Brierda Opera House, main auditorium.
"That added scene was really well acted."
"As expected of the premiere personally directed by Director Abigail."
"You could call it the finishing touch. It really fleshed out the maiden's character—she lived such a hard life and never had anything good to eat, which explains why she's so gluttonous."
"Wait, didn't you guys feel like that was a stage disaster just now? I thought the leads were completely ad-libbing off the rails, and they only barely managed to salvage it thanks to their grasp of the characters."
"Really?"
Whispers rippled back and forth across the audience.
The music struck up.
In the center of the dance floor, the male and female leads danced gracefully, looking like a match made in heaven, harmoniously immersed in the joy.
Their steps were light and elegant, eyes locked in unspoken emotion, appearing as though they were truly made for each other.
Their rhythm was never quite in sync, yet miraculously, they managed to support and steady each other.
It was evident they had rehearsed dancing together many times; there was a subtle tacit understanding between them. Neither feared being tripped by the other, each fully trusting their body to the partner—a dynamic both contradictory and harmonious.
"Isn't the choreography a bit unpolished?"
"They're performing a demon dance. As a professional dancer, I can tell you unequivocally that both of them are dancing quite authentically—it's almost as if they came straight out of an ancient court of the Demon Realm."
"Actually, if you think carefully about the original story, the Ash Maiden has to dance with a governor from the Demon Realm. Given the prevailing ethos of that era, there is no way they could click right away; they're destined to face a tumultuous journey ahead. So deliberately creating this subtle friction and sense of awkward adjustment could only be pulled off through meticulous choreography and countless rehearsals."
Murmurs of awe broke out among the crowd.
Sitting in the VIP box, Abigail felt her scalp tingle.
She hadn't thought anywhere near that far ahead.
She was certain Sid hadn't considered any of that, either.
Gradually, everyone in the ballroom spun and twirled to the music, swept up in pure revelry.
The banquet guests who hadn't joined the dance stood along the perimeter, their eyes fixed on the governor and the Ash Maiden.
"Young Master... you haven't smiled like this in such a long time."
The demon butler who had accompanied the governor from the Demon Realm wiped a tear, murmuring with relief.
The banquet crowd: "He! Act-u-al-ly! Smiled!"
The fresh operatic performance followed suit seamlessly.
After a long while.
The stage slowly settled into quiet.
"It seems... I do not dislike you."
As the piece concluded, the demon governor took the Ash Maiden's hand and spoke.
"I..."
Talia looked at Lanqi, at a loss for words.
She was still feeling fortunate that she had danced with Lanqi before at the Temple of the Goddess of Love, which had allowed her to somehow muddle through this portion of the performance.
Yet Lanqi exuded such an aura of a governor right now that, for a moment, she couldn't tell whether this was acting or a real conversation between them.
The immersive performance made her feel as though she had been transported straight into the world of *Holy War Romance*.
*Tata, your next line is supposed to be 'Me too.' Answer me with a natural, innocent smile.*
Lanqi prompted Talia with his thoughts.
He had gathered that Talia didn't remember her lines and could only rack his own brain, doing everything he could to recall the script and assist her.
"Me too..."
Hearing Lanqi's gentle mental whisper, Talia lowered her head and stammered.
She didn't understand how Lanqi could remain so reliable and supportive even at a time like this.
Her stubborn disposition was destined to bring heavier misfortune upon her.
Yet against all odds, here was someone willing to reach out and steady her.
"..."
Hearing Talia's response, Lanqi was about to speak, only to freeze.
Talia had gotten the line right, but her delivery was completely wrong.
The Ash Maiden shouldn't have shown such soft, bashful timidity at this moment.
Yet immediately afterward, applause erupted from below the stage, throwing Lanqi for a loop.
Did the audience actually approve of an Ash Maiden like this?
Lanqi had no choice but to keep acting.
"Are you ready to tour the banquet with me next?" he asked Talia.
"Yes, but could you take me over there?"
Talia looked toward the banquet tables at the side of the hall and asked.
This was the one plot point of this scene she clearly remembered: after the dance, the governor asks the Ash Maiden where she wants to go, and she tells him she wants to eat some more delicious pastries.
"Maiden, you are in no position to negotiate with me."
Lanqi replied, taking the Ash Maiden by the hand.
In word, he maintained the haughtiness and harshness characteristic of a demon.
In deed, he doted on the Ash Maiden, leading her straight toward the banquet tables.
The music slowed, and the spotlight focused on the two of them as the governor held the Ash Maiden's hand and led her back to the dessert stand from before.
"From now on, I will decide everything concerning you."
The demon governor declared mercilessly, his gaze brooking no dissent as he monopolized the Ash Maiden beside the banquet table.
"You can't..."
An overly domineering Lanqi made her heart flutter unexpectedly. She didn't know what was wrong with her, finding herself actually anticipating what Lanqi would say to her next.
Like this...
At this rate...
Her mind would shut down before she could think...
A rosy blush suffused Talia's cheeks. She averted her eyes, not daring to look Lanqi in the face.
"Including what you eat next."
Lanqi picked up a caramel mango milk shell pastry and brought it close to the Ash Maiden's lips.
"Wait, I refuse!" Talia shook her head.
"I refuse your refusal."
Lanqi remained steadfast.
"Mmph, mmph!"
Talia pushed feebly against Lanqi as if guarding her last line of defense, keeping her mouth clamped shut to prevent him from feeding her the treat.
*Lanqi, don't! Stop coming closer!*
Talia screamed inwardly.
The governor smiled faintly—three parts aloofness, three parts mockery, and four parts nonchalance.
"Your mouth says no, but your stomach is quite honest."
Lanqi tilted his head slightly, as though listening to a faint sound.
It was the rumbling of her stomach.
"Oh... Even the sound of your hungry stomach is so enchanting."
Lanqi praised in true form.
"You mo—"
The veins on the back of Talia's hands trembled faintly. If they hadn't been on stage, she would have already tackled Lanqi and beaten him senseless.
"I what?"
The governor raised an eyebrow with great amusement.
"You... feed me at once..." Talia mumbled.
She had no other choice now but to yield to Lanqi and let him have his fun, she thought, flushed with embarrassment and irritation.
...
Nistro City.
The evening broadcast played on the screen in the mansion's living room.
"Hubao, are you crying?"
Sinora reached out in surprise and touched beneath Hyperion's eye; when she drew her finger back, it was slightly damp.
By human definitions, she didn't think this qualified as a tearjerker.
"I—I'm not."
Holding up a tissue to shield her eyes, Hyperion denied it.
On the wide sofa, on Hyperion's other side, Antanas kept her eyes glued to the play, unwilling to miss a single second, while shooting concerned glances at her best friend.
Antanas understood everything, but she was eating this drama up—the stage performance was turning out even better than she could have imagined.
Having overheard Antanas earlier, the Ice Snow Witch had a fair idea why Hyperion was feeling down.
"I'm not sure whether that girl looks like Talia," the Ice Snow Witch murmured, studying the screen intently.
"Right? I don't think she looks much like Tata either."
Hearing validation from Teacher Ice Snow Witch, Hyperion felt considerably relieved.
"However, the male lead does look quite a bit like Rocky McCarthy," the Ice Snow Witch observed.
Hearing this, Hyperion fell silent again.
"Hubao, when we made that international call to Tata back in the Kingdom of Posen, weren't she and Lanqi totally innocent?"
"Besides, Boss Cat is always there! The two of them would never leave Boss Cat behind to go sneak off on a date!"
Antanas and Sinora hurriedly patted Hyperion on the back.
Both of them knew well that Almis had no idea that Rocky McCarthy from the Northern Continent was Lanqi!
"By the way, where's Pranay?"
Antanas looked around, trying to cheer up Hubao.
Having Pranay weigh in was sure to set things straight.
He always saw right through everything.
"My brother said he wanted to step out and buy some things. He just left."
Sinora glanced toward the doorway and answered.
"Huh...?"
Antanas's smile froze.
...
On stage, the minutes ticked away.
The desserts on the banquet table were practically cleaned out.
"Maiden, I was smitten with you at first sight. Won't you linger with me a while longer?"
Having fed her the last pastry, the governor gestured toward the garden backdrop outside the palace and asked.
*Chime, chime, chime.*
Like ripples descending from a pure white paradise, the stroke of midnight resonated alongside ceremonial music.
Snapping back to reality, the Ash Maiden flusteredly pushed the governor away.
"Lord Governor, I thank you for your kind intentions, but I... I have circumstances I cannot speak of, and I cannot stay," Talia answered promptly.
"Don't go! Tell me where I can find you! You haven't even told me your name! Will we meet again?"
Lanqi lunged to catch her.
Yet when she was determined to run, how could Lanqi possibly stop her? Dodging past him, she scrambled down the steps in a panic.
*I can finally go check the script!*
Talia thought excitedly.
Her prison sentence was finally over.
She could stay backstage for a good long while to rest and review her lines.
"Wait!!" Lanqi shouted in genuine alarm.
But Talia was running too fast. In the blink of an eye, she vanished past the edge of the stage, drifting out of range for their mental communication.
Leaving Lanqi standing bewildered on the stage, turning his head to look out at the audience.
"As expected of the Ash Maiden who does manual chores at home all day—she sure can run fast."
Commentary instantly broke out in the audience.
"Indeed. She portrayed that midnight panic to perfection—it hardly looked like acting at all."
"And don't overlook the male lead! That stunned, helpless look of his was brilliant too. He even went pale."
"Wait, do you guys feel like something's missing...?"
...
Backstage.
The moment Talia sprinted back to her dressing area, she grabbed the script and flipped through it at top speed.
The instant she reopened the script, all her peace of mind returned.
"'Lord Governor, have you come for me? I knew you would come.'"
"'When I passed by you and met your gaze, my heart seemed to drift far away.'"
"'When you look upon me, little do you know that I am already in danger.'"
She read aloud gleefully, clutching the script.
On stage, her blood had been pumping at breakneck speed, and she had eaten her fill; returning backstage, she felt surprisingly invigorated.
Before she could read more than a few lines.
Abigail clicked furiously into the backstage area in her high heels, glaring at Talia.
"What on earth are you doing?" she demanded of Talia.
"Reviewing the script."
Talia blinked, unable to fathom why the director was so angry.
"Did you forget?! You're supposed to leave a shoe on stage when you exit! How else is the governor supposed to find you?!" Abigail shouted in rage.
"Eep!"
Talia sucked in a cold breath.
She was doomed.
She had rushed off so frantically that she forgot all about it. It turned out Lanqi hadn't been failing to stop her for theatrical effect—he had genuinely been trying his utmost to get her attention!
Then right now...
Wasn't Lanqi rotting in purgatory out there on stage?
...
Meanwhile, on stage.
"Alas, maiden, you departed in far too great a hurry... Did you really leave not a single clue behind for this governor...?"
Pacing back and forth, Lanqi scanned the floor left and right, muttering under his breath.
*I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be a shoe around here...*
Sweat kept beading on his forehead.
Lanqi didn't even dare glance down toward the audience seats.
The vast auditorium was terrifyingly quiet.
Thousands of stares felt like a thousand sharp blades.
Watching him perform a one-man monologue.
He was doing everything humanly possible to salvage the scene.
Lanqi began to feel his composure crumbling.
It was just like when he had first arrived in the Kingdom of Posen, spun around and made dizzy by Tata.
"O Goddess! Can you not grant me your aid? If only you would grant me the slightest clue about her, I swear to spend the rest of my days doing good and accumulating merit! But if You deem me guilty instead, then smite me with your punishment directly!"
Lanqi had no choice but to gaze upward, raising both hands high as he cried out in supplication.
From off in the distance.
*Lanqi... sorry...!*
Talia muttered under her breath, flooded with guilt.
Rushing to the wing near the curtain, she ripped off her shoe and hurled it at Lanqi from afar.
*Thump!*
Tata's shoe struck Lanqi squarely on the head.
Lanqi went down like a sack of stones.
Still in her gown, frozen in her throwing posture, Talia was dumbfounded.
"..."
Following close behind, Abigail buried her face in her hands.
A sound escaped her, half weeping, half laughing.
She was starting to suspect these two had come here solely to mess with her.
"Whoa!"
A gasp rippled through the audience below.
"So praying to the Goddess really works?"
"They adapted the original here too! Honestly, this is so much more romantic than the Ash Maiden accidentally dropping a shoe!"
The audience buzzed with discussion.
...
Saint Creti Monastery.
In Ursula's dormitory.
Both girls were lying prostrate at the foot of the bed, watching the broadcast on screen.
Their hair was damp, having just stepped out of the bath without blow-drying, waiting for it to air-dry naturally.
After Elsa and Ursula had been escorted back to school that evening, Elsa was still terrified, so Ursula generously invited her to sleep over in her room.
And so Elsa brought the little black cat along to stay at Ursula's dorm.
Conveniently, the little black cat left by her brother could protect them both.
"B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T!" Ursula shouted as she watched the governor collapse.
Even though she had read the original story, she never would have guessed the twists in tonight's premiere.
"What a shame we didn't go see it in person tonight," Elsa sighed wistfully.
At first, she had assumed the premiere of *Holy War Romance* wouldn't differ much from the regular performances, but every few scenes brought another delightful surprise.
"Honestly, if you'd asked Landry to take you along earlier, he probably would've softened up and agreed. I've realized now—he's actually very easygoing."
Ursula nudged Elsa with her shoulder, grinning mischievously.
"We shouldn't leave Saint Creti Monastery during this time. I can't cause any more trouble for Brother."
Elsa shook her head vigorously in refusal.
"Tsk, tsk. Your brother is so lucky to have such a considerate sister," Ursula gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
A willful sister like herself, on the other hand, was bound to be disliked by everyone.
She envied Elsa, but she couldn't say it aloud.
Masking the discomfiture hidden in her heart, Ursula turned her head and poked the little black cat lounging beside her.
"Little Black Loaf, why aren't you saying anything?"
She noticed the cat had been staring intently at the play for a long time.
It was no longer as lively as it had been at the start; instead, it appraised the screen with utmost gravity.
"Meow..."
Boss Cat had a terrible feeling about this.
Those two on stage looked way too much like Lanqi and Tata!
No matter how it tried, it couldn't comprehend how on earth those two could have wound up right on stage as the leads, so it kept frantically rejecting the possibility in its head.
And didn't they know today was the public premiere?
Then again, it couldn't say for sure whether they really were Lanqi and Tata; it was only because it knew they had gone to the opera house that it dared to entertain such an outrageous hypothesis.
*Thank goodness Hubao isn't here.*
Watching the pair run wild on stage, Boss Cat couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat on their behalf.
The broadcast continued.
Only after several seconds passed.
"Thank you... O Goddess..."
Clutching his head, Lanqi stood up dizzily.
He had truly never suffered an ordeal like this.
He gazed toward the distance where the Ash Maiden had vanished.
"Enigmatic beauty, who on earth are you? Why... why must you leave in such haste? This magical shoe is the only token you have left for me..."
The governor gripped the magical shoe tightly, grinding his teeth, before turning around to stand in a daze, wearing a look of wistful melancholy.
The stage lights dimmed, and the governor trudged dejectedly offstage.
"Bravo! What an incredible performance!"
The audience applauded enthusiastically.
"?"
Boss Cat was struck as if by lightning.
*Can't you people tell?*
*That was clearly a stage disaster! Why is everyone cheering and clapping?!*
Chapter 754