"Speaking of which,"

"What's wrong with your chin?" Oedipus turned his head and raised her hand to take another puff of her cigarette - nobles always smoke slowly, exhaling the smoke slowly so that it becomes shallow and faint; they consider it elegant.

"Huh?" Turing quickly touched her chin and felt a small bump that was not very clear.

"This... It's from shaving. I'm a little scared..." Turing was no longer brave enough to lie to Oedipus.

"Oh, this is a big deal." Oedipus smiled meaningfully.

"The more the body develops, the easier it is for others to see the secrets."

"Does Turing want to be a girl forever?"

Oedipus' eyes flickered with a seductive glow.

"Mother can help you tell a big lie."

To Turing's astonishment, when he heard his mother's words, the first thing that came to his mind was not his family

- but Merka.

"Can mom really do this too?" Turing became anxious and couldn't help but ask.

"It's just lying, so don't expect too much."

"But even so, there is a price to pay."

"So this is borrowing from your mother. Once you grow up, you can no longer enjoy love without a cost."

"Consider it subtracting another 'good child point'. If it doesn't matter to you, come with me." Oedipus stood up and walked towards the door, her steps steady like an old deity, small yet towering.

Turing shook her head and quickly followed, like a loyal puppy, cute and funny.

"This magic is to the world, like the black keys to the white keys."

"Hearing it alone sounds disharmonious, but when inserted into a composition, it fills the gaps perfectly." Oedipus muttered something in her mouth, whispering softly as she walked, as if she was casting a spell.

"Mother..." Turing couldn't understand, but she didn't dare to comment.

Oedipus slowly pushed open the office door. Instead of Turing's own luxurious corridor with red carpet and silver windows, there was a place in the wilderness that Turing didn't recognize.

A twisted beast bowed its head by a small pond. The trees around were completely withered, but miraculously, it didn't feel desolate.

There was no sun or moon in the sky, and endless dark clouds enveloped the area. It was completely different from the feeling of early morning in Elysse Fortress; Turing couldn't even be sure if it was still daytime, or if this was still Acadia.

[Is this hell?] Turing trembled.

"Come, Turing, I will be honored for you." Oedipus disappeared, her voice coming from an unknown direction.

"I will use the hidden 'Backdrop' to set the stage for your prologue."

"The 'Backdrop' is a grand spell. When this magic is cast on an object, it completely changes how all living beings perceive that object."

"Unlike ordinary illusion magic, this is a thorough deception that even close contact won't reveal."

"Although mother can't turn you into a woman, she can make others perceive you as a woman."

"But this is not permanent. If you do something that even altering perception isn't enough to cover up, someone will recognize you."

"Turing, be careful."

The dark wind blew across the pond, causing ripples.

Turing actually didn't like the feeling of immense pressure.

But... there was no other way, right?

—————————————————————

The Galleher family was livelier than The Altria Family, with aunts, uncles, and grandmothers... Although they were all successful in their careers, they always seemed busy and rushed every day.

"Why hasn't Diana come back yet?""How could this brat never learn? He is far worse than me back then..."

"No... no, his ordinary academic level definitely can't compare to The Altria Family... We need to hire more tutors."

They always had different opinions when Diana was not home, and their unity was lacking.

But whenever Diana finally returned home after school, they would unite again, their hearts steady and their path clear. They would change their ugly behavior and confront Diana together, scolding her, teaching her, and guiding her.

Going to school was all about studying for Diana.

But now, she could finally have a moment of peace. Since her final battle with Turing, Diana had sustained serious injuries and was lying in her own bedroom, recovering.

Regardless of whether it would disturb the patient or not, the Galleher family had actually invited over a dozen experts to discuss treatment plans inside the room; which treatment would be longer, which would have more side effects, which herbs were not easy to obtain. In the end, the discussion shifted towards which doctor had more qualifications, which doctor had stronger academic knowledge, and which doctor had more fame.

Regardless of Diana's willingness, the Galleher household had become even livelier than before.

Galleher Home, Diana's Room, Two weeks after the competition.

"Can I come in? I brought some small pears, your favorite when you were young." A gentle voice came from outside the room. The experts looked at the person outside the door and nodded at each other, respectfully putting down their documents and medical supplies, and opened the door to file out.

"Do you still remember? I once carried you when you were young." The person at the door stood elegantly, waiting until everyone had left before speaking.

"I suspect you said the same thing to Turing... Have you already visited every family?" Diana struggled to sit up from the bed, her head wrapped in several layers of bandages, her arms and neck still bearing burn marks.

The person at the door still didn't come in, smiling while holding a beautifully ordinary basket, standing there.

"Sigh... Please come in, Bishop Maria." Diana lay back down, sitting was still a bit difficult for her.

"How about it? Does losing to Turing hurt more than physical injuries?" Maria gracefully walked in. Neither appearing too unfamiliar nor overly intimate, Maria casually dragged a small chair that the experts had used in the room earlier to Diana's bedside and sat down.

"No,"

"There's nothing shameful about losing to Turing." Diana adjusted the blanket on herself, "I'm just a bit tired..."

"Hmm... Actually, I haven't visited any other family besides Galleher." Maria placed the basket on the bedside table, took out the small pears, knife, and small plate from inside, and personally peeled the pears for Diana.

"Turing is still lying down, and she was injured much worse than you." One of the small pears was almost completely peeled off due to poor peeling technique, and Maria helplessly put it on the small plate.

"Liar." Diana muttered softly.

Maria didn't reply, as if she hadn't heard.

"Sigh... Sorry, I'm not very skilled at peeling." Maria put down the knife, wiped her hands with a tissue.

"Hmm..." It was a bit funny to see someone like Maria sneaking in like this, Diana struggled a bit, trying to sit up, but was unsuccessful.

"Why beat around the bush like this? Why not have an open and honest conversation?"

"You came here this time to cooperate with me, right? Hoping to use me to deal with Turing?"

"And then you would use me, just like Oedipus used Turing."

"Even if you didn't say it, I've already thought..."

Seeing Maria's puzzled expression, Diana's originally slightly excited emotions suddenly calmed down, stopping her from saying the next words.

"Well... you're overthinking, Diana. You're very tired." Maria still smiled warmly, lifting her arm and withdrawing her hand from her immaculate clerical gold silk sleeve."You've worked hard..." Maria reached out to touch Diana's face.

But her hand was grabbed by the weak Diana.

"Cough... I finally understand why Turing didn't notice anything," Diana trembled as she sat up, her breath weak.

"After all, I don't feel any magic from you either," Diana said.

"On that day, you touched Turing's face like this, and I'm sure you thought no one saw, right?"

"I had just enrolled in school, and I saw both of you talking behind the church door, with a boy in between."

"Why did you release your magic at that time? I sensed a scent of wormwood, that was the McNewdeau family's magical presence."

"Turing stood like a fool and let you touch his face. If I had known magic was being used so close to me, I would definitely have jumped away."

"And you can't even peel a pear properly. Even if you're a noble who gets everything served on a platter, it shouldn't end up like this, right?"

"And then, remembering the story you told me about your hands and feet..."

"What's happened to your hands?... Cough." Diana's questioning was interrupted by a cough, and Maria gently helped her lie back down.

"It's too early for you to know all of this... Diana is still young after all." Maria withdrew her hand, stood up, patted her robe, and seemed ready to leave. She was calm and relaxed, just like when she arrived.

"Do you think I'm not worthy of competing with Turing, that I have no value? That's why you don't want to make a deal with me!" Diana shouted, her movements so intense that she almost fell off the bed.

"Of course not, Miss Galleher." Maria's eyes filled with sadness and suddenly, it was difficult to express how perfectly that expression aligned with her character.

"I just don't want to deepen your tragedy." And with that, Maria left.

Diana thought it was lamentable. Sometimes, Maria made people feel that she had more power than Oedipus.

It felt as if the gods were standing on her side.