A Glimpse of Joy, A Shadow of Longing

Mingqian rubbed his swollen head and began to seriously think about whether sending Ai Lei to school was the right thing to do.

At least, give her the best education——

He managed a wry smile, gesturing for the young girl to take a seat on the chair beside him.

With her body not yet fully developed, her legs dangled far from the ground as she sat.

Her fair legs swung playfully, tracing an endearing arc in the air.

Each time the tip of her boot brushed against Mingqian’s leg, a soft giggle escaped her lips, and she’d tap his leg lightly, as if delighted by the contact.

The girl sat there, a picture of obedience, propping her head with her hands, her eyes blinking as she gazed up at him.

“Teacher, I want some cake…”

“How badly do you want it?”

“So, so badly… If I don’t get to eat it today, I might just sneak into your bed tonight.”

In the countryside, ingredients for cake were a rare commodity, only available when the caravan arrived, a sight seen merely once every few weeks.

Only yesterday, Mingqian had secretly acquired a pound of eggs, baking soda, and flour, all with the intention of baking a special cake for her birthday.

Her keen nose had already picked up the sweet aroma of cake.

“Aile, you little glutton.”

“Wh-What! What’s wrong with that! I’m still growing, and all the other girls say…”

She trailed off, her head dipping slightly.

“Say what?”

“They say, they say it’s because I don’t eat enough that I can’t gain weight, and my chest won’t grow.”

She gingerly touched her still-developing chest, then puffed out her cheeks in a show of defiance.

“Heh heh…”

Mingqian simply offered a soft chuckle, resuming the work he had left unfinished.

After that, Aile listlessly swung her legs, observing Mingqian at work, yet showing no inclination to depart.

“Hey, Mingqian, when can I finally graduate from school? It’s so utterly boring…”

“I grasp everything the teacher teaches in an instant, and my classmates treat me like some kind of monster…”

At this, the young girl defiantly pursed her lips.

“How could you ever be a monster? You are Aile, a truly unique Aile.”

“But!” The young girl’s voice suddenly sharpened by several degrees.

“They’re clearly the ones lacking talent, yet they judge others without a moment’s hesitation…”

She angrily waved her fists twice.

Then, as if a fresh wave of indignation washed over her, she declared:

“Last week, someone dared to say Mingqian was an unwanted leftover man, and that I was the child of an unwanted leftover man. I was so incensed, I gave him a thorough beating.”

The young girl made ‘whoosh-whoosh’ sounds, vividly mimicking the sensation of striking.

“I told him, Teacher isn’t unwanted at all! When Aile grows up, she’s going to be Teacher’s bride!”

Mingqian had long since heard about that particular incident; he had merely dismissed it as a childish squabble, especially since the boy who was beaten hadn’t dared to complain to him.

Perhaps, the few silver coins he had casually tossed out had been enough to intimidate the other party.

“Hmph, I told him, if he ever dared to badmouth Teacher again, I’d cut that off him.”

The young girl animatedly recounted the boy’s terrified expression at the time.

“Aile, you mustn’t be so violent.”

Perhaps he had been so engrossed in his work that he had inadvertently neglected Aile’s upbringing.

Aile puffed out her cheeks, a clear expression of displeasure on her face.

“Teacher is simply too good-natured!”

The young girl shook her head like a bobblehead, asserting:

“Those bad people must be punished!”

“Especially him.”

Mingqian’s heart momentarily seized.

“Is it that non-existent person you always speak of?”

He deliberately posed the question to the young girl.

“Mmph! What do you mean, non-existent!” Aile stood indignantly before him, speaking with utmost seriousness.

“Listen closely, the Shadow Duke *does* exist! He’s a super big bad guy,” she declared, drawing a grand circle in the air.

“How bad?”

“This, this big! He not only captures witches all across the nation and slaughters them, but he also keeps two concubines.”

“…Who on earth told you all this?”

Mingqian rubbed his forehead wearily.

“I, I just know, alright!”

Mingqian chuckled softly, then opened a box situated nearby.

Aile let out a gasp of utter delight.

“Strawberry mille-feuille cake… Chocolate mille-feuille cake!”

“Th-This is! Sweet Herb Brewed Duck!”

The young girl’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she beheld the array of colorful small cakes nestled within the box.

“Aile, can Aile really eat them!”

The young girl picked up a cake, gazing at Mingqian with a look of utter vulnerability.

Mingqian, watching her adorable expression, chuckled gently and gave a slight nod.

“They’re all prepared just for you, so go ahead and eat.”

He had to admit, he was perhaps a little too doting on the young girl.

Under his meticulous care, the young girl’s figure had gradually blossomed, and her personality had become increasingly radiant.

Aile squirmed slightly, then took the largest cake and brought it to Mingqian’s lips.

“Teacher, you eat first.”

“Ah~”

As Mingqian accepted the cake from her hand and placed it into his mouth, the young girl beamed a heartfelt smile.

With boundless joy, she retrieved another, stuffing her own mouth to capacity, her face alight with pure happiness.

“Sooo delicious…”

Witnessing the young girl’s blissful smile, Mingqian found himself smiling in return.

In the gentle, warming breeze of spring, the young girl softly leaned against the chair and drifted into slumber.

****

“You mean, he still hasn’t been found?”

The young girl’s voice was sharp and clear, like drops of icy spring water, each word striking Chris’s taut nerves.

She possessed a cascade of flowing, deep blue hair, and her emerald eyes seemed to hold an abyss within them, now fixed intently on Chris.

Chris felt a cold bead of sweat surreptitiously trace a path down her hairline.

“Lady Noyu… indeed, he has not yet been located…”

Standing before her was none other than the Empire’s First Princess—Her Royal Highness Noyu Julius.

Her current visit was to ascertain the whereabouts of Mingqian, who had vanished six years prior.

Throughout those six years, she had frantically scoured every city in the Empire, yet her efforts remained fruitless.

Mingqian was her fiancé, and Noyu’s devotion to him bordered on the pathological; she could not tolerate Mingqian even touching another woman, let alone speaking to one.

And whenever Mingqian transgressed her strictures, she would abduct him, ensuring he remained confined indoors for days on end.

‘To abduct him, to control him, to strip him of his freedom, to make him belong solely to her…’

Yet, he had now been absent for a full six years.

Noyu vowed that if she ever found him, she would lock him away in a basement for the rest of his life.

Her blue eyes sharpened as they met Chris’s.

“Chris, you must realize, I have waited a very long time.”

“You wouldn’t be trying to help him hide from me, would you?”

Chris offered a strained smile.

“Lady Noyu, please don’t joke. With our master gone, my sister and I are equally distressed.”

“That wretched master, to actually abandon my sister and me and simply run off!”

These words were Chris’s honest, unfiltered sentiment.

Noyu’s eyes, filled with displeasure, swept over Chris.

“Even if he allowed you to speak that way, *I* certainly wouldn’t, Chris. Insulting him is tantamount to insulting me.”

“…Yes, Lady Noyu, I will be more careful.”

‘I must try to divert the conversation, to prevent her from noticing my sister’s absence…’

“Speaking of which, where is Eliza?”

Chris’s heart plummeted.

Her sister, Eliza, was currently en route to Mingqian’s location for her regular visit.

“My sister is performing her official duties.”

“Is that so?”

Fortunately, Noyu seemed to harbor no particular interest in them; her sole focus, from beginning to end, was information concerning one individual.

Noyu finally shifted her gaze, taking a deep breath and casting her eyes towards the distant, boundless sky.

“Where on earth could you be…”

“Oh, how I long for you…”

“Just grant me one more chance. This time, this time I absolutely will not let you escape.”

Chris silently offered a fervent prayer for her master in her heart.

‘He deserves to be caught and imprisoned for life, that wretched master!’