Prince Ainuoer stood side by side with Lanqi beside the grand glass curtain wall. Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, they enjoyed a scenic view of the pedestrian plaza below, easy smiles lighting up both their faces as they conversed with great enthusiasm.
"Actually, Your Highness Ainuoer, it's not hard to tell. Judging by the art style of the Demon Realm demonstrated by the professor, although the second painting looks abstract, several obvious brushwork flaws stand out. Those weren't intentional; they were pure errors..."
Listening to Lanqi explain his observations from the Demon Realm's painting classroom, Ainuoer nodded continuously, his eyes filled with admiration. He felt that if he were to look at those paintings again, he might genuinely be able to distinguish whether the professor or the student had painted them based on the key points Lanqi had highlighted.
Ainuoer was also utterly astonished that Lanqi could dissect everything so thoroughly in such a brief moment.
After all, even someone proficient in modern and classical art understood them only from a human perspective.
Yet Lanqi had completely grasped the artistic concepts of ancient demons the very instant he arrived in the Demon Realm. It was both incredible and hardly something a human mind should be capable of!
A few minutes slipped by unnoticed.
"By the way, Lanqi, did you and Hyperion come here to buy cards today? Sophia is a Silver-rank card maker. If she buys them on your behalf, she can get quite a few internal association discounts."
Reluctantly setting aside the topic of painting for the moment, Ainuoer quickly asked the two of them.
Amid his delight, Ainuoer had also realized that his conversation with Lanqi had left Hyperion completely unable to join in, leaving her just standing there waiting for them.
"Sophia..."
Lanqi repeated the name Ainuoer mentioned, looking slightly puzzled.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. You're the only one here who doesn't know her. She's Lady Sophia Faulstock. Hyperion and I are both well acquainted with her."
Ainuoer clapped his hands, realizing he had been absentminded, and finally looked back at the purple-haired young lady who had been waiting on the sofa, watching him the whole time.
He had nearly forgotten about Sophia as well.
Hearing this, Lanqi glanced over at the purple-haired Lady Sophia and offered a slight nod of greeting.
Yet even though Sophia had been watching their direction furtively from the start, she showed no intention of acknowledging Lanqi now. Instead, she haughtily turned her gaze away, pretending not to see him.
Devoting herself entirely to card making, she could not care less about how remarkable Lanqi had been in the Shadow World.
She never broke school rules, nor did she deal with the student council.
When Ainuoer had chatted amiably with Lanqi and completely neglected her because of him, a flame of annoyance had already ignited in her chest.
Prince Ainuoer had never paid her this much attention, yet in just a short while, he had completely forgotten about her over another man!
Beside the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall on the third floor of the Card Makers Association.
Ainuoer seemed accustomed to Sophia's temper. Setting aside all royal airs, he apologized to Lanqi, "Please don't mind her, Lanqi. Sophia is actually very kindhearted."
"Of course not."
Lanqi shook his head.
Since she was Hyperion's friend, she had to be a good person; her personality was just a bit awkward.
Then Lanqi answered Ainuoer's earlier question: "I came to take the registered card maker exam today. Hyperion wanted to come and watch me make cards."
For a moment, Ainuoer's expression grew even more intrigued.
"I knew it! You make cards too, Lanqi?"
Ainuoer asked, his tone brimming with pleasant surprise, as though he had long suspected whether Lanqi was capable of card making.
"Yes. I practice diligently in my spare time," Lanqi acknowledged.
"If I may speak frankly, the last person I met who was this talented was Duke Mikhail."
Ainuoer's words were filled with an indefinable admiration, directed both at Mikhail and at Lanqi.
"Duke Mikhail?"
"Yes. Duke Mikhail is a Magic Crystal-rank card maker above Platinum rank, and one of the finest card makers in the Southern Continent."
To Ainuoer, Mikhail was both a mentor and a friend; ever since childhood, Mikhail had been the person he admired most and clung to relentlessly.
Seeing the shadow of the young Mikhail in Lanqi was another reason Ainuoer favored him so much.
Of course, Mikhail was exceedingly kind and not nearly as unhinged as Lanqi.
"Still, I'm certain there is at least one difference between you two: you won't secretly hide a great demon like Duke Mikhail did, and then shock even the King by taking a demon wife! Hahaha, do you know what my royal father looked like back then?"
Ainuoer laughed merrily again, recounting court anecdotes to Lanqi.
Lanqi was speechless.
"By the way, Your Highness Ainuoer, haven't you kept your companion waiting too long?"
Lanqi asked, as if suddenly remembering, subtly attempting to steer the topic away.
At the same time, he glanced at the purple-haired Lady Sophia sitting on the distant sofa.
She was still watching their direction furtively.
"!"
Prince Ainuoer suddenly realized.
"My apologies! Let's head over to the lounge area first. Sophia might even be able to offer you plenty of practical advice regarding the card maker exam."
Reminded by Lanqi, Ainuoer finally remembered that he had left Lady Sophia sitting alone for far too long.
Immediately, Ainuoer gave an apologetic nod toward Sophia and led Lanqi and Hyperion in that direction.
Lanqi and Hyperion naturally did not refuse Ainuoer's goodwill, as there was still ample time before the exam began.
Along the way, Hyperion could not help but glance at Sophia, then look sideways at Lanqi.
Her eyes were filled with suspicion, trying to analyze what was happening.
Hyperion was immensely grateful to Lanqi for drawing the fire away from her, but at the same time, she worried that because Sophia had glared at him for no reason, Lanqi might already be plotting some sort of 'good deed' in his mind!
...
In the atrium hall on the third floor, soaring ceilings and pillars created an astonishing sense of openness, where dark wood and richly textured stone intertwined.
The lounge area situated to one side of the atrium hall featured a set of luxurious sofas and a low coffee table, all made of premium materials whose colors complemented the surrounding décor. A few floor lamps beside the table added a touch of tranquil elegance.
Seeing that Prince Ainuoer had finally remembered to return, Sophia stopped staring at them in front of him. Instead, she turned away and sat quietly on the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest.
As the three pairs of footsteps drew closer through the walkway, Lanqi smiled gently and caught Ainuoer completely off guard with a question:
"Your Highness Ainuoer, haven't you noticed that there is the gentlest girl often quietly keeping you company, someone you'd wish to see?"
In an instant, Sophia visibly flinched on the sofa.
She clenched her fists tightly, feeling her ears begin to burn.
She wanted to whirl around and glare at Lanqi for asking such a cryptic question, yet she dared not look back at Ainuoer's face. Her heart felt as though it were about to leap out of her chest as she waited for Ainuoer's answer.
"No, not really," Prince Ainuoer answered in confusion.
His voice was crisp and clear, without the slightest hesitation.
This drove Sophia so frantic that she stomped her feet twice on the floor in vexation while sitting on the sofa.
Lanqi was at a loss for words.
The three of them arrived beside the sofa and prepared to sit.
Lanqi wanted to help a bit more, so he quietly prompted, "Then, Your Highness Ainuoer, I feel that while dedicating yourself to the creation and appreciation of art, you should also look more closely at the person beside you. Don't leave her waiting too long."
Sophia, who had originally intended to shoot Lanqi a deadly glare and warn him not to speak nonsense, found her expression gradually softening.
She realized that Lanqi seemed to be a genuinely good person who was doing his utmost to help her.
Unfortunately, that blockhead Ainuoer was simply far too dense.
Hyperion also settled comfortably beside Sophia, since Ainuoer and Lanqi had naturally taken seats on the opposite sofa like brothers.
Yet what neither Sophia nor Hyperion ever expected happened next.
Prince Ainuoer's expression suddenly brightened as if a light had switched on.
He firmly grasped Lanqi's shoulders and said with utter sincerity, "I understand now, Lanqi! You are an irreplaceable treasure of our Hutton Kingdom. You mean I should have sought you out on my own sooner!"
Lanqi was truly speechless. He could only cast a helpless smile toward Sophia and Hyperion sitting opposite him.
That smile held seven parts regret and three parts apology.
It seemed as though he truly wanted to help her, yet had utterly failed to do so—because Prince Ainuoer genuinely failed to notice her at all. By contrast, even if Lanqi did nothing, Ainuoer's eyes were completely full of him.
The atmosphere of the entire atrium seemed to shift quietly at that moment.
Beneath the silence crept a trace of wordless chill.
It was the precursor to gunpowder about to ignite, heavy and suffocating.
Hyperion's eyelids began to twitch wildly.
Lanqi looked pure, innocent, and full of good intentions.
And yet.
Given the circumstances and Lanqi's words and actions, if one imagined Lanqi as a girl, a pungent stench of green tea would hit them right in the face!
For a moment, Hyperion found herself completely unable to discern whether Lanqi truly wanted to assist Sophia, or if he was flawlessly disguising his green-tea nature!
The peak of innocence resembled a scheming green tea, and the peak of green tea could perform flawless purity. Once again, Hyperion witnessed this duality in Lanqi!
At this moment, caught in this delicate situation, Sophia's mentality teetered toward the brink of an explosion.
From her victim's perspective, she also began to suspect whether Lanqi had plotted this all along—feigning innocence, winning Ainuoer's unreserved trust, and in reality, playing her for a fool!
If that was truly the case, this cunning, wicked man might even exploit that trust to wrap the wholeheartedly sincere Ainuoer around his little finger!
"Lanqi, I'm truly looking forward to what kind of card you'll craft today, and I hope I'll have the honor of admiring your paintings in the future."
After witnessing Lanqi's connoisseurship, Ainuoer had become incomparably curious about just how high Lanqi's actual skill in painting was.
Sitting across on the sofa, Sophia lowered her head and tightly clenched her hands.
Listening to Ainuoer launch into enraptured praise of Lanqi once again, as if completely infatuated with him, her agitation grew worse and worse. Unable to bear it any longer, she finally raised her head, looked at Lanqi and Ainuoer, and said in a low voice, "Ainuoer, I am the most outstanding card maker and the most talented painter by your side! You have no need to look up to this person!"
Sophia's breath had grown somewhat ragged; she was practically on the verge of screaming, 'Look at me more!'
"Sophia..."
Ainuoer seemed taken aback as well. His gaze finally shifted from Lanqi to Sophia.
He had mostly been envious of the effortlessly cool, peerless presence Lanqi displayed in the Demon Academy and wanted to ask him for tips on how to carry himself with such style.
Yet for some reason, Sophia's reaction was extraordinarily intense, as if a demon were plucking at her heartstrings, stirring up such fierce emotions within her.
Ainuoer looked at Lanqi, only to find an expression of complete innocence and confusion on Lanqi's face as well.
In the end.
Between a woman and his brother, Ainuoer once again firmly chose to stand by his brother's side.
"Sophia, look, you've frightened Lanqi... What if this affects his card maker exam today? He's a man destined to become a pillar of our Hutton Kingdom."
As Ainuoer spoke, he couldn't resist praising Lanqi again.
He failed to grasp Sophia's current feelings entirely, oblivious to how his words poured oil onto the flames of her jealousy while continuing to take Lanqi's side.
Meanwhile, that gentle, helpless smile still lingered on Lanqi's face.
This finally caused the jealousy in Sophia's heart to grow beyond all control!
She looked at Ainuoer and said with deep indignance, "I'm seventeen, and I'm already a Silver-rank card maker."
Among all the students who had just advanced to their second year in the School of Magic Engineering, only a mere handful had attained Silver rank!
"Why would you rather admire him—someone who hasn't even obtained registered card maker status—than look at me more? I've worked so hard!"
The emotions Sophia had bottled up for so long finally erupted uncontrollably at this moment, laying her true feelings bare to Ainuoer.
Ainuoer's expression went blank.
"Sophia, is that really what you thought...? I've always valued you..."
Ainuoer had never seen Sophia express such raw feelings toward him before. Stunned, he had no idea how to comfort her, struggling even to form coherent sentences.
Only when white mist puffed from his mouth as he spoke did he slowly register the chilly temperature.
"Your Highness, I should get going."
Lanqi tapped Ainuoer's back discreetly, using his eyes to signal that now was the time to sit beside Sophia and comfort her properly.
"Your Highness Ainuoer, Lady Sophia, I must hurry up to the examination room on the fifth floor."
Lanqi checked the time and quickly stood up to bid them farewell.
"Oh, alright."
Ainuoer nodded, seemingly understanding Lanqi's intent.
Soon, Hyperion followed Lanqi as they departed briskly together.
She looked back discreetly, discovering that Ainuoer had already sat down beside Sophia and started chatting with her gently. The atmosphere was gradually improving. It seemed that between the awkward Sophia and the straightforward Ainuoer, a strong dose of medicine like this was precisely what was needed to push their romance forward.
"Lanqi, did you anticipate that this was the only way to make them lay their true feelings bare?" Hyperion could not help asking out of curiosity.
At this, Lanqi finally lowered his head, let out a sigh of relief, and offered a faint smile.
"No. I'm no master of romance. Everything just happened naturally, falling into place on its own. Nothing more."
Having said that, he turned a gentle gaze toward Hyperion.
"Being glared at by Sophia couldn't have felt very pleasant, could it? You've had it rough too, Hyperion."
And yet.
Hearing this single sentence, Hyperion suddenly felt a chill of fear, wondering what Lanqi's smile had truly meant just now.
Was it the innocent thought of a little angel, or the retaliatory scheme of a little devil? She really couldn't say!
A sudden question flashed through Hyperion's mind.
If Lanqi underperformed in today's card maker exam, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But what if Lanqi was assessed directly at Silver rank? When Sophia recalled what she had just said—'I'm seventeen, and I'm already a Silver-rank card maker'—in comparison to Lanqi...
Sophia would die of embarrassment in front of her beloved Prince Ainuoer, because Lanqi was only sixteen.
And what if—just what if—Lanqi accidentally overperformed and secured Silver rank, or even higher...?
Hyperion didn't dare imagine any further!
Chapter 110