"Woohhhh"
A gentle breeze whispered through the air, carrying with it a faint chill that lightly embraced the surroundings. The orange hues of the sky began to soften, hinting at the imminent arrival of nightfall.
It was a scene of enchanting beauty, as the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings took on an ethereal elegance, dancing in the fading light. Meanwhile, delicate flowers swirled in the breeze, their petals fluttering like graceful butterflies.
In the midst of all of this,
'Where the hell is the sun?!!' Aether couldn't help but scream inwardly. No matter how hard he tried to comprehend it, he couldn't fathom how the sky had turned orange without the presence of the sun..... His knowledge of Rayleigh scattering seemed to really scattering!!
"Do you like it?" a beautiful voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes, it's really lovely," Aether replied.
Turning his head, he beheld an aqua-haired woman gazing at the sky, her hair swaying gently in the breeze.
She delicately tucked a few loose strands behind her ears before turning her bright aqua eyes, framed by glasses, towards Aether, who had been staring at her like a dead fish.
With an amused smile playing on her lips, she asked, "I'm not asking about me, Mister."
However,
"Hmm?" Aether tilted his head before saying, "I'm not talking to you too... It's just that there's something caught in your hair," he explained, reaching out as if to pluck it out for her.
However, Delphine raised her hand to halt his gesture, instead opting to tousle her own hair, causing a few petals to flutter down.
Her cheeks flushed a little as she couldn't believe she said those words haughtily!
Though,
Internally, she couldn't help but frown at his attempt to touch her hair without permission.
Despite any potential offence taken, Aether remained oblivious, his expression one of innocent sincerity as he smiled back at her. He hadn't meant anything more than to remove the stray petal from her hair, his intentions pure and devoid of any ulterior motives.
He then turned his head to gaze at the orange sky. They were currently standing on the terrace of the hotel, having been brought there by Delphine for an important conversation.
Initially, when she had asked him, he had rejected her, citing the need for rest. However, she had insisted, pulling him up to the terrace.
From this elevated vantage point, Aether could fully observe the world beyond. Though it bore a medieval appearance, the architecture, shops, and attire were strikingly similar to those of his own world.
"You call yourself Aether... Because you didn't want to live the life that you don't know as Ether, right?" Delphine suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes," Aether nodded, turning his gaze towards her.
"Then those actions of yours... are truly new?" Delphine's inquiry probed deeper.
"What do you mean... Madam?" Aether furrowed his brow, confusion evident in his expression.
".... I mean" Delphine stepped closer, her bosom was almost near his chest, her aqua eyes piercing into his own blue gaze, "I heard you employed an unknown stance during your fight against someone...."
Aether felt a bead of sweat forming on his brow, "I don't kno-" Before he could finish, Delphine interrupted, her words cutting through his attempt to deny,
"You even performed your duties with perfection, as if you already knew everything and trained for years... Every action you took was flawless.
Even when you cleaned the plate, the pressure you applied to remove stains was just right, and moreover, you were singing something despite your amnesia." Her frown deepened.
Aether was sweating profusely, but he managed to maintain a facade of confusion as if he couldn't quite grasp what she was implying.
With an awkward expression plastered on his face, Aether replied, "I am not sure what you are talking about... Madam, but whatever I did was just my body acting fluently..."
Delphine frowned, her gaze probing for any signs of deception in his eyes, but all she found was awkwardness and... annoyance?
"Perhaps his body remembered and moved on its own?" she mused silently, slowly withdrawing from Aether's personal space.
"And that's how you escape from the teachers!!" Aether muttered under his breath, exhaling a sigh of relief inwardly as he silently thanked his past self for effortlessly fabricating a lie before his instructors without fearing... Surly helped him now!!
Just as Delphine was about to inquire further, a voice interjected, breaking the tension,
"What's going on here?" A voice chimed in.
Aether and Delphine turned towards the newcomer, finding a bluish-black haired girl standing there with a curious expression.
"Selene?" Delphine tilted her head, somewhat surprised to see her niece, who had claimed to be suffering from a headache and wanted to rest for the day.... yet, suddenly appeared here.
Selene frowned, noticing the noticeable distance between Delphine and Aether.
"What are you doing... Aunt?" she asked softly, though Delphine could sense there was a subtle anger in her tone.
Delphine, puzzled by her niece's reaction, furrowed her brow... not understanding why her niece was angry.
Selene with heavy steps stood before Delphine and Ether.
"What happened? Don't you have a headache?" Delphine inquired, her concern evident.
Selene took a moment to respond. "I wanted to breathe some fresh air," she finally replied, then turned her attention to Aether, "What are you doing with a Slave, Aunt?"
Delphine shrugged nonchalantly. "Hmm... I'm just curious, since your grandfather asked me to take care of him."
"Me?"
"Him?"
Both Aether and Selene pointed at Aether, their frowns deepening.
"Yes, since you awakened your Arcane Card," Delphine continued, her expression remaining composed. "He asked me to train you."
"..."
"..."
'What the hell?' Aether screamed inwardly as his mind raced through various possibilities to find an answer for Mortimer's actions. The mystery surrounding the old man's sudden interest in his training gnawed at him, fueling a storm of questions in his mind,
'He is definitely up to something... but what is it?.... Does he find out I am training?... I am not sure about that since even Alfred could sneak behind without me getting alert so... That might be the reason but why would he help me train?....'
As Aether continued to ponder deeply, the pieces of the puzzle began to align in his mind. Suddenly, a spark ignited inside his heart as he connected the dots, 'The Arcane Card...' he mumbled inwardly with serious eyes. The realization dawned on him that there was a deeper significance to his possession of the Arcane Card, one that he had been oblivious to until now.
Both the Empress and the Old Man were interested in his Arcane Card.... which he wasn't even aware of until the Empress mentioned it.
But suddenly,
"ARCANE CARD? HIM??!!!"
A loud voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he saw Selene shouting at him, her eyes ablaze with a mix of shock and.... happiness?