Lottie's Ship Wish

CHAPTER 22 - END OF ARC 1

After the celebration, everyone resigned to their quarters to rest. As for Lottie, she was on her balcony, her arms on the fence while supporting her head and humming a melody. The cold yet soothing air of the night hit her skin and made her silvery white hair danced to its tune.

"So that's what a happy pig looks like."

Lottie's closed eyes opened, clearly not surprised by the sudden intrusion of someone's voice.

"How in the world can you sneak here even at nighttime?" She expressed with deadpan eyes to the blondie jumping to her balcony.

"Does that even matter?"

"Yes, very much actually."

Ael shrugged at her. "Reprimand your guards, not me. I am just a helpless little kid."

"Helpless, my foot." She made face but Lottie suddenly had second thoughts, 'Maybe, the guards are actually slacking off?'

"Anyway! Why are you just showing yourself now? I didn't catch a glimpse of your shadow these past few months." She returned to her former pose at the fence and asked Ael.

Ael glanced at her then to the ground. "I am fixing...stuffs."

"Fixing? Fixing what?" Lottie asked curiously.

"Just trivial matters. So, it's your birthday, huh?" He removed his attention from the floor and focus his sight to Lottie.

"Ah yes! Wait, how did you know?"

Ael pointed at her room, or more specifically to her pile of gifts from her dad and employees.

"Oh."

"Are you happy?" Ael asked.

"Huh?" Lottie's eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Are you happy now?" Ael repeated but with much emphasis to his meaning.

Understanding now what Ael was trying to convey, Lottie straightened up with her hands on her back and her smile brimming with joy.

"Yes! Very much!"

Ael hummed in response.

"Then I guess, you don't need this." He showed a paper bag out of the blue and acted as if he was about to throw it away.

However, Lottie's impressive sense of smell whiffed a mouth-watering and very familiar scent of food.

"Wait!!!" She blocked the way and snatched the paper bag from his hands.

Ael didn't react, fully expecting the response from Lottie who was now opening the bag and taking out half a dozen of pork barbecue in a stick.

Her eyes sparkled and her mouth drooled. "Waaahhhhh! I missed this!"

Immediately, she gobbled up the barbecue. "Still delicious as ever!" She expressed between bites.

"I cannot believe I will see a pig eating their own kind." Ael scoffed.

Lottie glared at him, but she dropped it straight away, instead she grinned at him.

"Said by someone who bought this for me. Aww, you have hidden sweet side, brat! I am touched!"

The white-haired tried to hug him but the blondie moved away with a frown on his face.

"Just eat your food. I don't want that sauce staining my dress."

"Hmp! How fussy." Lottie just gave up and sat down at the floor, savoring her food, but before taking another stick for herself, she offered a new one to Ael and gestured for him to sit beside her.

"Let's eat together!"

Ael raised one eyebrow. "Why?"

"Why not?" Lottie shot a question right back. When the blonde kid frowned at her rebuttal, she just pulled his hand towards her and made him sit down.

"Eating with others makes the food more delicious." Then she handed Ael a barbecue. "So, join me, okay?"

Ael who remained silent shook his head slightly. "Such stupid notion." Yet he took a bite and eat in silence thus putting a smile at Lottie's face.

She, too, ate her barbecue.

With Lottie's twenty-eight years of life in the Philippines added with nine years in this new world, this was the very first time she was happy and not lonely on her birthday.

So much happiness she hoped it would last.