Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 876 Can you stay tonight?
Olvera's scolding filled with shame and anger disturbed the silence in the corridor, and rustling noises were heard in every room, especially in Saint Xia Liya's room. Her voice could be heard through the door: "What's wrong, Olvera? Aren't you asleep yet?"

"Ah... No, nothing, Sister Xia, I'll go to bed soon!"

Aoweila hurriedly replied, then pushed Lingge inside, lowered her voice, and said through gritted teeth: "Go in, go in quickly! Do you want to be discovered by Sister Xiaoxia?"

Discovered...so what?

Lingge thought about it, but did not resist. He let Avra ​​push his body into the room, then turned around and closed the door with lightning speed, and locked it with a click. Then he let out a long sigh, reached out to wipe the few drops of cold sweat on his forehead, and looked like he had escaped death.

Is Saint Xia Liya so terrible that she could leave such a big psychological shadow on Olvera? If she knew that this was how she was seen in her sister's mind, she would definitely be very sad, right? Perhaps we should find some time for the two sisters to spend a day alone together to enhance their relationship?
The young man had no idea that the problem actually lay with him, and was thinking aimlessly about irrelevant things. When he came to his senses, he found that Princess Beman was glaring at him angrily. She clenched her hands, tilted her head back, and her little face flushed red. If she could spit fire, she would definitely spit out a stream of flames from her mouth.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

It would have been better if the young man hadn't spoken. Once he spoke, it was like throwing a spark into a powder keg, instantly igniting the princess's temper: "You, you, you actually have the nerve to ask me what's wrong? Tell me, why are you in my room? Entering a lady's room without her consent is punishable by death!"

Which country's law is this?
But Lingge was not frightened by Ovilla's threat, because he had a very good reason: "Didn't you ask me to come?"

"Eh?"

"Hey! Why?" Ovella screamed with an incredible expression on her face.

You still ask why, have you been assimilated by Alice?

You asked me what problems I have? I can only answer that you have some, and they are very big problems!

Ling Ge repeated expressionlessly: "After you fall asleep, I will go back to my room to sleep."

"Uh!"

Hearing this, Linger looked at her strangely and said, "After you fall asleep, of course I will leave. Is there any problem?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Olvera proudly showed Ling Ge her tactical reserves: "Look, I have prepared everything for you, a neat three-piece set: bedding, pillow, pillowcase, and this my favorite nightcap! I guarantee you can enjoy a night of exquisite sleep! Of course-"

Linger's eyes were as if he was caring for a mentally retarded child: "Genders are different. I thought this was the most basic principle. I didn't expect that you have lived in human society for so long and you don't even know this?"

She walked to the middle of the quilt and her bed, drew a line on the floor with her foot, and threatened Ling Ge with a fierce expression: "You can only go here, not beyond... Bah, what I mean is, you can only sleep on the floor, don't have any weird delusions, okay?"

"Because Saint Shalia will see it."

“No need!”

This reason was indeed very sufficient. Aoweila choked and didn't know how to refute it for a moment. However, after arguing with Lingge for a while, the shame, anger and a little bit of nervousness that filled her chest disappeared without a trace. Princess Beman, whose mood gradually recovered, pouted her lips. Although she was a little reluctant, she decided to show mercy and let Lingge go for the time being, and not to quibble over this issue.

The princess hesitated, not being able to say it directly. Finally, she decided to answer with practical action. So she ran to her bed, leaned over and groped under the bed for a while, then struggled to drag out a set of... bedding?
There are not only bedding, but also matching pillows and quilts, and even a nightcap with cotton balls. Based on the pattern of Shemy woven on it, Lingge can only reasonably suspect that it is the work of a certain proprietress.

"You haven't come back yet, I can't just wait outside, right?"

Olvera replied sternly, her eyes like knives, stabbing straight at the young man: "I just asked you to come to me at night, I didn't say you can enter my room at will!"

"Or have you forgotten what you said this morning?" Ling Ge paused and asked considerately, "Do you need to ask Rorona to make some medicine for you to cure amnesia?"

"I wouldn't sleep here at all, actually."

Ling Ge himself did not feel that he had saved his life. Seeing that Avra ​​suddenly shut up and stopped chattering, he thought that she had nothing to say, so he turned around and walked to the desk, picked up a book from the bookshelf, sat on the chair and started reading, saying, "If there is nothing wrong, you can try to sleep. I will stay here until you fall asleep."

"Why not?"

Aoweila asked subconsciously: "What about after I fall asleep?"

Avella blushed immediately and stammered, "Of course I know about this kind of thing!"

The thing is, I thought you wouldn't care!

Even though he was usually so slow and had no interest in emotional matters, he never stuck to the boundaries between men and women during their interactions, and always said some embarrassing things, but he didn't care at all...

Or is it that Lingge is not dull, but on the contrary, he is the most sober one?

Thinking of this possibility, Avella couldn't help but look at Lingge again. When she met the young man's calm and deep gaze, she retracted her gaze guiltily and said dejectedly, "Then what I prepared is completely useless? Lingge, you are too much. You should have told me earlier!"

"If you think carefully before doing everything and understand their necessity, you won't make the same mistake next time." Linger commented: "Don't act on impulse, Olvera."

"Lingge, you're so long-winded."

Olvera muttered, stuffed the bedding back under the bed, then stood up, brushed off the dust on her skirt, and sat on the edge of the bed. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. After the farce just now, the atmosphere in the room was a little awkward - perhaps only Olvera felt this way, because Ling Ge always looked at ease, sitting quietly at the table reading, as if he couldn't feel the feeling of embarrassment. The rustling sound of slender fingers turning over the paper seemed particularly clear, and even made the princess feel that her heartbeat became clearer.

She was a little fidgety, rubbing the corners of her clothes with her hands and rubbing them against the bed. She wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say. She could only glance at the young man furtively out of the corner of her eye, and then quickly looked away, fearing that the situation would become even more embarrassing if he found out.

Time passed quietly in this almost frozen silence until Lingge finished reading a chapter, put down the book to let his eyes rest a little, looked up and found Avella still sitting by the bed. He was stunned and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Ah?" Ovella didn't react for a moment.

Ling Ge pointed to the night outside the window and said, "It's almost twelve o'clock. I don't expect you to fall asleep right away, but at least try once before midnight. If you just sit by the bed and stare blankly, I think you can do it without me."

After hearing what he said, Avella stopped kneading the corner of her clothes unconsciously, and her face changed for a long time. She looked like she had gone through a fierce psychological struggle before finally making a decision. She lowered her head and said angrily, "Okay, I know! I'll just go to sleep, and you don't need to urge me!"

She muttered to herself as she took off her shoes and socks, turned over and climbed onto the bed, then slowly lay down on her back, letting her head rest gently against the soft white pillow. The velvet in the pillowcase suddenly sank slightly, warmly surrounding her and her smooth and soft hair that flowed like a waterfall. The whole set of movements was not only unfamiliar, but also cautious, as if she was afraid that the bed board beneath her would not be able to bear her weight and would suddenly collapse.

The young man saw it, but was not surprised. Counting the days when she was sealed in the castle, the princess of Berman had not tried to sleep for at least 700 years. Everything in this world requires practice, nothing is innate. Even those things that seem to be taken for granted will be forgotten passively due to long-term non-experience. Therefore, the princess of the Leslie royal family has not only long forgotten what it feels like to sleep, but also probably long forgotten how to sleep.

Lie down, close your eyes, empty your mind, and you will fall asleep - it sounds simple, but how do you lie down? Do you feel nervous when you close your eyes? How can you empty your mind to ensure that you don't think of those messy things? And, as long as you perfectly complete the above steps, will you definitely fall asleep?
It's really unsettling.

Olvera lay on the bed, her hands folded on her belly, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. The elegant chandelier was still emitting a faint light, reflecting a few circles of hazy halos in her misty golden eyes, like a beautiful scene after the nebula dispersed. The princess felt that she was very energetic now and didn't feel like sleeping at all.

I don't want to close my eyes at all.

How about just stay in this state until dawn?
It seems to be a good choice.

She was thinking aimlessly until the halo in her eyes was suddenly covered by a human figure. She was startled and looked closely to find that it was Lingge who had walked to her bedside without making any footsteps. He was just like a ghost. The princess couldn't help but puff up her cheeks and complained, "Lingge, how can you scare people like this? You almost scared me to death."

Lingge was speechless for a long while: "Have you forgotten what you should do?"

Avella blinked her beautiful eyes and pretended not to know: "What's the matter?"

"I'm here to help you sleep, not to watch you daydream." The young man sighed, "If you really can't sleep, just tell me. I won't force you. When you are mentally prepared, we can try again."

Aoweila was a little unhappy when she heard that. She admitted that she was a little scared, but she didn't want to be exposed for her fear, so she said stubbornly: "I have been mentally prepared for a long time! If you hadn't scared me just now, I would have fallen asleep long ago!"

"Really?" Ling Ge raised his eyebrows slightly: "Then I apologize to you. I won't disturb you from now on. Please go to sleep."

"Just sleep, what's the big deal!"

Being provoked to this point, Avella could not back down no matter what. She muttered a few words. Lingge didn't hear clearly, but he probably thought she was blaming himself, so it didn't matter if he didn't listen.

Then the princess took a deep breath: "Ha——"

He let out a long breath again: "Hu~~~"

Try your best to close your eyelids.

Boundless darkness suddenly enveloped.

Countless bizarre colors twisted and changed in the darkness, and countless strange shadows were waving their claws in the deepest part of her heart. It was such a familiar and hateful feeling that made the princess seem to have returned to her past in an instant. At that time, she hugged her legs and curled up in the corner of the endless night, praying for the protection of a little light; at that time, she walked alone on the dark sea with ripples, and heard people's sad and pitying whispers; at that time, she stood in the garden full of violets, facing the fragrant and beautiful flowers, but smelled the acid and bitterness of them rotting in the mud swamp; at that time, she lived under a sky that was cut into pieces by black and white, just like playing a jigsaw puzzle, trying to jump over the black grids and stand on the white grids, but when she looked back, she was shocked to find that the world was not black or white, but could be more colorful...

Darkness is invisible, silent, odorless, and colorless, but it is far more terrifying than those senses. It once occupied the princess's nightmares, making her terrified to return to her dreams and face all the fate she was born with.

Until a breath came in.

It was so calm, even, and neither happy nor angry, just like an unchanging lake. But it made people feel more at ease, because beneath the lake lay a warmth that was vaster than the darkness, enough to dispel those fears and bring a little bit of comfort, even if it was like a life-saving straw.

Immediately afterwards, the breathing of many people appeared in my ears one by one.

Sister Xiaoxia’s breathing is gentle and bright; Ieta’s breathing is weak but happy; Medeen’s breathing is small but full of hope; Lorena’s breathing is cheerful and energetic... In this small hotel, on the big Yunjingkong Island, for a moment, it seems as if all the breaths are gathered in the princess’ ears. There is no light in the darkness, so people feel afraid. But if there is always the rising and falling breathing of a companion in the ear, letting the sleeping person know that he is not alone, then even the farthest night and the deepest sea can be passed without fear, right?
The princess's stiff hands and feet gradually relaxed, her breathing began to become smooth, her chest rose and fell gently, and each breath was filled with a calm rhythm, like a soothing and gentle serenade.

Generally speaking, stable breathing means stable sleep quality.

and so--

Ling Ge looked at this scene and thought: I don’t need to worry about this anymore, right?
He stood quietly by the bed for a few minutes, and after confirming that Avella had no problems sleeping, he turned around quietly and wanted to leave. But just as he took a step, the corner of his clothes was grabbed.

The force was very light, but it still made the young man stop. He turned around in confusion and met a pair of pleading and earnest eyes.

"Um..." The princess, who had opened her eyes again for some reason, stammered, her eyes wandering, not daring to look him in the face: "I can't seem to fall asleep again, so, can I stay for a while...?"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)