Eldritch Horror Theatre

Watching two people who clearly knew each other pretend not to, all while carrying out a conversation full of twists, was certainly dramatic.

But that sort of performance belonged on a stage or screen. Here, they were not only in a small room without an audience, but the door was even sealed shut.

Considering what an auspicious day it was, Fu Qian couldn’t help but wonder if watching the young master’s wedding had provoked them.

Perhaps they were comforting themselves in this manner, reassuring themselves that they were still the main characters of the world.

It sounded a bit immature, but that was still more plausible than putting on a performance for some special audience hundreds of years in the future, right?

The plot development was rather abstract, but as a dedicated viewer, he was doing his best to make excuses for the actors.

”Heh... hehe...”

”Hahaha...”

It was just a pity that the two actors seemed to have forgotten their lines. The twists came to an abrupt halt, leaving only alternating bursts of laughter, as if they were exceedingly satisfied with their own performances.

Why assume they had forgotten their lines, rather than this being written into the script?Ending with laughter after consecutive twists to provoke endless reverie and deepen the central theme?

He certainly couldn’t rule out that possibility. If they had laughed for a shorter time, it would even be quite reasonable.

Unfortunately, the two maintained this alternating laughter for well over a full minute.

By the second half of their laughing fit, it looked exactly as if the Director had forgotten to yell cut. Their facial muscles were stiff and their gazes darted about, as if trying to confirm whether the other was in the same state.

Such an experience was undoubtedly agonizing. Fortunately, after Fu Qian empathized with them for over a minute, the advantage of being the audience finally kicked in.

Amidst a sudden blur, he had no idea if the Director had yelled cut, but the camera seemed to switch perspectives again.

...

The location had indeed changed, and the lighting here was vastly better.

The ups and downs of life happened in a single instant. As the image before his eyes quickly sharpened, Fu Qian confirmed that his position had shifted once more.

Compared to the previous camera angles, the viewing experience this time was worlds apart.

First of all, he could tell at a glance that he was still inside Ehm Palace.

It was easy to tell because the field of view here was absolutely excellent.

Having wandered the premises more than once, Fu Qian could even confirm his exact location. It was the corner of the West Corridor, in a space whose interior layout resembled the Small Prayer Room.

Through the blind-window-style viewing alcove in front of him, more than half of the palace grounds were visible.

And camera angle number four stood quietly in this hidden corner.

Was everyone really this averse to joining the festivities?

On a day of grand celebration, they were all wandering around in places like this?

Imposing atmosphere aside, Fu Qian couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

All the characters who had appeared so far seemed to favor finding quiet amidst the chaos, stubbornly avoiding the bustling excitement elsewhere.

Of course, Fu Qian didn’t think the person in front of him was avoiding the crowds due to a lack of status.

Even when buying a house, the location was practically a status symbol.

In a place that symbolized the majesty of the royal family, the room before him was not somewhere an ordinary person could linger.

”Still not in a hurry to go out?”

While he was silently complaining, a sudden noise seemed to strike a discordant note.

He could only say that traditions were being upheld. A voice actually rang out from behind him again, and it even sounded like a young woman.

”It’s not time yet. I’m not the main character today.”

In contrast, the watcher with their back turned was not startled this time. He didn’t even turn around, tossing out a casual response.

”Indeed... you’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time, haven’t you?”

The speaker behind him didn’t sound overbearing either, readily agreeing with the statement.

The next moment brought a tender, smooth touch; amidst the sound of footsteps, she had stepped forward to link arms with the watcher.

”That child is too popular. It always makes one a little worried.”

...

See? It wasn’t a place for ordinary people.

The sentiment in her words was incredibly infectious, carrying that classic feeling of a child finally settling down so the task was complete.

Listening in on the exchange, Fu Qian felt even more certain that his earlier judgment had been flawless.

Who else would use such a heavy, elder-like tone on the day of a wedding?

A true elder, of course.

According to the information previously provided by Chief Yuan, when hosting that Blood Wedding, the groom’s father, Jose, was no longer young. However, because he was a dominant expresser of the Divine-Human Bloodline, he had remained in the prime of his life.

After all, according to the Night Watchers, that man was at least a Tier 2 powerhouse.

Normally, the groom’s parents would be incredibly busy on such a day. However, the gap between him and ordinary humans was practically the difference between man and God.

Under those circumstances, not wanting to deal with the excessive noise and choosing to look down on the masses from this vantage point was completely reasonable when thought about carefully.

As for the woman beside him, although her tone was equally patronizing and old-fashioned, if she wasn’t a transcendent, one would highly doubt she could even have a child of marriageable age.

As she took the initiative to lean close, he could already catch a few of her physical features from the corner of his eye.

Perhaps she was slightly older than the Punished Consort, but she still gave off the impression of being only in her early thirties.

Judging by common sense, the probability that she was an elder only in name was much higher.

In short, the scene appeared to be two of the groom’s elders looking down at the guests from on high, feeling gratified that their child had finally grown up.

It was a very familiar trope, but given how many twists there had been today, Fu Qian reserved his judgment for the moment.

”Yes, I’m looking forward to it—and it sounds like you are too?”

She truly hadn’t disappointed his expectations. As if touched by her words, the watcher turned his head the next moment, his tone carrying a peculiar edge.

...

”Of course... why wouldn’t I be?”

She was indeed a young woman.

With the shift in perspective, the figure of the woman beside him became much clearer.

Her light blonde hair was pinned high up, and her liquid eyes were captivating.

However, she still froze for a moment. The young ”stepmother” didn’t seem to quite understand why he said that.

”It’s always good for someone to watch over him. Haven’t you also always thought highly of him, believing he could produce an outstanding Offspring?”

As she frowned slightly and asked the question, she also brought up another key factor.

That made perfect sense. Royal families had always paid great attention to their bloodlines, and the Laria Royal Family was no exception.

Thanks to their special God-Man physique, theoretically, the birth of every Offspring was practically a roll of the dice in a lottery.

Judging from the records, perhaps because of this very point, the Laria Royal Family’s population was quite sparse.

But regardless, at the theoretical heir’s wedding, this point would always be an important element of anticipation.

”You’re right. I’ve always thought highly of him...”

Sure enough, seemingly struck by a thought, the watcher turned his head back to look outside.

”It’s just a pity that you never seemed to have produced an outstanding Offspring.”