Chapter 41- Ambition
"I’m really flattered by your offer, Miss Emilia," Fiona replied, seemingly not even surprised whatsoever.
"H-Huh? You don’t need to take it seriously, Fiona. She’s clearly just joking." Elio laughed awkwardly.
However, Fiona shook her head. "I want to give her a proper answer. You are serious about it, right?" She asked.
"Of course. I don’t easily say such things to anyone. I already like you quite a bit, brat." Emilia said with an amused tone.
"Thank you. But, for the ti being, I have to unfortunately decline. I am not looking for a partner as I am busy with other matters. I cannot put my personal feelings above any of it." Fiona said.
"..." Elio stared at her with a surprised look on his face. ’Wait, what? She’s not looking for a partner? Isn’t she engaged to Alex?’ He asked himself. It was basically a public fact that the two were a couple, and he had even seen it in the dia before countless tis. Did she an that she didn’t want a partner because she already had one? Was that just a misunderstanding?
While Elio was trying to figure out what was happening, Emilia laughed.
"I see. You are quite ambitious. Is there a goal you’re aiming for?" She asked.
"Yes, and I want to put everything into it. I cannot distract myself with other things until I achieve it." A glint of strong light flashed within Fiona’s eyes. For her, romance and things like that would be a huge waste of ti when she could spend that ti preparing herself for that goal. She knew that achieving it was extrely hard, and even if she dedicated her whole life to it, she was still not sure if it was even possible.
"I love that," Emilia said. "Having a strong ambition is good. But don’t fall for the mistake many others did, Vaylor’s girl. Don’t let your dream consu your life. That is no dream anymore; that is a cage that you will never escape. Live your life, find happiness, and do what you can to achieve your goal."
"I... Thank you, I will take your advice." Fiona nodded her head. ’I cannot do that, unfortunately, Miss Emilia. I cannot waste my ti. I have no room to rest. I have already accepted that my life will be dedicated to this cause. Happiness is unnecessary.’ She mused secretly.
"Well, as you heard her, Elio. You have been turned down."
"I didn’t even ask that! You did!" He blurted out.
"I was trying to help you find a wife, you ungrateful little brat!" Emilia retorted.
"Who said I want that?!"
"You don’t want a wife? Are you stupid?"
"I’m still barely 17! I didn’t even finish high school yet!"
"Sigh, as you can see, Fiona. This kid is quite the handful. I hope he didn’t give you a headache so far."
"I-I’m not! At least not deliberately!"
"No, Miss Emilia. Elio is very hard working, and let’s say the results of the first training session have been far above what I expected."
"I will be coming to visit him in two weeks. I rely on you to teach him what he needs to learn. And, one last thing."
"Yes?"
"He’s in your care, Fiona. That boy is still clueless and innocent. You know what to do." Emilia said with a soft tone. "Don’t let everything get to him far too quickly."
"I understand. I am doing my best to make sure everything goes as well as possible."
"That is good. In any case... Oh! My lord, I forgot the rice on the stove. It’s burning! I have to go now. Call later, Elio."
Then, before he could even speak, the call ended.
"... Sigh, she never changes." He rubbed his face with a tired look. His grandmother had always been a very eccentric and odd lady. But that was perhaps why she was very liked, she was never boring.
"She’s a very nice lady." Fiona said softly.
"Yeah... She’s definitely sothing else. I’m sorry for what she said. She just doesn’t have a filter sotis and would say whatever is on her mind. Don’t worry about it." Elio said with an awkward laugh.
"No, it is fine. She does really love you. I could tell from the way she talked about you. That is very... nice." She said with a mysterious look on her face.
"Mmm, she’s my last family in this world. I want to do my best for her." Elio said. "I don’t want to disappoint her."
’Even more so now, knowing that she is aware of all these shenanigans.’ He mused.
Slowly, however, his expression changed again as he rembered what Fiona said, and curiosity took over him for a split second. He felt a very strong urge to ask her what she ant earlier when she turned the offer down.
"Ummm..."
"Is there a problem?"
"I don’t know if I should even ask this but... Sothing you said earlier caught my attention." He said.
"What is it?"
"It’s... Well, when my grandmother said that dumb question about us getting... married. Umm, you said you weren’t looking for a partner."
"Yes."
"Aren’t you... already engaged?" Elio asked.
"Ah, right." Fiona seemingly took a second to rember. "You don’t know."
"What...?"
"Well, while it is true that Alex and I are engaged. It is far from a relationship. It is simply a way for us to keep the dia occupied with other matters and never try to look into more important matters. We are not romantic partners in any way, and we don’t plan to get married or change that." She said calmly.
"That is... interesting." Elio blinked. ’To think that the two most famous couples in the world aren’t even actually in love or in a relationship, for that matter. That would break so many hearts.’
"Alex to is a good friend and an ally. We have known each other for when we were kids and he had been soone I could rely on. But, I don’t see him beyond that."
"I see... Well, it does make sense."
’That explains why she never showed any affection toward him in public, unlike him. I wonder if he also shares the sa sentint.’
"In any case, I am going to head back now. You should finish your lunch. We will be leaving at the sa ti later."
"Understood."
With that, Fiona stood up, dusted her clothes and skirt, and then walked away. Elio stared at her back for a few seconds before he finally focused on his lunch.
***
The lessons finished a few hours later, and Fiona and Elio left the school. Heading back to the estate, they imdiately began the second day of training.
This ti, however, it wasn’t 50 laps and instead... The number was 80 laps. A huge 30 extra leaps were added to the training. Elio, however, didn’t feel scared and simply started running.
His body felt like it had adapted pretty well to this marathon-like training. With his power increasing a lot since yesterday, he found himself doing the first 50 laps with considerably more ease.
It didn’t take long for the first notification to pop out.
[You have gained 1 point in agility.]
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