Chapter: 89
I left the red ginseng… no, the potion personally bestowed by the Mage Duchess at my accommodation and headed toward the clubroom. Today was definitely the vacation ceremony, so what in the world is going on that my destination is still the clubroom?
Moreover, it was quite absurd that all the club members were stationed in the clubroom without a single one missing. They seemed to be discussing something earnestly, but after having to adjust my schedule with people like them earlier, the sight didn’t look too promising.
As I glared at the members, filled with irritation, my eyes unexpectedly met with a familiar figure.
“Ah, oppa.”
“Irina?”
Irina was awkwardly shifting her gaze among the club members. What are you doing here? Judging by your expression, it definitely doesn’t look like you’re here out of joy.
“Hey, brother, you came!”
Louis turned around with a warm greeting in response to Irina’s words. Following her lead, five pairs of eyes also turned toward me.
“What are you all doing here?”
“We were making a schedule. Not everyone will remain at the Academy, so we need to set our times ahead.”
Being stranded here without being able to return home could be bothersome, but it was odd how Louise seemed effervescently excited about the trip to the Capital. Yeah, the Capital has its charm. I remember feeling a little excited the first time I visited, too.
But back then, I had no idea how deep the darkness of the Capital truly ran. I didn’t know the prosperity of the Capital was built on the sweat, blood, and tears of civil servants.
“I have something to say, so everyone, gather around.”
Shoving my bitter feelings aside, I grabbed the members’ attention. I needed to speak before they got too excited about deciding where to stay during the trip.
“What’s up? Is there a problem?”
‘Of course there is.’
I suppressed a curse at Rutis for asking that question.
That hot-sauce bastard. On his graduation day, I ought to slap him under the guise of a congratulatory gesture. Even Villar would agree; he’d probably love to join in.
“What do you think about staying in the Capital instead of returning to the Academy?”
“The Capital?”
“Yeah.”
Rutis’s eyes widened at my unexpected suggestion. It seems staying in the Capital wasn’t even a thought in his mind. Well, it wasn’t in mine, either. Who in their right mind would even consider such a notion?
But the Crown Prince managed to pull it off. If his name is called thrice, will the Grim Reaper come for him?
“Isn’t it boring to stay at the Academy? There’s a lot to see in the Capital, and it’s also easy to travel to other cities.”
“Not a bad idea, but finding a place to stay during the break might be a hassle…”
“My house.”
“Pardon?”
“You can stay at my mansion.”
Now don’t make me repeat myself. It’s making me want to spend the gold coins I received from the Crown Prince to cause a meso explosion.
“A house? But doesn’t the Patriarch dislike having outsiders around?”
“Not the family mansion, my personal one.”
“You have a private mansion?”
“Are you two really brothers?”
Tannian’s words momentarily left me speechless. I only ever used my personal mansion for short stays, so there really hadn’t been an opportunity to mention it.
Since I can’t even make it back to the main residence in Tailglehen, how could I marvelously declare, ‘Oh, by the way, I have a property in the Capital’?
Anyway, though my unexpected offer and generous accommodation paused the conversation for a moment, it wasn’t a bad deal from their perspective, so nobody objected. As long as they weren’t told to leave the Empire, they seemed pretty agreeable.
“Louise, I’m coming with you.”
“Really? Are you serious?”
“Yeah! I haven’t explored the Capital much either.”
Amidst the commotion, I caught the whispered conversation between Louise and Irina. I was wondering why Irina was here, but it looks like Louise charmed her into coming along.
An unexpected guest, but the mansion wasn’t so cramped that it couldn’t accommodate one more person. In fact, having one more sane person among these chaotic club members would put my mind at ease.
‘A sane person, huh…’
As I surveyed the club members gathered in the room, I realized the ratio of sane individuals was dismally low. Ah well, if outsiders were joining in, we might as well bring in a whole crowd!
If there were students who stayed at the Academy voluntarily, there were also those held back by external reasons. Mostly these were students from the student council who still had work to finish. And the external person I wanted to recruit was also part of the student council.
Knock, knock.
“Mar, are you there?”
“Carl? Yes, come in!”
If Louise, Irina, and Marcetta were at the mansion, I could survive the torment from those hopeless club members. Plus, if they tried to pull something weird, Marcetta, who holds her status well, would definitely intervene and put a stop to it.
“Welcome, Carl! I didn’t expect to see you today.”
Seeing Marcetta greet me with a cheerful smile solidified my resolve. Now that things had come to this, I needed to invite her too.
“I heard Mar was still working, so I couldn’t sit still. Am I bothering you?”
“Not at all! It was my suggestion that you could come anytime, right? I’m almost done, so don’t worry!”
She started to get up from her seat, but I hurriedly gestured for her to stay. There were still things left for her to finish, so I just needed to express my intentions and head out.
“Actually, I came because I’d like to ask Mar a favor.”
“To me?”
Nodding at her, I continued.
“The pastry club has decided to go on a trip to the Capital.”
“I heard about that! The Capital is not that nearby, so it’ll be quite a journey.”
“It’s fine. The Crown Prince has suggested we all stay at my mansion during the break, so there’s no need to return to the Academy.”
“…What?”
As soon as I mentioned the trip, Marcetta’s worried expression turned rigid.
“Are you saying it’s for the entire club?”
“Indeed.”
Her mouth began to twitch. If I don’t speak up promptly, I won’t know how far her imagination could run.
“So, I’d like to invite Mar to my mansion as well.”
“Huh?”
“I owe a lot to you, so it would be incomplete without you at such a joyous event.”
To be honest, it’s not anything special, but having Marcetta in the mansion would be like having an army at my back. That’s a truth that can’t be emphasized enough.
And during our last school trip, I accidentally broke a promise I made to her. I mentioned I’d come visit her room, but I never made it before we ended. Maybe if I framed this as an apology, she might forgive me.
“Ah, uh…”
Yet, Marcetta seemed taken aback by the sudden turn of events, her face turning a bright shade of red as she started to stutter.
“Mar?”
I thought she’d settle down if I waited patiently. Instead, her hand on the desk began to tremble. No, this was a more intense reaction than I had anticipated.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes! Yes, I’m okay!”
When I cautiously approached Marcetta and asked, her foggy gaze returned to focus and she hurriedly covered the documents on her desk. What’s with the documents…? It looked like some erratic numbers were scribbled there, though.
“Mar, my invitation—”
“I-I’ll go! I’ll definitely go, Carl!”
Having received her acceptance, I expressed my thanks and took my leave. I didn’t want to linger since she seemed a bit off for a regular chat.
Marcetta being flustered was expected. After all, it was my first time inviting her to my mansion. Even so, her reaction was more intense than I had anticipated. Was something else going on?
*
Only after Carl left the Vice President’s office did my trembling hands finally calm down.
‘The mansion… Carl’s mansion…’
Discovering that the pastry club was spending their break at Carl’s mansion felt like the heavens were falling down on me. After all, Louise was part of the pastry club.
I lost the chance to be the first to be embraced by Carl, and now I was about to lose the title of the first to stay at his mansion? That was absolutely unacceptable! There was no way I could allow another woman to be the first in our love nest!
Yet, it seemed Carl shared my sentiment and invited me to the mansion too. It felt somewhat disappointing that it wouldn’t just be the two of us, but still, it was a first, so I could work with that.
‘Carl’s mansion.’
I couldn’t suppress a grin. Louise would be heading there for club activities, but I would be going because I received his invitation.
Inviting a lady to his mansion? That has to mean Carl has some feelings for me too. He didn’t need to be so indirect about it.
‘I must thank His Highness.’
The Crown Prince, Gilbert Livnoman. I hadn’t had any interactions with him until now, and he wasn’t particularly in my interest.
Hearing that the club would be staying at Carl’s mansion thanks to the Crown Prince’s proposal made me feel a hint of resentment. But in the end, it turned into an opportunity for me to be invited, so my annoyance dissipated.
Letting out a sigh filled with satisfaction, my gaze fell on the document that I had been covering.
“Oh, that was close…”
As I withdrew my hands from the document, the words and numbers hastily written across it were exposed.
MA 5, CARL 7, R 4, K 3, GHE 4, RA 5, TTA 5, SI 3, VA 6, U 3, LEN 7, S 3, TI 4
The names of Carl and I, along with stroke counts.
I almost got caught with something too embarrassing by the very person I never wanted to discover it!
“Vice President, do you know about name compatibility?”
That was something the secretary had mentioned not long ago.
‘Why did you say that…?’
But here I was, swayed by that frivolous comment, so I couldn’t really blame anyone. But since it’s said that compatibility can be figured out through such means, isn’t it normal to be curious?
Naturally, I firmly believed that Carl and my compatibility was the best, even without needing miniscule measurements. Our relationship is destiny crafted by the heavens. Of course, the best compatibility would show forth.
—Or so I had believed.
‘Why is it 89?’
The last number etched on the paper was 89. It seemed odd even upon second glance. Why is it not 100? Shouldn’t it naturally be 100? How could there possibly be an 11% gap between Carl and me? Nonsense, as expected, such propositions shouldn’t be believed.
I almost got found out by Carl regarding this silly doodle. Just imagining how pathetic he’d think I am sends chills down my spine.
People in the Ministry of Finance tend to be rational folks; they don’t believe in superstitions. Some even look down upon those who do.
If Carl falls into that category…
“Mar, it seems you’re unexpectedly naive. I must reevaluate my perception of you.”
I could already picture Carl regarding me with a cold sneer. No, that simply can’t happen! If I earn his disdain, I’ll surely perish!
My previously trembling hands now attempted to tear up the document containing the name compatibility digits. This wretched slip of paper, it needs to be gone immediately!
‘Isn’t 89 still relatively high?’
However, a glimpse of reluctance held me back from ripping it into shreds. Sure, it should rightfully show 100, but still, 89 isn’t bad either, right?
After pondering for a while, I ultimately decided to keep it without tearing it apart.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.