Lanqi: The Pain, It Hurts Too Much!

"—And so." "That's how things unfolded." From the towering ceiling of the residence's dining room hung a chandelier, hundreds of crystal-clear prisms refracting dazzling brilliance beneath the warm light. The mirror-polished marble floor cast back the reflections of three figures seated side by side at one edge of the long dining table. In those slightly restless silhouettes, not a single heart was at peace. After more than ten minutes of explanation... Flanked on either side by Talia and Sigrid, Lanqi recounted everything from start to finish. "The Cardinal of Dimensions just happened to accept an important commission to find you a fiancée, and he just happened to think the two of us were a great match, so he decided to surprise us by introducing me here?" Having listened sternly to Lanqi's story, Sigrid relaxed her expression by a faint fraction. "That brat Toliado..." Talia muttered through gritted teeth. If Toliado had merely sent a young girl who happened to resemble Xigelei to keep her company, she might have felt a shred of gratitude toward that old demon friend. But the crux of the matter was that this woman had not been sent to her. She had been sent to be Lanqi's wife—and that was unforgivable. "I had assumed neither the Allied forces nor the Dimension Branch could arrange a fake fiancée in time, so I asked Tata to step in and cover for me. But as soon as I returned from the Shadow World today, right in the middle of our communication, Toliado was dragged off and arrested. This is a severe failure in handoff. I failed to properly receive you, and I failed to explain things to Tata in advance. It's entirely my fault." Lanqi shook his head with a grave look and offered the two of them a sincere apology. He rested a hand against the edge of the dining table, crafted from fine walnut wood with sharply defined contours and draped in a pristine white lace runner, its intricate patterns reminiscent of winter rime. "Why was he arrested?" Sigrid asked. She grasped most of the situation from Lanqi's words, but questions lingered. This Cardinal of Dimensions truly seemed rather unreliable. It was the first time she had ever heard of a cardinal being apprehended by a local secret intelligence agency. "Did he drive you here?" Lanqi looked toward Sigrid. Calculating the time she had emerged from the Shadow World, there was no way she could have found his house at Saint Creti Monastery so quickly without someone guiding her. Otherwise, she would have gotten hopelessly, wildly lost. "Yes, he did," Sigrid admitted, her blood pressure ticking upward. She hadn't expected Lanqi to weave operational debriefs into an apology. "Then in all likelihood, the Imperial Special Operations Department mistook Toliado for a foreign spy sent to surveil Professor Landry. Right now, tensions are at a fever pitch, and everyone across the empire is walking on eggshells. The Imperial Special Operations Department has eyes on me constantly. My days here have been miserable, and now you've been dragged into it as well. I've truly wronged you." With a complicated expression, Lanqi explained the grim realities of the current climate on the Southern Continent. "Is that so..." Hearing Lanqi's words, Sigrid's heart softened slightly. "It doesn't matter if life is tough. I don't care about that kind of thing." Having just arrived from the Northern Continent, she hadn't yet felt a palpable wartime atmosphere. When she thought about it carefully, Brierda was indeed quite perilous. In Lanqi's position, he genuinely needed to put on a convincing show with Tata; exposing a single flaw would put him in extreme danger. "Oh, now you 'don't care'? There is already a woman in this household. Why don't you return to the Resurrection Church? I am more than enough to endure the hardship with him." Talia found it utterly absurd and let out a soft laugh. "Didn't you hear what he just said? You were the 'safety net,' which makes you the secondary choice. I am his primary option, so the rightful mistress of this house is naturally me." Sigrid's voice carried the sheer authority of an empress issuing a decree as she turned her gaze toward Talia. She was not content merely to control what lay before her; she intended to conquer everything within sight. "Could you not deliberately twist his words? If our bodies hadn't encountered a slight issue, no other candidates for a fake fiancée would have ever been considered in the first place." Seated gracefully on the left, Talia wore a beige silk dress that accentuated her exquisite figure. A few stray strands of hair tumbled casually past her ears. A faint smile graced her lips, but her golden eyes shot a razor-sharp glare across the table, intent on seeing right through her rival. "His body is in wonderful shape. How come he never had any issues with me? If there's a problem, it must be yours, wouldn't you say?" On the right, Sigrid cast aside her earlier liveliness. Her silvery, chime-like laughter echoed into every corner of the dining room, but that smile resembled a meticulously crafted mask, unable to conceal the domineering will underneath. Her slender, porcelain fingers absently smoothed the edge of her napkin, looking poised to reach out and seize Lanqi's collar at any second. "You two..." Lanqi felt as if thousands of needles were pricking his back. "Quiet!" both women commanded in unison. "..." He stiffly maintained the upward curve of his lips, taking an occasional sip of hot coffee from his cup. Whenever he tried to speak again, his throat felt choked off by the glares of the two women, rendering him incapable of producing a sound. Silence weighed down upon what should have been a cozy afternoon, growing excruciatingly unbearable. As the dining cart rolled slowly into the room, Boss Cat hid on the lowest shelf, using psychokinesis to present the delicacies upon silver serving platters one after another. Sparkling crystal goblets were filled to the brim with deep red grape juice, and the cutlery chimed with crisp, delicate clinks. Yet none of it could disperse the eerie atmosphere hovering over the dining room. The first dish brought to the table was an enticing bowl of cream of mushroom soup, velvety and smooth as silk, garnished with fresh minced celery on the surface. Rich cream blended flawlessly with savory mushrooms, singing of nature's bounty. Next came a plate of secret-recipe foie gras mousse paired with golden crisp bread. The pinkish mousse was translucent and glossy, radiating an appetizing sheen. The slices of bread were toasted to a crisp golden perfection; smeared atop them, the mousse looked like a bed of lustrous gems. The main course was slow-cooked beef short ribs with truffle cheese. Simmered meticulously for hours in red wine, the meat was extraordinarily tender and juicy, bursting with rich marrow flavor. A dusting of freshly shaved black truffle coated the surface, mingling with melted cheese to exude a wicked temptation no feline could possibly resist. As a side dish, there was a plate of asparagus in herb butter. Emerald stalks resembled fresh spring shoots, carrying the earthy scents of the soil. Steamed until tender-crisp and refreshing, they were drizzled with herb butter that added a luxuriant aroma. Boss Cat was still hurriedly preparing many dishes Side favored, so for now, only the originally planned everyday fare could be brought up. Boss Cat knew that if the two women were allowed to keep bickering, Lanqi was genuinely going to perish. "Boss Cat, it's you, isn't it?" "What is there to fear, Boss Cat? You're my best friend." Talia's and Sigrid's gazes swept simultaneously beneath the cart, causing the dining trolley to shudder in fright. Boss Cat accelerated, sliding the platters onto the table in a blur. "I—I still have something on the stove, meow!" The dining cart shot forward like a catapult, rocketing toward the kitchen. What it feared most was Tata and Side demanding it pick a side. Both of them were its dear friends. There was no way it could choose! Before Lanqi's pleading gaze could even reach Boss Cat, the cat had vanished without a trace, leaving Lanqi reaching out toward empty air. He was drowned in regret. His play this match had been a disaster. His support had pinged danger until the map nearly broke! And yet the very next second, he had walked right into the enemy jungler's face. The cutlery rested quietly on its stands, and he dared not touch a single piece. The gazes directed at Lanqi from both women were like two gleaming, razor-sharp blades—craving his favor, yet dreading the outcome of defeat. "I think... considering the importance of the mission, the perils within the empire, and the trust placed in me by the organization, what I need is a sensible, understanding good wife who can cooperate with my acting..." Lanqi spoke very softly, muttering tactfully to himself. He hoped the two of them would exercise some restraint. "..." Talia and Sigrid both fell quiet for a moment. They could hear the manipulative, innocent tone woven into his words. At a time like this, neither of them could easily tear off all pretense of civility. After all, it was an absurd mix-up that had led to Professor Landry ending up with two fiancées under one roof. The true culprit was Old Toliado. If only he hadn't been cuffed and dragged away by the Imperial Special Operations Department, he could have cleared everything up with them. Now that both of them were already seated in the house, whichever woman acted too forcefully to expel the other would end up looking like the villainess. Just then, the demure-looking Sigrid suddenly made a move. Lifting the silver soup spoon beside her, she gently ladled a spoonful of cream of mushroom soup from the small bowl before her, cradling her other hand beneath the spoon to catch any stray drops. Her movements were effortless and poised, making the gesture appear completely natural. The broth in the spoon gleamed enticingly under the chandelier, wisps of warm steam curling around her fingertips. "Here, Lanqi. Taste this soup. Careful, it's hot." Sigrid leaned forward slightly, bringing the spoon right to Lanqi's lips. Her voice was as sweet as honey, yet laced with an unyielding firmness that brooked no refusal. Lanqi's body stiffened. He realized that no matter what, he had to drink this spoonful of soup. Mechanically opening his mouth, Lanqi allowed the warm broth to slide past his lips. The velvety cream and earthy richness of the mushrooms bloomed across his tongue, but he was in no mood to savor them, feeling only a profound dread. He dared not look at Talia's expression, but he could feel the gaze shooting from his left, burning hot enough to bore a hole through his face. Yet Sigrid, the instigator, seemed utterly oblivious. Sigrid's gaze drifted past Lanqi toward Talia, the faintest trace of a smirk playing on her lips, as though staging a silent declaration. With utter nonchalance, she began eating with the very spoon she had just used to feed Lanqi. "..." Talia gripped her napkin tightly, her knuckles turning white with exertion. Her expression darkened further, resembling an ocean brewing a tempest that might whip up monstrous waves at any moment. The fuse over the dining table had been lit. Talia refused to be outdone. Emulating Sigrid, she picked up her fork and knife, carved a small corner of foie gras mousse upon crisp bread, and presented it before Lanqi. "Lanqi, say 'ah.' Master will feed you." Her voice was smooth as velvet, yet it sent an icy chill down Lanqi's spine. Lanqi's eyes darted between the two women, trapped between a rock and a hard place. He saw Sigrid's gaze turn instantly frigid, like bare icicles poised to strike, silently warning him not to accept Talia's morsel. Yet Talia clearly had no intention of giving Lanqi a chance to refuse. Her index finger and thumb gently pinched Lanqi's cheeks, forcing his mouth open, and seized the opening to slip the small piece of crisp bread past his teeth. Lanqi chewed mechanically. The decadence of the foie gras and the crunch of the toasted bread spread across his palate, yet he tasted nothing, conscious only of Sigrid's glare threatening to freeze him into an ice sculpture. Sigrid's provocation had poured oil on the fire, and Lanqi had become the sacrificial pawn in their contest. Talia was far from finished. She picked up a napkin from the side and, like a devoted lover or a caring mother, delicately wiped the corner of Lanqi's mouth. Her touch was extraordinarily gentle, as if cherishing her most prized treasure. Her slender index finger brushed lightly against Lanqi's lips from time to time—perhaps an accidental graze, perhaps an intentional flirtation. Every touch made Lanqi's heart skip a beat, terrified that this subtle gesture would ignite Sigrid's fury into an outright explosion. The air practically solidified, making even breathing an ordeal. Sigrid crushed her napkin in her fist, her neatly trimmed nails digging deep into her palm. Her eyes turned increasingly venomous, like a lioness whose territory had been violated, ready to rip apart everything in sight at a moment's notice. Talia defiantly tilted her chin, the corner of her lips curving into a triumphant smile. Her gaze swept over Sigrid, lingered on Lanqi for a fraction of a second, and snapped back to Sigrid, silently declaring: *This is my man.* "..." Where their gazes collided, sparks practically flew. Their competitive fire burned fierce, both gripping their cutlery with white-knuckled intensity. ... For the next several minutes... Sigrid and Talia competed relentlessly, shoving something into Lanqi's mouth every few seconds. Utensils turned into instruments of torture. Lanqi sampled nearly every dish on the table, yet everything tasted like chewing wax. Every passing minute, every second, was sheer torment. Lanqi felt as if he were nailed to his chair, unable to budge, entirely at the mercy of the two women. Suddenly... Before Lanqi could even catch his breath... He discovered two spoons appearing in front of him at the exact same time! The worst-case scenario had arrived. One held slow-cooked beef short ribs, tender and dripping with savory juices; the other held asparagus draped in herb butter, glistening emerald green. "Wait, big sisters..." Lanqi was completely stunned. His eyes went wide, darting back and forth between the two spoons, his mind blanking out. Being fed alternately had already been agonizing—Talia feeding him earned Sigrid's death glare, and Sigrid feeding him earned Talia's death glare. He had practically relived the torture of the automated merit machine from the Temple Villains Banquet, already pushed to his absolute limit. Now, someone had misjudged the timing, and both were thrusting food into his face at the exact same instant. "Here, try this," Sigrid said with an airy tone, though her gaze was cold as frost, warning the Holy Son not to dare accept Tata's food. "No, you should taste this first," Talia said, similarly ignoring Sigrid and focusing solely on Lanqi. "I..." Lanqi felt as though his heart were about to leap out of his chest. "Listen to me," Sigrid repeated. "Don't listen to an outsider. I am your family. Uncle Noe said that the Wilfort family home is my home," Talia stated in her usual flat, unhurried cadence. "That's only because you were homeless, wasn't it? He only said that out of pity!" Sigrid fired back, her words bristling with venom. Lanqi's emerald eyes shifted frantically between the offerings, a flicker of sheer panic finally bleeding into his gaze. Making a choice meant death. Refusing to make a choice, until these two predatory ladies grew tired of holding their spoons, meant an even grislier death. Right at that juncture, the kitchen door summoned up its courage and swung open once more. Trembling from head to toe, Boss Cat wheeled the dining cart forward to continue serving dishes. "Boss Cat!" Lanqi cried softly, spotting his savior. "Pardon me, Boss Cat, but my chest feels a bit tight. Do we have any warming beverages?" Lanqi looked toward Boss Cat, practically moved to tears, the hand lifting his glass shaking uncontrollably. His voice sounded pained and raspy, like an injured beast attempting to conceal a chronic affliction. "Yes, please wait a moment." Boss Cat nodded its small head, took the empty glass from Lanqi's trembling fingers with psychokinesis, and floated toward the distant liquor cabinet to prepare the requested service. Next, Lanqi looked for all the world like an invalid struck by physical and mental infirmity, his trembling hands fumbling with his utensils while soft whimpers escaped his throat. He hoped to muddle his way through and dodge this impending catastrophe. "It's... an old ailment," Lanqi explained. "I can vouch for Lanqi, meow! When he first visited the cafeteria at Purgatory Corridors Academy, he had a sudden severe relapse..." Boss Cat chimed in hurriedly to back him up. It knew Lanqi was truly at wit's end, driven so far into a corner that he had resorted to playing disabled. The sins committed back at Purgatory Corridors Academy had finally caught up to him. "Ooh..." Lanqi was touched enough to wrap Boss Cat in a bear hug. Only the cat was his forever friend. "Boss Cat, stay out of this," Talia and Sigrid commanded simultaneously, cutting short Lanqi's reverie. Boss Cat clamped its mouth into a tight cross, not daring to twitch. It quietly went about setting down the dishes. Sigrid grabbed Lanqi's right hand, pressing her palm against his, and closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "Your aura is perfectly normal. Your body is fine; looks like your old ailment is cured," Sigrid diagnosed on the spot. As a top-tier martial artist whose aura was currently linked with his, there was no way she could fail to perceive his physical condition. Talia silently took Lanqi's other hand. "Your mana is perfectly tranquil as well. Your hands are simply shaking." Flanked on the left and right, both women held fast to his hands. Even if Lanqi wanted to pick up the cutlery himself, he had no hands left to use. Beside him sat two Tier 8 experts whose raw physical power existed on an entirely different plane from his own. Clutched by the two of them—their fingers slowly interlocking with his, pinning him fast—he couldn't move an inch. Only those two spoons remained hovering before his face, waiting for his final decision. Lanqi's expression shifted a dozen times in a single second. Who would have thought that a tribulation of the heart could teach him agony that even the Black Sun Tyrant had never experienced? "Heh... haha..." Neither woman could tell whether he was crying or laughing. He seemed on the verge of madness. "You both love playing this game, don't you? Treating me like a toddler? Fine!" Lanqi leaned back against his chair, completely throwing in the towel in exasperation as he shouted, "Then whoever wants to be my mother can feed me!" In a rare display of genuine anger, he surrendered all resistance, bracing himself to be spoon-fed. The moment the words left his mouth... Talia and Sigrid both hesitated. Boss Cat poked its furry ears out from behind the cart. It was just as nervous as Lanqi, watching his desperate maneuver. This time, Lanqi truly seemed driven to the brink. Lanqi had chosen mutual destruction, dragging them down with him. Whoever fed him would be the mother, voluntarily relinquishing her status as his fiancée. Reluctantly, Talia and Sigrid slowly pulled their spoons back. Yet neither began eating her own meal, nor did either release Lanqi's hands. Frustration lingered. Both had exercised restraint while competing, but the result was pent-up fury with nowhere to vent. And now, the clash had been doused and called to an abrupt halt. The only thing neither was willing to let go of was Lanqi's hand. It felt as though whoever let go first would suffer absolute defeat. Yet if they didn't let go, Lanqi couldn't eat on his own, meaning someone still had to feed him. The chain of logic was hopelessly jammed. The more they stewed on it, the angrier they became. "..." Feeling the silence descending upon the two women, Lanqi tentatively felt that his bomb-defusal efforts had cleared a critical milestone. Next, he would soothe them properly. Gradually cheer them both up. Ensure he stepped on none of their landmines. Prevent them from butting heads again. And find a way to separate them after lunch so he could speak with each of them one-on-one. This interminable lunch finally seemed to hold a glimmer of hope for a peaceful conclusion! Just as Lanqi was indulging in his fond hopes... All of a sudden... Talia seemed unable to stomach it any longer. She shot to her feet, her chair rattling with a sharp clatter. "What a good boy Mommy has! We always love playing this game anyway, so I'll just keep feeding you!" Talia pulled Lanqi's head into her embrace, her cheeks flushed crimson as she spoke with provocation dripping from every syllable—partly to Lanqi, but mostly to Sigrid. She was determined to win today, even if it meant playing along with something slightly shameless alongside Lanqi. This was an open declaration of war. Could this little brat match her? "..." Lanqi's brain ceased functioning. His eyes rolled back. He felt as if he had plunged into an illusory dimension: from the genesis of the cosmos to the emergence of the first aquatic life, from universal gravitation to mass-energy equivalence, all the knowledge of the universe flashed across his mind. Boss Cat was struck dumb as well, its jaw dropping open and unable to close. Lanqi's suicidal threat tactic would have worked flawlessly against Sigrid and Hyperion during an interrogation; neither of them was so unhinged. Talia alone would never indulge Lanqi. She was far more unhinged than Lanqi could ever be. As Lanqi disconnected from reality, the conflict between Sigrid and Talia detonated instantly. "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to steal my man?" Sigrid's voice spiked in pitch as she rose to her feet. "Your man? Don't make me laugh." Talia refused to give an inch, her tone laced with unvarnished mockery and disdain. "The one he's closest to is clearly me! Can't you even see that?!" "Stop flattering yourself!" Sigrid's hands trembled, fists clenching and unclenching, looking ready to strike at any moment. "Holy Son, tell her! Tell her about the vows we exchanged on the Northern Continent! You said you would marry me once you reached Tier 6! This position of fiancée belonged to me from the start!" "Lanqi, don't listen to her! The two of us have done so many things together; you'll never be able to separate yourself from me in this lifetime!" Talia's voice sounded sweet and enchanting as she tightened her embrace around Lanqi by another notch. "You shameless home-wrecking cat...! Let go of him!" Sigrid's face darkened with shadows. "I told you to let him go!" She seized Talia's wrist, barking the command. "Why should I let go of my darling? You're meddling far too much! This is my house!" Talia felt as though her wrist were caught in a steel vice, entirely unable to overpower the other woman's strength. Yet she fought back fiercely, determined to hold on to her Lanqi. "He isn't your darling!" Afraid of injuring Lanqi, Sigrid held back from using her full force. "He is mine! He has belonged to me his entire life!" Talia shouted. "What a joke..." Sigrid's laughter quavered. "Look how peacefully he's resting against my chest! Let me tell you, I've cradled him to sleep just like this before!" Talia deliberately puffed out her chest, throwing down the gauntlet before Sigrid. "Let go of him. This is your final warning." Sigrid's patience had worn paper-thin. "What, you actually want to fight me?" Talia was fully prepared to unleash her spells against this formidable foe. Let's see if this little girl ended up crying for her mother in her sleep later. She could use the methods she'd used to discipline Karen to teach this wild brat a lesson. She would teach this feral girl how to be a proper woman. "When I pin you to the floor and make you hurt, don't you dare cry. I was trying to save you some face!" Sigrid had made up her mind as well. Setting the Holy Son aside for a moment, she felt an overwhelming desire to conquer this grey cat that had pushed her over the edge. It was high time this woman felt the absolute disparity in raw power and learned her place in the pecking order. "Meow, meow, meow! Don't fight!" Boss Cat's fur puffed up completely. This house was about to be demolished by two women who had lost all reason. If Tata and Side clashed, not even a barrier could withstand the fallout! "Ah... aaah..." Lanqi's head began buzzing violently. Their overlapping voices made his brain quiver. "Aaaaargh!" Lanqi let out a bloodcurdling shriek. It was as if Mind Rend had returned, expanding exponentially in that instant. Whenever severe emotional upheaval struck, his most harrowing memories resurfaced, subjecting him to agony and hallucinations. All he could do was force out tears or manic laughter to endure those fleeting seconds. Boss Cat stared in shock at Lanqi. He seemed genuinely unhinged. It couldn't tell whether he was putting on an act or having a genuine breakdown. Boss Cat's eyelid twitched furiously. Master Lanqi had been cornered into playing the raving madman. It had never seen Lanqi driven to such bizarre extremes one after another. "Is it a Mind Rend flare-up?" Talia noticed Lanqi's condition, instantly shifting all her attention to Lanqi in her arms and hurriedly caressing his forehead in worry. Sigrid had no idea what was happening either. She only knew that Lanqi had recently experienced the agony of the Black Sun Tyrant in the Shadow World. Throughout the entire Shadow World, Lanqi's understanding of the Black Sun Tyrant had continuously deepened. And that entire process had resonated with her at every turn, letting her understand that Lanqi's time in the Eternal Damnation Undying Finale Shadow World had been far from easy, enduring a trial by fire and achieving an entirely new enlightenment. Lanqi gradually lapsed into unconsciousness. Talia eased him gently back against the chair, letting him rest against its back. "Are you... Caliera...? Xigelei...?" Lanqi's vision blurred between half-parted eyelids, his pupils unfocused. "Don't fight, you two... You're the closest family..." He murmured as if talking in his sleep. Until his voice faded completely into silence. "..." Both Talia and Sigrid froze upon hearing those words. They exchanged a complicated glance before looking away. Evidently, it wasn't just each of them mistaking the other; even Lanqi was hallucinating and confusing this woman. Thinking of it that way, it became impossible to stay truly angry at the woman before them. Recalling the Blood Moon Ruined World Shadow World, if Xigelei or Caliera harbored those sorts of feelings for Lanqi, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible. A myriad of thoughts swirled in their hearts. Even if the person across from them wasn't the original, but merely someone overwhelmingly similar, neither truly wished to be at each other's throats. If possible, they wanted to get along, learn more about each other, continue that delightful rapport, and lose themselves in a warmth they thought they would never experience again after the Blood Moon Ruined World. A long silence stretched between them, each still holding one of Lanqi's hands. If they continued tearing each other apart like this, Lanqi might genuinely be unable to carry out his mission in the Creti Empire. Finally... "I say, why don't the three of us try to make do together? It shouldn't be an issue for Professor Landry to have two fake fiancées anyway," Sigrid conceded a step, emphasizing that they were both fake fiancées. With any other woman, she would never have made such a concession. Yet today was bizarre. Whenever this home-wrecking grey cat softened up, she reminded Sigrid of her beloved Caliera, making it impossible to resist the scent she carried. "Neither of us touches him outside of strictly necessary occasions, living our lives peacefully without disturbing the harmony?" Talia ventured. She felt she had to be out of her mind to even entertain the woman's proposal. Yet when this arrogant little she-wolf stopped baring her fangs, she looked far too much like her precious Xigelei. "Right. The two of us will get along. That way, it's good for him, and good for us. Can you agree to that?" "Deal." Hitting it off instantly, the two shook hands, finalizing the Sigrid-Talia Non-Aggression Pact. "Since it has come to this, let's eat first." Talia cast a calm glance back over the dining table; in truth, she was already famished. "Mm. Thank you for your hospitality." Sigrid was slightly taken aback by the other's magnanimity. One moment they were screaming at each other, and the next, she was inviting her to share a meal. In that case, she couldn't afford to be petty either. "Don't mention it." The atmosphere around the dining table grew progressively harmonious. In the distance, by the kitchen doorway... A small black feline head poked out once more. "Meow?" *They can even make peace after that?* Boss Cat let out a long breath of relief. For reasons beyond its comprehension, things had miraculously stabilized. The house hadn't blown up. It felt like a fever dream—Talia and Sigrid had actually forged a reconciliation of the century. Master Lanqi had struck gold this time, flipping an overturned carriage right back onto its wheels. His confidence was bound to skyrocket again. Still... Could the three of them truly live together...? Even though sharing a roof with two fiancées over the coming days might be fraught with peril... As long as nobody showed up to shatter this hard-won equilibrium, with Master Lanqi's skills, things might genuinely turn out for the best, meow!