Ch 35: Entertain
Vice Headmistress Charlotte Belmore waited for Eleena to speak, but the girl stood silently, not opening her mouth even a fraction. It was as if she was torn between speaking her mind or fleeing the office altogether, abandoning the very reason she had come to see Charlotte in the first place.
Charlotte, unable to restrain herself any longer in this silent tug-of-war, shook her head and tapped lightly on the desk, snapping Eleena out of her daze and bringing her focus back to the present moment.
"Tell me, girl, what is troubling you that you had to visit me when your next class is about to begin?" Charlotte said, trying to remain as impassive as possible, carefully hiding any trace of irritation. She glanced at the clock, knowing the next class was due to start at any moment.
"How are you, Vice Headmistress?" Eleena asked, her azure eyes meeting Charlotte's dark eyes.
Charlotte sighed at the girl's question, realizing that Eleena was still unable to reveal the true reason for coming to her office.
Charlotte rose from her chair and walked toward Eleena, who still stood stiffly despite the presence of two empty chairs before her, either of which she could have chosen to sit in.
"I am fine," Charlotte answered, stopping just in front of Eleena, who had tilted her head up to meet Charlotte's gaze.
Seeing the shakiness and tension in Eleena’s eyes, Charlotte asked, "What about you? You do not seem well."
Without waiting for an answer, Charlotte gently but firmly guided Eleena into one of the chairs and, from her dimensional ring, produced a bottle of mixed fruit juice along with two glasses.
Charlotte would have preferred a glass of wine, but this was neither the time nor the place for such indulgence. Even though Eleena was old enough to drink, it was still academy office hours, and Eleena needed to return to class while Charlotte had paperwork to finish and meetings with other staff. She compromised with fruit juice for now, though she promised herself that tonight she would drink wine to her heart’s content and finally relax.
Charlotte nodded inwardly at her plan for the evening, then brushed those thoughts aside to focus on the present.
After handing a full glass of fruit juice to Eleena, Charlotte returned to her seat and quickly shuffled the scattered papers and documents to the far left side of the desk to avoid any risk of a spill. The thought of juice ruining her paperwork and forcing her to redo everything from scratch was intolerable, and if more than one sheet was damaged, the extra work would only multiply.
Charlotte filled the other glass with mixed fruit juice and took a sip. Eleena, however, continued to hold her glass with both hands, not having tasted a single drop, even as Charlotte had already finished nearly a third of hers.
"You should not miss out on this fruit juice," Charlotte said as she set her glass down on the desk, adding with a hint of mischief, "You never know what powerful potion I might have slipped into it."
Eleena bit her lower lip, nodded, and finally took a sip from the glass. The reaction Charlotte anticipated was immediate and obvious. "You lied. There is no potion mixed in it," Eleena complained, sounding almost like a child.
"Girl, you should thank me instead of complaining," Charlotte rebuked, then added, "Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? You would be shocked to see how stressed and anxious you look." Charlotte took another long sip from her glass, amused.
Eleena blinked in unpleasant realization, her brow furrowing. "Who is Melissa Waters, and how did she get admitted to the academy?" she asked, her curiosity unrestrained.
Charlotte, caught mid-sip by the sudden question about Melissa, almost choked. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and managed to swallow without making a scene.
Only after she had swallowed the last of her drink did she lower her hand. "She is a special admission student who joined today," Charlotte answered. As her words settled, she asked, "Is this the reason you came to my office?"
"Yes, Luc... Professor Lucien told the class that if anyone had questions about Melissa’s admission, they should visit the Vice Headmistress," Eleena nodded, impatience creeping into her voice. "But that does not answer my question. Who is she, and what was the reason for her special admission without even taking the entrance exam?" She emphasized the words 'entrance exam' with particular insistence.
Charlotte rubbed her forehead, feeling lines appear not from tension but from sheer annoyance at Lucien’s audacity in diverting all the troublesome questions to her. Had he not told her only recently that if anyone asked about Melissa’s admission, she should simply reveal that it was Lucien himself who recommended the girl? Yet, here he was, cunning as ever, tossing his own problems into her lap.
Charlotte gnashed her teeth in frustration. "Lucien is the one who recommended her admission and is sponsoring Melissa's education," she answered. Seeing the shock in Eleena’s wide eyes, she added, "She also has a high light affinity, which is why I allowed her into the academy. That is all there is to her admission—no further mystery beyond that."
Charlotte rested her chin on her right palm and watched Eleena, whose face cycled through a range of expressions Charlotte rarely saw from a single person. "So, I suppose I have satisfied your curiosity." Seeing Eleena nod, Charlotte added, amusement coloring her voice, "Now, amuse mine."
The room fell into silence. Eleena swallowed hard, looking as though she had just struck a deal with the devil.
Charlotte burst into hearty laughter. "Girl, you do not need to worry so much," she reassured, smiling. "Just tell me why you wanted to know about Melissa."
Eleena seemed frozen in her chair, already shaken and now placing her right hand over her mouth as if she herself was shocked by what she might reveal to Charlotte.
"I just wanted to know how someone could get admitted into the academy without taking the entrance exam," Eleena answered after a long pause, as though gathering her thoughts. At last, she added, "But why class 1-S and not another section? Is her power really that great?" Her voice held curiosity, skepticism, and a stubbornness that suggested she was still not satisfied with the sudden admission of the girl into the academy, much less into class 1-S, which was reserved for only the elite students.
Charlotte could not answer that particular question, since Melissa’s admission into class 1-S had been at Lucien’s insistence. She had originally wanted the girl to join the B or A section, but Lucien had stubbornly declared that if Melissa was not admitted to the S section, he would resign from the academy. Charlotte had been forced to relent, partly due to his ultimatum and partly because Melissa’s light affinity was truly extraordinary. But she could not reveal to Eleena that Lucien had threatened resignation to get his way.
Also, she had already told Eleena about Melissa’s high light affinity, but could not reveal that Melissa was the saintess of the goddess of light, which she herself was not sure of. And, she was not dumb enough to reveal it to others. It was still a question for Charlotte herself why Lucien had told her about Melissa being the saintess, and if he was telling the truth, wouldn’t keeping it secret be more beneficial?
"As I told you, it is because Melissa has an extremely strong light affinity," Charlotte answered, growing irritated by the barrage of questions. She glanced at the clock and added, "Your next class has already started. You are five minutes late."
Just as Charlotte hoped, Eleena glanced at the clock, clicked her tongue in annoyance, and stood. As she opened the door to leave, Charlotte called out, "Is it because of Lucien that you are interested in the girl?"
Eleena stopped in her tracks, frozen like a statue.
"No, it’s not because of Lucie.. Professor Lucien. I just wanted to know more about Melissa," Eleena replied without turning her head toward Charlotte. In a hurry, she exited the office, closing the door firmly behind her.
"Sigh! This year is going to be exhausting," Charlotte muttered as she slouched in her seat. With a hint of reluctance, she added, "Should I just resign from the Vice Headmistress position?"
***
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