https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-496-Lanchi-Huberian-and-Antharia-s-Scorching-Summer/12584689/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-498-Loren-Found-the-Rumors-Ridiculous/12584691/
Chapter 497: Talia believes that no one else will know
Chapter 497: Talia believes that no one else will know
The cat boss was stunned.
"Oh come on, Professor Lanchi, you got away with it again?"
It couldn't understand what these three people were thinking, but the atmosphere felt increasingly awkward.
"How much longer are the three of you going to stay tangled up like that?"
The cat boss felt his face heating up.
Not far away, Lanchi spoke up, his voice sounding a little strangled, "Umm, could you two get off me first? You're really heavy."
"!"
Huperian's face turned even redder. She tried to get up but found herself stuck between Lanchi and Talia, unable to move without embarrassing herself further.
Lanchi quickly glanced at Huperian, as if to comfort her and assure her that it wasn't because she was heavy.
"?"
Talia, who had maintained a cold expression until now, finally started blushing. She stared at Lanchi, unable to believe what was happening. Her trembling hand itched to slap him, but she restrained herself and quickly stood up.
If they continued like this and the door opened again, she felt that she would truly have to face the consequences with Lanchi.
Instinctively, Talia glanced down at her flat stomach. How could she be heavy when she wasn't showing yet?
Huperian had been lying on top of Lanchi with only half her weight on him, while Talia had been sitting on him, putting almost all her weight on the poor boy. No wonder he felt overwhelmed.
That had to be the reason.
"..."
After Huperian stood up, she kept her eyes lowered and reached out to help Lanchi up as well. Once they had separated, she took a few steps back and stood by the wall, turning her face away from the other two.
Her pressed lips trembled as she replayed the events that had just transpired. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Huperian couldn't understand how Lanchi and Talia could be so calm and collected.
They were acting as if nothing had happened, making her feel even more embarrassed and ashamed.
At that moment, Huperian noticed something else.
There was an unseen gaze upon them in the room.
Following the direction of the gaze, she saw that the cat boss was still staring at them, wide-eyed.
Not only Huperian, but even Lanchi and Talia became aware of the fact that they had been witnessed in this compromising position for who knows how long.
And so, the three of them stared at the cat.
And the cat stared right back.
Beads of sweat began to form on the cat boss's head.
It felt like it was in deep trouble.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to suggest that a certain black cat had seen far more than it should have.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
It cried out a few times, feigning ignorance.
Then, it scratched the carpet a few times and darted out of the room at top speed.
Silence fell upon the room once more.
The cat boss wasn't the main issue here.
The problem was that none of the three people knew how to break the awkward silence.
Opening their mouths felt like revisiting what had just transpired, only making the situation more embarrassing for everyone involved.
The sun outside the window climbed higher, bathing the beige curtains of the bedroom in a golden hue. The sound of a canary singing cheerfully in the branches outside drifted into the room.
"Never mind, the important thing is that we're all safe. Let's head home," Talia finally spoke up.
That was all she could think of saying at the moment.
The three of them exchanged brief glances before looking away again.
Staying in the room any longer would only deepen the misunderstandings of the Wilford family.
"Now that we're here, why don't we stay in South Ventina for a few days before heading back?" Lanchi suggested wearily as he sat on the edge of the bed.
He had just returned from a long journey in the Northern Continent and all he wanted to do was rest.
If they had to travel back and forth between South Ventina and the Royal Capital through the night, they'd be like special forces soldiers.
Having come back to South Ventina, he felt even less inclined to return to the Ikelite Academy.
"I'm fine with that..." Huperian mumbled, her mind in turmoil as she relived the recent events.
She had never been in such close contact with boys before, not in her entire life.
Even though their earlier theatrics had been necessary to save Lanchi, she now felt that she had gone too far with her improvisation.
There must never be a next time.
They were best friends, and there were some lines that best friends shouldn't cross unless it was absolutely necessary to save the other.
"I'll stay at an inn," Talia said, her tone as flat as ever.
Then she glanced at Huperian, asking her whether she would stay with Lanchi or with her tonight.
"..."
Huperian would normally have chosen to stay with Talia at the inn.
But at this moment, she felt that being alone with either Lanchi or Talia would be incredibly awkward.
"I'll stay at Lanchi's house," Huperian replied.
At least at Lanchi's house, she could stay in a guest room and not have to face anyone.
"Alright then.
Talia's voice softened as she finished speaking and prepared to leave Lanchi's bedroom, and by extension, the Wilford residence.
She had no reason to intrude on Lanchi and Huperian's time together.
Since Huperian enjoyed being with Lanchi, Talia wouldn't have any more inappropriate interactions with him.
Despite this, she felt a sense of frustration and reluctance, emotions that she shouldn't have had.
When she first arrived at the Wilford residence, Butler Hans told her about a period when Lanchi had been quite self-destructive.
It was only after meeting Talia and developing an interest in her that he began to turn his life around and improve day by day.
Every day that Lanchi spent with Talia, he seemed happier, and his mind seemed filled with new and exciting ideas.
Talia didn't understand why, upon learning about this and seeing the painting in Lanchi's room, anger wasn't the only emotion that welled up within her.
While she had been the one to hurt Lanchi, it was Huperian who had protected him, and though she didn't want to accept it, she couldn't bring herself to forgive Lanchi. She felt regret and resentment, yet she couldn't quite understand the emotions swirling within her.
Her steps were slow, as if she were walking through mud.
Talia didn't want to compete with Huperian for Lanchi's affections, but she realized that she had somehow come to view Lanchi as exclusively hers.
She always felt that the human world moved too fast, even when it came to emotions, and despite her efforts to keep up with Lanchi's pace.
She slowly realized that what she thought was thoughtful consideration was completely out of step with this era.
Lanchi would never wait for her to figure things out slowly.
"Actually, we've already prepared a room for you at our house, Tata. When you have time, you can also teach me new magic and help protect Huperian."
Lanchi suddenly spoke from behind Talia.
Of course.
Once they returned to Boss Cat's restaurant, even more surprises awaited Tata. He wanted to see the look of astonishment on Tata's face, so he couldn't let her leave just yet.
"..."
Huperian glanced at Lanchi.
She had no proof, but she somehow felt that Lanchi had just escaped one disaster and was already looking for another.
Sometimes, Huperian wondered if Lanchi enjoyed the thrill of cheating death, and perhaps only Tata could give him that heart-pounding stimulation.
The usually unflappable Lanchi might be addicted to the excitement that Tata brought, even without realizing it himself.
Without Tata, Lanchi's divinity would only grow stronger, but when he was with her, he became more and more human.
According to Lanchi's introduction of a contraption called a "car" to Professor Bolao of the Magic Engineering Institute, aside from the brakes for slowing down and the accelerator for speeding up, there was also something called a clutch. Even without the clutch, the car could still run, but its nature would change, and it would evolve into a different kind of vehicle.
Huperian now felt that Tata was like a clutch to Lanchi.
However.
Tata was both a panacea that restored Lanchi's humanity and a dangerous poison.
Huperian was certain that every time Lanchi escaped disaster without either of them doing something foolish, he would only become more daring.
The more Huperian thought about it, the more afraid she became.
If Tata were truly driven to madness by Lanchi, she didn't know what lengths she would have to go to in order to save Lanchi from Tata's clutches!
"..."
Talia paused in her steps but didn't turn around.
"We have the best chef in town at our mansion."
"He specializes in the unique cuisine of this border region of South Ventina and uses the finest ingredients to create exquisite dishes."
"I assure you, it's a taste you won't find in other city-states."
"We also have the finest cheese mango mille-feuille, mocha hazelnut crisp tarts, and platinum strawberry mousse cakes..."
Lanchi stood behind Talia, counting off the delicacies on his fingers, trying to entice her to stay.
Although it didn't seem like he was trying to keep her there, his intentions were clear.
"..."
As Talia listened to Lanchi's incessant chatter, her eyes seemed to flicker with a hint of emotion, only to furrow her brows a moment later.
"Didn't you say something like this to me before?"
Talia finally turned to face him and asked.
"You actually remembered."
Lanchi said in surprise.
Talia fixed her gaze on Lanchi, not saying a word.
It had only been a year; how could she possibly forget?
To humans, a year was indeed a long time, but to her, meeting Lanchi for the first time felt like it had happened just last week.
"In that case, I guess I'll stay."
Talia relented, as if she had no choice.
If it had been the Talia of a year ago, she might have thought she had gone crazy to accept Lanchi's offer so readily.
However, she couldn't judge things based on her own senses; she had to learn to keep up with human speed.
Perhaps the three of them staying together at the Wilford residence would be awkward.
But she didn't want to keep running away.
Additionally, the people at Lanchi's mansion kept secrets well, and today's incident wouldn't be known to anyone else. She decided to let it go at that.
(End of Chapter)
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