Chapter 71 : Holding the Umbrella

The night rain fell in sheets, cold drops from a black sky, striking her body, each one a needle of ice.

The streets were empty. Only the sound of the rain echoed in the silence. Milly lay in a puddle, her pathetic form reflected in the cold water.

But now, in that reflection, a familiar figure appeared.

Stacy.

“How pathetic, little Milly.”

Stacy’s voice cut through the rain. Colder than the rain itself. But she wasn’t wrong.

Milly was pathetic.

Like a stray dog, chased out of the city, with nowhere to go.

Had Stacy come just to laugh at her?

Her words from that day still echoed in her ears. She had said that even without her interference, her identity would be exposed sooner or later. But Milly hadn’t expected that day to come so soon.

Her fingers unconsciously dug into the cracks of the cobblestones, turning white with the effort, the pain a distant sensation.

Her body was so cold. Rain dripped from her hair, splashing into the puddle below. But the cold in her body was nothing compared to the cold in her heart.

She looked up. Through her blurred vision, Stacy’s silver hair gleamed in the rain. Her crimson dress was untouched, the raindrops bouncing off an invisible barrier.

If she could do that, would she not have to endure this freezing cold? But perhaps it was her heart that needed such a barrier more.

Stacy crouched down, her fingers gently tracing Milly’s face.

Her touch was as cold as ever. But Milly could barely feel it. Had she lost too much body heat? Her skin was numb, her consciousness fading.

In her hazy vision, the usually mocking red eyes seemed to hold something different. A faint sigh? Was it her imagination?

But then, the familiar cold smile returned.

“I warned you, Little Milly. Look, this is the result. The moment the truth came out, you were kicked aside. Even though you saved them, they still cast you out without a second thought.”

Her icy words were a dagger to Milly’s heart, shattering what little was left of it.

She tried to speak, but her throat was tight. She couldn’t even form a rebuttal. Stacy was right. It was the cold, hard truth.

The fingers on her cheek moved down. Milly instinctively tried to pull away, but her weak body couldn’t move. Stacy grabbed her wrist and gently helped her up.

“Let go…”

A faint whisper, almost lost in the rain.

Stacy’s hand seemed to freeze. In her blurred vision, she couldn’t see her expression, only heard a soft murmur.

“Let go?”

As she wished. The moment she let go, Milly’s body collapsed like a broken doll, splashing muddy water. Her tail curled limply beside her, as if all strength had left it.

“Tell me, Milly, do you care that much about the human who abandoned you? That Tifna?”

Milly said nothing. At the mention of Tifna’s name, her eyes seemed to glaze over.

The cold rain continued to fall, soaking her. Her body was cold, but not as cold as her heart.

Had she cried, when her identity was revealed to Tifna?

She didn’t know. She didn’t remember. She had nothing left. Not a single tear could be squeezed from her broken heart. All her emotions seemed to be frozen in that moment.

Rain trickled down her face. It was as if she were crying, or perhaps her tears had long since mixed with the rain, unnoticed.

No… she couldn’t think about it anymore! It was over. There was no going back.

Seeing the limp form on the ground, a complex emotion flickered in Stacy’s red eyes.

The little one’s mental breakdown was the best outcome for her. It meant she would receive the prompt. But seeing her like this, she felt a strange twinge of… reluctance?

No… why would she feel that?

Was she worried about her?

Her goal was achieved. Just as she had predicted, someone else had delivered the final blow. All she had to do was watch.

Now, it had happened. She just had to wait for Milly to receive the prompt and tell her.

What she wanted was within her grasp. She should be happy.

But…

“Tch… what a mess.”

Her magic-infused fingers touched Milly. As the next raindrop fell, it was blocked by a transparent barrier.

In Milly’s blurred vision, Stacy’s fingers pressed against her, and a warm current of magic flowed into her body.

“You’re not cold now, are you?”

Stacy’s voice seemed to come from far away. As the warmth enveloped Milly, Stacy slowly released her.

The water in her hair began to evaporate. The warmth spread, chasing away the cold. Her soaked dress was dried by the current, the evaporated water turning to mist and disappearing into the air.

The biting cold faded, replaced by a warm magical embrace.

“Don’t think too much.” Her fingers passed through the barrier, caressing Milly’s face. “If you froze to death, it would be a headache for me.”

But the little one’s eyes still darted away, her body instinctively trying to avoid her. Was she that afraid of her?

Stacy’s hand trembled slightly. She sighed.

“I haven’t done anything to you.”

Ignoring Milly’s weak struggles, she pulled her into an embrace. They had been apart for too long. It was time to bring her home.

“Welcome back, my dear Little Milly.”

Milly’s last glance was toward the distant city gate. No… she knew she couldn’t see it from here. There was still a long way to go.

On the other side of the rain, she thought she saw a familiar figure holding a torch, searching for her in the night.

It must have been a hallucination. She was still hoping, even now, that none of it had happened. That she could go back to the warmth of those lies.

But that was impossible. It had already happened. It was over.

Don’t be naive…