Chapter 273: I WILL SEDUCE YOU NEXT TIME!!
"It's not what you think it is!!!" Pearl Harper shouted at Asher Eli, her face ablaze with embarrassment as she closed the distance between them.
"I-I know...I know Miss" Eli raised his hands, signalling her to stop, and took a step back, his expression twisted in disgust.
Coming from a scheduled village, he was unfamiliar with such situations. He respected everyone's personal life and choices, and the discomfort he felt was palpable.
It was his first time witnessing something like this directly... He even contemplated what it would be like if he had entered the male dormitory and what if.... What if he stumbled upon two naked men engaged in some unexpected activity....?
"PHoff--"Eli immediately covered his mouth, the mere thought sending shivers down his spine.
"YOU JERK!!" Pearl shouted in response to his vomiting reaction.
"I am sorry, I am sorry!" Eli raised his hand, genuinely apologetic and added "First of all, I was the one who intruded into your room without permission, so I am sorry" he said earnestly. "Let's make a deal; I won't say anything about your relationship, and you won't say anything about me entering the female dormitory... it's a win-win".
"Hah-hah-aha..." Pearl laughed through her tears. While she could exploit this win-win situation, she couldn't shake the feeling that agreeing would essentially mislead that her to confirm her relationship with another woman.
"???" Eli was taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanour, "Ms. Pearl... are you crying or... laughing?"
"I-I hah--hah-don't--know" Pearl stammered, maintaining her unusual state.
Eli scrutinized her and said with a sceptical expression, "I think... maybe I misunderstood something. See you later, Miss" before walking away.
Seeing her reaction like that... He entertained the possibility that he had misinterpreted the situation.
"H-Huh? W-Wait?" Pearl gasped, her eyes wide with surprise, as Eli seemed to understand what she was trying to convey. With swift determination, she sprinted towards him.
"H-Hey?"
"Yes..?" Eli asked, his tone steady, as he continued to walk while checking the map.
'Thud'
A child suddenly stumbled onto Eli, and his expression shifted from confusion to mild annoyance.
"I-I am sorry" the child stammered, his face hidden as he hastily ran away.
"YOU LITTLE THIEF, STOP!" A middle-aged man in a bakery uniform shouted, his face flushed with anger, chasing after the disappearing child.
Eli's gaze lingered on the child's retreating figure, and then he shifted his attention to the middle-aged man, who, inexplicably, stumbled and fell.
'Thud'
"Huh?" The middle-aged man furrowed his brow, perplexed by the strange events. Even though the pavement was as clear as water, the man struggled to get back up and again he fell.
'Thud'
Soon, the child vanished from sight.
Eli, with his shining green pupils, turned and started to walk away, leaving behind a bewildered Pearl.
"???" She stared at the middle-aged man, who dusted off his uniform and walked away with a mix of frustration and confusion on his face.
Pearl quickly caught up to Eli, her eyes filled with curiosity and concern as she stared at his face.
Eli simply glanced at her and didn't say anything, his stoic demeanour hiding the thoughts swirling within.
Pearl desperately wanted to ask whether he was the one who did the peculiar events. However, a more pressing problem remained unresolved...
"Look!"
"???"
"W-Well, T-That woman was just a maid, and I... am not a morning person, so she is the one who always changes my dress and other kinds of stuff..." Pearl's face flushed with embarrassment as she explained, her eyes avoiding Eli's gaze.
"..." Eli halted his steps for a second, studying Pearl with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. 'Is this how royalty works?' he wondered, keeping his thoughts to himself. There was one thing, though, that he couldn't ignore.
"If what you said is true, then why is she also... almost naked?" Eli asked, a furrow deepening on his forehead. He had observed clearly that both ladies only wore innerwear, nothing more.
"W-W-Whhat?" Pearl was taken aback, her surprise evident in her wide eyes. She quickly deployed an invisible barrier, not wanting others to overhear the conversation.
'W-What's wrong with him?' Pearl thought, she confused and she wondered whether this man had any manners, openly discussing such matters in the middle of a bustling street.
Eli glanced at the barrier and then back at Pearl.
"W-W-Well..." Pearl stammered, her eyes betraying her inner struggle to find the right words. 'W-What should I-I say? She also helps me take a bath... I-I would rather die than tell that' The truth felt too embarrassing to voice.
Eli observed the turmoil in her eyes, sensing her hesitation and discomfort. He tilted his head slightly, his expression a mix of curiosity and patience, waiting for her to continue.
The bustling street around them seemed to fade into the background as Pearl grappled with her internal debate. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before continuing.
"I-I mean, it's not what it seems. She helps me with... uh, daily tasks...I mean DAILY TASKS, You know..... Changing clothes and stuff" Pearl said, her face flushed with embarrassment. "It's not like... you know, anything more" hoping Eli would understand and not wanting to ask back anything.
Eli raised an eyebrow, his initial confusion giving way to a subtle understanding. 'I see... Child' he thought, amused by the innocence before him. He nodded with a faint, wry smile, tempted to tease this young 'Child'. However, unfamiliar with her, he decided against it. 'So, let's not tease her' he reasoned, preparing to move on.
As he was about to resume his walk, a nagging question lingered in his mind. Why was she so stubborn to explain? Why did she feel the need to clarify the misunderstandings? And, most intriguingly, why did she seem compelled to correct the mistake? He pondered these thoughts, wondering if there was more to this girl than met the eye.
Just as he contemplated these mysteries, the unexpected happened.
"PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!!!"
"????" Eli was taken entirely by surprise, his earlier musings disrupted by her sudden declaration.
Looking at her red, embarrassed face, Eli deeply stared into her lavender-colored eyes. He felt something was wrong, you know... Like she was not like Lilith or others.
Maybe the correct word would be... "Normal" Eli muttered.
Yes, Pearl felt normal, not anything else, and what's more, it seems she did not even love him to begin with or any kind of sincerity.
'She might be planning something else...?' Eli wondered.
Eli calmed down and patted her head in a somewhat affectionate, reassuring manner.
"HELL NO!... BRAT!!" he declared with a chuckle, his response echoing in the stunned silence that followed.
"....."
Eli ignored the stoned girl and continued walking toward his destination, leaving behind a bewildered and stony Pearl.
After a few moments, Eli disappeared from view, leaving Pearl, who had turned into stone, yet to return to normal.
"...." Her mind continued to echo those words.
'Pat, Pat'
Feeling someone's hand, Pearl snapped out of her trance and looked at the light cyan-haired woman.
"Young Miss?"
The light cyan-haired woman met Pearl's teary eyes.
Pearl's face turned even redder when she realized her maid had been watching them.
"Young Miss, I know we asked you to get closer to that man but...." The maid's words trailed off as she recalled the events of this morning.
Just as usual, as part of her duties, she was fully responsible for waking Pearl up to the point of dressing her.
Despite being a teenage girl going through puberty, Pearl had yet to ready herself; she still acted like a little child..... She needed another person to take care of her.
This morning, the maid prepared herself to accompany Young Miss to the bath.... However, just as she was about to assist Pearl, a man entered the room.
It wasn't that Pearl hadn't locked the door or anything; rather, the maid, who usually stayed in another dorm, had come to Pearl's room and forgotten to lock the door.
The maid stared at the man....
That Man was the one she was currently targeting.
Under orders, the maid had initially intended to delve deeply into Scylla's background. However, the only information she managed to obtain was that Scylla served as the attendant to Asher Eli. Everything else seemed to have been erased, and the maid herself knew who was responsible for that..... none other than 'The Vampire Queen'.
Left with no other viable option, she decided to focus her attention on Pearl Harper, who shared the same class as Scylla. The maid asked Pearl to befriend Scylla, hoping to gather more information through a personal connection. However, Scylla showed disinterest towards Pearl, making it challenging for her to approach.
Rather than persisting with Scylla, the maid altered her approach, asking Pearl to befriend Asher Eli instead. The hope was that by establishing a connection with Eli, they might gain insights into Scylla's elusive background.
Today was the day Pearl and her maid had decided to approach the man, and yet, that very man walked in on them, seeing the two women in what could only be described as a compromising situation..... Anyone witnessing such a scene would naturally assume something was amiss, and just like everyone else, the man wore a disgusted expression before abruptly walking out.
"B-But, M-Master's Order..." Pearl's voice, barely audible and fraught with embarrassment, interrupted the maid's thoughts.
"Don't worry, Young Miss.... Your Master, Her Majesty simply ordered me to keep an eye on that woman named Scylla. There's no need for you to go to such lengths" the maid reassured her with a small smile.
She understood that Young Miss was doing her best to assist her Master, navigating the complexities of the situation as best she could.
Pearl gritted her teeth, a visible sign of her internal struggle to hold back tears.... She just wanted to help her Master, the one who had supported her throughout her entire life.
Pearl didn't mind going to any lengths or even the prospect of seducing Eli if that was her Master's wish. That's how much she owed and loved her Master. This was the first time her Master had asked for something, so Pearl was determined to go to any length to make it a reality.
Initially, she approached Scylla, but a single lifeless glance from her made Pearl shiver in fear. Even when she tried to engage Scylla in conversation, the only response she received was a nonchalant 'Hmm' Feeling defeated, she then sought out Mia, but Mia's response was aggressive 'Duel with me Bitch!!', leaving Pearl with no choice but to turn to Eli.
To get closer to Eli, Pearl recognized that he was a flirt, so she decided to try to seduce him.
Her plan was simple and effective: first, to clear up any misunderstandings Eli might have about her, and then form a relationship just like she had seen in the movies... All she had to do was ask him out, get close, and gather evidence about Scylla.
It was a straightforward plan and it might have worked, but Pearl, innocent to matters of love..... never expected Eli to reject her.
She was way too proud of her beauty.
The maid thought, 'Well, I would definitely be surprised if he accepted you' She pondered on how her Miss had approached a stranger, asking him out without fully considering her position as the crown princess.
'It was a good thing she used the barrier before shamelessly saying that' the maid sighed, slowly walking away, deep in thought. While holding the half-dead future Queen.
'I-I will definitely.... definitely.... ' Pearl muttered with an embarrassed face, the mere thought of remembering how Eli rejected her making her blood boil.
'Sigh, I shouldn't have asked for Young Miss's help' the maid thought, observing Pearl's not-so-obvious face of accepting defeat.
"I WILL SEDUCE YOU NEXT TIME!!" Pearl suddenly shouted, her voice a mix of determination and the raw emotion of a little girl.
'She's still a child, even though her dressing sense is too off the road' the maid thought, suppressing a smile at the paradox between Pearl's determined proclamation and her occasional childish expressions.