The crystal chandelier in the nursery suddenly dimmed three shades, while Aelia remained focused on styling Luna's hair with Ice Magic. Shu Chi's silvery hair, entwined in the air, suddenly stiffened like a bowstring, resonating with the tune of "Moonlight Sonnet"—the ice string melody Leonard had composed for her last year on their wedding anniversary.
"Mother is going to cry," Luna said, clutching a coral Teething Stick, her Lullaby Voice wrapping around Xing Mang as it struck the ice string.
Aelia's Ice Lion Emblem flared to life in response, but it extinguished abruptly upon touching the baby's Pupil. The Dressing Mirror reflected her suddenly pale face—Luna's little arm, resembling Oujie's, pointed at her Neck and Ice Crystal Necklace, which contained the Northern Lights Leonard had gifted her when he proposed twenty years ago.
The ice crystal suddenly cracked in a spider web pattern, causing Luna to roll over and knock over the Magic Baby Bottle.
Lavender Liquid meandered across the velvet blanket, forming a Prophecy Mirror. Aelia saw the remnants of an Ice Lion Cloak floating in a black market alley, Leonard's hand, adorned with a Transfiguration Ring, caressing the swollen belly of a Red-Haired Woman. The Magic Crystal Lamp at the alley's entrance illuminated the scar on the inner side of his ring finger—the mark she had desperately bitten into him on their wedding night.
"An illusion! This is the Black Sorcerer's trick!" Aelia exclaimed as she waved her sleeve to freeze the entire carpet. However, Ice Shards crawled up her trembling Fingertip along the hem of her skirt.
Suddenly, Luna grasped her frozen pinky finger. The warmth from the infant's palm surged forth as golden Liuguang flowed out. The Ice Crystal Necklace shattered with a "crack," and its fragments reformed into a Holographic Projection of Leonard in the Outer Chamber—two black-haired boys running in the courtyard, looking exactly like Mei Yan and Lucius in their childhood.
A roar echoed from the East Tower as if a Crystal Harp had burst apart, and Aelia heard the vows from eighteen years ago at the Magic Crystal Cathedral.
She remembered Leonard embedding the Wedding Ring into her flesh and saying that the Ice Lion Bloodline would only boil for one person in this lifetime.
At that moment, her Palm was cut by frost, and a faint blue Blood Pearl oozed from the wound, falling to the ground and blooming into a Blood Rose—the most vicious Betrayal Curse of the Ice Lion Knight.
"Mother, don't cry." Luna suddenly spoke a complete sentence, her chubby finger pointing at her Tear Mole.
The Family Totem at Aelia's nape suddenly grew warm. The Grooming Station's Dark Compartment popped open automatically, revealing a long-sealed Frost Diary. It flipped to its last page—the center of the Magic Circle she had drawn during her pregnancy now bore an ominous Dark Red Curse that was responsible for Eldest Son's Magic Backlash.
Suddenly, a resonance echoed from deep within the castle as Leonard's sword emitted a hum. Luna's eyes sparkled with Xing Mang.
Aelia picked up the baby and rushed toward the Training Ground, and along the way, the Frost Patterns on the walls seemed to part for her.
They stumbled upon the Eldest Son, who was practicing spells with his severed limb. The mechanical prosthetic on his left arm was seeping black mist.
"The seventh piece of Peacock Stone Tiles in the Southeast Corner," Luna suddenly spoke, her fingers stained with milk tracing a fragmented Holy Light Array in the air.
The Eldest Son's magic, Zhang Jian, sparked as it struck the track drawn by the infant, suddenly completing itself—this was precisely the Purification Array he had mistakenly drawn during his Mage assessment three years ago.
As Luna bit her finger and flicked a Blood Pearl into the array's center, the Defensive Barrier of the Training Ground Dome suddenly dropped.
Aelia saw the black mist coalesce into a poisonous Serpent Pattern at the Eldest Son's severed limb, while Luna's Teething Stick fortuitously shattered the serpent's eye—this was the Anti-Curse Talisman she had planted for him years ago to protect her pregnant self.
In the Magic Storm, where frost and golden flames intertwined, the gears of the Eldest Son's Mechanical Arm began to spin wildly in reverse.
Luna suddenly laughed as she grasped his mangled elbow, and the silver-white liquid surging from the infant's palm instantly filled all the drive shafts.
When the chime of the Ice Crystal Pocket Watch echoed through the castle, the young man looked on in disbelief as new flesh and blood sprouted from him—this was clearly the Time Reversal Forbidden Technique known only to the Ice Dragon Clan royalty.
As twilight descended, Luna rested her head on Aelia's shoulder and let out a lactation burp.
They passed by the tightly shut door of the Second Young Master when the infant suddenly stared blankly at the indigo mist spilling from the door gap.
A sharp pain shot through Aelia's unhealed wound at her neck; she caught a glimpse of Luna quietly clutching the Broken Pocket Watch she had stealthily taken from the Eldest Son's room—the surface frozen in a Magic Moment, pointing to a rainy night of betrayal by a close friend.
Aelia held Luna as they stood before the door of the Second Young Master, and the Star Moon Embroidery on the infant swaddling began to absorb the indigo mist spilling from the door gap.
The baby suddenly extended a finger stained with milk and drew half of a broken Holy Light Symbol in midair.
"Ah!" Luna's exclamation startled those inside the room.
At that moment, as the Golden Oak Door swung open automatically, thirty-seven Magic Sound Bells rang out simultaneously.
Yarlin sat slumped in the center of the Star Pattern carpet, his Harp String automatically playing "Twilight Requiem." His left ring finger was wrapped in the indigo Azure Dark Purple Thread—a Friendship Ring exchanged with his dear friend Noah when they won the Magic Music Competition.
"Mother?" Yarlin managed to lift his head, a tadpole-shaped shadow swimming in his eye. "Noah said this is a soothing melody to relieve nightmares..."
Suddenly, Luna hurled a coral Teething Stick at the Crystal Lamp Shade.
The refracted Light Spot landed precisely on the seventh Qin Xian of the Harp, revealing the Soul Devouring Curse hidden in the Resonance box—woven from the fur of a Blood Moon Werewolf.
Aelia's pupils constricted; she recognized this black market Contraband, having seen similar methods during the crackdown on the Black Sorcerer twenty years ago.
"Ding!" Luna's Crystal Baby Bottle collided with Yarlin's Waist Leonard's Sword.
The sound of metal clashing unexpectedly formed a high-frequency scale, causing all the Magic Sound Bells in the room to explode simultaneously.
Yarlin trembled all over, watching Noah's Xu Ying emerge from the Friendship Ring—a Bard who always wore a gentle smile, now grinning wickedly at the crystal ball: "Once the Ice Lion Emblem turns completely black..."
Luna suddenly grabbed Aelia's Ice Crystal Earrings, yanked them off, and threw them at Xu Ying.
As the Moonstone Earrings pierced through Noah's heart position in the image, the curse represented by the Dark Purple Thread in Yarlin's fingers ignited suddenly. From the ashes emerged a fragment of a broken score—it was his original masterpiece "Dawn's Light," lost three years ago on the eve of his Mage assessment.
A sound of shattering glass suddenly came from the West Tower, and Luna turned to look up at the Spiral Staircase.
Following the baby's gaze, Aelia saw that Third Young Master Lucius Kevin's laboratory was seeping with an eerie Seven-Colored Flowing Light—a sign of elemental magic going out of control.
When they kicked open the laboratory door, Kevin was tossing Evening Primrose into a boiling Dragon Blood Reagent.
This red-haired youth had seventeen open ancient tomes scattered at his feet, and three deadly Errors were hidden within the slanted Magic Formula on the wall—Luna recognized it as a knowledge trap commonly used by her enlightening mentor.
"Get away!" Kevin shouted, waving a Test Tube emitting Zi Yan. "You have no idea what true elemental fusion is..."
Luna suddenly spat out a bubble, and one shimmering golden bubble landed right on the wall's surface.
The modified Magic Circle suddenly projected a three-dimensional Star Map, and Kevin's Test Tube exploded with a loud "bang," splattering liquid that revealed traces of tampering under the glow of the Star Map—key chapters in his treasured ancient tome, Arcane Source, had been replaced using a mirroring spell.
Aelia's neck wound suddenly oozed Ice Blue Blood Pearls, which fell to the ground and formed a miniature storm of Wind and Snow, swirling all the ancient texts in the laboratory into the air.
Seizing the opportunity, Luna grabbed Kevin's Amber necklace, her chubby fingers pressing against the Jade Pendant in the Dark Compartment—Click! A picture of his long-lost first love popped out, with the back inscribed in Elvish Language: "When the Stellar Trajectory shifts by twenty degrees."
"It can't be..." Kevin knelt on the ground, watching as Luna used her saliva to draw the correct Star Trail on the Experiment Table.
When an infant's powder jar knocked over Elemental Balance, a peculiar Resonance caused all the magical instruments in the room to automatically correct the Error. His cherished Secret Recipe suddenly ignited, revealing true Ancient Elven Script among the Ashes.
As Twilight stained the Castle Spire red, Aelia handed Luna over to Qin Si and turned toward her study.
Nine Ice Crystal Lamps lit up one by one with her footsteps, illuminating twenty scrolls bound in Jin Bian on the Sandalwood Table that detailed travel records.
As she sliced her Fingertip and let Blood Pearls drip onto the sealed Magic Lock, the Frost Ledger automatically flipped to the page titled Special Expenditure, where records of gemstone purchases from the Northern Black Market mingled with expenses for a certain Red-Haired Woman's childbirth.
"My lady..." Qin Si's voice came from a hidden door. The maid, always sporting a butterfly Hair Bun, held a trembling Moonstone. "On the fifteenth of last month, Lord's demon-hunting team actually..."
Aelia raised her hand to freeze the maid's unfinished sentence.
She caressed the Black Market Contract tucked within her Family Ledger; a corner of the Contract bore an Ice Lion Wax Seal still smeared with Jasmine Powder—her most detested sweet scent.
Suddenly, several Blood Roses floated in through the window. As she crushed their petals, the cold fragrance of Northern Cedar mixed with Jasmine pierced her nostrils—how dare that woman use creations from her exclusive Perfumer!
The Peacock Stone Tiles vibrated rhythmically; Aelia knew this was a sign that the magical lift was in operation.
She stuffed the Contract into Luna's swaddling dark layer and turned to see a flash of Silver Gray Hem at the end of the corridor—that was Lucius’s Starlight Gown worn for royal balls.
As the Twilight tinted the Ice Crystal Window amber, Lucius encountered Qin Si, who was holding Luna, in the Emerald Corridor.
The hem of his Silver Gray suit was still stained with Stardust from the royal ball, while the Ice Lion Crest on his chest glowed with an unusual red light due to Magic Fluctuation.
"Third Young Master..." Qin Si took a step back, and suddenly, half of a Black Market Contract slipped out from Luna's swaddling.
In the moment Lucius bent down to pick it up, the chubby palm of the baby unexpectedly pressed against his forehead. The sweet scent of Jasmine Powder from the Contract was suddenly purified by Holy Light Purification—a Purification Spell that Luna had secretly learned in her mother's study.
A flash of the Ice Lion Wax Seal at the end of the Contract appeared in Lucius's pupils; it was a Magic Seal specifically used by his father for handling Secret Script items.
When he looked up, he saw Luna's eyes reflecting the illusion of the Northern Territory's Outer Chamber: two boys, about seven or eight years old, practicing the Ice Blade Technique in the courtyard. The older boy's initial stance was strikingly similar to his own when he competed at twelve.
"They..." Lucius's fingers turned white as he clenched them. The Star-Moon Pattern on his cuffs suddenly lit up with defensive magic. "Does Mother know?"
Luna suddenly tugged at his flowing silver hair and recited a broken Spell in a baby voice.
The Communication Crystal at Lucius's waist automatically played Leonard's Last Night from three hours ago—when Aelia froze the entire Contract wall, emerging from the frost was the truth of his high fever during infancy: that night, Leonard used Bloodline Transfer Technique in the Outer Chamber to transfer a curse from an illegitimate child onto him.
A roar of ice crystals exploding echoed from the Training Ground. As Lucius rushed forward with Luna in his arms, he stumbled upon a shocking scene: his brother's Mechanical Prosthetic hovered in mid-air, and instead of black mist pouring from its gear gaps, pure Ice Blue Magical Flow surged forth.
The new flesh and blood birthed by Time Reversal Forbidden Technique perfectly fused with old wounds, casting light spots resembling Ice Dragon Clan scales on the ground.
"Under the seventh Peacock Stone Tile lies a Counter-curse Medium," Luna suddenly pointed to the Southeast Corner, her lullaby voice resonating clearly within Magic Resonance.
Aelia immediately swung her Ice Staff to break through the Peacock Stone Tiles. In the frozen soil lay half of a Blood Jade Ring—exactly what Leonard claimed to have lost while exterminating the Black Sorcerer.
Trembling, Lucius's brother touched the Dark Pattern inside the ring. Suddenly, Frost Diary flew out from Aelia's arms.
As moonlight illuminated those twisted Dark Red Curses, the Blood Jade Ring cracked in two, revealing hair hidden within a Hidden Layer—after magical detection, it was confirmed to be Golden Hair cut off at the time of Eldest Son's birth.
"Father used Bloodline Curse..." Lucius watched as the black mist dissipated from his brother's severed limb, and the Mechanical Prosthetic suddenly disassembled, revealing a newly formed complete arm beneath.
Aelia's Tear Mole unexpectedly exuded a Blood Pearl, a sign that the matriarch of the Ice Lion Family sensed the revival of the Bloodline.
Suddenly, a discordant sound from a Harp echoed through the West Corridor. Luna tugged at Lucius's collar, pointing towards the Second Young Master's room.
When they arrived, Yarlin was kneeling amidst shattered Magic Sound Bells. The Friendship Ring on his left hand's ring finger had faded to a grayish-white, and the Azure curse of Dark Purple Thread was slowly breaking apart in the holy light.
"Use Twilight Nocturne, Third Movement." Luna suddenly grabbed Yarlin's Leonard's Sword and struck the crystal chandelier.
The collision of metal and crystal produced an unusual overtone, causing the floating Contract Fragments to assemble into a complete musical score—specifically, the portion of Dawn's Light that Noah had plagiarized from him.
As Yarlin trembled while plucking the repaired seventh Qin Xian, a golden cascade erupted from the Resonance box.
Seizing the opportunity, Luna pressed her finger, stained with Milk Stain, against the body of the instrument. The Soul Devouring Curse, tainted by blood moon werewolf fur, spontaneously ignited. From the Ashes emerged a Memory Frame of Noah's transaction with the Black Sorcerer—three years ago on a rainy night, someone had used an Ice Lion Crest pass to clear black market goods.
"It's Father's Transfiguration Ring!" Lucius suddenly pointed at the edge of Leonard's Last Night, where a bite mark scar inside a ring was particularly clear in the lightning.
The Black Rose curse on Aelia's neck flared up unexpectedly; in her agony, she glimpsed a more terrifying truth—Noah's approach to Yarlin years ago had been a trap set by Leonard to weaken the power of the Legitimate Son.
When a Roar from Elemental Uprising echoed from Kevin's laboratory direction, Luna suddenly grabbed Aelia's Pearl Necklace.
When they arrived, this typically rebellious Third Young Master Lucius was kneeling among floating ancient texts, clutching the Star Chart that Luna had repaired with her saliva.
The seven elemental badges on his Experimental Robe flickered alternately before finally settling on Ice Blue—an indication of the awakening of the legitimate Ice Lion Bloodline.
"The Star Trail has shifted nineteen and a half degrees..." Kevin suddenly sliced open his Amber Pendant with an experimental knife. An Ankeli fell out along with half of a Maple Leaf Specimen—an item he had kept since the night before his first love disappeared.
Luna crawled over and traced a partial Coordinate on the leaf with her Milk Stain-covered finger. When Kevin infused it with magical energy, the maple leaf suddenly projected a hidden message revealed by mirroring magic: "When frost blinds the Eye of Truth..."
Aelia suddenly covered her heart, recognizing the ink used in the message—it was the Northern Cedar Ink specially supplied by Leonard's study.
Seizing the opportunity, Luna kicked the Starry Hourglass towards Elemental Balance. When the two collided, a strange resonance wave emerged, causing the Star Map in the Laboratory Dome to begin correcting itself automatically. A constellation that had been deliberately erased slowly began to emerge—that was the Secret Astral Knowledge reserved for the heirs of the Ice Lion Family.
As twilight completely enveloped the castle, Lucius discovered a crumpled parchment in Luna's swaddling.
When he illuminated the paper with the Magic Gem on his Starlight Gown, the squiggly infant's doodle transformed into the Ice Lion Family Motto.
At the end of the corridor, a Floor Mirror suddenly reflected a bizarre scene from Leonard's Last Night: a Red-Haired Woman in the Outer Chamber was casting a spell at a Magic Crystal Ball, while two boys resembling Leonard curled up at her feet. In the mirror's reflection... dragon-like Bone Wings swayed behind them.
Aelia's fingertip brushed over the dark purple petals of the Magic Crystal Rose, a magical plant from the abyss that was currently exhaling a ghostly blue halo.
Luna curled up in her swaddling, gazing at her mother's neck where the Moonstone Necklace swayed—it was a Token of Love crafted by Leonard twenty years ago.
The infant's pupil suddenly glimmered with Yin Mang.
"Ah..." Luna's fingertip poked at the Crystal Chandelier, and in an instant, a strange scene from Leonard's Last Night refracted through the Black Rose bushes.
Aelia's Morning Robe was soaked by Ye Lu as she watched the overlapping shadows in Light and Shadow: her husband was pinning a Blonde Woman against the Astrological Observatory in the Library of Hidden Books, his customary Obsidian Cufflinks glinting under the moonlight.
"Luna?" The Noblewoman stumbled to support herself on a flower stand as the Magic Crystal Rose suddenly wilted en masse.
This magical plant, which fed off its owner's emotions, was now shedding bloodied spikes.
The baby emitted an urgent Yiya sound, and her tiny hand suddenly grasped Second Brother's waist where his Secret Silver Dagger was sheathed.
The Thorn Pattern coiling around the hilt suddenly came to life, wrapping around Youth's wrist like a venomous snake—this was the "amulet" he had received from his close friend three months ago.
"By Light God!" Second Brother's scream echoed down the entire corridor.
Luna seized the opportunity to smash the Crystal Pacifier against the wall of the Tapestry, revealing the Ankeli concealed by magic, which displayed a Sheepskin Scroll documenting the Dark Spell.
It was the Healing Secret Art that her elder brother had found on an ancient battlefield six months ago.
Suddenly, Aelia's Emerald Earrings exploded; it was an alarm from the Scout Puppet she had placed in the Castle Secret Passage.
Through the fragments of the shattered earrings, she saw Third Young Master Lucius playing with the Griffin Ring, a symbol of inheritance, while laughter from a Strange Woman echoed in Leonard's study.
"Madam!" At that moment, Maid Qin Si burst through the door, and Luna let out a deafening Loud Cry.
Tears from the infant transformed into silver stars, landing precisely on Mei Xin, who was ensnared by the curse of the Three Brothers.
The foundation of the entire castle suddenly trembled as the Family Astrolabe, which had remained still for a thousand years, began to spin wildly.
Urgent footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor as Leonard's Black Gold Robe swept past the spiraling staircase.
Aelia quickly wiped away the ice crystals at her eyes and placed her daughter into Qin Si's arms.
As she turned around, all the Magic Crystal Roses that had withered on her Skirt suddenly revived, blooming in a shade more vibrant than blood-red Crimson.
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