Chapter 258 Resolving problems with Elise? (IV)
(POV: Lumiere)
After the chaos had settled, I was standing before Ophelia and Grome, with Anastasia by my side.
I gave a full explanation of my recent conversation with Alice.
Also, I filled them in on my plan.
Ophelia listened intently, her brows furrowing in concentration.
When I finished speaking, she raised a finger, signaling for a moment to gather her thoughts.
"Let me get this straight," she began. "You want me to organize a labyrinth exploration class as a way to bring Lumila and Elise together again?"
I nodded, my eyes firmly fixed on Ophelia.
Grome, who was silent until now, frowned and spoke up.
"But why does getting them back together even matter? What difference will it make?"
I met Grome's gaze. "You see, Elise has been suffering from a lack of confidence," I explained, my voice steady. "She's always been compared to Lumila, and people believe Lumila is better than her. It's been weighing on Elise, and I believe it's affecting her performance."
Ophelia nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful.
"So, your plan is to have Lumila and Elise interact more while they're alone in the labyrinth?" she clarified. "And by doing so, you hope to boost Elise's confidence?"
I smiled, appreciating Ophelia's ability to grasp the essence of my plan.
"Exactly," I confirmed.
Maybe Elise or these guys didn't know it, but I knew one thing was for sure...
"Deep down, Elise admires Lumila. If Lumila, as blunt as she can be, can witness just how hard Elise is trying, I believe I can convince her to support Elise more in the academy. Lumila's opinion carries weight, after all."
I was sure of this because I was once like Lumila.
I may not have said it, but I envied and admired "most" of my siblings.
Because unlike me, their mothers were chosen to be my father's wife.
As for me, I didn't have that luxury.
Anastasia, who was scratching her neck throughout the debate, chimed a bit skeptically.
"But how does that solve the problem of Elise's low self-esteem? Just having Lumila's support isn't enough, is it?"
Well, from her perspective and everyone else's, she had a point.
"You're right, Anastasia," I admitted. "It's not a guaranteed fix. However, if Lumila can openly acknowledge her, she'd be inclined to work more... Think about it, Lumila is from a higher class in their family, her acknowledgedment would mean a lot..."
Besides, if I were alone with them during the exploration, I'd be able to interact better with Elise...
Mwehehe... She'd have nowhere to run...
Ophelia stared at me, her eyes narrowed in contemplation.
"You have a point," she finally admitted, however, still uncertain. "But how do we make sure the students don't question why I'm only taking two of them?"
"Yeah," Anastasia shrugged, for some reason unhappy. "It'll look like favoritism... I mean, recently, all you talk about is Elise," her eyes drifted to the side.
"Eh?" I said.
"Never mind," Anastasia replied.
"O... Okay...?"
Ophelia sighed, "Can we get back on topic please?"
I pondered for a moment before responding confidently, "Actually, everyone will be going to the labyrinth."
Grome snapped his fingers and interjected, "But won't they get lost at some point? It's a huge maze, after all."
Naturally, that's the point.
I nodded in agreement, unable to hold my smirk.
"Exactly. However, it won't be all of them. We'll ensure that there's still a good number, so no one?s left at a disadvantage."
Grome's eyes lit up with excitement as he exclaimed, "That's awesome!"
"Pretty much," I replied with a satisfied grin.
We instinctively bumped fists in celebration of our plan.
Ophelia rubbed her chin, still unsure about our idea.
"It's brilliant, but... I can't help but feel a bit uncomfortable with it."
Ugh, there she goes again.
I turned Ophelia's attention towards Elise, who sat isolated under a shade tree, her face buried deep into her scarf. The other students interacted and laughed, but Elise remained isolated and distant.
"Look at her," I said softly. "She's alone."
"I know that, but..."
"No buts, sure we don't know what's going on in Elise?s head, but I do know one thing... She's alone..."
And there's nothing good... About loneliness...
Grome could sense Ophelia's reluctance and quickly chimed in, "Come on, just go with the idea. It'll be good for everyone."
Ophelia grumbled under her breath, still hesitant.
I placed my hands on her shoulders, urging her to take a leap of faith.
"Come on, trust me. It'll be alright."
With a sigh, Ophelia finally relented.
"Alright, I'll go along with it."
She folded her hands, clearly annoyed, and then made her way to leave.
Watching her go, I felt a bit frustrated. "What's her problem?" I muttered to myself, partly annoyed.
Anastasia, overhearing my comment, simply responded with a "Hmph!" and took her leave.
"Eh, what'd I do...?"
My gaze shifted to Grome.
He looked at me, as oblivious as I was.
"Oh yeah," said Grome.
"Hm?"
Grome leaned against the stone wall. "So, what's the deal with you being here at the university?" he asked.
I let out a small sigh, my mind wandering back to the events that led me here. "It's a long story, but I met some certain women who connected me to this place."
"It's always women with you, isn't it?" he told me, underwhelmed.
I dressed my hair sheepishly. "Hah~ I guess..."
Grome scratched his head, a puzzled expression etched on his face.
"But isn't it a bit strange for you to take on a job like this?" he questioned.
"Huh? Why though?"
"I mean, aren't you supposed to be developing a Viscounty and overseeing your domain?"
I chuckled softly, shaking my head in response. "I have capable subordinates," I reassured him. "I trust them to handle things while I'm here."
Skarz and Martini were capable and so were my female companions.
Mojito... No.
Grome smirked, clearly not buying my explanation.
"Oh, so you're just trying to skip out on work then?" he teased.
Yep.
I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling a bit self-conscious. "Who said that?" I countered. "I love working, okay?"
Grome raised an eyebrow, a twinkle in his eye. "Sure, sure," he remarked with a playfully skeptical tone. "But I happen to know that you don't particularly enjoy working with Lady Lucilia."
I scratched my cheek sheepishly, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "She... she just stresses me out sometimes," I admitted.
There's no way anyone could say Grome was slow.
He was smarter than they gave him credit for.
It actually felt like he preferred acting dumb or less concerned— than being his usual "intelligent" self.
Grome let out a hearty laugh, his metallic glove slapping my back with a loud clank.
"Jeez," I said.
"You don't even know the half of it," he said, still chuckling. "I don't know where she gets all her energy from."
I nodded empathetically, a wry grin forming on my face. "For real," I replied, partly exasperated.
Grome cocked his head to the side.
"Speaking of Lady Lucilia, isn't today the day she has her marriage proposal interviews?" he asked, his tone filled with curiosity.
I sighed deeply, a sense of dread washing over me.
"Yeah, and I have to assist her with it..."
Grome's laughter echoed once more.
"Well, my friend, it seems luck isn't on your side today," he jeered.
He really wrong, but whatever.
With a playful slap on my back, AGAIN, he bid me farewell.
"Time for some eats, I'm fucking famished," he exclaimed.
Stretching my arms and letting out a contented sigh, I joined the small crowd of students that had gathered around Ophelia, their "esteemed" professor.
"With utmost delight..."
She may have said that, but she wasn't delighted one bit.
"I've decided to introduce a labyrinth exploration test for you, my dear students. This test shall account for forty percent of your final marks."
A collective gasp filled the air.
Amidst the fervor, Lance, smiled at his mirror.
"Forty percent, you say?" he chuckled deeply, his voice like a velvet melody. "That, my friends, is a mere understatement. My beauty alone is worth a hundred percent..."
How does that even... Never mind...
Aidan adjusted his spectacles with an exasperated sigh.
"Don't you get tired of that?"
Lance simply shrugged, a self-assured smirk playing on his lips.
"Perhaps, the day my beauty wanes will be the day of eternal night. But until then, the world shall bear witness to my celestial splendor..."
"Cringe, but okay," said Aidan.
Aidan sighed, shaking his head in mock defeat. His gaze shifted as Luna, ever inquisitive, raised her arm, drawing Ophelia's attention. "Yes, class representative?" Ophelia acknowledged, granting Luna permission to speak.
Luna directed her question to Ophelia.
"When will this test take place, and which labyrinth on what continent shall we explore?"
"It's all you," Ophelia left me to answer them.
Jeez.
"Well, it's an impromptu test, so likely early tomorrow morning..."
"Like it's possible, you'd have to have a labyrinth in place or it'd just be stupid," Lumila adjusted her spectacles.
I sighed. "I uh, already searched for it beforehand."
"That that'd mean it wasn't an impromptu test," she kept a steady stare at me. "It was planned."
"Whatever," I said.
My [Magic Detect] was high enough to search for a labyrinth quickly.
So, the moment I had the idea of a labyrinth exploration test, I just flat out searched for one.
Even if it took only 3 seconds.
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