Chapter 219: You said we are going on a date
"Hmm?" Eli tilted his head.
"You do know where we are going, right?" Aadya asked with a sceptical look.
"Of course" Eli said as he nudged his cooling glass and said in a casual manner, "To a date?"
"...." Aadya's lips twitched before forcing a smile and said, "Come, Council Members are waiting".
"....Okay, Teach, You don't need to shy" Eli said, starting to walk.
"...." Aadya opened her mouth to say something but decided to close it before following.
....
On the way, Eli asked a few questions about today's date? and she answered with an annoying tone, sometimes even warning him as if This 'Date' was really dangerous.
Soon, they reached their destination, located behind the Headmaster's Office.
They entered a separate block used for urgent and important meetings for staff and others. Then Eli noticed someone standing in front of the door.
"....Hello" a shiny silver-haired girl waved her hand.
"Hello, Alysia" Eli smiled brightly.
"Wait here" Aadya said as she entered the door, leaving Alysia and Eli alone.
"...."
"...."
An awkward silence lingered around them.
'W-What should I speak?' Alysia thought inwardly, unable to understand why she was hesitating.
'How should I ask her?' Eli pondered about something else, 'I need her help to sow those seeds... Should I use Tiana as leverage? No, No, I shouldn't do that to a friend but...'
"Mr. Asher Eli" an ethereal voice called him, interrupting his thoughts.
"Thank you for safely rescuing Tiana" Alysia said as she bowed down for the first time in her life, although she didn't feel any shame.
"Is she fine now?"
"Yes...By tomorrow, she will wake up" Alysia beamed.
Suddenly, she turned serious.
"As an Elven Queen of Flora Continent, Please ask anything"
"If she is fine then Y-You don't hav-"
"Please, Asher Eli. We do have to repay your kindness as much as possible" Alysia immediately cut off his words and said gently.
"...." Eli stared into sliver eyes, 'Well, if the fish desires the net eagerly, so be it'.
'W-Why he is staring at me? What he wants?...and why heart racing like a horse?...Please don't look at me like that!!!' Alysia screamed inwardly as she couldn't understand why her heart was racing the moment her eyes fell on Eli.
She wasn't like that yesterday; it all happened this morning when she saw a low-quality image of Eli kissing her lips spreading on social media...which somehow made her heart race as she remembered those weird actions she did yesterday for him.
She wanted to ask why he did 'that' however for some reason she felt she 'It's fine'.
'Y-Yes, it must be his c-charm, he must be doing it now that's the reason my heart is pounding like an idiot...Yes, this is all because of his ch--'
Her thoughts were abruptly stopped when Eli leaned towards her.
'Ba-Dump, Ba-Dump'
Her pale skin suddenly flushed.
"Anything? you say"
"....H-Huh? Y-Yes" Alysia stuttered as she unconsciously backed off.
"Then..." Eli stared at her intently.
"T-Then?" Alysia simmered like a little girl.
"Let's talk later" Eli smiled and backed off.
"Huh? W-"
'Thud'
"Come in" Aadya opened the door and called them in.
Aadya squinted her eyes before shrugging off the awkward atmosphere between them.
"Yes, Teach"
"Understood, Ms. Aadya" Alysia returned to her normal self.
...
Upon entering, Eli saw seven individual screens laid on the wall, and three chairs in the middle of the room.
"You guys sit here" Aadya said as she sat on the middle chair.
Eli and Alysia exchanged a glance and sat down.
After a brief pause, the screens in the room flickered to life, revealing shadowy figures that remained obscured by the dim light.
"..." Eli squinted in an attempt to see through but in vain; everyone appeared as mere silhouettes.
"Can you hear me, Ms. Aadya?" A mechanical voice resonated in a neutral tone.
"Yes, Sir... Allow me to introduce everyone to the council members.
This is Asher Eli, sponsored by the Vampire Queen and Master of that Mythical Beast, and
This is Alysia Hill Morgan Flora, the Temporary Elven Queen of the Flora Continent"
"Understood, Ms. Aadya... You may leave" one of the figures stated in the same mechanical tone.
Eli struggled to differentiate anything between them.
"I apologize for overstepping, but I am their Classroom Teacher, so I must support them" Aadya said sincerely with a resolute expression.
"...."
"Well, let her be" Another figure said.
".....Sure"
"Yes"
"Yes"
...
Others nodded in agreement without causing complications for Aadya.
"First, Alysia Hill Morgan Flora. You attempted to betray the Hero from the Dawn Kingdom, which poses a significant diplomatic problem between the two nations. You are aware of that, correct?" One of the figures asked in a mechanical tone.
'Munch, Munch'
"Yes, I know what I did" Alysia responded with indifference.
"Not only did you attempt to backstab the hero, but you also colluded with the Monster!! and Now you are answering arrogantly" a different figure's mechanical voice echoed.
"This is the way I am. I don't see any problem with that, and I am Quee-"
"Temporary Queen, Alysia Hill Morgan Flora...You are just a 'Temporary Queen', don't forget that" the same figure interrupted.
"...." Alysia frowned.
"As if that shame was not enough, you even knelt in front of the Monster!!! That's the biggest shame and dishonour ever received in the Flora Continent!!" The same figure expressed frustration in their mechanical voice.
"...." Alysia chose to stay silent, understanding who this belonged to and what that person wanted to hear.
"Excuse me, Sir, but we didn't come here to discuss that" Aadya chimed in suddenly.
"I am s--"
"Let's focus on what we came for" a mechanical voice interrupted.
Differentiating the voices was challenging since they all sounded the same in their mechanical tone. If not for the blinking Mic indications, Eli might have thought the same person was acting like seven different people.
'Munch, Munch'
"...Well, Let's focus....Ms. Alysia"
"Yes?" Alysia maintained her indifferent gaze.
"As of now, most people will surely discriminate against you for your actions; you understand that, right?"
"...Yes"
"The tension between two nations will be....noticeably dangerous, correct?"
"Yes"
"And as Nex Academia, created for the essence of cohabitation between the races, we cannot allow anyone who endangers this peace. Therefore, we cannot allow you to stay here anymore".
"...." Alysia simply stared at the screen without much of a reaction; however,
"That's absolutely not right"
"...Pardon, Ms. Aadya?"
'Munch, Munch'
"....Pardon my intrusion, sir, but I don't think she did anything wrong" Aadya said seriously.
"What? She knee--"
"Tell us your view, Ms. Aadya" The voice cut off another voice.
"Thank you,
That Monster pushed her to the corner, leaving no other choice than to save her friend... No one could blame her for that.
All she did was save her friend, nothing more. Anyone would do the same" Aadya stated her point, hoping to resolve the issue.
"...Hmmm"
"B-But you cannot possibly kneel before the Monster; that's disgrac-"
"Excuse me" Again, that mechanical voice interrupted another mechanical voice that seemed to be against Alysia.
"What?"
"Everyone already knows which race you belong to, and if you keep babbling, your Queen will surely find out who you are" The mechanical voice warned as others agreed.
"Yes"
"You should have been more aware"
"You people are always idiots"
"I agree"
"..."
"ggrrrr." The mechanical voice gritted its teeth before falling silent.
'Munch, Munch'
"Well, where were we?... Ah, Yes, Anyone? You say, Ms. Aadya?"
"Yes"
"But....Is she just anyone?"
"...."
"No, indeed? She is not just anyone; she is the Princess, the solitary scion of the Royal Family in the Flora Continent. Destined to be the sole ruler, she holds the fate of everyone in Flora within her grasp.
Yet, you argue that saving her friend takes precedence over others....This contradicts the essence of rulership. A true leader prioritizes their people over personal ties.
She violated their code, knelt before the Monster, and assumed the role of a subservient, akin to a Slave.
Do you believe these actions will be met with acceptance?.....Or will there be a revolt for her perceived incompetence in managing the situation?
Furthermore, her act nearly jeopardized everyone by saving a single person. These students are not commoners to be silenced; they are the royalties of every nation.
It's not only Dawn's kingdom that will seek retribution; every nation, whose children were endangered by her actions, will come forward.
"....T-Tha..." Aadya was taken aback by the response.
Another mechanical voice chimed in,
"So, we unanimously agree to remove Alysia from Nex Academia".
"Yes"
"I agree"
".....Think about it, Alysia Hill Morgan Flora, Your mother would be saddened to witness this"
"I am truly sorry about it, Ms. Alysia, but as a ruler, you failed to meet their expectations.....Bowing your head to the monster is akin to the entire populace bowing theirs, and Nex surely didn't want to involve itself in your riot"
"I offer you a piece of advice: seclude yourself until coronation time and contemplate the essence of true rulership".
"Tsk, just let her resign herself from the coronation and hand over the crown to others who are worthy..."
Everyone stated their views and acknowledged that she should be removed from Nex.
"..." Alysia didn't answer anything; instead, she simply shrugged it off as if nothing mattered to her.
Suddenly,
"Please forgive me, B-But could you reconsider?" Aadya said with a sad face.
"We agreed to thi--"
'Munch, MUNCH'
"Okay, that's enough, Asher Eli!! You keep disrespecting the Council Members!!" The mechanical voice shouted.
"Hmm? Whacc--'gulp'....'burp'...What did I do wrong?"Eli tilted his head while holding a large popcorn bag.
"Eli!!" Aadya glared at him.
"Hmm? What, teach? You said we are going on a date. In case we are going to watch movies, I don't want to leave you alone during the break....You are really beautiful, so others will definitely hit on you when I am not around....So, that's the reason I brought some popcorn and soft drinks" Eli said with an innocent face, as if he genuinely believed the unfolding events were nothing more than a movie.
"....."
"You guys can carry on...'Munch, Munch.' It's g-getting interesting now...I expecting more twist and turn....'Munch, Munch'".