Chapter 3863: A Special Candlelight Dinner

These clay figures, which looked as if they were alive, were clearly Vanessa's handiwork — the Witch of the Earth was very adept at manipulating such things.

However, Xia De, standing at the doorway, could not catch sight of Margaret, nor any new photographs.

And before the flower arch at the far end of the banquet hall, adorned with irises, two clay figures — one in groom's attire, the other in bride's — were locked in a tight embrace. The early-spring afternoon sunlight from the window fell upon them, and the scene was very warm.

The guest clay figures had all been given human faces; only the embracing bride and groom had no features. But because they were in an embracing pose, Xia De could not see their faces from the front, so the lack of features did not spoil the mood.

None of the clay figures paid any heed to Xia De's arrival. He stood at the doorway watching for a while before he heard Margaret, who had walked up from the corridor behind him, stand beside him and say:

"Both teachers and Hilles had originally suggested I dress up as a bride, stand beneath that flower arch and wait for you — after you'd seen my whole life, let me stand at the end to greet your embrace. But I refused."

The dress the blonde Princess wore at this moment, though still pretty, was a far cry from that "bride's" gown:

"The reason I refused isn't because I think I'm unworthy of that place — it's just that I feel the moment hasn't come yet. Fairy tales always end with the prince and princess's wedding, and once it ends, there are no more wonderful stories after that.

But Xia De, I hope to be led by your hand, to create more wonderful stories. Our ending won't be here."

Xia De turned to look at her; Margaret also looked at Xia De. After a moment of eye contact, Xia De finally spoke:

"Honestly, you were really cute as a child."

The Princess, who had been wearing a solemn expression, immediately lost her composure:

"You — honestly, you~"

She threw herself into Xia De's arms, then raised her head and continued:

"I'm different from Princess Lei Lei Qianya — I can't always be by your side, having so many stories with you; I'm also different from the great witches — I can't help you with power, can't go adventuring alongside you.

So today, I hope you can find me yourself, and before you see me, take more care to truly understand me.

Teacher Bernanis and Teacher Sylvia had actually suggested other ideas — for instance, the two of them joining forces to create a fairy-tale world inside the book, so the two of us could go adventuring in it; or manufacturing some incidents, so that after you resolved them, you'd appear in the posture of a hero saving the beauty.

I refused all of those. What you're experiencing now is actually my own idea. Since the future hasn't been created together yet, why not show you my past, and let you know everything about me."

Her eyes shimmered with light. Though she bore the lofty identity of "Princess" in ordinary people's eyes, compared with the other young ladies around Xia De, Margaret Anjou was somewhat insecure.

She was only an apprentice, not a witch — and compared with the other apprentices, each with their own distinctive qualities, she didn't have any great advantage either — here, Miss Miss Difa Cervet was specifically meant. Even compared with the young ladies around Xia De who were neither witches nor apprentices, she felt she fell a little short of them.

After all, whether it was Lei Lei Qianya, Dorothy, Hilles, Amelia, Danniste, Ellie, and so on, each of them had her own outstanding qualities, while Margaret had only the identity of "Princess."

The Outsider at that moment almost read Margaret's thoughts at a glance. He gripped her hand and asked her:

"The idea of showing me your past is very inventive. You know, to this day I still don't know what Miss Jia Lin Na looked like as a child — she refuses to reveal to me any information that might touch on her actual age."

Xia De did not mean to belittle others in order to flatter Margaret; what he wanted to say was very simple:

"Margaret, since you haven't looked down on me for being dissolute and greedy, how could I possibly think that the girl who truly loves me is without worth?"

He did not bring out that "every soul is different" theory:

"Actually, every time you confess to me, or decide to give yourself to me, I feel guilty. Yes — don't laugh — I mean truly guilty. Although I no longer hesitate or waver because of it, I still know that what I'm doing will hurt you."

"No — at least, it hasn't hurt me."

The blonde Princess emphasized.

Xia De then asked softly:

"Since the mood is just right now, then — Margaret Anjou, Princess of Carson Rick, the most enchanting rose of Wendell Dai Er —"

He released the Princess from his embrace, but then extended his right hand toward her:

"Will you take my hand and continue walking forward on the road called life, together bearing witness to this dangerous and strange age?"

The Princess raised her right hand, but did not immediately place it in Xia De's. She, too, asked:

"Then Xia De Hamilton, knight from Delarion, also the God-Summoner who calls the Silver Moon — can you promise that once you take my hand, no matter what, you will never let go?"

"Yes, Margaret, I promise."

"Then Xia De, may you keep your promise... If you dare not keep it, I'll go and tell the teachers on you."

She still did not place her hand in Xia De's, but instead wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him of her own accord.

At five in the afternoon, the early-spring sky had already grown dim. When Xia De and Margaret, in her formal gown, walked out of the building into the little garden, Sylvia and the other young ladies had all vanished.

A carpet stretched from the building's entrance all the way to the dining table set up on the lawn in the middle of the garden. Short, thick red candles, placed inside cylindrical glass containers, lined both sides of the red carpet.

The sorceresses had cast spells to make the garden bloom as if in midsummer. So Xia De, holding Margaret's hand, walked along the red carpet, crossed the stream that had been diverted onto the little island, passed through the black-iron arch at the garden's entrance, and arrived at the center of the lawn.

Around the outer edge of the lawn, glowing "empty-bottle fruits" hung from the small tree branches, while on the lawn itself, fireflies summoned by illusion drifted and fluttered about.

A lavish spread had already been laid out on the square table covered with a white tablecloth. The bright golden flames of the candlesticks on the table provided just the right light for tonight's candlelight dinner.

"Speaking of which, did you arrange this dinner too? I'm truly ashamed — I should have been the one to arrange all this."

Xia De said to Margaret, whose cheeks were slightly flushed but who wore a smile. She shook her head gently:

"This was arranged by Teacher Sylvia and Teacher Bernanis. They said it was a... coming-of-age gift for me."

She gave Xia De no chance to ask further:

"Sit down quickly. All the ingredients were purchased in advance — I hope they suit your taste."

"Don't worry — the present atmosphere, and you as you are now, are already enough to make me very content. Let me adjust the brightness of the light source, then release some butterflies... there. Wait a moment — let me pull out your chair. My Princess, please be seated."

Beside the dining table stood a serving cart; on its three tiers, apart from the appetizers and starters, were the other dishes. In the velvet-lined ice bucket sat champagne and red wine.

Xia De moved to fetch the bottles, but Winifred, dressed in a maid's outfit, stepped out at that moment beneath the darkening night. The crystal-clear Miss gave Xia De and Margaret a smile, then set about pouring wine for the two of them and arranging the dishes.

Judging from Margaret's expression, she had clearly known in advance that Winifred would appear.

The sunlight grew ever fainter, while the moon gradually moved from the horizon toward the zenith. The rain over Wendell Dai Er had stopped, and from the "river-island" in the middle of the waterway, one could see the lights of ten thousand households being lit one by one, until the full city-skyline of Wendell Dai Er, the "Central City," was traced out.

Fireflies fluttered around the dining table. Margaret's exquisite makeup did not become impossible to see as night fell, because the moonlight had been summoned here by Xia De. She smiled faintly. As the cutlery clinked lightly and the candlelight swayed gently, the two of them talked about their respective lives after the Battle of Fate, about their recent arrangements, and likewise about matters of the past and the future.

Margaret was now ready to advance to the Seventh Ring. Under the joint tutelage of Vanessa and Sylvia, her advancement was not particularly fast, but her foundations were exceptionally solid.

She told Xia De about the other witch-apprentices, mentioning that the apprentices kept in touch by letter in their daily lives. She spoke of the assignment Vanessa had recently given her, and of looking forward to the next chance for everyone to gather again.

During dinner, Margaret even chatted with Xia De about her father — the current King of the Carson Rick Kingdom, the "Lion" Rein. Compared with the King of the North, Xia De did not know much about this King of the South.

Margaret told Xia De that her father was very fond of chess, and that when meeting ministers and important members of the kingdom for the first time, he would very likely invite them to play a game first; and when he had matters to discuss, he would also use "a game of chess" as a pretext to summon important members of the kingdom for a meeting.

"Recently, Father has been playing chess with the gentlemen of the War Department, and with people in the army, very frequently."

Margaret said. Xia De did not wish to discuss overly serious topics on an occasion like tonight:

"Does your father's love of chess compare to my love of playing cards?"

The golden-haired Princess indeed smiled, that smile more lovely and enchanting than the roses arranged in the vase beside her:

"Your passion is still a bit more genuine. Father is, after all, the king — there are very many things he must consider in his daily life, and chess may be just a tool in his eyes."

Speaking of "tools," she thought again of that illegitimate sister who had died in the Vesta Forest. Though her heart was somewhat sorrowful, she did not speak of it.

"Are you thinking about the matter in the Vesta Forest?"

Xia De asked from across the candlelight. Margaret gazed at his handsome face, first giving her lower lip a small bite, then asked softly:

"How did you know? Xia De, have you recently learned to read minds?"

Xia De laughed:

"After spending a lot of time with people, sometimes I can inexplicably read their expressions. Margaret, if you're thinking about that sister, I can take you to meet her in death. We saw her soul when we were in the forest — she wouldn't mind talking with you again. Besides, she's probably worrying about how her brother is doing now."

Margaret shook her head:

"No, let's not rashly disturb the peace of the dead."

She adjusted her emotions, continuing to gaze at Xia De's handsome face in the candlelight:

"Let's not speak of such things tonight. Come, Xia De."

She raised her wine glass and clinked it with Xia De's across the table. Xia De took the initiative to start a new topic:

"Hilarys told me that after the winter rest, the Golden Dawn Opera Troupe will head to Moon Bay. Vanessa will of course go to Moon Bay as well. Once the war begins, Moon Bay and Verldel may develop some friction — has Vanessa said anything about that?"

Margaret shook her head:

"Teacher knows my identity, so she wouldn't give me any orders regarding such matters — teacher doesn't want to make things difficult for me. Moreover, with my identity as a princess, I actually can't influence that many things."

Although Princess Lei Lei Qianya has many siblings, the influence she can exert in the North Country is far greater than what Margaret can exert in the South Country. Margaret is simply higher up in the line of succession to the throne — that is something Princess Lei Lei Qianya cannot match.

Xia De nodded:

"Still, I imagine you won't be idle. The great war is about to begin, and your father will surely entrust you with some responsibilities — and where there is responsibility, there is power."

The two chatted idly as they ate. As the candlelit dinner was nearing its end, perhaps because she had drunk a bit too much red wine, Margaret's cheeks were slightly flushed, but she still took the initiative to say to Xia De:

"Although I refused Teacher Bernanice's proposal, she still sent that thing as a gift. It was forged by combining Hilarys's power of memory, Teacher Bernanice's clay figures, Teacher Sylvia's spatial power, the 'Maze Lock · Witch's Kingdom' you once mentioned, and one relic.

Although the Puppeteer's Script ultimately vanished, Teacher Bernanice provided another relic capable of constructing stories."

She paused briefly:

"Xia De, could you help me bring it down from the fourth-floor study? I'd like to tell you about the coming-of-age gift the teachers gave me while we enjoy dessert. It's not as real as the Maze Lock · Witch's Kingdom you mentioned, but this is the assignment left to me by teachers who also possess Maze Locks — and it is the path I must walk from now on."

"Of course, please wait for me a moment."

Xia De said as he stood up, then locked onto the location of the fourth-floor study with his perception of space and vanished on the spot. Only Margaret and Winnie remained on the garden lawn. The silent ice maid quietly asked:

"Are you sure you still want to do it that way?"

The Princess's face grew even redder:

"Winnie, wasn't this your suggestion to me? Why are you still asking me... Things have reached this point, I can no longer turn back. Before Xia De returns, please help me."

"Very well."

"Also, this matter..."

"No one will know besides Xia De and the two of us. Now then, Young Lady Margaret Anjou, please give me all your clothing — I'll clean them for you. He'll be back very soon."

Xia De, unaware of the conversation in the garden below, arrived at the study and immediately spotted the thick, gold-and-red great tome resting on the desk. The four elements were interwoven upon the object — this was indeed an extraordinary item:

"Constructing a fairy-tale world within a book? Vanessa and the others really have crafted quite an extraordinary alchemical item."

Xia De remarked with admiration. But because the great tome bore spatial power upon it, Xia De worried that rashly using spatial movement while carrying it might cause problems — meaning the item might malfunction. So he took the book and chose to take the stairs back down.

This round trip took Xia De less than five minutes. But when he once again passed through the garden gate and arrived on the lawn, he found the scene before him was no longer the same as before.

That crystalline, translucent maid had vanished. On the table beneath the moonlight, delectable desserts had been laid out, but Margaret was not sitting in her seat.

The moonlight illuminated that pure-white body. It was hard to say whether the tablecloth was whiter, or the golden-haired Princess was whiter.

The after-dinner desserts had been placed in all the appropriate spots. The golden hair that had been pinned up earlier was now let down, hanging from the edge of the table toward the ground. Perhaps because the holy moonlight drawn by Xia De still shone upon this place, the scene did not look strange — it was even somewhat... sacred.

Xia De had no idea why this particular adjective had come to his mind.

The Princess gazed silently at the moon, already waiting for Xia De's arrival. She heard Xia De's footsteps come to a halt, but also heard him pause for less than two seconds before walking toward her again.

The table was a bit longer than before, convenient for laying out the "platter." And the two chairs had become one, placed beside the long side of the tabletop.

Margaret's eyes were fixed intently on the moon, afraid that if she met Xia De's gaze she would faint from embarrassment first. She was already somewhat regretting that after she had asked Winnie how to make tonight more romantic and different from other people's ideas, she had followed that advice — but just as she had said earlier, things had reached the point where she could no longer regret it.

"Margaret, there's really no need for this."

Xia De at the table's edge said softly, breathing in the enticing fragrance. Even he, who had now seen quite a bit of the world, felt his heart beating a bit too fast.

Margaret still said nothing — in truth, afraid that if she made a sound she would faint from embarrassment.

Xia De then nodded gently:

"Alright then, thank you for the hospitality."

He did not sit down immediately, but walked a full circle around the table to admire it carefully before pulling out the chair and sitting down. The moonlit scene was magnificent and breathtaking — only in true reality could such beauty appear. Even if Flora were to depict this moment, it would absolutely not be as soul-stirring as seeing it with one's own eyes.

He picked up the brand-new silver cutlery placed at the edge of the "platter," but after thinking for a moment, set them back down:

"Then I'll begin."

Cream adorned the peaks of the mountains, pudding spilled across the small hollows of the plains, and the cherry fell just right upon that place...

Winnie must have put in great effort to arrange all of this. However, once Margaret began trembling uncontrollably, Xia De abandoned the idea of enjoying the after-dinner dessert alone and fed Margaret the "afternoon tea treats" the witches had once sampled — Margaret's trembling was surely because this early spring night still carried a chill.

?? PS: The next chapter will conclude this storyline.