Chapter 175: The warmth and vitality of everyday life

“No, no!” Perletti quickly waved her hands, laughing awkwardly.
“I was just saying hello, asking if anyone was here!”

Only then did the shopkeeper relax. He sighed softly.
“Not many customers come all the way out to this remote place during a festival like this. Everyone’s busy celebrating in the city. Hardly anyone remembers a quiet little corner like mine.”

His tone was calm, but the fleeting loneliness in his eyes didn’t escape Perletti’s notice.

That was precisely why she had chosen this place.

Perhaps Aya wasn’t truly obsessed with gardening itself. What she longed for was the kind of existence flowers possessed—growing naturally, freely, without being defined by others.

Back then, that flower garden had been a seed of possibility Qingcheng left behind for her.

And today, Perletti wanted to help that seed sprout once more.

“I like quiet places,” Perletti replied naturally before turning to Aya with a grin.
“Right, Aya? Go take a look. See if there’s anything you like.”

“I think your companion here is the one who likes quiet,” the shopkeeper remarked knowingly after glancing at Aya, who looked slightly stiff after entering yet couldn’t stop her gaze from drifting toward the flowers filling the room.

He said nothing more and sat back down in his recliner.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window lattice and tangled vines, breaking into scattered beams that slanted across the shop.

Dust motes drifted lazily through the light like golden veils, gently draping themselves over the vibrant potted plants.

Colored light intertwined with delicate blossoms, making the entire flower shop feel like a tranquil miniature forest overflowing with color.

Aya unconsciously stopped in front of a pot of orchids.

It didn’t possess dazzling flowers—only several long, elegant emerald-green leaves stretching upward gracefully.

She extended a fingertip and lightly touched the tip of one leaf.

A bead of dew slid along the vein and landed precisely on her fingertip, cool and refreshing.

“What flower is this?” Perletti leaned over curiously to examine it.

“This is a Valley Orchid,” Aya answered softly, rubbing the droplet between her fingers.
“You’ve never seen one before? I thought… your homeland would have them too.”

“Even if they did, I probably wouldn’t have paid attention.” Perletti’s honest answer made Aya laugh softly.

Perletti plopped herself down beside the shopkeeper, propping up her cheeks with both hands as she stared at the orchid.

“But this flower… feels kind of interesting,” she said before tilting her head toward Aya mischievously.
“Aya, you’ve seen orchids before too, right? So what makes this one different?”

“It’s special.” Aya gently stroked the orchid’s leaves.
“It feels like it has a story.”

“A story?” Perletti’s eyes lit up immediately.
“What kind of story? Tell me!”

Aya looked at her with a faint smile in her eyes.
“It’s a story about waiting… and hope.”

“Waiting and hope?” Perletti blinked.
“That sounds interesting, but… what makes it different from ordinary orchids?”

“Most ordinary orchids exist purely to be admired.” Aya shrugged lightly.
“When I was little, I only liked burying myself in books. I never cared much for flowers or plants.”

“If I didn’t like something, I simply ignored it. Very simple.”

“Yes.” Perletti looked at her meaningfully and repeated,
“If you don’t like something, then don’t do it. Such a simple truth.”

Aya’s heart trembled.

The words were like a pebble falling into still water, sending ripples spreading outward.

Such a simple truth…

So why had she only dared to touch it now?

Meanwhile, Perletti had already briskly selected several plants—the Valley Orchid, a cluster of pale-purple herbs, and two pots of succulents.

Carrying them to the counter, she asked,
“Alright, these are the ones. Shopkeeper, how much?”

“Where did you even get this money from?” Aya stared at Perletti paying so decisively, genuinely shocked.

“Judy said she had no use for this stuff, so she gave it to me.” Perletti grinned proudly.

The shopkeeper calculated briefly.
“Let’s see… not much. Three hundred silver leaves.”

“Three hundred and you call that ‘not much’?” Perletti immediately frowned.
“You think I’m stupid or something?”

After spending so much time among the elves, Perletti had a decent understanding of local prices.

These flowers weren’t anything particularly rare in a race that practically worshipped gardening. Asking for three hundred was clearly treating her like an easy mark.

“Well, it’s the Birth Festival. A little more expensive is reasonable.”

Only then did Aya snap back to reality. Seeing Perletti about to pay, she instinctively reached for her pouch—even though she no longer carried the royal crest purse, only ordinary silver leaves.

To her, three hundred silver leaves was practically nothing.

Probably less than the cost of a single dessert in the royal palace.

But just as she moved, Perletti stopped her.

“Nope. That price won’t do. One hundred.”

“Wha—?!” The shopkeeper nearly jumped out of his seat.
“Who bargains like that?!”

Perletti clearly had experience haggling.

“Are you selling flowers or robbing people?” she shot back.

“You call cutting the price by that much bargaining?!”

“You just tell me whether you’re selling or not.”

“Two hundred. Not a leaf less.”

“One-fifty.”

“One-ninety.”

“One-forty.”

“Do you have any manners at all?! Who bargains like this?! Fine! I’m not selling anymore!”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Perletti immediately put down the flower pots and grabbed Aya’s wrist, turning to leave.

“H-Hey! Why are you leaving?! Aren’t you buying flowers anymore?”

Aya was completely bewildered by Perletti’s operation. She genuinely couldn’t tell what Perletti was doing.

Perletti merely gave her a mysterious little “Hm~” and whispered,
“Watch and learn.”

Sure enough, before they even reached the door, the shopkeeper caved.

“Alright, alright, you win! One-forty it is!”

“Nope. One-forty was the previous offer. Now I’m paying one hundred.”

“What kind of elf are you?! That’s completely dishonest!!”

“You think I’m some clueless outsider easy to scam?” Perletti crossed her arms.
“These things usually cost around one hundred in Golia City. Just because it’s the Birth Festival, you think you can charge triple the price? Who’s the dishonest one here?”

The shopkeeper stared into Perletti’s golden eyes, full of “I’m not easy to fool,” then glanced at the gray-haired elf girl beside her who clearly followed Perletti’s lead.

Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Tch… fine. I lose.”

After leaving the flower shop, Aya finally asked:

“You already knew this place was a scam shop?”

“Mm. Judy mentioned it before. Because it’s so remote, sometimes unfamiliar customers wander in.”

Perletti carefully adjusted the flower pots in her arms.

“Then why did you still bring me here?”

Aya was even more confused now.

“To let you experience the joy of bargaining!” Perletti laughed cheerfully.
“There’s no way an elf could bargain as fiercely as me.”

Her eyes curved into crescents as she spoke.

“Normally I’d feel embarrassed bargaining this hard too… but against people like that, you have to!”

“Bargaining…” Aya softly repeated the unfamiliar word.

To her, it was a completely foreign concept.

As a princess, she had never needed to care about the exact price of anything, much less argue over a difference of one hundred silver leaves.

The “transactions” she dealt with were usually matters of territory, resources, and politics on a grand scale.

“Ordinary people don’t live as comfortably as royalty,” Perletti said while walking ahead lightly with the flower pots in her arms, her voice drifting back on the wind.
“Every silver leaf has to be carefully budgeted. Working hard to bring something home at the right price—that process itself is part of life. Honestly, it can feel pretty satisfying.”

“Bargaining… part of life…”

Aya held the flower pot tightly, her fingertips feeling the rough warmth of the clay while the fresh scent of plants lingered around her.

The fog-like confusion in her heart suddenly seemed pierced through by a brilliant beam of light.

So this was it.

What she had always longed for was never overwhelming power or glory admired by millions.

What she truly wanted were simple, ordinary moments filled with the warmth of everyday life.

To stop for a flower she liked.

To argue with a friend over an absurd price.

To run and laugh freely beneath the sunlight without burden or restraint.

To freely choose what she liked… and what she didn’t.

She lifted her head and looked toward Perletti walking ahead, white hair softly illuminated by the dappled forest light.

That figure always seemed wrapped in a gentle glow.

Not blindingly brilliant—yet warm enough to steadily illuminate the gray, stifling world she once lived in.

The light she had been searching for had always been nearby.

Not upon some distant unreachable throne—

But within these tangible, real moments close enough to touch.

The wind swept through the treetops, carrying elegant songs drifting faintly from the distant city.

Holding her flowers, Aya’s steps gradually became lighter.

A genuine, relieved smile—one belonging solely to “Aya”—slowly bloomed across her face.

In her arms, the leaves of the Valley Orchid trembled softly, as though it too were breathing in this rare air of freedom.