Light spilled through the sheer window curtains, dancing like wisps of pure spirits.
In this brief, speechless moment, Lanqi's bedroom felt especially quiet.
"Would you care to explain why my portrait is hanging in your bedroom?" Talia finally asked.
Her face remained as emotionless as ever, making it impossible to tell whether she was truly angry.
"It's... a complicated story..."
Lanqi subconsciously took two steps back.
Glancing to the side, he noticed Hyperion had reached the bedroom doorway, her gaze likewise drawn to the conspicuous portrait inside.
"..."
Seeing the painting hanging in Lanqi's room, Hyperion parted her lips slightly, yet no words came out.
The beautiful woman in the portrait was all too familiar to her. That solitary figure would never lead anyone to mistake her for someone frail; the more the dust tried to obscure her, the less it could hide the nobility running through her veins—the very image Hyperion loved most.
It was in this instant that Hyperion connected all the dots.
When Lanqi and Tata had left South Vantina, he had mentioned the portrait in his bedroom, claiming it depicted a poor, destitute old woman.
And yet, the subject was actually Talia!
Hyperion finally understood why Lanqi had been in such a panic since yesterday.
Yet for reasons she could not grasp, an indescribable emotion surged in her chest.
Why had Lanqi hung Tata's portrait in his bedroom, and one painted with such meticulous care?
Could it be... Lanqi truly harbored special feelings for Tata?
The thought threw Hyperion's mind into complete disarray. She had always assumed Lanqi and Tata shared an ordinary teacher-student relationship, with clear boundaries and distance between them.
She instinctively looked toward Lanqi and Tata seeking an answer, but both stood motionless.
"How complicated?"
The sound of Talia approaching pressed an inexplicable weight—even a sense of danger—upon Lanqi.
Without another word, Talia walked slowly toward him.
Her gaze looked as though she had finally seen through his wicked nature: a fellow who had played her for a fool.
Her steps were light yet decisive, each one ticking like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
"Why don't you sit down first and hear me out slowly, all right?"
Lanqi wanted to retreat, but reason locked his heels firmly in place.
He knew he could not afford to panic. The moment Talia caught any hint of him trying to flee, it would truly be over.
At this distance, escaping her was an absolute impossibility.
Yet Talia seemed not to hear his words. Stopping directly in front of Lanqi, she seized his wrist swiftly and deftly.
Lanqi's reaction was almost instinctual, his mouth opening to say something, but at that precise moment, Tata swept his heel. With effortless grace, she threw him completely off balance, sending him crashing to the floor with a heavy thud.
"The painting is actually—"
Before he could recover from the fall, he shouted in a panic.
Immediately following, Tata swiftly and nimbly straddled Lanqi, clapping one hand over his mouth to cut his words off dead.
She glared down at him, her cold eyes flickering with anger and interrogation.
Lanqi was completely stunned.
This was the first time anyone had ever tackled and pinned him like this, denying him even the chance to speak. The instant he showed any sign of drawing a magic card, Talia would undoubtedly strike first!
Talia leaned down slightly, staring into his eyes.
"A portrait of a poor, destitute old woman... an early work of yours... is it this one?"
Talia knew this boy's silver tongue better than anyone.
It was a peculiar gift. So long as he could communicate with words, he had endless ways to bewitch his target, even managing to bypass her lie-detection magic.
Worst of all, back at the station, he had genuinely believed that painting depicted a poor, destitute old woman! It was utterly infuriating!
The more Talia thought about it, the more unbearable her fury became. Her chest heaved, and the hand gripping Lanqi's cheek tightened slightly.
"...!"
Lanqi never dreamed Talia would be so ruthless, exemplifying the art of knowing oneself and one's enemy.
Talia could detect lies, and now having realized her magic could be circumvented with wordplay, she demanded he answer yes or no using only his eyes!
Yet Lanqi felt that answering either way was a death sentence.
Utterly restrained, he could only gaze up at Tata with an innocent look.
The atmosphere in the room turned taut and heavy, and Talia's patience was gradually wearing thin.
Under her grip, Lanqi's expression grew increasingly distressed, as though trapped in an inescapable deadlock.
If he didn't answer, he might die anyway!
Hyperion stood to the side, watching the scene unfold with deep worry and anxiety.
She was certain Lanqi had truly played with fire this time.
He had no way to save himself.
In a moment like this, she had to rescue her good friend!
"Tata, please let Lanqi go!"
Deciding in a split second, Hyperion rushed forward and grabbed Tata's hand, trying to pull her away from Lanqi.
Soon, however, Hyperion realized her strength was nowhere near Talia's match. No matter how hard she pulled, Tata's hand remained unyielding as a mountain, without the slightest intention of letting go.
"..."
Hyperion's intervention drew Tata's attention. Though her gaze softened slightly when looking at Hyperion, it quickly hardened again.
Lanqi's refusal to answer her question had already revealed plenty.
Even with Hyperion pleading for him today, she would never let Lanqi wriggle out of this. She wouldn't give him another chance!
"Tata, Tata!"
In her desperation, shaking Tata proved useless.
Ultimately, Hyperion was forced to change tactics.
She squeezed herself between Tata and Lanqi, wrapping her arms around the fallen youth and shielding him with her own body.
Her movement was resolute and fiercely protective, holding him tight as though ready to absorb every blow on his behalf.
"Lanqi, don't worry."
Hyperion's cheek pressed flush against Lanqi's, her eyes resolute, as if declaring that no matter what happened, she would not allow anyone to hurt him.
The air in the bedroom grew taut and breathless. The heartbeats and breathing of the three became strikingly distinct in the heavy silence.
"...?"
Not only Talia, but Lanqi was also dumbfounded. He had never expected Hyperion to suddenly embrace him like this.
Even if this was an act, her improvisation went far beyond anything he could have imagined.
"Hyperion, you..."
Talia was stunned at first, but the daze in her eyes soon morphed into a faint, simmering resentment.
She understood what Hyperion meant.
She didn't know why she felt so angry, so disappointed.
Yet her hand remained clamped firmly on Lanqi's cheek, refusing to relinquish this final grip of control.
Boss Cat stood in the doorway, completely petrified.
It had thought the clash between Sigrid and Hyperion was explosive enough, but Tata and Hyperion were taking things to an entirely new level.
Yet swept up in their emotional turmoil, none of the three in the room noticed what had just happened—
The sound of footsteps outside the door.
Butler Hans, maid Francine, and Lanqi's father, Noe, stood in the doorway, staring agape at the three figures tangled together on the floor.
Sensing something amiss, the three on the ground turned their eyes toward the trio in the doorway.
At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.
Having heard that Lanqi had returned with Hyperion today, Noe had strolled over from the study with Hans, chatting and laughing cheerfully along the way.
Never in their wildest dreams had they anticipated this.
Arriving at Lanqi's bedroom, this was the sight that greeted them.
Francine clapped both hands over her mouth, her pupils shaking in utter bewilderment.
The silence lingered for a long time.
"Are you three... playing a wrestling game...?" Noe murmured, seemingly questioning whether something had gone terribly wrong with his parenting.
Hearing Noe's words, Hans gave a light cough and immediately stepped forward to shut the bedroom door.
The door clicked shut instantly, isolating the tangled chaos inside from the outside world.
Now acutely aware that they had just been watched, the breathing of all three turned even heavier and more ragged.
Talia's body stiffened, her dazed eyes wide with disbelief, as if feeling that life was no longer worth living.
Hyperion's face turned beet red, and she refused to lift her head again.
She had never imagined she would end up in such an unsightly position alongside her aunt and her friend—let alone be caught in the act by her friend's family.
*Just let me die.*
Chapter 494