Chapter 649

Alberto Patrick looked unusually listless, standing off to the side without her usual chirping chatter. The lively girl who once thrived in the spotlight now seemed dimmed, weighed down by something unspoken. The other guests weren’t faring much better. Their faces reflected a shared gloom, as if the challenge hanging over them had already drained their spirits. To put it bluntly, no one felt confident. Most were already hungry, their stomachs growling audibly, and yet the task before them was both physically demanding and maddeningly uncertain. Success was not guaranteed. And failure? Failure meant no dinner. A romantic candlelit meal with their crush might sound like a dream on paper, but right now, reality was far less glamorous. Hunger gnawed at them more fiercely than longing ever could. The thought only made their moods heavier. Behind them loomed the castle—grand, sprawling, and intimidating. Just walking through its endless corridors and towers would probably leave their legs t