CHAPTER 31: LUCY’S DILEMMA [2]

Chapter 31: Lucy’s Dilemma [2]

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Arios was surprisingly eager to hear her reasons; he just wanted to clear the air on the matter.

"...because it’s the only way people will look at me. Everyone expects the perfect, refined lady from House Nightshade. They expect me to be prim, proper, and dressed in silks. But that’s not me. I don’t want to be a puppet on their stage. So I dress like this—I become the very thing they fear. I become the woman they can dismiss, the one they can’t control."

She looked at him, her eyes fierce and unapologetic. "And if they want to call me a slut because of it, then let them. It’s a small price to pay for my own freedom."

So she decided to give everyone a reason to call her that, Arios thought.

"If they think I’m a slut, a party girl, or an idiot, they’ll leave me alone," she continued. "It’s a way of protecting myself from that fake life. They can’t use me if they don’t even try to get to know the real me."

Arios felt a bit bad for her. All she wanted was not to be just another shadow of her family—just another daughter of a noble house.

He had judged her, just like everyone else. He had seen the revealing clothes, the unambitious demeanor, and had filled in the blanks with his own preconceived notions. He had been just as wrong as the men who had used her.

"I’m just glad you’re okay," he said, his voice soft.

"Thanks for caring."

Arios went to his desk and grabbed a textbook and smiled. "I’ll clean my room if you study with me tonight."

"Studying isn’t for me," she replied. "I’m not into all that. It’s what they would expect from a typical noble daughter."

"The pretty girl who has mastered almost all musical instruments and is also both an academic prodigy and a magical genius— I want to be the complete opposite."

"That thought process is completely selfish," Arios said, his gaze becoming intense.

"Hey, that look of yours is frightening," she said.

"This test will also determine our class points for next month," he continued. "From the looks of it, I’d be surprised if we get any points for behavior; the class has been a complete mess. You not studying won’t only affect you but everyone else. We need to boost our class average. What if the minimum score to avoid a point deduction is 50? What if a score of 60 gets us extra points? We can’t know for sure, so studying is the only way to be safe."

Arios’s argument was so logical and delivered with such raw conviction that it left Lucy speechless. He was right and her personal rebellion, her fight against what she saw as a hollow life, was a luxury she couldn’t afford to indulge in. It wasn’t just about her anymore; it was about the class, the points, and the academy. He had managed to frame it not as a demand, but as a shared responsibility.

"Fine," she said, defeated. "But I’m warning you, I’m a complete idiot when it comes to this stuff."

Arios broke into a wide grin, the intensity in his eyes replaced by a playful mischief. "We’ll see about that."

He walked over to his cluttered desk and began to sort through the haphazard pile of textbooks. He thumbed through a worn-out martial book, a tome on magical beasts, and a history manual before settling on a physics textbook. He chose it because, in his previous life, the laws of physics were universal. They were constants, logical, and didn’t bend on whims, he hoped the same for this world. He needed a subject he could trust, a concept that would bridge the gap between his old world and this new one.

This world physics should be similar to mine, he thought staring at the textbook, still contemplating.

He flipped through the pages until he landed on the section about Gravitational Force, a topic he felt should be completely similar to that of his world.

Gravity shouldn’t be affected by any magical concept or theory, he thought. It’s pretty much universal.

His eyes scanned the familiar equations and principles, feeling a sense of comfort. He found the name of this world own renowned physicist, Valerius, a name that echoed the genius of a certain scientist from his own world— Isaac Newton.

"Let’s start here," Arios said, turning to Lucy and holding out the book. "Tell me, what is gravity?"

Lucy peered at the page, her face scrunched up in concentration. "It’s, uh... the thing that makes us stay on the ground? So we don’t float away?"

"Correct," Arios said, a small laugh escaping him. "But what is it, fundamentally? What did Valerius’s famous theory say?"

Lucy groaned, leaning back and throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I told you I’m an idiot. This is exactly what I meant! It’s all just numbers and letters and weird symbols."

"It’s not that bad," Arios replied, pulling up a chair for her next to his. "Look. This isn’t just about passing a test. It’s about understanding the world. Why do you think a pebble falls faster than a feather?"

"Because the feather is lighter?" she said, her voice laced with the tone of a person trying to answer a simple question.

"Wrong. Valerius’s theory of Gravitational Force states that objects fall at the same rate, regardless of their mass, in a vacuum. The feather only falls slower because of air resistance."

Lucy’s face contorted in disbelief. "Are you serious? You’re telling me if I threw a pebble and a boulder off a cliff, they’d hit the ground at the exact same time?"

"In a vacuum, yes," Arios confirmed, unable to hold back a chuckle.

"That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!" she exclaimed, her mock outrage growing. "It goes against everything I’ve ever known!"

Arios laughed again. "That’s exactly why you need to study. The world doesn’t always work the way you think it does."

He spent the next hour walking her through the basic concepts. He used analogies and text examples, trying to make the dry, complex material engaging. He talked about how the pull of the moon affected the tides and how the planets were held in their orbits. Lucy would still wind about how it was all too much for her, but she wasn’t as opposed as before.

"Okay, okay," she said, rubbing her temples. "My brain is officially full. It feels like you just dumped a whole library of facts on my head, and now I have a headache."

"Just take it slow," Arios promised. "One topic at a time."

"One topic at a time, he says, after giving me a lecture that feels like three lifetimes," she muttered under her breath, a playful pout on her face.

He didn’t respond, just smiled, and went back to organizing his room, humming a little tune he couldn’t remember where he heard from. Lucy watched him for a while, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Then,

A familiar blue translucent screen appeared in front of him.

[Bond attempt detected.]

Huh?

[New Bond Candidate: Lucy Nightshade Identified.]

[Compatibility: 91%]

[Bond Level: 1]

[Requirements: Her sharing a personal moment, You completely changing her character, Her giving a hand job.]

[Bond Progress: 33%]

What... A freaking hand job, Arios thought, his mind reeling. He turned to look at Lucy’s hand and swallowed a hard gulp.

[Quest Update: Bond with Lucy Nightshade.]

[Objective: Continue your bonding attempt with Lucy Nightshade, creating a genuine bond.]

[Time Remaining: ???]

[Tip: Review bond candidate registry to review requirements for a bond.]

[Bond Rewards: Weapon Unlock: The Aruzine Blade | +5 INT | 100XP]

Azurine Blade?