The next few days were awkward for Iris.
She knew that Nicole was not avoiding her, Nicole was just busy but she could not help but feel neglected. Nicole seemed to never be around after that night.
She had not even been able to stay the whole night, and Iris had understood that. The note had explained a lot to her.
But it did not help the distance this separation had created.
At least Nicole had not barged in on Iris yet to demand a second date. That did help her feel better.
Nicole's absence was not the only addition to Iris' daily routine. There was another, much more pressing matter Iris had to pay attention to, and that was the daily lessons with Orpheus about that new language.
"And this is how you translate this part. You're picking all this up quickly" Orpheus looked impressed but not surprised.
The static was back in Orpheus' presence and Iris was, once again, disconnected from the system inside her head but she felt it was worth it.
She had made a lot of progress on the new language and felt confident in being able to read the basics now.
Orpheus had been helping both Iris, as well as Lady Hua, get more familiarized with their background and teachings.
"I see. I can't believe this is all useless. I pick up three books and all three are useless in the end" Iris complained.
She would not have complained under normal circumstances but the stress from the previous days as well as her current situation with Nicole had left her in a somewhat fragile state.
Not to mention, her useful books had turned out to be children's fairytales of all things.
"It's not your fault. You should blame your sixth sense for this mishappening. It is supposed to prevent situations like these for you" Orpheus seemed amused at Iris's misery.
But Iris could tell that there was something off about that smile. Every time she tried to question Orpheus about something related to the gods or her earlier words, the other dodged it while changing the topic.
Orpheus had no intention of telling Iris anything else.
"I'm so proud. Both of my students are coming along great" Orpheus certainly looked proud, but there was something blank about that stare.
"I will go and see how Lady Hua is doing right now" Iris took the chance to get out of the room as fast as she could.
She did not like to spend time with Orpheus. The elder demi-goddess was a necessary evil though.
[Language skill upgraded.
Language proficiency level ⅘ achieved. Language guide is not available in the store]
Finally, it had happened. The guide for the ancient language was in the store for Iris to buy.
Why the guide had not been available to her since the start of her hitting level 10, Iris would never know.
Or more like, the system would not tell her.
Every time she asked, it gave her the same excuse that her authority was too low. Iris had no idea how to go about fixing that mess.
So it was better to focus on things Iris could improve upon and one of them was to visit Lady Hua and check up on her progress.
Lady Hua had dedicated all her time to studying and drawing up a prototype of the orphanage with the help of Orpheus.
The construction for the same was about to start today and Iris wanted to be there.
As Iris approached closer to the construction site, she could see Lady Hua as well as Sasha. But they were far from alone.
The children were in the area as well, helping out in the preparation. The sultan was here as well, looking over the finances.
And then there was Nicole, standing right in front of Iris. She seemed to be talking to the sultan and Iris only caught the last part of their conversation.
"-and please check it again. I shall take my leave now" Iris felt her eyes meet Nicoles' as she turned. Nicole seemed startled to see her but she did not avoid Iris's gaze.
The sultan was the one who broke the stare with her audible cough.
"Nicole, were you not in a hurry? You should get going" it felt deliberate to Iris. she wanted to stop Nicole and clear the air out between them but the silver-haired female seemed to be in a hurry.
In a hurry and stressed as well. Nicole's face looked tired and full of unnecessary lines. She seemed to be in desperate need of rest and it made Iris want to check over her.
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry but I need to go now" Nicole did sound sorry and Iris stepped ahead to stop her.
But she did not get the chance.
"Iris, come here and have a look at this. What do you think about this budget?" the sultan called out to her and Nicole used this time to slip out. Iris had effectively lost her window of opportunity.
But she could not be angry at the sultan for her shortcomings. Iris had plenty of time to call out to Nicole but she had held herself back.
"Don't ask me about this since I will be useless. Ask Sasha, she's much better at these things. Was that all you wanted to ask me?" Iris saw the sultan hesitate.
There seemed to be something else bothering her but she also seemed as if she did not want to share.
Iris gave the sultan enough time to consider her words.
"That was not what I wanted to ask you about. You know, the holy's clearing jade ceremony is drawing closer each day. I was hoping to have a more traditional ceremony this year since we have a branch of the court in the city now. It would mean a lot to people" Iris felt her breath become lost.
She was not sure what she had been expecting the other to say, but Iris felt that this was the best outcome she could have hoped for.
As long as it had nothing to do with feelings and confession, Iris was open to any sort of discussion.
"I don't mind. But do you even know how to perform it?" Iris asked and the sultan visibly relaxed.
"Yes, we know a trusted source. I was thinking to have the ceremony on the next full moon two days later. Would the timing suit you?" the sultan seemed visibly relieved and Iris suppressed her small smile as well.
The timing was too perfect for her to ignore.
"Yup, it would work. We can have the orphanage's opening ceremony during the day and the holy jade's cleansing in the evening well into the next day" it was almost frightening how coincidental this timing was.
But Iris trusted the sultan and she also knew that the other would not do anything to harm Oreta as long as she lived. Iris could trust the sultan.
"Then, I shall have the builders hurry up with the work" the building would not normally be done in this short a time but magic made everything possible.
Well, magic and a determined Sultan who wanted to get the work done.
Things were working themselves out but behind the relief, there was a feeling of dread that refused to go away.
Maybe it was because of Nicole. Iris would corner the other and finally talk things out with her after the ceremony. She just needed to get through the next two days and everything would be alright.