Chapter 64: Morning Visit

"I think this should suffice to lessen Euphemia's nagging, right?" I mused to myself as I held the potion, I had crafted during the entrance exam. It glistened within the translucent vial, its magical essence dancing with an ethereal light.

While I didn't have the precise notes on how to actually make it, I had a strong conviction that Euphemia, with her exceptional alchemical talents, would be able to reverse-engineer this potion almost immediately upon seeing it. She was, after all, the one who had created it in the future.

As I busied myself with preparing for class, an unexpected knock disrupted my morning routine.

??? 'Why would someone visit me so early in the morning?'

Intrigued and somewhat puzzled by the early visitor, I made my way to the door and swung it open. I was met with a sight that left me both astonished and bewildered.

"Good morning, Adrian," said the person before me. It was a figure I was all too familiar with, yet also not. It was my older sister, or at least, she was the older sister of the original Adrian. Lilliana Vulter Tellus stood there with a smile on her face, and by her side was Salik, her personal butler, who seemed to wear a slightly resigned expression.

"Good morning, sister Lilliana?" I replied, still trying to process her sudden appearance.

"Yes, good morning."

Why was she repeating herself? Lilliana kept smiling at me, her eyes fixated on my face as if she were analyzing me. I wondered why she had come to visit me. The last time I had seen her was when the Goddess had taken me.

"Uhm, sis, why are you here?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Well... do I really need a reason to visit?" She replied, still grinning.

"No, not really, but still..."

"Then, may I enter? We have a lot of catching up to do, right?"

"I'd like to, but my class is starting soon," I explained.

"I heard that alchemic studies start at 9, right?" Lilliana remarked.

"No, I still have my general subjects," I responded.

"You have no such thing, Salik told me you only have your major subjects and didn't apply for any minor ones."

I was taken aback. How did she know that? Did she perform a background check on me without my knowledge? I turned to look at Salik, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact, confirming that it was indeed him who had disclosed this information, since when did he check up on me?

"Fine, but make it quick" I agreed, a bit reluctantly.

"I didn't know you were studying alchemy. Were you that passionate about it? If I can remember correctly, you said you wanted to become a mage like me. That's why you wanted some magical tomes and books. Why the sudden change?" Lilliana asked, her genuine interest in Adrian's circumstances shining through.

Adrian paused for a moment, contemplating his response, as he busied himself with preparing a pot of tea. After a brief silence, he turned back to Lilliana, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, let's just say I had a change of heart, I guess."

With the tea now prepared, Adrian carried the steaming pot and two cups over to the couch, where Lilliana was sitting. He poured her a cup and then settled into his own seat. Lilliana took the cup with a gracious nod, savoring the aroma of the tea.

"Since when did you start studying alchemy?" Lilliana probed further; her curiosity not yet satiated.

Adrian leaned back, taking a sip of his own tea, a hint of mystery in his eyes. "Well, let's just say during my free time?"

Lilliana couldn't help but make a slightly pouty face, feeling a bit frustrated that Adrian hadn't given her a more direct answer. But at the same time, she was delighted that they were having this conversation, sharing moments like these that were something she always wanted as she noticed that Adrian avoided her back on their home for some reason.

.....

'Seriously, why did this cockblocker come here? Did she really just come to check on me?'

'Although, based on Adrian's memories, we were quite close, he thought of her as more of a hassle than anything. The number of times Adrian's bullying intensified whenever Lilliana showed favor to him was undeniable. Even now, I can't exactly trust her. A part of me still isn't sure if she is genuinely concerned for Adrian, or if she's just one of those bitchy white lotus ladies who are good on the outside and a bitch on the inside'

But as I looked into her eyes, she seemed to genuinely like me. No, it was more like she loved me. I gazed into her eyes again, and the slight blush she gave while looking at me deeply with those ashen grey eyes of hers was slightly creepy. I guessed what Schwi had commented about Lilliana being obsessed with me was a fact.

But why, though? Based on Adrian's memories, there weren't really any indications of Lilliana having such thoughts for me. When did it start? Seriously, if we weren't brother and sister, I was pretty sure this girl would have suddenly jumped on me back then.

As I kept looking at her, her breaths became more ragged all of a sudden, and her blush seemed to intensify.

'What the heck? Woman, control yourself'

"Uhm... Adrian, is there something on my face?" she asked embarrassingly.

"No, not really... hahaha," I replied nervously.

"Is that so?" She smiled confidently, as she gently held her cheeks.

I didn't know what she was thinking, but it was definitely not that.

We talked about some random nonsense for the remaining time. She especially liked talking about my childhood, to which I had a hard time answering because it was Adrian who experienced most of it, not me.

I might have his memories, but I had to manually access them to recall the details. So, when she asked questions that I didn't know, it was annoying that I had to delve into Adrian's memories all throughout our conversation. Seriously, I hadn't even met Euphemia yet today, but I was already tired.