Chapter 743: Everyone Knows the Heart of Sima Luo, a Commoner’s Knowledge 6k
“Shouldn’t you be over there too?”
These words pierced through her ears like a shuttle, causing Rose to freeze instantly, feeling a buzzing in her head as she stood dumbfounded.
At this moment, her state of mind was akin to a little rabbit pulled out from a dark hole and also like a kitten caught stealing fish, wishing she could curl up into a ball right away.
Pandora, seeing her reaction, felt somewhat surprised, thinking to herself, “Your expression is so obvious; do you think you’re hiding well?”
Fortunately, after reuniting with Hephaestus, Pandora had become much more amiable and did not intend to expose her too harshly.
She added, “But it’s good too; watching a tiger fight from the sidelines is indeed a strategy.”
The thunderous noise in Rose’s head suddenly made her wake up, and she hurriedly explained, “Senior Pandora, I didn’t have any such thoughts…”
Pandora crossed her arms, the delicate ripples trembling slightly as she smiled, “I understand, I understand.”
Rose’s rebuttal abruptly stopped, her ears turning as red as blood.
Taking advantage of her stunned state, Pandora casually pulled her down to sit and, in a calm manner, fetched a set of brand-new tea utensils from the side, placing the teacups in front of herself and Rose before pouring a pot of black tea.
Unlike bitter tea, the sweet fragrance accompanied by the rising smoke permeated her senses.
Pandora then gathered a pile of fruit platters, cakes, puddings, and cookies, urging Rose to eat.
Rose carefully held the teacup, her heart filled with caution.
Pandora, however, enthusiastically pointed at the girls on stage, eyeing them warily, and asked, “What do you think of them?”
Rose never expected her to ask such a question, but driven by a sense of guilt after having her thoughts exposed, she subconsciously followed Pandora’s train of thought and said, “They’re… very good, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Pandora chuckled lightly and turned her gaze elsewhere.
Those girls were actually quite smart, but falling in love with someone can make one blind.
They knew they couldn’t win in the first half, so they chose to avoid it.
But did they ever consider that lacking the courage to challenge directly, how could they compete with her?
That girl named Emma was tolerable… she seemed to have danced with Dark during last year’s Christmas Ball, but her presence this year has been weak. Pandora thought she had given up, but it turned out she still harbored hope. However, that wasn’t significant.
On the other hand, the girl named Eudora, who had always kept a low profile, had increasingly frequent interactions with Dark. Was today the day she would reveal her fangs?
Speaking of which, the most straightforward one was Diana!
As the saying goes, those close to the water get the moonlight first. This child appeared spirited, but when it came to a real challenge, she wilted. Clearly, her psychological age was too young; she needed a few more years to pose a threat.
Even Aurora, who was a year younger than her, posed a greater threat… much greater!
…
Pandora’s smile slightly faded, her brows furrowing with concern.
In her view, these young girls’ actions were like children playing house, but Aurora’s play was truly like living in a home!
Since obtaining her [Identification Card], she often exchanged messages with Dark. Though they met infrequently, their communication time had increased.
Thus, she now knew a lot about Dark’s daily life. Of course, she was already aware that Aurora had been showing her affection every night… feeding him!
Although Pandora felt she had a significant advantage, she was not skilled in social interactions, especially in handling emotional matters, something she had never done before. Her mature exterior did not hide her inner clumsiness; she often did not know how to handle situations accurately.
Therefore, she never mentioned Dark accepting Aurora’s attentions.
Moreover, Aurora was a student of the Noble Academy.
She, on the other hand, was from the Mana Academy.
Aurora’s actions were perfect in timing, place, and people, making it impossible to stop her for now.
…
Ahead.
Dark finally overcame opposition and escorted Diana onto the stage.
He chose Diana among the many mana golems, not because Diana held a higher position in his heart than the mana golems, but because Diana had formally invited him, he had to prioritize her.
Deep down, Dark was very soft-hearted.
Yet, when necessary, he could be harder than anyone else.
Those close to him could generally feel that his outward arrogance and coldness were merely a facade.
His inner softness made him meticulous and gentle.
His decisiveness in critical moments made him extraordinarily resolute.
Being with him always gave an indescribable sense of security.
This was his charm.
Once touched, one would be firmly drawn in, never wanting to let go.
Pandora looked at the stage where Dark and Diana were dancing in a circle.
Diana, like her, was not good at dancing, but her athletic ability was strong, learning quickly, though she still moved slowly, unlike her usual style.
Diana’s psychological age was young, so being attracted to Dark was normal.
But it was hard to say clearly how much of that emotion was romantic love and how much was dependency on parental figures.
From an observer’s perspective, Pandora believed the latter was predominant.
So, although Diana seemed the most proactive, she posed little threat.
Even less than Rose Florette beside her.
Pandora picked up a cookie, bit into it lightly.
Last year, she had interacted with Rose and Diana. Back then, Rose was far less outgoing than she is now.
Rose lacked a sense of security.
Just like she had been when she first came to Saint Maryann Academy.
And someone like Dark, who was both gentle and reliable, was like a massive magnet to such a girl, possessing an irresistible attraction.
Moreover, his external and internal qualities were top-notch.
If not controlled, he was practically a living machine for harvesting young girls.
Indeed, last year’s events confirmed this description, as Dark received dance invitations from almost all first-year girls of the Noble Academy.
Therefore, it was very reasonable for Rose to fall for Dark.
In this regard, Pandora shared similar feelings.
She could never like a man without responsibility.
Pandora continued watching the golden-haired youth dancing gracefully on stage, while the girl dancing with him had lost all significance in her eyes.
…
Rose Florette remained anxious.
She didn’t know where she had let her guard down and never considered that she might be full of flaws.
Unable to understand the situation, she couldn’t help but worry about the consequences of her thoughts being exposed.
Since Senior Pandora had noticed, then… Could Dark know? And what about Diana?
“It must not be known to Diana!”
For some reason, her first thought was this, and she felt somewhat flustered.
But she didn’t know how to proceed anymore.
She was just a girl, whose life had been mostly spent in a cage until now, and who had yet to experience much of the world.
“What should I do?”
…
As the saying goes, when you can see others, they can see you too.
Although Emma, Eudora, and Aurora were in different positions, they were all paying attention to Pandora.
Emma’s thoughts were rather indifferent.
She had put on makeup today, which she had learned herself.
All she wanted was to do as last year, wait for Dark to finish dancing, sit down to rest, and then slightly disturb him, just a simple dance together.
Then, they would part ways.
But this year, even if she deliberately avoided the first half and Pandora, it would be difficult to achieve her goal in the second half.
Because there were simply too many… well, too many golems queuing up…
This truly disrupted her rhythm. She didn’t know whether to rush ahead of the golems or wait until they were done… that might take until the end of the ball.
Her usually clear thoughts were somewhat disordered.
Emma was certain she wasn’t good at handling such matters.
…
Eudora pursed her lips, staring unblinkingly at Dark.
She felt like an assassin, one who would flee a thousand miles if the first strike missed.
If tonight she mustered the courage to rush out only to be rejected, she might really have to flee a thousand miles!
It was said that people on the Star Tower spoke very nicely; perhaps she should go and see (sad).
In short, she was now looking for an opportunity, a one-shot chance.
During this process, she felt a fierce beast lurking behind her, making her feel uneasy.
But she held her ground!
“Good job, Eudora!”
She encouraged herself, forcing herself not to mind the overwhelming dragon aura.
“You can do it, Eudora!”
…
Aurora was positioned further back than Eudora and Emma.
Before today, she had twice sneaked into Dark’s room under the pretense of delivering night meals but failed to hand over the invitation to the ball both times.
Of course, it couldn’t really be because she forgot—how could she forget such a thing?
Only, deep inside, she harbored a stubbornness and pride typical of a young girl, hoping that Dark would be the one to extend the invitation.
So, after much contemplation, she ultimately did not act during the night she made chicken soup.
On the second night, she finally decided to act if Dark still hadn’t extended the invitation—she would make the move herself!
Yet, when the moment came, she hesitated again.
Suddenly, a thought popped into her head.
Was it really meaningful to force her way into the second half just to dance one song with him?
Once this thought emerged, it was hard to suppress.
She felt that all her previous plans were futile.
What she wanted and the current situation were separated by an insurmountable wall.
The name of that wall was “Pandora!”
Before breaking through this wall, any apparent “success” was meaningless.
It was a corrosive poison, a web that lured one into compromise.
She asked herself what she truly wanted.
Her heart gave her the answer.
With a single thought, Aurora finally decided not to send out the carefully prepared invitation to the ball. Now, she was still conflicted about whether to go or not!
If she went, it felt like rushing to eat scraps thrown away by others.
If she didn’t go, she feared she wouldn’t get even those scraps.
She wouldn’t normally be conflicted about such things.
But a girl’s heart is something even she cannot fully understand…
For a moment, she was somewhat delusional.
…
The situation was far more complex than Dark had anticipated.
But the intricate situation gave him a bit of breathing room.
If Emma, Eudora, Aurora, and Rose all appeared and surrounded him after he danced with Diana, he would indeed find it hard to choose.
As for the current situation.
In front of him, there was only Diana.
Thinking about other girls while dancing with the one he liked would be disrespectful to all of them.
Therefore, he deliberately focused his thoughts, immersing himself fully in dancing with Diana.
He had mastered Diana’s preferred rhythm, transitioning from following her lead to leading her into a stronger crescendo, building more chemistry between them. Diana also learned new dance moves.
Diana even felt that enduring a little discomfort was no big deal…
But happy moments were always fleeting.
The end of this song was somewhat abrupt for both of them.
Diana looked hesitant; she didn’t want to stop.
After summarizing last year’s experience, she didn’t wear high heels to match better with Dark.
The deep red crystal red dancing shoes fit perfectly, causing no pain, and she didn’t worry about them breaking.
She could continue dancing, like Dark and Senior Pandora, for half an hour, or even an entire hour!
But she didn’t know that Dark couldn’t wait any longer…
Professor Kazel had not been in the banquet hall since the start of the evening.
He had been preparing for tonight’s experiment since before the party… no, since the day before yesterday.
The twenty-second Sunday, he returned from the dungeon.
And from that night onward, Olivia disappeared.
By the way, two new maids arrived that afternoon.
However, these two maids were not here for the [Underworld Fire] extraction experiment but to handle the goods. The gifts for the golems that Dark had ordered from the Duke’s Mansion were also delivered.
And tonight, before the second half of the ball began, when Dark returned to the banquet hall, he found that Professor Shylph was also gone.
Additionally, Sister Carrian, Professor Jones, Professor Metia, and Professor Lily… were all missing.
As for the principal’s clone, it had been absent for quite some time.
From this point on, among the professors who had previously jointly explored the dungeon, only the innocent-looking Professor Nina remained, squatting and competing with the little Cubone for food (fog).
From this point on, among the four deans, only the current dean of the Fool’s Academy, the professor teaching the Mana Language—Professor Heldred Bode—remained at the scene.
He sat in a corner at the back of the teacher’s seats, his hawk-like eyes scanning the entire hall gloomily, as if he were trying to catch something within the hall.
One hundred and eight murderers were alike.
Fortunately, Professor Nina blocked his gaze with her massive body, and only from the side could one see a bit of it, preventing him from achieving the title of ‘Atmosphere Destroyer.’
…
Seeing all the professors slip away, Dark’s heart was restless and couldn’t settle down.
Even if he couldn’t participate in Professor Kazel’s small experiment like the other professors, even if he hadn’t touched any part of the preliminary stages of the experiment, he still had to see the results, to witness that instant when the experiment succeeded.
This precious and great moment, he didn’t want to miss it for anything.
He couldn’t wait any longer; he wanted to rush to the secret path, rush to the site of the experiment!
“Half past eleven!”
He set a limit for himself in his heart.
He had to handle everything properly before half past eleven.
No more delays!
“Dark…”
Diana raised her head, her face, already showing signs of beauty, slightly lifted, her rarely shy eyes tightly fixed on her, those eyes shimmering with waves of anticipation.
Dark’s heart ached, and his steps followed the beat as the second waltz began.
…
“Hmm.”
Pandora pursed her lips and swallowed the tea water in her mouth in one go.
She noticed that Diana’s [Threat Level] had increased by one degree!
It was tangled and difficult to untangle.
Dark’s soft-heartedness was both his strength and his weakness.
Everything always had two sides.
“After all, it was Diana who came first.”
A voice suddenly echoed in her ear.
This made the corner of her eye tighten, but she didn’t turn around to look.
Rose suddenly blurted out something, was it meant for her or for herself?
Who knew?
Nobody knew.
The atmosphere of Christmas Eve became mysterious and unpredictable.
…
Every dance song on Christmas Eve was shortened to five to six minutes.
Thirty minutes, roughly enough for five songs.
Dark finally adopted a preemptive tactic as the second song was about to end.
As their feet crossed and bodies drew close, he whispered softly in Diana’s ear, “Merry Christmas.”
Christmas hadn’t arrived yet.
Diana wanted to say this, but she was led by Dark to spin off the stage in a daze.
“There are three left!”
The stage on Christmas Eve seemed to instantly transform into a battlefield of seconds.
Dark gently released his grip on Diana’s hand and turned to look at the golems. Eevee, already looking delighted, hopped over like a rabbit.
“(>^ω^<)
Finally, it's Eevee's turn!
That's what it thought.
But between it and Dark, a star-shaped hexagram suddenly lit up.
Eudora, one of the "Three Cheaters," suddenly appeared from the hexagram, her face red as an apple, her lips tightly pressed together, and she grabbed Dark's hand.
Eevee's face flashed with surprise.
Eudora, who had practiced alone many times in the dorm, lowered her gaze and, without stopping, pulled Dark toward the stage.
She wouldn't ask, although it was impolite, but not asking meant not being refused. She knew Dark wouldn't refuse.
She had already made up her mind.
Indeed, just a momentary pause, and Dark followed her lead toward the stage.
"The prediction succeeded!"
Her heart was elated, but she stumbled on the stage due to her haste, almost ruining the moment.
But Dark caught her with an extremely graceful posture, holding her slender waist that seemed ready to break at any moment.
Her face flushed, and she felt unprecedented sweetness, wishing she could melt into his arms.
Afterward, she remembered nothing.
Though she had practiced in front of the mirror many times, dancing solely by self-study was difficult.
Ultimately, it was Dark who guided her through the entire dance.
These five to six minutes felt like a dream.
She couldn't tell reality from illusion.
Reality reflected in dreams.
She was thoroughly intoxicated.
...
Pandora Dragon's mind was ringing with alarms.
[Threat Level of Eudora +1]
[Threat Level of Eudora +1]
[Threat Level of Eudora +1]
...
The constant prompts caused her expression to change slightly.
She realized she had underestimated this pink-haired girl.
Humans can't resist unrequited love.
Eudora's behavior was too puzzling for her, a rational person.
She even wondered if this girl was sick.
But from Dark's words, she learned that Eudora wasn't sick at all; she had exceptional talent in astrology.
...
The third dance song quietly ended.
Dark walked down the stage with Eudora, whispering something in her ear.
Eudora's face turned red and she shrank to the side, startled by Diana's sudden tap on her shoulder.
Diana didn't bite her.
...
Dark knew time was running out.
But he found himself unable to control his actions.
Eevee puffed up its cheeks angrily, and Victoria's little face turned into a meatball.
Emma was already considering whether to move.
Aurora stood there, tugging at her clothes.
One can't be soft after eating someone's food.
Dark sighed and decided to sacrifice the obedient ones, walking towards Aurora.
He composed himself, trying to show his true colors, then extended his hand to the troubled Aurora.
Aurora's mind went blank, grabbing the bone thrown by someone—no, since Dark invited her, it couldn't be considered a bone thrown by someone else.
She maintained her last dignity, trembling slightly as she took Dark's hand, then walked elegantly onto the stage with him.
The ball had been going on for twenty minutes, with more teachers and students flooding the stage, some even dancing around the edges, making the atmosphere even livelier.
Under the lights, she and Dark danced a beautiful waltz.
...
During this period, Emma keenly noticed that Dark had something on his mind.
So she glanced at the golems, and after Dark and Eudora descended the stage, she decisively moved forward and achieved阶段性胜利.
She decided to write this decisive victory in her diary.
...
When she and Dark walked down the stage, it was already past half past eleven.
Dark couldn't stop time.
He could only accept this reality, holding Eevee's ribbon and Victoria's hand, preparing to make a move.
"Together?"
...
...
[Finally finished writing after being stuck all day. I got up at four in the morning yesterday and now it's six. I'm completely dazed. I'll sleep a bit and then get up to write the first chapter of March. Please support me with your monthly tickets and blade slices!]
