Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 404

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Clarissa shot Quentin an irritated glare and shoved his shoulder.

With a sharp tone, she chided, “Why are you always taking someone else’s side? Don’t you want your own daughter to succeed?”

Quentin pursed his lips, quickly backpedaling to appease her. “Of course Penelope will take first place! It’s not just up to the judges, remember—there’s the audience vote, too. And during Penelope’s performance, the auditorium was packed.”

Clarissa lifted her chin with pride. “Penelope is absolutely going to win first place!”

She’d already spoken with more than a few parents ahead of time. As far as she knew, over half of the parents had already marked Penelope Vaughn’s name on their ballots.

A few rows away, Selene kept her head down and quietly checked off Daph’s act on her program sheet.

Altair did the same and even flashed Selene a thumbs-up.

Selene broke into a wide grin.

Dames, sitting diagonally behind them, caught the exchange between Selene and Altair. His eyes grew dark and a little mournful.

Then Harrison spoke up. “Why aren’t you voting for Daph?”

Dames exhaled sharply, cheeks puffed in annoyance. “Why do I have to vote for Daph?”

“If you’re not voting for her, then who are you voting for?”

Dames’ eyes darted back and forth across the list of acts.

He finally checked the box next to Penelope’s name.

If Selene wouldn’t even give him a hug, there was no way he was voting for Daph.

Around the room, parents and guests folded their programs and slipped them into the ballot box.

Ten minutes later, one of the judges stepped up to the microphone to announce the winners.

“…And the first prize goes to: Room 1—‘Swan Lake.’”

Daph faced the crowd without a hint of stage fright.

“My partner is my uncle!”

The host grinned, playing along. “So, Uncle, are you married?”

Luke Holloway’s expression remained cool. “No.”

The host’s smile widened, her perfectly made-up face lighting up with delight.

“So, Uncle, does that mean you don’t have a girlfriend either?”

Luke pressed his lips together, giving a single, quiet, “No.”

He’d never liked being the center of attention, but for Daph, he’d stepped onto the stage, content to let her shine while he remained in the background.

And because he didn’t want to scare the other children, Luke had even left his usual mask at home for the performance.