novelraw Chapter 108: Worlds Apart
Chapter 108: Worlds Apart
The last of the sunset swept backward like a violin's bow, drawing long, lyrical shadows across the ground. The sky above the campus was deepening into evening, so people lit lamps on the ground — a clumsy imitation of the sun's spectrum.
The surroundings buzzed with activity. Fischer sat on a bench outside the school gates while students and parents streamed toward the center of campus, heading for the celebration of one of Saint-Nazareth's handful of holidays.
Fischer didn't move. At that moment, a dark-haired woman in a black dress settled quietly onto the bench beside him.
A wisp of that faint, unmistakable fragrance drifted over. Fischer turned his head to find her violet eyes watching him with a smile.
Their gazes met. Then Fischer suddenly reached over and flicked Renee on the forehead, sending her reeling backward with both hands clapped over her head. She shot him an indignant look, guarding against a second strike.
"What was that for?"
"Didn't I tell you to wait at home? Why did you follow me?"
The reminder only ignited Renee's temper further. Combined with the forehead flick, she lunged for Fischer's sleeve, eager to give him a taste of her fist.
"You have the nerve to say that?! If I hadn't followed you, would you have spent the whole festival with that Crown Princess? Telling me to stay home? I feel like a wife being duped by her husband — trapped in the house, oblivious to everything going on outside! Boo hoo, I'm so wronged, and now you scold me on top of it..."
"Give it a rest. I knew the second I left that you'd sneak after me. I just didn't expect Elizabeth to show up.""Oh my, 'Your Highness' a moment ago, and now it's just 'Elizabeth,' is it? What a wicked man. But Big Sister likes that about you."
She smiled seductively, a finger tracing lightly across Fischer's chest. From his slightly elevated vantage, Fischer could see her pouting red lips perfectly — and it reminded him of the sensation of kissing her that morning.
Right now, he wanted to kiss those ceaselessly mischievous, grinning lips again.
"There was never anything to hide. Whether you came or not makes no difference."
Renee puffed her cheeks and poked Fischer's hand.
"Probably because the wrong person showed up to catch you. What if it hadn't been the Crown Princess — what if it was a certain Dragon-girl?"
Fischer caught her troublemaking hand, but the instant he did, she dissolved into mist and reappeared at a safe distance — clearly learning from the morning's lesson. She was terrified Fischer might suddenly kiss her hand... or anywhere else, for that matter.
She drifted to the far end of the bench, pulled a cute face at Fischer, and then seemed to recall something that saddened her. She looked at him with genuine worry.
"Does Fischer actually prefer girls with money and power? Because I don't have much money... I only have myself. So I'd feel inferior in front of those girls. Even so, would Fischer still choose me without hesitation?"
Her violet eyes blinked with a tremor of anxiety, as though she was truly worried about her lack of standing. She dabbed at the corner of her eye and spoke with an air of melancholy.
"Honestly, I wish I really were a holy maiden from the Kadu Cathedral. If that were true, I could compete with that princess on equal footing. Despite my bravado, deep down I really do care about status."
"So how about this: lend me all your money right now, and I'll go start a business in Kadu or Schwari. Once I've made my fortune and become one of the top entrepreneurs, I'll come back and marry you. Oh my — the tale of a loyal, powerful businesswoman and a handsome scholar! Just thinking about it is thrilling."
Fischer watched Renee's sudden rush of excitement and mercilessly splashed cold water on it.
"I have no money."
Renee puffed out her cheeks. She wanted to stomp over and poke him again but feared being caught, so she settled for making finger-guns at Fischer and "shooting" him to express her dissatisfaction.
"You're such a horrible man. If I end up penniless and die in some gutter, you'll regret it."
"Well, if you're broke, I suppose I could reluctantly let you stay at my place. You don't eat much. I can afford that."
Renee didn't reply right away. Instead, the corners of her mouth curled into a gratified, auntie-like grin — a picture of satisfaction.
"My, I didn't know Fischer had such smooth moves. That line earns an eight out of ten. I love this side of you. But — aren't you going to look for the Undying Witch anymore?"
A strand of her black hair lifted. The intoxicating fragrance felt almost tangible, tugging at Fischer. He turned to look at Renee, half-suspecting she was toying with him again for her own entertainment.
"I want to find her. If it were you, that would save me an enormous amount of trouble."
Renee tapped her lips with a troubled expression, as if genuinely trying to share his burden.
"I wish I were her, too, but I'm really not. I'll keep searching for her, though — count on it. Mission guaranteed!"
Fischer smiled and dropped the subject of the Undying Witch. Instead, something in her words caught his attention, and he asked.
"So does that mean you're going back toward Kadu again — looking for your people?"
"Hmph, I was already on my way, you know. If a certain terrible man who enjoys breaking ladies' hearts hadn't called me back, I never would have returned. Once I leave this time, you probably won't be able to reach me for a while."
"Can't reach you? Why? Where are you going?"
Renee's mischievous grin returned.
"It's a secret. But if you beg me, I'll tell you."
Fischer looked down at her — that impish face practically begging to be begged, wicked and cute in equal measure. So he suddenly dipped his head and lightly kissed the corner of her mouth, keeping it fleeting and soft — a dragonfly's touch — afraid she would flee.
Then Fischer sat back and watched, perfectly composed, as her mischievous smirk froze, slowly morphing into utter disbelief. The flush started from her ivory neck and crept upward. A second or two later, she clapped both hands over her mouth and stumbled backward, flustered beyond reason.
"Fischer! You're the worst! If you keep doing this, I'll never speak to you again!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Fischer didn't press for details. There were many secrets buried in her activities — ones he had yet to unearth. But right now, somehow, he no longer felt the urgency to dig.
Watching Fischer sit there looking utterly self-assured, Renee floated up behind him and swatted the back of his head a couple of times. She smoothed the hair her swatting had mussed, then settled back with a sour expression, looking thoroughly miffed.
Just then, a translucent, wobbling paper airplane materialized at the edge of the sky.
Ringed with a faint halo of magic, it became fully visible only once it drifted close to Fischer. It was the very messenger he had sent to Karo that morning.
So the Harte bird had successfully delivered the messenger, and Karo was already using it. Fischer glanced at the note clipped to the airplane — presumably asking when he would share the plan. Now that he largely understood the delegation situation, it was time to start thinking about the Pink Pavilion and Karo.
He sensed there was more to this than met the eye.
He turned to look at Renee — only to find her pinching her nose and backing away to a considerable distance, apparently repulsed by the scent on the envelope.
'Could it be that Witches are extremely sensitive to the smell of artificial Witches?'
"Hurry up and burn that thing! It stinks!"
"All right."
Fischer used the magic on his walking stick to incinerate the letter, then tucked the paper airplane back inside his coat for the next time he needed to send a message.
Afterward, Fischer set his gentleman's hat on his head and took up his walking stick. He glanced at the brilliantly lit school, where the festival celebration was in full swing. He had no intention of joining. Instead, he turned to Renee and held out his arm — wordlessly inviting her to place her hand in the crook of his elbow.
His expression was as impassive as ever. He simply said to the dark-haired lady.
"I promised you this morning. Shall we go see a play?"
Renee's violet eyes were filled with the image of the handsome gentleman before her. She tapped her lips with a mischievous grin, then rose gracefully and slipped her hand into the bend of his arm, letting her scent seep into him — an unabashed declaration of possession.
"Hmm hmm, since you're treating me to the theater, I suppose I can reluctantly agree to your request."
Despite her words, the moment her hand settled, Fischer felt her discreetly squeeze the muscles in his arm.
'Wait — do all women do the exact same thing? What is this, a universal reflex?'
Fischer was bewildered, but this time he retaliated by squeezing her hand back. She squeezed again, then shot him a warning look with those violet eyes — 'no more squeezing from you,' the eyes clearly said. But she was allowed to squeeze him.
'What a hypocrite of a Witch.'
"Oh, by the way — I was serious about the loan earlier. Guaranteed one-hundred-percent return. Once I've made my fortune, I'll come back to Naris and marry you."
"Any investment promising returns that high is a scam. I'm fairly certain you'll run off with my money."
"No way! How could I cheat you out of money, Fischer? You don't trust me? Besides, even if I did take your money, you'd still get me — this beautiful lady — in return. It's a guaranteed profit."
"Heh."
"You really are a hateful man, Fischer."