The surprise of the first snow in the courtyard had spread, and the people sitting by the windows in the banquet hall also spread the news. People poured out of the building or stood at the windows, marveling at the first snow of the year.
This is probably a very good gift for the princess' wedding.
Seeing that there were so many people watching the snow, Xia De decided to go find his cat and let the cat, who had never seen snow since birth, see what snow looks like.
But before I could turn around, a whisper in my ear reminded me:
Your dancing partner has arrived.
"Shad!"
Someone patted his right shoulder from behind. Xia De turned around and looked behind him, but he didn't see anyone. Then he looked to the left again. Yin Luna was standing in the crowd with her hands behind her back, smiling and looking at him.
Although she appeared at the banquet, her attire was clearly not for a banquet. Her clothes were tight fitting, and the whispering elements brought by the various relics were easily detected. Her waist bag was also stuffed with bulging spellcasting materials.
"Shad, I knew it was you."
The seventeen-year-old girl said with a smile in the dimly lit area.
"Yin Luna? Why are you here?"
Xia De asked in surprise, but a smile appeared on his face. He was also very happy to see Yin Luna here at this moment.
"Oh, it's about the Schluchsee Lake. I was planning to rest at home, but the church urgently notified me to leave. After I got here with Captain Robinson and the others in a carriage, everything was over."
She lowered her voice and pointed in the direction of Lake Schluch behind the manor, but people were looking at the snow and no one actually paid attention to them:
"Mr. 'Sunshine Greatsword' Randall arrived dozens of minutes earlier than me. In addition to him, Miss Green, the ten-ring warlock of the church, has also arrived, so I am not needed by the lake.
She still had her hands behind her back, her shoes rubbing against the ground, her eyes dodged as she looked at Xia De, her face slightly red.
"I knew you were here. Since I wasn't needed by the lake, I wondered if I could find you."
She pointed to the first floor of the mansion where dance music was playing:
"It's really lively here. I can't enter the house dressed like this, so I thought I'd just walk around the courtyard and garden. It just so happens that it's snowing, so I guess you'd come out to see the snow. Look, I really met you... This dance music is really good, I thought you would be dancing with someone else inside."
When he said the second half of the sentence, his eyes moved to the side, as if he was interested in the masked children who were holding windmills and running in the snow.
Look, I told you your dance partner is here.
"She" reminded again.
Although Yin Luna didn't say it, Xia De already knew what he was going to do.
He stretched out his hand and asked softly:
"Ma'am, would you like to dance?"
"Of course, yes, I happen to have time."
Yin Luna said, hiding her smile, but suddenly shook her head:
"I'd better not go into the banquet hall. My clothes are not suitable, and I'm here to carry out a mission after all."
After saying that, he looked at Xia De expectantly, and Xia De nodded:
"Then let me think about it... Let's go to the hedge maze. There are fewer people there. We can choose a location close to the mansion, and we should be able to hear the music."
"OK."
Yin Luna nodded immediately.
So they walked through the light snow from the front courtyard of Lake View Manor along the courtyard path to the garden at the back. At this time, the night was getting darker. Because there was no activity in the garden and the lakeside was temporarily blocked by the church, most of the guests gathered in the mansion and the front courtyard, and there were few people in the garden.
Entering the hedge maze, they found a spot between the tall hedges on both sides that was illuminated by the moonlight, and the tiny snowflakes were particularly conspicuous in the light.
“Look, this is like center stage!”
Yin Luna said with a smile.
"Wait a moment."
He stopped holding Yin Luna's hand and raised his right index finger in a place where the light couldn't illuminate:
"Look!"
A red butterfly flew out from her fingertips, circling Yin Luna, and pulling out a bright red thread behind her. As the butterfly fluttered, the pale blue ball gown was woven around Yin Luna's body inch by inch until the butterfly flew onto her head and turned into a red hair accessory.
"How beautiful! Now we can dance!"
Xia De exclaimed, quite satisfied with his Red Butterfly Illusion. Although this kind of illusion can be easily seen through, it is not very useful for disguise in crowded places, but it is just right for the current situation.
Yin Luna bit her lip and looked at the skirt she was wearing, then touched the hair accessories in her hair, regretting that she didn't put on makeup before going out.
"Come to think of it, I've never used my illusion like this before... and this."
Xia De's right index finger moved lightly again, and dense red butterflies flew out from his sleeves and flew towards the moonlight under the falling snow.
The red butterfly danced under the moonlight and starry sky, dragging red spots of light into the sky, leaving behind a patch of red spots and trails.
"I still have confidence in illusion."
Xia De said with a smile, then bowed slightly to Yin Luna and stretched out his right hand, and the seventeen-year-old girl took it.
The two of them came together under the quiet moonlight of falling snow, and the Chosen One and the Stranger prepared to dance to the faint music.
Yin Luna looked at Xia De's face, who was so close to her, and reminded him with a slightly red face:
"Don't tell Luvia about this."
"Why?"
"She might think that I took on this task just to come dance with you."
Yin Luna argued, looked at the dark hedges around her, and then signaled to Xia De that he could start.
But Xia De did not take a step immediately. Instead, he thought for a moment and said:
"I have come into contact with the power again tonight, so perhaps I can try to activate the illusion with all my strength. You see, this place is really too small."
"You want to rearrange the stage?"
Yin Luna asked.
"Yes, rearrange it. Now, Yin Luna, please close your eyes and spin with me~"
He hugged the 17-year-old girl, who also smiled and closed her eyes, only feeling the cold snow touching her forehead. When the two of them spun three times, she heard Xia De whisper:
“Please open your eyes.”
"oh!"
What caught their eyes was the endless wilderness under the moon, and above the falling snow was the huge moon disk that looked like it was about to fall. The two of them were standing on the ridge of the field, surrounded by red butterflies under the moon, and the red light spots made this quiet wilderness under the moon more colorful.
This is Xia De using the spell Red Butterfly Illusion at full strength, because the illusion is only for him and Yin Luna, so there is no need to worry about being discovered. Of course, this scene can be so real because it is a scene in Xia De's dream that he will never forget.
He didn't know how many nights he had watched this scene alone in his dreams.
"Shad..."
Yin Luna's face flushed as she looked at everything around her. Xia De asked:
"Not bad, huh?"
He exerted force with his right hand, allowing Yin Luna to walk out of his arms. Then, accompanied by the dance music, the two began to dance with the red butterflies on the ridge of the field under the moonlight in the snowy wilderness.
Yin Luna's face was blushing all the time, and she seemed to be afraid to look into Xia De's eyes. When the song ended, the lingering sound of the piano had not yet dissipated, and they looked up together and saw a group of red butterflies flying towards the silver moon in the sky, casting the last piece of brilliance on the snow.
"How about it?"
Xia De wanted to show off his improved dancing skills, but Yin Luna probably misunderstood him. She suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed Xia De on the side of his cheek.
She kissed Shade's left cheek, not the right cheek where Tifa had kissed him.
Yin Luna jumped back with a blushing face, separated from Xia De, and then put her hands behind her back, turned her back to Xia De and looked at the scene of the real hedge maze that was gradually fading in the distance:
"Very good, knight."
She said softly, then turned to look at Xia De:
"Don't tell Luvia about this... If this ball is going to select a 'ball queen', you will definitely be elected. Although I was not invited, this is the most perfect ball I have ever experienced."
After saying that, she felt around in her pockets, but couldn't find anything suitable, so she took off her silk scarf and threw it to Xia De:
"What a shame, I don't need a garter with this dress."
She looked down with regret as she saw her illusion dress disappearing. Then she waved to Shade and swiftly walked away from the edge of the illusion, disappearing around the corner of the hedge maze.
"Isn't prom queen a title given to girls?"
The moonlit wilderness in Shade's vision collapsed, and the scene of the hedge maze in the garden appeared. The snow fell on his shoulders and melted quickly. It was not yet the season for snow to accumulate.
Outsider, you have successfully proved your charm at the banquet.
"She" reminded softly.
Xia De looked suspiciously at the scarf in his hand.
"Why? I invited beautiful girls to dance in front of so many people, but I didn't prove my charm. But after dancing alone with Yin Luna, I..."
Because you invited the real protagonists to the most gorgeous stage.
"The protagonist?"
Xia De nodded, folded the scarf and put it in his pocket, together with the pink scarf that Miss Carina had thrown to him just now.
He looked up at the moon, sighed and shook his head, then walked towards the lake view manor house in the light.
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