"What's going on here?"
Murata Himeko returned to the bridge, her gaze flickering in surprise between Theresa and Lierre.
Theresa's face was flushed red, her expression crumbling as she gripped the collar of the composed Lierre with both hands, shaking her incessantly.
A few daring Valkyries nearby were cautiously trying to talk her down, but to little effect.
"Whoa, what happened all of a sudden? You two were laughing and chatting just a moment ago, why does it look like you're about to fight... Second Aunt, stop! Great Aunt is frail, she can't handle being tossed around like that!"
Kiana quickly rushed forward to pull the two apart, firmly hugging the agitated Theresa to prevent her from continuing to trouble Lierre.
Lierre straightened her messy clothes and looked at Theresa. "Honestly, your grandfather just wants to meet me and discuss an engagement date. Is there a need to be this worked up? When will you ever be as mature as I am?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, the air around them turned still.
Everyone present looked at the two of them with heads full of question marks.
What engagement?
Who and who?
"Huh?"
Theresa's eyes widened instantly.
She couldn't believe Lierre could speak of her life's most important matter in such a calm tone, as if it were something trivial.
So, according to her, Theresa was the one being unreasonable?
In an instant, the string named Sanity snapped in Theresa's mind.
"Niece! Stay out of this, this has nothing to do with you. If she doesn't give me an explanation... I'll... I'll settle this with her once and for all!"
She clawed and kicked, trying to teach Lierre a lesson, but Kiana held her back with every ounce of strength she had.
"Calm down, calm down!"
Kiana felt her arms aching, as if she weren't holding a loli, but a frenzied muscle Berserker.
In a contest of raw strength, this was the first time she had ever found herself at a disadvantage.
Sure enough, these two aunts of mine who never grow up are neither of them simple.
"What's wrong with Second Aunt?"
Kiana looked at the struggling Theresa in her arms, a question mark popping up over her head.
"Principal Theresa, please calm down. I don't know what kind of conflict has arisen between you and Lierre, but I hope you can sit down and talk it over to resolve whatever misunderstanding there is."
Raiden Mei stepped forward to help persuade her.
Under the joint efforts of Kiana and Raiden Mei, Theresa gradually regained her reason and slowly calmed down.
She signaled for Kiana to let go, took a deep breath, and said to Lierre, "You, come with me for a moment!"
Lierre gave a slight smile and said, "Sure."
Outside a tightly closed door.
"That really scared me just now. I thought they were actually going to start a brawl." Kiana rubbed her aching arms with lingering fear.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen Theresa lose her composure like this."
Murata Himeko stared at the closed door, unable to help but sigh inwardly.
She turned back to the trio, her eyes flickering as she asked curiously, "Do you know our Schicksal Overseer?"
Kiana and Raiden Mei looked at each other and shook their heads.
They still knew next to nothing about Schicksal.
Bronya's eyes moved slightly, but she didn't join the conversation.
Himeko's sharp gaze lingered on her for two seconds before shifting away inconspicuously. She spoke up:
"Your companion said just now that the Overseer wants to meet her, and even mentioned an engagement. Theresa had a very strong reaction to that word. By the way, Theresa's grandfather is the Overseer of Schicksal."
Himeko had worked with Theresa for several years. While she didn't understand her personality 100%, she had roughly figured her out.
Based on the dialogue between Lierre and Theresa just now, she deduced a piece of world-shaking news.
Theresa, the eternal single loli, was finally leaving the singles club!
And the partner was likely Lierre—even Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, had apparently agreed to the marriage.
This was a massive piece of gossip.
"It couldn't be..."
"No way."
Kiana and Raiden Mei were dumbfounded.
As people who had personally witnessed Theresa sign her name on the marriage application, and having been prompted by Himeko, they naturally made the connection.
"..."
Bronya lowered her head with a helpless look, her fair little hands tightly clutching a corner of her skirt.
She hadn't expected that what she once thought was a joke would evolve into reality.
As things reached this point, Bronya began to feel worried about her own future.
Bronya does not want to become those two people's daughter...
Meanwhile.
Inside the room.
"Since things have come to this, there's no point in me explaining further, is there?"
Lierre threw up her hands in a "might as well" gesture and explained with an innocent face, "I just wanted to trick some money out of Otto at the time. Who knew it would develop into this? No matter how you look at it, it's Otto's fault!"
Seeing her shift the blame so completely, Theresa's fists clenched in rage. "What on earth were you thinking! If you were short on money, you could have told me! Why did you have to go to my grandfather!"
"Me, short on money? Don't be ridiculous! I've hoarded quite a lot of gold bars over the years. I'm not joking when I say I could easily produce one hundred million dollars' worth of gold!"
Lierre's expression was incredibly serious as she declared she wasn't poor.
"...If you aren't short on money, then why did you do it!"
Theresa's pink fists clenched tighter and tighter. Looking at Lierre, who was trying so hard to prove she wasn't a pauper, she felt her blood pressure soaring.
Since she wasn't short on money, why on earth did she go out of her way to provoke someone she shouldn't have!
"Because it was fun," Lierre replied honestly.
"...What?"
Theresa almost thought her ears were failing her. She had actually heard an answer that nearly made her faint from anger.
"Hahaha, I thought Otto would send people to hunt me down. I was even planning to run for my life after leaving Kiana and the others in your care."
Lierre gave a sheepish laugh. "Who knew I'd end up with a prospective fiancée? Life truly is unpredictable."
"You, you, you—!"
Theresa pointed at her, trembling.
Madman!
This person is a madman!
Actually wanting Schicksal to hunt her down just for fun—what sane person would do that!
"But it doesn't matter. Worst case scenario, I'll just run away from the wedding."
Lierre shrugged indifferently. "As long as it's handled properly, it's all the same."
"No!!!"
Theresa grabbed Lierre's shoulders and said with absolute gravity, "Cecilia is indeed powerful, but the current S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal aren't just one. You absolutely must not do anything reckless!"
At this moment, Theresa no longer cared about her own life's major event.
She only wanted to talk sense into this problem child who seemed intent on seeking a death wish.