Early the next morning, the Governor's Mansion was thrown into utter chaos. The demon governor issued a decree across the entire province, ordering a sweeping search for the human girl from the previous night's ball.
"Lord Governor, you have been utterly distracted since last night. Could it truly be for that mysterious maiden? But she didn't even leave behind her name. Where on earth are we supposed to look for her?"
The stage lights came up as the old demon butler hurried forward to offer his counsel.
"No matter what, I must find her! Please help me proclaim across the entire province: have all eligible maidens around twenty to twenty-five years of age come forward to try on this shoe! Whoever can put it on and walk normally shall be her!"
Standing by the window of the mansion, the governor spoke with stubborn resolve, rubbing his temples as though suffering a slight headache.
The butler accepted the order and hastily withdrew.
"The pain... it hurts too much..."
The governor gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
"My Ash Princess, why... why must you hide from me..."
The stage dimmed, transitioning to the next scene.
In the momentary pause between set changes, a young woman in the audience said with heartfelt sympathy, "He looks like he's in genuine agony. What on earth could he have gone through to act out such heart-wrenching pain?"
"Is it possible," her male companion said, shooting her an exasperated look, "that his head actually hurts like hell right now?"
The lighting remained dim.
The scene shifted to the Ash Maiden's home.
Having learned that the governor was searching for the mystery maiden, the stepmother locked the Ash Maiden in the attic, forbidding her from showing herself.
"This is the golden opportunity for our family to rise from the dust to glory! One of my daughters must be chosen by the governor, no matter what! Let's help the governor eliminate a distraction first."
The stepmother threw her head back in a greedy cackle.
"That little idiot with nothing in her head except food—how could the governor ever take a liking to her? Don't let her bring shame upon our household!"
"That's right, Mother!" the elder sister chimed in smugly. "If the governor saw her, he'd probably mistake her for some refugee! Even if my shoe size is slightly off from that enchanted shoe, I have plenty of strength. The governor will surely choose me as his bride!"
"Keep dreaming!" the younger sister retorted, refusing to yield. "The governor, fancying you? My size is much closer to it. Hmph, my chances are far better!"
"What good does that do if you can't even take a step?"
"Still better than not being able to cram your foot in at all!"
"..."
Listening to the two sisters squabble endlessly, the Ash Maiden sighed sorrowfully by the attic window.
"I'm so hungry,"
she murmured to herself, hugging her knees.
The more she recalled the pastries she had eaten at the ball last night, the more she swallowed her saliva.
"Governor, oh Governor, I am right here. I am the very person you seek with such devotion. Yet I am imprisoned here; how could you ever find me?"
The Ash Maiden buried her head and whispered as her faithful animal companions gathered around her.
Talia had actually reviewed her lines thoroughly this time.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt that this scene came easily to her.
Because the Ash Maiden at this moment felt just like herself before she met Lanqi.
Sleeping exposed to the wind and rain beneath the city walls, going hungry one meal and full the next, wrapped in a filthy cloak.
If her current self could travel back in time with all her memories, she would undoubtedly wait with an eager heart for that insufferable noble brat to appear with a lunchbox—feeding a cat right in front of her, then smiling and taking the initiative to strike up a conversation.
What had been an utterly ordinary encounter back then felt oddly sweet now that she looked back on it.
Yet Talia remained completely unaware.
The bittersweet look in her eyes and the gentle curve of her lips thoroughly captivated the audience.
"So that's the expression of the Ash Maiden yearning for her rendezvous with the governor from last night..."
"Perhaps she's slowly coming to realize that she has long since fallen for those precious memories of being with him, even if it feels more like a dream."
"Yet she refuses to wake up just yet, naively wishing to believe in destiny."
"Waiting for him in silence... maybe that makes the eventual heartbreak all the more profound."
Just as Talia was lost in her daze, a homing pigeon flew in, carrying the key the stepmother had hidden.
"A pigeon...?"
Talia stared blankly at the adorable pigeon.
She could not help recalling her old friend that had been missing for so many years.
Back then, she had also eagerly awaited the pigeon's return.
Yet more than a year had passed since that parting.
Surely no brute had tossed her pigeon into a stewpot and eaten it, right?
The more she thought about it, the more Talia felt she needed to make another trip to South Vantina in the future to search for clues about the bird and see things through to the end.
"Thank you, my good friends! With you by my side, I have the courage and the strength!"
Moved by the scene, Talia hugged the homing pigeon and wept with gratitude.
The Ash Maiden unlocked the attic door, hurried down the stairs, and, escorted by the pigeons, ran toward the Governor's Mansion.
...
Even though the opera had been underway for over an hour, the audience remained completely engrossed, every shred of their attention fixed on the stage.
At the Governor's Mansion, the shoe-fitting was in full swing. Countless young maidens came to try their luck, yet not a single one could manage the shoe.
"Perhaps yesterday was truly just a dream..."
The demon governor was growing despondent, staring down at the shoe in low spirits.
The stepmother led her two daughters forward, strutting triumphantly alongside the butler.
"This is the last household for today... May this shoe finally find its destined owner,"
the demon butler sighed wearily.
"Lord Governor, please take a look! My two daughters are celestial beauties descended to earth, more than worthy of matching the world's most peerless magic shoe!"
The stepmother bustled forward with fawning flattery.
The elder and younger sisters scrambled to try on the shoe, desperately cramming their feet inside.
Yet the elder sister could not squeeze in, while the younger sister could not take a single step.
Watching his beloved shoe treated like a toy, compounded by the bitter disappointment of the entire morning, the governor was thoroughly incensed.
"Damn you! You have trampled upon my earnest devotion! Guards, arrest these troublemakers at once!"
the governor commanded.
Soldiers dragged the stepmother and sisters away, intending to punish them severely.
"Wait, Lord Governor! We never meant to offend you!"
the stepmother cried out in panic.
"Did you remember to bow when addressing me, a dignitary of the demon race? That offense alone is enough to violate the diplomatic protocols of the Protos Empire! Spend the winter quietly in prison!"
Lanqi barked his order at them.
At the critical juncture, the Ash Maiden arrived, completely out of breath.
"Lord Governor, I am right here! I am the maiden you have sought so desperately!"
The Ash Maiden shouted past the mansion guards.
"Yes, yes! She belongs to our family as well! Let her try it too!"
the stepmother blurted out toward the governor.
"I have no desire to believe you any longer, and I am exhausted today,"
the governor said weakly, pressing a hand to his brow as he addressed the deceitful noblewoman.
Just hearing Talia's voice sent a dull throb through his temples.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. What had he risked his life salvaging this performance for today?
"Give me a chance, Governor!"
The Ash Maiden refused to give up, shouting with all her might.
"Enough! The person I seek is by no means an impetuous, emaciated wretch who looks like a refugee! She was exquisitely beautiful, devoured every last pastry at yesterday's banquet, possesses what I'd consider an ideally healthy physique, appears to be roughly, perhaps, give or take between twenty to twenty-five years old, and carries the mature charm of an older woman!"
The governor pointed at her soot-smudged face, berating her harshly.
"..."
A sharp pop echoed from Talia's knuckles, and the surrounding air instantly dropped several degrees.
She remembered the lines carried roughly that meaning, but they had certainly never been that specific!
She slipped off her shoe and assumed a throwing stance aimed straight at Lanqi.
"It's you...? It really is you!"
The governor was suddenly overjoyed, recognizing the Ash Maiden in an instant.
"..."
Dead silence fell over the auditorium.
He changed his tune terrifyingly fast.
"Is this the prowess of a veteran actor?"
"Did the actor look terrified for a split second just now?"
"I don't think so. Since they altered the previous scene, modifying how he recognizes the Ash Maiden here makes perfect sense."
...
The rest of the cast on stage froze in place, staring at the two leads.
Originally, the Ash Maiden was supposed to try on the magic shoe, prove it was a perfect fit, and only then would the governor recognize her.
How did you just recognize her straight up?
Though a half-beat behind, the crowd quickly recovered and offered a theater-wide gasp of astonishment.
The governor strode forward with swift steps, stopping before the Ash Maiden.
With tender affection, he took her hand in his.
"The sky darkens swiftly, and time flows too fast; how was I to keep you by my side? Waking from my dream last night, I found only emptiness beside me. Except for that shoe, I knew not how to trace your steps. Now that we have met once more, how could I ever let you go again?"
As their song and dance drew to a close:
"Lovely maiden, I have lost my appetite and sleep, my heart filled with nothing but your silhouette,"
the governor said to the Ash Maiden.
"Mm, me too."
Tears of happiness welled in the Ash Maiden's eyes.
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers and applause.
The ministers and the butler beamed from ear to ear.
"Splendid, truly splendid! A match made in heaven!"
The guests showered them with congratulations.
The stepmother and her daughters turned pale as ash, not even daring to voice a plea for mercy.
"Ash Maiden—no, Lady Governor! We were wrong! Please forgive us! We were blind and utterly heartless!"
She fell to her knees, trembling.
"Stepmother, sisters, though you were harsh to me for many years, no hatred ever lingered in my heart. Even though you locked me away, I wish to share today's joy with you. May there be no more grievances between us from this day forth."
The Ash Maiden showed magnanimous grace.
The stepmother wept tears of gratitude.
The governor looked at the Ash Maiden with a warm smile, his affection deepening.
"Regardless, you have added the crime of unlawful imprisonment to your record. You will still serve your time this winter. A better life through the rule of law,"
he added.
The entire theater was bathed in a touching, heartwarming atmosphere.
A lively concluding march struck up.
The story of *Holy War Romance: Ash Princess Chapter* had finally arrived at its closing scene.
Inside the Governor's Mansion.
The governor invited his beloved maiden to share breakfast with him, presenting her with a lavish feast.
Seated before the dining table, the governor had shed all his former coldness.
He gazed upon the beauty whose mystery had been solved, as if looking upon an irreplaceable treasure.
"Maiden, you look so lovely today..."
Reciting this line again after so long, Lanqi still felt a tingling shiver run across his scalp.
"So lovely that I want to eat you instead of breakfast."
"!!"
Hearing that, Talia felt her cheeks burn.
Hearing Lanqi utter those words aloud for a second time, her heart raced even faster than before—far faster!
"C-Can..."
Drawing two deep breaths, Talia slowly managed to recite the heroine's line:
"Can you wait until I finish breakfast first?"
With that, she picked up a tender, silky matcha cheese mochi and popped it into her mouth.
"Pfft...!"
Lanqi clamped a hand over his mouth.
This time, he truly nearly broke character.
Just as a storm began churning in Lanqi's mind, Talia's frosty gaze drew a fraction closer, and her light breath brushed against him.
She was watching Lanqi.
"Does that mean yes?"
Clinging firmly to his conviction as an actor, Lanqi delivered the line with absolute steadiness.
"I'm done eating. What did you say just now?"
Having chewed and swallowed the mochi, Talia looked up and asked.
...
"Whoa, she's incredible! I remember past performances usually cut away for a scene transition here to indicate she finished eating. This heroine actually ate it for real!"
The audience marveled at today's stage production.
"How did she manage to finish it that fast?"
"I heard Director Abigail is extraordinarily demanding. To think she rehearsed her actors to this level for the premiere!"
In the VIP section.
"I have no clue..."
Abigail buried her head in her hands, muttering in bewilderment.
Her script clearly indicated a transition cut was all that was needed.
Yet the lead actress had devoured the pastry so fast that Abigail's eyes could barely track it.
Where on earth did Sido dig up these two eccentric actors?
...
"What I wanted to say is that your adorable appearance while eating enchants me just as deeply. Before these memories begin to fade, I wish to stay by your side forever, like a lucid dream."
Lanqi looked straight into Tata's face as he delivered the final line of the scene.
Instantly.
"I... I..."
Talia's expression went blank, her voice turning softer and softer as a deep crimson flushed across her cheeks.
It was clearly just Lanqi.
Just a little brat named Lanqi!
Why was he making her heart pound so violently!
"Lord Governor, as you gaze upon me, you do not know the danger into which I have fallen."
Talia felt that she had managed to speak properly throughout the entire play, yet right at this moment, she was so nervous that she could not even steady her voice.
"C-Come into my world; I am not af-afraid. Whether you need to end my life, or toy with my heart in the palm of your hand..."
Shrinking her neck, her eyes shut tight and tears nearly brimming at the corners of her eyes, she spoke with a trembling voice.
Hearing this final exchange between the governor and the Ash Maiden, the audience in the opera house could no longer stay seated. Overcome with excitement, many leapt to their feet, applauding wildly.
...
Nistro City.
In the mansion's living room, the evening broadcast was nearing its conclusion.
Hyperion stared at the screen without uttering a word.
"It's getting late. Why don't you go to sleep...?"
Sinora asked gently in a probing tone.
"..."
Antanas did not dare speak right now.
Because Pranay still had not returned.
She was somewhat worried that Pranay might not come back at all tonight and would simply show up waiting in the carriage outside tomorrow morning.
The earlier performance had merely given them a sense of déjà vu.
This final scene, however, was identical to what they had witnessed that day on the second floor of Boss Cat's Restaurant.
"Er..."
Sinora and Antanas exchanged glances, resolving to keep persuading Hyperion to turn in for the night.
"Hyperion, are you all right?"
The Ice Snow Witch set down her book, inquiring with concern.
"I'm honestly quite fine,"
Hyperion said, shaking her head.
"My aunt is pure and unstained, and my Lanqi is upright and incorruptible. There's no way they would secretly fool around together. Trusting them requires no reason at all."
She clenched her fist with absolute resolve.
The Ice Snow Witch watched Hyperion for a moment.
She was very familiar with Hyperion's sensitive, sentimental nature; at times, the girl was exceptionally prone to spiraling into self-doubt.
"Sigh, after all, I'm not your birth mother. If Iphatia were here at a time like this, she could at least offer you some comfort."
The Ice Snow Witch shook her head.
"Ugh, Mama... Could you be in Brierda?"
Hyperion looked into the distance, wiping away a tear with a glimmer of hope.
...
The entire auditorium erupted, thunderous applause roaring through the hall.
Golden confetti and multicolored petals drifted through the air amidst song and dance.
The finale performers took turns delivering their verses.
"True love conquers all in the end, kindness and mercy move every heart. Honest toil earns its reward, the humble maid transforms into a princess. Cling to hope and dreams will come true; the magic of love blesses this life!"
The grand curtain slowly descended, the stage lights dimming until a single spotlight shone upon the blissful silhouettes of the Ash Maiden and the governor.
The music swelled to a crescendo—the end.
Applause continued without end.
During the curtain call, the cast and crew took the stage, bowing to the audience.
Every face was radiant with accomplishment and pride, even as cold sweat clung to their brows.
The talent of the two actors Director Abigail had brought in at the eleventh hour was beyond question.
Yet they were far too unconstrained.
Even now, the rest of the crew could not tell whether the leads had gone completely off script or if Director Abigail had altered the staging at the last minute—though nobody dared to ask.
Regardless.
The sweat and blood they had poured into the production had finally borne fruit.
Today's premiere would undoubtedly receive rave reviews, and its public commercial release was just around the corner.
...
Inside a backstage corridor of the opera house, within a room sealed off by a temporary barrier.
Abigail stood behind the door, waiting impatiently for the call to connect.
"Could you be a little more reliable, my Lord Bishop? Where did you find those actors? If our luck had been just a tiny bit worse today, it would have been a catastrophic stage disaster!"
Holding a pink communication magic card, she demanded an explanation from the person on the other end.
"..."
A buzz sounded from the communication magic card.
"What? The actors you hired are still stuck in traffic?!"
Abigail couldn't believe her ears.
"Then who on earth are those two?!"
she cried out in shock.
Chapter 755