The kid on Aurora’s back was getting heavier by the second. And it was getting to a point that Aurora was getting uncomfortable.
The snow’s coldness did not help Aurora feel any better as well.
“Weird. What should we do with the kid now? Should we look for her parents? Or take her to a doctor?”
“Maybe we should let her be. We don’t know who she is in the first place.”
“But it won’t feel right to me. Kids should be protected at all costs.”
“Hey, if you’re both done talking, then help me out here. I don’t think I can take her weight any longer.”
Aurora got a pair of sheepish smiles as a result of her scolding. But thankfully, Rita and Alexender got to work and picked up the small but heavy body on top of Aurora.
Aurora could feel the pain in her back but nothing seemed to be broken. Thankfully, Aurora’s goddess physique saved her from a possible heavy injury.
But the same could not be said for the kid who had landed on top of Aurora.
Even if Aurora had broken her fall, there must be a lot of damage she could have sustained from such a fall.
“Sorry. We were a little distracted. Here, let me help. Wow, she’s light.”
Rita cradled the elder girl in her arms as she checked her over. There did not seem to be any lasting damage visible at first glance.
“Let’s look for a room first. We should see what we need to treat the child for.”
Aurora was not a sympathetic person usually. But she did understand the underlying grief that must have plagued this child.
Besides, there was something familiar about this child. So Aurora decided to take this risk.
“Are you sure that is wise? What if it attracted the republic’s attention. This lack of reaction from the surroundings doesn’t inspire much faith in me.”
That was true. No one else seemed to be even looking in their direction. It was just not a normal reaction for people to have when they see someone trying to kill themselves.
“There might be magic involved in this mess. And we are already involved so we might as play along.”
Aurora decided to give in to her urges to help the small child. And it helped that her companions did not refute her advice either.
“Fine. Let’s look for a hotel and treat you two. Thankfully, we do have some funds we can use for now. We’ve not gone for a currency conversation yet so we lack funds.”
Aurora tried to hide the flush her face must be spotting at her obvious lack of oversight.
Currency conversion was the first thing she should have done when the trio got chipped. But the excitement of exploration had made Aurora forget this fact.
“Let’s look for a cheap place for now. Then one of us can go and get money and food. I would like to find out who this girl is as well.”
Aurora was thankful when her voice came out normal. But the knowing looks being aimed her way told Aurora that her secret had been exposed.
“Alright. I know a place we can rent for cheap. It’s a friend’s establishment so we should be alright there.”
Aurora decided to take Alexander up on his words. If something did happen, then her system would take care of it.
===========================
As soon as the trio had hit their room with their extra guest, Alexander had left to arrange money for their trip.
Aurora had handed him the conversion card Rex had given her but not without precautions on her part.
“Are you sure we can trust him? I did not ask this before but he is from the tower. What if he is tricking you despite having the system track his moments?”
Aurora considered Rita’s words carefully before answering her.
“I feel like we can trust Alexander. I have my reasons for believing in him. So don’t you worry.”
Rita was pouting. Aurora was sure that the other female’s puffed-up cheeks were a sign of unhappiness.
It made Aurora want to tease her. So she crawled toward Rita’s lap and borrowed it.
Small hands came to rest up on Rita’s face before Aurora moved her head to make Rita face Aurora instead.
“What is it? Are you pouting? Are you feeling jealous of Alexander?”
Aurora was sure that was not the case. Her trust in Alexander was just on a subordinate-employer level. There was nothing romantic there. And there never will be.
But it was funny to see Rita’s emotions all over the place.
“Jealous? Yes, I’m jealous and also disappointed in myself. You took so long to trust me to help you out. But you just allowed that man to help you out as soon as you two met. How is that fair?”
“Not to mention, there is too much competition for your attention and I feel like I am losing you. You also refuse to put a label on our relationship. Tell me, how is it all fair?”
Aurora felt shook. She had not realized that Rita felt like that about her.
The red-haired beauty looked disheveled after her outburst. Her eyes held emotions of embarrassment and guilt.
But the elder female did not back away. Rita did not take her words back which indicated how serious she was about this topic and this relationship.
“Rita, it is not about you but me. I told you this before, that I cannot love you like you want me to. I might never be able to return your feelings for me. You should find someone else.”
Aurora did not know why her heart felt heavy when she advised Rita to give up.
A small part of her did not want the red-head to give Aurora up. The attention Aurora got from Rita felt rewarding.
But Aurora knew how much one-sided love hurt. She had seen people get hurt over it in the past. And she did not want Rita to experience that feeling.
Not when Rita could do so much better.
“Fine someone else she says. As if it’s that easy. Matters of the heart are not a joke. Aurora, I love you and I don’t know how to stop. You say you do not like me but your body disagrees. And …”
“…I’m still a kid right now. We can pick up this conversation once I’m back to normal. For now, we should focus on the problem at hand.”
“Alright. But just a warning, I’m never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. I will be there with you till the end.”
“Rita, did you just…”
“…No, don’t speak. I can feel the embarrassment rolling back. But I did not lie. Please do take me seriously.”
Aurora could feel Rita’s desire to say more. But the kid in the bed decided that it was the right time to wake up.
Whatever Aurora wanted to say got cut off as soon as the child woke up with a gasp.
“I’m alive. Why am I alive? Did I get saved?”
The girl looked scared but her words sounded cold and devoid of life. It was only her aura that felt expressive to Aurora.
The girl had cold blue eyes that could pierce right through to one’s soul. But despite all this, Aurora could not help but feel sorry for the girl.
It was clear that the child had gone through a lot to end up like this. Aurora wanted to help the child.
“I broke your fall. Well, more like, you fell on top of me which broke your fall. But the point is, you are alright now.”
The girl looked a little disoriented when Aurora spoke. Her eyes blinked a few times before focusing on Aurora.
“Did you break my fall? And you’re alright? What kind of creature are you? My fall should have killed you.”
“Why you little..”
Aurora could feel Rita’s anger spike at the cold words. But before Rita could make a move, Aurora stopped her.
Despite the girl’s cold words, Aurora could feel the concern and worry in that girl’s aura.
It was only the lack of emotional tone in the girl’s words that made her words sound cold instead of worried.
It did not feel like an intentional thing the kid was doing.
“Thank you for worrying about me. I guess I got lucky that nothing happened to me. But what about you? Are you alright? Can we check you over to make sure you don’t have any injuries?”
Aurora’s words must have caused Rita to realize what was going on since Rita calmed down pretty quickly.
The cold-eyed girl looked a little shocked at Aurora’s words. This was the real sign of emotion the elder girl had shown all this time and Aurora could not help but count it as a success in her book.
“I…that is to say, I think I am alright. But I guess I won’t mind getting a checkup as well.”
There was a small flush on the girl’s face and Aurora passed her a huge grin.
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