Chapter 89

89 How to become a matchmaker

As the door opened to her lab, chief Amaris saw an unusual sight of a man inside. David was in the middle of reading the formula with one of the colorful liquids in the jar in his hand. She slammed the door and shouted at the young man.

“Excuse me! What are you doing here?!”

David jumped after hearing chief Amaris shouting, he smiled awkwardly at the chief of the alchemia tower while carefully putting the glass jar back on the table.

“Oh, hello, so this is the famous laboratory of the chief.”

Chief Amaris frowned, she looks at David, trying to figure out about the young man, “I am sorry, but you were not supposed to be here. So, what... are you doing here?”

“Alright, please let me explain. I was curious about the tower, so when Anne gave me access, I took a chance to go... exploring.” David explained it to chief Amaris with nervous laughter came from his mouth.

“Young man, please, safe the reasoned for anyone that should believe you.” Said chief Amaris, annoyed by how easily David reasoned, and how she couldn’t believe it.

Desperate, David came and pleaded to her, “Please, I was just...”

“I said, save it!”

.....

“Mother? What happened?” Brom came inside the lab and saw chief Amaris and David, “Oh, there you are, we’ve been looking for you, Anne was worried.”

David’s face was lit. He took the opportunity to excuse himself from the room and go straight downstairs, where Anne was already waiting. Brom and chief Amaris saw him gone from their floor, she took a sighed and checked every item in the lab.

“What is he doing here?” Asked Brom, looking at his mother who frantically checked every item.

“Well, that’s the problem, I don’t know,” Said chief Amaris, while she told her son about what happened, her face was pale and she was nervous, “I was in my room taking a nap when I heard a sound coming from the lab, that’s when I saw him, with this jar on his hand while he was reading my formula.”

Brom already knows his mother. She acted like a tough woman all the time, but the truth was she was a nervous wreck, that’s why she was mostly cooped up in her lab alone doing her experiments. He goes to her and touched her shoulder.

“Mother... calm down, it’s alright.” Brom was trying to calm his mother, even though he was always disinterested in so many things, but not about her. Brom is really caring for her.

While she take a deep breath, chief Amaris tried to focus on her son once again, “I... I am fine, thank you, Brom, thank you, my son.”

“Good, now, write everything unusual here, and I will keep an eye on Anne’s friend.”

“Yes, I will. Just be careful of him. I sense he wasn’t an ordinary person.” Whispered chief Amaris to Brom.

Brom looks at his mother and nodded his head, “I know, although just a faint hint about him, unlike Anne herself.”

When Brom steps downstairs, Anne already waiting for him with David, he looks at David directly and asked him bluntly.

“What did you do inside my mother’s lab?”

Panicking, David turned his face to Anne and pleaded for her to help, Anne took the matter into her hand and begin to explain David’s reasoning, “David told me everything, he was tired of waiting for me, that was when he goes upstairs and saw Amaris’s lab.”

“Alright, I believe you,” Brom said to David, he open the front door and ushered them outside, “Come on, let’s go, Darla is waiting.”

Feeling puzzled by his laid-back attitude towards the problem, David whispered to Anne, “He was so strange, sometimes he gave me heebies jeebies.”

“What strange words you got there, besides David...” Said Anne, glaring at her friend, “You should be grateful that Brom let go of you easily, next time, be more careful David. I was a guest here, and you are just a visitor. Remember that.”

She walks away from her friend, David, on the other hand, just stands and never moves from his place. He looks at Anne and Brom with a cold expression, an expression that he never revealed to anyone before. Afterward, he followed the other two, David’s expression changing to his usual self again.

Darla was waiting inside the garden with Chikara. The demon kitten was looking at her from the other end of the table. She smiles at him, even though the demon kitten refuses to budge. Darla, as the huntsman knew that sometimes animals or monsters need some more time to be warm to the other people other than their master. Especially if it’s a powerful monster like Chikara.

Anne enter the underground garden and warmly embraced Darla from behind, “Darla, sorry to keep you waiting, I hope Chikara’s being good to you.”

“Hey, welcome back,” Said Darla, smiling at her. She turned around to see David and Brom entered as well, “Oh, you found him, thank Gods!”

“Imagined how I found him...” Anne tried to explain, but she looks at Brom and decided not to give in any story for now. “Anyhow, just listened to David when you go back to the dorm.”

Feeling there was something more to the story, Darla just nodded her head and sit on the rock at the stream. Anne followed her, and together they play in the clear water at the stream.

“This is an exquisite place, Brom. Thank you for having us here.” Said Darla, smiling at Brom who sat beside Darla.

“I saw you earlier. You are trying to play with Anne’s familiar.” Brom asked her an unexpected question.

She turned to him and frowned, although curious about his question, “Yes, and why do you asking?”

“Do you want a familiar that is as strong as Anne’s familiar?” Asked Brom again, and he said something unthinkable for any people, “Because I can help you get one.”

Not even Darla, who was surprised by it, but even Anne seems to look at Brom.

“Wait, you are telling me that you can help me find a powerful monster as my familiar? Are you... are you being serious here?!” Darla looks at Brom with doubt on her face.

“Yes, I am being serious. We can go right now.” Brom was very serious with his offer, even Darla and Anne couldn’t say anything because of how bizarre he had become.

Anne then pokes into Darla. “Well, what do you think?”

Looking at Brom, she doesn’t even know what to say to him, “I... I am honored Brom, but I can’t go right away.”

“Why not?” Brom asked her while he tilted his head, making Darla lose for words.

Anne took a lead. “Maybe because it was so sudden for her. How about some other time, Brom?”

“Yes! Yes! Anne was right, this was all too sudden.” Darla nodded her head and sure was on board with Anne.

Brom was quiet for a while, and he finally said, “Alright, when do you want us to go?”

“Us? You mean all of us here, right?” Darla muttered, a bit taken aback.

Anne whispered at her, “Darla, I think he said us, meant just the two of you, without me and David.”

“What?!” Darla was astonished, she question Brom about this sudden request.

Meanwhile, Anne and Brom were looking at each other with a meaningful looks. The truth was that this was all Anne’s plan. Brom told her something and Anne felt it was appropriate for him to get a chance, the chance about his unsettling feeling towards Darla.

With the unsettling feelings he got whenever Darla was around for Anne, Brom was confused about his fascination with her and his admiration towards Darla. It was never the same, Brom was interested in her because of her past and the connection with the woman in his dream. Anne was inside his mind but not inside his heart, and she would be honored to help Brom know about his heart for a little.

“What about this? You can go together when I go back to the dorm, so you have time to prepare everything.” Anne excitedly gave suggestion for the two of them.

“Alright, but I want you to join us, maybe with David as well.” Said Darla to Anne, she was pleading at her.

Anne finally gives in and say yes to her. At least she will try to go away from the two of them as much as possible. Darla hugged her, and after one hour of a meaningful conversation, David and Darla were ready to go back. They need to be on the road so they could be in the capital before dark.

Saying goodbye to her friends, Anne then goes inside the tower with Brom by her side, they go to the highest floor, where Justice and chief Amaris already waiting for the two of them, the crown prince asked her to go and sit on the sofa with them.

Confusion came into Anne’s face. “What’s the matter?” Asked our heroine to Justice.

“Our result is already here. We need to hear it together.” Said Justice to her.

She took a deep breath, eager to hear the result from chief Amaris.