The majestic dragon, with its slender and graceful body, pierced through the thick clouds and descended back to the lower sky, leaving a gap in the clouds through which the previously veiled moonlight poured out, shining brightly on its pale scales, glistening like fine jade.

Under the shadow it cast, the towering spires of Gilliast Castle and the royal flag bearing the Elysian coat of arms at the top fluttered clearly in sight.

Aya transformed back into human form in mid-air and landed on the princess's bedroom terrace.

"Aya, you're back? Well done~ You're quite quick on your trip to Academy City."

"Where did you go? How could it possibly be more tiring than Miss Tiran sitting on her own terrace drinking tea and reading?"

"...Aya, when did you start being so sarcastic?"

"What are you saying? I learned it from Miss Tiran herself." Aya shrugged and sat in front of Tiran, picking up the glass of lemon honey tea with ice cubes and finished it in a single gulp.

Putting down the glass, the clinking of the ice cubes at the bottom echoed crisply.

Today, Aya flew a total of four round trips to deliver a large amount of goods that were stranded due to road damage to the nearby transportation hub. Despite operating far more efficiently than the average for this era, it was genuinely exhausting.

"I'm sorry, I do understand how hard you've worked~"

Tiran placed her book on her lap, clasped her hands in front of her chest, closed one eye, and smiled mischievously, "As a reward, how about letting you decide what to do tonight?"

"Huh?"

Aya blinked, subconsciously licked her upper lip.

It was only then that she noticed Tiran's appearance.

Perhaps due to just having taken a bath, her silver hair, now disheveled, carried a hint of dampness and swayed gently in the night breeze. Her cheeks beneath the strands of hair were slightly pink, and the solid color low-cut nightgown looked both pure and enticing. Every expression, every muscle, every feature precisely struck Aya's sense of aesthetics.

Aya could hear her heartbeat noticeably quickening, a rush of impulsive heat surged to her head, almost unable to contain it.

No, no, no, no matter what...

"Uhm, I, I'll go take a bath."

Aya coughed twice, trying hard to divert her gaze from Tiran's body. However, the exquisite beauty possessed a fatally appealing charm, making it impossible to look away. Just as she was opening the door to the room, she felt a sudden impact from behind, as a pair of flexible hands looped around her body and a soft chest pressed tightly against her back, separated only by a thin layer of soft fabric. A sweet fragrance exhaled near her ear, the girl murmured softly, "Do I not have any appeal to you?"

In Aya’s mind, the string named reason made a crisp cracking sound. Hey, you brought this upon yourself, so don't blame me!

As the lights dimmed, the clouds parted, and the silvery glow shone through the French window onto the soft bed, casting an illusory veil over the girl's snow-white skin. The fragrance intertwined with warmth, closely fitting as if seeking something from one another. The soft whispers gradually became urgent, the initial low moans turning into unrestrained, elevated cries that lingered atop the towering tower for a long time.

Meanwhile, beneath the vast starlit sky, who knows how many secrets lay hidden?

...

Beating their pure white wings, the little Angel landed wearily in a small garden inside the castle courtyard.

"So tired..."

As a race with flying talents, the little Angel was naturally roped into the delivery team of Gilliast along with Tiran. One could only imagine the surprised expressions of Ciella and Lucius when Aya mentioned this matter.

And in comparison to the rewards Aya received, the little Angel drew the short end of the stick. Despite flying around tirelessly all day and even getting lost once, the little Angel returned to the castle with a rumbling stomach, needing to scavenge for snacks in the kitchen pantry.

"Tomorrow, Tiran will definitely treat me to a big meal."

Using a point of light on her finger to illuminate the path, the little Angel walked through the darkened corridor. Most people would be asleep at this time, so it seemed she would have to take matters into her own hands and cook something. Even though most of the time the little Angel was just a lonely food enthusiast, having tasted so many delicacies, making some simple and edible food should not be a problem.

As she arrived at the kitchen pantry on the ground floor, the little Angel hesitated when she heard noises inside. The soft footsteps and the sound of moving objects... Could it be a thief?

No way! The things inside were her midnight snacks! How could she let a thief take them away!

However, in her panic, the little Angel forgot that she was here to steal a snack as well...

In her haste, the little Angel pushed open the heavy door of the pantry, only to come face-to-face with a golden twin-tailed girl holding a box of cookies, preparing to leave.

"Miss Fiona?"

"I remember you... Ellie, right?"

The little Angel recognized the girl—she was often around Senior Aya.

Ellie had half a cookie in her mouth, a full box in her hands, and a hint of embarrassment on her face from being caught snacking. Though it wasn't really sneaking, as the box of cookies Ellie held was a regular purchase by Mimi for the maids to enjoy freely, except Mimi strictly prohibited entering the pantry after eleven o'clock to maintain the maids' physique. Two girls stared awkwardly at each other.

"Um, are you here to find something to eat too, Miss Fiona?" Ellie hesitated, whispering.

"Um... Yes." The little Angel pondered how to cover up her intentions but couldn't come up with a perfect explanation for why she was there, so she had to admit it.

"In that case, how about you come with me?"

"Come? Where to?" The little Angel asked in confusion.

"Well, I'm not sure, but Juno said there's something fun, and she asked me to bring snacks to enjoy together."

"Fun...?"

Five minutes later, in the central corridor of the fourth floor of the castle's main building, the curious little Angel, carrying a bag of bread and ham, followed Ellie to where Juno was waiting.

"You're finally here!"

Although Juno appeared to be a mature big sister, she was currently wearing a mysterious and subtle smile, waving happily at the two. "Oh? Fiona's here too?"

"(￣～￣)" Still munching on her bread and ham, the little girl nodded but remained silent.

"So, what's the exciting thing you mentioned, Juno?"

"Hehe, it's up there, of course."

Juno pointed to the nearby spiral staircase. The staircase led to the tallest building in the castle, where the Princess's bedroom was located.