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Chapter 756: Lanchi and Talia's Grand Finale
Chapter 756: Lanchi and Talia's Grand Finale
The next morning, chaos reigned in the governor's mansion as the Demon Governor issued a province-wide search for the human girl from the previous night's ball.
"Your Excellency, you seemed distracted last night. Could it be because of that mysterious young lady? But she didn't even leave her name, how are we supposed to find her?"
The stage lights up as the elderly Demon butler hurriedly speaks up.
"Regardless, I must find her! Please help me spread the word throughout the province, asking all young ladies between the ages of twenty and twenty-five to come and try on this shoe. Whoever can wear it and walk normally will be the one."
The Governor stood by the window of the governor's mansion, slightly troubled, and insisted.
The butler accepted the order and withdrew hastily.
"It hurts... it hurts so much..."
The Governor gazed into the distance, deep in thought.
"My Ash Princess, why... why are you hiding from me..."
The stage dims, and the scene changes.
Taking advantage of the intermission.
"He really looks like he's in pain. I wonder what he's been through to be able to convey such heart-wrenching emotions."
A young lady in the audience said sympathetically.
"Is there a possibility that he's truly suffering terribly?"
Her male companion gave her a speechless look.
The lights remained dim.
The scene shifted to the Ash Girl's home.
Upon learning of the Governor's search for the mysterious girl, the stepmother locked the Ash Girl in the attic to prevent her from appearing.
"This is our chance to rise in status and marry into the Governor's family! We must first help the Governor eliminate one potential obstacle."
The stepmother laughed greedily, looking up.
"That little fool who only thinks about food, how could she possibly catch the Governor's eye? Don't embarrass our family."
"Yes, Mother! If the Governor sees her, he might mistake her for a vagrant. While my foot size is a bit off from the magic shoe, I am strong, and the Governor will surely choose me as his bride!"
The older sister boasted.
"Don't dream too much! Do you think the Governor would fancy you? My foot size is even closer, humph, I have a better chance!"
The younger sister disagreed.
"What's the use if you can't even move your feet?"
"It's still better than not being able to get your foot in at all!"
"..."
Listening to her stepsisters' endless bickering, the Ash Girl sighed at the attic window.
"I'm so hungry."
She hugged her knees and muttered to herself.
The more she thought about the snacks from last night's banquet, the more she salivated.
"Your Excellency Governor, I am here. I am the one you have been searching for. But I am imprisoned here, how will you find me?"
The Ash Girl muttered with her head down, surrounded by her loyal small animal friends.
This time, Talia had thoroughly rehearsed her lines.
She felt that, for some reason, she could easily portray this version of herself.
Because at this moment, the Ash Girl was like who she was before she met Lanchi—sleeping rough at the foot of the city walls, sometimes hungry and sometimes full, wearing a dirty cloak.
If she could go back in time with her memories, she would eagerly anticipate that annoying rich young master to appear with a lunch box—feeding the cats in front of her and then smiling as he initiated a conversation.
That ordinary first encounter now felt a bit wonderful when she recalled it.
However, Talia didn't realize it.
Her bittersweet expression and the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth gradually captivated the audience.
"So this is the expression of the Ash Girl as she longs for the time she spent with the Governor last night..."
"Perhaps she's starting to realize that she has fallen for the Governor during their beautiful time together, but it feels more like a dream."
"But now she's not ready to face reality and naively wants to believe in fate."
"Waiting silently for him might only lead to a more devastating heartbreak."
As Talia spaced out.
Carrier pigeons brought her the key hidden by her stepmother.
"Pigeons...?"
Talia stared blankly at the adorable carrier pigeons.
She couldn't help but reminisce about her long-lost old friend.
Back then, she had also longed for the pigeons to return.
But since then, it had been over a year.
She hoped that no one had ended up cooking and eating her pigeons.
The more she thought about it, the more Talia felt that she should return to the South Vanatina Territory to investigate the pigeons' whereabouts and tie up this loose end.
"Thank you, my dear friends! With you by my side, I have the courage and strength to move forward!"
Talia, touched by the scene before her, hugged the pigeons and wept with emotion.
The Ash Girl unlocked the attic door, ran down the stairs, and hurried toward the governor's mansion, escorted by the carrier pigeons.
...
Even after the opera had been playing for over an hour, the audience remained highly focused, all their attention fixed on the stage.
In the governor's mansion, the shoe-fitting event was in full swing, with countless young ladies trying their luck, but none could master it.
"Perhaps it really was just a dream yesterday..."
The Demon Governor was gradually losing hope, his mood dejected as he stared at the shoe.
The stepmother brought her two daughters and proudly approached the butler.
"This is the last family for today... May this shoe find its destined owner."
The Demon butler said wearily.
"Your Excellency, please look at my two daughters. They are like heavenly fairies and are a perfect match for the one-of-a-kind magic shoe!"
The stepmother flattered as she drew near.
The older sister and younger sister competed to try on the shoe, forcing their feet into it.
But the older sister couldn't get her foot in, and the younger sister couldn't take a proper step.
As he watched the beloved shoes being treated like playthings by the two sisters, coupled with the disappointment of the morning, the Governor's anger knew no bounds.
"Damn it, you've ruined my sincere efforts! Guards, arrest these troublemakers at once!"
The Governor ordered.
The soldiers dragged the stepmother and the stepsisters away, intending to punish them severely.
"Wait, Your Excellency, we didn't mean to offend you!"
The stepmother panicked.
"When you saw me, a dignified Demon Governor, did you even remember to show your respect? Just this offense is enough to violate the diplomatic laws of the current Protoss Empire. Off to prison with you, and spend this winter reflecting on your actions!"
Lanchi commanded, leaving no room for argument.
Just then, the Ash Girl arrived, breathless and panting.
"Your Excellency, I'm here. I am the one you've been searching for!"
The Ash Girl shouted, standing at a distance, separated from the Governor by the guards.
"Yes, yes, she's also our child. Let her try on the shoe as well," the stepmother quickly interjected to the Governor.
"I don't want to believe you anymore, and I'm tired now," the Governor said wearily, holding his forehead and speaking powerless to the ridiculous noblewoman.
Just hearing Talia's voice made his head hurt.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. What had he been trying to do by desperately saving the play earlier?
"Give me a chance, Your Excellency!"
The Ash Girl didn't give up, shouting with all her might.
"Enough! The one I'm looking for is definitely not someone as clumsy and scrawny as you! She is very beautiful, finished all the pastries at the banquet last night, has an ideal healthy figure, looks to be about 20 to 25 years old, and has a mature and charming aura!"
The Governor pointed at the disheveled Ash Girl and chastised her.
"..."
Talia's hand suddenly made a creaking sound as she flexed her joints, and the surrounding air began to turn cold.
She remembered that the script was roughly along these lines, but not this detailed.
She took off her shoe and made a throwing motion towards Lanchi.
"It's you...? It really is you!"
The Governor was ecstatic and instantly recognized the Ash Girl.
"..."
There was a moment of silence from the audience below the stage.
He changed his expression so quickly.
"Is this the level of a veteran actor?"
"Did the actor get scared just now?"
"I don't think so. Since the previous scene was changed, it's quite reasonable to modify how the Ash Girl is recognized here."
...
The people in the Governor's mansion stood still, watching the male and female leads.
Originally, this scene should have been where the Ash Girl tries on the magic shoe, and it fits perfectly, and only then would the Governor recognize her.
How did you recognize her just like that?
The audience was half a beat slow, but soon caught up and burst into exclamations.
The Governor strode forward and stood in front of the Ash Girl.
With deep affection, he took her hand.
"Time flies, and the hours pass like beads on a string. How can I make you stay? Last night, I woke from a dream and found nothing but emptiness by my side. Except for that shoe, I didn't know how to find you. Now that we have met again, how can I let you go?"
After their duet concluded.
"My dear, I have no appetite for tea or meals. My heart is filled only with thoughts of you."
The Governor spoke to the Ash Girl.
"Yes, me too."
Tears of joy welled up in the Ash Girl's eyes.
The audience erupted in deafening cheers and applause.
The ministers and the butler also smiled with delight.
"Good, good! It's a perfect match made by heaven!"
The guests congratulated the couple.
The stepmother and the stepsisters turned pale, and they didn't dare to utter a word of apology.
"Ash Girl, no, Governor's wife! We were wrong, please forgive us! We were truly blind and had evil intentions!"
The stepmother knelt down, trembling.
"Stepmother, sisters, although you have been cruel to me over the years, I've never held any grudge in my heart. Even though you locked me up, I still want to share this joy with you today. From now on, let's put aside our grievances and start anew."
The Ash Girl showed great magnanimity.
The stepmother was deeply moved and shed tears of remorse.
The Governor smiled at the Ash Girl, his love for her growing stronger.
"Regardless, you are also guilty of unlawful detention. You will still spend this winter in prison. A beautiful life goes hand in hand with the rule of law."
He added, emphasizing the importance of justice.
The atmosphere in the room was warm and touching.
The cheerful finale played.
The story of "Holy War Romance - The Ash Princess" had come to its final act.
In the Governor's mansion.
The Governor invited his beloved to join him for breakfast and presented her with a sumptuous feast.
At the dining table, the Governor shed his cold exterior.
He admired the beautiful woman before him, whose mystery he had finally unraveled, as if she were a precious treasure.
"My dear, you're so adorable today..."
After a long time, Lanchi spoke the line again, and he still felt goosebumps,
"...so adorable that I want to eat you up instead of breakfast."
"!!!"
Talia's face turned red at his words.
Hearing Lanchi say this for the second time, her heart raced even faster than the first time, much faster!
"But..."
Talia took a deep breath and slowly delivered the heroine's line—
"Can you wait until I finish my breakfast?"
She said, picking up a soft and creamy matcha cheese mochi and popping it into her mouth.
"Pffft..."
Lanchi abruptly covered his mouth with his hand.
This time, he couldn't hold it in.
Just as a storm of emotions was brewing within Lanchi, Talia's cold gaze moved closer to him, and her soft breath tickled his skin.
Talia observed Lanchi.
"So, that means it's a yes?"
Lanchi maintained his actor's conviction and firmly delivered his line.
"I'm done eating. What were you saying?"
Talia asked, lifting her head after chewing the mochi.
...
"Wow, she's amazing. I remember that in previous performances, the lead actress would get a transition scene to indicate she had finished eating, but this time, the actress really ate it all."
The audience was astonished by today's stage effects.
"How did she manage to finish eating so quickly?"
"I've heard that Director Abigail is a strict director, but I never expected that in this public performance, she would push the actors to such a level."
In the VIP seats...
"I don't get it..."
Abigail buried her head, puzzled and muttering to herself.
In her script, it clearly stated that there should be a transition scene there.
But the lead actress ate the mochi so quickly that she couldn't even see it.
Where on earth did Sidoro find these two eccentric actors?
...
"What I want to say is, the adorable way you eat has also captivated me. Before the memory fades, I want to stay by your side like a lucid dream forever."
Lanchi stared at Tata's face and finished his last line.
At that moment.
"I... I..."
Talia stood there, her expression blank and her voice softening as her cheeks flushed.
It was just a small Lanchi.
A tiny little Lanchi!
Why was her heart pounding so hard?
"Your Excellency, when you gaze at me, you don't realize that I have fallen into danger."
Talia felt that she could speak normally throughout the play, but at this moment, she was incredibly nervous, and she couldn't control her voice.
"Come to my world. I'm not afraid. If you need to take my life, you can also toy with my heart as you please."
She tucked in her neck, closed her eyes, and whispered with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
As the final dialogue between the Governor and the Ash Girl was performed, the audience in the opera house could no longer remain seated, and many stood up, clapping enthusiastically.
...
In Nester City, in the living room of a mansion, the evening's entertainment was coming to an end.
Huperian stared at the screen, silent.
"It's getting late. Why don't you go to bed?"
Sinora suggested gently.
"..."
Antanas didn't dare to speak.
Because Pranai hadn't returned yet.
She was a little worried that Pranai wouldn't come back tonight and would just show up in the car tomorrow morning.
The earlier part of the performance had felt familiar.
But this last part was exactly like what they had watched in the Cat Boss restaurant on the second floor the other day.
"Er..."
Sinora and Antanas exchanged glances and decided to continue persuading Huperian to rest for the night.
"Huperian, are you alright?"
The Ice Snow Witch put down her book and asked with concern.
"I'm really fine."
Huperian shook her head.
"My Aunt Ice is pure and virtuous, and my Lanchi is upright and honest. They would never do something like that behind my back. I believe they don't need a reason."
She clenched her fist firmly.
The Ice Snow Witch looked at Huperian for a while.
She understood Huperian's sensitive and emotional personality, and sometimes Huperian tended to get caught up in her own thoughts.
"Sigh, after all, I'm not your real mother. In times like this, if Efatia were here, she could comfort you."
The Ice Snow Witch shook her head.
"Boo hoo, Mom... will you be in Briere?"
Huperian looked into the distance, wiping away her tears, and asked hopefully.
...
The whole theater erupted in applause and cheers.
Golden confetti and colorful petals flew through the air, and songs filled the air.
The finale performers took turns singing.
"True love conquers all, and kindness forgives and touches hearts. Hard work pays off, and a lowly maid transforms into a princess. Holding on to hope and dreams come true, and magical love fulfills this life!"
The curtain slowly fell, the stage darkened, and the spotlight shone on the shadows of the Ash Girl and the Governor, now happily together.
The music grew louder, and the play ended.
The audience clapped enthusiastically, refusing to leave.
During the curtain call, the cast and crew walked onto the stage and bowed to the audience.
Everyone wore expressions of satisfaction and pride, along with a sense of relief.
There was no doubt about the capabilities of the two actors that Director Abigail had found.
However, they were too unpredictable.
Even at this point, the other actors in the troupe couldn't tell if the lead actors had ad-libbed or if Director Abigail had made last-minute changes to the script, but no one dared to ask.
Regardless.
Their hard work and dedication had finally paid off.
The public performance would surely receive rave reviews, and the commercial release of the play was just around the corner.
...
In a corridor of the opera house, in a room sealed off by a temporary restriction.
Abigail stood behind the door, impatiently waiting for the communication to connect.
"Can't you be more reliable, my Bishop? Where did you find these actors? If we'd had worse luck today, it could have been a serious stage accident!"
She held a pink communication card and questioned the other party.
"..."
A buzzing sound came from the communication magic card.
"Huh? Are the actors you found still on their way?"
Abigail couldn't believe it.
"Then who are those two?"
She exclaimed.
(End of Chapter)
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