Beneath the star-filled Night Sky, the music and Lanchi's speech in the square of Helrom's Commercial District intertwined into a symphony for the city.
Hughberlian and Mishura stood among the crowd filling the spacious square.
The moment they arrived at the pedestrian plaza, Mishura noticed that her sister's lively expression had frozen on her face, as though sealed by an unexpected frost, stiff and stripped of its usual warmth.
The sisters stood there as the crowds around them continued to flow, while they seemed to have become two isolated islands in the river of time.
Mishura grabbed Hughberlian's arm, trying to comfort her.
But at that moment, even the warmth of her hand could not affect the trembling in her sister's eyes.
She could not even imagine what had happened to make someone like her sister lose control of her emotions.
Mishura only sensed her sister's sudden change. Unclear anxiety surged in her heart as she repeatedly looked back and forth between the screen and Hughberlian's face.
The interview program was still underway on the flickering screen.
The male guest captured by the camera carried himself with grace. His amiable words held a unique charm born from his natural rationality and composure.
"I've never been much of a politician. If I had to describe myself, I'd say I'm forever just a principal. I don't want war, and I don't want to see people suffer meaningless harm ever again. Least of all do I want to see the day when my students have to go to the battlefield. I only want everyone to live happy lives, and my students should make the Protos Empire a better place."
His words echoed across the nighttime square, causing more and more passersby to stop and look up at the screens.
The crystal screens of