Seraphine returned to the private VIP room a short while later, carrying something carefully in her hands. Kathrine, Kara, and Leila immediately turned toward her the moment she stepped through the doorway.
"Sera, where were you?" Leila asked with visible concern.
"You disappeared for so long," Kara added. "You almost missed the most important part of the play."
The three girls had been genuinely worried. The performance they were watching had finally reached a major turning point in the story, and Seraphine’s sudden disappearance had left them confused.
However, the moment their eyes landed on what she was carrying, their concerns vanished entirely. Instead, all three girls rushed toward her with sparkling eyes.
"What is that?"
"Sera, what do you have there?"
"Aww!"
Leila clasped both hands together as she stared at the small creature. "Where did you find this adorable little furball?"
Nestled comfortably in Seraphine’s arms was a small blue hamster.
Its fur was unusually soft and vibrant, almost appearing to shimmer under the room’s lighting. Its tiny paws rested against Seraphine’s sleeve while its bright eyes looked around with an expression that somehow appeared deeply dissatisfied with its current circumstances.
A short while earlier, William had originally proposed several more dignified options. He had suggested disguising himself as a bird or an eagle; maybe becoming a cat would not have been that bad.
Every option seemed infinitely more respectable in his opinion.
Unfortunately, Seraphine had rejected all of them. Out of every beast, bird, and magical creature available, she had somehow decided that a hamster was the perfect choice for William to transform into and then stay by her side for the whole day.
William had refused immediately. The answer had been an absolute no.
Unfortunately, Seraphine had used those large innocent eyes while silently staring at him as though his refusal to turn into a hamster had shattered her heart.
William had resisted for nearly an hour. At least that was how he described it.
In reality, most of that hour consisted of him arguing while Seraphine simply sat there looking increasingly disappointed. Eventually his resistance crumbled.
Now he had become a hamster. A small blue hamster.
[You are under generational aura debt, Host.]
"(┬┬﹏┬┬), that comment was unnecessary."
Unfortunately, his suffering did not end there. At that very moment, Leila had somehow got hold of him; William found himself being rubbed against her cheek like a plush toy.
His tiny hamster body was squeezed, patted, and cuddled with alarming enthusiasm. If not for his overwhelming self-control, he might have destroyed this city out of sheer frustration.
Thankfully, he managed to send a desperate mental message toward Seraphine. The message carried enough emotional weight to make Seraphine burst into laughter.
A moment later she rescued him from Leila’s clutches and gently picked him up.
"Aww, he’s so cute," Kara said while reaching out to pat his head.
"Where exactly did you find him?" Kathrine asked; she licked her lips as if seeing a piece of delicious meat. Seraphine smiled mischievously.
"I found him outside. He literally fell from the ceiling when he saw me."
Then she grinned.
"Almost like he fell for me."
The girls immediately burst into laughter. Meanwhile, William silently climbed onto Seraphine’s shoulder before settling himself comfortably near her neck.
From there he could safely avoid the constant attempts to cuddle him.
The young women around Seraphine chuckled at the hamster’s antics.
None of them had the slightest idea that the tiny creature currently hiding on Seraphine’s shoulder possessed enough power to devastate the entire world if he truly desired.
The play they had come to watch eventually came to an end. Soon afterward, Seraphine and her friends exited the theater together.
The group chatted casually as they walked through the elegant streets surrounding the entertainment district. Their conversation drifted between various topics.
Sometimes they discussed the performance they had just watched. Sometimes they talked about upcoming events. At other times they simply gossiped about people they knew.
William listened from Seraphine’s shoulder while repeatedly questioning his life choices.
Then suddenly a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Wait! Seraphine!"
Everyone stopped and turned around. A young man was rapidly approaching while several elven servants followed behind him.
The moment William saw his face, his expression changed.
It was Arwen.
"Huh?"
William narrowed his eyes as he noticed something strange.
"The curse is gone." The mental curse he had previously placed on Arwen using omniscient eyes was gone.
Using his omniscient eyes again, William carefully observed him. The curse was not there at all.
"It seems an external intervention removed it," Orion spoke.
Naturally, this raised a question on William’s part: "Why didn’t I notice?"
Orion responded, [It is because curses do not function like ordinary magical effects, Host.]
[Think of a curse as an arrow released from a bow. Once the arrow leaves the bowstring, its fate is no longer under the archer’s control.]
[After a curse is placed, it may remain active for years, it may weaken naturally, or it may be removed through various methods. Monitoring its status afterward is surprisingly difficult.]
[That is also why the powerful entity who cursed your mother and Samantha was never alerted when you removed those curses.]
[Of course, burning their fate lines may have contributed to that outcome as well.]
[However, the important thing to understand is that curses are inherently this way.]
William nodded thoughtfully. His attention soon returned to Arwen.
The young elf continued approaching the group. William remained curious about what exactly Arwen hoped to accomplish.
Seraphine, Kara, Kathrine, and Leila clearly did not share that curiosity.
The moment they recognized him, their expressions immediately became cold and unwelcoming. Despite this obvious hostility, Arwen continued walking toward them with a polite smile.
"How are you doing, Seraphine?" he asked gently.
Seraphine’s face immediately twisted with disgust.
"Not miserable enough to answer that. Did you forget the honorifics? It is Princess Seraphine!"
The smile on Arwen’s face faltered.
Still, he stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"I apologize for what I said at the academy earlier."
Seraphine ignored him completely.
Without even acknowledging his apology, she turned and began walking away. The servants and guards quickly moved alongside her.
For a moment, it appeared as though the encounter would end there.
Then Arwen suddenly raised his voice.
"William is a demon’s pawn!"
The words echoed throughout the plaza. Seraphine stopped instantly.
Her entire body froze. Several nearby citizens turned toward the commotion.
Seraphine slowly turned around. Her eyes were blazing with fury.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Arwen?!"
Her voice rang loudly through the plaza.
Inside her mind, William’s voice sounded. William could almost feel the murderous intent radiating from her.
Meanwhile, Arwen continued speaking.
His expression was filled with what appeared to be sincere concern.
"I am sorry, Seraphine." His voice carried a strange mixture of regret and determination.
"I couldn’t save you sooner." He lowered his head briefly.
"It is my fault that William managed to infiltrate your mind and control you for so long."
The surrounding crowd grew increasingly interested.
More people stopped walking. More eyes turned toward the drama unfolding.
Arwen continued without hesitation.
"But not anymore." His gaze remained fixed on Seraphine.
"I finally found a way to save you from William’s influence."
The hatred in Seraphine’s eyes intensified. Beside her, Kara, Kathrine, and Leila immediately moved closer. All three girls were trying to calm her down.
Unfortunately, Seraphine was rapidly reaching her limit. A sword materialized in her hand.
At the same time, powerful energy began surging throughout her body.
William’s eyes narrowed.
The Valkyrie spirit she had summoned previously was beginning to manifest.
To be honest, William had never paid much attention to it before.
However, now that he could feel the immense power radiating from her transformation, he realized that this was no ordinary spirit.
The energy surrounding Seraphine was surprisingly impressive. Even so, William immediately used Lunar Tidal Wave. A gentle calming influence spread through her emotions.
The servants and guards on both sides watched nervously as the confrontation threatened to escalate into violence.
After several difficult seconds, Seraphine managed to regain control and deactivated her transformation.
She took a deep breath.
Then another.
Finally, she pointed her sword toward the ground.
"Leave."
Her voice trembled with restrained anger. "Get out of my sight."
Arwen looked disappointed. However, he was clearly not finished.
As Seraphine was about to turn away again, he delivered another statement.
"It’s alright, Sera. I already informed my father."
Seraphine froze.
Arwen continued.
"He is currently meeting the Empress regarding this; soon that William’s mind influence will wear off, and you will truly understand who really cares about you."
The entire group stared at him. Then he delivered the final blow.
"My father is going to tell her majesty the truth about William and give her the cure."
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
This time it was not only Seraphine. Kara, Leila, Kathrine—all four girls shouted simultaneously.
Even the nearby spectators looked shocked by the sudden outburst.
Inside his hamster form, William blinked. The system immediately commented.
[Damn, Host. It seems your meeting with your future mother-in-law may be approaching much sooner than expected.]
William scratched one of his tiny ears. "That does seem likely."
Surprisingly, he looked completely unconcerned.
"In fact, we might even meet today."
Unlike Seraphine, who clearly dreaded that possibility, William felt fairly confident.
As far as he was concerned, convincing Selena sounded significantly easier than convincing her daughter.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the plaza had become extremely tense.
The argument had attracted far too much attention.
Dozens of pedestrians had stopped to watch.
The royal guards quickly recognized that the situation was becoming dangerous.
Without hesitation, they intervened.
Several guards stepped forward and physically forced Arwen away from the area.
As imperial servants, their responsibility was protecting the princess.
At the moment, it was obvious that Seraphine and her friends were only barely maintaining their composure.
Removing Arwen was the fastest way to de-escalate the situation.
Despite his protests, he was escorted away.
Meanwhile, Seraphine and the others were hurried toward their waiting carriage.
A few minutes later, the carriage doors closed.
Inside, silence filled the cabin. Seraphine sat motionless.
Her hands were shaking. Her face had gone pale. Then she buried her face in her hands.
"Oh no..."
Her voice sounded genuinely terrified. "Mom is going to kill us."
The other girls exchanged nervous glances.
Kathrine looked especially troubled. She swallowed repeatedly while imagining Selena’s reaction. Unlike most people, she had personally witnessed the Empress’s possessiveness where Seraphine was concerned.
That memory alone was enough to make her nervous.
She had a feeling that this situation was not going to resolve peacefully.
What none of them realized was that the individual responsible for most of the current chaos was quietly wrapped around Seraphine’s neck in hamster form.
William gently snuggled against her shoulder while secretly using his abilities to calm her emotions.
At least one person inside the carriage appeared completely relaxed.