An Outing for Lanqi, Hyperion, and Talia

Beneath a clear sky, an expanse of pristine azure stretched out as far as the eye could see. After lunch, Lanqi, Hyperion, and Talia temporarily took their leave of the Wilfort residence. With Lanqi leading the way, they stepped out of the manor and onto the road heading toward the eastern side of the city-state. Known as the "Guardian's Path," this wide, tranquil street was flanked by towering oaks, neatly trimmed shrub hedges, and lush green grass. Talia was very familiar with this place. There had been a time when she came here every day to wait for Lanqi. That, too, had been early summer, when the afternoon sun in the South Vantina frontier territory warmed the skin. Back then, however, her life and state of mind were nowhere near as serene as they were now; each day she was still pondering how best to make use of her deal with Lanqi to amass the distant, seemingly impossible seed money for the restoration of her nation. Decades of lonely wandering had actually come to an end because of that single chance encounter at the foot of the city wall. Walking between Lanqi and Hyperion, Talia simply thought to herself, not saying a word. Though dressed in light, casual attire, they could still feel the heat shimmering off the distant grass, the warm breeze making one drowsy. Yet none of the three felt sleepy. Before long, they passed through the path, and their field of view opened up as they stepped onto the stone bridge over the canal, where waterfowl lazily drifted across the water from time to time. Hyperion walked on the far left. While gazing toward the river to her right, she also stole brief glances at the expressions of Tata and Lanqi. The two of them seemed long accustomed to existing quietly together without speaking. Hyperion, however, found this atmosphere difficult to adjust to, the cries of the waterfowl lingering in her heart. She didn't know whether it was harder to face Lanqi right now, or harder to face Tata. All Hyperion knew was that a certain tranquility in her heart had vanished. In that desperate, unavoidable moment earlier, she had been the one pressed closest to Lanqi's heart, yet she hadn't felt the slightest sense of security. Even now, she harbored an anxious dread that something belonging to her was about to be taken away. Whatever Tata wanted, Hyperion had originally believed she would offer it up with both hands. Yet now, Hyperion had begun to question that thought. She didn't know if her love for Tata was insufficient, or if she was simply too selfish. Hyperion had originally planned to find a suitable opportunity to acknowledge Talia after returning. Yet because of the incredibly awkward incident between the three of them that morning, even though Hyperion already knew Talia was her aunt, she had no idea how to bring it up. Blurted out now, it might only make things between them all the more awkward. Just as they came down from the bridge, walking along the slope with her thoughts in a tangled mess, Hyperion felt a gaze upon her. Turning her head to follow it, she saw Lanqi looking at her. It was as though he had seen right through the anxiety that was practically written into her footsteps. "Hyperion..." Lanqi smiled helplessly. That unspoken look seemed to reassure her: *Don't worry about Tata holding a grudge against you. Feed her well and she'll be in high spirits; she wouldn't mind something like that at all.* That was what Lanqi was trying to convey. Hyperion quickly looked away, not daring to read any more of Lanqi's disrespectful thoughts. Tata was right between the two of them, and Lanqi still dared to pull stunts like this! Talia paused slightly in her step, shifting Hyperion from her left side over next to Lanqi as she swapped positions with her. It seemed she didn't want Hyperion walking on the side closest to the road—merely a subconscious protective gesture. Of course, it was also possible she had seen that Hyperion wanted to talk to Lanqi and ceded her spot to her. "..." Hyperion looked at Talia, feeling her eyes sting again. She recalled how, when living together, Tata had cared for her with meticulous devotion, prioritizing her in everything. Even with Tata's favorite pastries, she would always share the best piece with Hyperion. In her childhood imaginings, only a mother would treat her so well. On the journey back from the Northern Continent, the one she missed most had been Tata. With Tata by her side, she ought to have been the happiest person in the world; yet now that she had truly returned to her, Hyperion's mind was full of wild, improper thoughts about barriers between them. Hyperion shook her head vigorously. After hesitating for a long moment, she gently reached out, tentatively linking her arm through Talia's. Talia looked at Hyperion in a daze. She didn't push away Hyperion's closeness. In Talia's eyes, Hyperion had always been a girl acutely conscious of personal distance, forever fretting about inconveniencing others or annoying people by being presumptuously close. Thus, even though they had lived together every day, Hyperion had never tried to initiate physical affection. Who would have thought that after six months apart in the blink of an eye, Hyperion was willing to be so warm and affectionate with her? From within Lanqi's shadow, Boss Cat watched as the knot between the three of them suddenly seemed to untangle, leaving it thoroughly bewildered! What kind of magic had Master Lan used this time? How had Lanqi actually managed to make the atmosphere feel like a family vacation! It had overheard in passing that when Lanqi and Hyperion went to Herrom Prison, they had encountered an illusion barrier that brought out the most fragile fantasies or irreplaceable regrets buried deep in a person's heart—a beautiful dream destined never to come true in reality. Though Boss Cat didn't know specifically what had happened between them in Herrom Prison, nor why Tata and Hyperion's relationship seemed to have grown even warmer, it had heard in the carriage on the way to South Vantina that, in Hyperion's dream, Duke Mikhail and Duchess Efatia had brought Hyperion to South Vantina on a trip together. Why did it feel now as if that dream had nearly come true...? It looked at Lanqi. His expression was natural; seeing Hyperion happy seemed to put his heart at ease. "Lanqi, thank you," Hyperion thanked him in a soft voice. Faced with Hyperion's sudden gratitude, Lanqi was not surprised. Even if she didn't say it aloud, her eyes while by his side always spoke similar words. "You're welcome." Lanqi smiled, just as he had once told Hyperion on the fourth underground floor of Herrom Prison: though reality might be cruel to her, he would do his utmost to help make it a little more beautiful. "Don't worry, Hyperion. I'll help you bring back both Mr. Mikhail and Miss Efatia. Finding people has always been my strong suit." With that, Lanqi pointedly cast a glance at Talia. "..." Talia was puzzled. She had no idea what Lanqi had to look so smug about just now. He shouldn't know about her relationship with Efatia; Mikhail and Efatia were only related to Hyperion, so why look at her? Even though Asna had told her that Lanqi was skilled at handling civil commissions, that was at most on the level of community service around Ikerite Academy. Could he actually help bring back her dear friend Antanas? Of course, if the siblings Sinora and Pranay were still alive, she missed them dearly as well; back then, those civil officials of the Demon Realm had been the only ones she could talk with comfortably. As for that general permanently stationed at the Demon King's Castle... he was in all likelihood already dead. No one even needed to kill him—he loved dancing through minefields on his own, and sometimes, even knowing he might lose half his life, he would still feel it a shame not to provoke his opponents. Falling briefly into reminiscence, Talia reeled her thoughts back before long. "Safety first," Talia ultimately reminded him. From the bottom of her heart, she truly hoped beyond measure that Lanqi could help bring Efatia back. Aside from Antanas and the others, she felt that her life would be close to complete, with few regrets left. Her long-held wish of restoring her nation, along with her hatred, ought to have vanished into thin air long ago. She didn't want to be chained to the past anymore. Yet above all else, she wanted everything to be built on the premise of Lanqi and Hyperion's safety; she didn't want Lanqi and Hyperion taking risks. "Huh? Tata, are you worried about me?" Lanqi pointed at himself in curiosity, asking Talia with an expression full of surprise. "..." In the very beginning, whenever she saw Lanqi acting this cheeky, Talia would only shoot him a glare. Later, it became a flat denial. Later still, she simply ignored him. "Yes," Talia replied, her firm tone as flat and unruffled as ever. "..." Lanqi was stunned for a moment. She admitted it? Though there had occasionally been moments in the past when Talia suddenly turned a little gentle, he had never seen a Talia like this. "Where did you hide the real Tata?" Lanqi muttered. "Guess," Talia said, looking at him expressionlessly. "???" Lanqi was even more bewildered. Talia still wasn't angry, and had even started playing along with his banter.