Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The pale gold princess dress was extraordinarily intricate, with a staggering five layers of cascading skirts since it was a winter gown. As she pressed against Shard, who was leaning on the sofa back, Shard could feel the layers of skirts and the decorations on the skirts:

"Always, thoroughly enjoy the Year-End Festival of 1853, my knight. I hope that every year after this, we can celebrate the year's end in this way..."

She bit her lip, leaning very close to Shard, with a glimmer in her eyes that seemed to pierce through Shard's soul.

Lecia Cavendish whispered:

"I love you, Shard."

In an instant, Shard felt as if his heart was pierced by the "Aikenora - Arrow of the Chosen," and also as if his whole soul was submerged in warm water during the cold winter. A lonely Outlander, in this world, found too much attachment; Shard couldn't find any words to describe his current emotions.

Lecia smiled at Shard's face, with an expression as if he got punched by Mia:

"Very nice, even though the knight is licentious, at least he is devoted to everyone... A very strange way to put it, but I am very satisfied with your expression now."

She wrapped her arms around Shard's neck and kissed him. Shard was very worried that this expensive dress of Lecia's might get ruined, but Her Highness the Princess was wealthy enough not to care about that.

"Remind me to give Margaret's letter to Lecia."

He whispered internally.

"Is now the time to say that?"

"She" asked with a smile, and Lecia also released Shard, complaining with a bit of pretended annoyance:

"Shard, could you be a little more serious?"

Then she kissed him again with a smile.

After a passionate kiss, Lecia released Shard temporarily and asked him about his day and what he had for dinner. Shard was not inexperienced in talking to a princess dressed in full regalia, but at the Year-End Festival now, this feeling was particularly unique and charming.

But as they talked, the topic became a bit strange:

"I will probably remember 1853 for my whole life, my sister Dorothy reunited with me this year, and I also met you, a dashing knight with a fiancée but still searching for lovers."

She laughed, poking Shard's chest with her finger. Shard was puzzled by the words "sister" and "fiancée," but Lecia continued smoothly:

"Luckily, the knight's fiancée couldn't come here tonight due to some matter, or how would we have a chance to steal a moment?"

Shard opened his mouth, and Lecia seemed particularly excited when she said the word "steal a moment":

"Shard, we must cherish this night, the night of the Year-End Festival... Do you have that fiancée's pajamas at home? I forgot to bring mine."

"Can I inquire what my fiancée's surname is?"

Shard asked, and Lecia playfully kissed him:

"Even if you want to act as if you will forget her tonight, with only me in your eyes and heart, you don't have to say such things... Alright, I am very pleased."

She shifted her body to get off the sofa, organizing her messy dress as she said:

"Miss Annette is indeed pleasant, but tonight you belong to me."

She waved to Shard and walked toward the side bedroom:

"I'll go find a pajama, knight, you can..."

She grabbed the door frame and smiled back at Shard:

"Go prepare a bit first."

The bedroom door closed, and Shard pursed his lips, turning to look at the cat forced to lie on the back of the sofa due to being pushed away by Lecia, asking internally:

"I didn't suddenly travel to a parallel world, did I?"

"Although the Ancient God: Father of the Infinite Tree and Ancient God: Primordial Rift have left, the power still stabilizes the flow of time and space. The concept of parallel worlds is not applicable to this world."

"She" surprisingly answered solemnly.

"Is there any possibility of a complete material world's time reversal happening?"

He asked another completely unrelated question.

"Haven't you already had thoughts?"

As he spoke, Shard had already stood up, first looking toward the washroom, where the sound of water continued; then he looked toward his bedroom, where he indeed heard the sound of Her Highness the Princess removing her dress, as it was really too intricate.

"What did they exactly plan..."

Downstairs, surprisingly, there was a knocking sound. Shard hesitated and then went downstairs with Mia in his arms to open the door. No monsters or demons would be so tactless as to visit Shard during such an important holiday; outside the door stood Miss Writer, with a scarf wrapped around her and her cheeks flushed red from the cold.

"The weather is really cold."

She complained as she patted off snowflakes from her shoulders, while Shard took some small change from the cookie jar on the shoe cabinet, went out to pay the carriage driver and tipped him, wished him a happy Year-End Festival, and then turned back to enter the door with Miss Writer.

Dorothy untied her scarf and coat, smiling at Shard:

"Seeing you on the night of the Year-End Festival is just wonderful, hope I'm not too late, and you didn't wait too anxiously at home alone?"

Shard, carrying the cat, walked beside her, tilting his head to look at her, prompting the blonde girl to say with a smile:

"Oh, Shard, alright, I apologize for that. On this heated night, we should have met a little earlier—I had arranged for my sister Lecia to handle affairs out of town and yet failed to accompany you in time."

She gently kissed Shard on the side of his face, her face blushing red, and said to him:

"How about a glass of red wine later? I need to warm up, and I'm curious about what you've been up to today."

The two went up to the second floor. Dorothy, seemingly unaware of the sounds from the washroom or the rare closure of the side bedroom door, and Shard moved to the living room. They opened a bottle of red wine that Shard had prepared for the evening, then smiled and clinked glasses with Shard:

"1853 is finally coming to an end, and I'm glad both my sister and I got to know you, Shard... I hope she won't mind in the future that I took away her lover."

Shard sipped the wine, sorting out the "new relationships" between the four of them in his mind.

After finishing the wine, they returned to the living room. Compared to Lecia, Dorothy was evidently somewhat shy but still kissed Shard, enjoying the last festival of the year.

Fireworks exploded over Saint Delan Square. As someone lit the fireworks, Dorothy ended the kiss, then picked up little Mia and led Shard into the master bedroom.

The gas lamp in the master bedroom wasn't turned on. The blonde girl sat at the bedside with the petite orange cat. The fireworks outside intermittently illuminated her as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

At twenty-four or twenty-five years old, she was in the prime of her life. She gazed at Shard amidst the fireworks and embraced him after he sat down, whispering sweet nothings to him. When the mood was just right, she bit her lip and looked at him. But just as Shard was about to reach out, suddenly the side bedroom door opened, and Lecia emerged:

"Shard, do you think this nightgown looks good?"

"Oh, it's Sister Lecia!"

Dorothy immediately "panicked" and stood up:

"Why is she here? We can't let her find out about our relationship."

The blonde girl gestured for Shard to be silent, then quickly hugged Mia and moved to the wardrobe, winking at Shard before hiding inside.

"Hmm..."

Shard watched the wardrobe door close, then saw Lecia enter the bedroom. Her Highness the Princess wasn't actually wearing Luviya's clothes; she leaned against the doorframe, smiling:

"Oh, you seem ready. So eager? Your fiancée won't be back tonight; we have plenty of time."

Although the clothes were changed, she still wore the small silver tiara encrusted with diamonds atop her head, her fiery red hair completely loose. She turned on the gas lamp in the bedroom and sat down where Dorothy had just been, embracing him and sweet-talking:

"Cherish this night, Shard. We will have countless nights in our lives, but I will remember every long night spent with you. This is... a deity's blessing."

She gently bit Shard's neck and was about to reach for his clothes when suddenly both heard the washroom door open, and a girl with purple eyes walked into the living room wearing slippers:

"Shard? Where did you go?"

The voice was exceptionally crisp.

"Oh, why is she here? Wasn't she supposed to be busy today?"

The "panicked" princess immediately stood up, tidying her dress with some haste:

"Unlucky, we can't let your fiancée see me as your lover. Knight, don't tell her I'm here!"

With that, she quickly kissed Shard's cheek, hurried to the wardrobe, and slipped inside.

"She" chuckled softly in Shard's ear, as the perplexed Luviya walked into the bedroom. Seeing Shard already sitting by the bed, she smiled:

"So eager? My knight, the night is still long."

She sat where Dorothy and Lecia had been sitting, with a new scent of perfume. Her hair had been dried but was still damp.

The girl blushed and looked at Shard:

"Knight, tonight... you can be freer. After all, it's the Year-End Festival, and perhaps we could play some bold games."

While Shard looked at her, she took a black lace ribbon from the pocket of her nightgown and waved it at Shard.

Shard blinked, reached out to grasp her raised wrist, and looked at her face quite seriously:

"Are you really sure you want to do this... Actually, whatever way we spend the Year-End Festival, I'm fine. As long as I can see you, I'm already very content."

"Iluna said you used the Sublimation Incantation forcibly because you didn't want to see me cry."

She leaned slightly forward, whispered softly in Shard's ear, then raised her hand and covered Shard's eyes with that warm black lace ribbon:

"Enjoy the night, Knight."

She gently pushed Shard, and as he lay down, Shard also heard the wardrobe open. However, it seemed Mia wouldn't come out tonight:

"Once a year opportunity, don't think we are careless girls."

Shard's eyes were covered, only able to hear the door being closed and locked, the curtains being drawn, and sensing the gas lamp being dimmed to its faintest light.

He smelled three different perfume scents approaching him, feeling his heart pounding powerfully.

"Need me to describe it for you?"

A whisper asked by his ear.

"This black ribbon... actually is slightly translucent."

The canopy of the four-poster bed dropped down. After the sound of clothes rustling, clothes were thrown onto the bedroom floor one by one through the gap in the curtain.

Hair brushed against Shard's shoulders, and someone laughed:

"Shard, let's see your skills. This time, it's three female sorcerers."

"Happy Year-End Festival."

Shard whispered, and then he had no further chance to speak. Though they all felt shy, the girls were really enthusiastic. After all, the Year-End Festival had arrived, an activity that only happens once a year. After tonight, the girls wouldn't admit to anything that happened, and this night would probably be quite long...