Chapter 318 Student chat in snow?
Winter Break Arc.
(POV: Lumiere)
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In that moment, a familiar voice called out my name, causing me to quickly turn my head. Lumila and Elise stood there, both of them wearing expressions of surprise and curiosity.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
My heart skipped a beat as I instinctively took a step back, preparing myself for possible confrontation.
However, before I could react, Aidan's voice broke through the tension.
"There's no need to run," he told me, appearing behind me. "We lost interest in chasing you yesterday."
I knew his voice was meant to come off as reassuring, but everything about the way he said it just sounded menacing...
I immediately acted like I was confused; sheepishly scratching my head as I wore an uncomfortable smile. "Who said anything about running? Certainly not me." I retorted.
Lumila's eyes narrowed as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Cut the crap," she snapped, her tone stern. "We all know what you were gonna doing."
I bristled at her accusation, feeling a surge of indignation. "Hey, watch your language," I snapped back, barely any strength behind my words.
To be honest, she was right.
After all, I was the one who suggested the labyrinth thing and went things went south, I wasn't even around to help them. But that wasn't the worst thing to happen. It was the fact that even after everything that occurred, I forgot to visit them and see how they were doing— note, it wasn't because I forgot to, although I totally did for a moment, but I was so occupied with Ravenna I didn't have the chance to.
Lumila rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Whatever," she muttered dismissively.
In the midst of our exchange, Elise remained silent, that was usual, her face partially obscured by a scarf.
But one thing came to me as unusual from her...
I noticed the surprising fact that Elise and Lumila were both present at the same time. It was a rare occurrence. And not just being present at the same time, but being so close to each other.
I looked at her.
"..."
She looked at me.
"..."
"Elise, yo!" I called out, attempting to break the awkward atmosphere.
Startled, Elise took a step back and her eyes met mine. "H... Hi... Professor Lumiere," she stammered nervously.
I let out an awkward chuckle, trying to put her at ease. "No need to be so shy around me," I said with a warm smile. "I won't bite."
"I'm... S... Sorry," Elise replied.
Lumila, observing the interaction, sighed heavily. "Jeez, Elise, you need to be more forthcoming," she advised.
The way Lumila acted the the moment she heard Elise apologize almost felt like she was a robot; pre-programmed to react in that manner.
Without warning, Lumila gently grabbed Elise's wrist and pulled her closer, positioning her just a few meters away from me.
Blushing furiously, Elise immediately retreated, seeking refuge behind Lumila once again. Lumila let out a long-suffering sigh, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're helpless," Lumila muttered in resignation.
Elise, hiding behind Lumila, then said, "Sorry."
"It's fine," Lumila sighed.
Now this was absolutely weird. The two of them were getting along, my initial thought was that they didn't fancy each other, but actually, maybe they did and I just couldn't see it. Or, no, if they did I'm pretty sure at least I'd have seen a sign or two...
I pointed first at Lumila, then at Elise, and once again back at Lumila.
"You guys are..."
Lumila, with her arms folded and her glasses gently adjusted on her nose, raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Hm? Speak up, please," she said, urging me to continue.
I still took my time to analyze the closeness before telling her. "Well, it's just that...you and Elise seem to be getting along pretty well," I finally managed to say.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Lumila's lips, and she nodded in agreement. "Of course we are. After all, she's my sister," she replied matter-of-factly.
Who knew Lumila could smile?!
She was always so stuck up and blunt I thought she'd remain like that forever.
I paused, contemplating my next words, but before I could speak, Aidan interjected. "And who might this lady be?" he asked, his gaze shifting towards the wavy haired woman behind me.
Confused, I turned around and looked back at Ravenna, who had apparently finished building a snowman. She was still making the finishing touches on the snowman. "I'm his wife," she said nonchalantly, like it was nothing big.
"No." I said immediately.
It didn't come out with shock nor denial. I was already used to Ravenna giving me this level of surprise so I just had to adjust.
Aidan, looking skeptical as ever, glanced at me before turning his attention back to Ravenna. "I must say, it's hard to believe you aside from the fact that she sounds so sincere," he remarked.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to convey my disapproval. "No, no, she's not my wife... definitely not," I insisted, my words stumbling over one another in my haste.
Aidan shrugged nonchalantly, adjusting his long brown coat and the furry collar. "Well, a sincere person, no, a sincere professor wouldn't run away from his students because he lacks the common courtesy to check up on them, would he?" he retorted, his breath visible in the cold air.
I let out an awkward chuckle, realizing there was no escaping this conversation. "You're not gonna let that go will ya...?" I said.
Aidan shook his head. "Certainly not. Just pray that Anastasia doesn't find you anytime soon," he warned, his tone half-joking, half-serious.
But knowing the type of person Aidan was, he definitely meant every word of what he said. The only reason he sounded amused was definitely because of how good it'd feel to watch me be on the receiving end of her nagging.
Aidan adjusted his long brown coat, the soft fur collar framing his face, as he turned his gaze towards Lumila. His words created tiny clouds as he spoke.
"Lumila..."
"Yeah?"
"Be honest, who do you believe? The professor or Ravenna?"
Lumila only took a second to think about it and then she said, "Lumiere."
"THANK YOU!"
I thanked Lumila in earnest for her impending response, desperately hoping she would see the truth in my words. Lumila, with her arms folded and glasses perched delicately on her nose, contemplated her answer. "Well," she started with a thoughtful voice, "it's hard to imagine a loser like the professor could really capture the attention of someone like her, she's way too attractive for him."
I felt a surge of disappointment wash over me, my gaze dropping to the snowy ground. "I take that back," I muttered.
The students of mine were still bastards after all...
Ravenna, still crouched by her snowman, placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head slightly. With a her usual calm and somewhat emotionless smile, she addressed Lumila directly. "To be honest, Lumi does possess a certain charm that could draw the eyes of many women," she confessed.
Lumila shifted her gaze towards me, her eyes critical as she took in my appearance. "While that may be true," she acknowledged, "I can't help but wonder what kind of woman would capture your heart."
I shrugged, attempting to convey my belief that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. "Looks aren't everything," I offered. "It's the connection between two people that truly matters."
I said that, but on both occasions (Lucretia & Serena) I fell in love with looks before getting to know them.
Ravenna interjected playfully. "Says the pretty boy."
"I'll be the judge of that..." Lumila rubbed her chin, deep in thought.
Deciding to examine the matter further, she walked towards me, getting so close that her nose was almost touching mine. We locked eyes, the air around us charged with anticipation. Her sweet vanilla scent enveloped me as her hot breath brushed against my face.
Lumila squinted her eyes pensively.
"You do have very nice lips," she said.
"..."
"You might just be a great kisser..."
"..."
"We should test that."
"Eh?"
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