The commotion outside was like a fleeting moment.

On the way to enter the ballroom, the little swan was chattering excitedly.

It was only at this moment that Louis realized the little swan had gone to stand up for him.

Louis said helplessly:

"Are you so certain people will come to cause me trouble?"

The little swan snorted and said:

"A genius's instinct needs no explanation."

She really makes me cry.

The little swan even couldn't be bothered to hide her oddities.

It was only because Louis' diary didn't record this, otherwise, he would have realized the little swan's anomaly long ago.

But this made sense.

After all, the original owner was someone who, even if their face was swollen from slaps, would stubbornly smile through tears and claim nothing was wrong.

Being bullied was even less likely to appear in his diary.

A cold wind blew, and the little swan shivered, sneezing directly.

Louis glanced at her, took off his woolen coat, and draped it over her shoulders.

"Wear it, the cold wind of December is quite biting, and you come out without even a shawl."

The little swan puffed up in anger, wanting to say, "I went out to stand up for you," but as the words reached her lips, they turned into phrases like "a lady's grace," "can't let the dress get wrinkled."

Finally, Louis ended the argument by ruffling her hair.

"Olivia, thank you."

"Hmph, as long as you know."

Upon entering the ballroom, Olivia seemed to lose her energy, leaning languidly on Lumi, appearing utterly spent.

Lumi glanced at Louis.

Seeing the little swan begin to doze off, Louis quietly said:

"Sister Lumi, take her to the side to rest for a while."

Lumi nodded, picked up the somewhat sleepy little swan, and walked off.

Louis turned his gaze to the floor.

Today's ball was his main battlefield.

He had a hunch.

After this ball, many clues he couldn't figure out before would be connected.

"The truth about the original self and Beatrice's death"

"The reason for poisoning Marquis York"

"The causal chain behind the tangled events, hoping to get a satisfying answer today"

Thinking of this, Louis frowned slightly.

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands soothed his agitation.

"Louis, something seems to have happened outside."

A fragrant breeze swept into his arms.

Without looking up, Louis knew it was Beatrice.

"The matter has been handed over to Secret Guard to handle. They will report back to you on the developments."

Louis spoke softly, and Beatrice cautiously twisted the ring on her hand, seemingly releasing some magic that muffled sounds.

Seeing this, Louis then said in a low voice:

"I found a strange piece of jewelry on Gregory from the Todd Family."

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I sensed a power almost akin to the Sin of Greed on it."

Beatrice nodded and said:

"Guessed as much, either the Abyssal Church's Abyssal Pus or the Love God's dark side, the Heartbroken Jade."

"The technology to systematically utilize the power of sin on the continent is just among these."

Curious, Louis asked, "What are Abyssal Pus and Heartbroken Jade?"

Beatrice didn't answer, merely whispered:

"Want to know?"

"Yes."

"Then let's make a trade."

"Go ahead."

"Hold my hand."

Beatrice partly joking, partly commanding, said.

Louis, somewhat surprised, looked at her, then reached out and held her hand.

When their fingertips touched, the reserved princess blushed.

"Perhaps the ballroom's magical lights are too dazzling."

She instinctively made a flimsy excuse.

But Louis raised his head to look at the bright glass ceiling.

Moonlight bathed down like water.

He smiled, bowed his head.

"The moon thinks you're mistaken."

His teasing voice whispered in Beatrice's ear, like a silver snowflake falling on her shoulder on a winter night.

In the humid, sultry air, pressed against her fingertips was a warm touch, and the exchanged breaths tinted her gaze with a haze.

In the breath they didn't touch but intertwined endlessly, she subconsciously avoided that wild gaze.

She had never seen this side of Louis.

Carrying an air of danger, like the surging waves at night, making her almost unable to breathe.

Today, he was very aggressive.

He said nothing, merely locked Beatrice in his gaze, as if waiting for her answer.

Beatrice bit her tongue, trying to regain her composure.

She had known Louis for a while now.

She knew very well that Louis was a cautious and restrained person.

Feeling the heat at her fingertips, she bit her lip and changed the subject:

"The Abyssal Church is the foremost global shadow on the Star Continent. Do you remember the Rudelson Organization?"

"I remember."

"The Rudelson Organization is essentially an inheritor of the idea that the Mad King believed that 'the death of the flesh will bring the immortality of the spirit.' The Abyssal Church is the same."

Louis frowned, "A term for those who believe in the power of the abyss?"

Beatrice shook her head:

"More accurately, it's a term for cultists who worship the Four Abyssal Gods. Abyssal Pus is the filthy energy bestowed by the four gods."

"Even in the bottomless abyss dominated by evil gods and Abyssal Lords, the Four Abyssal Gods are second only to the Abyssal Will."

"Their gifts, to ordinary people, are the greatest form of spiritual pollution."

"But in the hands of the top experts of the Abyssal Church, this stuff is an almost universal material that can maximize the power of abyssal magic."

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