Chapter 213
Chapter 213
Chapter 213
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 213: Hupe, a True Deciphering Expert of the Lan Qi Tribe
Author: Poor Xixi, 2024-05-22
Beneath the high dome ceiling, several dozen meters above, the voices of three young people could be heard—faint, yet clear. The light in the great hall resembled the soft glow of dusk, casting a golden sheen over their figures.
“Classmate Karen, I’m truly sorry. But I still want to be with Sophia.”
Ainor finally made up his mind and apologized sincerely to Karen.
His bowed head—no one would imagine this was the demeanor of a prince.
Karen widened her eyes in disbelief, stunned that Ainor would actually go back on his word at such a moment.
Then she lowered her head slightly, letting out a faint, resigned smile.
“As expected… deep down, Your Highness must really despise me, right?”
Her voice gradually choked, filled with hurt, yet she forced herself to smile through unshed tears.
“A girl of such lowly status like me… if not for sheer luck, I would never have had the chance to meet someone like Your Highness.”
“No, it’s absolutely not like that.”
Ainor panicked at her reaction, flustered and at a loss for how to comfort Karen, who looked as fragile as glass.
Guilt surged in him, threatening to drown him.
Had he made the wrong choice yet again? Why was it that lately, whenever he had to make a decision, it always felt like no matter what he chose—it was wrong?
He turned desperately to Lan Qi for help.
Dearest friend, save me!
Yet this time, even Lan Qi’s expression was no longer calm, but serious, as he fixed his gaze on Karen.
On the sixth floor of the library, Sophia hammered her fists angrily against the stone railing.
“Again! I already understand her tactic of retreating in order to advance—but this time, she’s retreating all the way, making it seem like people of our Hedon Kingdom are bullying her!”
She gnashed her teeth in frustration.
Last time, outside the dean’s office of the Sage Academy’s main building, Karen had pulled the same act, spinning Ainor around in circles.
Sophia knew—even if Ainor had wised up and seen that Karen was a schemer, he would still lean toward her for the sake of appearances.
It had driven Sophia to tears in defeat, fleeing blindly—only to run into the student council president and vice president outside the old Liberal Arts building.
Now Karen had abandoned the tactic of directly swaying the prince with her words.
But faced with Ainor’s breach of promise, she could still counterattack by taking the weaker stance, backed against the wall.
No matter what Ainor or Lan Qi said next, it would all look like they were bullying the poor girl from the Kingdom of Yaloran out of jealousy.
Seeing Lan Qi’s expression down below turning grave, Sophia knew this was bad.
Even Lan Qi might be at a loss before Karen’s act!
“Is this all…”
Huperion stared down calmly, utterly unfazed, as though Lan Qi faced no real difficulty at all.
Her reaction left Sophia dumbstruck.
Hupe, when did you become like this?!
Don’t you realize you look like some high-tier schemer now too?
But as she gawked in shock, her eyes fell once again to the scene below.
At the center of the great carpeted circle stood the young man—his expression solemn, yet his emerald eyes kind and deep as the night sky. Among the three, he seemed to form a bridge between them.
“Prince Ainor is the most approachable of royals, beloved by both the capital’s people and fellow students. Even toward me, a commoner, he has always treated me as a brother. So please, don’t misunderstand His Highness Ainor anymore.”
Lan Qi spoke sincerely to Karen.
He strove to defend Ainor. Ainor, upon hearing him, was overcome with gratitude and joy, and if the atmosphere hadn’t been weighed down by Karen’s act, he would have rushed over to embrace Lan Qi then and there.
“And besides, Classmate Karen—even if you are of humble birth, your brilliance is undeniable. I believe any royal family would recognize your talent and treasure you as a gem. So please, don’t belittle yourself again.”
Lan Qi continued.
His words weren’t merely responses—they were guidance, offering young people a new perspective, helping them see the world’s complexity and beauty more clearly.
“……”
Karen fell silent, unable to speak for a long while.
Why did this feel like being summoned to the principal’s office for a lecture?
On the sixth floor, Sophia suddenly realized:
“!!”
Of course—that was the key! Instead of following Karen’s self-deprecation, the right move was to protect Ainor.
Even more so, to praise Karen in a way so gentle she couldn’t argue back—that left Karen completely cornered.
Through her telescope, Sophia noticed Ainor’s expression. She couldn’t imagine—if Lan Qi were a girl, or if Ainor were a girl—just how smitten Ainor would be by Lan Qi…
Right.
But then—why didn’t Lan Qi have a girlfriend yet?
Sophia cast a puzzled glanced at Huperion.
And she began to doubt too—was Lan Qi really playing chess with Karen, or was his heart just naturally this pure and transparent?
“Don’t look at me. He’s full of dualities… I can’t explain them either.”
Huperion closed her eyes, replying as she sensed Sophia’s gaze.
As the foremost authority on “Lan Qi studies,” she herself was still researching and exploring.
“…I hope you’ll fully decipher him one day.”
Sophia felt more and more that the one woman most likely to manage Lan Qi was Huperion.
Because to handle a being like Lan Qi, there were only two paths—
Either understand him, or conquer him.
And setting aside the possibility of “conquering Lan Qi,” when it came to “understanding Lan Qi,” no woman surpassed Huperion.
Though, Huperion herself seemed to have little interest in romance.
After all, with no rivals, why would she even think about it?
Of course, Sophia figured—with Lan Qi’s sky-defying abilities, he’d never fall into a messy love triangle anyway, much less crash into some nuclear-grade battlefield of romance.
The great hall grew silent again, the colored-glass floor shimmering at the edges like waves, interweaving into a dazzling mosaic—each piece reflecting a story of history.
Karen’s downcast gaze drifted over those colors.
She had realized—
This man was no ordinary figure.
Back in the duel where Adams ended up hospitalized in ice, many debates had swirled. But in truth, Lan Qi bore no fault—the duel’s content had been Adams’ own choice. Lan Qi had tried to dissuade him, did everything right, and it was Adams who refused to believe.
Now, having met face to face, even Karen couldn’t tell whether this black-haired, green-eyed fellow was here to disrupt things, or if he truly shone like the sun—warm, brimming with goodwill toward all.
But of course, she was never afraid of anyone.
Fine then. If you want to play, I’ll play along with you properly.
Her emerald pupils hardened slightly as she glanced at Lan Qi, a new layer of seriousness glimmering in her eyes.
