Hyperion Can't Bear to Part with Xigelei

"I understand." Caliera nodded, seated on the sofa in the reception parlor of Chequers Manor. Now this was no longer merely a marriage between Lord Nameless and the Princess; it was very likely to escalate into an alliance between the Prime Minister of the Polant Empire and a princess of the Demon Realm. Announcing the news at this particular moment would inevitably invite wild speculation, so it was best to wait until the war stabilized before finalizing the matter. "So, Princess, do you plan to stay behind in the Polant Empire to be with him?" A slight smile tugged at the corner of Caliera's lips as she looked at Hyperion. Hyperion hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "Is that not allowed?" she asked the Fall Lord in a timid, soft voice. Based on her understanding of the Fall Lord, the woman wouldn't easily permit a princess to wander abroad so willfully. Even though the Shadow World was nearing its end, and even if she and Lanqi parted now, they would soon return to the same threshold space. However, doing so might result in her and Lanqi being separated in different places at the start of the next Shadow World. If possible, she still hoped to open her eyes and find Lanqi right beside her, just like in the previous two Shadow Worlds—that steady sense of security was something she cherished. "*Sigh*, of course it isn't allowed. But your escape skills have grown sharper and sharper; I can't catch you anymore. When I go back, that's all I can tell the great demons." Caliera shook her head with a sigh, carrying the wistful resignation of a mother unable to keep a grown daughter at home. "Caliera, thank you." Moved, Hyperion shifted half an inch closer to the Fall Lord. Compared to the intimidating Fall Lord who had frightened her at first, Caliera had now become an outright friend. "Then the Princess is in your hands, Mr. W-i-l-f-o-r-t," Caliera said, turning to Lanqi, her pronunciation stiff and deliberate as she enunciated his name. Facing him now felt intensely awkward for the Fall Lord. It was impossible not to recall the scene when she had met him in this very manor just a few days ago. As an august Tier 9 great demon, she had never lost face so terribly in her life. "Rest assured, Miss Caliera. I will protect my princess well," Lanqi replied with an easy, unperturbed smile. Hyperion immediately shot Lanqi a look. She opened her mouth to object, but quickly drooped and lowered her head, looking utterly deflated. "By the way, I have one last question." Caliera rose to her feet with satisfaction, then seemed to remember something and sat back down before taking her leave. "What do I look like in your eyes?" Opening her eyes wide, she gazed at Lanqi, brimming with curiosity. This question had puzzled her for a long time. From the very beginning, when their eyes met in Naicalis, the Demon King's Castle, she had felt that Lanqi did not pay her the slightest bit of mind. Later, it was confirmed beyond doubt that this fellow was entirely immune to charm. "..." Hyperion grew tense as well, swallowing hard. The Fall Lord's passive magic caused her appearance to reflect the woman the beholder most desired to see. For a man, the Fall Lord would look like whichever woman he liked best. Hyperion couldn't help wondering whether the Fall Lord's appearance in Lanqi's eyes resembled her own... Or could it be... that woman from the Northern Continent? Or perhaps, Tata? "You just look like yourself." Lanqi cocked his head in utter bewilderment. He seemed genuinely unable to understand why the Fall Lord would ask him such a question. "Stop playing dumb, Lord Nameless. If you see the Princess, just admit it openly. And if the face you see isn't the Princess, then who on earth is it?" Caliera pressed on, a touch of coolness in her eyes. She looked distinctly displeased with Lanqi's feigned ignorance. "What are you even talking about? Why would you look anything like Hyperion?" Lanqi muttered. Instantly, the light in Hyperion's eyes dimmed, as if the truth had been laid bare. Sure enough, Lanqi preferred another woman after all. Her eyes stung, welling with moisture beyond her control. But bursting into tears right now would only make her feel more humiliated. Lanqi pulled pen and paper from beneath the coffee table in front of the sofa. Within minutes, he sketched a portrait on the page and handed it to the Fall Lord. "Look, don't you look like this?" he asked. Hyperion peered over at Lanqi's sketch and froze. To be honest, she had never seen the woman in the drawing before. Before Hyperion could ask, the Fall Lord provided the answer. "..." The Fall Lord remained dazed for a long while before looking up at Lanqi. "To think someone... could actually see my original appearance..." she murmured. Hyperion took the drawing from the Fall Lord's hand and compared it to her face. The more she looked, the stronger the resemblance became, as though having pierced through an empty illusion to finally behold Caliera's true self. Caliera was fundamentally an exquisitely moving, pure beauty, yet she had disguised her own features. Perhaps her true appearance lacked the imposing aura suited to her persona as the Fall Lord, so she had simply used an illusion to conceal it. "*Sigh*, what a pity you are already betrothed. Otherwise, this one wouldn't mind considering you." Caliera finally shook her head, speaking with airy relief. "!" Hyperion had spent every day with Caliera, but this was the first time she had ever heard the woman use such a coquettish, modest form of address for herself. Goosebumps erupted across her skin, and she instinctively grabbed Lanqi's sleeve in wariness. "Heh heh, just joking. Let's pass on an old cow grazing on tender grass; I know full well how vast our age gap is." Caliera gave a playful smile, then turned her gaze back toward Hyperion. "Your Highness, don't be so stubborn with your words in the future." Her eyes seemed to say: *The man beside you is in high demand; let your guard down for a second, and he might slip away. Not everyone has your best interests at heart like I do.* "I'm not being stubborn!" Hyperion blurted out instinctively. Looking at Hyperion, Caliera's smile turned slightly helpless, though she could not hide the affection she felt for her. "All right, Your Highness. Whenever you wish to return to the Demon Realm, you are welcome anytime. Take good care of yourself in the Polant Empire." She stood up, bent down, and gently embraced Hyperion. "Thank you... Caliera. Take care of yourself too. I'll miss you." Hyperion stared at Caliera as the woman came over to say goodbye. After a slight hesitation, she rested her hands on Caliera's back, then slowly let go. In her childhood fantasies of what a mother might be, someone gentle and considerate like Tata was naturally the most perfect. A calm, rational woman like Teacher Ice Snow Witch was also someone she admired. And of course, a strict mother like Caliera didn't seem bad either. Although she still had no idea what her biological mother, Efatia, was like, Hyperion felt she had no regrets left in her heart. After parting from Hyperion, Caliera waved gracefully to Lanqi and Xigelei, then made her way out of the reception parlor. "Bye-bye, Caliera!" Xigelei waved her arm until Caliera's figure completely vanished down the corridor. The clock in the reception parlor ticked steadily away. It was almost half-past eight. This Shadow World was about to end. By all accounts, only a few minutes remained. Although Hyperion and Lanqi would remain in the Polant Empire, the next time they entered the final Blood Moon Ruined World Shadow World, it might be more than a decade later for their friends in this era. "Xigelei, I'm going to miss you so much." Just the thought brought tears to Hyperion's eyes. She hugged Xigelei tightly, nuzzling against her cheek, utterly unwilling to let go. In this Shadow World, her greatest joy each day had been living and playing together with Xigelei. Never in the mortal realm had she met a girl so clever, forthright, and adorable. If only she could bring Xigelei back to the mortal realm, Hyperion would truly love to keep her in the ducal manor, roaming and playing through the royal capital of Ikerite together every day. "Are we parting ways?" Xigelei asked, puzzled. "Uh... I mean hypothetically. For a while, Lanqi and I might have to go somewhere very far away. When we finally meet again, it might be more than ten years later. Can you bear that kind of loneliness?" Hyperion had no idea how to explain. Any words or information regarding the Shadow World were automatically censored by the world itself and could not be communicated. And in this era of the Blood Moon Ruined World where Shadow Worlds did not exist, even a detailed explanation would be incomprehensible to the people here. Xigelei shook her head, then nodded. She broke into a look of uncertainty, unsure whether she could live alone for so long again. "Sister Hyperion, I feel like we'll always meet again." Xigelei muttered to herself, letting Hyperion hug her like a stuffed doll. She couldn't understand her sister's words, yet inexplicably, through some obscure instinct, she could sense what Hyperion meant. Even if there truly were another world, they would reunite on that side as well. "Why do you say that?" Hyperion released her, gazing into her violet eyes. "I've been having dreams lately. I can't remember the details... but I feel like I dream of you, Sister..." Xigelei racked her mind, speaking with hesitation. "What am I like in your dreams?" Hyperion asked curiously. "In the dreams, you're super mean, Sister. You want to hit me over the slightest disagreement." Xigelei thought for a moment before answering. "No way!" Hyperion's face crumpled in dismay, terrified of being hated by Xigelei. "It's okay though! I can tell the difference. You treat me so well, Sister, and I like you very much." Xigelei grinned broadly. "*Wuwu*, Xigelei, I'll always love you too! There's no way I would ever hit you in this lifetime! Don't have dreams like that anymore!" Deeply moved, Hyperion pulled her a fraction tighter. "Exactly. How could you two ever end up fighting? Dreams really are nonsense. If you two ever get into a fight, I'll eat this sofa," Lanqi leaned comfortably against the sofa, chuckling as he offered his commentary. He was already looking forward to the touching reunion between Hyperion and the grown-up Xigelei in the next Shadow World. A cheerful atmosphere filled the room. As the melody echoing through the manor gradually swelled and picked up speed, the addition of brass and strings made the tune grander, more melodious, and lighthearted—just like the closing overture of a Broadway show. The hands of the large clock on the wall of Chequers Manor's reception parlor pointed to half-past eight. "Today is your forty-fifth day in this Shadow World," Boss Cat began its final broadcast. "You have delightfully secured victory in this Shadow World once again." Amidst laughter and music, time seemed to slow to a crawl in an instant. A clear radiance diffused through the dark night, and the entire manor began to rise like bubbling foam. Faint glimmers of starlight slipped quietly into the mansion through the dissolving walls. This month-and-a-half-long [Darkest Solar Eclipse Realm] had finally arrived at the hour of settlement.