NOVPUBIn the spacious, three-tiered atrium filled with intertwining natural wood and stone, the dark home furnishings complemented this serene and elegant setting.
On one side of the hall, the meeting area with its lavish settee and lowly coffee table, adorned by the soft light from several floor lamps, appeared to slow time, creating an indescribable sense of harmony.
At this moment, the three guests seated on the sofas were none other than the offspring of the great nobility of the Hutton Kingdom.
As they sat there quietly waiting, their presences were akin to the most privileged guests in the box seats of a concert, imposing even in stillness.
"Prince Aynor, Miss Hyperion, Countess Sofia, so it was you three who were the friends Lanci kept talking about."
Lawrence bowed respectfully, a demure gesture.
Clearly, Lawrence recognized frequent guests like Prince Aynor, as well as the daughter of Duke Migaya.
He wasn’t surprised that Lanci knew these noble students from Ichrite Academy.
However.
Lawrence couldn’t help but sense an unusual atmosphere.
Prince Aynor, his expression full of fervor, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
On the other hand, Hyperion, sitting to his left on a single sofa, was looking anxiously at the tip of her shoes, head low.
Countess Sofia seemed to drift off, lost in her thoughts.
The three people acted as though they were on different wavelengths.
At this moment, only Hyperion was lucid.
Realizing that Lanci had finally arrived, she lifted her head to look at him, and knew she couldn’t ask any questions. She just had to get Lanci out of here as soon as possible!
But.
Before Hyperion could proceed, Prince Aynor had already risen impatiently from the sofa, strode over and gave Lanci a hearty hug. He grabbed Lanci by the shoulders and eagerly inquired:
"My dear friend! What level have you been rated?"
Lanci didn’t even get a chance to respond.
Lawrence, the Vice President, was already gleefully telling Aynor:
"Your Highness, indeed you have a discerning eye. The Hutton Kingdom is about to gain another Platinum Level Card Maker."
"..."
Suddenly, Hyperion’s face turned pallid.
If Lanci were rated Silver Level today, it would be no big deal, Sofia might just feel a tad awkward.
If it were Gold-level, Hyperion would be overjoyed, and then she’d find a way to comfort Sofia- the problem wouldn’t be too severe.
But now.
Platinum Level.
God, this is a dead-end situation.
Sofia felt she was being strung up over a fire, and Hyperion felt utterly helpless even though she wanted to save her.
"Platinum Level..."
Hearing Lawrence’s words, Sofia stared blankly at Lanci.
The boy who had seemed to only sit across from her this morning suddenly seemed to be far away, his shadow elongated by the floor lamp’s glow.
Upon recalling her statement, "I’m 17 years old and already a Silver-level Card Maker, how about you?", made in front of Aynor earlier, Sofia felt her cheeks burn uncontrollably.
The person standing there is a 16-year-old Platinum Level Card Maker, a level she could not reach.
Sofia’s shoulders trembled slightly, her reddened eyes welling up with tears.
At this moment, she felt as though her earlier comment had become a curse, echoing in her ears, stirring unease, impossible to shake off.
All she wanted was to find a hole to crawl into and escape from everything before her eyes.
"So-Sofia, my father once said, ’Card making relies on three parts skill, seven parts execution, and the remaining ninety parts depend on the mood of the Lady Goddess...’"
Looking at Sofia, Hyperion was extremely anxious. She held up her hand, wanting to comfort Sofia, yet feared she might crumble with a touch. Thus, she hesitated to reach Sofia’s arm.
"An Orange Epic... it can’t be made just relying on luck and performance..."
Sofia’s voice trembled, as if her tears might spill from her eyes at any moment.
She understood better than anyone else that without enough skill, no matter how much she maxed out other factors, she couldn’t make a card of this level.
That is to say, Aynor’s judgment was correct, and she was far less competent than the boy he admired.
She also came to understand that, in terms of painting, her skills were to Lanci’s as those of a baby.
"....."
Hyperion felt Sofia might not be able to hold back her tears any longer, she dared not provoke her further.
"Hyperion, did you... know about his card making and painting skills?"
Sofia seemed to finally understand why Hyperion had always been so uneasy.
"No, Sofia, I really had no idea he could be so outrageous..."
Hyperion timidly replied.
This made Sofia shiver more severely.
Sofia wanted to hold back her tears, but the shame that threatened to kill her was indescribable, because she had voiced those words in front of Aynor, which couldn’t be taken back.
Her cheeks grew more and more flushed, and tears fell like pearls broken from their string.
In the end, Sofia finally looked directly at Lanci.
Lanci’s expression was as gentle as ever, with a hint of worry, as if he harboured no ill intentions at all.
Such pity was even more hurtful than mockery.
"Whah wah wah wah....."
Sofia, unable to control herself, got up from the sofa and ran off, crying loudly.
Aynor looked confused. He glanced at Lanci who was standing in front of him and then at Sofia’s receding figure.
"Congratulations Lanci, I..."
Aynor, in his stunned state, hesitated and then congratulated Lanci.
"Why are you congratulating me, you should run after her!"
Lanci nudged Aynor several times.
"Oh, right!"
Prince Aynor finally snapped out of it, quickly agreed, and chased after Sofia.
And so, under the circumstances where Lawrence, the vice-president, didn’t understand what was happening...
Hyperion covered her eyes and lowered her head, feeling like the Lady Goddess was watching them both.
Lanci breathed a sigh of relief, walked back to Hyperion, and smiled at her, relieved and helpless:
"Hyperion, from now on, Sofia won’t give you that troubling look again."
As Hyperion heard this, she realized, and began to recall everything that had happened since she arrived at the Cardmaker’s Association this morning.
"You... did you deliberately cause trouble to protect me?"
She asked in a shaky voice.
"Eh? What I meant was that Sofia and Aynor have expressed their feelings to each other, and naturally won’t misunderstand others in the future."
Lanci, as if worrying whether he had done something wrong with good intentions, replied.
"...?"
Hearing Lanci’s words, Hyperion was stunned for a moment.
She was confused whether Lanci was being comical, serious, or even irrational.
If Lanci was being sarcastic now, she was completely lost in it.
She couldn’t help but remove her hands and open her eyes to look at Lanci’s expression.
His emerald green eyes were as gentle and clear as ever, and his face was a little naturally confused.
Hyperion felt a chill run down her spine.
If Lanci was secretly snickering, she could probably handle it better.
But now, just looking at Lanci’s innocent and pure expression, she felt like she was eating a matcha cookie!
"Lanci, it’s a good thing you’re not a girl, otherwise it would be really scary..."
Hyperion couldn’t tell whether Lanci was naturally naive or fake.
No wonder this guy was not afraid of chaotic situations.
Turns out, he was the one at the top of the food chain!!
