Alice in the Land of Steam

Why not tell us Chapter 1476?

It's Ovira and Linger!

After overcoming numerous hardships (though not actually that many), Gloria finally found her friends from her dreams. Overjoyed, she almost immediately wanted to rush over, greet them as usual, and tell them about her experiences and feelings since arriving in this world. However, at that moment, the night wind carried intermittent sounds of conversation. The voices were very soft, mingling with the gentle ripples of the lake and the rustling of the leaves, making them indistinct. But perhaps it was precisely because they were difficult to hear that they were all the more likely to pique people's curiosity?
At least, Gloria was captivated, her steps faltering as she considered taking a step forward. Strange thoughts began to surface in her mind: What did Ovira and Linge say to each other in their dreams? About this unexpected wedding? About this bizarre dream? Or perhaps, about something more important that she didn't know?
Judging from their personalities, if she asked them directly, they definitely wouldn't tell her, right? There are some things that can't be shared with others. Gloria understands this better than anyone else, but she is also more unable to resist its temptation than anyone else. After all, she is a second personality born from hidden emotions and burgeoning desires.
This is instinct, or perhaps it's her way of surviving.

Like a wary cat, the girl instinctively took a half-step back, glanced left and right to make sure no one had noticed her, and then gracefully retreated behind a clump of evening primroses that emitted a faint blue glow. The dense flower stems and broad leaves perfectly concealed her figure, leaving only a sliver through which she could glimpse the lakeshore.

Through the crack, she saw Ovira with her back to her. In her dream, Ovira wore a magnificent gown, her long platinum braids reaching her waist, the ends seemingly tinged with starlight, finally possessing some of the dignity of a princess. Linger stood sideways, also dressed in a well-fitting court suit, his posture more upright than usual. Gloria was no stranger to this new image of the young man; she couldn't forget that when Her Highness the Third Princess of the Victorian Royal Family attended Professor Heinrich's dinner at the Summer Palace, it was this very Mr. Linger who accompanied her.

It's strange, even though it happened just a year ago, it feels like a lifetime ago to me.

As Gloria's mind wandered, she held her breath and listened intently to the faint whispers of conversation carried on the wind.

"...Are you nervous, Ling?" It was Ovira's voice, softer than it could be heard in reality, with a dreamlike ethereal quality, yet incredibly clear.

Linger paused for a moment before speaking slowly, his voice in the calm tone Gloria was familiar with: "Logically speaking, I should give a positive answer, but, as you can see, Ovira, I am not nervous right now."

He pursed his lips; rather than being relaxed, a sense of emptiness and tranquility enveloped the young man's heart.

Ovira seemed to chuckle slightly: "I knew it. After all, you're always like this."

It's always like this... what is it like?

If someone says something like that, it means she understands herself very well, right? But that's precisely the most difficult thing in the world, because even Linger himself may not fully understand himself.

The ripples on the lake of the heart trembled slightly. This lake always faithfully reflects the human heart, sometimes with raging storms, sometimes with calm waters. But at this moment, it reflects a profound scene that even the wisest sage cannot see through. For example, the man and woman standing by the lake are both undergoing the test of fate.

Are you scared, Ling?

The princess's voice shattered the tranquility of her heart, and made Gloria, hiding behind the flowers, open her eyes wide: Linger was afraid? How could that be? Even in a dream, Ovira couldn't be talking nonsense, could she?

To her even greater surprise, Lin Ge did not refute her, but remained silent.

But sometimes, silence represents an attitude.

So, in Gloria's mind, what exactly is the fearless Linger afraid of? It can't be... being afraid of marriage, can it? Thinking of this, the girl's expression became somewhat strange.

Only Ovira knew that it wasn't like that.

What he feared was never the inexplicable fate, but rather the emotions within his heart.

But fate is predetermined and cannot be changed; only genuine feelings will never hurt anyone.

and so.

"Don't be afraid, Ringer."

The princess gently took the young man's hand and said tenderly, "I will always, always, always be by your side. As long as you are still willing to believe in me, then I am capable of anything."

Whether it's defeating an invincible enemy or maintaining this fleeting dream.

Her tone was as solemn as if she were making a promise that would never be broken, which reminded Ling of the past. Had she made the same promise back then? Your trust will become her strength, and as long as you have this strength, no one can take you away from you. She is the princess of Bemang, and she must protect her family, her country, her people, and this light that will never dim.

The young people back then chose to believe, which led to this wedding. To this day, he still believes, but it's no longer as pure.

Ling watched Ovira silently, observing the warm smile blooming on her face and the smooth touch from his palm, slightly damp like rain—was it sweat? Was she nervous? Because she knew that everything she had now was unstable, and the power from her heart would eventually vanish for her own heart. But it didn't matter; at least for now, there was no such option before her.

“Yes.” The young man took her hand in return and nodded lightly but firmly. “Thank you, Ovira.”

His sincere tone immediately put the princess at ease. She had intended to comfort him, but instead, she was the one being comforted. A touch of self-mockery crept into her heart, a ripple of emotion spreading across her soul, but it quickly subsided. The princess changed the subject: "That's good. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Ling. Everyone certainly wouldn't want to see you like that. By the way, the wedding starts in an hour. According to our Light Elf tradition, there will be a wonderful fireworks display, followed by the light-receiving ceremony, the blessing ceremony, and the choir's grand hymns..."

The princess began to chatter on and on, though the young man actually knew the procedures better than she did. After all, he was a very serious person in every way, and having decided to forge an eternal contract with the girl before him, he naturally wanted to prepare in advance. On the other hand, Ovira, despite being the princess of Bemang, didn't seem to pay much attention to these rituals, and even got several parts of the procedure wrong…

Lin Ge didn't correct her, but listened silently, as did Gloria, who was hidden among the flowers. Her heart rippled, starlight shimmered—it was clearly a dreamlike and beautiful scene, yet she felt a strange atmosphere between the two. Though beautiful, it gave off an illusory feeling, like a mirage, as if it could vanish at any moment. Ah, that's quite normal, she couldn't help but think; after all, it was a dream.

When I woke up from the dream, everything vanished like smoke, leaving only fragments of memory. The only real feeling was the emptiness in my heart.

Even so, a touch of sadness is still inevitable. Couldn't this dream continue forever? Ah, it seems that's not possible either. That would be unfair to the people in reality, especially, especially Sister Xia, because she's Lin Ge's lover, isn't she? And Lin Ge has never forgotten her, or rather, it's impossible for him to forget her. Therefore, the part of his heart that belongs to love is already full, and no one else will be allowed to enter. Perhaps, that's why Ovira chose to entrust her true feelings in her dream? But will that necessarily bring happiness? Will she be satisfied after waking up? Sigh, love is truly the most complex emotion in the world; I completely don't understand it. Can't Lin Ge love everyone equally? That way, no one will get hurt. That would be so good.

Gloria's thoughts wandered aimlessly, various random ideas surfacing and disappearing in her mind. Meanwhile, the conversation between the two by the lake was drawing to a close. Suddenly, the princess exclaimed, as if just remembering something: "I forgot, I forgot! According to our Light Elf tradition, young women wear flower crowns at their weddings. Hmm, although Father must have prepared them in advance, I don't really like the flowers chosen by the court officials. I'll have to ask my teacher to reserve the best violets of the season for me!"

Although violets don't have any special symbolic meaning at weddings, Princess Bemang's favorite flower is violets, a fact known to all the people, inherited from her teacher, Lady Tree. Therefore, it's not considered too impolite.

“I’ll go tell the teacher right away.” At this point, Ovira couldn’t help but sigh softly, “It’s a pity that the violets I planted myself have never bloomed, even though I’ve taken good care of them according to the teacher’s instructions.”

The violets, yet to bloom… The young man seemed to recall something, a thought flickering in his mind, but this fleeting inspiration, like a ripple on a still lake, vanished without offering any real enlightenment. Coming to his senses, Ling asked, “Do you need me to come with you?”

"No need, you can just wait here!" Ovira said with a smile, "I'll bring you back a flower crown too!"

Shouldn't the man wear it?
Lin Ge found it hard to imagine himself wearing a floral crown. He was about to refuse when the princess didn't give him the chance, turning and leaving. The young man watched her hurried departure, his outstretched hand hovering in mid-air, like a sentence on the tip of his tongue, stopped abruptly, before finally lowering it slowly. No rush, he thought; there would be plenty of time later.

Really?

A voice rang out, like a self-questioning inquiry, only to be quickly interrupted by the sound of footsteps abruptly stopping. Ovira had stopped abruptly; she turned around, her gaze falling on Ling, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked softly, "Um, Ling..."

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask you a question..."

"what is the problem?"

At this moment, Linge had already vaguely realized something, but he was powerless to stop it, and even less able to stop it: he could neither stop Ovira from asking that question nor stop himself from answering it.

"Hoo~ Ha~"

Ovira took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, as if releasing all the uneasy and restless emotions in her heart, before tightening her small face and asking, word by word, "Linger, do you...love me?"

Hmm... how should I put it? It's a very ordinary, normal, and reasonable question.

Gloria couldn't help but think that seeing how nervous and formal Ling and O'Vera were, she had expected even more explosive questions, like O'Vera asking Ling if he liked anyone else besides her. If Ling hesitated even for a moment, the consequences would be severe. But this question didn't require hesitation, did it? Before making a lifelong vow, a young girl asked if he loved her—was there really any other answer?
Lin Ge hesitated.

He knew perfectly well how to answer at this moment. Like a novel's plot, the groundwork had been laid, and the rest would unfold logically; there was no other way. But when he tried to speak, a stronger, more conflicted, and more irrational emotion seized his reason, making it impossible for him to utter those simple three words. Thus, in the end, what should have been the most fervent emotion was expressed only superficially—

“...I like you, Ovira.”

The young man spoke each word carefully, his expression serious and his tone sincere, without a trace of falsehood.

but--

No matter how sincere it is, there's always an insurmountable chasm between love and liking, isn't there? Gloria's eyes widened, unable to imagine why Linger would give the wrong answer. But she didn't know that the key to understanding this situation was never right or wrong, but rather the order of events.

Ovira knew.

Only Ovira knew.

So, to Ling's surprise, to Gloria's surprise, and probably even to her own surprise, she wasn't angry, or even discouraged. Instead, she felt a sense of relief and let out a sigh of relief: "...Is that so? I understand."

What do you know?

A smile returned to her face: "Thank you, Ling."

Why should we say thank you?

She turned and left, her footsteps echoing in the empty lake of my heart.

Aren't you going to ask any more questions?
Lin Ge stared blankly at her departing figure, as if watching a strange emotion being lost and regained, then lost again. Perhaps only this young man was constantly being questioned and tormented between gains and losses.
Why not say 'I love you'?

A curious voice suddenly came from the side, and the scene reflected in the lake swayed for a moment before finally disappearing into a hazy mirage.

Give me some cats