(POV: Lumiere)
Lucretia and I strolled down from the rooftop, finding ourselves in a more secluded area of her company's exaggeratedly sprawling building.
I an, the size was unreal, especially for less modern tis like these.
Unsure of our exact location, one thing was clear – she had sothing special to reveal.
"Hey, are we there yet?" I asked impatiently.
Lucretia turned, offering a sly smile. "Shhh, getting a bit antsy, aren't we? It's been, what, three minutes?" she teased.
I shot her a half-opened-eyed look, conveying my underwheld state. "Actually, four minutes and thirty-two seconds. Try to keep up," I retorted.
She is an Integrator like , but of course I have more experience than her.
After all, I actually know what I am and she doesn't.
She pouted, cheeks puffing up. "I can keep up way better than you could ever dream of," Lucretia declared smugly.
She turned her gaze forward, folding her arms and chuckling proudly.
With a self-satisfied sigh, she flicked her hair back.
"Truth be told, since the last ti we t at Princess Genevieve's coming of age party, I've surpassed you in social class - without using my influence as a Viscount's daughter mind you. Still, it's quite surprising, considering I thought you'd have achieved a lot by now. My father had high prospects for you, but clearly, you didn't et them."
Poshly placing a hand over her mouth, she chuckled in a slightly overconfident manner, aiming to rile up.
Her face betrayed her joy in belittling for laughs, but I didn't mind.
Having treated her a bit poorly before, I occasionally allowed her to revel in monts like these.
And besides, I didn't need to prove anything to her, but at so point in the future, she'll likely learn that my social class is a little "wilder" than she thinks. Hah! Great pun.
"Serena will definitely love that joke..." I chuckled a bit.
Lucretia, who had been striding about two ters ahead of , slowed down to match my pace, grumbling and pouting as she shot a glance.
I stopped chuckling, puzzled, and asked, "Huh? What's with that face?"
Her hands were on her waist as she kept staring at like so sort of angry or dissatisfied bunny - actually, no, she looked more like a chipmunk with those overgrown cheeks of her. It was hard to notice that she had fat cheeks like that when her face was always so posh and smug, but when she got a little unhappy or whiny, you'd clearly see her cheeks puff up.
Laughing, I paused and used my fingers to pinch her puffy cheeks.
"Haha, your cheeks like like sweet buns!"
I threw my head back a little and laughed even more.
"They're so puffy!"
Amid my laughter, I relished the softness of her skin beneath my grasp.
Lost in the amusent, I finally looked at Lucretia again, finding her fixed gaze on my face.
She then told , "Y... You've grown a little taller," in a plain, surprised tone.
I, too, noticed my increased height, briefly checking myself from top to bottom.
It was no longer a struggle to et Lucretia eye to eye.
I admitted, "Yeah, I... I guess I have. Physical appearances haven't mattered much to lately."
Still, it felt good to know I was growing, albeit slowly.
Lucretia lowered her head, requesting, "C.... Can you remove your hands from my cheeks now? I... It's getting uncomfortable being so close."
It was getting uncomfortably steamy, and the reason was obvious - we were within kissing distance. In romance novels, this was mostly how male or female leads got their first kisses.
Panicking, I stumbled back, quickly removing my hands.
Chuckling nervously, I apologized, "Sorry about that, got a little sidetracked."
Her cheeks tinged with red, making it hard to discern if she was flustered or just embarrassed.
She cleared her throat, looking aside. "It's fine," she mumbled.
I sharply turned my back on Lucretia, frustration biting at my lower lip. Inhaling a deep breath of regret, I squeezed my fists painfully, muttering to myself about my inexperience in such matters. "How could I let myself panic like that? I should've just kissed her," I grumbled.
Sighing with regret, I released the air I had breathed in, adding, "I've learned nothing, even after being with so many won."
With everything Simone had told so far, I was sure Lucretia wouldn't give a slap for kissing her.
Actually, it was more like she'd slap and then kiss .
You know, that sort of smile where she's like - "you should've done this sooner!"
Yeah, definitely, she's that sort of domineering woman. Still, I can't say I don't love it, hehe.
Out of nowhere, Lucretia peeked out from behind , her big aquamarine eyes concerned.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Oh crap, where'd she co from?!
Dramatically clearing my throat, I pushed my chest out and raised my shoulders, saying, "Oh, yes, of course. Can we continue moving? You ntioned you have sothing to show , yes?"
Dismissive of my earlier awkward soliloquy, Lucretia snapped her fingers, her eyes widening. "Oh yeah, almost forgot about that," she said. Pointing forward, she declared, "Alright, full speed ahead!" Poshly marching forward, she led the way, and I followed behind.
Soon, we reached what seed like a dead end, although it wasn't quite literal.
I could sense people on the other side of the concealed door, which blended seamlessly with the wall.
It was a dead end in the sense that if soone walked towards here and didn't look well, they'd miss it.
Scratching the back of my neck, I calmly asked, "So, what's behind the door?"
Lucretia shot a surprised look.
Her stare made feel like I had sothing on my face.
I instinctively touched my face, ran my fingers around, even checked my hair – but everything seed fine.
Yet, she continued to stare.
Feeling the discomfort, I finally asked, "What's the matter?"
In asured words, Lucretia asked , "That's not possible, how are you able to see this door? I had so of the best blacksmiths in Efistes refine it with high-grade concealnt crystals… even a Great Mage would struggle to discover the presence of this door."
Eh? Concealnt crystals?
It definitely isn't working because the door to looks like it was begging to be seen.
Still, I guess my [World Acuity] was just that powerful, after all, if I wanted, I could even pinpoint where exactly one of my subordinates were in an instant.
"Lucky guess?" I shrugged nonchalantly.
Lucretia eyed suspiciously, groaned, and walked closer, fixating her gaze on as if she knew I held secrets but wouldn't pry.
With her face uncomfortably close, I looked away and insisted, "I swear, it's just a lucky guess."
She rolled her eyes, stepped back, closed her eyes, and sighed. "Whatever, I don't care," she muttered.
Chuckling, I teased, "Well, it looked like you did."
Lucretia growled, gritting her teeth as she glared at .
Raising my arms in a sign of peace, I said, "Easy, easy. Just a joke, no need to get offended."
She regained her composure, flicked her hair back, and declared, "Hmph! Whatever. What's important is what's behind that door." Pointing at the door, she emphasized the mystery awaiting us.
What's behind door number one! Is what Silica would say, if she was here of course.
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