### Chapter 25: A Week’s Progress
Unbeknownst to all:
A week had flown by.
Night Star Lan was gradually adapting to this era, immersing herself seamlessly within it.
Over this period, Night Lan has been staying with Sharon.
With this noble lady, Night Lan has been rubbing shoulders with many members of high society.
Not just the aftersoon teas with Hughes, but also various other teatimes and gatherings among the nobles.
Every time they left the house, Sharon made sure to bring Night Lan along.
Thanks to this, Night Lan met quite a number of esteemed ladies.
Facing such an adorable little girl like Night Lan, these noble women were extremely curious, peppering her with endless questions.
Poor Night Lan almost drowned in their laughter and joy.
Fortunately, Sharon’s social circle consists mostly of lovely and beautiful ladies, which is a testament to like attracting like.
So, Night Lan wasn’t really bothered by these noble “big sisters.”
Of course, she didn’t blend in either.
No matter how much allure these noble ladies threw at her, Night Lan steadfastly refused to let go of being a “Loli”!
Only the adorable loli represents her ultimate devotion!
As requested:
During this journey, Night Lan discovered that a few noble girls were indeed adorable little sisters.
Though mischievous and not quite ready for tea society etiquette, they were delightful nonetheless.
The noble ladies often chatted about troublemaking little sisters, expressing plenty of frustration.
Night Lan wanted to get closer to the little Lolis, but for now, she’s decided to hold off on that idea.
After all, naive, cute Lolis are charming, but she’s not a fan of the irresponsible ones.
Clearly,
The young girls from noble families haven’t yet learned sufficient etiquette and are still in their most mischievous phase.
It’s headache-inducing.
Early maturity is pretty rare around here.
Compared to those naughty brats, these elegant, proper noble ladies are actually quite easy to get along with.
Seems like she has no choice but to cozy up to some of these lovely ladies for now.
Most of the time, though, it’s still Night Lan taking the passive role.
As they spent more time together, any distance between them melted away. Some lively ladies found Night Lan’s cuteness irresistible and would often pick her up, placing her on their laps.
Considering how rare such an adorable little lady was in many noble circles, it wasn’t surprising.
Other noble contemporaries are currently going through quite the tricky phase.
How could someone as well-mannered and endearing as Night Lan fail to be liked?
Especially since she was also such a cute, charismatic little thing.
Many noble ladies had dreams of taking Night Lan home as a sister.
Naturally, Night Lan declined promptly.
She was already being kind by simply spending time with them.
But to think they actually wanted to take her in and raise her?
She’s definitely not just anybody!
In truth, Night Lan had tried. She aimed to remain unnoticed at tea parties, blending in as a “transparent” figure.
But thanks to Sharon, her plans were constantly derailed.
Whenever Sharon brought her up during chats with other noble ladies, it always ended with Night Lan becoming their talking point and, eventually, their mascot.
She had cursed Sharon multiple times because of it.
Like her coffee turning sickeningly sweet, every pastry ending up overly sugary.
Yet, the Wish Princess never granted such whimsical desires.
On the side:
Hughes’ progress was also on track.
Almost every other day, Sharon arranged to meet Hughes for tea chats.
Hughes gradually grew accustomed to Night Lan’s presence, though he was still somewhat aloof compared to before.
Not quite to the same level as a gentleman treating his performer though.
A bit less doting perhaps.
And Night Lan noticed the mutual respect between Hughes and Sharon, free of any romantic entanglements.
Put it this way:
Hughes was far too busy with his grand project to even consider romance, while Sharon covertly supported him, standing by his side.
Would they make it in the end?
Hard to tell.
Seeing as how the Ballad Conductor meddled behind the scenes.
Hughes becoming Star Eclipses symbolizes the final act.
Indeed, one can’t expect too much from life.
Still, the past week seemed tranquil.
Night Lan felt no trace of the Ballad Conductor’s influence, as if they had never existed.
Disturbing, to say the least.
Not that she could do anything about it, as that mysterious guy could do whatever he pleased.
She could only maintain constant vigilance.
This was Night Lan’s situation.
Over in Night Star’s corner:
Things were looking up.
The tension with Yuri initially started high but gradually eased.
At first glance, Yuri was super distrustful, speaking half-truths to throw her off.
But what is Night Star?
Surely, she was not easily fooled.
Hence, Night Star kept a watchful eye on Yuri all day long.
Attending events in some noble district, taking the Cursed Bird out on bloody missions, defrauding important figures—repeating these activities over and over.
Each time, the Cursed Bird would return bl**d-soaked.
If it weren’t for Night Star’s teleportation abilities, a trail of evidence would likely be left behind.
Yuri claimed he could handle such clues, incorporating them into the fraud, leaving pursuers confused.
But Night Star found it bothersome and had the Cursed Bird cleaned up immediately.
She didn’t view the Cursed Bird merely as a tool for killing. Rather, she saw her as a friend.
So naturally, giving her a bath and buying her food became routine.
Originally, Night Star planned to change the bird’s fighting style, aiming to avoid contact with bl**d.
But learning that it boosted the Cursed Bird’s power only confirmed this tactic as futile.
Her iron wings grew deadly when stained with bl**d, producing a plethora of iron-feathered blades.
But alas, there was no other recourse.
She couldn’t replace the Cursed Bird nor could she bring herself to k*ll.
Probably because it went against her principles.
Thus, the Cursed Bird took the hit.
Clean-up wasn’t without some trouble.
Nonetheless, Night Star happily spent time making the Cursed Bird squeaky clean.
After all, the Cursed Bird was a girl at heart, despite her monstrous appearance; her features remained quite appealing.
Even with her limbs partially resembling bird bones, she was still very much a “magical girl” and quite the looker.
As for Yuri’s attitude toward Night Star:
He didn’t fully trust her, but there was a growing sense of reliability.
Their communication remained amicable.
Plus, with Night Star involved in multiple operations, Yuri gradually opened up to discussing serious matters with her, a sign that trust was forming.
“Well… Let’s take things slow,” she pondered while relaxing. “Everything seems relatively calm right now, nothing major has happened. Once something unexpected occurs, it will signify a critical moment… Maybe things shouldn’t continue so smoothly…”
Ultimately, it was the hidden shadow of the Ballad Conductor pressuring her.
Without knowing about that, Night Star Lan would have helped Hughes and Yuri with ease.
But with that knowledge, the process felt much heavier.
###
