blogombal Chapter 280 Cruel Red Light
Chapter 280 Cruel Red Light
Chapter 280 Cruel Red Light
Lola's face was brimming with smugness, almost overflowing.
However, as the older sister, it's only right that she chooses to tolerate her younger sister's little indulgences.
And—Lola is just too cute!
Anne unconsciously reached out and pinched Lola's cheeks.
It's soft and feels very comfortable.
But Lola pouted, as if she felt she had been taken advantage of, and reached out to pinch Annie's cheek.
Ah!
That blank expression... I wish I could freeze it forever!
But if we keep waiting, the whole day will be over!
In the end, Anne chose to release Lola's face and take Lola's hand:
"Shall we go shopping together?"
After Lola nodded, the two began to move.
Anne and Lola had explored every corner of Herald City countless times.
However, half a year has passed since the last time, so there is no sense of repetition or boredom at this moment.
Besides, being able to go shopping with her sister without any worries is the most fun time for Annie.
In the Holy City, the gentleman also accompanied Anne on a stroll through the streets.
However, Seth was not Anne's partner; he was simply fulfilling his mission to protect Anne.
Moreover, Anne dared not relax too much in front of outsiders, lest she expose her vulnerable side.
So during that shopping trip, Annie didn't smile once, and she was even highly stressed.
However, things are completely different now.
Annie's face was always smiling; she couldn't even straighten the corners of her mouth when she tried.
Even though what he was doing right now wasn't anything new, it made him feel incredibly happy.
Sure enough, Lola is a real ray of sunshine.
but.
Anne looked at Lola.
Lola intently examined the stall in front of her, carefully scrutinizing the details of the goods.
But Lola's expression didn't show any smile.
Lola doesn't like to smile.
It has been like this ever since she became Anne's sister.
But when she smiles, she's actually incredibly cute, just like just now, so cute that Annie even wanted to turn her into a doll so she could hold her in her arms all the time.
Anne couldn't quite guess why Lola was laughing, but it must have been a very happy moment.
It's not that Lola was unhappy at the moment, but she wasn't to the point of unconsciously laughing.
Suddenly, Lola raised her head, looked at Anne, tilted her head, and said:
"What's wrong?"
Anne snapped out of her daze and shook her head:
"Did you see anything you like?"
Lola nodded.
Ha, that's strange, Lola actually said she has something she likes.
Annie was curious about what it was, so she looked into Lola's palm.
Those were a pair of earrings.
The silver clasp reflected the sunlight so brightly that it was dazzling, and the pear-shaped emerald shone with a dazzling brilliance.
it's beautiful.
And Anne smiled. (Green)
This is the color of Laura's eyes.
Lola was wearing a pair of glasses, which Aaron had given her.
These glasses concealed her beautiful green eyes, protecting her identity as a green-eyed person from being discovered by others.
However, Lola naturally didn't need to avoid this color in front of her sister.
Annie nodded vigorously: "It's beautiful, and it suits you perfectly!"
But Lola shook her head: "This was chosen for you."
"Give me?"
A chill ran through Anne, but she forced a smile and said...
"Haha, thank you, Lola, but there's no need for you to spend money. It's not good for you to spend money."
Lola frowned. "I've started working and earning money! Besides, you used to spend money on me all the time!"
Anne waved her hand: "But I've never worn earrings before."
“That’s your first pair of earrings,” Laura said. “Or would you like to choose your own first pair of earrings?”
"This—um—"
Hearing this, Anne understood that she had no choice but to accept the gift, so she could only sigh sadly.
but!
Annie immediately lowered her head and began searching the stall.
Soon, she found a pair of ruby earrings and handed them to Lola:
"This is for you!"
"Huh?" Lola paused for a moment. "You want to give it to me too?"
"Of course!" How could I be the only one to suffer?
Actually, Annie wanted to wear earrings when she was little, and she often looked around in jewelry stores.
The idea vanished the moment she heard a girl in Tongban Town scream in pain while getting her ears pierced.
Anne was always afraid of pain, and Aaron never comforted her, so she always carefully avoided pain.
At this moment, Anne hoped that Lola would refuse, so that she would have a good reason to run away.
But Lola nodded her head resolutely: "Okay!"
Anne's face was ashen.
At this moment, the old woman sitting in the shop said to them with a smile:
Do you want me to pierce your ears?
"Ah! Ah!"
After two screams, two small holes appeared on Annie's earlobes.
It hurts!
It turns out that my previous decision not to get my ears pierced was the right one.
But when she looked at Lola, she saw a tear slide down Lola's face.
"Hahaha!" Annie laughed.
Oh, so Lola is more afraid of pain.
Thinking of this, Annie's laughter abruptly stopped.
If Laura is more afraid of pain...
Anne's expression turned serious as she wiped away Lola's tears.
Then, with his right hand, he gently stroked Laura's left arm:
"Does it still hurt here?"
Lola shook her head.
"Will there be any scars?"
This time, Lola nodded.
Anne sighed, then gently hugged Lola.
She was really sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Afterwards, the two paid each other with silver coins for the earrings.
That's really expensive! The two pairs of jewelry together cost more than three small silver coins.
But Lola seemed quite pleased; she stared intently at the pair of ruby earrings.
Well, then the money was well spent.
The old lady advised them to wear the earrings again after a week, so they simply took the earrings back.
They agreed that when they met again, they would show each other what it looked like to wear earrings.
The two continued shopping, though Annie's mood suddenly became heavy.
But today was undoubtedly a happy day.
They played like that all day, even though Anne had a lot of work to do that day, and Joseph was still waiting for her to talk to him.
But nothing is more important than her sister. After half a year apart, even just one day together wasn't enough for Annie!
However, there will always be a time for parting.
The twilight was a sickeningly red, casting a cruel crimson hue over the city's floor tiles.
How can parting not be cruel?
Anne took out a small cloth bag from her small handbag:
"Giggle! Lola, guess what this is?"
Lola shook her head.
"This is a gift I brought you from the Holy City!"
"Thank you," Luo said, extending her hand to take the package. "May I open it and take a look?"
"certainly!"
A pair of small silver shoes appeared in Lola's hands.
Anne explained, "These are popular shoes in the Far East. Wearing them will make you look much taller."
Lola rushed forward and hugged Anne:
"Thank you, Annie."
"Um."
The two embraced for a while, and Anne said:
"But it's getting late, so I have to say goodbye, little sister."
"Um."
"Oh, right."
As she spoke, Annie rummaged through her handbag again and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"Please give this to Aaron for me."
Lola took it: "What's this?"
"A nautical chart of Luoyu Island."
"Fallen Feather Island?"
"Yes, if you tell Aaron, he'll understand immediately what it means."
Lola didn't ask any more questions, nodded slightly, and put the note away.
"Goodbye, Lola," Anne said, taking Lola's hand again.
"Okay, see you next month, Lola."
Hearing this, Anne realized there was something important she had forgotten to tell Lola:
"Lola, I may have to leave again."
Upon hearing this, Lola's brow furrowed instantly:
"where are you going?"
"The capital city. Although the date hasn't been confirmed yet, it shouldn't be too long," Anne said, "so we still need to prepare you in advance."
After listening, Lola immediately asked:
"When are you coming back?"
Anne could hear the intense reluctance in Lola's tone, so much so that Anne didn't know how to speak.
Yes, it was a long-awaited reunion after half a year, but we only spent one day together before the annoying thought of parting came up again.
"After I go there, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be working in the capital, and for a considerable period of time thereafter," perhaps for a lifetime, "I may be settling down in Platinum Castle."
After hearing this, Lola lowered her head deeply.
Anne felt a pang of sympathy and squeezed Lola's hand tighter:
"I'm sorry, Lola, whether I've left or not, I'll stay in that rock and let you know where I am."
"Hmm—" Lola turned back to Anne, "Have a safe trip, Anne."
Lola accepted it so easily?
That's right, Lola has never made any demands on anyone.
Even when they were still living in the library, she would accept whatever Aaron gave her.
Perhaps it's simply because she doesn't hold a very large place in her heart?
Annie felt even more heartbroken, but that was all she could do.
She could only promise, "Letters are difficult to send to the frozen continent, but I will send letters to Aaron regularly. You can see my thoughts and words to you when you return to the library."
"Um."
"If you want to send me a letter, just give it to Aaron."
"Um."
After that, the two looked at each other, but could not say another word.
Even that cruel red was gradually losing its luster:
Goodbye, Annie.
Goodbye, Lola.
The two embraced one last time before parting ways.
Anne watched Lola's departing figure, while Lola kept turning back to look at her.
In the end, darkness completely took over the world, and Lola was long gone.
Anne returned to the Herald Academy.
She didn't plan to go to Joseph again, but went straight into her dormitory room.
Anne lay on the bed, holding a pair of earrings in her hand above her head.
The starlight illuminated the emerald on the earring, giving Anne the illusion that Lola was staring at her.
Finally, she put that hand down as well, and lay down on the blanket in a "big" shape.
I don't know when I'll see Lola again after this separation.
She and Aaron hadn't seen each other for two years.
Thinking of this, Anne's chest was filled with sorrow.
She completed her mission as the representative of the Herald Academy to travel to the Holy City for the inauguration ceremony.
She is about to travel to the royal city to become a member of the Royal Heraldry Academy.
Anne felt her career was on the rise, but she also felt...
Aaron and Laura, the only two people she cared about, her only two family members, were becoming increasingly distant from her.
Annie rolled over in bed and buried her head in the pillow.
"Anne! Anne!"
The voice of the black and white parrot came from the parrot cage on the desk.
"Shut up!"
Anne scolded.
"Anne! Anne!"
Anne grabbed a pillow and threw it at the parrot.
"Annie, Annie, Annie—"
"Oh! Annie, why are you so late! I told you to come see me first thing yesterday morning!"
"I'm sorry," Annie blinked her reddened eyes, "I have something to take care of."
"Anne, as an apprentice herald, you must always prioritize your mission. This is a fundamental quality that any herald must possess!"
"Um--"
"Hmm—" Joseph shook his head and sighed, "Never mind, Anne. Although you are young, it doesn't mean you can make mistakes. I can forgive your mistakes, but others won't."
"Especially after you go to the royal city, no one there will tolerate your naivety; they will only seize upon every mistake you make to control, coerce, and attack you."
"Remember, Anne, never let your weaknesses fall into the hands of any potential enemy. And anyone but yourself could be an enemy, including me."
Not all, Anne thought; Aaron and Laura could not possibly be my enemies.
But these two men were also Anne's weaknesses, so she wouldn't tell Joseph, and simply nodded, accepting her mentor's reprimand.
Joseph didn't hold onto the matter; he took out a stack of papers and returned them to Anne.
"I've read your paper, and how should I put it—I was deeply impressed after reading it."
Upon hearing this, Anne looked up at Joseph.
Her advisor continued, "Annie, I believed in your talent, so I was certain you would be able to complete an excellent paper on this trip, but what you have completed far exceeds my expectations."
Annie finally smiled: "So, can it become my set of protective gear?"
"no."
Anne raised an eyebrow: "Why?"
"I cannot agree to you publishing this paper," Joseph said. "The dangers it poses to you far outweigh the benefits."
"Although it is not specific and the chain of evidence is not perfect, your deduction of the secrets of the Duchy, especially Lieyang City, fills a gap in history."
"But whistleblowers often come to a bad end. Once this paper is published, you will instantly become an enemy of the Papacy and the Justinian family."
"And those who believe your account and try to profit from this secret will also target you; they are a potential threat that you cannot guard against."
Hearing Joseph's words, Anne knew that all her efforts had been in vain.
But more than the results, the sense of accomplishment from exploring the unknown was enough to satisfy Annie.
Therefore, Anne readily accepted Joseph's suggestion: "I understand, I won't publish it."
"Yes," Joseph nodded, "Also, your letter of recommendation has been submitted to ten professors for final discussion."
Anne had already guessed this would happen, and she asked:
"When do I have to leave?"
"Once the letter of recommendation arrives, you must depart as soon as possible, since the situation in the capital is unpredictable, so within seven days."