Chapter 75: Testing patience
"Ehh?? You were really serious about accompanying me for the night," she playfully gasped, her voice teasing. "How bold! I did not know you are such a player, commoner."
"Yeah, good luck with your fantasies," Vlad muttered, his brows furrowing as he turned to the other side, his back facing her. He was definitely not hiding his blushing face.
"Oy, errand boy."
Poke-poke.
She poked his back with her wand that she had taken out from her space ring. The tip pressed against his spine. She was not risking using her leg again.
"What?" Vlad asked, his tone annoyed, though the edge was softened.
"You address Sophia as ’Senior’ but call me by my name even though I am the President," she pointed out with a hiss, her voice carrying a note of genuine irritation. "Explain yourself."
Vlad turned again, his back touching the cold floor as he replied, "Well, I did not give much thought to it. Senior Sophia is someone I met in the academy for the first time. She is a distant person. But you... you are you. I don’t know why I started addressing you by your name."
His face shifted towards her, their pink and crimson eyes meeting as he asked, "If you find it disrespectful, I will not address you by your name anymore."
She took a small gulp, her eyes turning sideways as she muttered, "If you call me informally in front of anyone, I will turn you into grilled meat."
"Got you, Sera," Vlad said with a soft chuckle. The sudden nickname caused Seraphina to flinch instantly, her eyes widening.
"Did you not hear what I said?" she snapped, her voice turning louder, though a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"I heard you clearly, Sera. Not to address you informally ’in front of anyone’."
"Hmph, shrewd boy," she retorted, although there was no real offence in her tone. After a moment, she asked, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear, "Commoner, do you remember our date?"
"You mean the one-on-one meeting with the President?" Vlad corrected her as he continued, "It’s scheduled for tomorrow evening."
"Venue?"
"I only received the message from the council that I must arrive at the council office," Vlad informed, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Hmm, the venue is changed. You must meet me at the entrance of the main building through which you first entered the academy campus," Seraphina revealed, her tone even, almost casual.
"Why the sudden change—"
Bonk!
"Do not talk back, commoner" Seraphina muttered, hitting his head with the wand. The wooden tip tapped against his skull.
Vlad released a groan of annoyance. He turned his face to the other side, deciding not to talk to her anymore. It would not be good for his inner peace. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft rustle of fabric and the distant whisper of the night breeze.
A few minutes of silence passed, sleep finally returning to his eyes. He had only slightly drifted into the dream world when something suddenly hit his head again.
"What is your problem!?" he muttered, his eyes snapping open, his fist tightening as he suppressed his rising anger.
"Watch your tone!" Seraphina snapped, hitting his head again with the wand, her eyes narrowing into slits. The wand tapped against his skull with a sharp bonk.
At this point, Vlad wanted to snatch that annoying wand, break it into two, and throw it out of the window. But he knew better than to offend her. He was completely at her mercy currently. His jaw tightened as he forced himself to breathe.
He forced a smile onto his face, his lips twitching with hidden annoyance as he asked, "What order do you have for me, Lady Cendral?"
"Hmm, this should be the tone of an errand boy," she nodded in satisfaction before answering. "I was just checking if you had fallen asleep."
’Th-this little fox. She is doing it deliberately to annoy me,’ Vlad muttered inwardly, his lips pressing into a thin line. He did not even have words to respond to that. The sheer audacity left him speechless.
"Hoho, your annoyed face is a sight to behold," Seraphina said, her hand moving to her chin with a smug gesture. "I will not disturb you any longer. Go and take a blanket for yourself from the wardrobe."
"I don’t want it anymore!"
"That was not a request, errand boy."
Vlad silently rose from the bed, his complexion darkened like a storm cloud. He was a very calm and composed person, given the fact that he was the one who had taught Chloe most of her manners. Yet all that calmness was being broken by this red-haired girl and her shrewd tongue. It was only his first day as an errand boy. He dreaded whatever hell he would face for the entire year. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
He slid open the wardrobe door, took out a blanket, and just as he was about to move back—
"Do I have to come over there to close the door?" Seraphina asked from the bed, her voice dripping with mock sweetness.
He pivoted, grabbed the door tightly, and was about to slam it shut when Seraphina spoke again, "If I hear a sound, I will kick you out of the room."
Vlad gently closed the door, the latch clicking softly into place. Unlike his hand’s movement, the poor man was bursting like a volcano inside, veins bulging across his forehead in suppressed annoyance. He was already regretting his decision to become her errand boy.
He returned to his place on the floor, draped the blanket over himself, and completely covered himself beneath it, pulling the fabric up to his chin.
Seraphina’s eyes never left his figure for the whole movement. "I will not let you go that easily, commoner." She whispered in a low breath, only audible to herself. "I am not letting my berries be snatched again."
