'...'
Yuriel took her time washing her hands in the restroom, even though she had made it to the fourth floor of the main building before Ferzen.
After hearing his footsteps in the quiet hallway, she dried her hands and casually stepped outside.
Stomp.
Ferzen paused for an instant.
After looking at her for a moment, he resumed his pace, with Yuriel trailing behind him.
He's surprisingly in shape for a warlock.
Yuriel couldn't help but blush, as her wandering gaze brought back the memories of how he had marked her the other day.
"I don't see your wife today...."
As soon as Ferzen grabbed the doorknob and proceeded to enter his office, Yuriel's question had already escaped her mouth.
Hearing her voice, Ferzen looked into her eyes and then...
"She wasn't feeling well this morning, so I asked her to rest."
As he answered, Ferzen entered his office.
'So she's sick...'
The last time Yuriel was sick, Ferzen had tended to her even after his shift was over. Because of this, the young woman couldn't help but feel a slight sense of superiority over a certain green-haired bimbo. Even more so when she imagined that woman alone in their mansion suffering from whatever sickness she had.
'Looks like I'm a bad person too....'
Chastising herself for her not so holy thoughts, Yuriel sighed.
Shaking her head, and clearing her thoughts, Yuriel prepared herself for her morning lecture.
"Speaking of which..."
He also had a morning lecture today.
* * * * *
12 P.M.
After leaving her classroom, Yuriel stood in front of her office door for a moment before gazing at room 404.
Walking towards it, she grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it, but...
Click!
It was locked.
"..."
Of course, with his wife sick he must have returned already...
Slightly disappointed, Yuriel entered her office and arranged her textbooks before leaving for lunch.
Then, as she left the Administrative building, Yuriel had a strange compulsion, one that even herself admitted was rather foolish....
She went to the parking lot.
"..."
And when she arrived there.
Yuriel saw a carriage bearing the crest of Brutein.
If he isn't in his office, and his carriage is here....
He must have gone out to lunch.
So the young woman quickened her pace.
Since it was lunchtime, the streets lined with restaurants were crowded, as the aristocratic students were also looking for a place to eat.
Yuriel was already aware that finding a place where Ferzen would consider acceptable to eat was a fool's errand, but...
For her that is, it wouldn't be such an impossible thing.
Because she has been groomed to know all of his preferences — Including his taste buds.
So, Yuriel entered a restaurant famous for its luxurious goat meat dish.
A classic environment, with only a few seats.
"..."
And at the back, Yuriel could see Ferzen eating his meal.
"..."
"My lady, I apologize but all of our seats are currently occupied, therefore..."
"That man."
"My lady?"
"Ask him if I could join his table..."
The waitress turned her head to the place where Yuriel was pointing at.
"Oh...You are acquaintances I presume? Very well, I will see to it in a moment."
With trained movements, the waitress approached Ferzen and lightly bowed.
Then as they finished talking, Ferzen put his knife down and looked at Yuriel, who flinched and lowered her head.
Then, when the waitress returned...
Yuriel's hands were already sweating with anxiety.
'I'm going to be rejected for sure...'
She couldn't stop thinking about this.
"My lady."
"S-so what did he...Say?"
"That gentleman has graciously agreed to it."
"Really...?"
Wiping her sweaty hands on her clothes, Yuriel slowly approached his table and sat down.
And after a moment of silence, Ferzen stopped slicing the tender goat meat and spoke in a blunt tone.
"You came here to eat no? So order something."
"I was thinking about that already..."
"I see."
Ferzen smirked at her meek response.
Yuriel should have the same tastes as him.
And she should be aware of the restaurant's menu.
So she shouldn't waste time thinking about the menu options.
"What are you laughing at....Don't you see that you're being a nuisance?"
Despite her little tantrum, she ended up ordering the same food as Ferzen.
Since she had nothing to say to him, Yuriel just gulped down the cold glass of water she received.
"Shouldn't your lecture have ended by 11 o'clock..."
"I had some additional things to take care of regarding the final exam."
"..."
"If that is all, I can give you a ride back home. I should have everything done in half an hour after we eat."
Yuriel placed her chin on her hand in annoyance at Ferzen's words.
'Ah...'
However, as soon as she remembered that he had expressed his displeasure at such behavior from when they were on duty together, she slowly lowered her hand.
Then, when she saw Ferzen's slightly furrowed brow relaxing, Yuriel couldn't help but grumble.
'For him huh...'
I wonder....Does he even know I care this much...
"...Well, I wouldn't say no to that. You can finish eating, let's just have a quiet meal for now."
His hobbies, interests, his likes, his dislikes...
They all shared the same things, so if Yuriel wanted to, she could easily keep the conversation going, but instead, she leaned back and relaxed.
After 10 minutes.
The guests at the next table left, and the waitress brought her an appetizer.
A sour salad to start her meal.
And as she ate it with a fork quietly...
"Ah..."
Yuriel frowned at the sight of Geralt and his friends entering the restaurant.
"Of all the places..."
Then, realizing that the only empty table was the one just next to them, it would be only a matter of time before they clashed again.
And just like that...
"Ah....Hello...Professor Ferzen. Professor Yuriel."
One of his friends spotted them first, and the nervous boy managed to make the most awkward greeting possible.
The boy didn't take his seat right away, instead, he stood still as a corpse, glancing at Geralt, the obvious leader of their pack.
"..."
Geralt's face crumbled as if he had been fed a sour lemon.
"Indeed. Have a nice meal."
Ferzen on the other hand didn't mind their presence at all and continued to calmly slice his meat.
And Yuriel standing between both men was definitely not okay.
Aside from their confrontation at Yuriel's temporary house, Geralt must have told his friends about his engagement with her.
Indeed, an embarrassing situation.
That would certainly wound his pride.
"Let us eat somewhere else."
After a moment of silence, Geralt led his friends out of the way. But as they passed he spoke with a hint of anger in his voice.
"You once told me that there was no need for us to develop a personal relationship since the end result wouldn't change, and despite of that here you are...Can I interpret this as an unspoken confirmation that I'm going to lose? Funny isn't it...I never knew you enjoyed goat meat, but you sure told Professor Ferzen about it..."
Yuriel couldn't deny Geralt's words.
Since no matter how much he bids.
If Ferzen put a single cent more to it, her grandfather would...
"Geralt Ren Millien Asran."
"..."
"Don't be childish."
After eating the last slice of the goat meat, Ferzen wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at him.
"I'm being childish...?"
"Indeed you are. But just to make matters clear, I don't need to know Yuriel's tastes."
"..."
When Ferzen's crimson eyes tore through him, Geralt cowered as he unconsciously took a step back. But after a brief moment, and having regained his bearings, Geralt balled his fists and stared back.
"Her favorite dish is well-done goat meat. Her favorite fruit is anything that isn't too sweet. For literature, she enjoys anything written by Cervanti. Her favorite instrument is the violin. And her favorite play is The Tempest."
"Are you implying that you have researched her tastes?"
Ferzen simply laughed at his words.
An uncharacteristic loud laugh.
"They are all my favorites."
"..."
"And Yuriel shares the same tastes as me. Therefore I don't need to know anything about her. Her whole existence is for me."
Hearing Ferzen's words, Geralt stared at Yuriel searching for a response, as the young man couldn't comprehend the thing he just heard.
But Yuriel simply bowed her head in silence.
An unspoken affirmation.
"Since you said you wanted to invite me for a meal one day, this should save you the trouble of trying to organize the menu, does it not?"
Geralt bit his lip at Ferzen's mocking words.
"Enjoy your meal, the both of you."
Turning his back to the couple, Geralt strode away, his fists clenched tight.
And as she looked at him, Yuriel frowned.
"And you are rather childish too..."
"Did I lie?"
"No, but..."
"Yuriel."
"What."
"When the food is served, don't put your breasts on the table. It's uncouth."
"..."
"This is a bad habit of yours."
Wincing at his remark, Yuriel moved her large bosom away from the table.
"Humans are beings who seek comfort before anything else, we always have been..."
"I don't mind you doing it at home, but make sure to not do this in public."
"..."
"The main dish is here, so eat it. When you are finished, I should be done with my matters as well, and I'll pick you up by then."
"As you wish..."
Yuriel didn't bother stopping Ferzen as he rose from his seat.
As she ate her meal alone looking at the spot where Ferzen had been seated. After 40 minutes, she finished her meal and stood up.
"That gentleman has already paid for your meal as well, My Lady."
"What the hell..."
He was the one who gave her all of her current money anyway...
"I enjoyed the meal. My compliments to the chef."
"Thank you for your kind words, My Lady, we hope you visit us again."
Leaving the restaurant, Yuriel looked around the street.
Before long she spotted a familiar carriage bearing the crest of Brutein, perked by the roadside.
As she approached the carriage, the window was rolled up, revealing Ferzen, staring at her with his characteristic crimson eyes.
"Get in."
"Don't hurry me."
"I didn't."
"..."
With a pout, Yuriel opened the carriage door and climbed in.
As soon as the carriage set off, Yuriel grabbed the collar of her dress and fluttered it.
Whenever the weather was either hot or humid, the area beneath her bosom would often sweat, and if she didn't ventilate it this way her skin would become irritated.
But every time she fluttered her collar, she could see Ferzen's nose twitching, as if he was trying to better inhale her scent, and because of it, Yuriel felt a strange set of emotions.
It wasn't like she was trying to seduce him.
Then Ferzen pulled his gaze away from the book he was reading, and stared at her. Yuriel stopped her movements and tried to excuse herself.
"It's h-hot..."
"I didn't say anything."
"I'm sorry…..If I smell…..Bad."
At Yuriel's words, Ferzen looked at her with a blank expression before turning his attention toward his book.
"There's nothing for you to worry about."
"..."
"You don't have a sweaty smell, your scent is the same as always."
"W-what are you talking about...Pervert."
"And pray tell me, what should I do if your scent keeps wafting in?"
"Y-You could breathe through your mouth or something..."
"But I didn't say your scent was something undesirable."
"J-Just keep reading the blasted book."
"Sure."
Yuriel watched him sit in an almost uncomfortable textbook posture, reading his book without a care in the world.
Her hands still fluttered the collar of her dress.
Even as the carriage windows were open, the space still contained a peachy-like scent.
The scent of spring.
Later, when they arrived at Yuriel's temporary home, Ferzen looked at her and said her name in an authoritarian tone.
"Yuriel."
"..."
"Next time, I'll take you with me."
Take me with you...
After bouncing those words around her head for a moment, Yuriel spoke.
"Do it right you bad bastard. Say that you're taking me politely..."
Yuriel never liked to wait for things.
But for Ferzen, Yuriel's brash words didn't arouse that same feeling of repulsion as before, so he simply smiled and entered the carriage once more.
"Asshole..."
Yuriel briefly wondered what sort of bug bit him today, since the man usually never smiled like that.
"..."
When Ferzen's carriage faded into the horizon, Yuriel entered the house and took off her clothes.
It felt refreshing.
And as expected there was a lot of sweat under her ample bosom.
Picking up her sweaty clothes, she breathed its scent.
'It smells like sweat...'
A young woman could be found blushing furiously in the confines of her lone home.