Chapter 38: Not a buddy? Am I an anti-inflammatory drug?

“Just born a few seconds earlier! What’s there to be smug about, stinky sister!” The blue bird huffed, firing back.

“Then shouldn’t you call me Sister? Hmm? Stinky—little—sister!” The red bird seized the upper hand, her status as the elder giving her the edge.

This, however, was torture for the listless blonde girl on the bed. She genuinely felt like dying!

The two little creatures launched into a fierce “beak battle” by the bedside, their crisp chirps echoing through the room. The blonde girl buried her head under a pillow, wishing she could sink into the mattress.

She just wanted to sleep…

Amid the racket, Aphrosia couldn’t hold out. Exhausted and sleepy, she closed her eyes and drifted into a deep slumber.

But she seemed to forget: when she slept, that dreaded presence she always avoided would reappear.

Her last thought before consciousness faded was: Why does a transmigrated world still have “alarm clock” birds?! When she opened her eyes again, a familiar domed hall appeared, and the figure on the gilded throne smirked meaningfully at her.

Gods, just kill me!

…

When the first rays of morning sunlight spilled through the window onto the girl’s face, a new day had quietly begun.

But this didn’t mean Aphrosia’s day started early. The high-intensity battles of recent days had worn her out, not to mention the “loving education” in her dreams. Having returned at dawn, she wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

At the other end of the bed, two little creatures slept curled together. They’d argued late into the night and, arriving late, weren’t waking soon either.

The red bird, restless even in sleep, drooled, her saliva glinting in the golden sunlight, dripping onto her sister’s feathers.

“…So yummy… hehe…”

Who knows what she was dreaming of, giggling like a child… Well, she was a child!

The blue bird slept soundly, though the wet sensation on her feathers made her squirm uncomfortably. Unable to break free, she stilled.

A white dove carrying something squeezed through the window’s gap into Aphrosia’s room. It dropped a flat object on the table and flew off.

The white, slightly pink object was a letter, addressed to “Flo Astreya, Son of the Saintess,” with a strange mark resembling an animal’s tail.

But no one in Aphrosia’s house was awake to check this sudden letter…

Hours later, with the sun at its peak, the figure on the bed stirred. She slowly opened bleary eyes, her pale hand wiping away crystalline tears from their corners.

Clutching the gem at her chest, her golden hair faded, her delicate skin turning more robust…

Silver replaced gold, and when her eyes opened again, their azure hue became golden.

Her movements still carried a hint of lingering in Aphrosia’s persona, a touch effeminate, but she was undeniably a man now.

He sat up, ready to bathe—wait, why transform back? Damn, forgot that part!

So the silver-haired boy became the blonde girl again, her hair a tangled mess. Yesterday’s chaos left her unable to clean the grime, and despite the saintess bloodline’s [Immaculate] trait, she still felt uneasy.

Birdsong, cicadas, and the sound of running water from the bathroom wove a symphony. Warm water flowed over her shoulders, steam obscuring her figure. The stinging pain snapped her fully awake. The foggy mirror blurred her reflection, but wiping it revealed her sea-blue eyes.

She sighed at her reflection, fingers brushing the necklace at her throat. As faint light shimmered, her wounds seemed to ease slightly.

A sharp bird cry came from outside. Wrapping herself in a Silver Moon Chamber bath towel, she rushed out to find the Rainbow Cloud Birds discussing something on the table.

“Sister! A letter!”

“Really? Let’s see what it says…”

“That’s not right, Sister, is it?”

These two… Aphrosia facepalmed, exasperated.

“Flo Astreya…” the blue bird read the envelope.

Aphrosia snatched it, glanced at the cover, and tore it open.

As she read, the red bird’s wing smacked her head. It tilted its head, beak nearly poking the wax seal. “Not a love letter, is it?”

“Idiot, besides Little Pink Chicken, I’ve got no game with girls. What love letter?” Aphrosia flicked its forehead, carefully opening the letter. The handwriting was elegant, like a refined lady’s.

“Dear Mr. Flo Astreya,

Greetings from Ofelia Velivia, Nine-Tailed Fox Princess of the Fox Kingdom. There’s an Eastern saying: ‘By parents’ command and matchmaker’s word.’ But is such thinking too outdated? Do you recall our betrothal? I presume you share my view on this arrangement made by our elders…”

The red bird cut in, “Wait, you’ve got a fiancée?”

“No clue…”

“Hey, Sister, don’t interrupt! Aphrosia, keep reading!”

“To be frank, I don’t agree with betrothals that bind freedom. My heart belongs elsewhere. Thus, I humbly ask your forgiveness for my forwardness—I wish to dissolve our engagement set by our elders. Could you find a convenient time to visit the Fox Kingdom to discuss this with my father? I’d be most grateful.

May your path be bright, and may you find someone truly suited to share your life.

Please forgive my willfulness.

—Your Fiancée.”

“Wow! So, Aphrosia got dumped?” The red bird’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Sister, why’re you so hyped?”

“Heh, you don’t get it. I’ve read those storybooks—genius falls to trash, gets dumped, finds a ring grandpa, then starts slapping faces. Aphrosia’s been dumped—our big break’s coming!”

“Sister’s got a point!”

Aphrosia sank into thought…

Hold up, it actually lines up? Genius at first, then magicless trash, helped by the Radiance and Nature Goddesses, now dumped!

Was she on the Yan Dan script? New account, don’t mess with me!