Chapter 193: Dark Demon's Sudden Realization
With his Halloween experience, Dark was well-versed in handling such replies.
He took out his spare stationery and gave a formal response, informing her that he was honored to receive her invitation but had a prior engagement and regrettably had to decline.
Then came the third letter, the fourth letter...
Interspersed among them were one or two confession letters from girls, but they were all quite ordinary. Dark told them to prioritize their studies...
The naivety of youth can sometimes lead one to misunderstand emotions never before experienced.
Perhaps it wasn't love.
True love should be precious, rare, something one can rely on for a lifetime.
Not something to be easily entrusted to another for the sake of supposed romance and yearning.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be uncommon to look back later in life with a broken heart.
Falling in love with someone shouldn't be just about appearances.
...
Close to ten o'clock, Dark finished writing fifteen replies.
He waved to DemiDevimon, instructing it to deliver the replies one by one to the students according to the names on the envelopes.
DemiDevimon grumbled as it flew out, bringing back a wisp of cold air as it exited.
Dark picked up Eudora's confession letter again, thinking about how he could get this child back on track.
Whether male or female, young minds are impressionable and easily influenced by the allure of external beauty.
Only later, with age, does one easily distinguish whether they are attracted to a person's appearance or the person themselves.
Just like Dark, before he had deeper interactions with his senior Pandora, he only liked her appearance, not her as a person.
He wasn't someone who would casually utter "love and affection" without any prior interaction.
So he also couldn't understand why Eudora could express such fervent love in her words.
"Could it be that she's read too much of that sickly sweet maiden literature?"
Dark poked his cheek with the pen cap.
At this time, he should have been diligently researching the lingering issues of the [Fusion] alchemy.
"Or maybe I just won't reply."
"While the silent treatment isn't brilliant, it's better than a counterproductive response."
"Perhaps when she calms down, she'll figure it out herself."
...
"Knock, knock, knock."
Is DemiDevimon back?
Dark turned to look at the door, then stood up and opened it.
He indeed saw DemiDevimon.
But with it were Diana and Rose.
Both were wearing fluffy pajamas, one a little bear and the other a little bunny, and both exuded the scent of bath gel.
"Can we come in?"
Diana said this, but her little head had already squeezed under Dark's armpit, peeking inside.
"Good evening."
Rose shyly raised her hand and waved.
Dark let Diana in, saying helplessly, "Come on in."
Only after the little bear, the little bunny, and DemiDevimon had all entered did he close the door again.
"Hehe."
Since their first visit, Diana and Rose had been coming to Dark's room more frequently, gradually losing their initial restraint.
Upon entering the room, Diana immediately spotted the Christmas presents piled in the corner, and couldn't help but feel eager.
But her attention was quickly drawn to the letters on the table.
Dark pulled out two chairs for them to sit, casually poured two glasses of juice, and asked, "Coming so late?"
Rose cradled the silver cup of emerald juice as if it were a treasure, smiling, "If we didn't come, someone wouldn't be able to sleep."
Diana's face flushed slightly, and her eyes began to dart around.
Dark nodded slightly, indicating he understood: "Go on."
Diana mumbled, "I just wanted to ask if there were any plans for the Christmas Ball!"
Dark: "There are."
Diana: "Eh? Eh? Eh?"
Dark said helplessly, "I already have a dance partner, senior Pandora from the library."
Diana was completely stunned, and subconsciously asked, "Dark, do you prefer older women?"
Dark couldn't help but force a smile: "She's given me a lot of guidance in my research. Besides, it's just a ball."
"What?!" Diana became unhappy. "Why is it always like this?"
Rose was also very surprised.
She had thought Diana had it in the bag, especially since Dark hadn't shown any overly intimate intentions with any other girl.
And the two of them were undoubtedly the closest to Dark.
If Dark wanted a dance partner, he should have chosen between them.
She just didn't expect a senior to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
But on second thought, senior Pandora was indeed very charming; admirers in the academy probably flocked to her.
That Dark could make an arrangement with senior Pandora, without any prior signs, was truly unimaginable!
This made Rose recall a line from a book: "Excellent people are always easily attracted to each other."
Diana, you're still not good enough.
She sighed slightly.
She just didn't know how to comfort the childish Diana next.
Thinking this.
She couldn't help but look at Dark, showing a pleading expression.
...
But Dark just shook his head slightly and said to Diana, "This Christmas Ball is divided into an early session from nine to ten, and a late session from eleven to twelve. If you're willing, would you be my dance partner for the late session?"
"Eh?!"
Diana almost instantly came back to life.
Her eyes widened as she looked at Dark, tilting her head up and asking, "Really?"
Dark couldn't help but flick her nose: "Of course it's true."
Diana was about to cheer but quickly covered her mouth, letting out a "hehe" laugh.
Lady, lady!
...
Diana, leaving Dark's dorm, floated as she walked.
She whispered, "Rose, do you think the early session is better, or the late session?"
Rose, with her arms crossed, said, "The early session is good, but the late session allows you to spend the last moment of Christmas Eve with your partner as the twelve o'clock bell rings."
Diana: "Then it's the late session! Hehe!"
Rose: "Alright, go to bed early and keep a good complexion."
Diana: "Mm!"
...
After seeing them off, Dark let out a soft sigh.
Regarding the Christmas Ball, the early session was actually the main event. While the late session held more significance, people's energy was limited, and their enthusiasm would gradually wane. Neither the early nor late session could be danced through entirely.
It was perfectly normal to accept invitations from others in between.
By the late session, most people might no longer be in the ballroom.
Perhaps they would return for one last dance as midnight approached.
It was so fortunate that Diana was so easy to appease.
As for the senior, he still needed to inform her.
"Hmm, there shouldn't be any problem, right?"
It was just a dance.
Dark didn't actually take the ball too seriously.
...
Meanwhile, in the Disciplinary Office.
As the clock hand pointed to precisely ten o'clock, Virt and Robert's confinement punishment finally ended!
After wishing the instructor a Merry Christmas, they grabbed their bags and fled back to the Knight House tower as if escaping.
"It's finally over, Robert!"
"Yes, and we have nine days of holiday ahead! We're finally free!"
Under the moonlight, Virt and Robert had tears in their eyes.
But after pushing open the tower's main door, the overwhelming Christmas atmosphere made them pause.
Aside from some differences in decorative style, the Knight House common room was no different from the Noble House.
On the first night of the holiday, the Knight House held a small celebration that didn't begin until after ten o'clock.
Many even vowed to stay up all night!
The atmosphere in the Knight House was more uninhibited compared to the Noble House.
In the corners of the common room, senior couples were visible everywhere.
The crowd gathered in the center was even having a Magic Chess battle.
Virt and Robert were both very interested in Magic Chess.
But it was only at this moment that they suddenly realized Christmas was truly upon them!
"Hey, Robert, what gift do you want?" Virt asked.
Robert shrugged: "How about a turkey leg? Then I'll give you a turkey leg in return."
Virt: "Alright, I'll think about it then."
The two closed the door, stopping the wind from rushing in.
They had intentionally avoided thinking about the Christmas Ball on Christmas Eve.
Robert: "The Christmas Ball feels different from the Halloween Ball, doesn't it? It seems tough for junior students to find dance partners."
Hey, we agreed not to mention it???!
Virt quickly changed the subject: "Robert, how about a game? I've forgotten how long it's been since we last played Magic Chess!"
Robert also gradually got excited: "One game isn't enough? Let's fight until dawn!"
...
No matter what happened or what they encountered, everyone had their own way of living.
Virt was actually more concerned about the Christmas Ball than Robert, but he was currently in a strange state of inferiority, not daring to bring it up at all.
Whenever he thought of the ball, he could only console himself that there would be plenty of time, and next year would bring another opportunity.
But a Christmas gift still had to be given.
If he could use this to make a good impression on senior Pandora, it would definitely be a gain.
But how should he choose this gift?
"Forget it, let's play a game of Magic Chess first!"
...
The next morning.
Perhaps due to the holiday effect, Dark uncharacteristically slept in a bit.
He picked up the Cat Grass that was licking his face and placed it back in its sleeping basket, then gave a slight yawn and got out of bed.
Winter sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
Dark drew open the curtains and looked outside for a while, not knowing what he was looking at, just standing there blankly for two minutes before seemingly waking up and turning to the washroom.
Washed up, applied a face mask, styled his hair.
A holiday should feel like a holiday.
Dark didn't intend to solve all the leftover problems from the last semester during the holiday. He casually picked up a copy of Claire's Travels and began to read it while sitting in a lounge chair on the balcony.
Only after DemiDevimon had arranged bread, bacon, sausages, eggs, and milk on the stool beside him did he start eating while reading.
"This kind of life suits me best."
Not until he finished breakfast did Dark put down Claire's Travels after reading a short section, and casually picked up today's Grand Sage Daily.
Only two days remained until Christmas.
Following the Holy Church's announcement to collaborate with the Holy Church Arcane Academy to hold an extra-large Mass, the Grand Princess also announced that on Christmas Eve—the night before Christmas—she would personally pray for the citizens in the Royal Capital's Hero's Square.
At that time, a large number of small gifts would be given away for free in Hero's Square...
"Between faith and free small gifts, which holds greater appeal?"
Dark couldn't help but smile when he read this.
Although the struggle between the hardliners and the doves was gradually surfacing, both factions actually had their own concerns, and for now, it was limited to such minor skirmishes.
From an outsider's perspective, it was sometimes quite interesting to watch.
...
After noon.
Dark once again headed to Traveler's Street.
From this day onward, the streets suddenly filled with many couples, and Christmas decorations were fully illuminated, with Christmas trees adorned with colorful lights everywhere.
Cute Magic Sprites danced in the air, holding signs to attract customers.
Dark occasionally caught a glimpse of Virt and Robert hurrying through the crowd, and he couldn't help but feel happy for them, thinking they had finally escaped the hell of confinement.
The Christmas Ball was different from a masquerade. If one wanted to appear at the ball, formal attire was essential.
Thus, several ready-to-wear shops in the clothing district were overflowing with people.
Students might not find a permanent dance partner before the ball, but they still had opportunities once it began.
It had always been the case that quite a few boys and girls successfully paired up thanks to the atmosphere of the ball.
The prerequisite was still formal attire!
Dark glanced at the dense crowd, unable to find even a sliver of space, and couldn't help but feel greatly fortunate that he had purchased the "Night Prince Set" before Halloween.
Diana gets a point.
Afterward, he went to the small garden in the center of the street and watched a magic circus for a while.
The clowns in the circus controlled various Magic Sprites, performing with extreme dexterity; their superb manipulation skills made the Magic Sprites move without any delay, as if they were truly living beings.
As Dark watched, his fingers involuntarily interlaced.
He finally had an idea!
"I'll send that!"
...
After deciding on Pandora's Christmas gift, Dark no longer lingered on Traveler's Street.
He began to purchase some necessities for his adventure according to his plan.
He wasn't entirely without a plan for these nine days of holiday.
Christmas was secondary.
During this rare holiday, he wanted to seize the opportunity to go to the secret passage for a longer expedition!
The treasure left by the Valkyrie in the secret passage should also be found!
Although his desire for the treasure wasn't strong, he was quite curious about what the treasure itself actually was.
He had once asked Claire about this, but Claire merely smiled mysteriously and told him that treasure was treasure precisely because it was full of surprises; if he knew what was hidden inside from the start, wouldn't it diminish more than half the fun?
Dark said he didn't mind.
Claire then ignored him.
...
Dark, upon returning to his dorm, completely calmed down.
He spent about three hours on the issues left over from the [Fusion] alchemy, then relaxed and read some leisure books.
In a flash, the moon set behind the willows, and St. Marian welcomed the last night before the Christmas Ball.
Some were expectant.
Some found sleep elusive.
Some secretly made up their minds.
Bats active throughout the castle seemed to suddenly receive a call, flying silently, one by one, into the upper levels of the castle and disappearing into the entrance of the secret passage.
Everything was fermenting.
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