Chapter 104: 40. Friends
“Prince?”
Fisher understood some matters regarding Shivali. The current queen ruling Shivali is the biological sister of the previous king, who had a son, yet the position was passed to her rather than to her own child.
If it were someone else’s situation, one might guess that there were many family conflicts and struggles behind it, but it’s unlikely between the queen of Shivali and the current prince.
The previous king of Shivali was excessively foolish and quite the libertine, holding lavish banquets in the court with both men and women. Such absurdity even reached the ears of Fisher in Nali, so in reality, the current prince was raised by his aunt, with whom he shared a very deep bond and mutual reliance.
After the king’s death, the still young prince handed the position to his aunt, who remained unmarried throughout her life and pulled Shivali back from the brink of collapse with an iron fist. Meanwhile, she also devoted herself to nurturing the prince, clearly designating him as the future master of Shivali.
Therefore, the fact that the queen of Shivali sent the prince to visit Nali already reflects her importance placed on this visit.
“Yes, he will accompany a delegation of scholars. After that, I will co-host an academic conference with Saint Nali University. Once the conference is over, my brother will host him at the Golden Palace, and this visit will perfectly conclude.”
Elizabeth nodded and said to Fisher, “I’m informing you in advance, so you can prepare. However, I believe you’ll handle the difficulties posed by their academic community well.”
“I understand.”
Just as Fisher was deep in thought, Elizabeth moved slightly closer to him, the faint scent of church incense mixed with her body fragrance interrupted his contemplation.
“Enough of that; I came here today to celebrate the Godlin Festival. I have other matters to attend to tonight, and I found it challenging to find time to come here. I heard that Saint Nali University has prepared many activities and invited many parents to participate. To express the royal family’s importance, I need to attend all the events in general.”
“It is essential during this time to have someone protecting me. Can I entrust such a responsibility to you, Mr. Fisher?”
Elizabeth extended her left hand toward Fisher, her soft and hollow light golden eyes reflecting his figure. She quietly looked at him, seemingly waiting for his response.
It was just past noon, and since Elizabeth had affairs to attend to later, she probably wouldn’t be here long. Participating in the activities with her would allow her to return in time.
“I understand; the safety of Your Highness will be my responsibility.”
Even a fool could tell that her talk of safety was merely a cover; she was inviting Fisher to join her in the activities.
After receiving Fisher’s affirmative answer, her calm and gentle eyes finally showed a slight wave of pleasure.
The statue of the Mother watched over the not-so-spacious hall with kindness. Elizabeth adjusted her clothes, stood up, and gently extended her right hand toward Fisher, evidently intending to take his arm.
According to etiquette, a lady’s companion could either take her hand or not; it was up to her, but taking hands would suggest a closer relationship.
However, for royal individuals, they must pay special attention to etiquette, for the slightest gesture could become a signal observed by the watchful. Therefore, such ordinary gestures were generally avoided by the royals.
But Elizabeth wanted to do it.
She smiled slightly, and her closed light golden eyes were filled with a hint of danger.
The restraint of the royal family made it impossible for her to be overly enthusiastic and straightforward, but didn’t this lead to other unworthy ladies daring to get close to Fisher?
The ladies from Nali probably wouldn’t dare, how about from Shivali? Cardu? The Northern Region? Indigenous people from the Southern Continent?
Elizabeth couldn’t be bothered, but it was time to deepen the signals concerning her connection with this gentleman, even if this action was somewhat crossing boundaries for the royal family.
Fisher felt a bit puzzled by her slightly presumptuous gesture; even when he had kept a respectful distance from this Eldest Princess, she had maintained a safe distance until now.
Why did it feel like ever since their separation at the Royal Academy, this Eldest Princess was becoming increasingly pressuring?
But since the princess had spoken, Fisher could only take her right hand and allow it to rest in the crook of his arm.
As soon as she made contact, Fisher felt her fingers nonchalantly squeeze the muscle of his forearm. When he turned to look at her in confusion, Elizabeth wore an innocent expression as if it had merely been an accident.
Elizabeth smiled, warmth breaking through her hollow light golden gaze, looking as graceful and enchanting as an angel embodying the beauty of Nali.
She said to Fisher, “Let’s go, Mr. Fisher.”
“Ah, ah, ah, Isabel, can you see if the button on the back of my skirt is fastened properly?”
In the campus, all afternoon classes were canceled, so many students were happily walking in front of the teaching building to see what activities were available in the afternoon.
Sitting on a nearby bench, Milica wore a distressed expression, constantly looking back at her clothes, fearing that something was wrong with her attire.
This was no wonder; Milica was wearing a traditional church black dress, which was quite complicated to wear and came with many dressing rules. Even the order of the layers in the skirt had its importance; every time Milica wore it, she felt as if she were undergoing an exam.
But today, her father was coming to the school for a visit, so she needed to wear this traditional formal outfit.
Isabel and Jasmine leaned over and confirmed for her, then said, “Don’t worry; didn’t we check for you before coming out? There’s absolutely nothing missed.”
Milica finally relaxed and patted her chest, “Ah, my dad always likes to critique my clothing. He always says that not wearing clothes neatly is very disrespectful. Oh my, if he had to try wearing eight pieces of robes, I bet he’d be at a loss too.”
Isabel and Jasmine laughed. Although they were wearing formal attire, it likely wouldn’t be as complicated as the church black robe.
“By the way, did you see today’s activities? There’s a poetry reading, and I heard there’s even a poetry contest with Lady Laura as the judge!”
“There are also a lot of snacks there, Jasmine, let’s go take a look.”
Jasmine was secretly drawing something in her sketchbook. Upon closer inspection, she was recording Milica’s complicated black dress piece by piece in her sketchbook. The drawing was incredibly vivid, and even after seeing it many times, Isabel and the others still thought it was impressive.
“Hey, hey, sounds good.”
Jasmine had been indifferent to the mention of poetry, just quietly writing and drawing. But when Isabel blinked and mentioned the food, Jasmine lifted her head to look at them.
That adorable expression made Milica and the others chuckle.
“Ah, Jasmine, why do you eat so much yet never gain weight? So cute!”
Milica rubbed Jasmine’s cheek and started to playfully tease her.
Amidst the lively school atmosphere, Isabel suddenly caught a hint of profound fragrance wafting towards her. When she looked in the direction the scent came from, she noticed a beautiful black-haired woman standing near the road of the school, resembling fine wine.
The lady wore a black dress, her posture elegant yet languid, one hand gently resting on her red lips as if she was surveying the surrounding school environment.
In less than a second, the lady seemed to sense Isabel’s gaze. She looked over with a smile, her deep purple eyes resembling a starry river that easily ensnared people. Under her gaze, even Isabel couldn’t help but blush and instinctively wanted to look away.
“Excuse me, are you students here?”
“Eh?”
The black-haired lady slowly walked toward Isabel and the others. As the three girls all turned to face the lady simultaneously, she made an apologetic expression.
“Sorry, I’m Renee. I accidentally got lost and don’t know which way to go, so I wanted to ask for directions.”
“Lost? Ah, are you a visitor today? Could you tell me where you’re headed?”
Hearing Milica’s warm response, Renee smiled.
In her peripheral vision, her deep gaze scanned Jasmine, seemingly noticing something. Her gaze lingered on Jasmine for a moment before slowly moving away.
Jasmine felt a slight movement in her body. For just a moment, it seemed she sensed something terrifying locking onto her. But when she looked up, all she saw was the very gentle, smiling black-haired lady in front of her.
“That’s wonderful! I’m looking for someone named Fisher Benavides. Can you tell me where he is now?”
“Eh? Teacher Fisher?!”
“Ah, Professor Fisher?”
Isabel and Milica exchanged glances. Milica looked at the lady in front, then anxiously asked, “Um, sorry, what is your relationship with Teacher Fisher?”
Renee’s deep purple eyes discreetly assessed Milica for a moment. After what seemed like confirming that the girl before her posed no threat, her expression became more animated.
Her face flushed, her fair fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of her black hair, she said, avoiding eye contact, “Yes, yes, just friends.”
Just friends?
Milica instantly realized from the shy demeanor of Renee that this lady was likely Teacher Fisher’s love interest!
Huh?
Could it be that Teacher Fisher likes this type of lady?
Although she was indeed beautiful, gentle, and seemed obedient and caring, Milica felt she and Teacher Fisher were simply not suited!
Not suited at all!
Milica puffed up her cheeks, momentarily speechless. Meanwhile, Isabel chuckled and waved her hand, continuing Milica’s words.
“Ah, Teacher Fisher should also participate in the afternoon’s activities. If you don’t mind, you can join us at the school’s activity site. Perhaps we will meet him there!”
Renee clasped her hands and smiled shyly, enchanting the scene with her sisterly beauty, eliciting a sense of allure that even Isabel couldn’t help but find the lady remarkably beautiful.
“Thank you so much! Without you, I really wouldn’t know what to do…”
Facing Milica’s somewhat uncomfortable gaze, Renee appeared blissfully unaware of others’ malice. Unbeknownst to her, her demonic-like eyes had already sharply scoured everyone nearby, as if filtering the bothersome indications of what Fisher had been doing behind her back.
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(*`*)
(End of Chapter)
