Su Nian couldn’t help but tense up the moment she thought of that bastard, Horned Demon.
If she were to sneak around behind his back, running off to “admire” another man’s charisma, and all for the sake of “lowering” her own favorability toward him—
If Lord Horned Demon were to find out…
In Su Nian’s mind, she couldn’t stop herself from picturing those bottomless eyes of his, laced with mockery and cruelty.
She could almost feel his icy fingers gripping her throat, the suffocating sensation, his devilish, low, magnetic voice whispering right at her ear, spitting out those commands that left her shamefully furious yet utterly powerless to resist.
Even when she’d mustered her courage to launch a fatal attack against him at Blackstone Gorge, only to fail in the end, all she had to do was kneel and beg for mercy, uttering those pitiful and humiliating words, and that bastard Horned Demon would “let her off” in the end.
But if… if it was because of another man…
Just imagining that scene for a moment, Su Nian couldn’t stop a shiver from running down her spine, a cold chill shot up from the base of her spine to the crown of her head, and her neck prickled as though an invisible blade was already at her back.
No, this risk is too great—a single misstep, and there would be no coming back.
But… if she didn’t do this, was she really just going to let that damned favorability keep galloping out of control like a runaway horse?
She’d truly be finished!
She couldn’t even imagine what she’d become once that favorability finally broke past zero into the positives, and kept climbing even higher.
Su Nian suddenly clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palm, bringing a rare moment of clarity to her otherwise chaotic mind.
Meanwhile, the three-way chat was still going on.
[Lise]: “Amy’s daydreaming about her crush again.”
[Lise]: “Heard you’ve gotten a little obsessed with the Third Prince lately.”
[Lise]: “But, from a psychological perspective, if your ‘friend’ really wants to break free from an unwanted emotional tie, seeking out someone or something new and attractive might help, at least to some extent.”
Lise’s analysis was methodical and rigorous, as always, yet she had, perhaps unwittingly, struck directly at the heart of Su Nian’s deepest, most private struggle.
A positive effect, huh?
[Lise]: “Of course, the effects of self-suggestion and emotional transference vary from person to person, and sometimes there can be a ‘reverse effect’ instead.”
A positive effect, or a reverse effect?
Shifting her focus… could it really lower her favorability toward that bastard, Horned Demon?
But… if she went ahead with this, and Horned Demon found out, she’d be in “danger”—he’d…
If she didn’t do it, she could only watch as her favorability kept rising out of control?
She used to be a boy—even if she’d turned into this plaything at someone else’s mercy, she would never let that bastard Horned Demon conquer both her soul and her body in this way…
Su Nian bit down hard on her lower lip, her sky-blue eyes flickering with intense inner struggle and weighing of options.
‘That’s it!’
Just as she was about to be swallowed whole by despair, a brilliant idea shot through her mind like a lightning bolt in the pitch-black night, instantly lighting up her dim thoughts!
Her own idol group, [Magic Feather Fantasy], had been invited to perform at the Winter Festival on the Floating Fortress, hadn’t they?!
And that Third Prince Elvin, whom Amy had been gushing about nonstop, would be the guest of honor at this year’s Winter Festival.
‘A performance!’
Su Nian’s eyes lit up at once.
As a performer, it was only natural for her to step onto the Floating Fortress and meet the Third Prince, right?
She wasn’t “actively” going to see him—this was part of her job!
An act of God!
It was an official, aboveboard engagement, legitimate in every way!
She could even imagine herself standing on that splendid stage, in full view of the crowd, and “accidentally” glimpsing that legendary Third Prince out of the corner of her eye.
Wouldn’t that be enough to lower her favorability?
This way, that bastard Horned Demon couldn’t possibly punish her for looking a few extra times at the festival’s main guest—after all, it was for “work,” right?
‘Heehee!’
The more Su Nian thought about it, the more perfect her plan seemed—it was practically a stroke of genius!
As for—
Today’s grand welcoming ceremony for the Third Prince in Academy City…
The satisfied smile that had just begun to spread across Su Nian’s lips collapsed instantly.
She still… wasn’t going to join in that excitement.
If Horned Demon caught wind that she was deliberately paying attention to the Third Prince, all her careful planning would be for nothing.
Immediate retreat!
Survival first!
***
For the next three days, Su Nian’s life was split in two, each half perfectly distinct.
By day, she was the brightest star upon the lecture hall podium of Red Maple Magic Academy, her sacred brilliance seeming to gather and form the very hem of her dress.
Every dazzling display of magic, every insightful and accessible explanation, drew waves of passionate, reverent gazes from the students.
She was also the irreplaceable soul dancer on the [Magic Feather Fantasy] stage, her voice as pure as the heavens, her dancing as light and elegant as a moonlit sprite.
Countless admiring eyes followed her every move, applause and praise surging after her like a tidal wave.
That lofty, untouchable presence—was the bastion of dignity she guarded with meticulous care.
Yet—
When night fell like a vast velvet curtain over Shadowmoon Manor, and the heavy oak doors sealed out the last whispers of the outside world, all those halos receded like the tide.
She would become that bastard Horned Demon’s possession once more, a toy to be manipulated at his whim.
Beneath the ambiguous, golden glow of the main hall lamps, shame was all she had left.
That bastard’s twisted tastes knew no bounds—those so-called “special costumes” were utterly absurd.
Sometimes it was a “cat costume” adorned with jingling bells, the thin velvet fabric barely covering the essential parts, the swaying tail at her back making her feel as if she’d really become Horned Demon’s pet.
Other times, he’d dig up a copy of the Magic Tutor’s robe she wore by day, cut scandalously short and indecent, with provocative slits beside the sacred insignia—every movement an unbearable suggestion, as if to desecrate her noble profession as a Magic Tutor.
He’d even have her hang the tutor’s nameplate around her neck.
Bastard! Pervert!
He’d even fetch the dazzling performance outfits she wore onstage, just to have her dance those shameful routines for him alone.
In just a few short days, she’d gained two million points of humiliation value—
But at the same time, her favorability for that bastard Horned Demon had crept back up, stuck now at “-41.”
***
Meanwhile, the whole of Academy City was swept up in a rising tide of fervor.
Banners and lanterns of the Winter Festival bloomed overnight in every street and alley, as brilliantly colored as flowers.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of roasted chestnuts and the rich aroma of malted beer; the voices of bardic singers echoed above the squares, every note bursting with anticipation for the festival, and longing for a distinguished guest…
The Third Prince of the Red Maple Kingdom, His Highness Elvin.
Stories about the prince wafted to every corner of the city, fermenting and spreading on the lips of its people.
Among them, one particular rumor flared up like wildfire, tinged with a pulse-quickening romance, spun in vivid detail as if witnessed firsthand.
It was said that this matchlessly handsome Third Prince Elvin—like a deity descended—was already a famed archmage at a young age, possessed of extraordinary military prowess and the refined air of a poet.
That his visit to this remote Academy City was not merely to preside over the grand Winter Festival.
The prince’s true purpose was a peerless beauty who had captured his heart…
The woman widely recognized as the city’s greatest beauty—even worshipped across the continent—the magical idol of [Magic Feather Fantasy], the dazzling Miss Su Nian!
A prince and an idol—such a pairing was the stuff of legends.
This rumor spread and swelled with frightening speed.
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