The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness - Chapter 272



50. Declaration and Prayer

“Liya!”

It was night.

Ariel looked at the girl who had sneaked into the room, hands on her hips, fuming:

“Where have you been?”

“A… Ariel?”

Liya, who had just entered, was startled and shrank her neck, blinking as she said:

“Why are you here?”

“Is it strange that I’m here?”

Ariel frowned slightly, puzzled by Liya’s question.

This was Liya’s room.

St. Maria Academy had always been a single dormitory; if someone suddenly appeared in Liya’s room, it would definitely be quite abnormal, and it might even escalate into a major incident that would alarm the professors.

But Ariel was different.

Given her relationship with Liya, she had long managed to get a key through persistent persuasion.

Not to mention suddenly appearing here, she basically visited this room every day.

But Liya right now…

Was strange.

Ariel’s gaze sharpened, sweeping over Liya like a hawk.

The girl was still the same girl, looking unchanged in the slightest.

Yet Ariel’s keen perception noticed something different.

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For instance, at this moment, Liya’s lovely face, illuminated by the light, appeared particularly flushed and glossy, like a ripe apple, making one unable to resist the urge to take a big bite.

“Liya…”

“Hmm…?”

“Why is your face so red?”

“Eh? Is it?”

A hint of panic immediately surfaced in Liya’s eyes as her hands instinctively reached up to her cheeks.

Sure enough, an unusual warmth was radiating from her palms.

Oh…

Why……

It’s been such a long time since you came back.

“Liya, you wouldn’t…”

Seeing Liya’s flustered expression, Ariel became even more certain of her inner suspicions, her expression gradually darkening.

“You wouldn’t be secretly…”

“……”

Liya was taken aback.

It’s over, it’s over……

The fact that she secretly went to meet the person Ariel hated the most, Mu En Campbell, was about to be discovered…

“Secretly went out to play in the snow without me, didn’t you!”

“Eh?”

“Hmph, little one, you thought you could hide this from me. I know Liya’s hometown is in the south; seeing such a big snowfall, you definitely couldn’t resist!”

Ariel put her hands on her hips, wearing a proud expression as if she were a genius.

“Your face is so red from the cold; it seems you had a lot of fun!”

“……”

“But!”

Ariel then deliberately straightened her face and said fiercely:

“Going out to play without inviting me, how could you be so cruel!”

“I… I was just afraid of disturbing you, Ariel.”

Liya tugged at the hem of her dress, forcing out a cute smile as she said:

“It seems you’ve been very busy lately.”

“No matter how busy I am, I still have time to play with you. Besides, you ran off to class today without telling me, which made me fall asleep in class and get caught by Professor Plang.”

Ariel gritted her teeth and said:

“Do you know how badly I was scolded by him?”

“……I’m sorry.”

“If an apology is all it takes, what good is having a chest!”

Ariel lunged at her, saying fiercely:

“Let me rub this big cow of yours, or I’ll never relieve the hatred in my heart!”

“Wah… wait, Ariel…”

“Ke ke, scream all you want; it won’t do any good. The louder you scream, the more excited I get!”

Ariel’s fingers stretched and curled continuously, skillfully reaching for Leah’s ticklish spots, ready to teach this increasingly inflated childhood friend a good lesson.

Leah, as usual, quickly succumbed to her clawed assault, laughing until tears streamed down her face while struggling to plead for mercy.

But…

Just as Ariel’s claws were about to smoothly touch some sensitive areas of Leah…

“Don’t!”

With a sudden force, Leah pushed her away, causing Ariel to stumble back a few steps and then freeze in place.

“Le… Leah?”

Leah actually pushed her away?

Why?

Was she being too much?

No, today was nothing like their usual playful antics…

“Sor… sorry…”

Leah quickly realized her own loss of composure, her hands flailing in a panic for a place to settle:

“Are… are you okay, Ariel?”

“Have you finally started to hate me?”

Ariel exclaimed, feeling wronged:

“Have you begun to despise me for being flat-chested?”

“No, no, no, I haven’t.”

Leah explained more and more frantically:

“How… how could I possibly hate Ariel?”

She could never hate Ariel.

It was just that when Ariel instinctively tried to take advantage of her earlier, it made her involuntarily recall that scene.

The alluring image she had secretly seen during the day.

And just thinking about it made her heart race uncontrollably.

Ugh…

Damn Mu En Campbell.

“I don’t hate Ariel; I’m just… just feeling a bit unwell all of a sudden.”

“Feeling a bit unwell?”

Ariel raised her eyebrows, the sense of grievance in her heart dissipating instantly as she hurriedly leaned closer:

“Are you okay?”

“Not… not at all.”

Liya shook her head. “It’s just a small issue.”

“You didn’t play in the snow for too long and catch a chill, did you?”

Ariel frowned, her small hand touching Liya’s forehead.

Hiss.

It was indeed a bit hot.

“How can you be so careless, like a child!”

Ariel scolded with concern.

Liya didn’t follow the path of a warrior; her body was relatively weaker, so catching a chill was a normal occurrence.

But for her to play until she got chilled, it somehow felt a bit out of character for Liya…

No, why was she thinking about this?

Liya is such a pure person; how could she possibly deceive herself?

Ariel shook her head, driving those nonsensical thoughts out of her mind, and quickly pulled Liya, tucking her into the blanket.

“Quick, get some good rest. Have you used the Holy Light spell on yourself? You can’t possibly be unable to cure even such a small illness.”

“It’s fine.”

Liya nodded, then shook her head:

“It’s not what you think; I’m not sick, and the discomfort is only temporary…”

“Ah, it doesn’t matter if it’s temporary or not, just get some good rest!”

Ariel wrapped Liya up in the blanket, binding her like a rice dumpling, and then patted her hands in satisfaction:

“Then I’ll take my leave, so I won’t disturb your rest.”

“Um…”

Liya responded softly, but suddenly seemed to remember something, stretching out a hand from the covers.

“Ariel, this is for you.”

“What is this…”

Seeing the stack of banknotes in Liya’s hand, Ariel’s eyes widened in astonishment:

“So much money, where did you get it?”

“It’s… it’s a grant from the church.”

“A grant? I thought the church wouldn’t help you during the trial period?”

“They do provide some funding, after all.”

“I see, I thought the church was really that heartless.”

Ariel nodded without a doubt, then bit her lip and hesitated:

“But if all the money goes to me, what will you do? Besides, I’ve already borrowed so much from you, it really feels a bit…”

“Ariel.”

Liya puffed out her cheeks and pretended to be angry:

“With our relationship, how could you even have such thoughts? Are you underestimating me too much!”

“Liya…”

In her eyes, reflecting Liya’s cute yet determined face, Ariel suddenly felt a warmth rising in her heart.

Right, with the relationship between her and Liya, why should she care about these things?

“Thank you, Liya.”

Ariel took a deep breath, accepted the large stack of money, and then tightly grasped Liya’s small hand. She gazed into her eyes and said with unwavering determination:

“Trust me, I will definitely make you a saint!”

“Mm.”

“When that time comes, I have something I hope you’ll listen to.” As she spoke, a hint of mischief and shyness appeared in Ariel’s eyes.

“Mm.”

“Then I’ll be off.” Ariel waved her hand.

“Mm…”

Ariel left the room, turning off the lights as she went.

The room was plunged into darkness.

Yet Liya still stared wide-eyed, not yet accustomed to the dark, unable to see anything of the empty ceiling.

Ariel’s declaration, which was supposed to deepen the bond between the two in the original storyline, somehow did not weigh on Liya’s heart.

“Saint… huh?”

She murmured softly.

That had always been her goal.

But…

Ever since she met that Munen Campbell, she had inadvertently done things that went against the name of the saint.

At this rate…

“Lady Goddess…”

Liya clasped her hands together, continually praying to the faith in her heart:

“Will you forgive me, this kind of Liya?”