Chapter 599: Chapter 598- A date?
Ariana was currently sitting in her room, sipping coffee while reading the newspaper.
Her day was shaping up to be nothing like her peaceful morning. She already knew she would remain busy for the rest of it for several reasons.
Her top priority was making sure Forgelet was settling comfortably into the mansion.
Because her own world was in chaos, Adrian had somehow managed to convince the unseen force that allowed them to travel between worlds to let Forgelet remain here a while longer.
The System had warned Forgelet not to wander around too much and, more importantly, not to involve herself in any work that could disrupt the balance of this world.
Her genius mind might end up creating something far too advanced for this world and with so many eager customers around the world, good or evil, it surely would become a problem.
Thankfully, with Adrian continuously assuring the System, Forgelet had been granted permission to stay.
Until he found a way to save her planet, she would be living here.
As such, Ariana considered it her responsibility to make sure her stay was as comfortable as possible.
Because of her size, she couldn’t get into the house, that’s why Ariana has arranged proper living arrangements in the garden and has left enough food for her breakfast too. So there shouldn’t be any immediate problem.
The next matter on her list was contacting the Tower regarding a brief delay in their plans. Forgelet was currently in a fragile state, and asking her to create an artifact capable of assessing the situation around the Acolytes’ base would be downright inhumane.
Fortunately, Adrian had already said he would find an alternative.
"Really, for how many things he says he can take care of... I worry about that man."
Adrian already had countless responsibilities on his shoulders, yet unlike Ariana, he never appeared burdened. He never seemed to need a moment to stop, gather his thoughts, and prepare himself for the day ahead.
"And I used to tell him to follow my example and become more composed."
Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought.
After contacting Jean, she would learn whether the Acolytes had made any recent moves. Depending on what she found out, Ariana might have to urge Adrian to take action regarding the matter.
Regretfully.
As much as she hated adding even more work to Adrian’s already overflowing plate, she had little choice considering the danger the Acolytes posed. Not to mention, the other Towers were undoubtedly waiting for Ruby and Albec to make a mistake so they could pin the blame for whatever disaster followed on them.
"Haah... so much to do today."
"And yet you’ll be coming with me on a date."
A familiar voice echoed through the room.
Before Ariana could react, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, and her cup alongside the newspaper was smoothly stolen from her hand in the same motion.
She glanced over her shoulder and found Adrian standing there.
Despite it being so early in the morning, he looked remarkably bright and refreshed.
"When did you come out of the Chamber?" she asked.
Then, realizing the state she was in, she quickly turned away and rubbed her eyes before discreetly wiping the drool mark from her chin.
"Hmm, last night. It was pretty late, so I didn’t come over," Adrian replied.
He casually finished the rest of her coffee before tossing the newspaper aside without even sparing it a glance.
Ariana slowly rose from her chair.
"Now that you’re here, let’s go check on Forgelet and spend some time with her."
"Ah, don’t worry about her. Bella’s already with her," Adrian assured her with a bright smile. "And since she has nothing planned today, she’ll stay with Forgelet the whole day."
Before Ariana could respond, Adrian gently pulled her toward the bed and produced a comb from his inventory.
Ariana hummed in surprise.
"What do you mean by a date? We still have other things to take care of."
Adrian patiently asked, "And what would those be?"
His hands moved gently through her soft hair, his fingers carefully separating the strands as he began combing them.
"What about the situation with the Acolytes?"
"I’ve already thought of an artifact I can build to monitor the situation," Adrian replied calmly. "In fact, I spoke with Janet about it this morning."
Ariana blinked in surprise.
"When did you meet her?"
"She was already outside, running laps around the eastern perimeter. I happened to spot her when I went there to test a new armament."
Ariana tilted her head slightly, allowing him to gather her hair more comfortably.
"What armament?"
A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face.
"You’ll see soon enough."
He continued combing her hair before returning to the topic.
"As for the Acolytes, there haven’t been any major developments so far. Tomorrow, I’ll send my spy to locate their bases."
"Spy?"
"Yup." Adrian nodded. "Not a person. A tool."
His confidence was so casual that Ariana couldn’t help but wonder what kind of absurd invention he had come up with this time.
"What about the exams? The first-year students’ examinations are right around the corner."
Adrian chuckled.
"Now, now, Headmistress. What’s the point of being the head of the academy if you can’t abuse your authority every now and then?"
Ariana rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny the truth.
Normally, against anyone else, she would have argued and listed all the reasons why she needed to stay busy. Yet, if she was being honest with herself, she wanted to spend time with him too.
Her heart simply refused to put up a fight.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she leaned back and settled onto his lap, looking up at him.
"So, what is your plan, dear fiancé?"
Adrian shrugged.
"Nothing special."
His fingers continued gliding through her hair as he smiled down at her.
"Just take my hand and follow me wherever I lead you."
Ariana stared at him for a moment before a faint smile found its way onto her lips.
For someone who constantly carried the weight of entire worlds on his shoulders, his plans were mostly simple and lovable.
Ariana slowly rose from the bed and stepped away.
Adrian stood up as well, watching her with a hint of uncertainty.
"So?" he asked. "Is that a yes?"
Ariana paused at the doorway.
Then she shrugged casually, though the playful glint in her eyes betrayed her.
"Who knows? Maybe if you come to my door in a little while and ask me out more romantically, I might agree."
Adrian laughed.
"Then prepare to be embarrassed, because I won’t care who sees me on my knees asking you out at your doorstep."
Ariana’s cheeks warmed instantly.
She let out a giggle and hurried toward the bathroom, unable to hide her excitement at the prospect.
Adrian shook his head with a smile and watched her retreating figure disappear behind the door.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
For some reason, he had a feeling today would become one of those memories they would look back on years later and smile about.
And strangely enough, that thought filled him with anticipation.
