The chill of the night barely managed to dispel the lingering smell of gunpowder and blood on their bodies.
The three of them walked in silence toward the sharply-lined sports car, its streamlined body glinting with a cold sheen under the neon lights.
Behind them, the Nightclub still echoed faintly with the sounds of chaos, the two worlds seeming utterly severed from each other.
Ange was the first to approach the passenger seat, smoothly opening the car door, then turning to the back seat and opening the door for Ingrid as well.
She even bowed slightly, right hand to her chest, performing a flawless gesture befitting a Butler or servant. Her face, as always, showed little expression.
“Noble Lady, please.”
Ingrid’s face turned bright red in an instant, like a ripe apple. She glanced helplessly at Ange, then at the car door, and finally lowered her head.
In a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, she managed to whisper, “Thank you, Teacher,” before practically fleeing into the back seat.
When it was Huayin’s turn, this red-haired Noble Lady crossed her arms and leaned against the car, refusing to move. She lifted her chin slightly, and in her still-glowing red eyes there flickered a trace of cunning and deliberate mischief.
“Hey,” she said in a somewhat imperious tone, pointing at her high-heeled ankle, “When I was dodging those disgusting tentacles just now, I think I twisted it. It hurts a lot. I can’t get in.”
That was far too obvious a lie. As the Phoenix, she possessed incredible regenerative abilities.
Yet she fixed her gaze intently on Ange, wanting to see how this Teacher would react—would she scold her with a stern face, or would she give her a not-too-hard, not-too-soft poke with the hilt of that damned gun-sword to shove her into the car?
But once again, Ange’s reaction surpassed her expectations.
Ange didn’t even bother to ask if it was true or not. She simply glanced calmly at Huayin, then took a step forward.
Before Huayin could react, Ange bent down, slipped one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, and—using a textbook-perfect Princess Carry—easily scooped her up in her arms.
Huayin: “!!!”
Her body suddenly suspended in mid-air, the weightlessness made her gasp in surprise.
Instinctively, her arms circled Ange’s neck.
At this close range, she could clearly smell the faint scent of cola lingering on Ange, as well as a cool, clean aura unique to her.
Inevitably, her arm brushed against the taut, springy abdominal muscles beneath Ange’s shirt—the clear lines of her abs were discernible through the thin fabric, radiating a searing heat.
Ange’s movements were steady and swift, as if she was lifting a bundle of feathers rather than a person.
She carefully placed Huayin into the passenger seat, helped her adjust her posture to avoid the “injured” ankle, and with a soft thud, closed the door.
The entire process was smooth as flowing water, without a hint of hesitation or ambiguity, performed with utmost naturalness.
The engine growled low as the sports car slid like a phantom into the night traffic, leaving the chaos and decadence far behind.
Inside the car, silence reigned. Ange focused on the steering wheel, her violet eyes fixed on the road illuminated by the headlights, as if the little episode just now had never occurred.
Yet in the passenger seat, Huayin had her face turned firmly toward the window, exposing to Ange only an unnaturally flushed ear and her tense jawline.
The window glass reflected her current expression—those eyes that usually burned with fire and pride now showed a rare trace of panic and… shyness?
She actually… really picked her up like that?!
Huayin’s mind was a tangled mess, the sensation of that Princess Carry still vividly lingering—the firm, steady arms around her neck, the hands supporting her knees and back radiating undeniable heat, and those infuriating, unmistakable abs…
This was nothing like any of the reactions she had imagined!
This person—once a man, now a woman—why does she always act so… unpredictable!
She sneaked a glance at the rearview mirror inside the car, and saw her own cheeks flushed, her eyes flickering. Where was the haughty Phoenix of usual?
She quickly turned her head back to the window, trying to use the cool glass to calm her burning cheeks.
In the back seat, Ingrid sat up straight, hands on her knees, striving to maintain the seriousness and vigilance of a Demon Hunter after a mission.
She felt that until they were safely back in the Academy Safe Zone, any relaxation was unprofessional.
Even though the atmosphere inside the car was unusually quiet, she simply assumed her two companions were also upholding a similarly strict attitude.
Meanwhile, Ange, gripping the steering wheel, appeared calm as she watched the road ahead—but her thoughts had already drifted far away.
Princess Carry…
She didn’t feel there was any particular meaning to that gesture.
It was simply the fastest way to resolve the problem and get this sulking Noble Lady into the car.
Compared to that, there were far heavier things weighing on her heart.
That Egg… the one inside Huayin.
If… if she really won the “prize”…
The thought wound around her like a nightmare. Marriage by Pregnancy?
With a problematic girl she had just met yesterday, with a terrible temper and a tendency to breathe fire at any moment?
She hadn’t even properly fallen in love, and marriage or family had never been part of her life plan—much less in such an absurd and bizarre way.
All she wanted was to find a quiet corner, to pass her cursed days as peacefully and painlessly as possible—not to be dragged into the feuds of noble houses and bound to a little Phoenix who might carry her bloodline.
Already a “married couple” and barely acquainted…
A bitter smile tugged at Ange’s lips. Was there anything more ridiculous than this in the world?
She unconsciously pressed the accelerator a little harder, as if trying to escape that suffocating possibility awaiting her in the future.
The sports car sped through the silent night, and inside, the three were wrapped in the same silence, each harboring entirely different, yet faintly intertwined worries, as they headed for the unknown dawn ahead.
Midnight wasn’t far off…