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Overnight, the sun gradually rose. As the warm sunlight dispelled the night's cold dew, the streets once again slowly filled with people. Compared to the night, the daytime in the city of Luvier was marked by a sense of rigor and solemnity. Everyone hurried about, showing no signs of slackness.
The coming and going of carriages increased, with iron hooves and wheels speeding over the hard rocky ground, kicking up dust and occasionally blinding passersby. Interestingly, no matter how many people were on the streets, everyone seemed very quiet, without any unnecessary noise or commotion. It appeared that everyone here followed a certain rule—a rule that one must adhere to in order to continue living here.
The dust stirred up entered Mengdie's nose, causing her to sneeze in her sleep. Her hands, which had been hugging her tail, moved to rub her eyes and nose. Once slightly more awake, she slowly lifted her head to look around.
The clinic's opening hours had arrived. Doctors and nurses began their morning cleaning, while also starting to shoo away the homeless and drunkards sitting around the clinic.
"Xiu, wake up, don't trouble others anymore."
"Mmm... Ah... Haha... Don't bother me... I'm at a crucial moment... Haha... The automatic toaster... is about to be invented... Ha... Ah..."
After several unsuccessful attempts to wake him, and with others hurrying them, Mengdie shook her head, reluctantly reaching out to grab the sleeping Xiu's ear and pulled hard, finally getting him up.
After standing up and eating some dry food beside the clinic, the two continued to wait. From 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m... Finally, at 12 p.m., a figure they had been waiting for a long time finally appeared from the other side of the street.
It was Nia! After a month of not seeing her, the little girl appeared unharmed before Mengdie, allowing her anxious heart to finally settle down.
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Nia was dressed in a very common civilian outfit of the empire, her red hair neatly arranged. Her face seemed a bit thinner, but correspondingly, there was a layer of competence in her eyes. It seemed that she had lived well over the past month.
Nia walked to the clinic with an easy gait, bent down, and was about to use a red brick shard to trace the half butterfly. When she saw that the butterfly had already formed a whole, the little girl froze for a moment. After a long time, she suddenly looked up excitedly, looking around as if searching for something.
"Nia, long time no see."
Mengdie approached, and her familiar voice made Nia shiver. When she confirmed that the girl in the cloak beside her was indeed the person she had been longing for, she could no longer hold back and threw herself into Mengdie's arms.
"Mengdie sister! Mengdie sister! It really is you! Mengdie sister! I... Woohoo... I've been waiting so hard for Mengdie sister, so hard! Woohoo..."
As she spoke, Nia started to cry. Her sincere tears rolled down her small cheeks, but her mouth curled up in a happy smile.
Mengdie also touched Nia's hair with relief, the scent of oranges so nostalgically familiar. After a long time, she pulled Nia away, reaching out to wipe away the tears from her eyes.
"Alright, little girl, stop crying. We should be happy to see each other again."
Nia nodded vigorously, humming and wiping the tears from her eyes.
Mengdie smiled slightly, mimicking Aya's gesture, and patted her hair. Then she began to discuss serious matters.
"Nia, where is Edward?"
As soon as these words came out, Nia's expression immediately turned unhappy. She crossed her arms and huffed, "Mengdie sister, why do you mention that useless prince as soon as you see me? Do you like him that much?"
Nia was jealous, her cheeks puffed up and her face flushed.
Mengdie lightly hit the little girl's head: "Don't joke around, I'm really anxious to find him. Is he safe? Has nothing gone wrong during our separation?"
Perhaps Mengdie's serious gaze told Nia that now was not the time for jealousy. She thought for a moment, her puffed cheeks gradually deflating, and said, "That useless prince is fine. Originally, he was very tense, but for some reason, he's been even more on edge lately. Every time I see him, he seems to want to go out and do something, but every time he's about to leave, he looks at me with a very uncomfortable gaze and then sits down obediently. Mengdie sister, you don't know, that look is really disgusting! I'm even worried that one day... one day I'll be... Ah! No more, no more!"
From Nia's words, it could be inferred that Edward probably knew the impact of the "Water Thief Lake Incident." And the reason he could restrain himself from taking action was largely thanks to Nia being there, holding back his responsibility as the future king. Otherwise, he might rush into the castle at any moment to confront King Luvier.
Mengdie was relieved. She comforted Nia by stroking her hair, called to Xiu who was still sleeping against the wall, and followed Nia to their temporary residence.
It was a rather simple tavern compared to the city. Even though it was simple, the hall was filled with people drinking. Perhaps because Nia was a guest there, the tavern owner just glanced at the two people she brought back and paid no further attention. Nia led Mengdie and Xiu upstairs, opened the door to the room at the far end of the hotel, and walked in.
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