【Merka?】

Turing struggled through the crowd, walking quickly towards the figure.

But... he was so fast, so inconspicuous in the crowd, almost like he could disappear at any moment.

Turing chased and chased, but the figure in the distance kept getting farther away, about to leave the venue.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?" Raphael suddenly appeared in front of Turing, blocking him from the man, and asked.

Turing anxiously tried to push Raphael away, but eventually gave up.

[What's the use of catching up with him if he's determined to leave?]

Turing crossed his arms, anxiously rubbing his own arms, looking pitiful and helpless.

Raphael smirked mischievously and glanced at the man who had just left, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore."

"I know this person here, it's not who you're looking for."

[Did I see wrong?]

Realizing his chaotic emotions, Turing's cheeks turned slightly red.

"Earlier, I saw the boy with the umbrella at table thirteen, why don't you go and check it out?" Raphael came to Turing's side, speaking gently.

Raphael, who had grown to a height of 1.6 meters, slightly taller than Turing, stood in front of Turing, like an older sister. Her attire today still followed the tradition of the McNewdeau family - quirky and glamorous. Of course, more importantly, she looked very beautiful.

Raphael approached Turing, wanting to tidy up his hair and collar. But after looking for a while, she couldn't find any flaws, so she reluctantly put down her raised hand.

"If my sister had half your excellence, it would be great..." Raphael looked at Turing, her eyes gradually becoming infatuated, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

[Here we go again... I'm so miserable.]

"Thank you, I'll take my leave." Without saying much more, Turing hurriedly walked towards table thirteen.

Before long, Turing arrived at table thirteen, located in the center of the party. Next to it was an outdoor, giant cylindrical fish tank filled with various fish. The fish tank had no ceiling and was directly connected to the roof.

Warm moonlight poured down from the piece of missing ceiling. The tranquil azure color intimately kissed the rippling water surface. The frightened fish couldn't bear this ambiguous scene and shyly sank into the water.

The beautiful night rain delicately beat on the water's surface, as gentle as a mother's patting during a peaceful nap.

Patter, patter.

Such a sacred scene, amidst the slightly bustling party, only Turing noticed it.

Taking off the mask from his face, Turing carefully looked at this romantic scene.

Unknowingly, Turing's thoughts became lively again.

Could this be some kind of revelation? Turing wondered.

Turing tried his best to interpret the scene before him, stripping away the imagery that often appeared in poetry, to explain the potential connection between himself and Merka.

Turing lifted a hand and gently touched the glass tank, closing his eyes and silently praying.

She had never believed in the gods so strongly before.

[Oh my god... if you can hear me...]

"Thump, thump, thump."

Suddenly, Turing heard some sort of sound coming from the fish tank. He opened his eyes and looked across through the tank.

Dressed elegantly, Merka was there, with a helpless smile, also lightly tapping the fish tank twice.

[My god...]

[Isn't he right there?]

Strangely enough, Turing didn't feel the usual excitement that ordinary people feel when they win the lottery. Instead, he felt an expected, serene sense of happiness.

The two crossed paths, passing the colorful fish tank, and met at the boundary of the cylindrical structure.Compared to when they first met, Turing, who was once shy, now appeared confident, while Merka, who used to be outgoing, appeared more uneasy. Turing looked at Merka with a sweet smile, while Merka seemed a bit nervous in the presence of Turing. Turing knew what was going on.

"Um, Xixi... Did you receive the umbrella?" Merka said in a timid voice.

【He still calls me that.】 Turing smiled and nodded, waiting for Merka to continue.

"Uh, well, the reason I came this time is to clarify something... I think it's quite important." Merka awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, and a touch of embarrassment appeared on his handsome face.

"After I went back and organized the clues... I didn't come up with any other breakthroughs, but I have some thoughts about you... and your father."

"To be precise, it's a possibility."

"After you were bestowed with the magic of the Holy Son's Coming, I've been thinking if your power might be too overpowering."

"I consulted many books and found out that not only can you manifest a halo above your head, but you are also the first person to grow a single wing."

"And since you can continue absorbing power through blood to supply your magic, it implies a strong affinity between you and divine blood, or in other words, angelic lineage."

"But ultimately... why is it a single wing? Does it mean that there is something in you that is only half?"

"If we were to talk about half-bloodlines... it seems that only in your paternal lineage could we possibly find some connection."

"According to ancient texts, it is said that each of us possesses the blood of gods, which also suggests the potential for offspring between deities and humans. These deities likely include angels."

"Lady Aoxiya has never publicly revealed the identity of her husband either."

"Could it be that Lady Aoxiya extracted some cells of an angel and combined them with her own to create..."

Merka stopped there, not continuing with his words.

Acadia's magic supports asexual reproduction.

The smile on Turing's face had completely disappeared, and the atmosphere became awkward on a deeper level.

"I..." Merka didn't know why he had to say these things. Originally, he just wanted to bury these thoughts in his heart.

But when he looked at the girl before him, with beautiful eye makeup and wearing a pink dress, he felt as if he was looking directly at the sun, dazzling him and causing him to unintentionally become flustered, revealing his deeply hidden secrets.

The atmosphere remained silent for a long time, and the voices of the people around seemed like they belonged to another world. Although he could hear them, he couldn't understand a word.

Merka waited for Turing's response, and his palms gradually became sweaty.

"Is that all? Are you trying to say that I am a monster's child?" Turing stared directly at Merka, his nostrils slightly flaring.

"You came here just to say this?" Turing forced out a miserable smile, his mouth trembling slightly as he twisted it.

Turing shook his head and ran towards the window in the meeting room.

It wasn't until the sound of the window closing that Merka finally came back to his senses.

She wasn't the type of girl with such a temper. Although Merka knew that.

It was difficult to describe Merka's feelings at this moment. He now realized that he was truly standing at a crossroads of destiny.

But he was willing, still willing, to meet Turing.

Standing on the balcony, placing his hand on the beautifully crafted metal doorknob, Merka took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping outside.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Turing leaned against the railing and said softly. The drizzling rain, the accumulated water on the windowsill... Turing was like the fairy of smoke in the stories, instantly evaporating them - just by lightly placing a hand on the railing.

Even the raindrops knew Turing's beauty. Even though Merka, who couldn't see anything at the moment, finally understood this.They dare not leave any trace on Turing's exquisite clothing, nor wet Turing's beautiful and long hair.

The stars in the sky and the warm moon became Turing's backdrop, just like Oedipus, wherever she stood and whatever she said, everything around her would become a backdrop.

Merka's whole world suddenly seemed to have color. A warm and bright memory hidden deep in Merka's childhood, now outlined by Turing's captivating figure.

These things made Merka feel an indescribable inferiority.

"..." Merka wanted to say something, but remained silent.

The angry Turing from earlier seemed to have disappeared, replaced by elegance and grace.

"Look, a cat with a mustache, remember?" Turing leaned against the empty railing, smiling like a flower.

Seeing such a gentle and warm smile, Merka suddenly realized that Turing was no longer the girl who needed psychological counseling at Leibniz College.

She could smile so naturally and sweetly now.

"Merka, we still have one last chance."

"Lakesis City is an autonomous kingdom, my mother can't control it here."

"She is indeed busy tonight."

"We can start over from here..."

The melancholic west wind blew from the ancient valley, lifting Turing's cute bangs and dispelling the gloom on her forehead.

"You might have something unspeakable, and I do too."

"But as long as you open your mouth, I can escape again. Escape with you."

"I can ignore the competition, even if it rains... We can squeeze under that little umbrella, it's okay."

"But the problem is... tell me your true feelings. Merka, stop beating around the bush."

"Do you like me?" Turing's calm tone was somehow heart-wrenching.

Turing's peach-colored hair fluttered slightly, and her eyes shimmered with profound and radiant light. Her lips, adorned with pale pink lipstick, reflected the moonlight, emitting a silver glow.

While Merka was still stunned, Turing made a move.

Turing took off the priceless diamond earrings from her ears, retrieved the mithril date she had just obtained at the banquet from her pocket, removed the golden pipe that was hanging at her waist, and finally picked up the dark gold crown on her arm. She held all of these in her palm, gently lifting them in front of Merka.

"Money, food, fame, power..."

"I'm giving you everything of mine..."

"Come and love me, Merka."

The Midsummer's scale of early summer was already touched by Turing's words, trembling with a wonderful sensation.

Looking around, the roses in the castle yard, the blooming wild chrysanthemums in the city, and the vast fields of wheat in the suburbs were all swaying in the transparent ripples.

The scent of freedom seemed to be right under Turing's nose, emitting a penetrating sweetness, constantly teasing Turing as if she could just reach out and touch it.

But the gloomy night still silently mourned. The rain continued to pour, silently weeping for the upcoming tragedy.

Who is the rose, who is the wheat, it's obvious at a glance.

"Xixi... No, Ochia." Merka finally spoke.

"The manager of Wutong Shop has passed away, did you know?" Merka did not answer Turing's question, but asked another question.

"I don't know... for someone of that stature, you can have as much as you want, right?"

Turing did not expect Merka to suddenly bring this up and was momentarily speechless.

The atmosphere fell silent again for a moment, and then Merka spoke.

"You said you wanted to know my true feelings. I can tell you now."

"But is that really the only thing you want to know?"

"Don't you still want to dance with me, drink tea, wine, and walk in beautiful white robes, through magnificent halls?""But how is that possible?"

"Yes, of course I like you. But what does that matter?"

"Do you think that only you can fall in love with someone because of a fleeting glance in the middle of the night?"

"Am I not capable of being captivated by someone's charm and beauty over time?"

"But that's all there is, Xixi."

"Just that."

"Do you remember what I said?"

"Hope is a powerful poison."

"We want to break free from fate, but we don't realize that we are also a part of fate..."

"It's like fate is your left foot and you are your right foot."

"Do you think that by stepping on the head of fate, you can achieve your wish to fly into the blue sky?"

"Let it go... Xixi, let it go."

"Just let it be. I feel really... lucky to have met you," Merka said, then pushed open the door to the balcony and returned to the noisy party.

In the misty drizzle, only Turing remained.

"Let it go?"

"What do you mean, let it go?"

"Do you mean not attending the party anymore or not hanging out together every week anymore?"

"Or... could it be that you mean..."

It was only now that Turing realized belatedly what had happened, feeling a sharp pain in the back of their head, as though someone had struck them with a heavy blow. The emotional pain was threatening to invade Turing's reality, turning into a giant hand that mercilessly crushed Turing into a small ball, stomping it on the ground.

Turing curled up in agony on the floor.

This was the first time in Turing's life that they experienced the most unbearable pain.