Ch 61: Elective Classes
Melissa trailed beside the princess and Eleena, having finished her lunch and already craving another bowl of that noodle dish they called ramen here.
At first Melissa had thought ramen and that strange accompanying drink were a waste of money, but she had been thoroughly proven wrong in her assumption, because the moment she had lifted the very first spoonful of ramen to her lips, a blast of euphoria had erupted across her tongue, and that drink had been something so refreshing that she was feeling so much more energetic right now that she could practically dash down the hallway dozens of times without feeling the least bit tired.
But she was not foolish enough to go running through the hallway, which was practically brimming with students all hurrying back to their classes.
And as for the pancake dessert, which she had judged from looks alone to be worth it, had turned out to be actually worth every money, and as a matter of fact every single dish on her tray, from the ramen to the dessert to the drink, had all been worth the three gold coins she had spent.
Three gold coins. Oh, goodness. How could three gold coins possibly feel worth it? She winced internally, just imagining the number of years her family could have stretched three gold coins. But then, from the corner of her eye, Melissa glanced over at the princess, who was jovially chattering about which subject to select for electives, and Melissa felt her burden lighten up instantly because the food had been on the princess and Melissa had not been the one to spend three gold coins.
Yet, would that not mean that tagging along with the princess for lunch in the future would eventually cost her gold coins? She winced internally again just imagining the gold coins slipping away from her fingers.
"Melissa, what are you going to choose as your elective?" The princess suddenly turned her head toward Melissa, catching the poor girl thoroughly off guard.
Melissa feared she might have been pulling a terribly weird face this entire time, and she hurriedly arranged her expression into something resembling a smile. For the better part, the princess did not seem to have noticed, or in the worst case the princess had noticed Melissa's expression but was not allowing it to show on her own face, trained as she was in the ways of nobility, and having learnt exactly how to handle these sorts of situations with graceful composure.
"Umm, I am not entirely sure," Melissa answered honestly. "There is still a week's time for us to submit our subjects, so I am thinking I will try out all the elective classes and then go with whichever suits me best."
The princess nodded and placed her hand over Melissa's shoulder, catching the poor girl off guard all over again. "I am thinking the same thing," the princess agreed warmly, nodding as though she was genuinely pleased with Melissa's thoughtfulness. She continued, "So how about we sit in on the classes together?"
Melissa looked at the princess the way one looks at a predator that has cornered them and was not inclined to let them go.
The princess seemed to be genuinely trying to befriend Melissa, which Melissa was quietly not opposed to, except for the lingering residue of yesterday's events which had left a faint bad feeling still sitting somewhere in her chest.
For the most part, Melissa had forgiven it. But that did not mean she was ready to simply attach herself to the princess's side, because if she started roaming around after the princess, then that would mean only one thing. Trouble. A great deal of trouble. Enormous, sprawling, relentless trouble. Which was precisely what Melissa wanted to flee from, and as far as possible, because something had been happening ever since she had set foot inside this academy, and whenever she thought everything was finally going smoothly, something new would come knocking at her door.
So Melissa had to be careful to keep a certain distance from the princess. Yet the princess was genuinely, sincerely interested in joining other classes alongside Melissa, and was not being dishonest about the fact that she too was thinking of familiarizing herself with each class before deciding which one to commit to at the end.
"A-ah..." Melissa had just opened her mouth to politely decline the offer and invent some excuse about needing to consult Lucien for advice first, which she hoped would be enough to make the princess back off. Well, that was what she hoped, though the reality could turn out to be very different indeed.
"Amber, you are making her uncomfortable," Eleena cut in, and for the first time in what felt like a long while, Melissa felt as though heaven had genuinely smiled upon Melissa’s fortune. Eleena, who had been watching quietly from the sidelines, interjected with those few words and prompted the princess to remove her hand from Melissa's shoulder.
"Oops!" the princess exclaimed. "Sorry, Melissa. I only wanted someone to come along with me, since Eleena has already settled on her subject and will not be accompanying me to the other classes."
Melissa nodded her head in understanding. Though Melissa had no particular desire to eavesdrop, she had been walking close enough beside Amber and Eleena that she had naturally overheard Eleena announcing her decision to attend the Elemental Studies classes, as Eleena had wanted to deepen her understanding of her ice affinity.
"It’s fine," Melissa said. "I am happy to come along with you."
Oh, no! God! Why in the world did I just say that? Melissa screamed at herself internally, utterly failing to understand why she had agreed so readily.
Melissa should have refused outright, or at the very least done so in the most polite way imaginable. Yet seeing the princess's face fall ever so slightly, a faint sullenness creeping into her expression, Melissa had ended up agreeing before she could stop herself. More precisely, her mouth had swung open and the words had tumbled out before her mind had any chance to intervene.
The princess brightened immediately, her smile blooming wide as though she feared Melissa might change her mind at any second. So, Amber bid Eleena farewell in a hurry, since Eleena's Elemental Studies class would be starting shortly, and after that the princess turned to Melissa with that same luminous smile still fixed on her face. "Shall we head to the electives classes then?" Amber said brightly. "I had a look through the elective course timetables and one of them should be starting in just a few minutes."
Melissa nodded weakly and fell into step beside the princess. She walked along at the princess’s side with one question gnawing ceaselessly at her mind, turning over and over, which was what in the world had possessed her to agree so easily and why the words about consulting Lucien had never managed to make it past her lips. They simply had not come.
And what was worse was that Melissa’s mouth seemed to be firmly closed on the matter even now because she could have at least said that she had a second thought about consulting with Lucien on choosing her elective as he was literally sponsoring her.
Also, somewhere in some quiet corner of herself, a part of Melissa was at peace, because at the very least she would have someone she had come to acquaint, not yet a friend but no longer a stranger either, to have tagged along, and it would mean that Melissa would not have to attend the classes alone.
***
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