I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

Fate is always so wonderful.

Duanmu Yan didn't know why, but no matter where he went or what place he went, he always seemed to run into Floro at some corner of the world.

This might be...

Is it fate?

Duanmu Yan didn't understand either.

But he doesn't dislike such coincidences—or rather, they have long become a kind of inevitability in his journey.

"What are you doing at Seven Hills?" He bent down to help the girl pick up the red currants scattered on the ground.

In his memory, this fruit was sour and astringent, and few people ate it directly; it was mostly used as a seasoning.

But considering Floro's unique palate, she might actually make redcurrants her main dish.

Floro pursed his lips slightly, squatted down and quietly picked up the scattered fruit, and asked in a calm tone, "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you too."

Of course she knew why he had come.

“I came with the Second Miss. She said she was going on a business trip…” Duanmu Yan shrugged. “But even though it’s called a business trip, I have no idea what it’s about. The Second Miss hasn’t shown up since she left yesterday. I’m currently showing up in the city with the Imperial Envoy of the Four Directions Palace.”

"I accidentally bumped into you while trying to catch up with her."

Then, as if remembering something, he asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Is it too late to ask this now?"

“…Alright, it was my oversight.” Duanmu Yan sighed softly, picked up the last red currant, put it in the basket, and handed it back to the girl. “But is this all you usually eat? Aren’t you going to suffer from malnutrition?”

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over Floro.

Among the girls he knew, she was indeed slender, but her figure still had soft curves.

—In this respect, she is better than the second young lady.

Faced with this sudden show of concern, the girl's wine-red eyes flickered, like a pebble falling into a long-silent lake, creating ripples.

She seemed to have heard similar words from him at some point in the past.

But those beautiful dreams have long been buried in a decaying tomb.

The wind that heralded the shattering of her illusions was too mournful, like a broken elegy. Her thoughts drifted away, but her body felt heavier than ever before.

Floro bit her lip, gently wrapped her other arm around her, and awkwardly turned her face away, seemingly unwilling to let him see her expression.

"...I'm used to it."

She had long been accustomed to sealing her true feelings in the deepest corner of her heart, and facing the world with a false mask.

Whether it's the tart red currants or her solitary way of doing things, these have become the norm for her.

External words and actions could no longer stir even the slightest ripple in her heart.

He was the only exception.

Even though hundreds of years of waiting had long since turned hope into profound despair, only he could touch the last remaining softness in her heart.

This was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future...

“You should treat yourself well sometimes,” Duanmu Yan said softly. “How about… trying my cooking sometime? Don’t let my appearance fool you, I’m quite confident in my culinary skills.”

The girl's eyes trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on him with a somewhat dazed expression, her fingertips unconsciously tightening.

Those fleeting fragments of memory, the people and events within them, somehow gradually overlap with the reality before my eyes, blurring my thoughts and freezing my words.

What should I say?

What should be done?

She knew nothing about it.

In that fleeting moment of confusion, I was transported back to the past that I had long since lost.

"I--"

Before she could finish speaking, the moonlight, in the instant the red spider lily bloomed, stole the last glimmer of dreamlike color from her eyes.

"Duanmu, what are you standing there for?" Yuno ran over lightly and grabbed his wrist. "Come and see, the performance over there is about to start!"

Without waiting for a response, she pulled him into the bustling crowd, leaving the lingering silence far behind.

Floro gazed at his departing figure, the past and reality overlapping before her eyes, those dreamlike fragments ultimately dissipating in the cold wind of reality.

The girl did not have any lofty ideals at the beginning, and never had any lofty ideals.

She simply longed for a love that would never leave her, a love that could last forever.

And she had already understood—

There was never a place for her in the future he was pursuing.

The girl, carrying the fruit basket, showed no emotion and turned to leave.

For her, there was no longer any reason to cling to reality.

On the other side of death—in that brand new world—he will eventually fulfill a promise to himself.

……

……

Seven Hills, Governor's Palace.

As always, Augusta handled the affairs of the seven hills with the assistance of the Senate President.

A message from the Four Directions Palace briefly interrupted her thoughts.

"Yuno? She's left the Four Directions Palace again without permission?"

"Yes, I will find her as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Grandma Lilybe."

"What did you say? Something's happening over Sanguis Karihara? Kuroshio Clouds are gathering?"

"But it's not high tide now, is it?"

"This situation was not predicted?"

"I understand, I will send someone to investigate immediately."

After ending the call, Augusta rubbed his temples and sighed deeply.

Although she was already used to her best friend's capriciousness, she still had to quell the Senate's criticisms time and time again.

For Augusta, who rose to the position of governor through merit rather than connections, dealing with the Senate was already a difficult task.

At this moment, the black tide clouds over Sanguis Karihara were unusually concentrated, causing a large-scale echo energy disturbance—this unforeseen variable cast a shadow over her heart.

"Could it be that... that guy has matured?"

In past hunts, the gladiators of the Seven Hills gradually realized that the Black Tide Cloud that lingers over the Sanguis Hunting Grounds is not an inanimate object, but a strange creation with life and consciousness.

However, the truth about it remains shrouded in mystery to this day.

People only know that it was born from the Kuroshio Current and is itself the Kuroshio Current.

It grows stronger by consuming other life forms.

Today, the people of Qiqiu call him "the false god-king".

But to date, almost no one has seen its true form, and no one has ever actually harmed it.

This is not because the Seven Hills people are weak, but because their very existence is a paradox—

It exists subjectively, but objectively it cannot be captured.

Unless it reveals itself, it cannot be found by any means, let alone attacked.

"But this shouldn't be the case. How could it grow so fast without a powerful frequency to absorb?"

Augusta sighed softly.

"Never mind, finding Yuno is the priority."

PS: Sorry guys, I lied to you in the group before. I didn't actually get stuck on the script. I just went to the Shield Dog Shared Home to run knives and printed 3 million Half Coins in one night.

12 chapters remaining.

Volume 1: Chapter 92 Will the Second Miss Forgive Me?

It was around six or seven o'clock in the evening, when the sun was about to set.

As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, the last rays of light faded, and the last vestiges of warmth disappeared from the streets. The daytime clamor finally subsided, and Seven Hills City once again fell into its usual silence.

Duanmu Yan rubbed his aching arms and slumped down on a bench in Leonidas Square.

He leaned back, gazing at the fading glow of the sunset on the horizon, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

—Yunno's energy far exceeded his expectations.

Perhaps it was because she had been cooped up in the Four Directions Palace for too long, but this time when she came to Seven Hills City, she had inexhaustible energy. She was full of curiosity about everything, her eyes were bright and sparkling, and she never seemed to get tired.

Duanmu Yan couldn't remember how many miles he had walked in the city with Yuno today. He only knew that his body felt like it was falling apart and he could barely lift a finger.

But it's Yuno...

She still looked like she wanted more.

"It seems that a lot of new things have come to Seven Hills City while I was away."

Yuno sat beside him, gently swinging her fair legs, looking up at the darkening sky, a warm smile on her lips.

A gentle breeze lifted the girl's long blue hair, causing it to sway in the wind.

The scenery, though only for a fleeting moment, was so dazzling that even the surrounding air seemed to soften as a result.

"Yes, I had a lot of fun today! Of course, you deserve some credit for it too."

She withdrew her gaze from the twilight and turned to look at Duanmu Yan, only to meet his utterly dejected expression. Yuno couldn't help but pout and mutter softly.

"What's with that look on your face! Are you really that unhappy being with me?"

Duanmu Yan let out a long sigh of relief and forced himself to sit up straight: "Yes, yes, I am truly honored to spend a day with Miss Yuno."

"That's just monotonous reading!" Yuno crossed her arms and turned her face away, letting out a soft snort. But a few seconds later, she secretly opened one eye to peek at him again, "...I suddenly want some ice cream. Since you've spent the whole day with me, I'll get you one too."

"This is a service that not everyone can enjoy. You should sit here and properly express your gratitude to this Lady Edict for her great kindness!"

Yuno stood up, her skirt swirling gently as she walked towards the ice cream shop in the distance.

Duanmu Yan looked at the girl's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

—This is what being arrogant is like.

After spending the day together, he had pretty much figured out Yuno's personality.

She is the epitome of arrogance.

Moreover, that outfit and those twin ponytails...

For some reason, Duanmu Yan always had a sense of déjà vu, much like a goddess who often messes up.

—The only thing missing is the Eastwood accent.

Thinking of this, Duanmu Yan suddenly remembered something else.

I wonder how the second young lady is doing?

When I contacted Koleta this morning, she seemed extremely busy, saying that the family's business in Seven Hills City had encountered some tricky problems, and she probably wouldn't be able to spare any time for the next few days.

"Ah, I seem to have forgotten to tell the Second Miss about Yuno and me being together."

"But it should be fine, right?"

Duanmu Yan pondered quietly.

Just then, an unfamiliar figure naturally sat down beside him.

A faint smile played on the man's lips as his gaze followed Yuno's skipping figure in the distance, his tone leisurely.

"That girl is very willful, isn't she?"

Duanmu Yan was slightly taken aback and turned his head to look at this uninvited visitor.

She seems to already know Yuno's identity. Could she be from the Four Directions Palace?