Aron paused and looked over to see a group of girls walk in their directions and settle in the right next table to them. Only a single one remained standing staring straight at Julia with unkind eyes. She wore a knee-length skirt with a casual shirt with very little make-up. Her most striking feature is the waterfall-like deep blue hair cascading to her thighs.
"Don't tell me even your comprehension had degraded." The opposite group chuckled at her words. Aron can easily see the hostility in everyone's eyes around him, except Kyla and Hera. The same was the case with the opposite group of six girls. Their gazes were unfriendly as well.
Aron looked around to find multiple tables that were still unoccupied. Anyone can tell that these guys were here to mess with them, deliberately. "I am in a good mood, so I will let it pass. No go and wash your face. When was the last time you took a bath, Gloria?"
The blue-haired girl was an enchanting beauty by herself, Julia was just taking a jibe at her. Sure enough, Aron can see her small nose twitch at the insult. "Huh... I should take a bath? What about you? I am sure you are smelling like a pig after cuddling with your filthy boy toy over there hehe.."
Aron had a blank face even after being drawn into the conversation. At Hera's insistence, he had even resumed his meal. According to the girl beside him, this was a regular business. 'Hahh... Conflict, conflict everywhere.' He can only sigh in his heart.
Despite the luxurious settings, human nature doesn't change. Some people want a conflict to break out, just so it can garner them so attention. "Ohh.. how about you smell it again? Maybe it's your nose that you keep buried in your ass all day long?" Julia and put her plate to the side, getting up to walk towards the standing girl.
"What did you say?" Gloria looked angered by the blonde's comments, walking over to face her. "No fighting in the dining hall. All those who defy that will be thrown out and banned for a week." Both girls had almost reached each other when a calm voice reverberated in the hall, with no single source.
"Call yourself lucky huh.." Julia only smirked at the empty words. Gloria was still annoyed in her heart. No one dared to defy the warden, this they can't settle any score in this place. She was about to return to her seat when her eyes fell on the boy behind Julia, busy filling himself without any care in the world.
*Clap* *Clap* Gloria sidestepped the girl to walk towards the boy. "Wow... I admire you boy. It must be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you hahaha... Tell me are you a slave? Because you look like you just took a roll with the pigs." A pang of laughter emerged from the other group that was with the blue-haired girl.
Aron took a look at the porcelain face so close to himself and after admiring it for a second, returned to his meal. Keeping the girl waiting, he drank a mouthful of water before answering her. "Yeah, food is awesome. I never had anything like this in all my life. And yes, you guessed it right. I am actually a slave indeed."
Julia was unable to stop herself from chuckling, same was the case with other girls as well. Even Hera can't help but hide her face. Same like them the other girls in the room too laughed at the most amazing response they had heard. The boy totally killed the charged-up atmosphere with his innocence.
How would Gloria have anticipated such an honest answer? She was ready to rub his status on his face, but now what was left to insult him further with? She was actually testing uncharted territory here. Warden will intervene if two students fight here, nonetheless, she should not have an issue if she only beats down on a slave.
She had not prepared for this scenario and hence lacked a credible response after this. The more time she stood there, the more frustrated her heart got. Julia's face was telling him to go ahead and try her worst. *Crash* *Bang* Aron didn't care about it, releasing that the girl had no further questions he had resumed his meal when suddenly his plate was thrown across the floor, his food splattering all over.
"Then sit on the floor to eat. Don't act like you deserve to sit among us huh.." Everyone in the hall gasped, no one expecting the girl to be this rude. Even her own group didn't cheer her this time around, aware of how distasteful her actions were. *Sigh* Aron can only shake his head. "You could have asked me to leave, miss. Was there a need to waste that much food?"
In the slave quarters, he and Caleb will be eagerly awaiting the day when they can get a single piece of meat. And here these people wasted so much on a whim. This was appalling, to say the least, not to mention her repeated attempts to shame him. Well, that's the nobility for you. All this time Aron had spent time with a truly kind lot, yet he would never forget how vicious most of them can be towards a slave.
Julia had been stunned for the moment, not anticipating that Gloria can be this mean. She was about to respond to the girl in kind when the lights in the hall began flickering. It wasn't a single one, but rather each of the magic lights began behaving erratically. Kyla noticed the spoon in her plate beginning to vibrate, next second the same happened to the tables all over the hall.
Gloria found the peachy-haired girl beside Aron turn her head to look at her. That was enough to send her heart racing, and she was forced to take a step back. A single glance is what she needed to send all the mana in her body into the doldrums. *sigh* Hera sighed, calming her heart down. Since Aron himself didn't take offense, she would let it pass as well. "Come, I will get you another serving."
Aron let the girl hold his arm and bring him over to the buffet, helping him with whichever dish he wished for with a trace of a smile on her face. With that the shaking of the objects in the hall had stopped, and so did the flickering of lights. Everyone can tell that just now it was all due to the 'monster''.
One day their principal brought this girl over, admitting her in the first-year class midterm. She was of the right age to join the first-year students, however, admitting her without a screening process riled up the some of the students.
Each one of them had to go through ardent trials before they were eligible to join the prestigious academy. Consequently, a few of the unfortunate upperclassmen began picking on her, resulting in the girl sending each one of them straight to the hospital wards.
After that day many second-year students returned to challenge Hera, all to win back their lost pride. Regardless, not a single one of them can put up a decent fight. Despite the loss of the second years, none from the third year dared to approach her. Why? Because many believed she can even rub the floor with the third-year ones, alas no one wanted to risk their dignity conforming that.
"Haha... I would be careful if I were you. Don't let your mouth drag you down." Julia patted her rival's shoulders before returning to her seat. Gloria pulled her hands together, still finding them to be shaking from the earlier encounter. Hera is not someone at her level can provoke.
Aron returned back to his table, sitting in with a cheerful smile on his face like the events from minutes ago never took place. "I am sorry, Aron. You got dragged in just because of me." Julia felt bad for the boy. Though she knew these things will probably not affect him, even then it was her duty to apologize.
"Hmm? It's okay. This is nothing. You might not believe but we hear worse on regular basis. And even I can tell that part, she was just messing with me because she can't target you." Julia nodded in response, nothing was there for her to add, the boy said it all. "You are amazing, Aron. The way you treated her like air.. ahahaha... I just can't have enough..." Hestia was having a time of her life. She was the one who laughed the hardest after his reply.
Aron can see in his peripheral vision, the blue-haired girl still glaring at him with clenched jaws. "Who exactly is she? Do you have a rivalry thing going on?" Finding Julia nod, he shot the next question without any thought over it. "Ohhh.. so, do you two like the same boy or something?"
Everyone just chuckled, not putting any thought to it, but the blonde stopped her meal midway, her vicious eyes glaring at him. Aron was not expecting such a severe response and hurriedly turned to Hestia to diffuse the situation but alas... A foot struck his own, crushing his toes. "Aaaiiio!!"
"What happened?" Hera and others saw the boy almost crying while holding his leg. "Aahh.. nothing, just smashed my toe." They let him be, only sighing at his clumsiness. "You are right about the rivalry part but it's not about a boy, actually the rivalry runs in the family itself. Her's and Julia's clan never see eyes to the eye, every opportunity they get, they use it to drag each other down by a notch." Sophie saw the curiosity in the boy, hence explaining the matter.
Aron recalled being hinted at that by Julia when they were on their trip. He didn't know that the conflicts among families even included the children as well. The rest of their dinner was uneventful, and Ryu hugged all three girls before they made their way back to Julia's room.
All the way the blonde never talked to him and as he had learned, Aron made sure he did not face to face with the lady, giving her time to cool down. Reaching the room, he put Kyla under the blanket and was about to take his leave when the girl held onto his hands.
"Can you sleep with me tonight? It feels lonely." Her words caused Julia's lips to twitch uncontrollably. Alas.. before she can intervene to force the boy out of her room, he already nodded and hugged the girl back.
"Tch..! Let's go, Ava, you and me will sleep in the other bed then huh!!"
Julia didn't even wait for a reply from the girl, dragging her over forcefully. Ava can tell that the blonde was mad at something, it's just that she can't figure out the right thing for her to be mad about.
"Switch off the lights, Aron." Aron watched both girls leave with a bitter smile. He had no idea how exactly was he managing to spoil the mood for Julia. Regardless, what exactly can he do? She never opens up and if he wanders to a difficult territory then he might be awarded with a strike to the foot.
"Aron? You listening?" Kyla's breath had grown extremely seductive, unknowingly causing the boy to gulp. "Yeah, one second." He got to his feet, turning the lights off. "Remove your clothes." He can hear the rustling of clothes, probably the girl behind undressing herself.
They got together, hugging each other under the warm blanket. "I love you, Aron." He can see her dark eyes fluttering ceaselessly. "Haha.. no need to act all cute. I know that." "Then answer back, jerk!!" She pinched his nipple, making the boy wince in pain. "Okay, okay, I like you too."
"Just like?" "Yeah. What's wrong with that?" "Huff.. sometimes I feel like you have a thing for miss Julia." Kyla was mad, turning her face away from him. She had not kept her voice low, causing Aron to hear a coughing fit from the other room, probably a girl choking on her own spittle.
"Hey.. hey.. don't talk like that. You are going to get us thrown out of here as well. Julia even went so far as to help your case, now you are bad-mouthing her." He kept his voice low. *Sigh* Kyla completely ignored his calls, unwilling to look back at him.
< Kudos!!>>