Earlier, out on the snowy plains of the northern frontier, Boss Cat hadn't been this terrified even when enduring the Nuclear Fusion Wolf's explosion.
It kept its head tucked down, not daring to peek out.
It truly feared that Sigrid and Hyperion would fight to the death tonight—or tear Lanqi in half deciding who got him.
Were it not for the protective barrier of the Protos Royal Magic Academy here, they probably would have already been brawling beyond anyone's power to stop them.
The two women's shouting match gave Lanqi virtually no chance to speak.
In fact, if Lanqi had tried to interrupt, the two of them would most likely have told him to shut up in unison.
Because once their tempers flared, the crux of their dispute was no longer just about factions, but about who Lanqi belonged to; both firmly believed Lanqi was theirs.
Yet when arguing between themselves failed to produce an answer, Lanqi had to answer it himself.
But answering this question—wouldn't that just get him killed?
Both women had given Lanqi their sincere feelings.
If Lanqi chose to take Sigrid's side, he would hurt Hyperion; if he chose to take Hyperion's side, he would hurt Sigrid. And either way, it would be the deepest, most irreparable hurt.
Backing both would be no different from fanning the flames; a fight would break out tonight no matter what.
And if he chose neither or shrank from deciding, cowering at this crucial moment, both would be bitterly disappointed in him.
This was a lethal trap.
Matters having reached this point, reasoning was utterly pointless. Any choice would detonate an explosion—the only variable was the blast yield.
Hiding under the sofa, Boss Cat felt its heart pounding faster and faster. In the air so quiet it was terrifying, it seemed as though the heartbeats of everyone in the room could be heard. It couldn't help praying that Lanqi would make up his mind quickly; with every passing minute, the odds of a catastrophic blowout tonight only grew higher.
The best outcome would be to commit to one and draw a clear line with the other, but that required supreme judgment and decisive resolve!
Such a ruthless decision wasn't something an ordinary person could figure out in an instant and make without hesitation.
Yet it still heard no reply from Lanqi.
Under such circumstances, an ordinary person would already be sweating profusely.
It wondered how Lanqi, who was always daring because of his supreme skill, would handle this.
When Boss Cat poked its head out in fear and curiosity,
it discovered that while Lanqi was indeed remaining silent,
he was looking at the two with a face full of bewildered innocence, wearing an utterly heartbroken expression.
As if asking them: *What are you two doing?*
"?!"
Boss Cat's eyes twitched violently. It couldn't tell whether Lanqi was truly blind to the fact that these two girls were on the brink of coming to blows over him, or if he was putting on an act as a pure, innocent, fragile white lotus.
*You have the male lead's script, not the female lead's!*
Boss Cat felt it must have been utterly blind back then to have taken this guy for the male protagonist of a youthful romantic comedy and followed his story.
"Holy Son, don't even think about brushing me off right now. Playing pitiful won't work."
Sigrid shook her head, as if she had already seen right through him.
"If she and I come to blows, who will you protect? Just answer that question."
Sigrid looked straight into Lanqi's eyes and demanded.
She had always firmly believed that her Holy Son would remain by her side through thick and thin; now, she was all the more unable to accept that he might stand against her on account of another woman.
"..."
Hyperion pursed her lips and looked at Lanqi. She knew Lanqi was playing innocent right now, but things had reached this point, and she wanted an answer too.
Any other girl might have been duped by Lanqi and softened up, but she knew Lanqi too well.
From the moment she and Sigrid posed that question together, there was no turning back.
Lanqi locked gazes with the two girls, still looking as though he couldn't bring himself to say whom he would protect.
His eyes seemed to say: *How can I make you understand?*
In the quiet room, it felt as though any sound might be swallowed by an imminent gale.
Sitting on the edge of the sofa, Gloria didn't dare make a peep. She could only fumble with trembling hands for the melon seeds on the coffee table, pretending her attention wasn't on the trio. An emotional dispute between a bishop and the Holy Son was not something she could meddle in.
She realized that although the Holy Son possessed extraordinary talents, handling a lovers' quarrel was the one thing he was terrible at!
His mind was entirely devoted to his career, and there were so few women around him; it was only natural that he didn't know how to handle women.
When two girls both confront you with a question of ownership, the worst possible response is displaying spineless cowardice—that would only leave both sides utterly disappointed!
Rather than wavering indecisively, it was far better to take a clear stance and tell them who he would support. At least that would show he was a man of conviction, and he could secure that side's goodwill.
The most infuriating type of man was precisely this kind: indecisive, yet not fully committed to being a scoundrel, caught helplessly in between!
And so it continued, until Sigrid's gaze gradually filled with impatience, while a trace of sorrow tinged Hyperion's eyes, and both were about to avert their eyes from him.
"..."
Lanqi slowly averted his eyes first.
He stared at the floor in the corner, his eyes filled with bewildered sorrow.
"I thought... now that I had met someone important to me, someone I needed to protect all along, no matter how rugged the road ahead in the Empire might be, I could persevere... But why..."
Lanqi lowered his head, a desolate sadness flickering across his face—the look of someone completely misunderstood.
Like an innocent maiden unable to comprehend the reason for such strife, cornered and at a loss, or perhaps waiting to see which of the two would comfort him first.
Hearing Lanqi's response, Gloria could only shake her head.
Playing pitiful at a time like this wouldn't work at all; it would only make both women even angrier.
However.
To Gloria's utter astonishment...
"..."
Sigrid and Hyperion both fell quiet, as if pondering something.
Gloria knitted her brows tightly, watching the subtle shift in atmosphere among the three.
She clutched her head for a moment, her scalp itching with bewilderment, completely unable to fathom what was happening.
At this moment, Sigrid and Hyperion...
Though their expressions differed, their trains of thought were remarkably alike.
Putting aside Lanqi's usual green-tea melodrama for a moment...
Between the two of them, which one was the "important person" Lanqi had spoken of, and which was the one he "needed to protect all along"?
Recalling Lanqi's hesitant demeanor just now, unable to bring himself to protect one over the other, they both felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
*Sure enough, I must be the more important one, while she's the one who needs protecting.*
Now that they had cooled down and thought back on their argument, they really hadn't given Lanqi a chance to explain himself. It was only natural that he would feel hurt.
Looking at Lanqi like this, once their flames of fury subsided slightly, guilt welled up in their hearts.
If either of them snapped at him now while the other softened her tone to comfort him, even having the upper hand could result in losing everything.
"...?!"
Boss Cat stared agape at the rapidly softening atmosphere.
*Are you kidding me, Master Lan?*
*You actually managed to soothe both of them?!*
*Pulling off an extreme maneuver like this is going to make him way too confident.*
*At this rate, even if you tossed another Tata into the mix, he probably wouldn't break a sweat!*
Chapter 383