The Escape

After a brief silence.

The grand hall erupted in even more enthusiastic applause than before.

Almost everyone had been captivated by their dance.

This black and white pair had displayed a style that was in no way inferior to the royal siblings from before.

The dance ended, and Black let go of her hand.

Kristine was panting slightly, a blush still on her cheeks.

But her eyes were much clearer, and she gave Black a grateful look.

However, Black noticed that the boys around them didn’t seem to have given up.

They looked as if they still wanted to ask for a dance.

‘Such youthful passion.’

Black made a decisive move, once again grabbing Kristine’s hand.

He said loudly to the eager group of boys.

“I’m sorry, everyone. The Saintess and I have other important matters to attend to, so we’ll be taking our leave.”

Hearing this, the boys were all stunned.

“Eh? Wait!”

“Sir Black, that’s not fair!”

“Senior Kristine…”

Amidst a chorus of dissatisfaction and protest from the boys.

Black, without another word, pulled Kristine along.

Before the crowd could surround them, he hurried towards the corridor of the grand hall.

“Black…”

Kristine, being pulled by the hand, could only follow him subconsciously.

One of her hands was held tightly by him, while the other had to slightly lift the hem of her white dress to prevent tripping.

The silver-white hem of her dress fluttered as she ran.

In this state, she looked very much like a bride escaping her own wedding, being carried away by her beloved.

The two of them passed through the noisy crowd, rushed out of the main hall, and into the quiet corridor.

Black didn’t stop, pulling Kristine through a few turns in the maze-like corridor.

Until the noise of the banquet hall could no longer be heard.

After confirming that they had shaken off any possible pursuers, Black finally slowed his pace.

He casually pushed open the door of a room along the corridor and pulled Kristine inside.

Then he quickly closed the door behind him.

“Hoo…”

Black leaned against the door and let out a light breath.

He turned his head to look at Kristine beside him.

And found that she was also looking up at him.

Their eyes met, and they recalled the dance just now, as well as the somewhat undignified escape at the end.

It was inexplicably comical.

After a moment of silence.

The two of them started to laugh softly in unison.

The slight awkwardness from the dance quietly dissipated in their shared smile.

After laughing, Black noticed that Kristine’s face was still very red.

He couldn’t help but ask with concern in a low voice.

“Was it from running too fast just now, or are you not feeling well somewhere?”

Hearing this, Kristine lowered her head slightly and reminded him in a faint voice.

“My hand…”

Black was stunned and followed her gaze.

Only then did he realize that he had been holding the girl’s small hand tightly since they started running.

And he hadn’t let go until now.

A clear red mark had been left on her fair, slender wrist.

As if he had been burned, he quickly let go of her hand, a rare look of embarrassment on his face.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice…”

Kristine shook her head gently and just gave a low “Mm,” not saying much more.

But her ears turned even redder.

She silently brought the hand that had been held until it was red in front of her and gently rubbed it with her other hand.

For a time, the room was exceptionally quiet.

Only the faint sound of their breathing could be heard.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, alone in a room, all the details of the dance just now.

The light kiss on the back of her hand, the touch on her waist, the unexpected embrace…

Uncontrollably resurfaced in their minds.

Causing the atmosphere that had just eased to become awkward again.

Neither of them knew what to say to break the silence.

In the end, it was Black who cleared his throat and spoke first.

“I’ll see if there’s any water here. You must be thirsty after running for so long.”

As he spoke, he walked deeper into the room.

The light in the room was a bit dim.

Only the hazy moonlight coming in through the window outlined the general shape of the furniture.

Black walked to the window.

With a “swish,” he pulled open the heavy curtains.

Cold moonlight poured in, clearly illuminating the room’s furnishings.

This was a rather spacious room, looking like a small lounge.

Tall bookshelves stood against the walls, a sofa and coffee table were in the middle, and a desk was in the corner.

As Black looked for a water pitcher, he subconsciously surveyed the room’s furnishings.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped.

His brow furrowed.

‘Why does the layout of this room look so familiar?’

Black looked around again, uncertainly.

The bookshelves, the potted plant in the corner, the gray curtains…

The more he looked, the more familiar it felt.

‘Strange, I feel like I’ve seen this place before.’

He carefully looked around again.

When his gaze once again swept over the ancient-looking desk, a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind!

He remembered!

This room was clearly the one where Jianye had obtained the “Ivoran Holy Water” formula in the game!

The book that held the remnant soul was right here!

‘What a coincidence!’

Black was both surprised and overjoyed.

He had originally planned to look for it later.

He had never expected that by a twist of fate, he would have stumbled directly into the target room.

‘Since heaven has given it, to not take it would be a crime.’

‘I’ll start looking right away.’

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and quickly found a water pitcher and a clean cup on the coffee table.

He poured a cup of water for Kristine and handed it to her.

“Have some water first and get some rest.”

Then, without further delay, he immediately took action.

‘Since it’s being used to prop up a table leg, it must be on the floor.’

Black got down on the floor directly, his sharp eyes scanning the dark corners under the sofa, under the desk, and so on.

He began to search slowly.

Kristine took the cup and sipped the water.

But watching Black’s sudden strange behavior, her face was filled with confusion.

“Black, what are you doing?”

She couldn’t help but ask.

“Looking for something.”

Black answered casually without raising his head, continuing his search.

“Looking for something?”

Kristine was even more puzzled.

‘Looking for something in a room attached to the grand hall?’

‘Mr. Black shouldn’t have been here before, right?’

“What are you looking for? I can help you look.”

“No, no, you just sit and rest.”

Black refused her help without a second thought.

Kristine looked at his busy back and pursed her lips slightly.

She faintly felt a sense of being excluded.

She felt that Black didn’t seem to trust her very much and was unwilling to tell her the truth.

She put down the water cup and carefully observed Black’s movements.

Seeing that he was focused on the ground and low corners, she understood.

That thing was most likely placed or dropped on the ground.

So, she stood up without disturbing Black.

Instead, she walked to the other side of the room.

Imitating Black, she squatted down and, by the moonlight, carefully examined the bottom of several desks.

“Hm?”

Soon, as she was checking a desk against the wall.

Her gaze was drawn to something propping up the table leg.