*Pop.*

Tiffany stumbled back a few steps, utterly stunned by the scene before her.

In that moment, she finally grasped the meaning of the phrase Li Wei once mentioned—*Kou Fu Mi Jian*: two people kissing mouth-to-mouth right before her eyes, that saccharine sweetness feeling like a blade piercing an onlooker’s gut.

Damn it.

Did I grab the wrong script?!

But… can humans really be this open?

Miss Tsukika… you’re not even human, are you?!

Tiffany felt she’d uncovered something. Could it be…

Did Miss Tsukika carry elf blood too?!

Li Wei’s mind reeled from Tsukika’s sudden kiss.

The Demon Lord didn’t just press her lips to his—her soft, fragrant tongue skillfully slipped past his teeth, entwining with his.

Such intimate contact in public sent warmth flooding his thoughts.

But meeting Tsukika’s crimson eyes—no longer hazy with ambiguous pink affection, now gleaming with playful mischief—he snapped back to reality.

A vein throbbed on his forehead as something scalding slid into his mouth.

—The Chumo Pepper she’d just “eaten.”

He’d thought she swallowed it. So she’d kept it hidden all along?

No wonder. Truly ruthless.

Li Wei suppressed the flutter in his chest.

He’d almost believed the Demon Lord was moved enough to act impulsively.

The kiss ended quickly. Tsukika sat back, dabbed her lips, stuck out her tongue with faux innocence, and transmitted telepathically:

“Chosen Hero, so greedy… you’ve swollen my lips.”

“Could it be the spice?” Li Wei swallowed the pepper and replied aloud.

“So this is your ‘reward’?”

“Isn’t it?” Tsukika smiled calmly. Switching to telepathy—*for their daughter’s sake*—she added, “Chosen Hero… if I’d kept this hidden, who do you think would’ve suffered tonight?”

Li Wei: “…?”

“?!!”

Seconds passed before realization struck.

*No wonder she went quiet when picking up the spoon…*

“A bigger surprise was waiting for me?!”

“It was your kindness that saved you, Chosen Hero~”

“Never expected you’d actually worry about this poor Demon Lord. Hehe.”

Her telepathic voice lingered.

*Worry?* Li Wei would never admit it. He just didn’t want her in pain—or their secret exposed.

“Of course… if you want *other* rewards…” Tsukika sipped soup delicately, crimson eyes glinting. “I noticed your interest in maid outfits?”

“Master~ Bath first? Dinner first? Or… *eat me* first? Playing that kind of maid isn’t impossible, you know?”

“What does ‘eat me first’ mean?” Yue Lin asked, her ahoge twitching curiously after listening quietly.

Li Wei took a sip of spicy soup. “Nothing. Mom probably misspoke.”

“Maybe one *character* was wrong~” Tsukika cupped her cheeks, feigning shyness.

“Which one?”

“Hehe~ Who knows~”

Yue Lin: “??”

As the trio chatted, Tiffany—suddenly ignored—felt tears well up.

*This awful feeling!*

*I’ll be back!*

With that thought, the elf girl slipped away quietly.

…

Onstage, the show reached its peak.

Day one: massive promotion, lavish spectacle. Multiple Chosen Heroes hired to boost rankings showcased their skills under dazzling lights.

Li Wei watched below, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his mind—then shaking his head. *This isn’t my era anymore. Their energy… is something to celebrate.*

The finale arrived: Vivian, the headline act.

Betrayed by Tiffany, she’d steeled herself to face Li Wei… only to witness that kiss backstage.

Seconds shattered her fragile calm.

Yet stepping into the spotlight, stillness returned.

[Frostheart]

The power of [Miracle]—unwanted, yet faithfully locking her mind in icy clarity.

*Is this a battle too?*

She’d dreamed of this stage for years, especially under *his* gaze.

Today she stood here—not for honor, but coin. While the one she wanted sat below, entwined with another.

Vivian didn’t know her own thoughts. Her body moved before her mind could catch up.

She’d taken up the violin chasing the image of Li Wei—omnipotent, blessed by [Miracle].

Her eyes brushed him applauding *sincerely* for her growth. No joy stirred. Only sharp, rising irritation.

*How ugly…*

*All this time, I struggled alone in the vortex. He just watched from the shore.*

Her melody drifted like gauze veiling sorrow.

Silence. Then—

“Veiled Moon! Veiled Moon~!”

Applause erupted.

Yet Vivian felt her core shatter. [Frostheart]’s chill vanished. She choked back sour confusion and fled without looking back.

Watching her unsteady retreat, Li Wei fell silent a moment.

“Vivian’s playing broke through.”

“A melody born of true heartache. Without living it… how could she play such sorrow?”

“Though… what’s it called? *‘The Self-Indulgent Ballad of a Loser’*?”

Tsukika wiped imaginary tears, smirk tugging her lips. Li Wei’s mouth twitched—but his gaze stayed calm.

*Every choice was hers.*

*No path walked can be undone.*

Backstage, Vivian tried to steady her breath when a male musician hurried past toward the stage.

She barely noticed—post-headliner acts were just warm-ups.

Until the first notes rang out.

*“The Fairy by the Lake.”*

A romance composed in Li Wei’s rising era. Legend said its creator, surviving [the Undying Calamity], fled a hellish city, heard a haunting melody by a lake, and transcribed it in haste—claiming clumsy imitation. Yet that “imitation” soared in fame, even elevating his rank.

Now beloved as a love story: gentle joy of lakeside meeting… sorrow of unspoken parting… then a hopeful, fairy-tale reunion.

But to Vivian, each note stabbed deeper.

*Playing this now… mocking me?*

When luck turns, even music conspires. The melody sharpened her anger.

Then—

She froze.

Eyes wide.

Staring at the stage in disbelief.