Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1479 Can you give me a happy ending?
The night outside the window was still deep, and the fireworks gradually died down, but the fervent atmosphere had not yet cooled down. The magnificent music and feasting continued for a long time. People sang and danced, laughing freely. How they wished that time could stand still at this moment, without the sorrow of life and death, or the worries of gain and loss.

But all of this had nothing to do with the two people inside the room.

There were no lights on inside; only moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a cold, silvery stillness across the polished floor.

Ovira stood in the center of the room, her back to Ling, her hands clasped restlessly behind her back. The violet crown she wore had been removed and placed on the dressing table beside her; its petals appeared somewhat dim in the moonlight. Her gown was still magnificent, but it seemed to have lost some kind of vibrant life, like an exhibit in a museum—exquisite but devoid of warmth.

“I haven’t dreamt of anything this captivating in a long time since you taught me how to sleep, how to dream, and how to get what I want in my dreams.” She suddenly spoke, her voice soft yet clearly echoing in the silence. “So, I should thank you, Lin Ge.”

Thank you for not exposing me easily, and for still being willing to play along with me until the end.

Ling stood by the door, saying nothing. His shadow, stretched long by the moonlight, reached all the way to Ovira's feet. From this angle, she looked so thin, delicate, and lonely, he thought. This seemed to be a common characteristic of every girl he had ever met in his life, no matter how noble their status, how mysterious their origins, or how distant their memories; they were all lonely in their own way.

Every unique temperament has its origin. Saint Charlotte's loneliness lies in her confusion, Ietta's loneliness lies in her self-blame, Leticia's loneliness lies in her forgetting, Rorona's loneliness lies in her exploration, Gloria's loneliness lies in her inner conflict, Shino's loneliness lies in her battles... and Ovira's loneliness is the most intense because she is a writer.

The more a person is immersed in words, the lonelier they become, and that loneliness is not enough to express even a fraction of it in words. Besides, Ovira is a children's author, and she never writes sad words. If she must convey any emotion to her readers, she hopes it is passion, kindness, and hope.

That is the secret to keeping every soul in the world pure, but unfortunately, many know it yet fail to follow it. Lin Ge was one of them; in a sense, he was the one who led the princess down this path. Before he asked that crucial question, Princess Bellamy was a patient reader, a cautious observer, or simply a behind-the-scenes spectator wandering the secret library. She could spend nine hundred years in a dusty castle, reading dry texts recorded only on paper, starting with a chance glance, to while away the boring days; she could also quote any famous writer or poet in history with ease, as if they were already memorized, even though the words she uttered never understood their meaning… but she never thought of creating anything with her own hands.

It was Lin Ge who gave her direction, it was Lin Ge who asked her why she didn't ask, and it was also Lin Ge who, after reading her earliest works, patiently and restrainedly offered his advice. Therefore, if anyone in the world could understand the loneliness that Ovira poured into her writing, it was only this young woman.

In worldly terms, this kind of relationship should be called "close friends," right?

Unfortunately, sometimes a good relationship doesn't lead to a good outcome.

Lin Ge finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "When did you realize it?"

"Pfft." Ovira couldn't help but laugh, her eyes crinkling. "That's not quite right, Ling. I should say I knew from the very beginning. After all, although this is your dream, it was woven by me, with the help of some little... tools."

“Now that you’ve admitted it, does that mean you no longer need to maintain this dream?” Lin Ge asked.

"Actually, it is still needed, but not by my own needs." Rather, it is the real-life Ovira who needs it. Without your faith, she cannot achieve her goal and rewrite the ending of the story. But the Ovira in the dream naturally could not say such a thing, so it was only mentioned briefly. She continued, "Besides, although I am the one who weaves the dream, you are the one who maintains it, Ling. If you have already had the thought of waking up, the dream will be on the verge of collapse and will no longer be stable. Moreover, this situation is irreversible, and even I cannot repair it."

Even as the two were exchanging words, the dream began to crumble. Starting from the farthest borders, the light of the stars was swallowed up, mountains and rivers turned to dust, and finally, even this ancient and prosperous kingdom returned to nothingness, ceasing to exist. Could the people celebrating and singing in the Hexagram Square at this moment imagine this? To them, the world was nothing more than a fleeting bubble.

“One night,” Ovira said. “Just one night, and this dream will disintegrate, and you will get what you want, Ringo.”

"So," the young man said thoughtfully, "the last night?"

“Yes, the last night.” The girl smiled at him, a hint of relief in her smile. Perhaps she too had long been exhausted, only forced to continue playing along with the dream's plot for some reason. However, some people cannot distinguish between illusion and reality; they are destined to act more and more realistically, becoming increasingly entangled.

Ovira is that kind of person.

but.

“There’s nothing wrong with dreams, is there, Ling?” She walked slowly to the window, her back to the young man, overlooking the night below the palace. In places untouched by stars and lights, the shadows were as deep as the bottom of water. “You are the great hero who saved Beman, and I am Princess of the Leslie royal family. I have never experienced the pain of losing loved ones, nor do I lack the will to protect my homeland. Together, we repelled the encroaching darkness, protected the peace and tranquility of this land, and finally, with the blessings of the people, forged an eternal vow. You will inherit the crown of this country and guide it towards a more prosperous path, and I will always be by your side, accompanying you, encouraging you, and giving you spiritual strength. Such a future is always something to look forward to, isn’t it? Don’t you feel the same way, Ling?”

She had already woven the plot for the dream, and it was supposed to unfold this way, if Lin Ge hadn't suddenly revealed everything.

If the most important actor in the play is unwilling to continue performing, then all the plot points lose their meaning.

After a long silence, Ling replied, "I don't belong here, Ovira, and neither do you." "Not everyone is as rational as you. There are always more people who know the道理 (principles/truths), but fewer who put them into practice." Ovira sighed softly. "Like, even though you've accepted the fact that you'll wake up, aren't you still resisting, unwilling to accept it?"

"..." Linger didn't know how to answer. He couldn't help but wonder if he was truly a rational person, as Ovira had said. Yet, he clearly remembered that the most profound memories of his life were all moments when he was swayed by his own emotions: the moment he defied his father's dying wish to take the thief to court; the moment he disregarded his sister's feelings and yielded to the Religious Decree to close the Tianxin Church; the moment he could have chosen a peaceful life, but was driven by a sudden impulse and inexplicably embarked on this journey; and the moment, after realizing the cruelty of the world, he still deeply loved that girl, yet watched helplessly as she died in his arms...

All reason must eventually yield to emotion, and he had a premonition that this time might be no exception.

"Don't worry, Ling, I won't make things difficult for you."

Ovira suddenly turned around, tilted her head, and said to him with a smile, "I would never make things difficult for you. Now that you have decided to wake up, I am willing to let this dream become a voice calling you. However, this dream is made up of us. Only when you and I are both willing to wake up can it dissipate peacefully. But I am different from you. I am fragile, weak, and frail. I have never taken the initiative to do anything. I can only make up my mind when I am pushed by others."

Lin Ge read her unspoken message: "So, do you need me to help you make up your mind?"

“Of course.” She extended her hand to Linger, as if extending an invitation. On her thin, pale palm, the unknown lines meandered like the veins of fate: “Come, Linger, let’s do something together that is absolutely impossible in reality, let me realize the illusion of this dream, break free from these dreamlike bubbles, until I fall into reality—”

Something that is absolutely impossible in reality?
Before Lin Ge could figure it out, he instinctively grabbed her hand and asked, "What do you want to do?"

The girl grasped his hand, applying slight pressure, but this gentle strength wasn't meant to pull the young man closer. Instead, she gracefully nestled into his embrace like a butterfly flitting among violets. She tilted her head back, her eyes gleaming with a fox-like cunning: "The vow ceremony is complete. We're partners now, aren't we? In that case, we should naturally do what partners should do."

Things that partners should do...

Ling's face stiffened, and for the first time, he lost his composure. He instinctively wanted to refuse, but Ovira didn't give him the chance. She gently placed a finger on the young man's lips, her beautiful pergola eyes blinking like nebulae in the boundless universe, containing infinite mystery and timeless thoughts: "Don't refuse, Ling. I didn't give you that option. And don't feel betrayed. After all, this is just a dream, and everything in a dream is illusory. Isn't that exactly what you wanted to tell me?"

If I don't understand this principle, I can't escape this illusory dream and return to reality; but if you want me to understand this principle, then let me experience it—those emotions that are impossible to experience in reality. How much I once longed for them, yet I couldn't imagine it. Wandering on the edge of the wasteland of memory, gazing at those happy stories from afar, I dreamed countless times that I could be a part of them. And now, only you can give me this opportunity…

"I--"

Lin Ge had never felt his heart pound so hard. His lips were as pale as if he had lost too much blood, and even the words he managed to squeeze out were dry and hoarse, like sandpaper. But it wasn't out of resistance; it was out of fear. He was deeply shocked and also afraid of the intense emotions flowing in Ovira's eyes, feeling them bursting forth with life from the girl's soft bosom at such close range, and impacting his mind so powerfully. He had experienced similar emotions with another girl long ago, a time that had been happy and fleeting, but memories had filtered it, gradually transforming it into a permanent longing.

He was a lonely soul in this world, insecure, sensitive, yet feigning strength. If he hadn't learned the power of love from her, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to persevere to this day. The first tear he shed in his life was to commemorate her departure, or rather, to pray that she would never leave. This was the only thing he could do in the face of one inevitable parting after another, yet it seemed he was not allowed to, leaving him only with futile sorrow.

On that unknown night, he first understood the suffering and great deeds that mortals are destined to endure since birth, but he was also deeply worried and fearful about whether he was worthy of the favor of fate. At that moment, the girl whispered in his arms, giving him the warmest comfort: If this is what you want to say, please don't be afraid of anything, Lin Ge.

—Because I've always been by your side.

Now, another love, both warm and heavy, is placed before him, making the young man unable to help but ask himself: Why me? Is it really worth it? Is a mortal who is insecure, sensitive, and pretending to be strong really worthy of so many pure souls in the world personally telling him what the power of love and loneliness is?
Fate.

If you're watching this, could you please tell me the answer?
The young man shook his head sadly: "You shouldn't have done that, Ovira."

But when he said those words, he already knew the outcome. To outsiders—especially those who didn't know him—it was the coldest rejection. Only those who truly understood him could hear the helplessness and weakness in those words, probably because he had never succeeded in using them to reject anyone, just as he had said the same thing to another girl that night.

And then tonight, in a dream destined to crumble, I received the same answer.

“That’s all I want to do, Ringer.”

Ovira looked at him sadly and whispered, "Since it's already such a dream, can't you at least give me a happy ending?"

Give me some cats