NOVPUB"Tata, you need to be a little more understanding of Lanci,"
Carlen still had an innocent expression on her face and replied in a soft and meticulous tone,
"Lanci, if you feel like you have something on your mind, you can go with me to that rest area over there to talk it out, okay? I’ll listen to you carefully, and I promise—I won’t be mean to you."
She then looked toward Lanci and reached out to tug at his sleeve.
"..."
Lanci’s heartbeat suddenly quickened.
He felt like Talia was watching him.
And seeing Lanci appear to shake a little, Cat Boss thought the situation was getting even worse!
Back at Ichrite Academy, when faced with Carlen’s schemes, a guy as clueless as Prince Aynor might have been fooled.
But any guy with higher discernment would firmly reject Carlen at this point, clearly stating their stance to regain Tata’s favor.
But Lanci,
His discernment was a double-edged sword.
His perfectly timed hesitation only gave Talia a sense of crisis, inflaming her anger to the brink of explosion!
And to some extent, Lanci might not have thought that much.
He just simply liked to provoke Talia, to feel that extreme thrill!
However,
Under an extreme pressure of spiritual power, Lanci gradually went from arrogant to docile.
"Sorry, Senior Carlen. Although Talia can be mean, I think that’s also part of her charm."
Lanci finally spoke up.
Talia, who had been ready to glare Lanci down and warn him to think carefully, finally turned her head away.
Even so, she was still biting her lip, seething with resentment.
This guy actually had the nerve to call her mean.
And she couldn’t refute his words.
"Is that so..."
Carlen could only give Lanci an apologetic smile from across him.
In that smile was seven parts apology and three parts regret.
It seemed she genuinely wanted to help Lanci but ultimately couldn’t.
"But I think if Lanci is looking for a teacher, he might be better off with someone gentle like me. I accidentally overheard your conversation earlier, it seems like you’re having some difficulties with cooperative Card Making? If Lanci worked with me, I’m sure we’d be seamless."
Carlen’s voice lowered as she moved a little closer to Lanci and said.
Her peachy, tender lips and dreamy eyes seemed to be telling Lanci that maybe with a bit of effort, he could even win her over too?
Then she looked at Talia, her gaze almost telling her, "Not like you, who can only be fierce toward Lanci."
"..."
The atmosphere in the entire three-story atrium seemed to shift in an instant.
Beneath the silence, a new, wordless chill lingered.
Talia’s gaze toward Carlen’s golden eyes finally became serious.
It was the sign of an impending explosion, creating a suffocating and tense air.
Cat Boss’s eyelids were twitching furiously.
"Could you please back off from him, you shameless woman?"
Talia grasped Lanci’s wrist, yanking him away so that Carlen couldn’t keep touching his sleeve.
Lanci was stunned.
This was the first time he had seen the hot-tempered Tata confront another girl head-on.
But,
Carlen didn’t seem upset by Talia’s words and retained her ladylike demeanor.
"There’s no such thing as a bad woman. You only know how to get angry and wait for him to comfort you, while the woman who truly cares for him is here to comfort him."
She looked directly at Talia, her expression focused and she said.
In just a few seconds, many eyes in the three-story atrium were drawn to them again.
The drama of women arguing, and over a man at that, has always been a popular and welcomed spectacle in any era.
"Isn’t that girl Carlen from the Arolan Kingdom?"
"Is she interested in that dark-haired, green-eyed gentleman?"
"He looks so pitiful, shaking there."
First of all, one would have to be mad to get excited and shake in such a situation.
So obviously, this guy is scum, trying to have it both ways.
Finally,
"Lanci, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t be joining you in the assistant work this time. Instead, I’ll take part in the Platinum Level Card Maker exam to show her why I’m qualified to be your teacher,"
Talia took a deep breath, looked at Lanci and said.
Of course, she was speaking to Carlen.
She had just finished reviewing yesterday’s Card Making with Lanci and was already feeling uncomfortable, and now there was a woman she couldn’t tolerate.
Lanci, who had been looking calm, suddenly widened his eyes.
"For God’s sake, please, don’t mess with me!"
He almost fell to his knees and clung to Talia’s legs.
You’re not only refusing to help me proctor but also planning to use my mana to take the exam.
And how am I supposed to examine you?
Sister, you’re 800 years old, don’t stoop to arguing with a teenage girl!
Talia seemed to grow even angrier upon hearing Lanci’s inner thoughts.
She grabbed Lanci by the collar, pulling him a bit closer, and softly said to him from the corner of her eyes,
"Let’s settle it this way, shall we?"
"No, no, no, Tata, calm down!"
Lanci felt she was genuinely angry this time, and he started to feel a bit afraid,
"Carlen, you too, you’re both getting too heated. When it gets to the point where neither side can stop bickering, it means we shouldn’t continue the discussion. If this keeps up, we are definitely going to argue. Let’s prioritize peace and maintain the longstanding friendship between the Hutton Kingdom and the Yarolan Kingdom..."
His speech grew faster, urgently appealing to both sides to exercise restraint.
"Oh, interesting."
Before Lanci could finish, Carlen nodded in agreement, murmuring to herself.
"In that case, if you lose, please stay away from Lanci or hand him over to me, let me be his teacher."
Carlen’s expression was especially lively, as if she had found a worthy opponent in Talia.
She had researched the Card Makers of the Hutton Kingdom and knew they didn’t have even one participant who could qualify for the Gold-level Card Maker competition this year. She didn’t think someone named Tata had the qualifications to challenge her.
In Card Making, she wouldn’t lose to her peers.
"And what if I win?"
Talia neither agreed nor disagreed but simply asked.
"I’ll apologize to you then,"
Carlen spread her hands, speaking lightly.
"Not enough. You’ll wear a swimsuit I pick out, hold a sign that reads ’Big mistake, Lord Tata’ and stand outside the Cardmaker’s Association for a day. That’s what I call an apology."
Talia sneered and then waited quietly, her arms crossed in front of her.
Instantly, Carlen’s eyebrows twitched noticeably.
She clenched her fists tightly, feeling her ears start to burn.
"You think I would bet with you that easily? What, you’re scared now?"
Talia’s gaze was brimming with provocation.
She wasn’t going to fall for the innocent act so easily.
Want to pretend to be pure?
Let everyone see what kind of hypocrite you are.
"..."
Carlen bit her lip, and a vein on her forehead throbbed.
This gray-haired woman with the golden eyes was more domineering and arrogant than she had imagined.
"Fine, let’s give it a try."
Carlen’s eyes narrowed into a smile as she spoke to Talia.
She couldn’t wait to see the other woman cry like a loser.
"What on earth are you guys doing..."
Lanci, feeling beyond consolation, hugged the cat.
He leaned against the wall as if all his strength had left him.
He didn’t dare to imagine what the exam days would turn into.
Even if he stepped back ten-thousand steps, on what basis did these two examinees use him, a proctor, as a wager?
And with Talia as an examinee, he was somewhat worried about his safety as a proctor. Up till now, there hadn’t been an incident in the Platinum Level Card Maker exam where an examiner was captured by a candidate, but he was afraid that would soon change.
"Let’s go, let’s go eat cake."
Talia once again grabbed Lanci’s collar and dragged the disheartened Lanci away like a small dog.
Only Carlen was left. The corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a cunning and annoyed smile.
"What a dumb woman."
Carlen’s lips parted slightly as she shifted her gaze away from the direction Talia had disappeared.
The moment she agreed to the bet, that gray-haired fool had already lost.
She hadn’t noticed the look of distress on Lanci’s face.
Soon he would realize which girl was better for him and whose company made him more comfortable.
There’s no heroine in this world who can win just by eating!
