"A Cleanse Spell?"
Ilanier's interest was thoroughly piqued.
She set down her soup bowl, her captivating wine-red eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Aeldara also shot her an inquisitive glance.
As the Captain of the Knights, who knew every professional skill inside and out, she was well aware of what a Priest's "Cleanse Spell" was for.
But her recent experiences with Lin Qingyue had taught her that any normal skill could become anything but normal in Lin Qingyue's hands.
"Ahem."
Lin Qingyue felt a little unnerved by the Queen's enthusiastic gaze. She cleared her throat and decided to begin her performance.
"It's just an ordinary Cleanse Spell, but I've slightly improved it to make it more practical and effective."
As she spoke, she waved a hand at Lin Xiyue, who was still showing off.
"Come on, Xiyue. Show Her Majesty the Queen and the Commander what it can do."
"You got it!"
Lin Xiyue immediately stepped to the center of the tent, deliberately spinning around to point at the grease stains on her plate armor's inner lining from the barbecue.
Lin Qingyue raised her hand and began chanting a nonsensical incantation.
"Farewell, stains! Embrace the fresh! Clean in a second, a lazy person's dream! Go! Cleanse Spell!"
A soft, pinkish-purple halo descended from the sky, enveloping Lin Xiyue like a veil of light gauze.
The halo swirled silently, as if invisible hands were gently wiping away every speck of dust and every grease stain from her body.
The light faded.
Lin Xiyue reappeared before them.
Her grease-stained inner lining was now spotless, and even the wrinkles from battle had been ironed perfectly smooth.
A fresh scent of sunlight and grass wafted from her.
But what drew the most attention was her hair.
Her originally long black hair had transformed into a stunningly bright sakura pink, shimmering with a faint luster under the magical flames.
"See? How's that!"
Lin Xiyue proudly tossed her pink hair, strutting like a peacock displaying its feathers.
"Not only does it clean you up, but it also changes your hair color! Isn't that super cool?"
"Interesting! So interesting!"
Ilanier's eyes lit up completely.
Far from finding the spell strange, she looked like a child who had discovered a new toy, her face filled with excitement.
She rose and circled Lin Xiyue, extending a jade-like finger to carefully pinch a strand of pink hair, feeling its real texture.
"How long does this color last?"
"Ten minutes."
Lin Xiyue held up one finger.
"It fades automatically after ten minutes, no tricks, no lies. The ultimate lazy person's hack, essential for home and travel."
"Young Miss Priestess," Ilanier turned, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she looked at Lin Qingyue. "You wouldn't... be planning to let only your sister experience such an interesting spell, would you?"
"Huh?"
Lin Qingyue froze.
Holy crap! Is Her Majesty the Queen actually going to try it herself?
Dyeing the Elf Queen's hair pink? If word of this gets out, I'll be branded a wicked temptress who corrupted the monarch and nailed to the Elven Race's Pillar of Shame for all eternity!
"Your Majesty, this... might damage your dignity, wouldn't it?" Lin Qingyue asked weakly.
"Dignity is for outsiders."
Ilanier waved her hand dismissively.
With a casual flick of her wrist, an invisible magical barrier instantly enveloped the entire tent, blocking all sight and sound from the outside.
Then, she winked playfully. "There. Now no one will know we've 'lost our composure'."
Turning, she grabbed the petrified Aeldara by her side and shook her arm like a little girl, her tone as intimate as if she were talking to her best friend.
"Aeldara, you're joining us too."
Aeldara: "..."
The aloof Captain of the Knights froze completely.
She glanced at the Queen's eager face, then at the pulsating ball of colored light in Lin Qingyue's hands. For the first time, an expression of resigned helplessness flickered across her icy features.
She didn't struggle, merely let out a long, almost inaudible sigh, clearly long accustomed to the Queen's sudden whims.
"Your Majesty, I..."
"That's an order."
Ilanier gave her no chance to refuse, pushing her directly in front of Lin Qingyue. She even winked at the priestess, her eyes clearly saying: Hurry up, don't dawdle!
Aeldara abandoned all resistance, closing her eyes with the air of someone facing the executioner's block.
But in the final moment before her eyes shut, she shot Lin Qingyue a look that screamed, I'll remember this debt, but for Her Majesty's sake, I'll let it slide... for now.
Lin Qingyue nearly burst out laughing at the sight of the aloof Commander looking like she was marching to her doom.
My apologies, Commander, but this was Her Majesty's personal request. When the Queen commands her subject to dye their hair, the subject must dye their hair! Just think of it as sharing the monarch's burden!
Suppressing her laughter, she waved her hands. Two silent halos of pinkish-purple light shot upward, enveloping both the Queen and the Captain of the Knights.
For a moment, the tent shimmered with flowing light.
Then, the glow faded.
Elf Queen Ilanier and Aeldara, Commander of the Silent Watch Knight Order, appeared before everyone, both sporting matching heads of long, softly glowing sakura pink hair.
Their starkly different temperaments, paired with the identical hair color, created a bizarre yet stunning visual impact.
"Pfft-hahahaha!"
Lin Xiyue was the first to lose her composure, pointing at Aeldara and laughing so hard she was rolling on the floor.
"Commander! You look... so... so cute! This is the legendary gap moe!"
Su Wan whipped her head away, her shoulders shaking violently as she clearly used every ounce of her cultivation to suppress her laughter.
Xia Lian's eyes widened before she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, terrified a giggle might escape. She stole a nervous glance outside the tent. Even though she knew a magic barrier was in place, she couldn't help but worry someone might witness this "undignified" scene.
Aeldara stood frozen, her fists clenched and her face as dark as a stormy sea.
When she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a pink reflection in her polished vambrace, she froze completely.
Her crimson eyes widened in shock, as if she were witnessing a world-ending catastrophe.
The legendary cold and deadly Death Knight... sporting a head of... heart-flutteringly girly pink hair?
The absurd sight made her brain crash for half a second.
Immediately after, she saw Lin Xiyue convulsing with laughter, and a wave of icy killing intent became almost impossible to suppress.
But as her gaze fell back to the reflection, she inexplicably tilted her head ever so slightly.
Against the stark, cold lines of her face, the vibrant pink created a... peculiar, indescribable beauty.
A long-buried emotion called "novelty" sprouted stubbornly, like a blade of grass pushing through a crack in the earth.
Instinctively, she raised a hand, her fingertips trembling as they brushed the ends of her hair.
Then, she snatched her hand back as if burned, her face instantly reverting to its usual glacial mask.
Only the faint blush creeping up her ears and the unconsciously clenched jawline betrayed the storm raging within her.
However, Ilanier's reaction was completely unexpected.
She twirled a lock of her own pink hair gracefully around her finger, a deeply nostalgic smile gracing her lips.
"This color... it reminds me of that time under the sakura trees in the Moonlight Forest Sea, when I drank too much March Flower Brew."
She opened her eyes and leaned affectionately against the nearly frozen Aeldara's shoulder, chuckling softly.
"Aeldara, do you remember? That time I got drunk, climbed to the top of a tree to sing, and you were the one who had to carry me down, scowling the whole time."
A dead silence fell over the tent.
On Aeldara's frozen face, the emotions in her crimson eyes churned violently, and even her ears flushed a suspicious shade of red.
She forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"Your Majesty, that's ancient history. There's no need to bring it up."
"Oh, come on, there are no outsiders here."
Ilanier completely let loose.
She lifted the hem of her skirt and spun in place, her long pink hair tracing a brilliant arc through the air.
"There's nothing wrong with indulging once in a while. Come, Miss Qingyue, don't play favorites! Let these two young ladies join our 'Falling Sakura Party'!"
With the mood already set, what else was there to say?
Lin Qingyue transformed into a master stylist, waving her staff. Two more beams of pink light shot out, striking the unsuspecting Su Wan and Xia Lian before they could react.
"Ah!"
Amid a chaotic chorus of shrieks and laughter, the six pink-haired women—a mix of young girls and mature beauties—kicked off a "Ten-Minute Limited Pink Hair Rave."
"Come on, Aeldara, dance!"
Ilanier grabbed the petrified Knight Captain and forcefully began spinning her in a dance.
"Miss Qingyue told me they have a ritual called 'raving'! It goes like this—yes, follow the rhythm, get moving!"
Poor Aeldara, a battle-hardened Knight Captain, was now being dragged around by Her Majesty, bouncing stiffly like a string puppet. Her long pink hair whipped around with her chaotic steps, her face etched with the philosophical trinity: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Meanwhile, Lin Xiyue, the resident chaos-monger, had already pounced on Su Wan.
"Sister Wan'er, your cool, aloof vibe is a total waste with this pink hair! Let me give you a more rock-and-roll style!"
With that, her demonic claws shot toward Su Wan's hair. In a flash, she had tied it into two gravity-defying pigtails, making Su Wan look like a pink-haired version of Nezha.
"Lin Xiyue! Stop it!"
Su Wan shrieked and struggled, but a grin stretched from ear to ear. Finally, she gave up and, in a fit of abandon, grabbed the spectating Xia Lian.
"Don't worry, Xia Lian! I'll give you the cutest princess braid!"
The tent descended into utter chaos.
The Queen dragged the Knight Captain through a nonsensical dance. Lin Xiyue chased Su Wan, who sported spiky pigtails, all over the floor. Xia Lian, pinned down by Su Wan, laughed until she couldn't breathe, her own pink hair a tangled mess.
Lin Qingyue leaned against a tent pole, arms crossed. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured colorful light spots and a rhythmic "thump-thump-thump" beat, providing live commentary:
"Welcome to the First Royal Pink Hair Carnival! Approaching now is the Queen and Knight duo! Oh! Look over there! Contestant Nezha is chasing her stylist!"
After the bout of unrestrained chaos, Ilanier walked over to Lin Qingyue. Her pink hair softened her monarchical authority, giving her the approachable warmth of an older sister.
"Miss Qingyue," she said softly, her wine-red eyes shimmering in the firelight, "your 'spells'—and you yourself—are far more interesting than I ever imagined."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"When we return to Silvermoon City, I'd like to speak with you privately."
Her voice dropped to a near whisper.
"About the world you come from... I have many... curiosities."
"May I?"
"Of course. It would be my honor, Your Majesty," Lin Qingyue replied with a smile.