"P-P-P-Princess consort? What on earth are you talking about, Lanqi?!"
Sophia was startled enough that her tears stopped on the spot, her cheeks turning bright red as she spoke.
She certainly liked Ainuoer, but she had never asked Lanqi to take things that far!
And yet...
The words echoed continuously in her mind, sending her pulse racing uncontrollably.
If she trusted Lanqi... could she really become a princess consort?
"Sophia, the fountain cannot rise higher than its source. If you don't even hold the ambition to begin with, it will be virtually impossible to achieve. Counting on fate's favor is simply far too difficult."
Lanqi remained as patient as ever, gently resolving her doubts.
Sophia stared, somewhat in a daze.
"Is that so...?"
She seemed thoroughly confused, lost in a thick fog, yet also appeared to be reflecting on her own shortcomings.
"Think about it. Doesn't Karen's appearance prove exactly what I said? Though this world is filled with wonder and beauty, it is also dangerous and complicated. Good people may not go to bad places, but bad people will come to good places. Your romance with Ainuoer could never be as smooth sailing as you imagined in childhood. Not everyone is like me, seeking only to help lovers unite."
Lanqi leaned back against the sofa, expounding like a philosopher.
"Lanqi...!"
At his side, Hyperion kept poking Lanqi with her finger, keeping her voice low.
She felt that neither Lanqi nor Sophia had noticed—
From where she was sitting, Lanqi looked exactly like a benevolent-father evil deity tempting Sophia into depravity!
Stop it right now! That is not sweet romance!
Yet,
opposite them,
after a long silence,
Sophia finally seemed to realize something.
"So that's how it is..."
Sophia muttered blankly.
Lanqi's words had shattered her self-deception.
Natural romance running its smooth course existed only in fairy tales; reality was never so beautiful. Therefore, her prince... ought to be grasped firmly in her own hands!
Gradually, Sophia's eyes brightened, though amidst her awakening lay a hint of chaotic delirium—a fervent trust and yearning.
"Teacher Lanqi, please teach me how to capture Ainuoer! I want to tighten the screws on his dull heart and make him devote himself entirely to me!"
Sophia finally cried out her true desire.
Hyperion went dumbstruck.
It's over.
Another normal person booked for corruption by Lanqi.
"Very good, I will help you. But first, tell us what happened these past few days. We need to handle any potentially urgent problems first, and then address the important matters at our leisure before they become urgent,"
Lanqi nodded in agreement.
As a headmaster, he had always advocated for young people to actively pursue love, encouraging compatible young men and women to engage in healthy, free romance. Setting an example with a prince and princess consort would have an immensely positive effect on boosting the infant birth rate and maintaining a stable, outstanding demographic structure for the Hutton Kingdom.
He was never one to turn down playing matchmaker.
When His Highness Ainuoer saw the newly transformed Sophia some time from now, he would surely be thoroughly delighted.
Vice President Asna brought over a tray of matcha cake and drinks for them.
Though no one knew why it happened to be matcha-flavored today, it was quite fitting regardless.
Sophia then began recounting everything that had happened over the past few days.
The breaking point had arrived when Karen invited Prince Ainuoer to observe the [Original Slate - Wind] with her.
"She... she looked like she was mocking me back then, pitying me."
Sophia had grown angrier the more she spoke, but reaching this point, she could not help wiping away tears and sobbing once more.
Evidently, she had been thoroughly bullied by Karen.
"I understand the gist of it,"
Lanqi nodded after listening.
"How about this: I'll help you deal with Karen first. Later on, whenever work in the student council isn't too busy, you can schedule appointments to consult Hyperion and me. I'll give you guidance, and after that, it will be up to you."
The most crucial juncture at present was this coming weekend, when Karen had invited Prince Ainuoer to accompany her in observing the [Original Slate - Wind].
Dean Loren had actually discussed this matter with Lanqi earlier.
Originally, Loren had promised to let Lanqi view it first.
However, because Loren had been swamped with business lately and Karen's time in Ikerite was limited, Loren had consulted Lanqi about letting Karen cut in line—or, if Lanqi was willing, viewing it together with her, as Karen was completely fine with that and very easygoing.
Lanqi had been just as accommodating, saying Karen could view it first and that it was no trouble.
Observing an [Original Slate] was quite exceptional. It was not a literal inspection of a magic card; rather, when the holder summoned the physical form of the slate—which was usually invisible during combat—a temporary Void Gate could be opened at the cost of immense mana, allowing the observer to enter a mystical domain akin to a Shadow World inside the slate to study the vast, overwhelming barrier spell formulas.
Because that domain would begin expelling living beings after a certain period, preventing them from ever entering again, how much one could comprehend in that limited window depended entirely on one's affinity with that branch of magic and one's talent in magic engineering.
Whenever a gifted magic artificer observed a slate, scholars from the Magic Tower would come to inquire about the results. Unraveling the secrets of the Original Slates was one of the most prominent fields of academic study today.
However, because Dean Loren enjoyed an exceptional reputation among the allied kingdoms and was indisputably the most easygoing of all the supreme powerhouses in the Southern Continent, the [Original Slate - Wind] had become the most frequently observed slate. Consequently, unless there was a major breakthrough, it rarely caused much of a stir.
Correspondingly, if anyone ever observed the [Original Slate - Fire] held by Bishop of Destruction Ivanos, whatever insights they gleaned—no matter what—would create a tremendous sensation throughout academia and the magic engineering community of the Southern Continent.
For the past ten-odd years, no one on the righteous path had ever observed the [Original Slate - Fire], leaving the academic community sorely lacking in research on it.
Yet Lanqi now had a new idea and intended to visit Dean Loren shortly.
He might as well relieve some of Dean Loren's workload now, saving the dean from having to carve out extra time later just to let him observe the [Original Slate - Wind].
Hearing Lanqi's words, Sophia felt a tinge of worry again.
"But how are you going to deal with her...?"
She looked at Lanqi and Hyperion, asking,
Lanqi had always been dignified and polite, thoroughly a gentleman.
Karen, on the other hand, was a calculating, unscrupulous green tea bitch.
Even though Lanqi seemed quite knowledgeable about romance, Sophia worried that getting personally involved would put him at a disadvantage. After all, gentlemen had the hardest time dealing with scheming coquettes.
"Don't worry. With a heart of pure sincerity, you can face any difficulty,"
Lanqi answered effortlessly.
"A heart of pure sincerity?"
"Indeed."
"..."
Listening to the exchange between Lanqi and Sophia, Hyperion seemed to realize a very serious problem.
This guy doesn't even realize he's a manipulative green tea himself?!
Does he honestly believe he's pure and sincere?
And taking a step back—
Why in the world would a girl ask a male green tea to help her fight a female green tea over a man?
Hyperion was now deeply worried that after Lanqi fulfilled Sophia's wish, Sophia would go around campus giving him glowing reviews.
She absolutely did not want Lanqi to expand his "romance consulting" business into a thriving enterprise.
His industrial-welding style of matchmaking was far too horrifying.
If everyone started flocking to the student council to consult Lanqi on love life, the school's atmosphere would mutate sooner or later!
This guy was no god of love!
Chapter 209