Chapter : 382
Elma had watched Ken all afternoon. She saw him sleeping on the couch earlier. She saw him shuffling his feet. She remembered the moment in the arena. She remembered his goofy smile. She wanted to talk to him. She intentionally left her immaculate squad. She walked straight toward the dessert table.
This decision shocked everyone who noticed it.
Elma stopped a few feet away from Ken. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She took a deep breath. She tried to sound very strict.
"Hello, Ken," Elma said. Her voice pitched up just a tiny bit. She looked at his untucked shirt.
Ken stopped walking. He looked at her. He blinked his sleepy eyes. He did not look intimidated by her spotless uniform. He just gave her a lazy, relaxed smile.
"Hey, Elma," Ken replied casually. He looked down at his massive plate. He looked back at her. "Are you here for the cupcakes? Because I just took the last chocolate one. But there are still some lemon ones left. Lemon is okay, but it is not chocolate."
Elma stared at his mountain of pastries. Her blush deepened. She did not care about the cupcakes. She wanted to start a conversation.
"I do not want a cupcake," Elma stammered slightly. She quickly cleared her throat. She tried to regain her haughty attitude. "I just wanted to observe your eating habits. They are completely appalling. You are going to make yourself sick with all that sugar."
"Sugar is essential for my survival," Ken argued lazily. He popped a small cookie into his mouth. He chewed happily. "It gives me the energy to take very long naps. You should try it. You look very tense. A cookie would totally help you relax."
Elma’s face turned even redder. "I am not tense! I am perfectly composed! I am an elite warrior!"
"You are a very loud elite warrior," Ken chuckled softly. He did not mind her yelling. He thought she was funny. "Do you want to sit down? Standing up in those polished boots looks very exhausting. I can share a vanilla tart with you."
Elma uncrossed her arms. Her blue eyes widened. He was offering to share his food. He was speaking to her in a remarkably casual, friendly way. The arrogant rival servant felt her heart do a frantic flip inside her chest.
"You... you want to share your food with me?" Elma asked softly. The strict, haughty tone completely vanished from her voice.
"Sure," Ken smiled. He slouched his shoulders and pointed to a nearby stone bench. "The tart is too big for me anyway. We can sit over there."
Elma bit her lower lip. She nodded slowly. She walked beside the messy slacker. They headed toward the quiet bench together.
It was a completely bizarre sight. The pristine, elegant blonde warrior walking next to the slouching, untucked commoner. They looked like total opposites. But they were having a very normal, blushing conversation.
Across the courtyard, two pairs of eyes locked onto them.
The fragile political peace of the party was about to experience a very sudden, very intense disruption. The problem was not Princess Hestia. The problem was not the 9th Unit. The problem was pure, undeniable jealousy.
---
Naomi stood near the center of the courtyard. She held an empty tray in her hands. She turned her head to look for Ken. She wanted to make sure he was not causing trouble.
Her green eyes found him instantly. She saw Ken walking toward the stone bench. She saw Elma walking right beside him. She saw Elma blushing a bright, vibrant pink. She saw Ken smiling his goofy smile and offering Elma a vanilla tart.
Naomi stopped breathing for a second. Her hands gripped the edges of the empty tray very tightly. Her knuckles turned totally white.
A sudden, fierce spike of undeniable jealousy flared up in her chest.
"What is she doing?" Naomi whispered angrily to herself. She narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. "Why is she talking to him? She insulted him yesterday. She called him a peasant. Now she is blushing and eating his snacks? Absolutely not."
Sayma stood just a few feet away. The Vice-Captain also saw the interaction.
Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her polite, calm expression completely vanished. Her dark eyes locked onto Elma. Sayma felt the exact same spike of fierce jealousy. She remembered her fake date with Ken in the Inner City. She remembered how safe he made her feel. She did not want this arrogant rival servant moving in on her territory.
Sayma closed her notebook with a loud, sharp snap.
Naomi and Sayma looked at each other. They did not need to speak a single word. They shared a look of mutual, intense agreement. They both fiercely disliked seeing Elma actively flirt with their lazy teammate.
Naomi dropped her empty tray onto a table. Sayma placed her notebook down. They turned their bodies. They crossed their arms tightly over their chests. They set their jaws. They began to march straight across the yard. They fully intended to march over there, interrupt the conversation, and drag Ken away from the blonde girl.
They walked with fast, determined steps. They glared at Elma.
Ken reached the stone bench. He sat down. He carefully placed his massive plate of desserts onto his lap. He picked up the vanilla tart. He held it out toward Elma.
"Here you go," Ken offered lazily. "It has a lot of powdered sugar on top. Be careful not to get it on your shiny uniform."
Elma stood in front of the bench. Her heart pounded rapidly. She reached her hand out to take the tart. Her fingers trembled just a little bit. She looked at Ken's dark, sleepy eyes. She felt completely flustered.
"Thank you, Ken," Elma said softly. Her voice sounded very sweet. The arrogant tone was totally gone. "That is very kind of you. I appreciate the gesture."
Ken smiled. He prepared to hand her the dessert.
Suddenly, a blur of dark blue moved past the marching figures of Naomi and Sayma.
It moved completely silently. It moved with incredible, flawless precision. It bypassed the two angry girls and headed directly toward the stone bench.
It was Ira.
The water mage wore her neat dark blue uniform. Her silver-white hair rested perfectly on her shoulders. Her pale face was completely blank. She showed absolutely zero emotion. Her eyes stared straight ahead.
Ira walked right up to the stone bench. She did not slow down. She stepped directly into the narrow space between Ken and Elma.
Ira stopped. She stood perfectly still. She seamlessly and silently wedged herself right in the middle of their conversation. She completely blocked Elma from reaching the vanilla tart.
Elma gasped in surprise. She took a quick step backward. Her hand dropped to her side. She stared at the water mage.
"Excuse me," Elma stammered. Her face turned a darker shade of red. She felt incredibly annoyed by the sudden interruption. "You are standing right in my way. I was talking to Ken. Please step aside."