When they had walked quite far from the stall Senja gave the small white paper ship to Ye Xiu. "For you."
Ye Xiu raised his brows. "I don't need that."
"I don't want either." Senja said while kept poking Ye Xiu hand with the paper ship to urge him to take it.
"If you don't want why you take it?"
"That grandpa was so nice." She smiled lightly "But, I don't like white color."
"Why?" Ye Xiu still didn't take the paper ship from Senja's hand.
"Aunt Carye always gave me white color." She remembered how her Mother's sister always gave her white color. That was why almost all her dresses, accessories, robes and the other things that belong to her from her stepmother were white. She even implicitly gave an image to other people that she like that color. The only reason behind it was because, Carye too lazy to think about other color except white, moreover white could represent pure and innocent that Carye thought was good for her image in front of many people.
Ye Xiu didn't probe any further and accepted the paper ship from Senja's hand while they walked away to the river to set the paper ship.
When they arrive at the river, many children had set their paper ships into the river. The night without moonlight and lack of lighting made the only lights came from the candles from the bottom of the paper ships that being carried down the river. On the surface of the river, the glimmer was a very beautiful sight like a road that made from light.
Ye Xiu took her to the empty spot in the other side of the river and set out the white paper ship in his hand. The current of the river make the small ships sail away. Both of them watched when their small ship was floating together with the other.
"Your turn." Ye Xiu signaled Senja to set her ship to the river too. On the other hand Senja looks hesitant.
"I want to keep it, can I keep it?" She asked with her childish voice.
"Why?"
Senja grinned from ear to ear happily when she said. "Because today is my birthday."
First July is her birthday, but also the same day her mother passed away. Wang Yu, her father never celebrated it. Senja thought that her birthday reminded her father about her mother and it made him sad, that was why he had never congratulated her birhtday or even gave her a present. However, now Senja doubt that reason.
"Oh," Ye Xiu lost for words for a moment before he continued "Happy birthday." He congratulated Senja while stroking her head. "9 years old, right?"
Senja quite surprised when Ye Xiu had guessed it right and nodded. Because of her skinny figure, many people who barely knew her would guess that she was younger than her actual age.
Both of them stay by the river side until the crowd dissipated and the light inside Senja's grey paper ship died out, only then they walked back to their lodgment.
On the way to the lodgment Senja was humming happily, tonight was the happiest night in her life, the happiest birthday of this past year. She was almost like jumping in every step that she took.
All this time, she was barely walked out from the Black Sword Clan Residence. Almost her entire day she spent either inside her room or her favorite place at the backyard of the library that her grandfather had rebuilt for her.
***
Senja and Ye Xiu spent the night inside a cheap lodgment. In spite of the hard bed that made Senja having difficulty to fall asleep soundly the rest of the next day was a wonderful day for her.
Ye Xiu brought her to one stall to another stall, bought her a lovely purple dress and new shoes. He even bought her for sight-seeing by leisurely strode along the street.
Both of them didn't talk about something specific, due to there wasn't any topic that suit for their current condition. Ye Xiu didn't know how to open a small chat with 9 years old girl while Senja, she has accustomed to not talking too much.
Practically, except asking what Senja wanted to eat or if she got tired and need to rest, the rest of their conversation was remain mute.
L City district 9 was a busy outskirt.
They were roaming the street until the sun was setting in the west only then Ye Xiu brought Senja back to their lodgment.
"Senja," Ye Xiu called the little girl softly.
"Yes?" Senja replied while munching a red apple happily. She got a new dress, accessories and had been gone to the place she has never been. In short, she was in good mood and very happy today.
"Do you know the old library in the east yard at your residence?"
Senja nodded. Of course she knew, it was the library that her grandfather rebuilt for her since Carye had created an image for her as a bookworm. She spent most of her time hiding at the backyard of that library.
"Do you know that in that room there is a secret door that connects to the road near the drug store?"
Senja looked up at Ye Xiu and eventually shook her head. She knew about the library, but she never knew if there was a secret door inside it.
"If you come back home and you want to go outside to take a walk, you can use that door to slip out." Ye Xiu told her about this information.
He knew that Senja was very happy to walk down the street and for her to be grounded inside the house, it was more likely Carye who had managed to do that. As for him to know about that secret door was because;
In the beginning, when Elder Dam had planned to rebuild the building as a library 2 years ago, Xinghe Kingdom got news about this and sneaked some of their people as construction workers to make this door.
The original plan was to give a surprise attack on the Black Sword Clan. With Black Sword Clan was under attack, it definitely would impact to Azura Kingdom's army. However, when Ye Xiu knew about this Xiao Jun and he killed all of those workers. As a result, Xinghe Kingdom never knew about the location of the secret door and Black Sword Clan would have never thought that there was something like secret door inside their place.
His action could be counted as treason to his Country. However he knew it better, the ambush plan that had been planned by Xinghe Emperor wouldn't destroy Black Sword Clan completely, their clan was too strong to be defeated by only one strike. Then it would only backfire on Xinghe's plan.
All this time, Xinghe was still be able to exist was because Black Sword Clan hold a cold war between them and if Xinghe Kingdom make a move to attack first, at that time, it wouldn't end up good for Xinghe.
After all Xiao Jun and he had another plan for this. The war between Azura Kingdom and Xinghe Kingdom should never be existed in the first place.
Therefore, it was only Xiao Jun and him who knew about this and it would remain like that until Ye Xiu told Senja just now.
Probably, because of Senja sensed the underlying meaning behind Ye Xiu words and added that to her insecure feeling, the little girl abruptly stopped walking, "I don't want to go back." Senja stated while looked at Ye Xiu with teary eyes.