Chapter 17

"Are you mad?" Celestine asked, she wanted to make sure that he was not mad at her actions.

"I'm not" He replied as he drinks up the sweet Burr Berry juice.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah"

After a while, Celestine was finally been able to relax. They finished eating the pie, there were some leftovers around a quarter size. Wilhelm threw it on his space box.

"Your space box is pretty convenient... Can I also learn that?"

"I guess, with enough practice. I think you can."

The space box he had was a magic he accidentally discovered when he was practicing teleportation magic. The space separates itself from time and dimension. Forming a trinity, inside the overlapping of space and dimension exists a large area where time can't touch, within those areas Wilhelm places his items.

Even if he leaves them there for years they will stay the same, no food will rot, no silk will crumble, and no metal will rust. Entering that space can mean that you're stuck for eternity, the moment it closes it feels like everything freezes, and even your mind would stop from thinking. As long as there's no presence in time everything stays as it is.

Wilhelm raised the tray and headed to the sink. Celestine followed him and told him that she'd do the dishes. While washing she said,

"You know, I think you should start finishing up your remaining work, I did tell you that you have work to do remember?"

"Yeah, yeah... Telling me that I've got work to do and the first thing you do when you arrived here is shoot lightning at me and make a tantrum."

"It can't be helped I was---" She wanted to add the, 'feeling jealous about Runa' but she didn't want him to know that's why she stopped midway.

His brow raised, "You what?" he wanted her to finish her sentence.

"N-nothing! In any case, you must finish your work before I leave!"

"I've already finished it."

She turns her head, "What? You did? When?"

"When I was cleaning the study and the research area."

"You cleaned? You?"

"Yeah"

"Alone?"

"Yep"

"But why? You don't usually do that... Don't tell me--" She quickly turns around and creates a magic circle "--you're an Imposter!"

"What?"

"No wonder you've been treating me kindly! Where is he?! Where did you keep him?!"

"Okay, woman stop... You're being dramatic... Can't I just clean my study?"

"Elaborate."

"Because I thought of trying to surprise you that I cleaned it so you won't make a fuss about it... It'll ruin my image as a well-respected mage since you have your sister with you."

"Is that the reason why? Then why did you buy sweets?"

"I-uhh... Because I heard that she likes sweet...?"

Because 'Celestine' likes sweet. That's what he was implying. He was just making good excuses for being dishonest with the actual reason because he was sheepish when it came to her.

"I never told you about my sister and you only took them out from your space box when she left... Very suspicious~" She figured it out and was just slightly teasing him. "Well, you could have just made sweets why even buy?"

"I didn't have a cookbook"

"You have one, I saw it"

"It was bought recently along with the sweets" He didn't notice that his face was a little pinkish at the moment.

He was trying his best to not get caught that all that was because she was coming. It had been long since they had face-to-face contact with each other. After Celestine's graduation, their communication was scarce, he was busy with his research and she was too, but over the year they would contact each other once every month.

After she finished washing the dishes and drying them up, they both went to the study and read some books. Celestine recalled him saying all the books she gave him were in the corner, it was near his desk. She had a lot of books, she could easily identify that it was hers by looking at the titles. They were novels, classic action-adventure novels, and romance as well.

She decided to read some as she lay on the sofa. She eyed that Wilhelm was reading his usual magic-related books. Therefore, she approached him.

"What do you want this time?" He asked.

"Nothin' I was just thinking if you could read this book for me" She plastered a smile on her face.

"No." He replied.

"Come on, just one chapter... Please?" And she does her magic word and puppy eyes whenever she asks for something. Wilhelm reached out for the book but Celestine pulled his hand forcing him to leave the chair he was sitting on.

Of course, he let himself get dragged again although he was making a slightly annoyed face. She made him sit beside the sofa while she lay on the sofa facing its surface, forming a lying on-front position. Celestine picked the longest chapter, she already had it planned.

It was fourteen back-to-back pages.

"You serious?" He couldn't believe that one chapter would take more than ten pages.

"You can't back out now, you have already agreed." His eyes darted toward her excited-looking face, she saw it and gave him a bright smile.

He was reading it like he usually does, calm, relaxed, and with just the right volume. This time Celestine was hearing things she wanted him to tell her. It was a romance book he was reading and that chapter has a lot of cheesy lines. Her legs were moving in an up-down motion as she listened to him narrating the words.

Wilhelm was allowing her to do whatever she wanted, because they rarely see each other. He wanted to make use of the remaining time she was given. He doesn't know when will be the next time she is allowed to leave her home.

After that one chapter, he closed the book and saw her covering her reddened face and squirming like a worm on the sofa while giggling.

"Whoever you are, I command you spirit, to leave this woman's body..!" He created a purification magic circle. She looked like she was being possessed by some evil spirits, she stopped squirming the moment she saw the magic circle.

"Seriously? Purification?" She asked wondering why he started forming a circle.

"Oh, I thought you were possessed..." She couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry about that, don't mind me I'm just happy that you read it... It was my honest reaction."

"That's some reaction... Yeah..."

"It can't be helped when you read those cheesy lines out loud~"

"Did it sound funny?"

"There was nothing wrong with how you read it. Anyhow, would you like to read the other parts?" She suggested.

Having the person you love to read for you is something else, it was like those lines were targeted at you. Clearly, she's delusional.

"I refuse." Wilhelm went back to his desk and continued reading his book. That was a strange reaction she showed him but it was cute he got to admit.

During the entire morning, they have spent their time reading books. It was noon and Celestine was wondering what he would cook for lunch. He didn't look like he was about to prepare something but Celestine was starting to feel hungry therefore she rolled over to a supine position, raised the book she was reading, and moved her legs like they were fluttering.

"Hey, What are we going to have for lunch?" He was dead quiet. She peeked at him and saw him get off of his desk.

"I don't know... I think I'll have to go to Rachel's store to find out"

"You're not going to cook?"

"No. I don't feel like cooking"

"Is it different when it's morning?"

"You could say that, want to tag along?"

"Nope. I'll pass for now... I'm about to reach the peak of the story"

"Okay, suit yourself" Wilhelm left by immediately using teleportation magic.

Celestine stands up and climbs the stairs to his bed. She jumped and started rolling around. She was feeling a sense of happiness by spending her time with Wilhelm but why did she go to his bed? You could say that she just feels like it. Their scent mixed up together and he didn't even take her blanket and pillow, they remained on top of his bed.

"Ehehe, Oh Wilhelm, whatever am I going to do with these emotions I have for you? It feels like I will burst with happiness. But now, The real question is how am I going to make him head over heels for me?"

"I know that he likes me but it's not love. Those two are different but similar. Should I stop my advances? I did read some books saying that one must try to do the hard-to-get thing. It works well according to their experience."

"Now that makes me wonder how he would react if I didn't contact him for a year but I can't do that, I'll be the one who will miss him and also... Runa is also someone I need to be wary of even if Wilhelm doesn't see her romantically she might end up falling for him."

"That Jerk is a chick magnet and I just have this feeling that I need to set things clear with her. Just to ensure that she won't look at him in a way that might threaten my plan but how should I do it?"

Celestine grabbed some crystals under his bed, they were the ones that he called toys, sometimes games. Each crystal stores different magic, there are some for show and there are some that could deal damage but that's not the thing she was looking for, as she further searched for the specific crystal she needed she stumbled upon new crystals.

"Since when did he create these types? There's also some related to lightning magic. I think I'll keep them. He did tell me to just play with them if I had the chance. When was it again? I think it was when I was studying in the academy."

"These were samples he would send to me, his student so I could learn it by witnessing it personally. Supposedly these should all be purple because-- Ah! Now I remember, that Runa also became his student. No wonder it had a lot of them right now, but oh well I think I now get to view his plans for her. Such a nice guy no wonder I'm madly in love with him"

She only grabbed the crystal that she needed.

"Alright, for them to function I must break the crystal first...Since I'm going to use his teleportation magic he advised me to imagine my destination..." She threw it below her after she was finished thinking of her destination, a magic circle appeared and teleported her to the the place she wanted to go.

She finds herself inside a grand library and an old woman at the reception starts approaching her.

"Goodness! Tina! How are you?"

"Maribeth! I didn't think that you were on duty with the library. But! I'm doing great! In fact, even greater!"

"This old lady here was assigned by the Dean--but won't you tell me more about you? You seem brighter than the last time I saw you, as if you're gleaming with colors"

"Hehe, Guess why."

"You got the chance to visit him? Since you probably used his magic that only means you met him"

"Yes! And you won't believe what happened next! Guess what Maribeth."

"Oh, this is getting interesting." Maribeth placed her knuckles on her chin and started thinking.

She takes a small glance at Celestine and her reaction is new to her. She's sure that it's something about Wilhelm. Maribeth was their instructor and she had been observing them ever since the two of them stepped inside the academy.

The Lightning Princess and The Genius, are the titles they received inside the academy. They were too brilliant in their fields and she couldn't help but observe them, after all, they stood above the rest. Especially Wilhelm, that is also one reason why she seems to be closer to them than other instructors, she acts like their grandparent.

"Hmm, Did he invite you to do research together?" That is enough reason for Celestine to be happy based on her guidance to the two of them and according to how she knows them.

Celestine smiled widely, "Nope! Actually--" She started telling her what had happened the last two days she spent together with him.

"Goodness! He finally pulled it off. This old lady here is proud of him and even more proud of you. Your efforts finally fruit itself. I suggest that you keep the pace up if you want to proceed to the next level and I doubt that his new student has a chance against you."

"Don't say that Maribeth, you're making me blush but Runa is pretty and kind you know? And Wilhelm treats her more kindly than me. Although, it's understandable since she had a sad story but still, I don't want to give an opportunity where he might get stolen."

"Possessive aren't we? You're finally sure about your intentions, back then you were worse than Wil, you were more dishonest and would casually do anything to make him look your way even trying to annoy him when you knew too well that he didn't like it"

"I've grown up Maribeth and even if I annoy him he doesn't shun me like other people--" Now that she mentioned it he didn't even way back then. "-- He likes me even way back then?"

Maribeth started giggling grabbed Celestine's hand and guided her to a specific shelf. She pulled out an old leather book and showed it to Celestine.

"It's a book I found here, it was a strange-looking book and it made me curious about the contents. I think it's time to show this to you" She handed it to Celestine and she started reading its content.