Bai You held her breath, not daring to move, and felt a gentle touch in her hair.
Varesa carefully fastened each water-splash hair clip to the side of Bai You's half-up hair.
When she was done, Varesa took half a step back and carefully studied the girl before her.
Her half-up hair was loose and soft, with a few stray strands falling by her cheeks and white flower hair clips nestled among her pale blue-white locks.
The watery sheen shimmered faintly, complementing the pale blue dress she wore.
Bai You had already looked innocent and well-behaved, but now she seemed even more lively.
Her clear eyes still held a trace of shyness, and she kept looking away. Everything about her seemed soft, making it hard to take one's eyes off her.
As Varesa looked at her, the delight in her heart nearly overflowed.
So beautiful.
Even more lovely than I imagined. "There," Varesa said, unable to hide the delight in her voice. "You can take a look."
Only then did Bai You slowly raise her hand, gingerly touching the hair on top of her head with her fingertips.
Her hair had been smoothed out and was no longer hanging loose and disheveled. She seemed to feel flowers on her head, too.
She turned her head slightly and looked at her reflection in the little puddle on the stone surface beside her.
An unfamiliar face met her eyes. Bai You gazed blankly at the reflection, lost in thought for a moment, her cheeks still burning.
"These... are your hair clips," Bai You said softly, instinctively reaching up to take them off.
"Don't take them off yet." Varesa reached out and gently pressed her fingertips against Bai You's wrist. The moment her fingers touched it, both of them paused.
Varesa quickly withdrew her hand and said with a light laugh, "They really suit you. There are more at the theater, so you don't need to give them back to me. Besides, your hair will come loose if you take them off."
The smile in her eyes was gentle. Bai You looked at her, at a loss for words.
She could only bite her lower lip lightly and murmur, "Mm," obediently lowering the hand she had raised to remove the clips.
Seeing how obedient and well-behaved Bai You was, Varesa felt even happier.
Varesa couldn't help wondering: could such a sweet, adorable little girl really have no home? Who could bear to abandon her?
Could she have been fooling me just now? No, I need to ask her properly. If I really trick someone else's child into coming with me, I'll probably spend the rest of my life behind bars.
Also, when Bai You first saw me, she stammered so much she could barely speak. She really seemed not to know who I was. I'm a star singer, after all. Am I really that unknown?
Varesa suppressed her fondness and a touch of annoyance.
After a moment's thought, she asked gently, "Bai You, have you ever been to the city in Snezhnaya, or to any towns?"
Bai You froze briefly at the question. All sorts of images from the game instantly flashed through her mind, but those were only on a screen. She couldn't very well say she'd seen them from outside it.
She looked up at Varesa, a look of confusion spreading across her face, and gently shook her head.
"No, I've never been to the city in Snezhnaya, or to any town."
Bai You spoke softly, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "I don't even... know where this is."
"So you really haven't been anywhere, and you don't have a place to go back to?"
Bai You nodded gently.
Could it be that I really struck it lucky today and found a treasure? Varesa thought, overjoyed.
"All right, don't worry. Since you have nowhere to go, you can just keep following me."
Varesa's eyes curved into a gentle smile. "This cave is big, anyway. There's plenty of room for one more person. And when I sing, I'll finally have an audience all to myself."
"You can stay with me forever and ever and ever. Honestly, I really like you."
At that, she remembered the girl who had resold tickets to her concert and couldn't help giving a little pout.
Bai You froze, the words hitting her so hard that she couldn't come to her senses for a moment.
The way the story was unfolding made her feel as though she were in a dream. It was a little hard to believe.
Forcing down her excitement, Bai You nodded and gave a quiet murmur of agreement.
Then she said of her own accord, "I've been really happy getting to know you, too." Bai You lowered her voice, her tone softening. "So, I like you too."
Bai You's heart pounded. This seemed to be the first time she had ever been so bold.
She bit her lower lip and, after a long while, slowly raised her head to sneak a glance at Varesa, only to lower it again at once.
Hearing Bai You's candid reply, Varesa froze where she stood, her aqua-blue eyes widening slightly.
The smile on her face faltered for a moment, then quickly spread again, her happiness almost impossible to hide.
She had seen countless listeners cheer for her singing and received more praise than she could count, but no words had ever struck the softest part of her heart quite like these.
Varesa stepped forward and bent down slightly, her gaze falling on Bai You, whose head was lowered.
The tips of the girl's ears were bright red, and her long eyelashes trembled gently. She looked as though she didn't dare meet Varesa's eyes again.
"What did you just... say?" Varesa deliberately slowed her speech, her voice full of undisguised delight. "Could you say it again? I don't think I heard you clearly."
Bai You stiffened, her cheeks growing even hotter. She didn't dare repeat it. Her shoulders drew in slightly, her head sank lower, and her fingertips twisted the hem of her dress uneasily.
"No," Bai You mumbled, her voice no louder than a mosquito's buzz.
Varesa let out a soft laugh, its clear, melodious sound echoing gently through the quiet cave.
She reached out, her fingertips brushing lightly over the white, blue-tinged strand of hair beside Bai You's ear. The pad of her finger grazed the burning tip of her ear, making Bai You shudder.
"Feeling shy?" Varesa's breath fell softly against Bai You's ear. "But I heard you. You said you like me too."
Bai You felt a tingling sensation spread through half her body, her heart beating so fast it nearly burst out of her chest.
She instinctively tried to move aside, but Varesa gently wrapped her other hand around her forearm, stopping her from retreating.
Varesa gently drew her arm in, pulling Bai You a little closer until they were suddenly very close together.
"Since we like each other, we can't be apart from now on." Varesa teased the adorable girl before her, who was utterly overcome with shyness.