NOVPUBOne wouldn’t notice it while on the street—
But like this, leaning on the table and looking out the window, one would find the gently falling snowflakes very beautiful.
It was a rare noontime when there was a bit of daylight, and perhaps these cotton-like snowflakes would soon blanket the town in white.
"This place is safe, so don’t worry about me, you can rest a bit more, I’ll call you when Cat Boss has lunch ready."
Lanci put down the book in his hand and spoke to Siegler.
His voice was like he didn’t want to wake the half-asleep Siegler, yet also carried a hint of command.
Perhaps it was only with work-related instructions that she could rest peacefully.
"Mhm."
Siegler quickly succumbed to sleepiness, humming softly with her head on the table.
His voice, already gentle, now sounded all the more like a lullaby.
For some reason, she had just had a dream—a dream of an eternal winter’s day stretching on and on, and in her hazy memories, she was traversing the vast Snowfield alongside the person beside her.
However, even though they were clearly fleeing in the dream, she didn’t feel panicked at all.
It was indeed a dream, a rare beautiful one, as she never felt at ease like this in reality.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Blood Clan caught up to her and killed her one day.
Siegler closed her eyes and fell back into sleep.
Even so.
She wished she could linger in Gentle Town for just a moment longer, even for just a half moment.
...
Dozens of minutes later, the wind and snow whirled around Little Night City.
In this cozy living room, with its somewhat old-fashioned but charming decor, Lanci and Siegler sat by a wooden table.
Several half-empty plates lay on the table.
Today’s main course selected by Cat Boss was slow-cooked beef short ribs with black truffle and mushroom sauce. Its tender meat and rich flavor highly praised at Boss Cat Restaurant, the perfectly slow-cooked short ribs were sprinkled with precious black truffle crumbs and served with the sauce, making every bite a feast for the taste buds.
The main carbohydrate dish, lemon-flavored salt-baked lobster pasta, took the longest to prepare, combining fresh lobster meat with delicate handmade pasta, topped with lemon juice and spices, bringing forth a spicy yet refreshing flavor experience.
There was also the caramelized roast duck with roasted pear and black pepper honey sauce, a favorite among children; the duck meat was tender, the skin roasted to a caramel color, perfectly complemented by the sweetness of roasted pear and the slight heat of the black pepper honey sauce.
"Burp."
Siegler leaned back in her chair, having finished her lunch much quicker than Lanci as usual.
She always appeared like a wild child devouring her prey, with no sign of dining etiquette.
Of course, it could also be due to Lanci’s indulgence.
In the list of precautions handed to her by the secretary before departure, there was in fact a restriction against her dining with Lanci like this.
It wasn’t until she received Lanci’s personal confirmation, allowing her to do as she pleased, that she stopped caring at all.
Lanci was still eating at an unhurried pace.
Seeing this, Siegler took out a sheet of letter paper and a pen from her luggage.
If she were to follow him into the Demon World, it would be a long time before she could find a postman to send letters back to the Palante Empire, and Little Night City would be the last city-state where she could send a letter.
Siegler bowed her head and gripped the pen, her face gradually showing frustration, her strokes awkward and occasionally pausing to think about how to write a word.
Her expression was full of insecurities regarding writing, but also showed a sincere eagerness to express herself.
Lanci put down his cutlery and dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
He did not rush Siegler, instead, he looked interested and kind as he watched Siegler’s letter paper.
"I’ll be done soon."
Siegler promised, again scratching her head as she got stuck.
She had never attended school; even the letters she knew were taught to her by the nuns at the orphanage.
"Do you need some help?"
Lanci asked.
"Then you help me," Siegler said after a moment of hesitation, finally lifting her head to look at Lanci.
This time, she didn’t refuse Lanci’s offer to teach her.
"Firstly, the purpose of your letter is to convey your longing while wanting the recipient to feel all of it. So, if it’s just a basic report, dryly listing what you eat each day, don’t you think it looks more like a diary? The other person may not even be sure whether you are doing well or not."
Lanci sat across the table, his posture straight and graceful, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, as if pondering how to inspire Siegler.
"Indeed…"
Siegler looked down at her clumsy handwriting, seeming a bit discouraged.
"It’s okay, you’re very smart, and writing letters is really simple."
Lanci moved his chair closer to Siegler, sitting beside her.
His gaze was gentle and focused, encouraging words filling the air beyond the edges of the paper.
Siegler’s small hands were covered with frostbite and calluses. She lifted her head and looked at Lanci again, waiting for him to continue.
"Siegler, try not just to write down the text you want to say, but rather write down the voice of your heart, the feeling of missing your younger brothers and sisters."
Lanci began to speak softly.
He had gained an understanding of Siegler’s living situation from watching her write letters in the past days.
"But I don’t know how to express myself, it’s already good enough that I can write some words."
Siegler replied, her voice tinged with confusion.
"Siegler, everyone’s emotions are unique. Your love for them, your yearning—these are all yours, and they don’t need flowery language."
Lanci was patient as he slowly and clearly explained to Siegler how to express herself through words.
"Sometimes, when doing things, you don’t need to aim for one hundred percent completion; aiming for sixty percent is enough to make it easier to take the first step, to begin working on the task at hand. You’ll find that while you hesitate and worry about how to complete a one hundred percent perfect piece, you could confidently embark on five sixty percent tasks."
Then, Lanci picked up a pen and began to demonstrate writing a few words in his notebook.
He wouldn’t write for Siegler, just showed her how to write a few words she didn’t know.
In the end, it still had to be based on her own thoughts.
"…"
Siegler hesitated for a moment.
"You don’t need to worry about me; I’m safe."
She picked up the pen again and began writing slowly, reciting for Lanci to hear,
"My work is going very well, but without you all by my side, I always feel a bit empty inside."
Her tone gradually became more confident.
"Very good, Siegler, just like that. Speak from your heart; I’ll teach you the words you don’t know."
Lanci encouraged her.
The faint light streaming in through the window interwove with the indoor lighting, bearing witness to their harmonious interaction in the quiet snowy day.
Siegler appeared to gradually let go of her protective shell, opening her heart, her language becoming more fluid and sincere.
"Sometimes, when I see some beautiful scenery on the road, I think about how happy you would be if you were here to see it,"
she wrote, murmuring the words and reciting them to Lanci.
"That’s exactly what you should share, Siegler, your real feelings," 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Lanci nodded, agreeing.
He was not only teaching language and writing skills but also sharing an understanding of life and a delicate capture of emotions.
Cat Boss stood up from its chair, clinging to the corner of the table, looking at Siegler’s letter.
It realized that Lanci really seemed to know how to get along with children.
For a moment, it felt as if Lanci had become a normal person.
It seemed that the advice from Xiu Bao and itself was really effective, and his condition was finally improving.
As long as he didn’t suddenly teach the children how to make zombies or mummies, he was actually pretty good.
