"How did it end up with us?", Aria asked, as her face showed a hint of panic.
"I told you, didn't I? We bought it. And what's so important about this book?", I asked.
"Remember the whole 'we are in a novel's world' thing?"
"Yes", I replied. Oh, I think I get it. I think she fears that she stole the 'protagonist's' clue by owning this book.
"So in the novel, the protagonist is supposed to come across some clue that leads him to some secret inheritance left by King Jerome I. And I suspect that this book we have right here is the said clue". Yup, that's what I thought.
"Listen… I know that you wanted to avoid getting in his way and all, but things are so much different from that novel of yours. And this book is our gift to you. So don't even think about giving it away. Just forget him", I calmly said.
"But-"
"No buts. It's not your responsibility to make him stronger. If he is so special to be called the 'protagonist', then he'll figure out his own way", I said in an assertive tone.
This is the problem with her. She thinks too much about other people. Before that incident, she was empathizing with Beatrice, and now she's hung up over some stranger's power-up. She needs to focus on her own life rather than worrying about others.
But at the same time, this is just who she is. She might not like to admit it, but she's a very selfless person.
"Uhm, if you say so. But I don't even remember what skill he obtained from this ring. What if it's something important? We need to at least find the ring to check its contents"
Well, there is no harm in checking the ring's contents. Even I am curious about it.
"Alright, give me the location of that temple, and I'll have some people get it for us. But we are not giving away anything", I said.
"Okay"
She gave me a vague description of the place along with a hand-drawn map. This might take a while.
***
Now that everything's done, we are back to our daily routine of working, spending some time with Aria, attending Teacher's training, and repeating. Aria's next goal for Alteria's Haven is to introduce some premium products that would attract the noble and rich classes' attention.
We first established a foothold in the market, and all our shops have reported positive feedback for the sales in this first week. Our shop is well received by common people, and especially the toys section has been very successful, which provides simple yet effective methods to teach children to read and write in a fun way.
As Aria foresaw before the interview, her name is currently once more making the rounds across the Kingdom. Now that people can clearly see what she has accomplished for them, she is once again being referred to as the "Genius of the Century" However, she gets all sulky when I talk about it in front of her.
Anyway, the next step towards our goal of disrupting Rose Emporium is to encroach upon their target customers.
But all of that would only happen if my dear mistress was actually awake. Yes, she's currently dozing off with her face buried in a thick book. It's a good thing Lady Sophia and Lady Carolina didn't catch her like this, or else they'd tease her again.
I don't want to wake her up, but things have been like this for the whole week. Rather than waking her up and forcing her to work, I should do something to improve her mood and increase her motivation. And I also wanted to reward her for complying with the interview that I set up. I'm sure she'll love it.
I found Lumen's whistle in the drawer of her desk. I quietly made my way out of the room and blew it. The li'l fella hurried to our room by flapping his tiny wings at an insane speed. It's just so relaxing to watch him fly. I gave him a piece of paper, which he held using his beak, and instructed him to drop the letter off at the chef. Following the order, the chef will send a maid to deliver some light dessert and tea to the office in a little while.
Until the snacks arrived, I went outside towards the garden and kindly asked one of the gardeners to gather a bouquet of lilies and jasmine. I read it in one of Teacher's novels, that lilies symbolizes beauty and devotion while jasmine represents love, sensuality, and eternal beauty. It isn't very fancy, but I know that Aria has a soft spot for jasmine, so this will be perfect.
As soon as the desserts and tea arrived, I gently moved the book away after marking the page that she was currently reading. Also, Lumen is so sweet. Seeing that Aria is asleep, he didn't make a single sound and is currently standing quietly on the table.
Good bird, I'll give you a special treat afterwards.
I finally moved closer to Letty and gently caressed her cheeks. "Aria, the afternoon sun is calling us. Come, there's something special waiting for you"
"Uhm", she stirred up from her slumber. She blinked her eyes a couple of times before meeting my gaze. "Oh, I fell asleep again. Yawn", she smiled and said.
I guided her up, sat her down on the comfortable couch beside the tea table, and presented her with the fresh bouquet.
"Aw, this is so sweet. And it smells really nice", she took the bouquet, sniffed it, and gave a very cheerful smile.
Ah, I would have spent more time on the bouquet if I knew I was going to be blessed with such an angelic smile.
+100 SP
I turned off the SP alerts for now. Even if they aren't really in my face, they can get a little annoying.
"You're so sweet, Letty. Unlike that duo, who keeps nagging me. So what if I came in a little late today? I'm the boss, I can do whatever I want. Hmph", she pouted.
I chuckled, "I suppose that's true", and playfully nudged her shoulder, saying "You deserve all the rest in the world for working tirelessly for my sake. I can't thank you enough"
I took the seat beside her. As our eyes met, I continued, "Aria, promise me. Whenever you want to take a rest or be taken care of. Don't hesitate to lean on me. You did the same for me in the past, and I truly appreciate it. I just want you to know that I'm always there for you. Like you usually tell me, don't push yourself too much for my sake. After all, I can see that you are burned out from all that has happened so far. You can always take a break, and tell me if I can do anything at all to lift your burdens"
She didn't immediately answer me, her hands made their way towards mine, making our fingers intertwine. She brought her head close to me until our foreheads touched.
"I know, Letty. But it's not just for your sake, it's for mine too. I want Beatrice to face some consequences for her actions. One way or another… But you're right about taking a little break. Hehe, I feel like we are reliving our past memories, just with our roles switched. And just so you know, I never hesitate to lean on you, and I promise that I won't"
She planted a soft kiss on my lips, 'Muah'.
"And also, please don't make it a habit of being late. As your assistant, it's my duty to make sure you're on time. Clearly, I'm not doing a very good job at that. It's just so hard to say 'no' to you when you ask so nicely after getting distracted by random stuff"
"Hehe, no promises there"
"Now let's see, Lumen", she called the li'l fella, who was quietly standing on the table with a red glow. "Return this fork to the maids, Letty won't be needing it". The bird obliged and took the fork away.
"Huh?", I asked, confusedly.
"Hehe, don't worry. I won't starve you after such a romantic moment". She then took a piece of dessert and extended the fork towards my mouth, "Say aah"
Oh, I get it. She wants to feed me.
"This again? Why does everyone like to feed me?", I asked.
Just as I was about to take the bite, she took the fork away and asked,
"Everyone? Who else does this?"
"Ah! N-No one.. I- I was just talking about y-you". Oops I forgot that Teacher asked me to keep it a secret from Aria.
"It was Mom, wasn't it?"
"Eep!? How did you know?"
"I knew it. Argh, listen here, Letty. Don't let her boss you around from now on. And don't let anyone feed you too. Only I can do that", she said.
"Boss around? She's my Teacher, of course I'll have to follow her"
"I know, but just don't let her get too touchy"
Oh, I think I get it. She must be jealous of me, as Teacher has never fed her before. Hehe, Teacher is so lucky to have such a cute daughter. Maybe I should tell Teacher about it, she'll be ecstatic.
"You know if you ask, she'll feed you too. You don't have to be jealous of me"
"What? NO! That's not it. Argh, forget it! Just stop talking about others and say aah"
You say that, but your ears are red. I must have hit the spot.
Hehe, isn't this what she called 'tsundere'. Hehe, how the tables have turned.
She took turns feeding me and enjoying the dessert herself. Then I poured the tea into the delicate cups, their fragrance mingling with the gentle breeze.
"Letty, thanks for this. You have filled me with motivation to do my best"
After enjoying the refreshing tea, we chatted about random topics for a while before I realized something. Since the interview that day, I've earned a lot of SP.
---------------
Satisfaction Points – 4,465
---------------
Aw, I'm so close to accumulating 4,500 for that skill. Let's give her this surprise right now.
I saw her on the other side of the room, watching Lumen do some tricks. I quickly made my way towards her and kissed her.
She must be so confused right now.
Even though I took her by surprise, she reciprocated the kiss.
+150 SP
After pulling apart, I saw her slightly reddened and confused face. I should probably clarify.
"Sorry for the surprise, I just wanted a tiny bit of SP for something"
Thinking back on it, where did so much courage even come from? I just ran up to her and kissed her. Wow, now I'm getting embarrassed.
'Come on Letica, just endure it for now. It'll all be worth it once she sees the skill', I said to myself.
I saw Aria's face go from confused to a cheery smile and finally ending up on a pout, "And here I thought that you couldn't resist me anymore. Hmph!"
"I'm sorry, Aria. But close your eyes until I say otherwise"
She did. And I bought the skill.
---------------
Skill Purchased
Menstruation Control – Level Max
It allows the user to control their menstrual cycle. You can pause/unpause your menstrual cycle.
Uses 1 MP/use
---------------
Now, I need to use Skill Share to share this skill with Aria.
"And… Done! Open your eyes!"
"Uhm, this is…" her system window opened up. I can see her reading about the skill right now. "Wait, am I seeing this right? Does this mean that I don't have to deal with periods?"
+250 SP
"Yess! I was so excited to share it with you. Yay!". We both hugged each other and jumped around like little kids. Skill Share uses 20 MP per use, so I drained all my MP in one go, leaving me mildly dizzy. But this is all worth it.
"Wow, this 'Skill Share' skill is so amazing. I can't help but feel like it is very favorable for the master, but I'm not complaining. This is so cool. Yay! Give me a hug again"
+50 SP
All the waiting for this skill was totally worth it.
***
AN:
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