Chapter 114

"Your Highness, who is that young lady?"

Looking at the flower girl's lonely departing back, Anliya couldn't help but ask.

"A very hardworking girl, she can be considered my friend."

Xia Mingyu thought for a moment and said.

Friend... Anliya was thoughtful.

"I hope life can be gentle to that young lady."

"It will be; every hardworking person will not be let down, including you and me."

Xia Mingyu handed the bunch of forget-me-nots to the girl, and he said softly:

"Flowers for you, my princess."

The next moment, Anliya took the bouquet with surprise; a smile as moving as a poem and painting bloomed on her exquisite pretty face, like a sunflower under the sun, making people yearn for it.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The girl held the bouquet, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Xia Mingyu's angular face lightly.

This ambiguous scene made Boge, who had not yet had the feelings of a man and woman, cover his face in embarrassment.

After all, Anliya was like his own sister, and seeing her kiss His Highness with his own eyes felt strange.

"Boge, I'm going to stroll around the street with Anliya; you drive back first."

"Yes."

Boge, as if granted amnesty, drove the carriage and soon disappeared on the road.

Afterward, Xia Mingyu held the girl's soft, boneless little hand and traveled together on the bustling street.

"Your Highness, why do I feel like many people are looking at us?"

After strolling for a while, Anliya pulled Xia Mingyu's sleeve nervously.

She grew up in the small village of Fruit Basket Village and lived in the castle after following Xia Mingyu; it was her first time seeing the bustling crowd on this street and being secretly stared at by many passersby.

"To be precise, they are not looking at us, but at you." Xia Mingyu smiled slightly.

"Ah, me?" The girl pointed at herself in a dazed way.

"Because you are too beautiful!" Xia Mingyu looked at her and sighed.

Anliya was wearing a clean white long dress today; her wheat-like brilliant long hair shone in the sun, and her white skin revealed a slight blush, as if it were porcelain that could be broken by a blow.

Those azure eyes, as gentle as the reflection of the sky, made countless passersby stop suddenly and watch from afar.

Xia Mingyu said while placing his hand on the girl's head, stroking it gently.

In an instant, the gazes focused on the girl were much fewer, and many passersby left with lonely expressions.

Sure enough, such a beautiful girl is only worthy of that young master who can be seen at a glance to be a noble.

If only heaven had also made me born a noble... they sighed secretly.

"This is for you."

Xia Mingyu looked at the girl for a moment, always feeling that something was missing, until he caught a glimpse of the goods at the stall on the side, so he excitedly bought a straw hat and put it on the girl's head.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Anliya smiled sweetly; she felt that today was the happiest day of her life.

Blue sky, straw hat, white dress, girl... what a beautiful picture!

Xia Mingyu couldn't help but show a brilliant smile for this scroll-like scene.

"Your Highness, what are they selling over there?"

Anliya looked at the gorgeous building not far ahead on the street, where a long queue that couldn't be seen to the end was lined up at the door, and couldn't help but ask curiously.

Xia Mingyu looked up and saw a wooden sign with gold-plated edges hanging on the building—Dusk Chamber of Commerce.

Dusk... Dusk Tea?

Xia Mingyu instantly connected it to the wonderful tea he had drunk some time ago.

"It should be selling a kind of tea."

"What tea is so popular?" Anliya was even more curious.

"Dusk Tea; drinking it can make people see beautiful memories, and it's very cheap, only one Copper Sol to buy a pack," Xia Mingyu answered.

"Beautiful memories..."

Hearing this, Anliya's eyes lit up instantly; she remembered the memory of dancing gracefully with His Highness by the bonfire for the first time.

If she could see it again, she would definitely be so happy that her whole person would float up!

"If you want to drink it, Red Fox Castle has plenty; I can let you taste it."

Seeing the girl's expectant look, Xia Mingyu couldn't guess what she was thinking, so he smiled lightly.

"Let's go, let's go back."

"Mm-hmm!"

Sunset Street.

Anna walked on the street with her flower basket in a daze, not even hearing someone calling her to buy flowers.

The scene of seeing the golden-haired girl affectionately holding Lord Spark's shoulder was still replaying in her mind.

The appearance of that golden-haired girl, even she, as a woman, felt was simply perfect to the point of being incredible.

Probably only such a beautiful girl is worthy of Lord Spark.

Anna's nose soured, and a layer of faint mist covered her lake-green eyes.

Clearly knowing that her humble self didn't even have the qualifications to be that lord's maid, but why, when the fantasy was pierced, did it still hurt so much!

The flower girl stopped, closed her eyes, and tried hard to endure not showing the ugly state of crying on the street.

After a long time, the tears flowed back, and she opened her eyes again.

"What is that..." Anna noticed the long, continuous queue in front of the building ahead.

"Uncle Maike, what are they selling here? So many people." She walked to the side of the queue and asked a merchant she knew well.

"It's a unique tea leaf called Dusk Tea; it is said that drinking it allows one to see the scene of their dreams, completely no worse than the Twilight Tea that only those nobles can afford, and it's cheap, only one Copper Sol a pack," Maike explained.

"One Copper Sol is still cheap?" Anna was stunned, feeling that this was too extravagant for commoners.

She could only earn five copper coins a day selling flowers, which was half a Copper Sol, not even enough to exchange for a cup of tea.

Hearing this, Maike looked left and right, and after seeing no one paying attention, he signaled the girl to come over.

After Anna got closer, he whispered:

"This tea leaf is so magical, it definitely won't be just this price in the future; we can buy some to store first, and then sell it to those rich noble lords after the price rises."

When saying this, the merchant's eyes flashed with shrewdness.

"So that's it." The flower girl suddenly realized.

"Are the people queuing here all doing it to buy and store it?"

"Of course not!" Maike shook his head.

"There are also people who like such magical tea leaves; you remember that kid Flin who sells red fruits, right? He has been drinking a pack of Dusk Tea every day these past few days, spending quite a few Copper Sols, making his wife so angry she won't let him go home."

"So that's it..." Hearing this, a trace of curiosity couldn't help but flash in Anna's eyes.

"Why don't I help you buy a pack when it's my turn? Whether you keep it to drink or sell it, it's a profit." Seeing this, Maike said with a smile.

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Holding the idea of being able to earn some extra money, Anna reluctantly took out a Copper Sol and handed it over.

In the evening, in the pitch-black small room, only a candle was blooming with faint light.

The flower girl sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the small tea bag on the table in a daze.

Logically speaking, such precious tea leaves, she should keep them to sell after the price rises to subsidize the family.

But drinking it allows one to see the scene of their dreams, so will she see Lord Spark and her embracing?

Anna couldn't help but hesitate.

Perhaps this desire is very ugly, perhaps it is just a momentary illusion, but she really wants to be loved!

Just then, a gust of cold wind blew through the thin window paper, making the girl shiver, and also made her make a choice.

Warmth... give me warmth.

She boiled a pot of hot water, filled the simple wooden cup, and tore open the tea bag to put the tea leaves in.

Not long after, a steaming cup of tea was made.

Anna held the teacup with both hands and took a light sip.

In an instant, she returned to that night when Lord Spark came to send her home.

She saw herself standing on tiptoe and whispering lightly to the young man, and unlike reality, this time the young man held her hand, and that thick palm made her whole body hot.

So she hurriedly took another big sip of tea.

The scene changed again, and the scene became the pitch-black small room.

The black-haired young man pulled her tightly into his arms, so close that they could hear each other's heartbeats.

Kissing, stroking, lingering in the small room, the man and the girl enjoyed the joy of the bed to their heart's content.

The scene changed again.

The girl successfully became the young man's maid; she took meticulous care of the young man, cooking, washing clothes, serving in bed... doing everything to the best of her ability, and thus successfully received the young man's praise; the young man even promised that he would let her be his maid for a lifetime.

While the illusion continued, the tea in the cup became less and less.

One sip, two sips, three sips...

When the tea was completely exhausted, the girl finally woke up from that beautiful illusion.

"It really is... beautiful!"

The flower girl laughed foolishly, and a line of clear tears flowed down the corner of her eyes.

The tears that had flowed back earlier had finally fallen after all.

Red Fox Castle.

In a room decorated luxuriously, not at all like where a servant would live.

The girl was sitting on the sofa wearing a pink camisole nightdress; her golden hair was scattered randomly on her snow-white shoulders, a few strands of hair mischievously hanging in front of her chest, forming an alluring contrast with that touch of plump snow-white.

It's just a pity that no one could see such a beautiful scene.

"This is the tea that the lord said can make one see beautiful memories."

Anliya looked at the hot tea on the table, a trace of curiosity flashing on her exquisite pretty face.

She had many beautiful memories... the lord gently serving her water when they first met, her teaching the lord to speak Urakara, her going to offer herself to the lord but being rejected by his kind self...

Of course, if one had to talk about the most unforgettable memory, it was after the lord coolly solved the tax incident, holding her hand and dancing with her under the bonfire that was burning fiercely.

At that time, her eyes only had the lord, and the lord's beautiful black eyes also only had her.

How she wished time would stay at that moment forever!

After all, for someone as excellent as the lord, it probably wouldn't be long before he met a girl who was truly worthy of him.

"Tea, oh tea, let me see the scene of that day again."

The girl put her hands together and prayed softly, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a light sip.

(End of chapter)