Voices and music intertwined upon the stage, echoing through the Grand Concert Hall of the Ikerite Opera House.
Dressed in theatrical costumes, the actors displayed their vocal prowess and acting talents to their hearts' content.
"Birds herald the arrival of spring."
"And thus have I fallen into love."
"You have stolen away my heart."
"Even so, I still wish to guard my pure land, my garden, until the very end of life."
The female lead captivated the audience with her luminous voice and delicate, moving performance.
Following her musical monologue, her dialogue with the male lead reached its emotional crescendo. The audience was thoroughly enchanted by the exquisite melodies, bursting into enthusiastic applause from time to time.
In the orchestra pit, the musicians coordinated seamlessly with the actors on stage, imbuing the entire opera with alternating movements of swelling passion and tender lyricism.
"..."
Sigrid glanced back toward Antanas and Sinnola.
Blessed with sharp hearing that easily parsed individual voices, she had caught their earlier chatter.
Everyone thought Hypie seemed possessed by Tata today.
Yet no matter how Sigrid looked at it, the girl playing the half-demon was unmistakably Hyperion; it seemed almost impossible for her to be Talia in disguise using illusion magic.
Sigrid observed the reactions of the theatergoers around her.
It seemed the audience members who had heard of the Cinderella Arc's reputation were thoroughly enjoying this lighthearted, travelogue-style comedic opera.
Although the half-demon appeared a bit more willful and exuberant than expected, she could sing, she could perform, and she seamlessly blended strength with gentleness.
One could tell the half-demon was pouring her whole heart into the role, genuinely trying her utmost to deliver a great show.
The only peculiar thing was that the male and female leads behaved as if neither had any idea what line or action the other would come up with next, lending the opera the distinct flavor of an improvised comedy sketch.
Or rather, it felt as though neither had been given a script, perfectly recreating two demon aristocrats stumbling through their very first encounter during the Holy War, struggling to synchronize their rhythm.
Their clumsy bumbling and mutual scrambling produced a hilariously awkward dynamic that caught the audience delightfully off guard.
"..."
Sigrid pondered for a moment.
"Pardon me, excuse me."
She quietly excused herself from her seat. Passing by Talia's row, she leaned down, caught hold of "Talia," and took a sniff.
"You're Lanfu?" Sigrid asked in surprise, studying the grey-haired, gold-eyed beauty before her.
There was no scent of mother.
This really wasn't Talia.
"Yes."
The grey-haired, gold-eyed beauty gave an obedient nod.
Now that Sigrid had seen through her, there was no point in hiding it.
In any case, she was only sitting here disguised as Talia at Talia's explicit request.
*Holy smokes... has Lanqi figured out by now that the one on stage is Tata?*
Sigrid looked back toward the stage.
She had roughly pieced together why Tata had replaced Hypie.
Deducing from Hypie's physical condition over the past month, it had to be the demon factors inherited from Lord of Blasphemy Melogas's scorpion demon lineage acting up, leaving Talia no choice but to step in and save the day.
When Lanqi first began acting opposite the half-demon, his instincts might have whispered that she was Tata.
Yet his rational mind would have continuously insisted that both the girl's mana and aura belonged purely to Hypie.
By this point in the performance, even if Lanqi's mental faculties were completely bogged down by damage control and desperate improvisation, he should have deduced the truth—
This half-demon was actually the fused product of Tata and Hypie!
*Wait... if she's both Tata and Hypie, wouldn't that mean double the pleasure?*
Sigrid frowned in contemplation, suddenly stumbling upon a startling revelation.
She had always agonized over how to wrap her arms around Lan, Hypie, and Tata all at once, and now a solution had presented itself.
She shook her head an instant later. Now was hardly the time for such daydreams.
Sigrid wasn't worried about anything else—only that Lanqi was already pushed to his absolute limit. After overclocking his brain all morning, he had to overclock it again through the entire afternoon.
Yet there was nothing she could do to help him now.
Sigrid could only slip back into her seat and pray that Lanqi's supercomputer of a brain could steer them across this final hurdle.
After more than an hour of performance, the stage had finally transitioned into the final act.
The scenery shifted with the movement of stage curtains, mechanical rigs, and magical projections.
The musicians held their breath, their focus glued to the stage.
Bows danced across violin strings, the flute wove a lingering melody, and harp strings plinked and rang. Notes spiraled beneath the vaulted ceiling of the hall, weaving together the score of the final chapter.
The stage lights flared to life in sequence—first a soft pale yellow, followed by brilliant spotlights.
The colossal backdrop projected the rolling peaks of the Ente Mountains in the Demon Realm, along with a shimmering lake at the foot of the mountains bathed in the hues of dusk.
It was a dreamlike, profound twilight wonderland.
Guided by the music, the female lead stepped slowly into the pure land.
Dressed in a pure white gown, the half-demon's radiant, striking face beamed with the serene contentment of someone who had spent days enjoying carefree revelry.
"It seems our journey is nearing its end."
She hummed a little tune under her breath. Her ethereal, pure voice sounded as sweet as heavenly music as she gently confessed the love in her heart.
"We have returned here once more, to the place where your memories of being with me reside... Yet my memory has always felt blank in one spot. Clearly, someone should have been beside me, but no matter how hard I search my recollections, I am always alone."
The male lead, the Demon Governor, made his entrance as well, his expression tinged with melancholy.
Having retraced this journey with the young half-demon lady, his gaze carried doting tenderness that could not quite conceal the exhaustion deep in his eyes.
Even though he still could not remember her, through the playful bickering of their travels, he and the half-demon had grown to trust each other deeply as companions.
"Still, why aren't we going to find Grand Duke Horst?"
The half-demon looked toward the twilight shrine standing atop the mountain.
She estimated that this was likely the setting for the climax of the two-hour performance.
Just now, as if resigned to giving up, the two had wandered their way to this twilight chapel.
In the original novel, this scene shouldn't have existed at all.
"There is no need. This is the final stop of our journey."
Listening to the half-demon's wildly improvised lines, Lanqi was past the point of surprise.
This wasn't Hyperion at all; she was an utter hodgepodge of Talia and Hyperion combined.
"So listen to me..."
Lanqi had roughly deduced what sort of emergency had caused Hyperion to turn into Talia.
Yet he could not blame Talia. She had stepped onto the stage to rescue their production. The only thing she hadn't known was the extensive script rewrite. Had the script remained unchanged, her performance would have been entirely flawless.
"We don't have much time left. From here on, listen to me, alright?"
Lanqi resolved to discard the script entirely.
Only he could turn this performance into a masterpiece now.
"Eh?"
Talia looked at Lanqi in bewilderment.
Not only had she never encountered the Ente Mountains or the twilight chapel in the book, but she had certainly never read any lines like this from the Governor.
"Wasn't the purpose of our entire journey to find the culprit who cursed you and solve the mystery?"
Talia could only rely on the teleprompter's prompts, doing her best to patch the holes as she asked him.
"There is no need," Lanqi said, shaking his head.
"But..."
The half-demon still tried to bring the dialogue back on track.
"I know time is short. Will you listen to me?"
Lanqi stepped forward forcefully, leaning down to speak to her.
The sudden closeness of his face and gaze made Talia retreat instinctively until her back met the colonnade of the shrine.
"Y-You..."
Talia's cheeks flushed crimson. As far as she remembered, there wasn't supposed to be a kiss scene. But if Lanqi tried to kiss her...
Wait, she was currently fused with Hypie's body.
The more Talia thought about it, the weirder it felt.
If Lanqi kissed her in this state, would he be kissing Hypie, or would he be kissing her?
"I-I'll obey you, then," Talia stammered weakly before she could finish sorting through her thoughts. She turned her cheek away, not daring to meet Lanqi's eyes.
"I am certain that Grand Duke Horst is not the mastermind behind our curse. Do you know why?"
Lanqi did not press any closer, simply asking her the question.
"...Why?"
Talia looked back at him, her eyes brimming with confusion.
This line definitely wasn't in the script either.
Yet when she looked directly into Lanqi's earnest eyes, which seemed capable of piercing right through her soul, she froze.
It was a gaze of complete faith, coupled with a plea for her cooperation—just like every time they had braved life and death together, when he would unconditionally entrust his life into her hands.
Only now did Talia begin to feel a twinge of panic.
Lanqi was so resolute that he was making her doubt herself.
Could it be that she had been reciting the wrong lines all along, and Lanqi had spent the entire performance covering for her?
"Why? Tell me, quickly."
Talia stopped glancing at the teleprompter.
From here on out, she would align every single line with Lanqi.
Even if her confidence was shaken, as long as Lanqi was here, she trusted him to guide her soul.
Below the stage, the audience was utterly engrossed in the performance.
They were burning with curiosity over what mystery was about to be unveiled, yet equally stirred by the love that was finally on the verge of blooming.
After being willful and stubborn throughout the entire journey, the half-demon had finally softened.
The Governor also appeared ready to confront his own true feelings.
"How on earth do they pull off this feeling of entrusting their very souls to each other?"
"This doesn't feel like acting at all. It's as if they've genuinely shared life and death countless times. Even across different worlds, through cycles of reincarnation with all memories lost, they could still resonate with one another."
"With this atmosphere and buildup, it has to be a happy ending, right? It couldn't suddenly take a tragic turn, could it? I'm getting a little worried; some of the hints earlier felt ominous."
"No way, no way, stop talking nonsense."
Whispers rippled intermittently through the seating rows.
It felt as though, even if the Governor and the half-demon hadn't awakened their buried memories during their journey, they had dismantled the barriers between their hearts.
"I told you it was a comedy! There's no way it ends in tragedy!"
Iphatia spoke to the black-haired noblewoman beside her, her face glowing with delight.
When they first entered the opera house and heard Minel mention that today's ending would be tragic, she had fretted for the longest time, terrified that the sweet romance would turn into heartbreak.
Yet here they were, approaching the final scene, and the mood remained so wonderfully upbeat.
"It really is wonderful," Minel murmured, a youthful smile appearing on her face.
*Could I really have misunderstood?*
Pulling her attention away from the stage to think carefully, Minel began to doubt her earlier assessment.
If this truly was an all-around joyous comedy, why had the promotional video adopted a bittersweet tone that concluded in tragedy?
The purpose of a promotional video was to foreshadow, preparing the audience emotionally so they could better immerse themselves in the opera's atmosphere, aligning expectations with the actual performance. It was meant to be thematic groundwork.
"You definitely misread it!" Iphatia said with boundless confidence.
Today's show was an ironclad comedy.
She lightly patted Abigail beside her.
"Abigail, wouldn't you say so?" Iphatia asked, feeling as though she had found a kindred spirit.
"I... don't know anymore either," Abigail managed to squeeze out.
She was telling the absolute truth.
She genuinely had no idea what those two on stage would do next.
The only reason she hadn't collapsed by now was her deep, hard-won trust in Lanqi, forged across a series of harrowing trials.
"..."
Minel glanced at Abigail beside Iphatia, then took Iphatia's hand, signaling her to stop bothering Director Abigail.
Iphatia hadn't noticed the severity of the situation at all.
Minel, however, could roughly piece it together.
This was an onstage catastrophe.
"You noticed it too?" Sigrid asked, observing Minel's expression.
More and more of the friends seated nearby were beginning to sense something was amiss. Even Boss Cat felt the tension, sitting bolt upright in Bianca's lap.
Apart from Pranay, who had already fled, and Boss Cat, who was beginning to dread what was coming, the two people with the clearest grasp of the situation were the connoisseurs who had formed their own interpretations of the promotional video.
If the opera concluded as a comedy right now, it might still pass as a good piece of entertainment, but it would completely fail to meet Abigail's artistic vision.
A purely comedic performance would make all prior marketing and thematic groundwork utterly redundant.
More importantly, it would never survive the scrutiny and post-mortems of industry critics.
Once these two performances concluded, professional critics would immediately seize upon the glaring contradictions.
Yet with the performance having progressed this far, forcing an abrupt turn into a tragic ending was out of the question. A crash landing would only result in total disaster.
The biggest problem was that Sigrid could tell many earlier clues were intended to hint that the half-demon was a ghost. The climax of the final act had surely been designed to reveal this secret, meaning the version Lanqi and Hyperion had rehearsed was supposed to be a tragedy.
Thus, with the stage and original script bound to a tragic climax, forcing a comedy under the poignant atmosphere of this twilight shrine would likely fall flat as well.
Whether they chose comedy or tragedy, there seemed to be no clean way to wrap it up. Plotholes would only multiply, a fate sealed from the very start of the show.
"Did Lanqi make some blood oath to the Goddess of Fate? Why does acting in a play feel like prison time for him twice in a row?" Minel asked Sigrid.
The stage had grown increasingly unpredictable, and the final act was clearly the moment of truth.
With only minutes remaining before the curtain fell, the window for a miracle comeback was rapidly closing.
The horseshoe-shaped seating tiers fanned out around the stage, ensuring that every audience member, no matter how far back, could appreciate the magnificent production. The actors' dedicated performances, the dynamic stagecraft, and the breathtaking score immersed every viewer in the northern continental history of the Holy War era.
Though not a single theatergoer had realized the leads were completely off-script, for Lanqi, whichever path he chose at this crossroad—comedy or tragedy—seemed like a dead end!
"He really did make one..." Sigrid recalled. At the end of the assault on Blood Moon City, Lanqi had claimed he would never impersonate the Great Prelate of the Goddess of Fate again.
Yet immediately afterward, he had turned Loren into Luo Tianyi.
"Good grief, is he really paying off his karma?" Minel watched the performance continue on stage. Lanqi was still fighting with all his might, showing no signs of giving up.
*Professor Lan, can you really salvage even this?*
Minel had already considered it legendary that Lanqi managed to rescue her back then.
Now his formal career was supposed to be over, yet this final side quest proved far more hellish than the main campaign ever was.
Within the twilight chapel on stage.
No matter how the seasons shifted, the ancient shrine perched above the mountain meadow remained pleasantly mild. The lingering glow of the setting sun filtered through stone pillars, while a gentle breeze stirred the fresh air and pale flower petals.
The opera's male and female leads sat upon the grass outside the chapel.
"I think... I have finally come to understand over the course of this journey," the Demon Governor said with a faint smile, sitting languidly upon the ground.
"What have you understood?" Seeing his weary posture, the half-demon knelt beside him, gazing into his eyes as she asked.
She had been lively and boisterous all along the road, yet in this moment, she appeared exceptionally serene.
"I wish to deceive myself. I don't want to wake up."
The Demon Governor raised a hand, intending to gently caress the half-demon's cheek, but paused just before his fingers made contact.
Not a trace of unwillingness or dejection could be read in his emerald-green eyes; there was only tenderness, accompanied by a touch of relief, as though he were ready to concede defeat to her.
Without needing words or questions, he understood and knew everything. Every passing moment felt like eternity.
No one could tell whether he was about to confess his love for the half-demon or if his heart was heavy with sorrow.
The piano on stage wove a melodious, gentle tune, the notes flowing like a brook through the heart, smoothing away the joys and sorrows of the opera's turbulent era. The left hand played with steady strength one moment and light softness the next, as if hinting at the unpredictability of fate.
"..."
The half-demon still could not fathom his meaning.
Yet she knew that displaying genuine, innocent confusion was all that was required of her right now.
As long as she fit Lanqi's expectations and offered reactions he could anticipate, their performance would succeed—because Lanqi had just told her that everything would work out if she led by his cue.
"Do you miss those times when we drifted off to sleep, longing for one another?" the Demon Governor asked the half-demon, his eyelids fluttering half-shut as the faint smile on his lips remained unchanged.
"..."
The half-demon offered no answer.
Since her scripted lines no longer matched his, Lanqi's intent was clearly for her to remain silent, simply taking in his feelings and responding with an affectionate gaze.
Perhaps Lanqi wanted her to act like an incorporeal phantom in this moment, uttering not a single word.
Her lines on the teleprompter were supposed to be nearly finished anyway. Ever since abandoning the script, she had merely watched the floating text drift past, turning a blind eye to it all.
In a little while, it would probably be time for her exit, bringing this play to its final close.
Even so, she trusted Lanqi implicitly.
"We are certain to find a place of our own among the stars," the Demon Governor murmured, his gaze turning misty. "If we merely chase the past, we will only sink into illusions."
As the words fell, he seemed unable to resist the pull of the God of Slumber any longer.
"Yet while I am still awake, I wish to savor every passing second."
Lanqi rested one hand over his chest while slowly reaching out toward the half-demon's cheek with the other, yet his touch seemed destined never to reach her.
The melody from the orchestra pit grew urgent and intense, wave upon wave, as if giving voice to the surging emotions and unspeakable yearning within their hearts.
"Before twilight descends and the sunset glow tears us apart."
"Before this night comes to an end."
"Before memories begin to fade."
The Demon Governor's words to the half-demon sounded like a prayer directed toward the deity within the shrine.
"I only wish to hold onto these nights forever, like a lucid dream."
*Tick, tock, tick, tock.* The gears in the chapel clock tower turned.
The twilight bell was about to chime.
The moment the twilight bell rang out, the half-demon still sat quietly beside him, but she spoke no more, resembling a stone statue.
"Regardless of the truth, my heart was enchanted by you long ago."
His eyes held a gentle gleam like a spring lake, openly confessing his love for the half-demon.
Yet the bright light in his eyes reflecting her silhouette finally dimmed at this moment; like a dissipating phantom, the light vanished completely.
Just when the melancholy seemed unbearable, the music gradually gentled.
The melody turned soothing and tender, like a ray of sunlight piercing through dark clouds to illuminate the soul.
A farewell motif surfaced faintly, intertwining with the main theme to symbolize hope and salvation descending upon the mortal realm.
Those wavering, shifting notes resembled a solitary candle in the dark, casting a faint inner glow.
The Governor spoke no further.
That preceding line had been his final utterance.
His eyelids drooped, finally surrendering to exhaustion.
He longed for the warm, gentle sunshine of spring, which fell over him just like her lively companionship, helping him continuously forget the sorrows of the past.
And so he lay upon the ground, drifting into a dreamlike slumber.
Even at the very end, the half-demon merely sat beside him, watching over him like a devoted wife.
The piece concluded with a serene, ethereal coda that left a long, resonant aftertaste.
The distant melody sounded like a whisper, a prayer, a lingering gaze, a deep contemplation. Perhaps suspicions would never find their answers, but the power of love would ultimately awaken all things.
The final note sounded and faded soundlessly away, leaving an enduring resonance in every heart.
With that, the curtain finally fell on the performance.
Beyond the stage, beneath the starry ceiling of the opera house.
"..."
Abigail stared at the curtain, her face illuminated by the flickering light and shadows from the stage.
Through the surround-sound system, the Demon Governor's heartbeat and the half-demon's voice echoed through the vast space.
Suddenly, the house lights flared to life, snapping her out of her reverie.
Brilliant lights cascaded like stardust, illuminating the entire music hall and dressing it like a fantastical cosmos.
Looking out over the massive auditorium, Abigail leaned back against her seat, tilting her head back in relief as she reflected on the ending Lanqi had improvised.
This abrupt curtain call, the implicit confession, the silent companionship—rather than a comedy, it felt more like an open-ended finale.
It was the safest possible way to conclude the scene, neatly tying up the immediate loose ends.
Yet judging purely by today's showing, the performance was an absolute failure.
The core mystery had not been unraveled. The audience had reached the end without ever learning why the Governor could not remember the half-demon. It felt like an incomplete mystery play that glossed over its central puzzle, entirely lacking the crucial climactic reveal.
Even if the audience found it entertaining enough as a comedy, it completely diverged from the vision she had originally planned, clashing jarringly with the themes of the promotional music video.
Once critics watched the broadcast of today's public premiere, they would immediately seize upon the discrepancy between the performance and the promotional material, calling out the glaring contradiction.
*What a headache.* Abigail pressed a hand to her forehead.
If not for the flaw exposed by the promotional video, the ending Lanqi and Tata had poured their hearts into would have carried immense artistic depth—a poignant sense of quiet, mutual companionship.
She hadn't understood why Lanqi had committed so passionately to that final scene, to the point where she had briefly deluded herself into thinking he had another trick up his sleeve. She had been utterly baffled by the purpose of his lines to the half-demon about a "lucid dream."
Now, their only choice was to grit their teeth and rewrite tomorrow's second performance to match today's comedy.
Wait.
*It doesn't need to be changed.* Abigail's eyes snapped wide.
She suddenly grasped Lanqi's intention.
What if...
Today's performance by Lanqi and Tata was treated as Version A.
And tomorrow, when Sunday's audience watched the version performed by Lanqi and Hyperion—the one that revealed the half-demon was a ghost—it was treated as Version B.
The audience would then realize that combining the first day's story with the second day's meant that the first version staged today was merely a sweet dream conjured by the Governor's imagination.
And tomorrow's second version would reveal the true reality at twilight—that the half-demon was already a ghost, and the Governor had to wake from his dream.
When Version A and Version B were brought together, everything changed.
Tomorrow's original version, formally performed by Hypie, would build upon Lanqi's groundwork to become a monumental masterpiece that shook the audience's hearts through the stark contrast between joy and tragedy.
Applause erupted throughout the hall.
The vast majority of the audience had no inkling of what tomorrow's performance held, already thoroughly satisfied with today's show.
The male and female leads had infused their acting with distinct personal charm, delighting the theatergoers from a purely theatrical standpoint.
When the two lovers finally united, baring their hearts beneath the twilight shrine and concluding their tumultuous journey in quiet communion, the romantic fulfillment moved the entire house to rapturous applause.
The stage lights brightened in succession, illuminating the troupe as they took their bows.
Thunderous, enduring applause crashed like rolling waves, and tears of emotion shone in the eyes of many actors.
Once again, they had delivered a performance completely different from what they had rehearsed.
They could now somewhat understand why Immortal Cat had quit the troupe to take up breakdancing after the previous play.
In the front row of the audience.
"Lanqi... thank goodness you were there..."
Abigail leaned back against her chair, her heart still pounding with lingering terror.
She buried her face in her hands, letting out soft sobs.
"Abigail, what's wrong?"
Bianca set down the little black cat in her arms, gently patting Abigail's shoulder in concern.
She simply assumed Abigail was overcome with emotion, as if having survived a life-or-death ordeal.
"Can a performance really be saved like that, meow?"
Boss Cat lay sprawled across Bianca's lap, utterly dumbfounded.
It felt as though Lanqi had held the entire sky from collapsing. He had pushed himself to the absolute brink.
On the stage.
"Lanqi, thank goodness you were here."
Talia surreptitiously hooked her pinky around Lanqi's, whispering in relief.
"I should thank you as well."
Lanqi looked at Talia, offering a tired smile.
Talia had stepped in to save the day as well; overcoming this crisis had not been his effort alone.
They had always been the most uncoordinated partners.
Yet at the crucial moment, they were inevitably the most in sync, perfectly covering for one another.
"Then... this should be the end of it all, right?" Talia asked.
Tomorrow, Hypie would be able to perform everything she and Lanqi had rehearsed, sparing them from having to cobble together an impromptu opera on the fly.
Talia's task was complete; next time, she could sit peacefully in the audience and enjoy the show.
Likewise, Talia could see that Lanqi had reached his limit. He was exhausted to the bone; he looked ready to fall asleep the second he lay down.
"Yeah."
Lanqi nodded in gratification.
His true vacation was finally about to begin.
His journey, his mission, his work—everything was about to draw to a perfect close.
Applause continued to roll through the opera hall in endless waves. Some audience members stood from their seats, shouting praises toward the bowing cast on stage to pay their highest respects.
Across the auditorium, people gathered in small groups, passionately discussing the unique performances and heavenly vocals of the leads, marveling at the ingenious stage design and lighting, and savoring the profound meaning woven behind the story's dramatic twists.
Different theatergoers shared their own heartfelt reflections.
Some Ikerite citizens were already reminiscing over their favorite scenes and vocal solos, their faces glowing with enchanted satisfaction. Others couldn't wait to share this wonderful experience, texting friends and family about their impressions and urging them to come see the next showing.
The entire Ikerite Opera House was steeped in the opera's lingering magic.
Throughout the rows, patrons either rose to leave or lingered in their seats, clapping in awe.
The bowing cast remained on stage, acknowledging the crowd, while the orchestra packed away their sheet music and instruments.
Amidst the celebratory atmosphere,
No one noticed a figure seated in a corner of the front-row VIP section.
A grey-haired, gold-eyed woman curved her lips into a smile.
A nearly imperceptible tiny bug rested upon her fingertip.
[Long Live Friendship Bug]
[Category: Alchemical Beast]
[Rarity: Blue Precious]
[Tier: 1]
[Effect: Can learn to hear the target's voice and project speech according to the summoner's will.]
[Description: If you can't speak, I'll speak for you.]
Resting her chin on one hand, her eyes full of playful mockery, she had already dispatched several more tiny bugs onto the shoulders of the journalists she had scoped out earlier.
Back in the Demon Examination Hall, Lanqi had used the Long Live Friendship Bug to drive a wedge between the two proctors, making them open their hearts to each other.
For her, crafting such a simple alchemical beast from Lanqi's early days was child's play; its only function was transmitting secret messages, making it among the weakest of alchemical creations.
She certainly wouldn't sabotage Hypie and Tata's opera.
Yet she knew exactly what Lanqi had been up to all day today.
By now, these Long Live Friendship Bugs had drifted beside the press reporters, delivering a piece of news potent enough to drive any journalist mad—
[The Creti Emperor is suspected of dating multiple women in the upstairs VIP box.]
"Lanqi, do you know what true despair is? It's like that day when I couldn't run, couldn't die, and could only get my rear end spanked."
When a person was just one step away from success—or when they believed they had already succeeded—was undeniably the moment they let their guard down the most.
*Did you really think I'd let you off the hook?*
The corner of Lanfu's mouth twitched, and she let out a scoffing laugh.
*Just teasing you a little.*
"Struggle for me, *My Master*."
Just as the audience was savoring the opera's afterglow, the journalists who had been photographing the curtain call and preparing to interview the director and leads suddenly froze.
Then,
They exchanged glances with their press colleagues in the distance.
The identical reactions of their peers only hardened their conviction.
An incredible rumor swept through the opera house like wildfire.
The source of the information was entirely unknown, and no one knew who had spoken to them, yet in the blink of an eye, it rippled across every tier of the auditorium.
"Loren is at the opera house today?"
"They say he's in a VIP box upstairs!"
Amidst the rising commotion, the audience gradually caught wind of this unbelievable rumor, and the atmosphere in the theater shifted instantly.
Everyone craned their necks, their eyes searching about in hopes of catching a glimpse of the legendary Creti Emperor.
"He's even dating multiple women at once?"
"Wait, I think I really did see the War God! If the War God is here, Loren is probably here too!"
"I knew it! Coming back to the Hutton Kingdom this time was to take his Imperial Consort back to the Creti Empire!"
Whispers erupted everywhere as people dug into old gossip about Loren during his days in Ikerite.
Though some harbored doubts about the news, many reporters clearly found a potential sighting of Loren far more thrilling than anything on stage.
Not only the press, but ordinary citizens gradually shifted their focus entirely from the performance to the impending mega-scoop.
"You call this dating? You call this a scandal? What's wrong with a Holy Emperor taking a few consorts? This is legitimate international news!"
Journalist Luweixier from Ikerite Academy was practically beside herself, leaping from her seat to argue with the spectators behind her.
"..."
On stage, Lanqi, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, keenly caught the bizarre disturbance in the audience.
At first, he assumed a fire safety hazard had drawn everyone's attention, but he quickly realized it wasn't that simple.
The frantic murmurs and the searching gazes of the journalists all pointed toward something extraordinary unfolding.
Closing his eyes to listen to the specific words floating through the clamor, his serene expression began to twitch.
*Loren?*
For a brief second, bewilderment and panic seized him.
That was impossible.
How could the reporters know Loren was in the opera house?
By all rights, the number of people who knew Loren was here today could be counted on one hand...
Lanqi racked his brain trying to understand what had gone wrong, until his gaze met the alluring smirk of the grey-haired, gold-eyed woman in the distant seats.
Her eyes looked as though she wanted to swallow him whole.
She made no effort to conceal the fact that this was her doing.
"Lanfu..."
If the Poet of Great Love had been attached to Talia all day,
She would certainly know Loren's whereabouts.
But why would the Poet of Great Love do this...
Weren't they best friends? They were supposed to be best friends forever.
"Lanqi, what's wrong?" Talia called out anxiously, sensing that Lanqi suddenly looked utterly helpless.
"Tata..."
Caught in his astonishment, Lanqi looked at Talia beside him, and the memory of that stormy night in the Creti Empire slowly surfaced.
He had used Lanfu as a shield to protect Talia, invoking that "Castling" technique.
Perhaps that incident had inflicted an indelible psychological scar on Lanfu.
*So every grievance truly has its owner, and every debt must be repaid?*
The confusion in Lanqi's eyes gradually gave way to resignation, his brows dropping softly.
Every cause bore its effect.
Sow too many wicked deeds, and retribution would eventually follow.
Today, he had been paying off Loren's debts.
Yet he also owed a debt to the Poet of Great Love.
All the inhumane things he had done—those moments when he acted without even realizing it—might all come back around to collect.
This was precisely why Hypie constantly reminded him to mind his karmic virtue.
If the media's spotlight shifted entirely from the opera to the Emperor, things would become disastrously messy.
He knew all too well that exposing the Emperor's whereabouts would trigger an unprecedented media frenzy.
Loren would never be able to leave smoothly with three women; he would be hounded by scandals once more.
Having experienced Professor Landry's romantic rumors in the Creti Empire, Lanqi now understood just how much Loren had suffered back at Ikerite Academy.
With that realization, Lanqi resolved to help Loren make a clean getaway.
The only way was to draw the media's attention straight back onto himself.
And that required an even bigger headline.
The reaction of the press and the audience was far faster than Lanqi had anticipated. The floor was already descending into chaos, eyes darting between the stage and the boxes as they hunted for their high-profile target.
Backstage crew members were frantically adjusting lights and sound systems, urging the audience to exit in an orderly fashion, while security staff rushed in from outside to help, yet none of it could stem the spreading wildfire of rumors.
Time was running out.
Lanqi took a deep breath.
If this was what it took to save Loren, so be it.
He strode off the stage with decisive steps, heading straight toward the front-row VIP seats.
His heart writhing with inner turmoil, Lanqi locked his eyes onto a figure seated near the front.
"Eh?"
Iphatia looked in astonishment at Lanqi walking straight toward them, having no idea what he intended to do.
Why was her brother coming down from the stage to find her right now?
Before anyone could process what was happening, Lanqi had already arrived before a woman. Dropping to one knee, he gazed into her eyes with deep, focused devotion.
"Madame, would you do me the honor of dining with me tonight?"
Lanqi knelt gracefully before Minel, taking her fair hand in his as he asked.
Minel felt as though she had been struck by lightning.
The raucous auditorium suddenly fell dead silent, countless theatergoers turning to stare in disbelief at the spectacle near the stage.
Then came an explosive, house-wide uproar that left half the crowd paralyzed in shock.
No one could have anticipated that the male lead of the opera would make such a move at this critical juncture.
"Holy crap, isn't she a married woman? Doesn't she have a ring on her finger?!"
"So the male lead was in love with her all along?"
"She's breathtakingly gorgeous, though! Which noble family does she belong to?"
The press erupted instantly. Cameras and magic imaging devices turned like cannons toward the pair, shutters clicking frantically in terror of missing a single sensational second.
Immediately after, cheers and whistles echoed through the theater like a surging tidal wave.
The audience buzzed with feverish excitement, every face lit with the thrill of scandalous gossip.
Some began chanting "Say yes!" while others speculated whether this was an elaborately planned grand gesture.
The sound of the piano rose from the orchestra pit once more, as if trying its best to match the mood of a surprise confession.
Toryardo began playing an upbeat tune that practically screamed *"You Must Marry Me Today."*
The atmosphere in the hall instantly detonated.
Making such an open invitation in a public venue after a major performance would be considered daringly bold under any circumstance.
Issuing it on Valentine's Day carried an entirely different weight.
Such a public, high-profile declaration of affection could practically be called a marriage proposal.
Caught at the absolute center of the vortex, the black-haired noblewoman's eyes widened in sheer shock, while the friends around her were rendered utterly speechless.
"Th-This..."
The black-haired woman averted her gaze.
Panic seized her heart, and her instinct was to pull her hand back.
Yet a second later, a thought struck her—why had Lanqi come to her, instead of Hyperion, Talia, or Sigrid?
Lanqi had clearly deduced her secret. Choosing her—the most impossible person of all—was undeniably the best and most sensational option.
And for Lanqi to go this far, he had to have an unavoidable reason: he was pulling the attention away from Loren.
All of them, after all, owed a debt to Loren.
Right now,
It was only right and proper to repay him.
After a fierce mental struggle,
"I... I accept."
Minel lowered her head, biting her lip as she forced the words out.
It was as though she had been coerced, left with no choice but to submit to Lanqi's demand and place herself entirely at his disposal tonight.
When she peeked guiltily toward Iphatia beside her,
She found Iphatia's jaw practically on the floor.
"Waaah!"
Iphatia's eyes instantly welled with tears.
She couldn't believe that one day, her own brother would swoop in to steal her Minel away—she didn't want this at all!
Chapter 883