©Novel Buddy
Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better?-Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Isidor, who lightly broke through the crowd of people that was dazed in confusion, stepped forward towards me.
His legs were so long that the distance between us almost instantly closed.
“Where are you going?”
Isidor asked the question in a very friendly tone. His wide eyes, reflecting good intentions, curved into a crescent moon.
“Why do you want to know?”
I avoided looking straight into Isidor’s merciless face attack, and answered his question hurriedly.
Ironically, due to the feeling of my throat locked with tension and the stiffness of my neck, my voice sounded threatening and quiet.
“If you’re free, I would like to have tea with you.”
“It looks like there are a lot of people over there that are willing to spend time with you over a cup of tea.”
I pointed my chin towards the crowd.
The people that were crowding around Isidor just minutes ago could not come over because they were afraid of me, so they only gossiped on the sidelines and carefully looked in our direction.
“You don’t have to worry about other people.”
Isidor leans slightly forward towards me, and speaks in a hushed whisper. A deep, low-pitched soft voice echoed in my eardrums.
This man. He’s truly the perfect sly fox.
“…Do I look like great person who cares about others? Are you being tactless or just pretending?”
Trying my best to hold on to my chaotic mind, I uttered some prickly words.
“Haha!”
He suddenly laughed, as if I said something interesting and funny.
What?
Is this really a situation for you to laugh in?
You are the first woman who is so indifferent to me and treat me coldly.
“I am very busy.”
I turned around to leave, pushing that absurd delusion out of my mind.
“That’s too bad. I wanted to talk to the lady about social clubs.”
Social clubs?
Isidor’s unexpected yet tempting proposal caught my attention.
If it’s the social club where the successor of Visconti belongs, then it’s definitely not a bad place for me to join.
Furthermore, seeing that the novel did not include a character named Isidor, it was obvious that he is not a part of the Omicron social club.
‘But, why didn’t Isidor made any appearance in the novel?’
With such a face, he definitely looks like the main character, even when you ride the KTX.
In any case, I don’t have any information whatsoever regarding Isidor since he was not included in the heroine Mia’s reverse harem.
‘I don’t know what he’s up to, and I have no idea about his hidden intention for approaching me. I think I should ask the master to collect information about Isidor Visconti.’
As I hesitated on turning my back on Isidor, I slightly turned my head back.
I couldn’t understand why he approached me, but I couldn’t let go of his offer about the social clubs.
“I have to go to class now. We’ll talk later.”
After giving an ambiguous answer, I quickly made my way to the Magic Research Center.
***
The magical research center gave off a humid and dark vibe, like a sense of gloom and dampness.
I felt uneasy, as if mana was being forcibly poured into my body.
Deborah’s body had no choice but to be constantly reminded that it was not compatible with mana at all.
‘Because I don’t have any ability, so there’s no other thing that could help me other than money.’
Once again realizing the dire need for gold coins, I crossed the illuminated hallway that is lined with mana stones under the lighting spell.
Today’s class is devoted to the theory of magic formulas.
Since I couldn’t handle mana, so I had to focus entirely on the theoretical subjects.
It’s common knowledge that you can’t use anything into practice until you learn the theory, but I don’t even know the basic things. It’s like trying to clap with one hand.
As I entered the classroom while clicking my tongue to my unfortunate mana disability, the chaotic surroundings suddenly became quiet, and their eyes that were filled with fear were fixed on my cheeks.
I think I’m gradually getting used to that kind of look, so I settled down in a suitable desk for myself.
I felt relieved and comfortable because I seemed to be doing an excellent job of being a wicked woman without a cape.
I felt calmer and more comfortable, realizing that I was doing an excellent job of being a bad girl.
After a while.
A man with a haggard face and wearing a black robe comes up to the audience in the auditorium, alongside with his assistant.
A tired and gloomy expression on his face, a slouching posture, and dark circles under his eyes due to an apparent lack of sleep.
For some unknown reason, I narrowed my eyes at him.
‘Why does the atmosphere emanating from the magician is similar to an engineering student…’
Come to think of it, Belreck has also been stuck in a tower for quiet some time. I haven’t seen his nose for a while now.
When I asked the maid briefly about him, she said that he was having a problem with the production of an artifact that he worked tirelessly on.
When I bumped into him in the hallway last week, he just passed by me as if he didn’t want to start a fight with me like always. Is it because he was too tired?
‘Perhaps the work of a wizard is similar to the hard work of an engineer that handles 3D models,’
Suddenly, I began to wonder if it would be a logical blessing to not have any talent for handling mana.
Boom!
While I was sitting in a suspicious and doubtful mood, the assistant standing next to the magician took out a huge pile of handouts and put them on the table at once with a huge bang.
The magician tilted his chin slightly towards the handouts.
“What you see in front of you here is the formula that you need to master within this quarter. Those do not express your willingness to learn, or those who are weak in logical thinking, will have a hard time to keep up.
The magician spoke in an irritable tone.
His intimidating, caustic gaze gave the students anxiety as they exchanged uneasy glances to each other.
‘Ugh.’
After meeting only meek and mild-tasting lecturers, I felt depressed upon meeting this strict and spicy-tasting professor. It felt like I returned to my previous life.
“Today, you will only need to pass one light and easy test, that’s it. After solving the problem, you can hand over the form and leave.”
The magician, who took the class day by day, left the classroom quickly and only his assistant remained in front of us.
‘A sudden formula test…’
Throughout the holidays, I have been studying hard on the magic circle, but what Deborah hated the most was the magic formula. So, there was very little information about the formula in the pieces of her memory left behind.
‘I can’t solve it anyway, so I’ll just sit for a while before leaving.’
This is a waste of time.
I, myself, have no idea why I am here in the first place. I’m the only one that can’t even feel mana.
‘To be honest, I just want to quit everything.’
However, in the past, Deborah was the one that insisted on getting into the Faculty of Magic. If I suddenly go back on my word, the Duke will definitely reproach me and said that he knew of such an outcome from my ungrateful self.
However, Deborah had previously said that she needed to enter the Faculty of Magic. If I suddenly change my mind, the duke will say that he knew such an outcome in advance and will reproach me.
‘How can I escape from here?’
While I was busy devising a safe method to escape from this place, the assistant began writing the questions for the test on the blackboard, producing the high-pitched sound of a chalk scratching the board.
‘Hmm?’
I carefully looked at the blackboard with the problem written on it, and for some unknown reason, I was confident that I could solve it. So, I picked up my pen and got down to business.
After I wrote down my answer to the problem, I was the first to submit the answer sheet on the table and left the class.
***
“Why is the correct answer written on this sheet, even when half of the curriculum has not yet been covered?”
“This is Princess Deborah’s answer sheet.”
Kyle, the magic formula professor, frowned and clicked his tongue upon hearing the assistant’s answer.
“She must have threatened another student and copied the answer. Anyway, it’s just what the rumors say. How did such a pathetic human being appeared in the Seymour family?”
If the twin heirs of Seymour frustrated the wizards with their monstrous talents, then Princess Deborah only raised serious questions and doubts about how she was in the same bloodline as the elite pair.
“This is annoying.”
Kyle grumbled in a harsh tone, throwing her answer sheet to the floor.
He would call her and scold her for cheating, but the owner of the magic tower protects his daughter. He wondered if he would only hurt himself for doing so.
However, if he pretended not to know about this and turned a blind eye, there would be a problem of equality. His credibility and authority as a professor would be undermined.
He scratched the back of his head nervously.
“I have to call her in and say something about cheating, right? Damn it. I’m not a nanny, and I’m so busy nowadays that I don’t have the time to teach her some common sense.”
“But… Princess Deborah was the first to write down the answer and submit it before leaving. Based on this fact, you can’t argue that she cheated.”
“Really?”
“Yes. No matter how quickly you can solve the formula, it would take about fifteen minutes, but she solved it within five.”
“Yeah, I got it. It happened by accident. Princess Deborah is a very incapable girl who just got lucky.”
“Maybe.”
“Oh, it’s not just luck. She has a pretty face, but it’s not my cup of tea because it looks so strong.”
“I don’t like that style either.”
“If she marries into a good family, perhaps her ardent disposition will subside. Why did she easily come in here without even knowing how to handle mana? Some people that are capable of drawing magic circles and memorizing complex formulas even died trying to set a food in this Magic Research Center.
Kyle muttered annoyingly and kicked the princess’ answer sheet with the tip of his foot.
***
As soon as I got home, I called the servant and told him to get ready as I was going to the library, located in the annex of the mansion.
Because I have been wondering if I understood and solved the formula correctly.
‘It’s pretty big. However, it is quite small when compared to a university library.’
The library operated by the Seymour family is remembered very vaguely by Deborah.
Now it became clear of how much time this body spent among the walls of books.
When I arrived in the library, the man’s eyes opened wide.
Obviously, my appearance was an unexpected event for him.
“Princess Deborah. Is there a specific book that you’re looking for?”
The man asked me in a voice filled with suspicion.
As compared to the other employees in the Seymour’s household, he had no difficulty of being around me. Probably, they hired a person of a higher social status than me.
Well, just simply being a librarian means that you’ve received a higher education.
I guess he’s the most influential one to be this brave in front of me.
“I just want to look around for now.”
At my reply, the man sighed briefly and looked at my high-heeled shoes. He looked as if he was dealing with an immature child.
“To save you some unnecessary trouble, it is worth informing that this prestigious library composed mainly of magic books and the history of the Empire, and it does not consists of any romance novels that are popular among young ladies.”
What the hell is this bastard talking about?