The Meeting of Hyperion and Iphatia

It was said— The eve of a festival was truly part of the festival itself. "Winter has really arrived." Even lying in bed, Hyperion could feel the festive winter atmosphere of Saint Creti Monastery outside the window. Today, shopkeepers across Brillda were undoubtedly busy decorating their storefronts, preparing to sell their Moon God Festival-themed merchandise tomorrow. The young male and female students in the monastery would be fretting over how to coordinate their outfits, while the teachers worried about losing their dignity during the monastery's grand celebration. Whenever a grand festival arrived, such lively scenes were bound to unfold. "The Southern Continent is in the midst of war. That is precisely why, when a festival comes, everyone longs all the more to revel and indulge in joy, hoping to dispel the gloom in their hearts," Talia said to Hyperion as she watched the rain and snow drifting lighter and lighter outside the window. This was also something Lanqi had taught her. In the past, she hadn't had much concept of human festivals. In the second-floor bedroom, the two of them had lost track of time talking. Glancing at the clock now, they realized it was already past ten in the morning. "I hope it'll be sunny tomorrow—or at least overcast. No rain, light snow at most." Hyperion struck a peculiar posture, pressing her palms together in prayer. "Let's hope so." Talia merely nodded casually. Matters like the weather were something even the Moon God whom everyone would worship tomorrow couldn't guarantee. No kind of weather would interfere with her eating, so it made no difference to her. "Oh, right. Tata, you've been chatting with me for so long and haven't eaten yet. Are you hungry?" Hyperion suddenly realized and asked Talia. "A little." Talia patted her belly. Her attention had previously been occupied with Hyperion, but now that it was mentioned, she suddenly felt rather hungry. Just thinking about it made her flat stomach rumble beneath her hand. It really was time to go downstairs and fix something to eat for breakfast and lunch. "By the way, Hyperion, there's one more thing." Thinking of everyone downstairs, Talia looked back at Hyperion. "Your mother, Iphatia, has been found." She had almost forgotten to tell Hyperion this crucial piece of news. There were so many things to say that, in their brief chat, it felt as though she couldn't sort through them all. Hearing this, Hyperion froze. It was as if she couldn't process it. She slowly raised her head, her amber eyes staring straight at Talia. "Where is she?" Hyperion asked with overwhelming excitement. Unable to contain the sudden, violent surge of emotions any longer, her eyes rimmed with red. Ever since she could remember, she had imagined countless times what kind of woman her mother was. All she had to go on were photographs in the duke's manor and the duke's paintings—that silhouette of Sleeping Beauty—yet she had never spoken a single real word with her mother, Iphatia. "She's right downstairs," Talia replied, pointing at the carpet beneath their feet. Hyperion threw back the covers and ran toward the door without even putting on shoes, tears flying from the corners of her eyes. It was as though the agonizing pain throughout her body—as if her bones were falling apart—had been entirely numbed in that instant. Or perhaps, compared to the overwhelming obsession of longing, all pain was insignificant. "Hyperion, wait!" Talia hurried after her, wrapping her arms around Hyperion's waist to pull her back to the bed. Soothing the trembling girl, she took Hyperion's ankles to help slip her shoes on, made her put on a coat, and only then took her hand to lead her downstairs. She understood what a momentous occasion this was for Hyperion. It was nothing less than the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber coming true. Or rather, the wish Hyperion had made every day since childhood had become reality at this very moment, which was why she hadn't been able to process it the second she heard it. However, Hyperion needed rest to detoxify. Winter in Creti was colder than imagined, and the first floor was not as warm as the second-floor bedroom. With her resistance at its lowest right now, she truly might catch a cold. "Do you feel cold?" Talia led Hyperion out into the second-floor corridor, where the air was instantly several degrees cooler than in the room. "I... I don't know." Both Hyperion's voice and her palms were trembling; she could only tighten her grip on Talia's hand. Perhaps it was because she was too nervous, or perhaps it carried a sliver of fear. "It doesn't matter. If you're cold, I'll hold you; if you're afraid, I'll hold your hand. It's okay. Let's go see Iphatia." Talia turned and embraced Hyperion, holding her until she had imparted some of her warmth before continuing to lead her toward the stairs. Surprisingly, Talia could understand Hyperion's feelings right now. Sometimes, meeting someone from the past—such a sudden reunion—could bring fear, because one would dread losing them again after finding them, dread that she might suddenly vanish again one day, dread that one might never see her again. "Thank you, Tata." Hyperion shook her head, steadying her breath a little, and followed Talia. There were thousands of words she wanted to say to this gray-haired woman before her, yet she knew deep down that they could never all be spoken in this moment. In truth, as long as Talia was there, she wouldn't be afraid. The one who had truly given her maternal love was not the biological mother of her fantasies, but Talia, who watched over her day and night. Talia and Hyperion arrived at the second-floor living room and descended along the staircase connected to it, gradually coming into view of the entrance to the spacious first-floor parlor. Close to eleven in the winter morning, wisps of chilly sunlight filtered through the French windows, spilling across the parlor carpet patterned with the Elthea Sanctuary crest. Iphatia sat blankly before the leather sofa, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the program playing on the screen, without a trace of her usual smile on her face. Her hands toyed with slender, flexible bamboo splints, tissue paper dyed in various colors, and translucent oilpaper, absentmindedly crafting handiwork for the Moon God Festival. Tomorrow, many imperials would release moon lanterns at Saint Creti Monastery, letting them drift toward the silver moon in the night sky to pray for the Moon God's blessing, asking for peace and health in the coming year. The parlor was quiet, with only the ticking of the clock echoing in the room. After a moment, light footsteps near the staircase drew Iphatia's gaze. Hyperion walked slowly into the parlor, looking at the young woman on the sofa. Their eyes met. The two women looked to be of similar age, both possessing beautiful silver hair, though Iphatia wore hers cut short, giving her a more playful air. "..." Hyperion stood frozen by the bottom of the stairs, staring unblinkingly at Iphatia, as if trying to engrave her mother's face deep into her mind. Iphatia timidly met her daughter's gaze. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. After all these years, how was she supposed to face the child she had once abandoned? Guilt and remorse mingled with longing, surging into her heart like a tidal wave. Iphatia clenched her fists tight. The two of them gazed at each other across several meters, tears welling in their eyes. The air in the parlor seemed to freeze. "Go on." Talia had already released Hyperion's hand, patting her on the back and even giving her a gentle push forward. After a long silence, Hyperion finally took a step as if stumbling, walking toward her mother. Tears burst from her eyes, tracing two wet streaks down her cheeks. One step, two steps—she broke into a trot, stopped in front of Iphatia, and threw both arms around her mother. "Mama!" Hyperion cried out, burying her head in Iphatia's shoulder. "Hy-Hyperion, you called me Mama...? Don't you hate me?" Iphatia hugged her daughter back mechanically, her own tears uncontrollably soaking Hyperion's hair. Hyperion's voice was like a blade, slicing inch by inch into her heart. Iphatia didn't know how to speak, how to beg for her daughter's forgiveness. Her seemingly whimsical choice had in reality caused unimaginable harm to Hyperion. By the time Iphatia came to understand this, her daughter was already grown. "How could I possibly hate you? I've missed you for more than six thousand days." Hyperion held her sobbing, petite mother, her own heart aching just as deeply. Throughout her childhood, she had dreamed countless times of her mother returning, taking her hand, and taking her to see the sea in South Vantina Territory. "I... I..." Iphatia choked, unable to catch her breath, let alone speak clearly. Whenever she recalled those words from Ikerite, her hand would reach toward the scenes of the past—that happiness once possessed but no longer recoverable. Being all alone, some words were always difficult to comprehend; this longing was beyond speech, filled with apprehension, and drenched in tender heartache. Then followed a long silence. Only quiet sobs echoed in the parlor. "Why have you two cried yourselves into waterworks?" Talia walked over, looking at them with a helpless smile. Having missed each other so desperately, meeting at last only made them particularly restrained, rendering them speechless for the longest time. "Take your time. There's no rush." Talia was the only one who understood their feelings. Sitting beside them, she took a hand of each and laid them together to give them comfort. To her, both Hyperion and Iphatia were like children, and yet also like younger sisters. "Hyperion, I... I truly didn't leave you because I didn't love you. It's just that many years ago, I didn't fully comprehend human emotions. I didn't realize what kind of harm that caused a child in human society," Iphatia kept her head lowered, eyes shut tight, as she spoke to Hyperion. Without realizing when it began, she had longed more and more to see Hyperion. For a demon child like herself, even if left without parents from youth and abandoned in the Demon King's Palace, they wouldn't miss their parents at all. Yet it was different for humans. "I know. I know all of it. Father already told me long ago. Father wasn't lying to me—after all, he's the one who understands you best," Hyperion shook her head, nuzzling against Iphatia's cheek as she replied. "Wuu—Hyperion, why don't you scold me a bit? I'm so sorry, wuu wuu wuu..." Iphatia wept like a fountain, sobbing as she embraced Hyperion tightly. She was not only sorry to Hyperion, but also to Migaya. Even though she had been so negligent, Migaya had spoken well of her at every turn, raising their daughter into such a kind and sincere young woman. Iphatia had never imagined that when she saw her daughter again, her daughter would already be taller than her. "No, I never resented you. I thought of you every day and every night," Hyperion denied through her sobs. "Wuu wuu, I'll never leave you again. We're going to stay together forever." Iphatia could no longer restrain her emotions. Hyperion's single call had painted warmth with vibrant colors, echoing deep within her heart. "Mama..." Hearing Iphatia cry made Hyperion want to cry too, and hearing Hyperion cry made Iphatia's tears flow all the more unstoppably. "You two patients need to rest properly." Talia wiped their tears while patting their backs to soothe them. In a daze, time seemed to flow backward. Mother and daughter embraced like this, letting tears pour down, speaking of their feelings, their longing, and words that seemed never-ending. Outside the window, rain and snow fell, cloaking the courtyard in silver-white. The sky stretched boundlessly, coated in leaden clouds, dreary and dull. Yet light, lively voices rang out cheerily from time to time in the winter mansion's parlor. In this world where the French windows had become a grayish-white backdrop, their radiant, cheerful voices sounded exceptionally distinct. After a long while, Iphatia finally released her grip on Hyperion's arms. "Whose daughter is this, really, to be so pretty?" Iphatia choked with emotion, gently caressing her daughter's cheek as she couldn't help exclaiming. "Yours." Hyperion laughed through her tears. Although Iphatia's personality wasn't quite what she had imagined—not that of a dignified, aloof noble duchess—she was far easier to get along with than expected. She was a woman even more lively than Antanas, someone you could become friends with almost immediately. "Once I go back, no one in Ikerite will dare bully my daughter again." Iphatia and Hyperion exchanged smiles, a new hope shining in their teary eyes. She had heard from Antanas and Sinora that Hyperion had suffered a lot after Migaya went missing. Things had only started looking up after she met Lanqi. Later, although her reputation became tied to Lanqi's, it was true that no one dared cross Hyperion anymore. There was also a good friend named Frey who always helped them, and in the end they earned the moniker of the Royal Capital Bully Trio. Iphatia was very curious about their stories in the capital. Together with their friends and family, they would all return to Ikerite and start a brand-new life. Before that, all that remained was to end the turmoil, end the war, and find Migaya. "Where are Antanas and the others?" Hyperion wiped away her tears and looked around the parlor. Ever since coming downstairs, she hadn't seen anyone else in the mansion. It wasn't an illusion; Iphatia was indeed probably the only one left on the ground floor. "The four of them went back to Kalchi Gallery at 84 Charing Cross Road to report to the Allied forces. For now, they need to help clear up the misunderstanding between Lanqi and Miss Unity so that the Allied intelligence operatives stationed in Brillda become our allies as well," Iphatia answered, looking at Hyperion and Talia. Earlier, while Talia and Hyperion were upstairs, the rest of them had left one after another to attend to their respective tasks. "What about Sid?" Talia looked around again and noticed that things were already wrapped up in the kitchen. It seemed that after everyone finished breakfast, Lanqi had taken Boss Cat with him to teach class. Today was a workday for him. Everyone was busy. Yesterday had been a rare Sunday. Today was Monday. Starting tomorrow, there would be another holiday for the Moon God Festival. The Creti Empire had an especially large number of holidays toward the end of the year. For instance, National Day at the end of the month came with a week off, which, combined with the preceding weekend, made for a nine-day holiday. "Big Sister Sid... Miss Sid, she went to the Pantheon in Brillda. Apparently she wanted to pay respects to the Goddess of Fate. Following custom, it's better to worship the Moon Goddess tomorrow, and the deity Sid believes in most is also the Moon Goddess, so if she wants to pray to the Goddess of Fate, today is the best day to go." Iphatia had relaxed too much and almost slipped up, but fortunately corrected herself in time. "Paying respects to the Goddess of Fate..." Hyperion murmured. She and Talia had also briefly talked about Sid upstairs. By now, they had realized that this Miss Sid was actually Sigrid, the Bishop of Domination from the Northern Continent; otherwise, there was no explaining Sid's tremendous power. On the way downstairs, Talia had also told her that it was Sigrid who had saved her mother. If not for Sigrid's wolf blood, Iphatia would still be hiding in the underground ice cave palace of the Brillda Mafia, suffering the daily torment of the Blood King Divine Fire. Ever since meeting Teacher Witch of Ice and Snow and learning that the Bishop of Domination had established friendly cooperation with the Church of the Goddess of Fate, Hyperion had understood that the Bishop of Domination was not an enemy. Now, she found it impossible to harbor any dislike toward the straightforward, generous Bishop of Domination. Even so, she still felt complex emotions toward this woman in her heart. "Those who worship the Goddess of Fate—or rather, those who dare to worship the Goddess of Fate—won't be bad people. At least, that's what I believe." Talia had always remembered this saying. The divine nature of the Goddess of Fate lay in the fact that as long as you prayed to her, she gained the authority to subtly intervene in your destiny; and the more devoutly and persistently you prayed, the more of your inner voice would be transmitted to her. Swearing an oath to a deity was a solemn matter, and people believed the gods would hear. Vows made to any deity could never be spoken lightly; whether these gods still existed or whether they could interfere in the mortal realm, karmic bonds could be forged. It was somewhat mystical and abstruse, yet occasionally proven true. "At first, when I heard that you got along with her like friends, I just found it unbelievable. But thinking about it now, maybe I just didn't understand Sigrid well enough," Hyperion reflected. Yet recalling her interactions with Sigrid, the Bishop of Domination, back on the Northern Continent, and her encounter with Miss Sid in this mansion—who was actually Sigrid in disguise—Hyperion felt that even if she wanted to get along well with Sigrid, the other woman probably wouldn't like her very much. After all, from Sigrid's perspective, she was likely just an incompatible little priestess. "Actually, Sid is quite easy to get along with." Talia originally wanted to mention that Sigrid had also watched over Hyperion all night yesterday, but seeing how Sigrid seemed to avoid Hyperion—as if Sigrid didn't want Hyperion to know she liked her—Talia held back. She would let the two of them talk about their own affairs; Talia wouldn't interfere. Because sometimes, when given identical information, an answer told directly by someone else felt wrong, whereas only the truth realized on one's own was right. "I'll thank her sincerely for saving my mother," Hyperion said with a firm nod. They were bound to run into each other in this mansion. Since Sigrid had gone to the Pantheon to worship the Goddess of Fate and would worship the Moon Goddess tomorrow, they would definitely have things to talk about. In the Creti Empire, there was no dedicated Church of the Goddess of Fate; to find a statue of the Goddess of Fate, one could only visit the Pantheon. Inside stood statues of various deities, maintained by imperial priests who worshipped different gods. Hyperion had also long admired the Creti Pantheon, an ancient monument famous throughout the Southern Continent. What the Creti Empire primarily worshipped was actually the War God, but aside from the War God Temple newly built by Creti in the past century, the ancient Elthea Sanctuary building known as the Pantheon—which served most priests and believers for their activities—was far more popular. "Come to think of it, Little Sister Elsa went to the Pantheon last time too," Iphatia mused, lightly tapping her lip with an index finger. That afternoon, the schedule of Landry's younger sister Elsa had been simple: she was to go to the Pantheon as usual to pray to the goddess for a while and then return to school. But she had suddenly vanished, triggering the incident where Lanqi took Ursula, the griffin lady, to the Brillda Mafia to find her. It was precisely that incident which led Lanqi and Talia to stumble upon Iphatia, the true hidden boss of the Brillda Mafia. One could only say that with the vampires scheming in the shadows and their targets all being vampires, they were destined to cross paths because of the vampires sooner or later. "Elsa?" It was the first time Hyperion had heard that name. "She's the actual Landry's younger sister. She's both a Wolf Clan shrine maiden and a devout priestess, so you two should get along well. Perhaps you'll have a chance to meet her tomorrow at Saint Creti Monastery's Moon God Festival," Talia began telling Hyperion the story. That had taken place before Hyperion arrived in Creti's capital, Brillda. Tomorrow's Moon God Festival at Saint Creti Monastery was a grand event for all students, far livelier than any time at Ikerite Academy. Since Lanqi was currently masquerading as Landry, which was both his identity and his responsibility, as Elsa's guardian he would likely go give Elsa encouragement for the new school term, while in his role as professor he would also offer blessings to his own students. As for Elsa's good friend, who had also been the key person leading Lanqi to find Elsa that day—Ursula, the griffin lady—as a younger sister deemed the disgrace of the family by the Ninth War God, Marquis Ryan of the Amethyst, Marquis Ryan might not come to the monastery at all. Yet that didn't matter; Talia believed Lanqi would definitely give Ursula a proper expression of gratitude. After all, when Lanqi acted normal, he was truly exceptionally reliable toward students. "The Ninth War God, Ryan of the Amethyst..." Hyperion murmured the name with wary solemnity. A young imperial lieutenant general, valiant and skilled in battle, he was said to be scarcely inferior to the Seventh War God, Philip of the Blood Carnelian, and the Eighth War God, Conzel of the Bright Gold, standing as an exceptional figure second only to the Sixth War God, Violet of the Aquamarine. On the battlefield, he struck terror into the hearts of the Allied forces. Now, these War Gods were truly returning to Brillda one after another. This colossal metropolis in the heart of the empire was growing more perilous by the day. "Could Father's disappearance also be related to these War Gods...?" Hyperion placed immense trust in her father's strength and intellect. To corner Duke Migaya into a desperate situation, relying solely on vampires who could only operate at night might not have been enough. Perhaps it also required the assistance of imperial War Gods. "That possibility can't be ruled out, but Migaya actually visited the Creti Empire on occasion even before you were born," Iphatia thought for a moment and told Hyperion. "Huh?" Hyperion looked at Iphatia in confusion. She had assumed Migaya had met with misfortune in the Creti Empire while investigating information about Iphatia in an attempt to bring her back. "Actually, before you were born, your father, Duke Migaya, invested in a multinational company called the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce. Utilizing this company's channels, he could easily assume different identities to enter the Creti Empire. Didn't he ever take you to South Vantina Territory when you were little?" Iphatia explained and asked Hyperion. "Uh, I don't remember. When I was small, he really did take me to South Vantina Territory to play occasionally, but I can't clearly recall what I encountered there." Hyperion rubbed her head. At a few years old, she had been just a little kid, and her memories were as hazy as dreams. "Maybe I could only remember by revisiting the place..." Besides, back then she had been particularly mischievous and combative. Bullied in the royal capital of Ikerite, she could only hide at home and cry when wronged, so Duke Migaya probably wanted to take her for a change of scenery to cheer her up. Unfortunately, on their last trip to South Vantina Territory, they had planned to play at Bibo Coast, only for the Resurrection Church to launch a full-scale assault on South Vantina Territory, preventing Lanqi from taking them. "Wait." Hyperion abruptly realized the even more crucial point in Iphatia's words. The Wilfort Chamber of Commerce? Wasn't that Lanqi's family business? The Wilfort family had made their fortune precisely because of it. Even in times of war, the Wilfort family possessed special freight shipping channels. According to Noel, these were left behind more than a decade ago by a mysterious merchant. That major shareholder had not only invested in the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce, but also helped establish routes that allowed covert travel between the Hutton Kingdom and the Creti Empire. This secret had been kept from Lanqi by the head of the house, Noel Wilfort, as it served as a safeguard for the chamber's benefactor and was never to be revealed to anyone outside the patriarch. Aside from Noel, only Hans, the butler left behind by that mysterious merchant, was privy to it. It was only now, when the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce was in decline, that Butler Hans had mentioned those past events during casual conversation with Pranay. "Tata, Lanqi told you about the worldline the Goddess of Fate showed him, right? In that worldline, a tragedy would befall the Wilfort family, which was the very reason Lanqi initially sought to study in Ikerite—to avert the future where his family was destroyed." Hyperion looked toward Talia and found that Talia was staring at her as well, a spark of realization in her golden eyes. "I know," Talia nodded thoughtfully. The vampires and the Resurrection Church in the Creti Empire, the mystery of Duke Migaya's disappearance, and the Wilfort tragedy destined to happen in that future might all share an inextricable connection. The time when the vampires completely seized control of the Creti Empire, the time of Duke Migaya's murder, and the time the Wilfort family was slaughtered all coincided perfectly. And the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce was precisely the crucial multinational merchant firm and transit channel spanning the Hutton Kingdom and the Creti Empire. It was a chain reaction. The essence of the Wilfort tragedy was that if Hyperion died, Duke Migaya would suffer Mind Laceration and fall under the mental control of the Third Progenitor, Rasheal, turning the Wilfort family into an international channel controlled by vampires. The vampires' attitude toward humans had always been to discard them once used. After the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce's usefulness was exhausted, it would naturally be purged by the vampires without leaving a trace. In that doomed worldline, the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce had probably known a bit too much; sooner or later, it would meet a dead end. Thus, Lanqi's initial idea of driving his own family business to ruin had been on the right track, yet not entirely correct. Ruining the chamber meant that even if Duke Migaya were controlled, the vampires would lose such a channel, thereby diminishing their ties to the Wilfort family. However, over time, once the vampires had spare capacity, they might still purge the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce—that minor lingering hazard left behind by Duke Migaya. Bankrupting the chamber treated only the symptom, not the root cause. The true solution was actually to protect Hyperion; she was the real core. The warm-hearted Lanqi had serendipitously befriended Hyperion, and after protecting her all along the way, he gradually discovered that Hyperion was the very person intertwined with his fate, sharing fortune and woe. "So the major shareholder of the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce was actually Duke Migaya all along." Hyperion and Talia exchanged glances, everything understood without words. At this moment, they finally pieced together the entire cause and effect. Who would have thought the clue would come from an offhand remark by Iphatia? "Tata, do you remember when the three of us visited the Wilfort house last time? Hans, the Wilfort family's old butler, acted as though he already knew me," Hyperion asked Talia. During their last visit to the Wilfort household, Hyperion had noticed that Hans was remarkably deferential to her; before she even introduced herself, Hans had directly addressed her as Miss Hyperion. "I didn't pay much attention to it back then, since I was already quite familiar with Hans by that point." More than a year ago, Talia had already interacted extensively with the old butler Hans and the maid Francine from Lanqi's household. Thinking back on it now, it was indeed just as Hyperion said. "Hans? Isn't he from our family?" Iphatia remembered that their Migaya family's old butler was named Hans, and asked in surprise from the side. "It seems Migaya placed Hans with the Wilfort family." Hearing this, Talia understood almost everything. At first, she had remarked on how wealthy the Wilfort family must be to have a top-tier tier-six expert like Hans serving as butler and bodyguard in a remote border territory. Even the household of the Border Count of South Vantina might not possess such a butler. "By the way, why do both of you know about the Wilfort family?" Iphatia had racked her brain for quite some time, unable to figure out why Hyperion and Talia were so familiar with a merchant firm from a remote border territory. Reasonably speaking, her big sister and daughter should both have lived in the royal capital of Ikerite for years, and clearly they hadn't known previously about the connection between the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce and Duke Migaya's house either—all of which Duke Migaya had kept hidden long ago. "You didn't know? Lanqi's full name is Lanqi Wilfort," Hyperion said, looking at Iphatia in bewilderment. "What? Big Brother is a child of the Wilfort family?" Iphatia asked in shock. The moment the words left her mouth, Iphatia slapped a hand over her lips. "Big Brother?" Hyperion's expression turned even more bewildered. She seemed to understand every single word, yet put together, they made no sense at all. "I-I-I meant your brother! Doesn't Lanqi take care of you just like an older brother? If only I'd been in Ikerite, I would've betrothed you two when you were little, no matter what!" Sweat beaded on Iphatia's face as she scrambled to cover her slip-up. She had been too careless just now—or rather, let her guard down too much. Now, another realization suddenly struck her: when she gave birth, Lanqi might have only just been born, yet she was actually treating such a kid as her "big brother." It was simply too embarrassing! "Th-this..." Hyperion's face flushed crimson. Hearing Iphatia talk about wanting to arrange a betrothal for her, she didn't know what to say. "..." Talia looked at the two of them, rendered speechless. She could tell exactly what Iphatia and Hyperion were thinking. Indeed, human seniority and familial relations were terribly troublesome. And the most difficult of all was undoubtedly the generational standing between Iphatia and Lanqi. "Big Sister, I won't interfere in the relationship between you and Hyperion. Whichever of you wins, you have my support!" Noticing Talia's gaze and feeling that both palm and back of the hand were made of flesh, Iphatia offered Talia a resolute promise. Usually, she loved nothing more than watching drama unfold with Antanas, but this time the drama was right in her own backyard; words could hardly describe the chaos in her mind. The more Iphatia thought about it, the weirder it became. If Talia won, she should call Lanqi "Big Brother." If Hyperion won, Lanqi should call her "Mom." Her brain could still manage to wrap around that for now. Her only fear was that Lanqi might marry both Talia and Hyperion—in which case, she really wouldn't know what to call him. Oh well. Since things had come to this, all she could do was cheer them both on. Either way, they would be one big loving family in the future.