Omni POV
The suite that the Atlee Earldom's daughter was given at Academy was expansive, easily four times the size of the functional, minimalist rooms the Bartfort twins occupied in their dorms.
Silk curtains of deep orange were drawn across the windows, bathing the plush room in a warm, muted light. Expensive, carved wooden furniture filled the space, and a large, four-poster bed dominated one wall.
On that bed, surrounded by expensive lace pillows, Clarice Fia Atlee was currently a whirlwind of restless energy.
She was twisting, turning, punching her pillow, and kicking her silk sheets into a tangled mess. Her voluminous orange hair, which she had styled so deliberately into a "gyaru" look during the festival, was now splayed out in every direction.
Idiot. Moron. Jilk, you absolute trash.
Her mind kept replaying the scene at the café, then the confrontation at the medical bay, but always settled on the moment after Jilk left.
...He walked over to her crying form and kneeled before her and cradled her hands in his. "My lady you are a beautiful, charming and wonderful young woman, it's his own fault that he didn't notice, and if you want my thoughts on what you are supposed to do, then live your life to the fullest, with no regrets, and he will realize his mistake in leaving you.
She buried her face in a pillow and let out an aggravated groan that was entirely unladylike.
"Urgh! The cheesiest lines I have ever heard! Who talks like that? A historical romance novel character?"
She flopped onto her back, staring at the intricate design of the ceiling. It wasn't the words themselves—she had heard more flowery praise from a hundred different nobles—it was the sincerity in his golden eyes. There was no lust, no calculation of status, just a genuine, if slightly awkward, attempt to cheer her up.
Baron Lex fou Bartfort. A country bumpkin. One of those "dregs" Jilk had always looked down on. A boy who wore the same simple uniform and every day and spent his time running in the Background.
But he was there to comfort herwhen Jilk ran away again,whereas her followers treated her like a saint to holy to approach he treated her like a person.
She sat bolt upright, hugging her knees to her chest. Her heart was beating a strange, agitated rhythm. "Why can't I stop thinking about him?"
She tried to reason it away. The emotion was just the leftover residue of her anger at Jilk. The shock of being consoled by a handsome, low-ranking stranger was simply a novel experience.
Yes That had to be it.
"It's just curiosity," she announced to the empty, expensive room. She needed to figure out why his simple words had such an impact when Jilk's empty apologies were worthless.
The solution was simple: satiate the curiosity.
"All I need to do is spend time with him," she decided, hopping out of bed and walking to her desk with a newfound, determined stride. "I'll just coincidentally bump into him at the festival, and Once I realize he's just another boring, Nobel , this strange feeling will disappear, and that will be the end of it."
Leon's POV
Day 4 of the festival
"Hey Leon wheres Lex, how come he's not helping, even though the cafes up and running again." Raymond asked back in their three piece Butler uniforms.
"Oh he spent, the whole day yesterday helping to put this place back together, even though he was still tired from his race (took place on the 2nd day). So I gave him the day off" and when I saw the hopeful look on his face I shot him down before he could even ask.
"You're not getting one" and with that he was back to cleaning.
Olivia then came and asked
"What do you think he will be doing?"
At that question I laughed
"He said he will take a tour of the festival, but my money is on that he will, grow bored and go back to his LAB"
Lex's POV
Lex hadn't planned on running into anyone—he was supposed to be touring the mechanic booths—but fate had other ideas.
He felt a light bump against his shoulder as he rounded a corner near the shooting gallery stalls.
"Oh, my! Baron Bartfort, what a coincidence!"
Lex turned to see Clarice Fia Atlee. She looked much different from the tear-streaked woman he had left yesterday,and she was still pulling the "gyaru" look today: orange hair styled into messy-chic twin tails that slid down her shoulders, her uniform shirt tied at the waist over a simple black tank top, and bold, playful makeup.
She looked less like an Nobel angry ex-fiancée and more like she was ready for a day out at an amusement park.
Lex just gave a slow nod. "Lady Clarice. Fancy seeing you here."
"I know right? The world is such a small place," she chuckled nervously, tweaking one of her twintails with a finger. The nervous energy was a stark contrast to her commanding presence yesterday.
"So what are doing here" I asked.
"I was just... checking out the shooting gallery. They say it's a great way to relieve stress, what about you?"
"Oh! Me I was checking the magi-tech booths but they turned out to be a bust so I will be heading back to my ship" I said planning to go to my Lab.
"No no that can't do, if even the Academy students are not having fun then what was the point of this whole thing.
You know as a thank you for what you did for me, let me show you all the best spots here.
Omni POV
Lex glanced at the stall, then back at the blushing girl. He didn't mind. "Sure. Lead the way."
They started with the shooting gallery. Lex, leveraging his military training and heightened senses, quickly demonstrated an uncanny accuracy, winning a large, tacky stuffed behemoth with ease.
"Wow! You're amazing, Lex!" Clarice cheered, her eyes sparkling. Lex handed her the prize, and her smile was genuine, wide, and entirely free of the anger from yesterday.
Next, they moved to a stall where students tested their magic aptitude in a game of
They ate at a fine restaurant and competed in a ring-toss game, where the prizes were small, enchanted trinkets.
They wandered through a student-run haunted house (which mostly relied on cheap jump scares and wind Graces), laughing at the elaborate, yet amateurish, effects.
As the afternoon sun began to set, painting the capital islands in hues of gold and amber, they found a quiet bench overlooking the arena. Clarice was a whirlwind of happy energy, the sadness of Jilk's betrayal a distant memory.
"Today was actually the most fun I've had all term," she admitted, leaning back, the cool air ruffling her orange hair.
A sudden shyness overtook her. She began nervously twisting a strand of her hair around her finger again, her gaze dropping to the ground.
"Um, Lex..." she started, her voice lower now. "I wanted to ask you something, People keep telling me that I drastically changed my looks and that it's bad, so tell me." She hesitated, suddenly feeling self conscious "What do you think of it? How do you... how do you think I look?"
Lex paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. He turned to her, his golden eyes serious.
"Clarice," he began, "I think you shouldn't let other people dictate how you live your life. The way you dressed and acted before, or how you act now—that's your choice, not theirs."
He offered her a rare, soft smile, a look he usually reserved for his family and friends.
"But if I had to decide," he continued, his voice gentle, "I would say that you looked beautiful. Both ways, actually. Because it's the girl underneath the style that matters."
Clarice's eyes widened, then filled with a genuine, heartfelt warmth. The last traces of her anger melted away, replaced by something entirely new and hopeful.
" But if you don't mind me asking why the change" Lex asked breaking the girl from her thoughts.
"Ah, it might seem silly to you" she said with a low laugh.
"But I, was never one for, Nobel edicate, it restricts me, and but I soldered through for my family and Jill, but when he left me, it just lost all meaning, so I left it behind and embraced how I really felt." noticing that she wasn't done yet Lex held back from commenting
" But even though I left it behind, thoughts like 'am I doing the right thing? 'kept plaguing my mind "she then looked at Lex with a free smile and added
" Your words, were what helped me get over it, so thank you for that Lex."
" No thank you Lady Clarice, for letting me be one of the people to see the real you. "was all he said,still mezmorized by her smile.
" Well this is where I leave you, thank you for the great day Lex"she said, now at the her dorm.
"No that's my line my lady" Lex said while turning back about to leave, when Clarice called out.
"Hey Lex, do you have a partner for the festival dance?"
"Non that I'm aware of"
"So then would you um... Like to go with me"
"Yes, I would love to" there was no way Lex was going to turn down the daughter of an Earl, plus with how well they got along today he thought it would be fine,and with the smile she had, when he agreed it was already worth it.
"So I'll see you there" she asked
"Yeah see you there"
I
"And Lex, call my Reese, enough of that Lady business, it's what my friends call me"
"All right Reese, now goodbye"
Lex's POV
Jarvis who had been in cloaking mode the whole day finally showed himself when we were finally alone.
"Well that was weird right Jarvis?" I said, not really thinking about it a lot.
"Sir I think, that what they would call a date." he said in his usual tone and voice.
"No, it couldn't have been right? ."
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I want to cry😭😭😭😭
Writing a slice of life romance scene is hard.
I have a new found respect for ROMANCE author. I salute you 🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡