Chapter 174: Are you nitpicking?

The liveliness of the Birth Festival far exceeded Perletti’s expectations.

The usually calm and orderly Holy Gloria seemed as though boiling life had suddenly been poured into it. The main streets and plazas overflowed with people, countless stalls lined the roads one after another, and the cries of vendors, laughter, and children’s playful shouts intertwined into a vibrant sea of noise.

Colorful ribbons and glowing vines decorated the buildings on both sides of the streets. The air carried the sweet aroma of baked elven pastries mixed with the fragrance of fresh flowers and herbs.

It was a stark contrast to the almost Zen-like tranquility she remembered from her previous visit.

According to Olivia, the Birth Festival’s importance among elves was nearly equivalent to a human nation’s founding anniversary.

Like the vampires, the elves had always kept the authority of the entire race firmly in the hands of those with divine blood. As long as the divine bloodline did not perish, no matter how the race developed, the royal lineage would never change.

That alone revealed the enormous difference between humans and elves.

Because succession was certain and food sources abundant, the elven race almost never experienced commoners seizing power.

Bloodline itself symbolized legitimacy.

Unlike humans—where anyone without divine blood could still loudly proclaim themselves “chosen by destiny,” leaving nobody willing to submit to anyone else—

Such a thing could never happen among elves.

After all, their divine bloodline was genuinely alive and extraordinarily active. As long as the World Tree still existed, the bloodline could hardly ever truly disappear.

Even if someone somehow managed the impossible and seized political power, an elf without the World Tree’s recognition would merely be a paper tiger with an empty title.

“During the Birth Festival, most work positions are suspended. People go out together with family and friends to enjoy themselves. These street vendors are also part of the festival. For them, it’s a rare chance to earn several times their usual income.”

Aya explained softly, her gaze curiously sweeping across the surroundings.

Experiencing this ocean of celebration as an ordinary elf rather than a princess—

For her, too, this was an entirely new experience.

“So for them, the joy of making money is part of the meaning of the festival?”

Perletti asked while skillfully weaving Aya through gaps in the crowd.

“Maybe.”

Aya answered thoughtfully, though she herself didn’t notice the contemplation in her tone.

“Being able to improve your family’s life through your own efforts is something worth being happy about in itself.”

“Then what about you?”

Perletti suddenly turned her head, golden eyes looking at her seriously.

“Aya, what makes you happiest?”

“…I don’t know.”

Aya froze for a moment before honestly shaking her head, confusion flickering in her eyes.

“Hah? At a time like this, saying you don’t know is no fun at all.”

Perletti puffed out her cheeks in mock dissatisfaction.

“I mean it!”

Aya hurriedly defended herself, her voice softening.

“When I was little, centuries ago, I could occasionally sneak out to buy snacks and wander around. Back then, everything just felt fresh and interesting.”

“But later, everyone kept telling me to ‘grow up’ and ‘take responsibility.’ Only then did I gradually understand what was resting on my shoulders…”

“The number of times I slipped out grew fewer and fewer. Every day became studying governance, learning magical etiquette, handling endless documents…”

“It feels like the time truly belonging to myself disappeared long ago.”

She spread open her hands.

These slender fingers were suited for holding pens, casting spells, and fulfilling the duties of a princess—

Yet they had seemingly never truly grasped anything for her own sake.

She had spent centuries as a princess, carrying countless expectations upon her shoulders.

Yet she still couldn’t clearly understand what her own heart truly desired.

Even chasing after Perletti may originally have been born beneath the shadow of duty.

But later?

How much of those complicated feelings actually belonged to Olivia herself?

The tangled thoughts only left her more confused.

“Let me guess…”

Perletti suddenly stopped walking and rubbed her chin thoughtfully before her eyes lit up.

“You definitely really love flowers!”

“Eh?”

Aya froze again.

Flowers?

“Hahaha, I knew it!”

Perletti sounded encouraged by her own deduction.

“If you didn’t like them, how could you and Qingcheng have planted such a huge garden back then? That’s not something you can grow just by scattering a few seeds around.”

“It takes patience, care, and constant devotion. If you didn’t genuinely love it, there’s no way you could’ve kept it up.”

She grabbed Aya’s hand, speaking brightly.

“Come on! I remember there’s a really nice flower shop outside the city. The location’s a bit remote, but I heard they carry all kinds of special flowers. I’ll take you to see some real flowers!”

Flowers…

Something in Aya’s heart was gently stirred.

That’s right.

Flowers.

She loved looking at them.

Loved how they simply grew freely toward sunlight without needing to follow any predetermined script.

And she hated herself—trapped inside magnificent palaces and crushing responsibilities like a potted plant that could never truly reach the sky.

“Come on already! Why are you still spacing out?”

Perletti looked back.

Sunlight filtering through the leaves seemed to wrap her smile in a soft glow, while the edges of her white hair shimmered with rainbow-like colors.

That smile was so bright.

Free of burdens.

Purely happy for the present moment alone.

The sight struck Aya like a perfectly fitted key, gently unlocking some heavy lock buried deep within her heart.

She reached out and allowed Perletti to take her hand, then let herself be pulled into a run.

They passed through bustling crowds, darted beyond rows of dazzling shops, gradually leaving the noisy city behind as they headed toward the countryside outside the walls.

The wind brushed past Aya’s ears, lifting her gray hair.

She looked ahead at Perletti’s fluttering white hair, then at the vividly colored forests and sky rapidly retreating around them.

For the first time, the world before her eyes felt so alive, rich, and overflowing with endless possibilities.

So this was what running felt like…

Unrestrained.

Simply moving toward a place you genuinely wanted to go.

“Titi.”

She spoke softly, her voice scattering into the wind.

“Tell me… if I had been born a witch instead, would I also have been able to live as freely as you?”

“Freely?”

Perletti didn’t even turn around. Her voice carried laughter, though also a faint sigh difficult to notice.

“Don’t be silly! A witch’s life is boring as hell!”

“But I still envy you.”

Aya quickened her pace until she ran beside Perletti, turning to look at her softly sunlit profile.

“You feel so warm… almost like the sun.”

Perletti froze briefly before smiling again without replying.

People always longed for distant shores they had never possessed, while overlooking the faint light already beside them.

The sun might be unreachable—

Yet the warmth and light it generously bestowed always remained nearby, nurturing all living things.

The flower shop sat in a quiet clearing within the forest, far from the city’s noise. Only the sound of a flowing stream and birdsong accompanied it.

The shop itself looked rustic, covered in vines blooming with tiny star-shaped flowers.

“Shopkeeper, do you have any flowers here?”

Perletti pushed open the door, her clear voice breaking the indoor silence.

Behind the counter, a middle-aged elf who had been tending to potted plants looked up.

He glanced first at the wooden sign hanging outside the door, then at Perletti herself before muttering blankly:

“…This is a flower shop, right? And you came into a flower shop asking whether we sell flowers?”

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