“Princess of the Moon Tail Kingdom, I thank you for your arrival.”
Someone’s opening words instantly dispelled the cheerful atmosphere created by the earlier small incident in the banquet hall.
Delilah’s voice carried a natural warmth tinged with sorrow, but at this moment, Feihong felt more like prey being targeted.
Who the hunter was went without saying.
The other party’s eyes, seemingly filled with compassion, were carefully scrutinizing her, as if trying to find a flaw in every subtle expression of the little fox girl before them.
The noise in the banquet hall had vanished the moment Delilah began speaking. All attention was now focused on “Yelena,” and the air was thick with suffocating tension.
Feihong’s heart began to race. The palms of her hands, covered by silk banquet gloves, were already slightly damp.
’No, I can’t get anxious…’
’I can’t lose face for the young lady at a time like this.’
Feihong’s mind flashed quickly to Yelena’s face—that always slightly willful and pretty expression.
’Hah… I just need to imitate how Lady Yelena usually acts.’
Feihong forcibly suppressed her inner panic. After a moment of thought, a look of impatience gradually appeared on her face.
She wrinkled her nose slightly and spoke in a tone laced with complaint: “Vice Chief Priest, you’re too polite~”
“It’s just that I think the food at these kinds of occasions is always terrible. It’s nowhere near as good as the grilled meat from our Moon Tail royal family.”
She naturally portrayed the foodie attribute of Yelena, who always loved to cook.
This, in turn, left the silent nobles and celebrities around them somewhat stunned, and the tense atmosphere in the room immediately eased quite a bit.
Yvette was covering her mouth with a hand, laughing.
’Not bad, Miss Feihong. You’ve learned well.’
Meanwhile, the smile on Delilah’s face remained unchanged for a long time, only growing deeper, as if she genuinely believed she had made a mistake in hosting this banquet.
“It is Delilah’s poor hospitality.”
After saying that, she turned around and took a glass of strange-colored juice from the tray held by a nearby attendant.
Then she slowly walked up to Feihong.
“Lady Yelena, this is blended with Tranquility Flowers. The taste might be quite unusual, but I hope it can slightly alleviate your displeasure.”
That purplish-red liquid glowed with a strange sheen under the indoor magic lamps, and an unusual fragrance wafted over.
Hidden within that fragrance, some mana fluctuations that were deeply concealed lurked like tiny venomous insects in the bushes, waiting for an opportunity.
Feihong sensed the danger. Her blink rate increased noticeably.
From her experience, she judged that the mana had a hypnotic effect.
’I absolutely cannot drink this casually… There must be other things inside specifically targeting foxfolk.’
Just as Feihong was thinking of how to refuse, a figure stepped in front of her.
Yvette wore a relaxed smile and unceremoniously snatched the juice from Delilah’s hand.
“My little fox is picky. She doesn’t like this drink.”
“Since it’s such a rare thing, I’ll taste it for her instead.”
With that, Yvette didn’t give Delilah a chance to react. She tilted her head back and downed the juice in one go.
A powerful flame mana gathered inside her body, instantly pulverizing the hypnotic substances contained in the juice.
This was the blessing of the Astreia Family’s Sword Saint lineage—the blessing of invulnerability to all poisons.
Yvette smacked her lips and said simply, “Tastes average. Too sweet. A bit cloying.”
Delilah looked at the empty glass, then at Yvette, who seemed unconcerned, and her eyes once again displayed a feigned admiration.
“Sword Saint, you certainly are very protective.”
Her tone was very gentle, but her next words carried a sharp edge.
“However, some things cannot be replaced by others.”
This sentence clearly had a deeper meaning. Her gaze passed directly over Yvette’s shoulder and settled once more on Feihong.
That look seemed as if it had already seen through Feihong’s mask.
Feihong’s resolve began to waver. Delilah’s aura was that of a powerhouse far above her own level, even surpassing Yvette in some aspects.
She had no choice but to keep maintaining the innocent and lively expression on her face. However, the other hand hidden in her skirt pocket was already ready to pull out a certain item.
It was a magical defensive artifact that Yvette had pressed into her hand just before they set out, capable of withstanding one mental attack.
…
On the other side of the banquet hall, the three members of the Hero Party were also observing the scene.
Kate furrowed her brows and whispered:
“Something’s off, Ai Sha.”
“From the moment Delilah appeared, her attitude was targeting Yelena. This definitely isn’t a simple welcome.”
“That juice… I sensed a change in mana activity,” Silvia added. “Though the mana wasn’t very strong, it still carried the scent of the Demon Race.”
Ai Sha held a wine glass and gently swirled her wrist.
She was thinking about what had just happened.
Delilah’s pointed welcome, Yelena’s somewhat feigned complaints, Yvette’s overbearing protectiveness, and finally, Delilah’s barbed words.
The verbal exchanges among these key figures were now under their scrutiny.
“This isn’t a simple memorial ceremony.”
Ai Sha put down her glass and whispered beside them.
“This is a trap aimed at Yelena. We should find a way to help them.”
The Hero Party had originally come to investigate the aftermath of the earlier incident in the hotel private room, wanting to understand the nature of the unusual power that Yelena had emitted.
But their goal had now changed.
This Vice Chief Priest of the Holy See had a very clear intention in gathering the nobles and celebrities of Antar City today.
The main purpose of the memorial ceremony had already deviated, moving in the direction Delilah wanted.
Their stance was gradually shifting from observers to those who would intervene, disrupt, and stop Delilah’s unknown actions.
Just then, their attention was again drawn by Delilah’s movements.
Delilah returned to the podium and began speaking again. Her voice spread throughout the hall through amplification magic.
Her face still wore the Holy See’s standard priestly prayer expression.
“Thank you all for coming tonight to join me in mourning my unfortunate younger sister, Mira Sutherland.”
She paused briefly and swept her gaze across the audience, finally fixing it on Feihong.
“To prevent my sister from suffering further, to allow her soul to find peace, and to dispel the sorrow caused by the Demon Race…”
Then Delilah’s voice suddenly rose, carrying an official tone that brooked no refusal.
“Next, I would like to invite our most honored guest, the Princess of the Moon Tail Kingdom, to come up on stage with me for a one-on-one Soul Resonance Ceremony!”
“Let us, under the witness of the Holy Light, feel the pain of the deceased together, and at the same time offer our most sincere prayers for her next life!”
The moment Delilah’s words fell, the banquet hall erupted in an uproar.
Feihong, now at the center of the storm, was pushed directly to the edge of a cliff by Delilah.