Chapter 99

Chapter 99

"One, two, three; one, two, three..."

In the brightly lit dance studio, the air was warm and pleasant, and a melodious waltz flowed smoothly from the speaker in the corner.

The dark-haired, green-eyed young man wore only a thin striped shirt and high-waisted black velvet trousers. He quietly counted the beats while bending his elbow, allowing the girl opposite him to rest her hand on his as they practiced the box step of the waltz.

"Alright, now turn."

Eve complied, her low-heeled dance shoes gliding over the thin carpet, her simple skirt flaring out like a blooming flower. Those with high psychic aptitude often possessed stronger memory and learning abilities; after being guided by Lorca through just three rounds, she had already memorized the entire dance routine.

Once she steadied herself, Lorca smiled and said, "You've completely mastered this dance. Shall we move on to the next one?"

"..." Eve had been learning ballroom dances for the past few days and had lost count of how many steps and variations she had learned. Yet, every time she finished one, Lorca remained as composed as ever, smiling and asking if she wanted to learn the next.

To be honest, if he had boasted about his extensive dance skills from the start, Eve probably wouldn't have paid him any mind. But the more casual Lorca acted, the more it piqued Eve's intense desire to learn. Gritting her teeth, she declared, "Next!"

She was determined to see just how many fancy dance steps this guy knew.

Lorca snapped his fingers, and the speaker in the corner automatically switched to a more passionate melody. Amid the dense drumbeats, his arm slid around Eve's waist with practiced ease, drawing her into an intimate swirl of the dance.

With the New Year just days away, Eve suddenly realized that while she had prepared many things, she still hadn't learned how to dance. That's why she had turned to Lorca for help.

But why she chose Lorca involved another matter—after Luo Lin was purposely snubbed by the Medici Patriarch, Gu Zhaoxi couldn't bear it and sought out her beloved apprentice as a dance partner, determined to give Luo Lin a satisfying moment of vindication at the event.

Though Eve suspected Gu Zhaoxi was mostly indulging her playful malice, eager to play out a classic "revenge" scenario.

Over the past month, the capital planet had been simmering with undercurrents and turbulent shifts. First, news arrived from the front lines that a Royal Zerg had awoken, emerging near the Lyra Beta system guarded by the Ninth Legion. The Legion Commander was unfortunately injured, but the Vice Legion Commander managed to turn the tide, leading the troops to successfully eliminate the Royal Zerg. In subsequent reports, the Legion Commander highly praised his deputy for saving his life, hinting at grooming him as a successor.

Then, the emperor suddenly revealed the existence of an illegitimate child. Before the old-school nobles of the capital could react, they were shocked to discover that this child was none other than the Vice Legion Commander who had performed exceptionally during the Royal Zerg incident. Public opinion was thrown into disarray, while the emperor rejoiced at winning his first victory in the behind-the-scenes power struggle. He announced that in the new year, the imperial family would officially appoint a new princess.

Being enshrined as a princess was different from merely receiving a surname and title; the latter was a recognition of status, while the former came with genuine inheritance rights, meaning the new princess would be eligible to compete for the throne.

Once this news broke, the nobles maintained their composure on the surface, but their inner calculations remained unknown.

This promising young figure at the center of the storm was none other than Qin Mengde, though she should now be called Chris Otto.

The specific intelligence about the Royal Zerg had been provided by Eve, who had sent a warning before the creature awakened. When Eve received news of the Ninth Legion Commander's injury, she found it hard to describe her feelings.

The awakened Royal Zerg had a clear weakness: it was enveloped in flames and could be easily harmed with specially crafted low-temperature alchemical potions. Otherwise, Eve wouldn't have been so confident in sending someone to the front lines.

This meant that if Qin Mengde had wished, she could have avoided casualties altogether. But Eve reflected that at least the Legion Commander was only injured, not the original story's fatal outcome. According to the reports, their relationship hadn't soured, so Qin Mengde must have handled the situation well.

This outcome could be considered mutually beneficial. After all, Qin Mengde never turned around to ask Eve why she hadn't mentioned the possibility of a Royal Zerg on the battlefield when proposing she join the Ninth Legion, yet had sent a warning just before it awakened.

People often fail when tested in most situations, balancing on the edge of good and evil. But at the very least, in the final moment, both had shown kindness to each other.

Lorca, however, remained utterly detached from all these tumultuous events. He didn't even seem aware that he had nearly lost his role as Eve's dance partner, still thoroughly enjoying his position as her dance instructor.

Eve held onto his arm, completing two more small circles before lowering her hand and shaking her slightly sore wrist, complaining, "How many dance steps do you actually know? I feel like I've learned every social dance in the Empire."

"Actually, not that many," Lorca reluctantly withdrew his hand from her supple waist, chuckling softly before explaining. "You've already learned the eighteen basic steps. The rest are all variations and combinations, though you didn't seem to notice."

Eve: "..."

While learning, she had indeed been in a sort of distracted state, her body moving on muscle memory while her mind wandered elsewhere. But that didn't mean Lorca could trick her.

Eve raised a finger, emphasizing unhappily, "This is really not okay—you're messing with me."

Lorca was utterly charmed by this small gesture and immediately raised his hands in surrender, adopting an apologetic look. "I was wrong. I should have asked for your opinion instead of secretly adding advanced lessons. Clearly, our Xiao Qing is so clever that with a little effort, she can easily master these variations."

"Your words sound like you're subtly mocking me," Eve kicked off her dance shoes and walked barefoot across the patterned carpet to sit on a chair nearby. "Let's be real, how many people will be in the palace banquet hall? Hundreds? Thousands? Even if I dance just average, no one will notice."

She pointed at Lorca, then at herself. "We're just there to show our faces, not to be the stars of the ball."

"Even if we're not the stars," Lorca gazed at her intently with his beautiful emerald eyes, saying earnestly, "every day of life is worth dancing for."

"...I suddenly realize you have a talent for philosophy."

After staring at him for a moment, Eve sighed heavily and reluctantly slipped her feet back into the soft dance shoes. "Alright, stop looking at me like that. Let's dance."

Anyway, she would soon be leaving the Oliver Family, so spending a few more idle daytime hours with the young master wasn't a big deal, she thought.

A triumphant smile curled at the corners of Lorca's lips.

-

The capital planet had no concept of seasons, but on New Year's Day, to create a festive atmosphere, the meteorological bureau used artificial clouds to conjure a heavy snowfall.

Large, goose-feather-like snowflakes fluttered down from the sky, transforming the entire capital into a silver planet. Due to special holiday traffic controls, hovercars were restricted to flying within ten meters of the ground.

Eve rested her chin on her hand, leaning against the car window to watch the silver-covered streets outside. Despite the cold that could freeze a person stiff, citizens bundled in thick clothing played in the snow, children laughed and ran around having snowball fights, their noses red like carrots used for snowmen, while adults, capped with snow, chatted on both sides of railings.

Having lived in the north in her previous life, Eve watched for a long time before murmuring, "The people of the capital planet are so full of sentiment."

And remarkably cold-resistant, leaving her in awe.

Sitting beside her, Lorca glanced over and said, "This is an activity organized by the Medici Duke. It's been going on for about seventeen or eighteen years, almost a traditional holiday custom on the capital planet. After dinner, robots distribute cold-prevention tablets, so everyone can play without worry."

Eve counted on her fingers: seventeen or eighteen years meant the Medici Patriarch had started this snow activity before he became Cabinet Prime Minister, back when he was still the Minister of Finance.

No wonder he had held onto the Prime Minister position so firmly all these years. She mused, "He really lives up to being the most publicly beloved Prime Minister in the empire's history."

The Oliver Family set out in several cars, pairing pre-arranged dance partners together. The family head, of course, was with Mrs. Luo, while Ludwig and Alice shared a car. Originally, Alice had wanted to ask Eve to be her partner—in the Interstellar Era, restrictions on dance partners or even companions' genders were lax, and two beautiful women dancing together was never news at a ball.

Unfortunately, she arrived too late. At the time, Lorca happened to be beside Eve and smilingly informed Alice that he had already made plans with Eve beforehand.

"You could dance with Lud," Lorca kindly suggested. "You know, a pretty boy like Lud, with his just-right height, is always a popular dance partner among young ladies. He must be struggling to decide which young lady to accept this year. Alice, your chance is here. I guarantee that being Lud's partner will make you the center of attention at the New Year's ball."

Eve, standing nearby, understood what he meant by "just-right height" and couldn't help snorting dismissively.

Alice, after all, was still a child and found it hard to resist the allure of being in the spotlight, even if she suspected he might be tricking her.

She quickly glanced at Eve, who was sitting nearby with crossed legs, clearly intending to handle the matter impartially, then scratched her head and mumbled, "Well... alright then. I'll go ask him."

After she left, Eve casually picked up a fruit from the table and tossed it into Lorca's lap, laughing uncontrollably. "Does your brother know you mock his height behind his back?"

"He'll grow taller eventually," Lorca said with a straight face. "Besides, I was only telling the truth."

In a way, Lorca hadn't lied.

As soon as she entered the royal banquet hall with its red carpet, Alice, on the arm of the Oliver Family heir, attracted widespread attention. The girl had her smooth brown hair tied into a loose bun and wore a sweet, polite smile.

Ludwig, whom she accompanied, was a seasoned socialite. The moment he stepped into the venue, he assumed the perfect posture of a noble young man, attentively caring for Alice everywhere. The well-matched young pair naturally drew eyes, and after Mrs. Luo introduced Alice as the adopted daughter of the Oliver Family, the attention on her intensified. Many young ladies of similar age immediately approached Alice to strike up conversations.

In contrast, Lorca received less attention. The eldest son of the Oliver Family was known for keeping a low profile and had black hair and green eyes that didn't match the family's traits, so many initially didn't recognize him. But Lorca enjoyed the quiet. He took two glasses of beautifully golden champagne from a servant and handed one to Eve. "Try it. The royal family's wine."

"Thank you."

Eve reached out to take it, but a hand suddenly intervened from above, stopping her from drinking.

"Minors probably shouldn't be drinking."

A gentle and mature male voice sounded. Eve paused her hand, then raised the corner of her eye and rolled her eyes, spotting a familiar figure she hadn’t seen in a long time standing beside her.

Though familiar wasn’t entirely accurate—even within the Medici family, she seldom saw the Medici Patriarch due to his busy schedule.

The man’s silvery hair was neatly combed back, and even with some age, it did little to diminish his handsome, refined appearance.

The Medici Patriarch gave a faintly amused glance at the silver-masked girl who remained silent, his gaze lingering on her black hair for a long moment before withdrawing his hand and politely saying, "Apologies for the interruption, but I feel an instant connection with this young lady and would very much like to get to know her—might I take up a moment of your time?"

"..." Lorca glanced at Eve, as if seeking her opinion, while Eve leisurely finished the sip of champagne she had been about to drink earlier. Seeing this, the Medici Patriarch raised an eyebrow with mild interest.

Eve said, "Not if they mean trouble."

"What if the visitor comes with good intentions?" Sparti wasn't easily provoked by a junior’s taunt and replied magnanimously, "What if I merely wish to discuss a deal with Miss Lu?"

"Then of course, I’ve always welcomed all kinds of business. Let’s go, Duke."

Eve handed the unfinished drink back to Lorca. For convenience in joining the feast, she wore only a half-mask today. Of course, to avoid startling anyone, she had temporarily concealed the scars on the lower half of her face before leaving.

While handing over the glass, seizing the moment while her back was turned from the Medici Patriarch, she mouthed to Lorca.

"Go find someone for me..."

Lorca’s expression remained unchanged as Eve mouthed: "—Qin Mengde."