Talia's body stiffened, her gaze fixed helplessly on Lanqi.
The restaurant's once-soft lighting now felt blindingly harsh. The radiant crystal chandelier refracted dazzling beams like a ruthless spotlight, bathing them in light with nowhere to hide.
Just when Talia felt completely at her wit's end, every breath growing heavy and labored, she suddenly noticed Lanqi regaining his cool composure.
As if grasping onto a savior, she tightened her grip on his hand.
"That's fine. Please switch it to the quadruple-cut waterfall cheese handmade beef burger."
Lanqi spoke calmly to the waiter first, before unhurriedly shifting his attention back to the communication magic card.
"It's like this: you know Tata really loves merchandise from the *Animal Forest* series. So today I ordered a combo recommended by the staff for her. It might still not be quite enough to fill her up, but she gets a plushie and a raffle ticket out of it. As for the couple's accessories, it's just because today happens to be a festival here in the Kingdom of Posen."
He spoke to Hyperion in a calm, orderly tone.
"That's right," Talia chimed in from the side.
Although she felt Lanqi's explanation was once again insulting her appetite, she had to marvel at his superb crisis management rhetoric.
Lanqi was undeniably a PR master!
As long as she was the only one eating the couple's meal, Hyperion wouldn't suspect her and Lanqi of being an actual couple.
"I see."
Hyperion breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
Come to think of it, Lanqi and Tata wouldn't want accessories anyway. The two usually seemed thoroughly sick of each other; there was no way they would ever wear matching couple's jewelry together in Ikerite.
"Still, are you two out on a date today?" Hyperion asked again, puzzled.
In her childhood, Mikhail had brought her to Palieu, the Flower Capital of the Kingdom of Posen, many times, so she knew the place quite well. Today was Posen's Fireworks Festival, a day primarily celebrated by couples traveling together.
For Lanqi and Tata to go out to a restaurant together today was completely unexpected—it sounded just like a couple going on a date.
"We spend most of our time in Ikerite, so we don't pay much attention to foreign holidays. To us, it's no different from any ordinary day," Talia replied, sounding both helpless and completely natural.
First and foremost, it was vital to dispel any romantic undertones about today.
She was beginning to grasp Lanqi's way of thinking.
"Besides, I was a bit groggy from sleep today. I even went out and did a round of work before realizing it was a day off," Lanqi chimed in beside her, his voice tinged with weary exhaustion.
"You've worked so hard, Lanqi. You need to rest well," Hyperion said hurriedly with concern, as if astonished that Lanqi could make such a blunder—he truly must be exhausted.
"..."
Talia thought this man was simply outrageous, leading Little Hesper around by the nose.
Now Hyperion was comforting him instead!
No, wait—he hadn't actually lied; everything he said was the truth.
How on earth did he do that?!
Talia's gaze toward Lanqi grew complicated, like someone looking at a scumbag. But on second thought, she was the one currently holding hands with him. He was cooperating with her to get through this crisis, so she had no right to judge him.
At moments like this, she couldn't help feeling a sense of security being with Lanqi. He could smooth over any problem, and in moments of crisis, the two of them always complemented each other.
Just as their casual chat had brought some relief to the atmosphere:
"Mommy, they're holding hands. How are they going to eat later?"
A little girl looked toward their table and asked her mother.
She seemed to have been curious for a while, having cast intermittent glances at Lanqi and Talia. Her gaze was pure and unvarnished. Tilting her head and blinking wide eyes, her innocent face was filled with confusion, having clearly sensed the unusual atmosphere between the man and woman.
The moment she asked, her mother hushed her and cast an apologetic look at the two. After apologizing, the mother quickly bent down and whispered into her daughter's ear with a mix of scolding and reassurance. Pouting, the little girl nodded, half-comprehending.
It made Lanqi and Talia choke.
And that voice, neither too close nor too far, seemed to have been picked up by Hyperion on the other end of the communication.
"Haha, everyone over there must be couples. Why are there such idiot couples who have to hold hands even while eating?"
Hyperion giggled.
That was just what she had seen during the Fireworks Festival in the Kingdom of Posen in the past.
"..."
The two felt like they were back in prison, the sweat between their palms increasing.
Lanqi and Talia were convinced this call could not go on—this restaurant was fraught with hidden dangers!
"Why did you two stop talking...?"
A surge of unease rose in Hyperion's heart.
Surely the ones holding hands couldn't be Lanqi and Tata... could they?
"I'm watching an idiot!" Talia said in a hushed voice, glaring at Lanqi.
"...Same here," Lanqi replied with a forced half-smile, telling himself not to pick a fight with Talia at a time like this.
"Don't let them catch you staring," Hyperion said, instantly feeling she had overthought things and letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
At the very least, she could never imagine Lanqi and Tata, who bickered constantly, ever holding hands.
Whenever she opened their door, she always saw Lanqi and Tata like oil and water, keeping their distance. She never had to worry about walking in on any scandalous scene.
"By the way, is Boss Cat there?"
Hyperion felt like she had an unusual amount of doubts today.
Yet without asking, she couldn't put her mind at ease.
Lanqi and Tata wouldn't go out on a date alone together... right?
"He's here, he's here."
Hearing the slight suspicion in Hyperion's voice, Lanqi felt as if he had caught a lifeline.
With Boss Cat present, it naturally wouldn't count as a private date between him and Talia.
He glanced down at his shadow and lightly tapped his foot, signaling it to come out.
Even when Boss Cat ran off, he would always slip back into Lanqi's shadow after a short while. Most of the time, Lanqi didn't even notice when Boss Cat had snuck back in.
However...
The shadow showed no response whatsoever.
Both Lanqi and Talia looked down at the shadow.
"...?"
Slowly, they raised their heads to meet each other's eyes. Sweat began beading on their foreheads, and their clasped hands tightened.
Where was Boss Cat?
Boss Cat really wasn't there!
Now the misunderstanding was only growing deeper!!
"Hello? Hello?"
Hyperion seemed unsure if the reception was good, her tone carrying an even deeper layer of doubt.
She hadn't heard Boss Cat's voice for so long.
If the two of them had deliberately sent Boss Cat away today, then what... what on earth were they planning to do?
The more Hyperion thought about it, the more flustered she became, her imagination running wild.
Hearing Hyperion's breathing turn increasingly rapid and flustered, Lanqi and Talia sensed this misunderstanding was spiraling out of control!
Yet there was no sign of the little black cat anywhere.
Heaven knew who taught Hyperion to let her imagination wander like that, but across the connection, they could practically feel her thoughts running rampant.
When they got back, there would be no explaining this!
"...!"
In a flash of wit, Lanqi shoved the magic card to Talia's mouth.
Talia looked at him in disbelief.
She understood Lanqi's meaning in an instant!
Only she could mimic Boss Cat's youthful, childish voice!
Lanqi's pleading eyes practically said: *You're our only hope right now.*
Setting aside whether Talia could pull it off, the Demon Realm's top diva, Poet of Great Love, could certainly mimic voices—meaning Talia was fully capable of it too. It was merely a question of whether she was willing.
Struggling internally, Talia grew increasingly panicked.
"Hyperion-meow! Here I am-meow!"
Pinching her voice, Talia turned beet red as she imitated Boss Cat.
The moment she spoke those words, she wanted to die on the spot.
"Pfft!"
Hearing cat talk come out of Talia's mouth, Lanqi truly couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
Talia gave Lanqi's hand a fierce squeeze, glaring at him in mortified fury.
If not for him, how could she have stooped to doing something as absurd as mewing like Boss Cat? And he had the nerve to laugh at a time like this!
Lanqi pressed his lips together, his jaw tightening as he struggled mightily to hold it in while thinking at full speed.
"Boss Cat, I missed you so much."
To Hyperion, hearing this was like taking an emergency heart pill. Confirming that Boss Cat was by their side, her dangling heart finally settled.
"I missed you too-meow!"
Talia's voice went even more squeaky and cutesy.
"...!"
Lanqi tried desperately to stifle his laughter, resting his forehead against the dining table while his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
At first, he truly hadn't expected it to be this funny.
...
Far outside the restaurant, on a small boat by the riverbank.
Aetio paddled leisurely, while Rosalinda carried the little black cat on top of her head, occasionally gesturing for Aetio to circle back.
"What are they talking about? Tata's face is so red."
Through her binoculars, Rosalinda could only see Talia on the call with blushing cheeks, while Lanqi laughed uncontrollably beside her—as if his joy were being transmitted straight into Tata's palm, and Tata held tightly onto his hand without letting go.
Unfortunately, they were too far away.
Casting detection magic at this distance would surely be noticed by the two in the restaurant.
"I can't hear, but the mood is great!" Aetio looked toward the restaurant and smiled.
"Meow... Could it be Hyperion calling?"
Watching Lanqi and Tata's bizarre reactions, Boss Cat had a rough guess as to who was on the other end.
*No way, Master Lan. You can actually laugh? One wrong step and you'd be utterly done for.*
"I told you they should go on a date today," Aetio said, unable to resist recording this lovely moment with a recording crystal.
Along the way, she had snapped plenty of shots of them holding hands.
When she visited the Hutton Kingdom for fun, she would share the pictures with Lanqi and the others.
...
Back in the window booth of the Colonges Sunbridge Inn Restaurant.
Built along the river, the restaurant offered an unobstructed view of the Selena River through transparent floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The river's surface reflected the lush woods and mountain flowers on both banks; now and then, a lone skiff glided leisurely by, stirring up ripples that added a touch of life to the tranquil scenery.
Talia was still holding the communication magic card, which flashed with purple light from time to time, chatting with the other end in Ikerite.
"Boss Cat, it's Antanas! Are you bringing us employee souvenirs?"
Over on Hyperion's side, having seemingly overheard Boss Cat's voice, Antanas leaned in and asked excitedly next to Hyperion.
"They're all prepared-meow! Don't worry, Antanas!"
Talia continued to swallow her shame, replying in Boss Cat's energetic voice.
She had never dreamed she would ever speak to her best friend like this.
If she was recognized, she could die right then and there.
Normally, whenever Hyperion went out, she was accompanied either by Sinora or Antanas, guarded at all times by a great demon bodyguard.
"...Boss Cat, your voice today?"
Antanas seemed to pull away from the receiver to look at it, murmuring in confusion.
"What is it-meow?"
Talia's heart nearly leapt out of her chest as she forced her pitch high to ask.
"It sounds exceptionally cute."
Antanas couldn't put her finger on what was off, but it felt subtly different from usual.
"I've always been cute-meow," Talia said in a childish voice.
Lanqi could barely hold it together anymore.
Sprawled across the dining table, he was pounding the sofa cushion in helpless laughter.
His trembling chuckles made Talia want to die even more—and take him down with her.
"Oh right! Boss Cat, Lanqi, Tata! As a barrier specialist, I've joined Hyperion and Sinora's ducal mansion expedition team now! After Sinora broke through the outermost barrier, we discovered a huge underground space beneath the ducal estate! We don't know what's hidden down there yet, but as soon as we crack it, we'll share it with you guys right away!"
Antanas spoke excitedly to their end of the line.
Nowadays, the three of them went exploring in the Aransal Ducal Mansion every day. If not for the restriction that high-tier magic couldn't be used recklessly within Ikerite's city limits—especially in important areas like the ducal estate—they would have dismantled things even faster. Even so, they found it tremendously thrilling, feeling as though they had discovered a high-level hidden dungeon right in the center of the city-state.
"All right. We'll look into card making a bit more here before heading back. We'll probably buy our train tickets for the next couple of days," Talia said, switching back to her normal voice and speaking calmly.
By praying to the epic Statue of the Goddess of Will and Love in the Temple of the Love Goddess in Palieu, one could obtain a temporary mental-attribute blessing, which also offered a slight chance of boosting the success rate when crafting mental-attribute magic cards.
Setting aside heaven's timing and human coordination, if they could craft cards in the Flower Capital, they would still try to take advantage of the local terrain to finish crafting Caliera's Shadow Loom before heading back.
Though it didn't feel very promising.
"Stay safe then, and have fun!" Hyperion reminded them.
So long as war didn't suddenly break out in the Creti Empire, Lanqi and Talia should be able to return in early September.
The relay fees for international communications were exorbitant; talking for just this short while had already cost quite a sum, which was rather extravagant for Hyperion, who had always lived frugally.
"All right, don't worry," both Talia and Lanqi answered.
After a brief farewell, the international call came to an end.
Talia and Lanqi exhaled a long breath, leaning back against the sofa as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from their shoulders, having survived a massive ordeal.
Yet Lanqi still couldn't get Talia's voice out of his head, and he burst out laughing once more.
"What are you laughing at...?"
Talia's voice turned icy.
"I missed you too-meow!"
Lanqi mimicked Talia's exact tone from earlier, speaking to her without a shred of fear.
"Tata, you really are so cute!"
As if that wasn't enough, he added another line.
Just looking at Talia's expression was an absolute treat.
"I've always been cute-meow."
Talia looked like she was about to overheat, yet Lanqi kept repeating it beside her ear.
Motionless, she clenched her trembling fists, keeping her head low as she took one deep breath after another.
Endure.
Today, she was definitely going to endure it!
If she lost control, she couldn't even imagine what she would do to Lanqi.
Chapter 697