Chapter 214: Hypie is the True Expert on Lance

Dozens of meters beneath the vaulted ceiling, the voices of the three young people drifted. They were faint yet distinct. The hall was bathed in a soft, twilight-like glow that cast a golden sheen over their figures.

Having finally made up his mind, Ainor offered Karen a sincere apology. "Miss Karen, I am truly sorry, but I still want to be with Sophia."

The way he lowered his head made it impossible to imagine he was a prince. Karen’s eyes widened as she looked at him, as if she was unable to believe that Ainor would back out at the last moment.

Then, she shrank back slightly and offered a smile that held a touch of resignation. "I see... You must really dislike me, Your Highness Ainor."

Her voice began to choke with emotion. She looked deeply hurt, yet she still forced a smile through unshed tears as she said, "A girl of such humble status as myself... were it not for sheer luck, I would never have had the chance to meet someone like you, Your Highness."

"No! That’s absolutely not true." Ainor panicked at her reaction, at a loss for how to explain himself to someone who seemed fragile enough to shatter at the slightest touch.

Guilt threatened to overwhelm him. Had he made the wrong call again? He didn't understand why, lately, every choice he made had turned out to be the wrong one. Ainor cast a pleading look at Lance. My best friend, please save me!

However, even Lance’s expression was no longer composed. He had turned serious with his gaze fixed intently on Karen.

Up on the sixth floor of the library, Sophia was pounding the stone railing in frustration.

She gritted her teeth as she snarled quietly, "Here we go again! I’ve figured out her tactic of 'retreating to advance' by now, but this time she’s retreated all the way to the very end. She’s making it look like we, the people of Hutton, are using our power to bully her!"

Karen had pulled this exact stunt once before, outside the dean’s office in the College of Magical Engineering’s main building, twisting Ainor around her little finger.

At that time, Sophia knew that even if Ainor finally wised up and realized the other card maker was manipulative, he would still prioritize the bigger picture and side with Karen. Frustrated to the point of tears, she had no choice but to retreat in defeat. She then stumbled upon the area beneath the old Liberal Arts Hall, where she encountered the passing Student Management Council president and vice president.

Now, Karen had abandoned her strategy of trying to directly sway the prince through her words. Instead, faced with Ainor breaking his promise, she could only adopt a defensive counter-strategy: hammer hard at his guilt and position herself as the underdog.

Consequently, whatever Ainor and Lance said next would make them look like bullies picking on a pitiful girl from Yaloran; or it would simply look like they were just jealous of her.

Seeing the serious expression that had settled on Lance’s face down below, Sophia realized the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Apparently, even Lance was feeling the pressure. He was at a loss for how to deal with Karen!

"Is that all?" Hyperion gazed down at the scene below, her expression calm and almost bored. She didn't seem to think Lance was facing any real difficulty at all.

Her reaction left Sophia, standing beside her, utterly shocked. Hypie, when did you become like this? Do you realize you’re starting to look like a high-level femme fatale yourself?

Utterly astonished, Sophia turned her attention back to the three below.

Lance was standing on the massive circular rug in the center of the hall on the ground level. His expression was serious, yet the look in his eyes was gentle. His emerald eyes looked as deep as the night sky, and they seemed to act as a bridge between the three of them.

Lance earnestly said, "His Highness Ainor is the most approachable of princes. He is beloved by the capital's residents and his fellow students alike. He treats even a lowly son of a merchant like me as a brother, so please, stop misunderstanding His Highness."

He was doing his best to stand up for the prince. Ainor looked at Lance with a mix of gratitude and delight. Had the atmosphere not been so heavy due to Karen’s presence, he would have been tempted to rush over and give his best friend a hug.

Lance continued, "Furthermore, Miss Karen, despite your common background, you possess immense talent. I am certain that the royal family of any nation would recognize your potential and cherish you as a rare gem. So please, stop selling yourself short."

His speech went beyond a mere response. Instead, it was more like words of enlightenment, offering a young lady a fresh perspective and helping her see the world’s complexities and beauty with greater clarity.

Karen remained silent for a long moment, unable to utter a word.

What is this feeling? It’s just like being summoned to the headmaster’s office for a talk... Sophia, watching from the edge of the sixth-floor terrace, realized this with a start.

Wait, this isn't the time to get dragged into Karen's self-deprecating train of thought. Lance’s priority should be defending Ainor. He should even heap some praise on Karen, be so gentle that she can't possibly argue back, leaving her with no choice but to yield.

Sophia then observed Ainor’s expression in the distance through her binoculars. She couldn't help but wonder at something. If Lance were a girl, or if Ainor were a girl, just how completely captivated would Ainor be by Lance? Come to think of it... Why doesn't Lance have a girlfriend yet?

Sophia could only look toward Hyperion with a puzzled expression. She was also starting to get confused. Was Lance playing a strategic game with Karen, or was he simply naturally pure of heart and transparent in his intentions?

Hyperion noticed Sophia’s bewildered gaze and said with her eyes closed, "Don't look at me. He embodies so many contradictions. I can't explain it either..."

As the foremost authority on "Lance-ology," she was still deep in her research and exploration of this baffling creature.

"...I hope you manage to fully figure him out soon." Sophia increasingly felt that Hyperion was the woman with the best chance of taming Lance.

After all, there are only two ways to handle an anomaly like him: either understand him, or conquer him. Setting aside the feasibility of "conquering" him, no other woman could rival Hyperion when it came to "understanding" him.

Then again, Hyperion didn't seem to have romance on her mind at the moment. Since she faced no rivals, she simply had no need to give it much thought.

Of course, in Sophia's view, given Lance's extraordinary capabilities, there was absolutely no chance of him getting entangled in a romantic mess, let alone suffering a catastrophic "shipwreck" that would trigger a nuclear-level romantic showdown.

***

Silence once again descended upon the hall on the ground level. The colorful tile floor, with its shimmering edges, formed an intricate, colorful mosaic where every tile seemed to reflect a story from history.

Karen’s gaze wandered restlessly over those vibrant hues. She had realized it by now: The man before her was no ordinary figure.

There had been considerable controversy surrounding the previous duel, the one that landed Adam in the hospital after being frozen solid. In reality, Lance bore no blame. After all, Adam had chosen the terms of the match himself, and Lance had offered plenty of well-intentioned advice, doing everything in his power to help only for Adam to refuse to listen.

Having met him in person, even Karen found herself puzzled. Was this black-haired, green-eyed fellow merely a troublemaker, or was he truly as warm as sunshine, radiating goodwill toward everyone?

Still, she had never been one to shy away from a challenge. Fine. If you want to play, then I’ll play along.

She glanced at Lance, a look of genuine seriousness entering her green eyes.