Chapter 142: [Coda]—She Has Finally Reached the End
“But… but… I don’t know how to be a High Priestess,” Eleanor said, a look of despair on her face.
“The High Priestess didn’t say anything. She just told me to come back and inherit her position, and then she went back into seclusion…”
For centuries, the High Priestess had been Nimora. For her to suddenly be replaced by Eleanor, without any warning, would surely cause a great deal of unrest.
And besides, Eleanor had no foundation, no political power. Her only allies were Nimora, and Norma, who was far away in the Twilight Marsh.
Although she was the last ember of the Fairy race, a being who had traveled through time, she was still only seventeen, much younger than the other “elven prodigies.”
So, becoming the High Priestess was a daunting challenge.
“If you don’t know, just think about what the former High Priestess, Nimora, would do,” Bai said with a shrug. “And besides, crying like this… is not very High Priestess-like.”
“Really?” Eleanor quickly composed herself, her face a mask of seriousness.
But while Nimora’s expression had been one of detached wisdom, Eleanor’s was more… a pout.
“Alright, alright,” Bai said, standing on her tiptoes and flicking Eleanor on the forehead. “I didn’t mean you should copy her expression. You’ll just make a fool of yourself.”
“Ow…” Eleanor said, rubbing her now-red forehead.
But a look of sadness returned to her face. “My people… my mother said I’m the last of the fairies. I don’t know if the elves of the Bewildering Forest can be considered my people…”
Bai paused, then smiled gently. “That’s up to you, whether you see them as your people.”
“After all, Nimora has entrusted everything to you. You are the Elven High Priestess now…”
“And since she trusts you so much, why not return the favor?”
Eleanor looked down. “But they were so mean to me. They always excluded me.”
Bai flicked her on the forehead again. “Idiot. You’re the High Priestess now. If someone is mean to you, just… exile them.”
“Ow… Bai, you hit me again,” Eleanor said, a look of despair on her face.
“Consider it payback for all the trouble your former High Priestess caused me,” Bai huffed, then saw Ara enter the room.
She had gone out earlier to buy something, though she hadn’t said what.
Now, she was holding three candied haws.
“The big one is for Bai, and the small one is for Miss Eleanor…” she said, carefully comparing them before handing one to each of them.
“Ah, thank you, Little Sister Ara,” Eleanor said, taking a bite, not at all offended by the “smaller” one, but instead, moved to tears.
“Such a good little girl, sniff, sniff, so much better than Bai. Bai only hits me…”
Bai rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to flick her again.
