In the spacious atrium hall on the third floor, the interplay of living wood and stone exuded a natural vitality. Together with the surrounding dark-toned furnishings, the space radiated an air of quiet elegance.
On one side of the hall lay a reception area. Luxurious sofas and a low coffee table, lit by several softly glowing floor lamps, gave the feeling that time itself slowed there—an indescribable harmony lingering in the air.
Seated on those sofas at this very moment were three guests—each one a scion of the Hedon Kingdom’s most powerful families.
They waited silently, like the most honored patrons in the private box of a concert hall. Even seated still, their presence carried an extraordinary aura.
“Your Highness Ainor, Lady Huperion, Lady Sophia—so you are the dear friends Lan Qi so often speaks of.”
Vice President Lawrence gave a courteous bow.
Clearly, he recognized Prince Ainor, a frequent visitor, and also knew well the Duke of Migaya’s daughter.
That Lan Qi was acquainted with such noble students from Ikerite Academy did not surprise him.
Yet—
There was something off about the atmosphere.Prince Ainor’s expression brimmed with excitement, his eyes glittering with expectation.
Meanwhile, Huperion, seated stiffly in a single sofa to the left, kept her head lowered, staring tensely at her shoes.
As for Countess Sophia—she seemed half lost in a dream, still dazed.
The three of them were clearly on very different wavelengths.
At this moment, only Huperion remained sober and clear-headed.
Realizing that Lan Qi had finally arrived, she lifted her gaze toward him. She knew this was not the time for questions—what mattered was to take him away from here as soon as possible.
But before she could act—
Prince Ainor leapt eagerly to his feet, rushing forward to give Lan Qi a firm embrace. Gripping Lan Qi’s shoulders, he blurted out with urgency:
“My dearest friend! What rank were you evaluated at?”
Lan Qi hadn’t even opened his mouth when—
Vice President Lawrence, beaming with delight, addressed the prince:
“Your Highness, truly your vision is unmatched, your friendships wisely chosen! Our Hedon Kingdom has just gained another Platinum Cardmaster.”
“…”
Instantly, Huperion’s face went deathly pale.
If Lan Qi had merely been rated Silver, it would have been no big deal—Sophia might feel a little embarrassed, but nothing more.
If Gold, Huperion would have been overjoyed and tried to comfort Sophia—the situation would not have been dire.
But Platinum—
This was a dead end.
Sophia was as if placed upon a pyre, roasting under unbearable heat—and even if Huperion wanted to save her, she was powerless.
“Platinum…”
Sophia echoed the word blankly, staring at Lan Qi.
Just this morning, he had been the boy sitting across from her. But in an instant, he seemed distant—so far she could barely reach his shadow, stretched long beneath the lamplight.
At that moment, her mind replayed the words she had spoken in front of Ainor: “I’m seventeen, already a Silver Cardmaster. What about you?”
Her cheeks now burned uncontrollably.
For standing before her was a sixteen-year-old Platinum Cardmaster—someone she could never hope to match.
Her shoulders trembled, her reddened eyes misted with tears.
Those words of hers from the morning circled in her ears like a curse she could not escape—each repetition twisting her heart tighter.
She wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the floor and bury herself within, far from all this.
“S–Sophia, my father always said, cardmaking is thirty percent skill, seventy percent execution, and the remaining ninety percent depends on the goddess’s mood…”
Huperion’s voice was desperate as she reached out slightly, wanting to touch Sophia but too afraid she might shatter at the lightest contact.
“An orange epic card… can’t be made by luck or execution alone…”
Sophia’s voice trembled, her tears threatening to fall.
She knew better than anyone: if one lacked true strength, even perfection in all else would never reach such a level.
Which meant Ainor’s judgment had been correct. Compared to the boy he valued, she was utterly unworthy.
And when it came to artistry in illustration—beside Lan Qi, she was nothing more than an infant.
“…”
Huperion saw the tears welling at the rims of Sophia’s eyes, and dared not push further.
“Huperion… you knew about his skill in cardmaking and drawing all along, didn’t you?”
Sophia finally seemed to understand why Huperion had been so uneasy before.
“No, Sophia, I truly had no idea he’d be this outrageous…”
Huperion admitted timidly.
That only made Sophia tremble all the more.
She tried to hold back her tears, but the crushing shame gnawed at her—because she had said those words in front of Ainor, with no way to take them back.
Her face burned hotter, and the tears flowed like strings of pearls snapping loose, falling endlessly.
At last, Sophia looked directly at Lan Qi.
His expression was the same as ever—gentle, touched with concern, without a single trace of malice.
That very compassion was more painful than mockery.
“Uwaaaahhh…”
Sophia broke down sobbing, bolting from the sofa and running off.
Ainor froze in shock, gLan Qing from Lan Qi to Sophia’s retreating back.
“Lan Qi, my friend, congratulations, I—”
His brain short-circuited; unsure what else to do, he stammered out a hesitant blessing.
“What are you congratulating me for? Go after her, quick!”
Lan Qi slapped his shoulder repeatedly.
“O–oh!”
Prince Ainor snapped back to his senses, hastily gave his word, and dashed off after Sophia.
Thus, with Vice President Lawrence completely baffled by what had just unfolded—
Huperion covered her eyes with both hands, bowing her head as if the goddess herself were watching over them.
Lan Qi exhaled softly, then returned to her side, smiling gently and helplessly:
“Huperion, from now on, Sophia will no longer cast those troubling looks at you.”
Her heart jolted. From the moment she had entered the Association this morning, she began replaying every scene in her mind.
“You… you didn’t purposely set this up, just to shield me, did you?”
Her voice trembled as she asked.
“Eh? What I mean is—Sophia and Ainor have finally voiced their true feelings. Naturally, they won’t misunderstand anyone else again.”
Lan Qi spoke with concern, as though worried he might have accidentally done something wrong despite his good intentions.
“…?”
Huperion froze, staring at him.
She couldn’t tell anymore if Lan Qi was a fool, a schemer, or some mix of both.
If he was playing a role, then his act had already worn her out.
She cautiously lowered her hands and studied his expression.
Those emerald-green eyes were as gentle and clear as always, his face still tinged with innocent confusion.
A chill ran through her whole body.
If Lan Qi were secretly smirking, she might have felt better.
But confronted with his blank, guileless look—she felt like she had just bitten into a bitter-sweet matcha cookie.
“Lan Qi… thank goodness you’re not a girl, or you’d be truly terrifying…”
Huperion could no longer tell whether he was genuinely innocent—or a green-tea schemer at the very top of the food chain.
No wonder this guy had no fear of love-triangle “battlefields.”
Turns out—he was the apex predator all along!