The Ball

A day later.

Inside the castle's tower used to imprison prisoners.

The experiences of the past half month made Madam Ma Linna feel she could write a travelogue—being kidnapped by demons twice in a row was not a treatment every human received.

During the twenty-four hours locked in the cell, Madam Ma Linna didn't find it too unbearable, because the piano music that occasionally echoed through the castle completely immersed her in it.

Suddenly, Madam Ma Linna heard footsteps approaching. She went to the edge of the cell and saw a figure who should never have appeared here: Belle.

What happened next was just like in the story—kind-hearted Belle, to save her family, resolutely decided to stay in the castle in their place.

The elderly Madam Ma Linna couldn't resist Zennas's strength at all. He dragged her out of the castle in an extremely rough manner and threw her into the garden outside.

The castle's great gate closed again. Madam Ma Linna fell into the snow, shrouded in grief and despair.

"Madam Ma Linna! Madam Ma Linna!"

At this moment of utter hopelessness, Madam Ma Linna heard her servant's voice.

Her servant led the old horse, crossed the thorn-filled garden, and quickly ran to her side.

"You... you haven't left yet." Madam Ma Linna looked at her in disbelief. This servant was only hired with money—there was no emotional bond between master and servant.

As a merchant, Madam Ma Linna knew well that no relationship was more fragile than one held together by money. Yet this servant had risked being killed by demons to hide in this manor.

"Honesty is the most basic principle of being a person. That's not the point, Madam Ma Linna. Quickly ride this horse and leave here. It will take you back to the village. Find Gaston—maybe he can save the young lady," the servant said.

"Gaston... right, I can ask Gaston for help." Madam Ma Linna remembered she knew a great mage who could move freely in the Demon Realm. She immediately mounted the horse, her movements so agile they didn't seem to belong to an old woman past seventy.

"What about you?"

This was the only horse she had brought from the village.

"Don't worry, I've found a hiding place nearby," the servant said.

Madam Ma Linna didn't refuse. She was someone who knew what mattered most. After leaving a word to take care, she quickly kicked the horse's flank, and the horse trotted out of the castle.

The servant watched Madam Ma Linna disappear into the forest outside the castle, then took off the 'Shapeshifting Ring' on her finger.

"It's amazing you could say the word 'honesty' with such a straight face just now."

Ciri walked out from the trees on the other side of the garden, looking at Joshua standing in the snow. As the director behind everything, Joshua had handled the planning, script, and filming all by himself, even personally guest-starring in several roles.

But this servant role didn't count as a guest appearance.

"Why not? I'm a demon."

Joshua quickly walked back toward the castle.

Joshua's retort left Ciri speechless. If Joshua hadn't reminded her, she might have forgotten that this guy was a Demon Prince.

The scene inside the castle's main hall wasn't as gloomy as outside. From the moment I Nuo arrived at the castle yesterday afternoon, Joshua had been working overtime on filming 'Beauty and the Demon'.

Now, the script Joshua was shooting was the most heart-stirring scene in the entire story, one that would make countless girls scream—the scene where Belle and the Beast dance in the castle's great hall.

When Joshua entered the hall, I Nuo was holding Zennas's hand, dancing gracefully in the center.

At this moment, the succubus was wearing a gorgeous princess gown. Combined with her unique charm, from the moment she appeared, she was destined to be the focus of everyone's attention. Any male, or even female, would be drawn to her.

Three minutes later.

The music gradually came to an end. I Nuo and Zennas slowly stopped their dance.

When they stopped, the two demons simultaneously looked at Ciri standing at the edge of the dance floor, not at Joshua.

Even Joshua himself found it hard to believe that this mage, who used to be so poor she could only gnaw on tree bark every day and occasionally eat rabbit meat when lucky, had become the dance teacher for I Nuo and Zennas.

"Passable. I hate to admit it, but you two learn pretty fast."

This kind of ballroom dance wasn't difficult. As long as you grasped the rhythm, anyone could learn it easily. Though it was called a noble's dance, in Ciri's eyes, it was just two people spinning in circles—utterly boring.

"Then let's stop here for now. Zennas, I Nuo, go rest for a bit, look over the script, and prepare for the next scene."

Joshua held the Source Crystal Stone handed to him by the Banshee. This scene's filming had consumed seven Source Crystal Stones in total, each recording different angles. Joshua took all seven from the Banshee at once, pale white mana overflowing from his hand as he edited the images together into a single Source Crystal Stone from memory.

Joshua carved the number seventy-two onto the crystal's surface with a Rune and placed it into the Suitcase used for storage.

"Speaking of which, you can't even dance such a simple ballroom dance?"

Ciri suddenly sidled up to Joshua and asked.

"If I could, I wouldn't have made you the teacher."

After Joshua and this Miss Mage got familiar, she increasingly stopped treating his Demon Prince identity as a big deal. If not for the 'collar' Joshua had given her still around her neck, Ciri might very well have tried to pick another fight with him using her little staff.

"I see. Well, if you ever go to human society in the future, you'll definitely need this. Want to learn?"

Ciri finally found a chance to hold her head high. Whenever she talked with Joshua before, she always felt something called 'intellectual suppression'—what Joshua said always touched on areas Ciri knew nothing about. This time, she'd finally found something Joshua couldn't do!

"..."

Joshua looked at Ciri and suddenly remembered the husky he'd kept on Earth... Comparing a girl to a husky wasn't right, but for some reason, Joshua had that déjà vu.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Miss Ciri."

What Ciri hadn't expected was that Joshua would actually humbly ask her for guidance.

"Alright... I'll... teach you."

Ciri admitted that her earlier words had been impulsive. In truth, more than any childish desire to show off to Joshua, she had been swept up by the performance of Zennas and I Nuo.

Even as an observer who knew I Nuo and Zennas were acting, she still found herself immersed in the beautiful scene of "Beauty and the Demon"... any young girl would be moved by it.

That was why she had been so impulsive, but regret was useless now. Joshua had already extended his hand to her, and Ciri could only steel herself and take it.

"Put your hand... on my waist." Ciri's body stiffened for a moment, but she finally forced the words out.

Joshua followed Ciri's instructions and gently placed his hand on her waist, while Ciri set her other hand on his shoulder.

The music began just in time. Ciri guided Joshua into another rendition of "Beauty and the Demon" on the dance floor.

It was indeed another rendition, but Ciri didn't know if her fate would be as sweet as Belle's...

It should be, right? Ciri lowered her head, stealing a glance at Joshua, but before they had danced even a few steps, her beautiful dream was utterly shattered by Joshua's clumsiness.

"You stepped on my foot!"

Reality was never as perfect as it was in the movies. Joshua, a complete novice at ballroom dancing, mercilessly destroyed the romantic scene Ciri had built in her mind.

"Sorry..." Joshua's apology was utterly useless.

"You stepped on me again! Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Can you cut a beginner some slack?"

Though Joshua said this, his mind was elsewhere. When he took Ciri's hand, he noticed that her hand bore many scars, and even her arms had them. Despite Ciri's attempts to hide them, at such close range, Joshua could still see the marks that stood out against her fair skin.

Those were not the hands a girl should have.