The crowd's cheers also reached their peak. Countless people tilted their heads back, mouths wide open as they shouted in excitement.
Beneath the deafening clamor and the breathtakingly brilliant lights, Ice Empress quietly turned her head and looked at Snow Empress beside her.
Snow Empress still had her face slightly raised, her beautiful eyes reflecting the splendor filling the sky. Yet the focus of her gaze had clearly fallen upon Lu Jun's profile, continuously illuminated by the fireworks.
Her gaze was focused and complicated, surging with a light Ice Empress knew all too well—a suppressed yet yearning glow.
Ice Empress's emerald eyes shifted, and a sly yet encouraging smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Taking advantage of another massive burst of fireworks, she leaned slightly closer to Snow Empress's ear and softly said in a breathy voice that was nearly drowned out by the roaring explosions, yet incomparably clear:
"Snow Empress, stop staring."
"No matter how beautiful the fireworks are, they'll eventually fade."
"Some words, some feelings—if you don't say them now, you might truly never get another chance."
"Look, even the heavens are helping you build momentum... It's so loud that no one can hear what you're saying."
"So don't be afraid."
"Stop suppressing yourself."
"Right now, right here..."
"Be bolder. Be braver. Tell him."
Ice Empress's voice was lowered to the extreme, mingling with the deafening fireworks and the roaring crowd. It was faint as an icy breeze brushing past Snow Empress's ear, yet it carried an undeniable penetrating force as it entered her ears with perfect clarity.
Upon hearing Ice Empress's secret transmission, Snow Empress's entire body suddenly stiffened.
Almost hurriedly, she withdrew her lingering gaze from Lu Jun's profile. Her fingers curled unconsciously, the tips digging deeply into the soft, cool grass beneath her.