Chapter 30: Having a Child Along Isn’t So Bad

As expected, blue suited Feiye best. Peletti had briefly thought white might look nice too, but then felt that such a plain color wasn’t very suitable for a child—blue was better. In the end, she chose a sky-blue dress embroidered with delicate little flowers along the hem.

“Feiye, go try this dress on, and these shoes too.” Peletti handed the clothes and shoes to Feiye and gently pushed her toward the fitting room.

“Miss, your clothes.” The shop assistant held out a paper bag containing the outfit Peletti had just taken off.

Looking at the item that had once completely broken her composure, Peletti really wanted to throw it away. That custom-made outfit represented a past she didn’t want, a reminder of the identity she had already lost.

…On second thought, forget it. No matter what, it wasn’t cheap. She should keep it. Peletti sighed and took the bag—now she had no choice but to be careful with money.

Just as she took the bag, Feiye’s voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

“Sister, I don’t really know how to put this on… could you come in and help me?”

Peletti hesitated for a moment, thought about it, then replied,
“Alright, I’ll come in now.”

She entered the fitting room and quickly realized that putting on this dress alone was still too difficult for Feiye.

Perhaps because she had never worn such clothes before, Feiye’s head was completely wrapped up in the dress, her two hands fumbling around blindly, only making the situation worse. Unable to see, she didn’t know what to do next. She spun around helplessly in place, like a trapped little animal.

That made sense. Her previous outfit could function as clothing whether it was draped over her shoulders or simply wrapped around her body like a piece of cloth. A complex dress like this was indeed a bit much for her.

“Sister…” Hearing Peletti come in, Feiye pitifully poked her fingers together, her voice tinged with grievance.

“Mm, mm, it’s okay—I’m here to help.”

Peletti walked over and skillfully pulled the dress off Feiye’s head, then helped her put it on properly while listening to Feiye speak. Her movements were gentle, afraid of hurting her.

“Sister… am I really that stupid? I can’t even put on a piece of clothing properly.” Feiye lowered her head, her voice muffled.

If one had to say, it was indeed a little clumsy—but at most, it could be said that Feiye simply wasn’t familiar with this sort of thing. After all, no one could do something perfectly on the first try, let alone a witch who might not have worn this kind of clothing for over a thousand years.

Looking at Feiye’s dejected little face, Peletti suddenly felt like teasing her.

“Feiye, don’t doubt yourself…”

At those words, Feiye’s eyes lit up slightly, clearly expecting Peletti to comfort her next—or maybe even hug her, like in her previous life. She quietly edged closer, waiting for that warm embrace.

“You’re just very dumb.”

Feiye’s expression froze instantly. She looked up in disbelief, her violet eyes wide open.

Then she saw, in the mirror in front of her, the mischievous grin of a plot-succeeding Peletti.

Feiye immediately realized she’d been tricked. Her cheeks puffed up as she angrily raised her little fists and started pounding on Peletti.

“Waaah! Sister, why would you joke around and make fun of me? Honestly—what a big meanie!”

“Because watching Feiye get angry is really fun. Don’t you think having a bit of a different emotion once in a while is interesting?” Peletti covered her mouth, letting out soft peals of laughter. She realized she was enjoying spending time with Feiye more and more—even though the girl was a thousand-year-old witch.

“Honestly… bad sister.” Feiye’s cheeks turned rosy, her little punches landing on Peletti without much force—more like playful sulking than real anger. She was clearly holding back, careful not to hurt her.

That realization warmed Peletti’s heart.

“Alright, alright—let’s finish getting dressed before we start playing around, okay?”

Sometimes Peletti felt that Feiye was just like a child—mentally immature, yet childish in a way that was… kind of cute? She gently tied the sash of the dress around Feiye’s waist, her movements so practiced that even she herself felt surprised.

As Feiye obediently stood there, being treated like a living clothes rack, she gradually calmed down and began to realize something felt off.

“Sister… actually joked with me. That’s something I’ve never experienced before.”

Whether in her previous life or now, this was the first time Feiye had ever heard her sister joke. Qingcheng—who always seemed tense, as if carrying the weight of the entire world—had never interacted with her so lightly.

For some reason, Feiye had always felt that Qingcheng was endlessly busy, as though a string in her heart was always pulled tight… That sense of distance made Feiye afraid to get close; all she could do was watch over her from afar.

The Peletti in front of her felt unfamiliar—but not unpleasant.

So this was what Sister had been like years ago. What on earth had happened to make her become so silent and withdrawn later on?

Feiye liked this cheerful version of her very much. Quietly clenching her small hands, she secretly vowed to protect the current Peletti—to never let her return to that exhausted state again.

“Please come again, and take care,” the shop assistant said politely, though what she really thought was that it would be best if they never came back.

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, relieved that this reception had ended without incident.

She never wanted to face customers like that again! Just worrying about saying the wrong thing had exhausted her.

“Shopping for clothes took longer than I expected,” Peletti said with a sigh, looking up at the sun in the sky.

She carried the shopping bags, filled with their new clothes. Feiye clutched her other hand tightly, wearing the sky-blue dress and a brand-new pair of brown leather shoes.

“So, where are we going next?” Peletti lowered her head to look at Feiye, only to find her gazing up with those clear eyes, as if Peletti were the most important thing in the world.

The glow of the setting sun bathed them both, stretching their shadows long across the ground.

Looking ahead at the unknown road before them, Peletti suddenly felt that having such a little companion by her side didn’t seem so bad after all.

At the very least, she was no longer alone.