At this moment, she was walking behind Bai You, chatting and laughing, and they seemed to have a very close relationship.
"O... Odette..." Varesa's voice trembled as she reached out and gripped Odette's arm tightly. "Pinch me, am I dreaming?"
Odette didn't pinch her, because she herself needed to confirm whether this was real.
"It's not a dream," Odette's voice trembled slightly.
"She really is... a ' The Damselette '."
"But why?!" Varesa's mind was in complete turmoil.
" Bai You... how could she be with ' The Damselette '? Did she get into some trouble and the Harbinger came knocking? No, that can't be right. Why would she be laughing and talking if she'd done something wrong..."
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became, with all sorts of chaotic thoughts racing through her mind.
Just then, Bai You also saw them at the door.
" Varesa! Odette! "Bai You's eyes lit up, and she waved happily, running over.
Columbina slowed her pace and followed behind with a smile.
Bai You ran up to them in one breath, looked up at them with her little face, and said with a grin:
"Why are you all at the door? Are you waiting for me to come back?"
Varesa crouched down, grabbed Bai You's shoulders, and looked her up and down.
He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming she was unharmed, but then immediately lowered his voice and asked nervously:
" Bai You, tell me honestly, what did you do today? And--"
Her gaze passed over Bai You and landed on Columbina, who had already walked up to her. Her voice instantly became both respectful and nervous:
" The Damselette... Hello. I am Varesa from the Korolevsky Troupe, and this is my partner, Odette. May I ask... has Bai You done something wrong?"
Bai You paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"What did you do wrong?" she waved her hand, looking both amused and exasperated.
" Columbina came to our theater to eat and sleep!"
"Eat, eat, sleep?" Varesa was stunned.
"Yes!" Bai You tilted her head back and said matter-of-factly.
"I met Columbina at the Snezhnaya Palace today, we chatted for a while, and then she thought the food I brought her was delicious, so she came to the theater for dinner."
She also said she wanted to live in the theater.
Varesa opened her mouth, but couldn't close it for a long time.
Snezhnaya Palace, met Columbina, chatted for a while, and then stayed at the theater.
What exactly did Bai You go through all day?!
Odette also showed a rare expression of shock, but she was calmer than Varesa.
Odette quickly regained her composure, bowed slightly, and spoke in a respectful and restrained tone:
"Greetings, the Damselette 'Maiden'. Welcome to the Korolevsky Troupe. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
"It's not appropriate to greet you at the door, please come in, the Damselette."
"No need to be so polite," Columbina smiled gently, her light purple eyes curving into crescents. "Just call me Columbina."
" Bai You mentioned you to me; she said you are excellent singers and dancers for Snezhnaya."
"I've seen your performances before, and it's an honor to visit you today."
Upon being praised by their idol, Varesa and Odette's faces flushed bright red.
"You flatter me..." Varesa stammered.
"Compared to you, we are far behind..." Odette said respectfully.
As Varesa spoke, she almost forgot about the Bai You.
His gaze then fell on Bai You, and all the tension and worry from before melted into a tender feeling of something lost and found again.
Without saying a word, she opened her arms and hugged Bai You tightly.
"You little rascal..." She buried her face in Bai You's neck, her voice muffled and slightly nasal.
"You haven't come home all day, do you know how worried I was about you...?"
Bai You was startled by the hug, then reached out her little hand and gently patted her back, her voice softening:
"Okay, okay, I'm back now. I'm sorry, next time I'll stay at the theater."
"You said it," Varesa hugged her tighter. "If you disappear again, I'll... I'll ignore you."
"Okay, okay," Bai You said with a smile, nuzzling her cheek.
Columbina stood aside, watching this scene quietly.
A genuine look of surprise flashed in her light purple eyes.
She had seen countless relationships—but never one like this; the two were truly... intimate.
She could clearly feel the way Varesa was holding Bai You through the Kuuvahki.
It was a possessive and dependent embrace, a careful yet reluctant hold, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world, afraid of losing it if you let go.
Bai You's posture in her arms was one of complete relaxation and trust, her little face showing the peace of mind that only someone who is loved can have.
Columbina's heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly understood why Bai You's eyes lit up like that when she mentioned Varesa.
It turns out this new Harbinger has this side to him.
At this moment, Odette looked at the two people embracing each other, and then thought of Columbina, who was left standing to the side.
He hurriedly said:
"My the Damselette, those two are like this, please don't mind them. Please follow me to the reception room."
"It's alright, I don't mind. In fact, I'm a little envious of their relationship," Columbina said softly and gently.
The two embraced for quite a while before Varesa reluctantly let go.
Tomorrow's chapter might be a little late, as I need to do some major revisions to the first ten or eight chapters.
I noticed that this section received the most criticism, so I'll try to improve it. The main plot remains the same; I'll just slightly change the dialogue and the process of getting to know each other.
There are still 20 chapters left to catch up on the bonus chapters. The author is going into overdrive, working on his laptop every day, updating 6 or 7 chapters a day, and will finish them in less than a week.