Creak, creak.
It was the sound of the Pumpkin Carriage slowly driving away.
Zheng Qing adjusted the soft brim of his pointed wizard hat and covertly swept his gaze around. As expected, he found nothing but furtive glances. Yet beyond those shifty looks, a strange and malicious aura had begun to spread, making the young publicly funded student want to turn and run at once.
But when he looked back, Qingqiu Mansion's Pumpkin Carriage had already vanished without a trace. Aside from the thick darkness of the night, there was nothing in the direction it had left.
His crisp formalwear felt like sheets of iron, heavy and cold as it hung from his body, as though it had shackled him inside and out. Fortunately, the undulating brim of his soft-edged wizard hat not only filtered out many prying eyes, but also concealed his own gaze, sparing him from making eye contact with anyone else.
Look on the bright side. You bought accident insurance, and you've already blown up once... things can't get any worse. The young publicly funded student thought sadly yet resolutely.
For a moment, he deeply regretted paying too much attention to the "Transfiguration Aftereffects" in his daily life. When everyone was casting sidelong glances at him and whispering among themselves, he could not even hear what they were talking about.
The boy forced himself to focus on the witches' beautiful gowns and the music flowing through the night.
It was easy to see that every witch wore the confidence of a princess on her face, reserved yet proud. Their long skirts rippled like flowing water under the effects of magic, never dragging along the ground even without servants to help them.
"Are you planning to stand here and serve as everyone's gossip forever?"
A familiar voice sounded