Chapter 28: Thoughts on the “Little Black Room”

The existence of witches was indeed baffling.

They could cause ordinary humans to undergo earth-shattering changes in a very short time. Their physical structure would be completely reshaped, granting them elemental affinity far beyond that of normal people and extraordinarily long lifespans—some could even transform a battle-hardened man into a delicate young girl. Such a change was almost equivalent to crossing the boundary between species.

Peletti lowered her head and looked at the small, bouncing figure beside her, her emotions mixed and complicated. Changes like this were bound to give rise to some strange things.

For example, the little one right now, following closely at her side step for step. Feiye blinked her watery eyes, her face full of innocent naivety, yet every word she spoke landed squarely on Peletti’s most sensitive nerves.

Heh—if she hadn’t known beforehand, who would have guessed that this little loli’s age started with four digits?

Peletti sighed unconsciously. Even if a witch’s appearance was fixed at the moment the banquet ended, she still couldn’t understand how Feiye, after living for over a thousand years and knowing so much, could still maintain such an innocent, guileless look.

It couldn’t be that witches not only stopped changing in appearance, but their minds never matured either… right?

A cute little girl innocently saying things that sent chills down one’s spine—that was genuinely terrifying, okay?

Especially when the one saying it was far stronger than herself.

“Um… Feiye, what do you think a ‘little black room’ is?” Peletti finally couldn’t hold back and asked.

Speculation was still just speculation. She felt it was better to ask clearly here and now—having a concrete answer would make it easier to prepare, just in case something unexpected happened.

For instance, drugging her blood.

No matter what, replenishing her energy was inseparable from drinking blood. Among humans, blood-drinking was taboo, a symbol of monsters—something that wouldn’t change just because she looked pretty. No matter how one looked at it, it was highly dangerous. The only safe food source she could possibly obtain was Feiye.

Which also meant that her meals were completely in Feiye’s hands.

She really didn’t want to eat her fill, black out, and then wake up in some unfamiliar little black room she couldn’t escape from, her hands and feet tightly bound with iron chains. One experience like that was already more than enough—she never wanted a second round.

“The little black room is just home,” Feiye tilted her head, violet eyes full of confusion. “Why are you asking that, Sister?”

Her home was pitch-black, with no lights, so calling it a black room was perfectly reasonable, right?

As for the term “little black room,” she owed it to inspiration from that book. Back then, she remembered Isabena saying that two people who liked each other would live together in one room for a very long time.

She quietly made up her mind.

No matter what, she had to bring Peletti back to the little black room!

“That’s good… that’s good.” Peletti couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

It was just a strange way of referring to home—that didn’t sound like a serious issue. It seemed unlikely that something like Josuna’s sudden breakdown would happen.

“Sister, where exactly are we going?” Feiye tugged at Peletti’s sleeve, curiosity written all over her small face.

“Just follow me.”

Peletti gently took Feiye’s small hand from within her wide sleeve. That hand was icy cold, not like something alive at all, yet it gradually warmed within her palm.

The warmth from their joined hands slowly spread through Feiye’s entire body. She looked up at the girl with fluttering hair, and in her eyes there was only her.

Sister’s hand is so warm… so comfortable. I really want this to continue forever.

“If only this moment could last forever,” Feiye murmured softly, her voice so light it was almost inaudible.

She knew it was impossible—everyone needed a few delusions now and then.

In Feiye’s view, Peletti’s biggest problem was still that group of pointy-eared people.

If trouble came knocking, Feiye wouldn’t mind dealing with them right here.

The thought darkened her gaze for a brief moment, before quickly clearing again.

“Let’s go. We’re heading to a clothing store.”

Peletti’s words interrupted Feiye, who was still immersed in that lingering warmth.

“Mm, okay!”

As long as Sister was by her side, Feiye felt energetic no matter where they were.

She tightly returned Peletti’s grip, as if it were her only anchor.

Under Peletti’s lead, the two got lost three or four times, and only with the help of passersby did they finally find the trade district.

Every time they lost their way, Peletti would awkwardly scratch her cheek, while Feiye found such a Sister especially adorable.

Once they reached the trade district, things became much easier. Most of the shops here sold fabric and clothing, with the occasional store offering drinks or other daily necessities—but those weren’t Peletti’s target.

Holding Feiye’s hand, Peletti entered a clothing shop that looked fairly decent. The storefront displayed a wide variety of garments in many different styles. Most importantly, the shop carried both adult and children’s clothing, with a full range of accessories as well—no need to run back and forth between multiple stores.

“May I help you, two esteemed ladies—uh…”

The shop assistant stood up to greet them when she heard the bell ring, but froze for a moment upon seeing Peletti.

It wasn’t because she was marveling at Peletti’s beauty. Rather, she recognized that the clothes Peletti was wearing were custom-made northern-style garments. Every detail fit her figure perfectly—clearly not the kind of ready-made clothing commoners usually wore.

In the Empire, with the adoption of water-powered and steam-powered looms, fabric production had increased dramatically. One result was the rise of mass-produced ready-made clothing. Especially among workers and other newly emerging wage-earning classes, clothes with plain colors and perhaps not much aesthetic appeal—but cheap and affordable—had become the norm.

In other words, anyone who could walk out wearing custom-made clothing was undoubtedly a noble. Combined with Peletti’s flawless face and refined bearing, the shop assistant felt even more certain of her judgment.

This was not a customer she could afford to offend. If anything went wrong, it would spell serious trouble. The assistant straightened her back unconsciously and put on an even more respectful smile.

“I’m very sorry, miss. Our shop only sells ready-made clothing. If you require custom tailoring, I can recommend other shops that would be more suitable for you.”

Peletti looked at the suddenly strange shop assistant in confusion. Wasn’t she here to buy clothes? Shouldn’t that be welcome? Why was she being ushered away instead?

Just look at this street—who does business like you?

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

With that, Peletti led Feiye straight inside to browse the clothes. She didn’t understand why the assistant was so nervous, but since she hadn’t been explicitly refused, she took it as normal service etiquette.

Seeing that Peletti was serious, the shop assistant could only follow behind her, carefully introducing each item on the racks in detail, terrified of saying something wrong and offending this “noble young lady.”