Chapter 213: Only Lance Understands the Prince’s Heart

On the sixth floor of the ancient Tower Library, specifically from a high-level gallery just meters beneath the vaulted ceiling, a person could easily look down over the railing and take in the entire central hall of the ground floor.

With sharp enough eyesight, someone could spot the three figures standing in the central circular plaza. Furthermore, with the aid of a magical device placed beforehand on a table at the edge of that plaza, someone could even hear exactly what they were saying.

Hyperion and Sophia had slightly disguised themselves for the occasion. They had arrived early at the sixth floor, ostensibly to read, while actually keeping a close watch on the situation below.

According to Lance, this was a practical lesson. The goal was for Sophia to observe closely and reflect on how to properly respond to the kind of verbal tactics Karen excelled at.

Sophia had initially been a bit anxious, worried that Lance might not be able to handle someone like Karen, a classic green tea bitch, on his own.

Before Lance and Karen could even exchange a proper word, however, just seeing Karen get shut down right at the start made Sophia giggle with delight.

"Sophia, you..."

Hyperion, who had simply come along to keep Sophia company, recalled how her friend had once stood in that very same position Karen now occupied back at the Card Maker’s Association.

Yet now, instead of being triggered by painful memories, Sophia was watching the repeat scenario with relish. Hyperion couldn't help but worry about her mental state. How had she gone from being unable to bear seeing Ainor get close to Lance, to actually enjoying this sort of drama?

Hyperion didn't feel comfortable letting Lance out of her sight for too long either. After having breakfast with Miss Tali that morning, she had asked Lance’s teacher to drop her off at the university, with plans to be picked up again in the evening.

The two of them continued to quietly observe the scene unfolding in the hall below. Lance appeared resigned to Ainor’s affectionate closeness, yet he didn't push him away. He simply let the prince be happy. He waited patiently, listening intently as Ainor rambled on at length.

"...In any case, I’m truly delighted to see you today. Whenever you have the time, I simply must take you to the royal palace to view my collection of masterpieces and hear your insights." As Ainor spoke, he patted Lance on the shoulder.

Finally, the prince paused. Lance smiled and looked directly at him before saying, "Actually, Your Highness Ainor, I was quite surprised to see you today as well. You see, a while ago, I heard from Sophia that she had planned to invite you to examine the primal tablet together. If things had gone smoothly, she would have requested Dean Lawrence’s trial once she reached her third year. Unfortunately..."

At this point, Lance lowered his gaze, his expression filled with regret. He felt it wasn't appropriate to say any more.

Surprised, Ainor asked, "Is that true?"

"You can ask Sophia yourself." The moment the prince heard Lance’s assured reply, the smile faded from his face, replaced by a deep sense of self-reproach.

Ainor was torn by an intense inner conflict. Deep down, he wanted to be with Sophia, but he had made a promise to Karen. Backing out now would be wrong on both emotional and moral grounds, especially for a prince, who certainly shouldn't break his word.

Sensing the prince’s inner turmoil, Karen interjected with a look of anxious concern, "Your Highness Ainor, I... I overstepped... I finally understand why Sophia was so angry that day. It turns out it was all my fault..."

Even as she spoke, tears began to well up in her eyes. This left Ainor even more speechless.

Karen cast a quick, sidelong glance at Lance. She wondered if the young man was deliberately stirring up trouble or if he had mentioned Sophia unintentionally.

However, a quick analysis suggested that if Lance were truly someone like her, he would surely use his wits and charm to make others fall for him, rather than selflessly helping someone else’s romance along.

After all, such behavior would be contradictory. It would be like a schemer full of malice spending every waking moment thinking only of doing good deeds and accumulating merit. If such a person could really keep doing things this way, then that alone was enough to say he’s a good person.

So, in all likelihood, Lance just had an innate knack for pissing people off.

However, that didn't matter. No matter what Ainor and Lance said, she had a way to make the prince stay with her out of pity today, and then, step by step, completely drive a wedge between him and Sophia.

Just as Ainor was feeling torn, looking at Karen’s pitiful expression and feeling unable to bring himself to hurt her, Lance interjected from the side, looking deeply apologetic，"I'm sorry. As your best friend, I won't put you in an awkward position. Just do whatever you think is right."

The look in his eyes showed that he empathized completely with the pain the prince was feeling at that moment.

Ainor looked at Lance, moved. "Lance..."

"Mhm..."

Karen was about to say something, but Lance’s words had sealed her lips. Her expression shifted several times, yet she couldn't manage to form the right response.

On the sixth floor of the library, Sophia and Hyperion were leaning against the stone railing, gazing down. Puzzled, Sophia asked Hyperion, "Why has Karen stopped... talking?"

Whenever Karen was with her and Ainor and a moment came where the prince had to make a choice, the other girl would often employ a "strategic retreat," feigning a pitiful demeanor. Sophia had seen this happen many times.

She had no proof that Karen was faking it, so she had simply swallowed her frustration time and again. Yet, the way Lance responded to the exact same situation looked, to Sophia, completely unremarkable. The result, however? Karen was left speechless!

Sophia couldn't fathom the trick behind it. Surely Lance hadn't cast a Silence spell in a situation like this?

Hyperion remained silent for a moment. Her expression looked somewhat complicated. She finally shook her head, translating Lance’s subtext for Sophia, "What Lance actually meant was: ‘You girls only squabble out of jealousy over His Highness Ainor. I’m the only one who truly cares about his well-being.’"

When the minds of all the women around the prince were enigmas beyond his comprehension, only his best friend Lance was capable of truly understanding him. Once Lance voiced that, Karen realized that anything more she said would only make her appear selfish for giving the prince a hard time.

Sophia had a sudden realization, then looked at Hyperion with a complex expression. “How come you can understand what Lance is saying, Hypie?“

Having grown up together, Sophia knew Hyperion’s character well. She was absolutely certain that Hyperion was a truly wonderful girl. In fact, her moral goodness was a rarity in the noble circles.

Hyperion looked at Sophia with a dazed, tearful expression. Yeah...why do I understand him?

After spending so much time by Lance, she had gradually come to understand his train of thought. Wasn't this, in a way, a form of mutation? Her status as a normal human was truly in danger...