Chapter 207: Talia Catches Lance in the Act

A chaotic assortment of drafting tools and material scraps lay scattered across the workbench. Right in the center sat a finished enchanted card, emanating a faint purple mist.

Lance leaned back against the sofa-like bench, yawning repeatedly. He was on the verge of falling asleep. It was a rare occasion where he had crafted an enchanted card he couldn't use himself, meaning the card's fate was no longer his concern.

The Poet of Boundless Love’s slender fingers gently picked up the newly created card. Her eyes shone with joy and anticipation.

Lance murmured with his eyes closed, "Give it a try."

The Poet hesitated, sensing that Lance’s mana was running dangerously low. She momentarily set the card down to ask, "Do you have enough mana left? I’ll need to draw from your reserves."

"It's fine." Lance waved his hand, signaling her to go ahead.

While they were talking, someone had already been knocking on the door of Lance’s dormitory for quite a while. However, the two of them had been far too engrossed in their card making. Even when they heard faint sounds, they had assumed it was a neighbor’s door being knocked on.

Boss Cat, who had been sitting by the entrance watching them work, glanced toward the foyer. Then, it turned its head and yelled to Lance in the crafting room, "Lance, someone’s at the door. They’ve been knocking for ages, meow."

"My door?"

"Yes, meow."

Lance shook his groggy head; he realized he hadn't misheard. Having a talking cat at home was certainly handy. Wearily, he stood up, returned to the living room, and turned the doorknob. He was taken aback, momentarily stunned by what he saw.

Standing outside the door were Hyperion and Talia, who was accompanying the former like a guardian. Seeing Lance looking like he had just woken up, Hyperion nodded apologetically and said, "Boss Cat hasn't returned for quite a while, so the waitress asked us to look for him. I wondered if it might be here with you..."

Before Hyperion could finish her sentence, she spotted Boss Cat in the corner. Then her gaze naturally followed to land on a stunning black-haired beauty who had run into the living room to look in the mirror.

She rubbed her eyes. Since when was there a girl hiding in Lance's home?! Hyperion was certain she had never seen this beautiful, captivating black-haired young woman before.

She wore a deep green coat with gold buttons and collar insignia, and a bright green tie over a crisp white shirt. The hem of her light-colored skirt featured a pattern of pure white roses. Her hair, like black silk, shimmered with a deep luster as it swayed with her movements.

Her emerald eyes held a clear, lively gentleness, and her skin looked as pure as snow. As her skirt fluttered, it revealed long, elegant legs. She wore lightweight black leather shoes, and her steps were airy and confident.

The young woman turned around, wearing a sweet smile as warm as sunshine. It was the kind that made a person instinctively want to draw closer and spend time with her.

Even Talia frowned. She hadn't expected Lance to be living with a human woman she had never met...

It wasn't until Hyperion and Talia saw the girl's face clearly that they realized it was incredibly familiar. It was to an almost absurd degree! The Poet of Boundless Love had completely transformed into a human. With the same black hair and green eyes as Lance, she looked exactly like his biological sister!

Hyperion’s mouth dropped open into a perfect "O," while Talia’s eyelids drooped instantly. The demon princess radiated a murderous aura that made the temperature in the room plummet. Even Lance shivered, feeling a sudden chill run down his spine.

He whipped his head around to look at the Poet, then back at Talia, who was glaring daggers at him from the doorway.

She had clearly arrived at a rather inopportune moment. Talia walked toward Lance, moving seemingly at a snail's pace. Lance instinctively took two steps back, only to find a wall right behind him.

Talia stepped in front of Lance, looking up at him quietly as she asked, "Lance! So, you actually enjoy using my appearance for things like this? Is changing her clothes fun for you?"

She had tolerated it when Lance used her likeness to create the external form of the Poet. Of course, it was mostly for the sake of the contract and the money.

This time, however, she finally realized just what a menace that summon was. At any moment, Lance could see her completely exposed! She had assumed Lance wouldn't do such a thing, but now, the thought that he might actually harbor such a fetish made her want to kill him. And then, having violated their agreement, she would take her own life.

Lance looked at Talia. She was closer to him than she had ever been before, so only now did he notice her exquisite face and the hand she was slowly raising. He felt as though he were staring death in the face for the first time!

He hadn't expected the demon princess to be this furious. Based on his past understanding of her, she was usually the calm, rational type!

Lance shook his head vigorously as he explained, "No, no, no! I wasn't the one who changed her clothes. This was to give the Poet an extra layer of disguise. She’s just too beautiful and stands out too much in her original form."

He could feel Talia’s hand pressing his shoulder against the wall. The touch was light, yet it rendered him completely unable to move!

Talia paused slightly. She had intended to challenge his claim, but found it difficult to refute his words. When humans blabbered out of a desire to live, they usually spoke the truth. Indeed, he hadn't lied.

Apparently, Lance genuinely thought that she was beautiful and eye-catching. Regardless, the anger in Talia’s heart showed no signs of subsiding.

Hyperion also hurried over to help explain the situation, "Miss Tali, we’re heading to the Northern Continent soon, so we needed to disguise the Poet. You’re simply too stunning. Without a proper disguise, she’d be recognized far too easily."

Talia looked at her with a complex expression, yet she still didn't let go of Lance’s shoulder. She was simply too furious.

It was a kind of anger for which she couldn't quite articulate the reason. It was as if she paled in comparison to a mere summoned entity like the Poet. Or rather, she couldn't measure up at all to a charming woman like the Poet.

Why did she feel the need to compare herself to the Poet, though? She didn't even care what Lance thought of her. A jumble of unresolved emotions churned in Talia’s chest with no outlet, eventually transforming into dissatisfaction and anger directed at the youth before her.

Just then, the Poet let out a soft, wistful sigh. She had been watching from afar as Lance faced life-threatening danger from the furious Talia.

She took a few steps closer and said to Lance, "It seems you still find Miss Tali more beautiful and captivating. You were chatting with me just a moment ago, yet now you pay me no mind. I knew it, Miss Tali had arrived..."

Hyperion was terrified. If the Poet was stepping in to stir up trouble in a situation like this, Miss Tali might well lose her composure and actually attack Lance!

Hyperion’s gaze remained fixed on the Poet. In her human form, the Poet looked even more ladylike and gentle, and she appeared to possess an aura remarkably similar to Lance’s.

If someone from the Northern Continent who had never met either of them saw the two together, they would surely assume they were family. Yet, aside from their hair and eye colors, Hyperion couldn't quite put her finger on exactly how the Poet resembled Lance.

The Poet stood beside Lance, her emerald eyes lowered as she whined with a tone of aggrieved hurt, "You’ve never once complimented me like that."

Just as Hyperion was about to intervene and stop the Poet, she hesitated. She carefully considered the summon’s words... She couldn't tell if the Poet was genuinely feeling resentful and trying to stir up trouble or if she was actually helping Lance handle Miss Tali.

It looked like a falling-out between the human and his summon card, but in reality, it was top-tier teamwork! Apparently, the Poet had picked up a bit of a green tea vibe herself!