Chapter 194: The Night Prince and the Black and White Princess
December 24th, Sunday.
Sunday is the most special day of the week, being both a day of rest and a day of worship.
Believers usually go to church for services on this day.
Adding to that, tonight is Christmas Eve, so thousands of households head to church to pray for everyone's peace.
Although the kingdom's Holy Church is actually hawk-aligned, this doesn't prevent ordinary believers from longing for peace.
After the baptism of blood from the Demon War, the current peace seems all the more precious.
People's wisdom grew rapidly during the war, and they viewed so-called gods and faiths with relative clarity, without being overly blind.
The vast majority of ordinary believers go to church for services to find peace of mind, not genuinely to worship some unseen god.
After all, when they were in dire straits, it wasn't some god who saved them from their misery.
It was those heroes who rushed to the front lines, sacrificing themselves without fear!
St. Marian Academy, as the most renowned hero-producing base, has actually surpassed the Holy Church in terms of reverence.
It's just that St. Marian Academy isn't open to the public, nor does it have churches in various towns, so people have nowhere to go to worship.
No choice, that's life.
If they can't access the best, they can only make do with the second-best to comfort themselves.
After all, the Holy Church has produced a few heroes, hasn't it?
The Battle Saintess who inherited the title of "Joan" is one of the more famous among them.
...
Amidst the scattered prayers, the kingdom welcomed a new day.
And so did St. Marian.
Sister Carian, after completing her daily service, casually picked up a coat and draped it over her shoulders.
The work that had been piling up for days was finally completed yesterday.
Starting today, she would also get a holiday—if she was lucky enough!
Unfortunately, according to past patterns, there were always a few mishaps every Christmas.
So much so that she dared not drink freely at the ball.
But for this year's Christmas Ball, she came prepared, having specially concocted a secret hangover cure!
Just one dose of the sobering potion, no matter how drunk one was, would bring instant clarity,
though the cost was double the intoxication afterwards…
"Ah~"
She yawned, planning to take advantage of her free time to visit Traveler's Street and buy a few small gifts.
Normally, she stayed hidden in the Infirmary and didn't socialize much, but now she couldn't avoid it.
Teachers usually exchanged gifts.
Especially the few professors who remained at the academy.
Namely Professor Lily, Professor Kazel, and Professor Sarah.
They were all homeless people; they had to stick together and keep warm, otherwise how would they get through the cold winter?
...
Speaking of those professors.
Lily got drunk again last night, sprawled on the sofa like a dead pig; she probably wouldn't get up until the afternoon.
Professor Kazel and Professor Sarah were swamped with preparations for the Christmas Ball.
Professor Sarah was responsible for the specific arrangements of the ball, while Professor Kazel was using the Holy Grail to make disposable wish-granting devices—Christmas Stockings!
Thinking about it, Professor Kazel really had it rough.
More than eighty percent of Halloween's ghosts were made by him.
And a thousand Christmas Stockings were also made by him…
Yet at St. Marian, he only received the salary of an ordinary professor.
Tragic!
...
Frost had already appeared on the buildings in the early morning, and thin sheets of ice covered the lake.
As the sun's temperature gradually rose, the frost melted, and St. Marian Academy slowly regained its vitality.
Students began to emerge from the towers one after another.
All previous savings and preparations would be decided tonight!
Dark, in his Noble House dormitory, was still reading "Claire's Travels."
This book was surprisingly interesting.
Although Aunt Claire herself was quite eccentric, her writing style leaned towards humor and ease; she told stories vividly, and even drew illustrations for every scenic spot and wonder, which was truly thoughtful.
Reading this book felt like following her footsteps through countless mountains and rivers.
It was hard to imagine someone traveling such a long distance alone.
The lightness and humor in the text couldn't hide the hardships of travel.
Not to mention the dangers in deep mountains and wild forests, and the viciousness of bandits and thieves.
Dark suddenly felt that he shouldn't have given her that bottle of wine called "Eight Desolations"; perhaps he should have bought a whole set of cosmetics.
Of course, Claire herself would definitely prefer that bottle of wine.
Forty-eight hours passed in a flash; he wondered if Claire had arrived home yet.
Perhaps tonight, on Christmas Eve, she would light a candle at the dinner table and savor that bottle of fiery red wine, filled with the intense aura of a battlefield, with Alvit!
...
Another afternoon passed.
Dark packed his bags, ready for action.
From the bottom of his heart, he liked this festive atmosphere overflowing with youthful vigor, but too much deep involvement sometimes brought many troubles in social interactions.
Entry to the Christmas Ball was at seven o'clock sharp in the evening.
The ball was still held in the same hall as the Sorting Ceremony, which students occasionally referred to as the "Great Hall" or "Banquet Hall."
Unlike Halloween, because there was no masquerade-like event, and most of the professors were no longer at school, the school rules for the Christmas Ball's timing weren't strict.
If you wanted to, you could even enter the Great Hall at five or six o'clock.
Tonight's ball didn't have special guests like a princess, but it was rumored that the Magic Circus Troupe that performed on Traveler's Street had been invited.
Although junior mages could summon Magic Sprites themselves, the Magic Circus Troupe always managed to give a refreshing feeling when directing Magic Sprites to perform acts.
Around half past six in the evening, just as Dark had changed into his Night Prince set, he heard a knock at the door.
He pushed the now useless Black Crow Mask to the corner of the table, then straightened his collar, and went to open the door.
"Good evening, ladies."
The moment he opened the door, he made a perfectly standard gentleman's bow.
Diana at the door curtsied slightly, then happily extended her hand.
"Good evening, Dark."
Dark respectfully took her hand, lightly tapping the palm within her black lace glove, which made her giggle.
Rose immediately showed an expression of frustration.
Only then did Dark raise his head, observing the two elegantly dressed ladies.
Diana, as expected, had changed into the Night Princess set, a black velvet princess dress that perfectly matched Dark's attire, with a particularly voluminous skirt supported by a hoop skirt.
The exaggerated embellishments and cute frills covering the dress were definitely not something just anyone could pull off.
Diana's long silver hair was neatly combed, clearly Rose's handiwork.
An expensive hair accessory pinned to the side of her head gave her an extra touch of noble grace and lessened her childishness.
High-heeled crystal shoes slightly compensated for her height, which was a bit shorter than her peers.
Diana's usually too-outgoing personality often made people overlook that her maternal lineage was from royalty.
Even though she was only a distant royal relative, her smooth silver hair still exuded an untouchable nobility.
Twelve-year-old Diana, after careful dressing up, actually had the air of a beauty.
...
Dark's gaze then shifted to Rose.
Unlike her officer's attire at the masquerade ball, today Rose also wore a dress fitting her temperament.
She clearly preferred clean, immaculate pure white; her slightly taller stature than Diana gained some curves with the help of a corset, making her waist slender, and the hoop-skirted gown bloomed like a flower, its layered design giving a strong visual impact.
Rose, who chose flat red dance shoes, stood about the same height as Diana, so there was no inverse contrast.
It seemed she always made sure not to overshadow Diana, but her natural beauty couldn't be concealed by these small details.
Her long, light-gold hair, inherited from her noble parents, made her look like a true princess.
Even if Anna and Angie were here, they couldn't completely steal her radiance.
Unlike her temperament when she first came to St. Marian, Rose was noticeably more relaxed; this was partly due to Diana's influence and partly because their small circle included a boy who gathered all the light.
Although it might not sound like a good thing, that's exactly how it was.
No matter where one was, the quality of one's social circle had a very important influence on one's psychology and external perception.
Their small group of three was undoubtedly considered top-tier among the first-year students of Noble House.
The unobservant Diana didn't notice.
But the observant Rose could always see a hint of envy in her classmates' eyes, which improved her deep-seated inferiority complex.
So she always felt that meeting Diana and Dark was the luck of a lifetime.
Her smile grew even more radiant.
...
"Perfect timing."
Dark averted his gaze, feeling slightly relieved.
Fortunately, he was no longer the person he used to be.
Having undergone Senior Pandora's tempering and Cat Grass's adorable offensive, his temperament was now sufficiently resolute; he wouldn't easily trigger the primordial power.
Dark locked the door and walked towards the stairwell.
Rose quickly nudged Diana's arm, and Diana, realizing, quickly reached out to take Dark's arm.
But she was clearly unaccustomed to the thin high heels, and her body naturally tilted.
Dark reacted quickly, stepping back slightly, then reaching out to catch and support her hand.
Small, emanating warmth.
Diana's face flushed slightly, revealing a timid smile.
Then she naturally linked arms with Dark and walked downstairs.
Dark didn't pay attention, only glancing at Rose.
Rose winked at him, signaling that she was fine walking alone.
The three then walked, one after another, to the Common Room.
This was an awkward time; many people were still lingering and chatting in the Common Room, and they happened to see the three of them.
One gets used to seeing golden couples after a while.
But tonight's significance was a bit different.
The Noble House students all remembered the sixteen consecutive invitations from two nights ago, and seeing Dark and Diana walking together now, they suddenly realized that the final winner was here!
Especially the first-year girls who had been rejected on the spot, they showed expressions of utter envy towards Diana.
They mumbled something about "the early bird catches the worm," then gestured towards their chests, and one by one showed crestfallen expressions.
They were all the same age group, so why her?
Eudora was curled up in a corner reading a book; her grades were only average.
Although eleven and twelve years old seem to differ by only one year, mental growth during this period changes daily, and she actually struggled to keep up.
But fortunately, she was diligent enough.
"I'm still young."
Glancing at Diana's chest, Eudora indicated that she still had potential.
As for not receiving a reply two nights ago,
that was within her expectations.
She didn't know that only she hadn't received a reply, after all, no one would publicize such a thing, and they had already been rejected once openly.
Dark's act of replying seemed like a display of sincerity and politeness, but for the girls, it was effectively a second rejection.
He had no relevant experience in his previous life, and in matters of emotion, he ultimately overlooked some things.
...
The moment Dark and the two pushed open the main door became the catalyst, and the students in the Common Room also stood up, walking out one after another.
The light emanating from within the main door illuminated the bridge, and every student who walked through it felt an additional sense of ritual.
The Christmas Ball, starting from here, had already begun in their hearts.
Walking from the Noble House tower to the Great Hall on the first floor would take about five minutes at a slow pace.
Dark was worried that Diana might accidentally trip, so he kept holding her hand.
Outside the Great Hall's main entrance stood two glowing reindeer, both wearing cute Santa hats.
Dark, mimicking the actions of a senior student ahead, took off one of the reindeer's Santa hats, and indeed saw another Santa hat descend, spinning from above its head, landing steadily on the reindeer's head.
This seemingly simple scene contained extremely strong technology.
Dark admired it in his heart, then placed a Santa hat on Diana's head, and then took one for himself and put it on.
The two first-year students, wearing Santa hats, then pushed the doors open and entered.
Instantly, the entire Great Hall's decor came into view!
The Great Hall's iconic four long tables were still arranged there, covered with red tablecloths embroidered with Christmas trees, reindeer, and snow maples; silver candelabras floated above the long tables, but their candles were not yet lit.
On the stage at the very front, stood a colossal Christmas tree!
The Christmas tree was adorned with gift boxes of various sizes, and countless decorations.
Among the most striking decorations were a crown, a grimoire, a lance, and a [The Fool] Tarot Card!
Those were the emblems symbolizing the four academies, the spiritual outlines of the academy.
Glowing Magic Sprites frolicked and danced around the Christmas tree, emitting silver bell-like laughter.
The atmosphere of the Christmas Ball overflowed!
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