue-haired girl.

“You are…”

She glanced at Dorothy and Liss, finally staring intently at Dorothy’s face, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes.

“The hero who said they would come for an audition,” Dorothy explained simply.

“You look so familiar. Have I met you somewhere before?”

“Perhaps.”

That single “perhaps” made the girl scratch her head, completely perplexed. She couldn’t recall when she had met Dorothy, yet Dorothy always gave her a sense of familiarity, as if, as if…

This feeling, on the tip of her tongue yet impossible to confirm, made her extremely uncomfortable. She only knew that she must have met this woman before, no matter where.

“Please, come in.”

It was impolite to keep guests standing outside, so she suppressed the discomfort in her heart and invited Dorothy and Liss inside.

Firefly was about to greet them, but then she saw Dorothy’s face. She gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment, and cried out, “Senior Silverbloom?!”

“Senior Silverbloom?”

These four words burst into the blue-haired girl’s mind. Her footsteps abruptly halted, and she finally understood where the feeling of familiarity in her heart came from.

This silver-haired woman—wasn’t she the Silverbloom Sword Princess she used to see on posters?