The moment she saw those familiar eyes, the strength Seraphina had been forcing herself to maintain and the composure she had barely held together instantly crumbled. A huge wave of grievance and lingering fear surged up, and her eyes quickly turned red.
She bit down hard on her lower lip. With other professors and staff still around, she desperately held back the tears threatening to fall.
Dekalorin quickly walked over, leaned close to Movira, and spoke in a low, rapid voice. “Hurry and take her out for some fresh air first to calm down. The rest of the program will take a while. Just come back and make an appearance before it ends.”
Movira nodded without hesitation. She wrapped an arm around Seraphina’s slightly trembling shoulders, using her own body to block most of the curious gazes, and half-supported, half-embraced her as she led her away from the backstage area.
They passed through a side door and entered a quiet corridor.
The cold winter air rushed against their faces, forming a sharp contrast with the warm atmosphere indoors.
Only the two of them were in the corridor. In the distance, they could faintly hear the muffled music and applause coming from the conference hall.
The instant the door closed behind them, the taut string inside Seraphina finally snapped.
She spun around and threw herself into Movira’s arms, clutching tightly at the front of her clothes with both hands and burying her burning cheeks into the fabric that carried a cool fragrance.
The sobs she had suppressed for so long finally broke free, choked with emotion.
“Wuu… There were so many people… so many…” Her voice was muffled and tearful as her body trembled uncontrollably.
“It was clearly… way more than the court sessions in the Demon Realm! A huge black sea of people… all staring at me… Sister, you lied to me. You’re such a big liar! You said it would be easy… but it was even scarier…!”
While accusing her through sobs, she vented her grievances by weakly pounding her fists against Movira’s shoulder again and again.
That level of force was nothing to Movira—it didn’t hurt physically at all—but it struck her squarely in the heart.
Movira said nothing. She quietly used magic to undo the heavy outer robe from afar.
The barrier between them disappeared.
Seraphina had originally been pressed against the cold surface of the outer robe, but in the next second, she was directly against the softer, warmer inner clothing with no separation.
Movira was only wearing relatively thin garments underneath. With her strength, she no longer needed clothes for warmth; they were more for decoration.
Before Seraphina could react, Movira pulled the opened robe forward to wrap around her, gently enclosing her inside it. Her arms tightened around Seraphina like a mother bird spreading her wings, completely enveloping Seraphina’s slender body—and herself along with it.
In an instant, Seraphina felt the entire world had been shut out.
She could clearly hear Movira’s steady, powerful heartbeat right beside her ear!
Thump… thump. Each beat soothed the “wounds” in her heart.
All light was blocked out. Only a few dim rays slipped in through the gaps in the robe, yet they made her feel warmer than if she were basking under the summer sun.
Movira rested her chin gently on top of Seraphina’s head, feeling the body in her arms slowly go from rigid to soft, eventually leaning against her in complete dependence.
She could feel the dampness against her chest, but she said nothing, only tightening her arms even more.
At the far end of the corridor, two figures turned the corner.
“Teacher, why are you here?!”
“Hm? Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? Aren’t you the one who came later?” Dekalorin flicked Saint Eustacia on the forehead. “Cough! What are you doing, teacher?”
“How disappointing! What plan?! Even if they weren’t those identities, I would still be willing!”
In Dekalorin’s eyes appeared a trace of warmth… and regret. “But… didn’t teacher say at the beginning… something about a pla—”
“Aiyo! Stop… I won’t say anything.”
Saint Eustacia obediently closed her mouth. One shouldn’t underestimate this light “flick.” Dekalorin was the former Saintess who had once fought Movira with a sword. Her strength was nothing the current “glass cannon” Saint Eustacia could compare to.
“Hurry back! We only have this little bit of free time left. There’s still a lot to do afterward!”
However, after turning around, Dekalorin glanced back once more at that warm scene.
“How come I didn’t realize earlier that I have the potential to be a relationship expert? By the way… Saint Eustacia, who have you set your sights on? Man or woman is fine, let me confirm again. You have to act fast, otherwise…”
“Teacher! What are you saying!”
When Seraphina and Movira’s figures reappeared in the backstage area, they were immediately met with three pairs of meaningful eyes. There was no need to mention Saint Eustacia and Dekalorin; the third pair belonged to the elf professor.
However, she was once again “discouraged” by a single look from Movira.
The Joint Conference’s agenda was not as lengthy as imagined. Every item had been compressed to the extreme, but as it was a year-end summary meeting, it was impossible for it to be too short.
Seraphina only made a brief appearance during the final segment before quickly leaving the venue with Movira accompanying her.
Although her two appearances were very brief compared to the entire conference, the pressure from thousands of eyes focused on her still made her feel as if she had fought an invisible but grueling battle.
The mental exhaustion far outweighed any physical fatigue.
Not long after returning to the relatively quiet room, there was a knock at the door. Dekalorin stood outside with a bright smile, Saint Eustacia following behind her with her usual indifferent expression.
It seemed she had finished the follow-up work and had come specifically to find them.
“You’ve worked hard!” Dekalorin’s tone was light and cheerful, free of the previous tension. “Come on, let’s go eat together. It’ll be a celebration for Professor Seraphina’s official appointment! My treat!”
Although the dishes in the academy cafeteria were so cheap that one would suspect the academy might be losing money, and although the cost meant nothing to Seraphina and Movira, the dinner was arranged in a rather elegant private room within the academy. The atmosphere was much more private than the cafeteria.
“I didn’t know this place existed before!” Seraphina looked around. The room successfully shut out all the commotion outside.
“Mm… This place is usually not open to the public. The academy probably considers it a bit unfair. But such facilities are still necessary. There are times when they’re needed.”
That made sense. Although it was just a small detail, it hinted at certain realities.
“Alright, stop thinking so much! I know you don’t like interacting with strangers, so I didn’t organize a big banquet. It’ll just be us familiar few,”