https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-869-Lance-s-Return-to-His-Old-Haunt/12937174/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-871-Mr-Lance-s-Interview-on-the-Road-Part-1-/12937176/
Chapter 870: Lance's High-Stakes Game
Chapter 870: Lance's High-Stakes Game
In the North Shore of Pariah, a magnificent and grand iron tower stood tall at the edge of the serene Serene River.
Below the tower, a lady dressed in an exceptionally elegant manner stood motionless, her gray hair cascading gracefully like a waterfall. In the gentle breeze, it danced lightly, shimmering with a warm glow under the morning sun as if an angel had descended upon the mortal realm.
"..."
At this moment, she seemed a bit nervous, her palms tightly clenched.
Suddenly, footsteps approaching from a distance disturbed the lady deep in thought.
She slowly turned around, directing her gaze to the side.
Her bright golden eyes landed on Lance, who stood at a distance.
After receiving Talia's communication, Lance had come to the "old spot" in District 1 of the North Shore, as Talia had instructed, to meet with her.
"Sorry, I'm a little late," Lance greeted Talia.
He had walked over, while Talia might have arrived earlier, perhaps catching a ride with Baroness Rosalinda.
Talia before him looked much refreshed compared to the morning, evidently having been dressed up again by Baroness Rosalinda at Asturias Manor.
"No, I just arrived too. And wasn't it me who suddenly called you here?" Talia replied in a rather casual tone, a stark contrast to her usual cold demeanor.
"..."
Lance loosened his grip on the little black cat, allowing Cat Boss, who had been struggling for half the day, to leap away freely. He stared at Talia in bewilderment.
Beneath the iron tower, the two stood face to face, neither speaking for a moment. The only sound was the distant ripples on the Serene River as a white swan glided across its surface. But still, they didn't engage in further conversation.
Today's Talia was much gentler than usual. Normally, she would just nod to acknowledge him, but today, she was saying so much more.
"By the way, Lance, what do you think of my outfit today?" Talia asked, noticing his gaze upon her.
She lifted her skirt with one hand and twirled gracefully, allowing Lance to admire her.
This was a court dress from the Bosson Kingdom, a gift from Baroness Rosalinda to celebrate Talia's passing of the Platinum Cardist Exam. She only wore it when on dates with Lance.
Over the past century, the court dresses of Pariah's noble ladies had become more elegant and understated, moving away from excessive extravagance. Instead, they emphasized simplicity with intricate details like ribbons, gems, and lace, exuding a youthful and dreamy romantic aura.
"It's beautiful," Lance observed with a furrowed brow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Talia approached him, her eyes filled with affection.
"Are you planning to prank me like last time?" Lance asked, his gaze more cautious.
He recalled their previous date in Pariah, where someone had the bright idea of having Talia pretend to be gentle and caring to annoy him. As the date progressed, their rivalry intensified, and they eventually lost their temper with each other.
"Meow."
At that moment, Cat Boss had already scampered off to hide behind a distant kiosk.
The cat was grateful that it hadn't closely followed them on their previous date in Pariah.
However, it couldn't understand what game Lance and Talia were playing today.
Talia's gaze was that of a lover, while Lance's expression was one of vigilance.
If the camera zoomed in, it would be hard to believe they were in the same scene.
"Haha, I just don't want you to have it your way. No matter what, I won't let you provoke me today," Talia laughed, shaking her head with her arms crossed.
Finally, Talia's gaze towards Lance softened, as if looking at her own child, Huberian.
"Huh?"
Lance's mind wandered after hearing her words.
This was the first time he had encountered such a challenging psychological game.
He couldn't quite discern which level of mind games they were playing at.
"Anyway, don't worry. I won't get angry today. Consider it a concession, and you can say or do whatever you like. I won't blame you," Talia reassured Lance, seeing that he was still deep in thought.
"Is that so..."
Lance slowly blinked and muttered to himself,
"So, no matter how I provoke you today, you won't get angry?"
He asked, a mix of anticipation and fear in his voice.
"You... You can do whatever you want," Talia replied, holding back what she had originally intended to say and patiently answering him.
Without waiting for Lance to think further, she took a step forward, reaching out to hold his hand and pulling him closer.
"And last time, you mentioned being curious about what it would be like to date a demon princess who had lived for eight hundred years.
"Have you come to a conclusion yet?" Her gaze was intense, as if she was trying to see right through Lance's thoughts.
"Huh?" Lance was even more confused by Talia's behavior.
Talia seemed unusually assertive today.
And she was using his words, too.
"Hmm." Talia chuckled softly in Lance's ear, letting go of his hand and indicating for him to follow her.
Lance had barely taken a few steps when Talia took his hand again, this time naturally intertwining their fingers.
"..."
Lance was speechless and didn't resist, allowing her to lead him along.
He was still observing her.
Talia's emotions were remarkably stable, as if the storm within her had instantly calmed.
Lance couldn't understand what was going on with Talia, and he needed some time to figure it out. For now, he could learn from Loren's moves.
Wait, he was the love instructor, how did he end up learning from Loren?
The more Lance thought about it, the more he felt that Talia was like an expert today. In a situation where he couldn't predict her moves as usual, she started to evolve, but he couldn't pinpoint her biggest change.
"So cute I want to eat you up~"
Lance and Talia strolled through the streets of Pariera, the hustle and bustle gradually giving way to the vibrant midday sun.
Talia happily held Lance's hand, humming a little tune.
"After the Brillada performance, many people said that the last Demon King of the Demons was the strongest songstress of the Southern Continent, and she has gained even more fans over the past month."
Lance listened to Talia's melody and spoke.
"Really? Do you feel like you're secretly dating a female celebrity now?"
The two continued their leisurely walk, enjoying a moment of tranquility.
"An eight-hundred-year-old legendary female celebrity with two kids?"
Lance turned his head, his expression a mix of surprise and understanding.
"..."
Talia tightened her grip on Lance's hand slightly.
She took a deep breath, calming herself, and looked up to meet Lance's gaze.
"Do you want it?"
Talia asked.
"Want what?"
Lance was perplexed by Talia's sudden question.
He was still in the process of machine learning, and he needed more training data to understand Talia, but the data she provided was all jumbled.
"Let's get ourselves packaged together."
Talia glanced at him and then looked away, focusing on the road ahead and muttering to herself.
Her resentful gaze seemed to ask him, do you not want her anymore at eight hundred years old? Do you not want her anymore with two kids?
"???"
Lance felt like today was a high-level game.
On a street near Pariera's Iron Tower Square.
Cat Boss's agile figure hid behind, stealthily tailing Lance and Talia.
Despite his anxiety, curiosity drove him to find out more.
Today, Talia was the one taking Lance's hand, so they walked casually, just like a normal couple.
But the closer they got, the more Cat Boss worried that he would suddenly jinx himself by following them. These two live volcanoes were gambling their all on each other.
He darted between walls, benches, and kiosks, becoming a nimble black shadow.
Suddenly, he felt a shadow covering his body, as if someone had approached from behind.
"Meow!"
Cat Boss growled, trying to scare away the human who had suddenly approached him.
"It's me, Cat!"
The familiar voice made Cat Boss stop his hissing.
He lifted his head and saw a friendly face.
"Baroness Rosalinda?" Cat Boss asked.
Today, Baroness Rosalinda was no longer wearing the crimson evening gown she had on when they first met. Instead, she wore a rose-patterned corset and a beret that hid her long hair, giving her a charming androgynous look.
"It's just the two of us again!"
Baroness Rosalinda grabbed the little black cat.
During the first round of the Platinum Cardist Exam, the little cat had followed her for an entire day.
The last time she had tailed Lance and Tata on their date, it was with Aetius, and they had stumbled upon the little black cat, enjoying the spectacle.
Today, Aetius was absent, probably busy hosting a VIP. Rosalinda asked Tata about their situation, but Tata stammered and couldn't explain. So, Rosalinda switched to asking about Tata and Lance, and then followed Tata to this spot.
"Meow, Rosalinda, my friend."
Cat Boss saw that Rosalinda was still smiling, so he knew she probably didn't know who had returned.
He couldn't bear to take away her smile, so he remained silent.
Well, let's just enjoy the show.
It raised its paw and high-fived Rosalinda, a gesture of friendship.
The two, human and cat, were in perfect sync as they peered curiously at Lance and Tata's every move.
"Hey, little black cat, the last time the three of us followed Lance and Tata, we took photos of them holding hands and feeding each other at the Cologne Bridge Inn Restaurant. These lovely mementos couldn't be sent to you earlier due to international postal delays, but with the service resuming recently, I've mailed them to the restaurant for you."
Rosalinda leaned down to speak to Cat Boss.
"Meow! Mail them!" Cat Boss exclaimed, startled.
The cat struggled, unable to contain its surprise.
Sigrid would likely be the one to sign for the package.
By the time Lance and Tata returned, the photos might already be public.
"Mail them? I did send them," Rosalinda confirmed, puzzled as she looked at the little black cat.
During the photo session, Cat Boss had kept muttering about mailing the photos, so she had sent them, keeping her word.
"..."
Oh no, it had become the instigator.
Cat Boss didn't know how to explain the complex situation at the restaurant to Rosalinda, and the date between Lance and Tata that day was likely not as it seemed to Rosalinda and Aetius based on appearances alone!
As Rosalinda chatted with the cat, she noticed a deep blue open-topped mana vehicle speeding by. Lance, led by Talia across the road, was lost in thought, his mind elsewhere.
Lance's emerald eyes were filled with contemplation.
"Lance!" Rosalinda almost called out.
Talia was the first to react.
She wrapped her arm around Lance's back, pulling him close, and they took a step towards the sidewalk.
In this sudden moment of weightlessness, Lance felt like everything around him had slowed down. Pedestrians on the street and the swaying green leaves on the treetops seemed to move in slow motion within his field of vision.
Only Talia's warm palm and embrace gave him a sense of solid reality.
Lance slowly lowered his head, looking at Talia as she suddenly hugged him tightly. He was genuinely surprised.
It wasn't that Talia had never hugged him before.
But this was the first time she had embraced him so closely, without any sense of distance, as if all her previous reservations about their relationship had vanished.
"With me here, you won't get hurt," Talia said, lifting her hand to gently touch Lance's cheek, comforting him like a mother soothing a child startled by a vehicle.
"..."
Lance remained speechless.
Her voice, her warmth, swept through his mind, further muddling his thoughts.
In the past, he would have certainly said, "That's great," to ensure the safety of the vehicle's occupants.
After all, a mere mana vehicle couldn't possibly harm Lance and Tata; it would be like crashing into an iron tower, resulting in immediate destruction.
But in this atmosphere, for reasons unknown, he couldn't bring himself to say those words.
"Lance, are you shy? If you need me to keep holding you to feel secure, I'll hold you as long as necessary."
Talia seemed to sense Lance's uncertainty, her words a mix of concealed pride and a challenging, doting tone.
They continued hugging on the street, attracting glances from passersby.
"..."
Lance's eyes slowly met Talia's golden gaze, the eyes of a winner.
He felt a bit awkward facing Talia.
But if he hesitated any longer, she would surely notice his predicament.
Lance, almost instinctively, hugged Talia back, unable to resist inhaling the subtle fragrance from her hair, as if savoring an aged vintage.
Talia trembled with surprise.
Yet, she managed to restrain herself from pushing him away.
Holding back her slightly reddening cheeks, she continued to hold Lance, unbothered by the diverse crowd on Pariah's streets.
If Lance didn't let go, neither would she; it was a test of endurance.
...
Around the corner on the other side of the street.
"Look at how great their chemistry is. This zero-distance embrace, this innocent youth aura, this is love!"
Just watching from a distance, Rosalinda felt her heart melting with youthful romance.
"Meow," Cat Boss, held by Rosalinda, also watched Lance and Tata's date.
Last time, everything went wrong from start to finish.
This time, while the process was still all wrong, the outcome seemed to be a lucky guess.
It didn't know what to say.
It felt that if Lance and Talia's strategist battle were to have a second season, it would turn into a madness show.
(End of Chapter)
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