Chapter 240: An Expensive Deal
Chapter 240: An Expensive Deal
Layla came around the corner with her arms crossed over her chest. She was quite relaxed for someone who had just been caught hiding. As she approached, she looked at me as if I were a piece of filth stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
After a brief glance at the stairs Iris had taken, she turned her eyes back to me.
"You men are all the same!"
"What?"
"Idiot, pervert, scumbag, freak, psychopath!"
She listed the words in a single breath, then lifted her chin a little higher and waited for my reaction.
I took the mop out of the bucket and leaned it against the wall. I didn’t know how long she had been listening to the earlier conversation, but she clearly hadn’t come here just to insult me.
"Have you changed your mind?"
The confidence on Layla’s face faltered slightly. She crossed her arms more tightly and looked away.
"I don’t need your stupid, filthy help."
"Then why were you watching me?"
"To see how pathetic you look, of course."
A mocking smile appeared on her lips. She glanced down at the bucket before looking back at my face.
"You’ve been giving everyone advice since this morning. Now you’re mopping the floor. It really suits you."
"All right. See you."
I turned around and was about to bend down to pick up the bucket when she grabbed my hand.
I looked at her hand wrapped around my fingers, then at her face.
"What?" I asked coldly.
Layla’s lips parted. She looked as though she was about to say something, but after a few seconds, she turned her face away.
"Nothing."
I tried to move again, but she didn’t let go of my hand. In fact, her grip tightened slightly when she realized I was trying to leave.
When I looked back at her face, she was still looking away.
Apparently, asking me for help hurt her pride more than I had expected. She had come all the way here after seeing Felix on the training field, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say a few simple words.
I waited for her to speak. When the silence dragged on, I sighed and straightened up.
"Buy me dinner."
Layla turned her head so quickly that a few strands of hair fell away from her face.
"What?"
"Dinner."
She finally let go of my hand as her face twisted in disgust.
"Why would I have dinner with a pervert like you?"
"Think of it as a trade, or a deal."
"A trade?"
"Yes. You buy me dinner, and I help you."
Instead of answering, Layla looked me over. She must have been searching for some hidden meaning in my words. She looked at my face, then back at the mop.
"Just a meal?"
"We can talk while we eat. Of course, if you want to keep standing here saying you don’t want anything, that’s fine too."
She frowned, but this time she didn’t argue.
She still remembered what I had told her on the training field. Being angry with me didn’t stop her from seeing that the distance between her and Felix was growing a little more every day. Besides, even following a few of my suggestions had made her attacks more effective.
She knew that too.
"You’re not going to stop messing with me just because I buy you dinner, are you?" she asked suspiciously.
"If you buy me dinner, at least my mouth will be full for a while."
The corner of Layla’s eye twitched. She looked as though she wanted to reject my offer because of that last remark, but eventually lowered her gaze.
"Fine," she muttered.
Then she looked up again and pointed a finger at my face.
"But if you try anything perverted, I’ll kill you."
"Meet me at the exit in half an hour."
"Half an hour? Wait a minute, I need to—"
I picked up the bucket and mop without waiting for her to finish. She still had her hand extended toward me as I hurried past her.
"Wait!"
I had already turned the corner. She called out a few more things behind me, but I didn’t stop to listen.
I needed to finish the rest of the cleaning before we went out to eat. I also wanted to get out of these wet clothes.
---
An hour had passed since my conversation with Layla.
I had been waiting for her at the academy’s exit for the last half hour.
I had finished the last corridor, put the bucket and mop back in the cleaning closet, and changed my clothes before arriving right on time. I was wearing a plain black shirt, black trousers, and a jacket of the same color.
If I had known I didn’t need to rush to get here on time, I would have taken things a little slower.
With my hands in my pockets, I leaned against the wall beside the gate. Students leaving the academy occasionally glanced at me as they passed, then returned to their conversations.
I wondered whether Layla had changed her mind. She had agreed in the corridor, but her pride might have gotten the better of her again once she returned to her room.
If so, I would have to find another way to get dinner.
A few minutes later, I heard hurried footsteps. When I turned my head, I saw Layla running toward the entrance.
She had changed out of her uniform. She was wearing a white sweater and a dark skirt. Her long black socks reached above her knees, and a small bag hung from her shoulder.
She was out of breath when she reached me. Holding her bag’s strap with one hand, she used the other to fix the hair that had fallen across her face.
"I..."
"You’re late."
Without waiting for an answer, I stepped away from the wall and started walking.
A short, angry huff came from behind me. Then Layla’s footsteps sped up again.
"You wanted me to get ready in half an hour!"
"It’s been an hour."
"I know!"
She stared at me as she caught up. She was still trying to catch her breath while keeping pace with me.
"You could have waited a little."
"I already waited half an hour."
Unable to think of a reply, Layla pressed her lips together. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and walked out through the academy gates with me.
As evening approached, the lights in the shops along the street were coming on. The smell of food drifted through open doorways, and students who had finished their lessons headed toward the nearby restaurants in small groups.
Layla remained silent for a while. After waiting for a few students passing in front of us to move farther away, she turned to me.
"Where are we going?"
"The Golden Crown."
The rhythm of the footsteps beside me faltered.
Layla stumbled mid-step. After regaining her balance, she stopped and looked at me.
"No."
I stopped too and turned toward her.
"Why?"
"Let’s go somewhere else."
"I heard their food is good."
"And I’ve heard how great their prices are!"
Realizing she had raised her voice a little too much, she looked around. Two students passing nearby had turned toward us. Layla tightened her grip on her bag’s strap and moved closer to me.
"It’s really expensive," she said more quietly.
"Aren’t you a noble? A few gold coins shouldn’t be a problem for you."
The redness spreading across Layla’s face wasn’t just from anger this time. She briefly looked away, then frowned at me again.
"My father is just a baron. I’m not some spoiled noble who can do whatever she wants like the others!"
"I didn’t call you spoiled."
"But you think everyone has an endless supply of gold in their purse!"
Her fingers tightened a little more around the strap.
"I get a set allowance. I can’t just ask for more whenever I feel like it."
I studied her for a few seconds. The discomfort on her face grew more obvious as she talked about the prices. Apparently, spending a few gold coins on dinner really wasn’t a small matter for her.
I tilted my head slightly.
"So a few gold coins are worth more than your love?"
Layla’s lips parted, but the objection I expected never came. Her eyes widened for a moment before she lowered her voice even further.
"Don’t put it like that."
"How should I put it?"
"Like just because I don’t want to spend money..."
She didn’t finish the sentence. Biting her lip, she looked farther down the street.
The determination she had shown while arguing about the prices was gone. I hadn’t even needed to mention Felix’s name.
I waited silently for her to decide.
After a few seconds, Layla’s shoulders dropped.
"Fine," she said reluctantly. "Let’s go to the Golden Crown."
I started walking again. A few steps later, she joined me, but she was now holding her bag in front of her with both hands instead of carrying it on her shoulder.
"Several months of my allowance..." she muttered.
The sadness in her voice was so obvious that I glanced at her. Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes had drifted down to the bag in her hands. She had already started mourning her money before eating a single thing.
"We haven’t even ordered yet," I said.
"I can tell how much you’re going to eat from the way you’re talking."
"I’m hungry."
Layla closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she turned her head away as if she didn’t want to talk anymore.
She didn’t object as often for the rest of the walk. Now and then, her gaze lingered on the signs of smaller restaurants we passed, but she kept walking without looking at me.
The Golden Crown was a few streets away from the academy. When the building came into view, Layla’s steps slowed again.
Ornate lamps glowed on either side of the wide stone steps. Through the tall windows, I could see chandeliers and tables covered with white cloths. A few attendants stood beside the carriages waiting near the entrance, while the man at the door bowed to greet the arriving guests.
When I turned my head, I saw that Layla had stopped at the edge of the sidewalk.
She looked from the golden sign on the building to the pillars at the entrance, then to the hall visible through the open door. Pulling her bag a little closer to her chest, she swallowed.
I stopped at the foot of the steps and called to her.
"What are you waiting for? Let’s go in."