Her thoughts instantly fell into a jumble. She had been determined to keep pretending to the end.
But Bai You's words had left her unable to keep her composure.
She bit her lower lip hard, desperately warning herself not to give anything away, but the spot where her other ear rested against Bai You's chest.
She didn't dare respond in any way and could only continue pretending to be fast asleep.
Bai You naturally noticed the tiny movements of the person in her arms. A faint smile appeared in her eyes, but she didn't stop, continuing to walk forward.
She slowly approached the little wooden bed, lowering her arms slightly as though about to bend down and lay the girl in her arms on it.
A sudden sensation of weightlessness swept over Varesa, and her nerves instantly went taut.
Instinct won out over her attempt to keep up the act, and her arms subconsciously tightened around Bai You's neck.
A startled cry nearly escaped her, but she hurriedly swallowed it back.
That sudden, forceful movement completely shattered her pretense of sleep.
Varesa could no longer keep it up. The tips of her ears burned, and her long eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes.
She looked up at Bai You, who was holding her with a teasing smile in her eyes. A faint blush spread across Varesa's cheeks, and her voice was soft and sweet.
"You... you knew I was pretending to sleep all along, didn't you?"
Bai You didn't put her down. Still holding her in her arms, she chuckled softly:
"Your eyelashes were fluttering so often, and your arms wouldn't loosen around my neck for even a moment. How could I not tell?"
Caught out, Varesa was so embarrassed she wanted to bury her face again. She lightly thumped Bai You's shoulder and mumbled:
"You're so mean. You knew, but you still played along and scared me on purpose."
Bai You smiled faintly, looking down at the puffy-cheeked but utterly unthreatening Varesa in her arms. She held her securely, in no hurry to put her on the bed.
"Who told a certain someone to put so much effort into pretending to sleep?" Her voice was quiet, her tone teasing.
"I thought you were planning to stay in my arms like this forever."
Varesa's cheeks burned even hotter. Her green eyes turned slightly away, unable to meet Bai You's gaze for long.
Her arms, which had been taut moments ago, were still looped around Bai You's neck, but she relaxed them a little and stopped clinging so tightly.
Her thoughts were a mess. Now that she had been found out, all the shyness she had hidden came rushing to the surface.
"I wasn't clinging to you," she retorted stubbornly under her breath, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a lock of hair hanging down Bai You's back. "...You were the one who insisted on carrying me."
Hearing that, Bai You leisurely took two steps toward the little wooden bed.
"Is that so?" She deliberately drew out the words. "Then I'll put you down now."
As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her arms slightly, moving as though she were going to set Varesa down.
Varesa subconsciously tensed again, quickly hooking her arms around Bai You's neck and leaning against her involuntarily.
When she realized she had made such a dependent gesture again, she instantly stiffened and froze.
The cave was quiet, save for the dripping of water from its ceiling.
Seeing her flustered and caught in a dilemma, Bai You couldn't help but laugh, her eyes curving.
Flustered and embarrassed, Varesa lightly buried her face against Bai You's shoulder, her warm breath falling on Bai You's collarbone.
"Don't laugh!"
After a while, she finally lifted her head a little, her long eyelashes lowered, her voice barely above a whisper:
"...It's okay to hold me a little longer."
Bai You lowered her head, her gaze falling on Varesa's flushed profile, and spoke softly:
"Okay, I'll hold you a little longer."
They stood quietly like that for a while. Varesa gradually calmed down, and much of the burning heat faded from her cheeks.
She shifted her eyes slightly toward the little wooden bed nearby and spoke softly, breaking the silence.
"...Put me on the bed."
Bai You slowly started forward, carefully walked to the bedside, and bent down slightly to lay Varesa on it gently.
Once Varesa was sitting steadily, she subconsciously straightened her clothes and looked up at Bai You standing by the bed, a hint of curiosity in her green eyes.
After all that fuss, and with Varesa herself having just been in a bewildered state, she had almost forgotten about Bai You's condition.
Varesa called out softly and leaned forward slightly, examining her closely. "How is your body feeling? Your ears..."
"My body doesn't feel uncomfortable anywhere, but my ears will probably stay like this. They can't turn back into human ears like before. I guess I'm a Water Nymph just like you now."
Bai You lowered her hand and smiled faintly.
Varesa was startled. Her gaze fell on the tips of Bai You's ears, which glimmered pale cyan, and an indescribable feeling spread through her heart.
Perhaps she was absolutely thrilled.
"Since you're a Water Nymph like me, I'll look out for you from now on. I'm a very famous Water Nymph in Snezhnaya, you know."
Bai You looked at her earnest, slightly smug expression, and her eyes curved. She really was cute.
"All right, all right, none of that matters. I just discovered I have some other special abilities too. Come closer, I have a gift for you."
Curiosity flashed in Varesa's eyes. Without thinking much of it, she leaned forward and moved closer to Bai You.
Her green eyes stared at her without blinking, while the faint light reflected from the water in the cave fell on her hair, giving it a hazy sheen.
Two soft glimmers slowly lit up in Bai You's palm, and two necklaces lay quietly in her hand.
One necklace bore a translucent cyan-blue gemstone, with Varesa's likeness intricately carved inside it.
The other necklace bore a clear cyan-white gemstone, with Bai You's likeness carved inside it.