Chapter 311: Intercepted by Little Red Riding Hood
She followed Faye around in the woods for quite a while before they arrived at a small, picturesque lake bordered by a clementine grove.
The fragrance of the clementine blossoms drifted on the wind, making her feel a little drowsy.
The white clementine blossoms weren’t large, but their fragrance was rich. ’But the trees are still just flowering now. So where did the clementines from Clementine come from?’
"Faye, come over here. Wash your hands and rest for a bit. If this still isn’t the place you’re looking for, or if the lake doesn’t have the tadpoles you want to find, we’re going home."
"Okay, coming!"
Faye Yardley had just crouched by the shore of the lake when a small frog leaped out from it. "Beautiful lady, will you take me home?"
Faye moved quickly, snatching the little frog that was about to jump onto Faye Yardley. "Wow, this little frog is so green! Is this the kind of pet you wanted, Sis? Why don’t we find one with a prettier color?"
The little frog said indignantly, "What other frog could possibly have a better color than me?!"
"That’s pretty interesting. Let’s take it back, then." Faye made the decision on the spot. She released the frog, letting it hop to the ground. "Alright, follow us home yourself."
She had to admit, the scenery here was truly lovely. Across the lake was a low hill, and on it, there seemed to be a white castle—Faye Yardley was certain she saw its pointed spires.
"Sis, what’s that place across the lake? It looks like there’s a castle there."
"I don’t know. I’ve never been there."
The little frog jumped up to look, but it couldn’t see anything and grew a little anxious.
Faye Yardley saw its anxiousness but didn’t say anything, instead following Faye on the way back.
Whenever she spotted pretty wildflowers, she would hum a tune and pick a few to place in her basket. Soon, the top layer of the basket was blanketed with fresh flowers.
And she didn’t stop there; she also picked a few flowers to tuck into her own hair and Faye’s.
Even the bare-headed little frog ended up wearing a tiny, woven flower circlet she made.
Perhaps her good mood was infectious, as Faye was also smiling the whole time. They picked a full basket of mushrooms and made it back to Grandma Hayes’s house without a hitch before sunset.
The moment they stepped into the small courtyard, Faye Yardley called out toward the open door, "Grandma Hayes, my sister and I are back! And we brought a little friend with us."
The little frog, already panting from exhaustion, protested while trying to catch its breath, "I am not a ’little friend’!"
But then, a figure in red darted out of the house, her laughter like tinkling silver bells. "Wow, Sister Faye and Miss Faye are here! I’m so happy! Grandma, hurry and come out!"
In the time it took to speak, she had already darted in front of Faye Yardley. Her eyes immediately landed on the small frog squatting by Faye Yardley’s feet, and she crouched down to scoop it up. "Wow, what a cute little frog! I love him so much!"
With that, she gave the little frog a kiss.
Then, with a POOF!, the little frog transformed into a young prince with short, curly, golden hair.
Faye Yardley couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity. ’The Frog Prince is real, just as I thought. And I had him all lined up for my sister, but Little Red Riding Hood just swooped in and stole him. Who am I supposed to complain to about this?!’
"It—he... Sis, he changed!"
Faye Yardley could only feign ignorance, rushing to Faye’s side and pointing at the young prince, who was now dressed in green noble attire.
Faye, like Little Red Riding Hood, looked completely baffled.
The young Prince was clearly a bit embarrassed as well.
Little Red Riding Hood wasn’t the five- or six-year-old girl from the fairy tales, but a graceful young woman of seventeen or eighteen.
Grandma Hayes stood in the doorway. "Children, let’s all come inside first. We can talk in there."
Everyone sat around the fireplace inside. Now, even the normally bubbly and vivacious Little Red Riding Hood was silent, feeling incredibly embarrassed.
The young Prince then recounted the story of how he had been turned into a frog by a Wizard. He never imagined he’d be so lucky as to meet a girl today who would declare she liked him and then kiss him.
And just like that, the Magic cast upon him was dispelled.
He declared that he was willing to marry Little Red Riding Hood.
Faye Yardley watched Little Red Riding Hood. ’Her brain must be complete mush right now.’
’Her face is flushing one moment and pale the next, her expression shifting from shy to worried. I’m honestly afraid she’s going to think so hard her brain will explode.’
Faye glanced worriedly at her younger sister, but she was relieved to see nothing amiss. In fact, her sister seemed more concerned for Little Red Riding Hood. Faye’s worries vanished instantly. ’Good. Even though this young Prince is handsome and polite, my sister hasn’t been swayed by his looks. I can relax now.’
"Grandma Hayes, why don’t my sister and I go make some mushroom soup? You all can take your time and talk things over."
After all, this was about Little Red Riding Hood’s marriage, and it wasn’t their place as outsiders to meddle.
"Alright, I’ll leave it to you then."
In Grandma Hayes’s kitchen, Faye suddenly asked while washing the mushrooms, "Did you know that frog would turn into a Prince?"
"Huh? I had no idea. Sis, why the sudden question?"
"You didn’t know? Well, do you still want to raise a frog?"
Faye Yardley frantically shook her head. "No, no more! What if I accidentally touch a frog and it suddenly transforms into a living person? I couldn’t handle that. I was just thinking that if I raised a frog, once the weather got warmer, we’d have a pet to eat the mosquitos and flies. That would make the house more comfortable."
"Alright, your idea is odd, but your intentions were good. Don’t worry about summer flies and mosquitos; I planted a perimeter of insect-repelling grass around the house this year. They won’t want to come near our home." Faye scooped the mushrooms out of the water, picked up a knife, and added, "Next time you have an idea like this, just tell me first."
"Got it, Sis. I’ll go start the fire."
Faye Yardley felt a headache coming on. ’Just how am I supposed to complete this task?’
’Wait a minute~’
’That’s not right.’
’I’m not supposed to let my sister make a move on Clementine, but my next task—aside from making a Prince fall in love with me—is to steal the Prince that Clementine likes.’
’How am I supposed to pull that off?’
’Do I need to hurry back to the village and keep an eye on Clementine?’
"You can stop feeding the fire. The mushroom soup and dough drops are ready. Time to eat."
Not only was Faye’s dinner ready, but the Prince and Little Red Riding Hood had also concluded their discussion.
No one knew how the young Prince had contacted his family, but after they had dinner together, a luxurious horse-drawn carriage arrived outside the small courtyard to collect him.
That night, the three young women lay together in a single bed, and it didn’t feel crowded in the slightest. What’s more, with Little Red Riding Hood in the middle, Faye Yardley wasn’t plagued by the icy chill for the entire night.
Of course, the three of them couldn’t possibly lie there in silence; it was as if they had an endless supply of things to say.
Faye Yardley mostly chimed in with the occasional "oh" or "ah," all the while trying her best to glean more information from their conversation.