'Why did I choose to tease her?'
When I teleported, I saw Maria standing alone, so I decided to play a little joke on her. Of course, I used my [Unknowable] Magic, so she didn't notice me approaching her. I even overheard her saying she missed someone.
Thinking that was the perfect cue, I made my presence known.
'H-how could I have known that things would come to this?!'
Maria was dangerously close to me. Her blue eyes seemed to have a hypnotizing effect, and her glossy lips beckoned the moment they parted when she smiled. It was almost as though she was inviting me to make the first move.
'No way!' I thought to myself.
This girl confused the hell out of me. She always surprised me by how easily she switched personalities, from being gentle and mild to being so upfront and confident.
'What happened to that shy girl from Ainzlark? Has she always been like this?!' My heart raced even more as I continued to observe her.
One thing was for sure. She definitely wasn't the girl from the Academy. I wouldn't be saying any more than that.
"A-are you kidding? We're out in the open, you know?" I stated my argument.
It was an ultimate defence since nobles like us couldn't be seen acting improperly in public—especially since we both belonged to families who were among the four great Nobles.
'Or should I call them three now? The Netherlores should be out of the equation.'
Unfortunately for my defence, the courthouse—and practically its surroundings—were devoid of people. If I had to guess, it was most likely a defensive measure taken because of the Netherlore Trial.
'After sentencing, they'll most likely by transported by teleportation—kind of like how the Ainzlark Academy works.'
In essence, other than the patrolling Mages and Warriors hiding around, Maria and I were alone. Once I realized my defence wouldn't hold up, I knew I had to brace myself for impact.
Impact in three… two… one…
"Relax. I wasn't actually going to do anything." Maria chuckled, stepping back in a playful manner.
'U-uh…?' I was a little dazed for a second, but I almost instantly regained my composure and realized that she had just been teasing me.
"Consider it revenge for what you did earlier!" She gave a smug smile as she folded her arms—thus boosting her chest to a heightened degree.
I didn't know whether this was on purpose or not, though. It was better not to guess.
'This is good, though. Right? She was just kidding!' My thoughts broke into relief, and I joined Maria to laugh it off.
Why, then, did I feel a bit disappointed? Yes, just a little disappointed. Was I really hoping she would—?!
"So, why are you here, Jared? I thought you were busy with stuff on the team? The arrangement was for me to return once I was done here, right?" Fortunately, Maria interrupted me before I could delve deeper into my thoughts.
Thank goodness, really!
"A-ah, well something came up. A lot has happened, and it's caused me to move up my plans a little." I managed to say, finally using my serious tone.
Fortunately, this served as a precedent for a serious conversation, and all the silliness from before quickly fizzled out.
"Move up? Really? What happened?"
As expected, Maria's eyes displayed curiousity. She had missed out on a lot, after all. Perhaps this would be a good way to let off some steam.
"Well, I'll tell you on the way. You're going to the Royal Palace, right? Me too." I smiled at her.
I was a bit caught off guard when she blushed in response to my words. Really, she kept on confusing me every single time.
'I didn't even say or do anything weird this time.'
Fortunately, the awkward air was remedied by Maria's sensible approach and her agreement to cooperate.
"Alright then. I'm guessing you want to see The King?" At this point, Maria and I started moving.
It would have been much easier and faster to simply teleport to our destination, but considering we had much to discuss, I chose to enjoy a walk with her instead.
"Yes. But it's not just him. There's Elrich Lenderwale, as well as my father who's in the Capital. I dropped by his manor, but I was told he's in the Palace."
"Ohh, I see..."
Awkward silence tried to settle down between the both of us, but I decided not to let it prevail.
"You've seen him around a few times, right?" I asked with a smile.
"Y-yeah. You take after him a lot, I think." She laughed so charmingly that I felt like my heart jumped from its position
"Haha. Is that so? What part of him do I take after?" I decided to further that conversation.
"Well, mostly good traits. I can see that handsomeness runs in the family."
"H-handsome? Surely you jest. You should have seen my face in the past. I was perfection."
I puckered my lips while using my hand to smoothen my chin. My eyebrows were raised and I gave her my best 'Sir Charming' smile.
"Pfft. Haha... stop it, Jared. Hahaha!"
As expected, the damsel burst out laughing. Was my expression so funny? I hoped so, considering I intended for us to have a good time and clear away the awkwardness
And by my calculations, I was precisely on track.
"I'm serious, though."
"Really? Why don't you show me?"
"Eh? Show you what?" I had an idea of what she meant, but feigning ignorance was my best bet at the moment.
"Transform into your past self and show me. You can use that Magic, can't you? Or even just Projection or Illusory Magic."
I gulped down the saliva that got stuck in my throat and forced myself not to draw attention to the bead of sweat forming on my forehead.
"Haha... there's no need for that. Come on!"
"Show me." Maria's tone suddenly sounded firm, and her wide blue eyes seemed so imposing.
I was caught between crossroads.
'Should I? Should I not?'
I got myself into this mess, so I had to simply resolve it. Fortunately, I had a trump card I could utilize.
