Chapter 35

35 Five Clover

Vale doesn’t like this, he doesn’t like to see her here. Heirim is in front of him, smiling sweetly and innocently at Vale.

“May I sit with you?” She asked Vale with the hope for Vale to say yes.

“No, I’m sorry Heirim, I’m expecting someone.” Said Vale with a smile on his face.

“Oh...” An obvious disappointment came into Heirim’s face, but she was able to maintain her composure and look at Vale once again, “At least let me be in your company for a while, until they arrived.”

Vale reluctantly agreed to her request, he never had any ill feelings towards Heirim, as the little sister of Henry. Although she was spoiled and conceited, the young girl never revealed her true nature in front of Vale. She sat on the chair while Vale smiled warily at her.

“So, who are you waiting, anyway?”

None of your business is the one that Vale wanted to say to Heirim, instead he said, “A friend of mine, I like to catch up with my friend, sometimes.”

“A friend? So, you’re not going to say who is he... or who she is?” Heirim tried to pry more information from Vale, but he never cave in.

In Vale’s mind right now is how to avoid Heirim and lead Anne away from the restaurant. He knew about the quarrel between Heirim and Anne, sadly, Vale had no reason to despise Heirim. She is always sweet to him, you can even call it kind and loving towards Vale.

.....

Heirim does indeed has reason to be so sweet and lovely at Vale, she wants him, and desired him as her second husband. Even though Vale’s positioned as a custom noble, the bottom low ranking in the noble hierarchy. What she saw in Vale is potential, he is the most celebrated Magi with ninety-plus compatibility with magica.

“So, should I be jealous of this mysterious person?” Said Heirim with a very coquettish manner towards Vale.

“Why do you think that you need to be jealous?”

A female voice came out from behind Heirim, she turned around to see Anne looking at her with a frown on her face.

“I believe you’re sitting in my chair, Lady Heirim.”

Heirim tried to hide her shock, she smile at Anne but never stood up from the chair.

“Oh, you... I never thought you know Vale as an acquaintance.”

“Yes, I know him, and you’re still sitting in my chair,” Said Anne sweetly, “So... would you be so kind to stand up, lady Heirim.”

Vale looked at the two of them with a fascination in his eyes. Clearly, in his mind, there was some bad blood happening between the two of them. He doesn’t want to barge in nor does he feels the need to interrupt their sassy arguments.

Heirim still doesn’t budge from the chair and she even makes herself comfortable and called for the waiter to come and take her order.

“Well, miss silver pass, I don’t think you’re allowed to sit in this posh restaurant in the first place, you know, a peasant will always be a peasant.”

The atmosphere between them is just getting thicker, Anne’s hands were trembling, and she was furious and on the brink of throwing something at Heirim. But then, Vale put his teacup on the table and then smiled at Heirim.

“I was a silver pass recipient as well, Heirim, did you forget about that?”

A gasp came into Heirim’s mouth, she looked nervously at Vale, “Oh, no, Vale... That’s not what I meant.”

“You’re right, I don’t think this is a good restaurant for us, Anne,” Said Vale while he push his chair away and stands up, “Come on, I know a good place to eat.” He extended his hand to Anne, and the two of them leave the restaurant and the flustered Heirim behind.

Both of them were walking in B street in silence, not until they have reached the end of the block that they stop and laughed so hard.

“Oh my God, did you see her face after you pull me away and leave the restaurant?” Said Anne while wiping tears from her eyes, tears of the coming laughter that she had shared with Vale.

Vale was shaken his head with a grin on his face, “No and I don’t want to know.”

They settled in one of the smaller restaurants with an amazing view of a herbs garden, the five clover restaurant. Anne were actually love this restaurant more than the first one. After they order their lunch, Vale leans forward to Anne.

“I must admit, I owe you an apology and a thank you.”

“Okay, that’s uncalled for?” Said Anne, a smirk appearing on her face.

Vale is smitten by the expressive faces that Anne made, He cleared his throat to hide how mesmerized he was, and then he begins to give his reason to her. “I tried to avoid Heirim for a while now, although I don’t know how to do it in the first place.”

“Well, maybe just excused yourself from her, and walk away.”

He snorted by her sass remark, “No, as shocking as it may be, she never done anything wrong to me, and she is Henry’s little sister...”

“Yes, and should I be honest, they are nothing alike,” Anne immediately added, “Not on the terms of a look, but more into their manner, Heirim is arrogant, conceited, and...”

“While Henry is the opposite, yes, I am aware of that. I am his best friend, after all.”

Their conversation got interrupted by the arrival of the food, the array of delicious cuisine, Camilla herb and small chunked wismushroom soup with bread for Anne, and Vale, he asked for The Moobull steak with Motato fries. They ate the food excitingly, for Anne, this is the first time she was inside this establishment, a small corner restaurant. The owners are a young couple, where the wife is the chef and the two husbands become the helper and the cashier. Anne loved it, she can feel the love that the chef gave to all of the food that she prepared.

“So, did you like it?” Asked Vale a bit wary.

Anne’s eyes were lit, “Like it? I love it!”

“Oh, thank goodness, you know, the reason I asked you to Peony, was purely because I wanted to impress you on a fancy restaurant.”

“Then you don’t know me, at all.”

Vale drank his water, with his eyes staring at Anne, “Then, I will try to know you better.”

A shade of red came to Anne’s face, her mouth gaped open, while her eyes widen at Vale’s word. Vale was panicking, he never thought Anne’s reaction would be so frontal with just harmless flirtatious words.

“My... My apology, I think I offended you in some way.”

“What?! Oh... No, No. I... I was flattered, actually.”

His eyes begin to flicker with enjoyment, “Oh, good, very good.”

As time passes by, it is finally time for them to go. Before Anne said her goodbye, Vale handed her a red envelope with a beautiful gold engraver. She open the red envelope and inside of it is an invitation to the palace ball.

“Vale, what is this?”

“An invitation to the palace ball.” Answered Vale with a smile on his face, “Would you like to become my partner for the palace ball?”

Anne was flustered by his sudden invite, “What? Are you being serious, Vale? I thought the palace ball was only for the nobles?”

“No... well, not really, we can ask anyone to become our partner for the palace ball.”

“Oh... Why do you choose me, then?”

“Because I wanted you to become my date, remember?”

Her eyes squinted, she looks at Vale and whispered, “I thought this was the date?”

“Oh, did I say that to you?”

“Uhm... No, but I assuming...”

“Good, so... Do you accept it?”

Suddenly, Anne scratched her hair, confused about how she could reject Vale’s invitation. Not that she hated to go to a gathering, but a very bad memory of gathering with towny nobles in her village came to her mind, not to mention Heirim will be there. Anne took a deep breath and smile bitterly at Vale.

“Vale... I...”

“Your friend will be there.”

“Clarice? Yes... Uhm I knew, she sent me a letter about it.”

“So... please... Say yes, for me.” Pleaded Vale to her.

“I don’t really like nobles, except you four, and my best friend of course. Well, sometimes Justice as well.” Anne tried to remind Vale, about her distaste towards noble in general.

“Justice? He is not... Well, anyway, please I know about how you don’t like most of them, but this is your chance to tell them, especially to Heirim,” Vale practically begged her, and tried to convince her excessively, “You have bravely challenged her at the restaurant, what makes you so afraid now?”

Looking at Vale’s eyes, she can feel a sincere gesture inside those green eyes. She smiled and nodded.

“Fine, I’ll be your date at the palace ball.”