Bai Ye arrived in Nokan Territory earlier than she’d expected. She’d thought it would take at least until the evening of the third day to reach her destination, but in fact, she’d already crossed into Nokan Territory that morning.
Nokan Territory wasn’t very large. It had only one main city and three small towns under its jurisdiction. It wasn’t even noon yet, and Bai Ye had already driven her carriage into the territory’s main city: Maple City.
Though Nokan Territory was small, Maple City was still quite prosperous. If you ranked the cities of the Holy Radiance Empire, Maple City would probably make the top five.
After all, Maple City sat along a trade route of great importance to the Empire. In a situation like that, as long as the local officials weren’t fools, running the city well was an easy task.
“Yilisi, you’ll be home soon.”
“Mm...”
If Bai Ye had been paying closer attention, she would’ve noticed that Yilisi didn’t sound very cheerful. But she had to focus on driving the carriage, so she didn’t realize anything was wrong.
“Big Sister Bai Ye, do you have somewhere to stay in Maple City? If you don’t mind, why not stay at my house for a few days?”
Yilisi softly invited Bai Ye. If Bai Ye agreed to stay at her house, she’d get to spend a little more time with her.
“I can’t.”
Bai Ye shook her head and turned her down.
“I have to visit a friend next, and I’m in a bit of a hurry. I also need to...”
Bai Ye paused, leaving the rest unsaid. She simply shook her head at Yilisi to show that she had other things to take care of.
“Oh. That’s such a shame...”
No matter how reluctant Yilisi was, the moment for the two of them to part had to come eventually.
Bai Ye drove the carriage this way and that through Maple City until they reached a shopping street in the city center. Following Yilisi’s directions, her home was somewhere around here.
“Yilisi, are you sure it’s okay to stop here?”
Bai Ye stopped the carriage at the edge of the shopping street. She hesitated; if it were up to her, she’d have taken Yilisi right to her front door.
“Mm, this is fine. I grew up here, so I know the area well.”
“All right, then...”
Bai Ye patted Yilisi on the head. Now that it was time to part, a hint of reluctance showed in her eyes, too.
“Be more careful from now on. Don’t make your family worry again.”
At Bai Ye’s words, Yilisi’s eyes began to shimmer.
Big Sister Bai Ye, don’t be so kind to Yilisi! The more you care about me, the harder it’ll be to say goodbye!
Yilisi fought back her tears. This was their last time together, and she wanted Bai Ye to remember her at her very best.
“Don’t worry, Big Sister Bai Ye. I’ll be careful from now on.”
“Yilisi...”
Seeing how obedient Yilisi looked, Bai Ye gently pulled her into her arms.
“B-Big Sister Bai Ye?”
Caught up in Bai Ye’s embrace, Yilisi grew flustered. Bai Ye often comforted her tenderly, but this was the first time she’d hugged her like this of her own accord.
But when Yilisi heard the sigh of reluctance in Bai Ye’s voice, she understood. She wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to say goodbye.
“It’s okay, Big Sister Bai Ye. If you miss me, you can come visit anytime.”
Yilisi was just as reluctant to part, but instead of waiting for Bai Ye to comfort her like she usually did, she took the initiative and offered Bai Ye words of comfort.
Hearing Yilisi’s words, Bai Ye couldn’t help smiling.
“You’ve grown, Yilisi.”
“That’s all thanks to you, Big Sister Bai Ye.”
Yilisi smiled, too. Suddenly, she didn’t feel quite so useless. Maybe spending these past few days with Bai Ye had made her a little stronger.
“Goodbye, Big Sister Bai Ye.”
“Goodbye, Yilisi.”
Yilisi turned and walked away. Once she passed around a corner, Bai Ye could no longer see her.
Was that really the last time they’d see each other?
Would Big Sister Bai Ye ever come visit her again?
Probably not. Big Sister Bai Ye had said she was very busy, and she still had to enroll at Holy Radiance Academy. How could she possibly find time to visit?
I really, really don’t want to be apart from Big Sister Bai Ye...
Yilisi hugged her knees and crouched around the corner, out of Bai Ye’s sight, tears welling in her eyes.
She wanted so badly to see Bai Ye one more time, but she couldn’t. She didn’t want Bai Ye to see her looking so pathetic.
At least at the moment they said goodbye, she had to act a little stronger.
“Big Sister... Big Sister Bai Ye...”
Yilisi didn’t know if she’d ever get the chance to see Bai Ye again. Maybe one day Bai Ye would suddenly come visit her. Or maybe that goodbye had been the last time they’d ever meet.
“I really, really don’t want to be apart from Big Sister Bai Ye...”
Yilisi was quietly grieving, but it seemed the heavens had no intention of letting her wallow in sadness.
A breeze swept across the sky, carrying a square sheet of white paper covered in writing. It landed right on Yilisi’s head.
“Eek!”
Yilisi jumped. She was already lost in her sadness, and now even a sheet of paper had to come bully her.
She frowned and grabbed the paper, ready to throw it away. But when she saw the words written on it, she couldn’t bring herself to toss it aside.
The sheet of paper turned out to be a recruitment notice. The largest words on it read:
『Holy Radiance Academy: Maids Wanted』
