"Then? What do you want to talk about?" I asked Layla, getting straight to the point.
"Why are you so impatient, dear Edward?" Layla responded with a smile, which irritated me.
The nickname 'dear Edward' was already annoying enough.
"I'm not impatient. Take your time, Villainess."
"Villainess?" Layla asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah. It suits you perfectly," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"..." Layla didn't seem to mind the nickname, running her index finger over her lips with a smile.
"I like it," she said.
Sighing, I wondered if I'd ever get used to her.
It was no wonder that men like Loid, Thomas, or Eric were avoiding her. They knew that she could easily steal their hearts if they spent too much time around her. Unfortunately, Ronald had fallen for her and couldn't escape her charm.
Alfred seemed to have developed an immunity to Layla, which wasn't surprising given the amount of time they spent together. I wondered if he preferred someone like Milleia, who was innocent and kind.
"I'm really happy that you talked back to Thomas in class," Layla said, beaming at me.
I realized she must have been pleased that I prevented Thomas from forcing Milleia to sit next to Alfred. I didn't want Milleia near that guy either. Putting aside the game's happy ending, Milleia was a genuinely good person, and she deserved someone better than the clueless prince.
"I'll respect my words, and I hope you do the same," I replied.
"Of course!" Layla nodded enthusiastically.
"I won't talk to her or bother her, directly or indirectly," she promised, raising her hand.
Even now, she couldn't stop smiling.
"So, did you call me just to thank me?" I asked incredulously.
"Yes. I wanted to confirm that I'm genuinely accepting your offer," Layla replied.
That morning Layla was still wary of me, but now she seemed to believe me. Did my takedown of Thomas really win her over? Who knows, but at least she wasn't suspicious anymore.
I looked at Layla, deep in thought. Maybe she could help me with finding 'X'.
"Did you notice anything weird about Alfred or anyone else?" I asked her.
"Weird behavior? Like what?" she replied.
"You know, like someone acting differently than usual."
I explained the situation to her.
"The first person that comes to mind is you, Edward," she said, circling around me and scanning my body.
"Me?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes," she nodded. "I haven't seen you since the prince's birthday party, but you've changed a lot since then."
I shrugged. "Yeah, I've been working out. Trying to stay fit."
Layla giggled and shook her head.
Layla stopped in front of me and stared into my eyes. "Not that, dear Edward," she said. "At first, I thought you became like before, when we were children, but that's not quite right. You seem like a different person…"
I started to sweat as Layla's red eyes narrowed. It was true, I wasn't exactly Edward. I had memories of Nyrel or vice versa.
But fortunately, Layla nodded to herself and said, "But in the end, you are Edward. Hm."
"I'm glad that you didn't forget me, but could you answer my question?" I shifted the topic to my question.
"Your question, hm."
Layla closed her eyes and fell into deep thought. Her closed eyes twitched a lot before she opened them again. I wondered what was going on inside her mind.
"U-Um I'm sorry, Edward," Layla said with a shy expression, twirling her wavy hair between her fingers. "My mind is filled with His Highness' face."
What the hell?! Was she that obsessed with Alfred?
"Ugh, whatever," I muttered to myself as I turned to leave, feeling utterly fed up with Layla's antics.
"Wait!" she called after me, stumbling over her own feet.
Instinctively, I reached out to grasp her hand, but before I could react, Layla had pulled me down with her and we both hit the ground hard.
"Ow!" She grumbled, trying to pick herself up off the ground.
"Don't 'ow' me! What was that?!" I snapped at Layla, who was looking up at me with an innocent expression with her arms spread out.
My suspicion rose as I stared down at her. Was this just another one of her tricks?
"L-Layla?! Y-You fucker!!"
"What…?"
I turned around to see Ronald, Layla's official simp, running towards us.
Seriously, she had played me again.
I gritted my teeth and stood up.
"H-Hey!"
I grabbed Layla's arm and pulled her up in front of me. Ronald stopped short when he saw me using her as a shield.
"What the hell was that, Layla?" I demanded.
She looked up at me with a sheepish expression. "I just needed to get rid of him since you're here for me."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not your lapdog, Layla."
She groaned. "I didn't mean it like that, Edward."
"Release he-"
Ronald started to say something, but I cut him off. "What do you want, Layla?"
She looked around to make sure no one was listening before she spoke. "We're partners now, and Ronald is always following me around. He's going to find out about our secret talks sooner or later. He's just a liability."
I sighed, realizing that she was right.
That dude had been lurking around Layla for a while now, and it was starting to get on my nerves. Usually, her brother would've given him the boot, but for some reason, he was still hanging around. Layla must have told him it was fine or something, but I didn't care.
"You jus-"
"Leave her!"
That guy doesn't know how to shut up?
We had both been ignoring Ronald's shouts for a minute now.
"Hold up, Ronny. I'm talking."
Layla said, irritated as Ronald cut her off again.
"Ah…Okay, sorry."
Ronald is such a simp, it's embarrassing.
I mean, I don't know how he can even function with how much he obsesses over her.
I looked down at Layla, wondering what her plan was.
"What do you want me to do?"
She had a smug look on her face as she replied, "Show him that you're stronger."
I didn't understand how that would help, but I was willing to listen.
"Okay, but how is that going to stop Ronald from following you?" I scoffed.
"It won't solve the problem. Ronald will keep following me around," Layla's answer didn't please me at all.
"Then why do you want a fight between us?" I asked impatiently.
I looked at Layla skeptically as she suggested that I could stop Ronald from bothering us if I proved myself to be stronger than him. "Do you have any idea how I'm supposed to show that I'm stronger than him?" I asked sarcastically.
Layla responded with a grin. "You're quick-witted, Edward. I'm impressed."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't need fake compliments."
Layla shrugged. "I just want you to beat Ronny in a friendly match."
I could feel the frustration building up inside me. Did she not understand the possible consequences of such an action? "Have you thought this through, Layla? The repercussions won't be nice, regardless of the outcome."
I waited for her to respond, hoping that she would understand the gravity of the situation.
Aside from the fact that she craved blood because she desired a match between me and Ronald, despite the fact that she knew we didn't like each other, there was another factor to consider. I was the son of a powerful Duke, and Ronald Trueheart was the chancellor's son and the younger brother of Louisa Trueheart, the president of the student council.
Nothing good will come from our fight.
Let's say I can blame the chancellor's problems on my poor father; what about Louisa? Despite her impassive demeanor, she genuinely cared about her brother. If I willingly drag that jerk into a fight, she'll be furious at me, and it'll be difficult to even talk to her.
"Roh, Edward. Is that what you think? Do you really want to help me? I'm sure you are also winning in this."
Layla sulked. Of course, it was a fake sulk.
"Or perhaps, are you afraid to lose?"
Her lips curled up.
"..."
It was an excellent question.
I cast a glance at Ronald.
He was fuming with rage.
I believe he is currently stronger than I am.
I had the Anathemas Fire, which truly belonged to me, despite Mary's mirror ability, which I didn't want to show anyone because it was not innate to me. The issue is that Vysindra's rings are taking a toll on my body. I'm not sure I could compete with Ronald, who was an earth element expert.
But it didn't mean I couldn't beat him, at least fairly…
"If you beat him, I'll tell you about some people who have been acting strangely in the last month and even before."
"What…? I thought you didn't know?"
I scowled.
Five minutes ago, she told me nonsense as if only Alfred was in her head, but now she knows?
"I am serious. Don't worry, Edward."
"..."
I clenched my fists and closed my eyes.
I considered the pros and cons for a long time.
Fuck!
I let go of Layla and placed my hand on my chest.
"I request a friendly match against you, Ronald Trueheart, with the Supreme Lord Eden as my witness."
"!"
Ronald was beyond shocked at my words.
All of our parents warned us repeatedly not to fight in vain, but I ignored them. My father had also asked me, but I didn't care.
It was an opportunity to test myself against a guy from the Main Cast of the game.
"Do you want to take it, Ronald or…"
I sneered.
"...are you going to flee to hide beneath your Big Sis' skirt once more?"
"Edwaaaaaard!!!"