“How did you know I lived here?” Lynn asked casually as he poured a glass of water.
“The freshman dormitory list for the Vermilion Garden isn't some closely guarded secret.”
Veronica accepted the glass, holding it reservedly in her hands. “Besides, I live in the Vermilion Garden too, just in Building A. I happened to pass by after finishing my registration, so I stopped by on my way.”
On her way?
Lynn looked out the window at the labyrinthine paths of the garden, and then toward Building A, which was situated all the way at the edge of the lake.
“Your Ladyship's definition of 'on the way' is certainly generous~”
“Heh~ This is the campus where we'll be living for the next three years, after all.” Veronica smoothed her hair. “It's never a bad thing to get familiar with the surrounding environment beforehand.”
“Then you should be quite familiar with it by now.”
“...”
Veronica's smile froze slightly.
【Emotion Points +40】
This bastard!
It was rare for her to take the initiative to visit, yet this guy was doing everything he could to drive her away?
Lynn sat down across from her. “In any case, did you come here for something specific?”
“I already told you, I was just passing by.”
“Passing by Building C's fourth floor from another building in the Vermilion Garden, after crossing two gardens?”
“...”
Seeing Veronica grip the glass with increasing force, to the point where several cracks appeared on its surface, Lynn wisely shut his mouth.
Veronica gave a soft snort and turned her gaze to the interior of the room.
Although both were first-class apartments in the Vermilion Garden, the layouts of the rooms in different buildings were not completely identical. Not only did Lynn's dormitory have excellent lighting, but it was also equipped with a separate study and a small training room. Even the attached bedroom was much more spacious than the one in her apartment.
The young girl's gaze swept across the table seemingly at random, finally landing on the attached keycard at the corner of the desk.
That silver-white card was similar in appearance to the master keycard in Lynn's hand, except for a light red pattern engraved around its edge.
She only needed to say casually—
“Lynn, as your follower who will be at your beck and call for the next three years, having an attached keycard will make running errands much more convenient.”
It was simple. Wasn't it just a single sentence?
As if having prepared herself thoroughly, she spoke deliberately, “Lynn.”
“Yeah?”
“That card on the table...” She paused halfway through her sentence.
No, that wouldn't do. That was way too direct!
What if Lynn misunderstood and thought she wanted to enter and leave his dormitory whenever she pleased?
The young girl's beautiful face flushed red one moment and turned dark the next. She lowered her head and remained silent, caught in an intense internal conflict.
After a long silence, Lynn was the first to speak.
“What about the card?”
“...Its design is quite ugly.”
Veronica looked away expressionlessly.
“?”
Lynn picked up the attached keycard and examined it. “It's not bad, is it? ...Why does a keycard need a design anyway?”
“It's a matching item for a first-class apartment, after all. Making it look so shabby really damages the academy's image.”
“Doesn't your keycard look like this too?”
“...”
Veronica was hit by a double silence.
“...At least mine looks better than yours.”
“Aside from the room number, what's the difference?”
“The fact that you can't tell only proves there's something wrong with your aesthetic taste.”
“...Did you come all this way just to debate which keycard is prettier?”
“Of course not!”
Veronica retorted immediately.
Forget it, forget it! Veronica, calm down.
In any case, this bastard also lived in the Vermilion Garden. There were still three years ahead, so there was absolutely no need to rush.
The next time Lynn took the initiative to invite her over, she would naturally bring up the keycard. That way, it wouldn't seem forced, and she could maintain the dignity befitting a Saintess.
Yes.
This was the most reliable way.
Thinking of this, Veronica's mood calmed down again.
She set down the glass of water, from which she had barely taken a sip, and stood up elegantly.
“I still need to organize my own dormitory, so I won't disturb you any longer.”
“Take care.”
“...” Veronica stood in place and waited for two seconds.
Lynn showed no intention of asking her to stay.
“Don't you have anything else to say?”
“Then... watch out for the stairs?”
“Just shut up!”
【Emotion Points +60】
Veronica let out a cold snort and walked toward the door.
As she passed the corner of the table, she couldn't help but look at the attached keycard once more.
The girl's footsteps slowed down slightly.
If only Lynn would speak up now and say that since their dormitories weren't far apart, it would be convenient for them to hold each other's attached keycards to look out for one another, she might reluctantly accept it.
Three steps, two steps, one step.
Until she placed her hand on the doorknob, there was still no sound from behind her.
A blockhead. This guy is a total blockhead!
Veronica opened the door expressionlessly.
Just then, a small pink head poked in from outside.
“Young Master!”
Lilian stood at the door excitedly, holding a paper bag. Just as she was about to step inside, she ran right into Veronica.
The two girls locked eyes.
Lilian narrowed her eyes warily. “Why is the Saintess in the Young Master's dormitory?”
“Just paying a friend a casual visit.”
Veronica crossed her arms, her tone nonchalant. “What about you? Instead of organizing your own dormitory, what are you doing running over here?”
“Lilian's dormitory is already all tidied up.”
The pink-haired girl shook the paper bag in her hand. “I brought the Young Master some daily necessities, lest he live alone and not even know how to tidy his room.”
Lynn's mouth twitched.
“Did you forget that the number of times you cleaned a room back at the manor can be counted on one hand?”
“But Lilian can improve~”
“Who was it that stuffed her socks into my suitcase yesterday?”
“That was just so the Young Master would miss Lilian while at the academy!”
Are your socks some kind of precious keepsake?
Veronica ignored their bickering and asked casually, “Where do you live?”
“Azure Garden, second-class apartment.”
Lilian took out her keycard from her pocket and waved it proudly.
【Azure Garden, Building F, Room 207】
“It's a double room. Although it's a bit smaller than the Young Master's place, it's very pretty.”
Speaking of this, her expression suddenly became a bit subtle.
“And, Lilian's roommate is an acquaintance.”
“An acquaintance?”
Lynn was somewhat surprised.
“Yes.”
Lilian puffed out her cheeks and answered rather reluctantly, “It's Miss Lisa, the Saintess's follower knight.”
Veronica was slightly taken aback.
“Lisa? She's sharing a room with you?”
“Sigh, don't even get me started...”
Speaking of her new roommate, Lilian sighed with a complicated expression.
When that rigid Knight-Maiden saw her, she had first enthusiastically helped carry all the luggage, but immediately afterward, she pulled out a ruler to measure their respective living areas.
Then, she solemnly and meticulously declared, “Miss Lilian, as roommates who will be living together for at least half a semester, I believe there are several rules we both need to abide by...”
Beds must be kept tidy. Belongings must not be piled up haphazardly. One must not make loud noises while the other is resting. The lights must be turned off at midnight.
She had even drawn up a detailed dormitory cleaning schedule on the spot, broken down to every ke.
She had only just escaped Sister Sena's devilish training, so why had a junior version of Sena appeared here?
Was this fate?
“Where is Lisa?” Veronica asked.
“She said she had to report to the Knight Department, and before leaving, she warned Lilian not to stay out too long.” Lilian huffed.
“Lilian isn't a child; I don't need anyone managing me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to think of something and hastily added, “Of course, it's perfectly fine for the Young Master to manage Lilian!”
“Well, thank you for granting me that privilege.”
But this wasn't bad. Lilian knew nothing about academy life. Although Lisa sometimes had a strange way of thinking, she was upright and reliable, and she was much more self-disciplined than a certain pink-haired dumpling.
With her as a roommate, at least Lynn didn't have to worry about Lilian oversleeping and missing classes on the first day of school.
“The Young Master's place is so big.”
Lilian walked around the living room with her hands behind her back, full of excitement. She pushed open the door to the attached room and looked inside, her deep blue eyes instantly lighting up.
“There's actually an extra room.”
“That's an attached room for accompanying servants to rest temporarily.”
Lynn tapped Lilian's small head. “But the academy requires students to live in their assigned dormitories. Don't even think about scheming to sneak in and live here.”
“Lilian understands.”
The girl's head drooped in disappointment.
She had previously fantasized about whether she could naturally move into the attached room under the pretext of taking care of the Young Master.
Letting her take care of the Young Master's daily life during the day, and warming the Young Master's bed at night.
Simply perfect!
Unfortunately, the academy's regulations explicitly required that freshmen must live in their unified assigned dormitories unless they had special permission.
“But...”
Lilian's gaze suddenly landed on the corner of the table.
A silver-white card lay quietly there, its edges engraved with a light red magical pattern.
“Young Master, what is this?”
“An attached keycard,” Lynn answered casually. “It allows free entry and exit from this apartment. First-class dormitories usually come with two.”
Lilian's ahoge snapped upright.
She trotted to the table, picked up the keycard, and turned it over and over.
“In other words, with this, I don't have to wait for the Young Master to open the door every time?”
“In theory, yes.”
“Then give one to Lilian.”
She very naturally held out her hand to Lynn, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
“When there are no classes during the day, Lilian can come over to help the Young Master tidy up the room and prepare meals. And if the Young Master gets injured during training, I can take care of you immediately.”
At the very end, she added seriously,
“After all, Lilian is the Young Master's personal maid!”
“Sure.”
Lynn didn't think much of it and casually tossed the attached keycard to her.
“Keep it safe. If you lose it, replacing it will cost academy points.”
“Thank you, Young Master!”
Lilian cheered, catching the card securely.
She held the keycard to her chest, her face blooming into a smile like a begonia in full bloom.
Although she couldn't move in, she could enter and leave at any time. Rounding it up, how was that any different from living here?
Miss Lisa couldn't possibly follow her twenty-four hours a day. She just had to return to the Azure Garden before lights out.
Coming over to wake the Young Master up in the morning, accompanying him for lunch, and helping him make his bed at night...
Once the Young Master got used to Lilian's care, he wouldn't even know how to put on his clothes without her in the future...
All according to plan!
【Emotion Points +50】
Veronica: “...”
She looked at the keycard in Lilian's hand, then at Lynn's matter-of-fact expression.
Are you kidding me, buddy? I hinted so many times. I even took the initiative to steer the conversation toward the keycard.
You didn't react at all, like a complete blockhead.
From the moment this pink-haired dumpling entered the room to when she got the card, how many words did she even say? And you just handed it over without a second thought?
Moreover, she herself lived in the Vermilion Garden, much closer to here than the Azure Garden. Based on the logic of looking out for each other, this keycard should have been given to her first no matter how you looked at it!
【Emotion Points +100】
Lilian seemed to finally notice Veronica's gaze and waved the card in her hand with a sweet smile.
“If the Saintess comes to find the Young Master in the future and he happens to be out, you can contact Lilian.”
She patted her chest.
“Lilian can open the door for you.”
“...”
A vein throbbed on Veronica's forehead.
“Veronica, didn't you say you had to go back and organize your dormitory?” Lynn looked in confusion at the girl still standing by the door.
The last straw broke.
“Lynn von Reinhardt!”
Veronica spoke his full name, emphasizing every single word.
“What is it now?”
“Nothing!”
The young girl whipped around, her brilliant golden hair drawing a sharp arc in the air.
“Just go drown in your shameless, debauched life with this pink-haired girl!”
Bam!
The door was slammed shut.
“...What kind of crazy is she throwing now?”
“Lilian doesn't know either~”
Lilian carefully tucked the keycard into her pocket, her smile exceptionally sweet.
Outside the door, the hurried footsteps quickly faded into the distance.
Veronica was walking briskly back toward her own building.
Don't rush. Don't you already know how dense that guy is?
We both live in the Vermilion Garden. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
“It's just a mere attached keycard...”
Before she had walked ten meters, Veronica still couldn't help but look back at Building C.
“Tch.”
【Emotion Points +100】
“...Stupid blockhead.”
Rate on N.U.
