Free Web NovelChapter 182: Sweet Lingering Scent
No One’s Pov
Finally, the loud school bell rang across the hallway, echoing inside the quiet classroom.
Viella slowly opened her eyes and woke up from her deep sleep, rubbing her face tiredly.
Lily, who had stayed wide awake the entire time and had carefully written down all the complicated class notes for her, looked down at her sleepy little lady with a calm expression.
Viella groaned loudly, resting her head back on the wooden desk. It was officially time for the dreaded Physical Education class. PE class meant she would have to run around the big field, stretch, and jump so much under the burning sun. To make matters even worse, the PE teacher was known to be incredibly strict and mean to everyone!
"Let’s go, My Lady," Lily said smoothly, standing up from her chair and adjusting her uniform.
They walked together over to the locker area to pick up their gym clothes. But the moment they opened the locker, Viella’s eyes went wide, and she noticed something completely wrong. She started throwing things around in a total panic.
"Eh? Where in the world is my PE uniform?!" Viella cried out, her voice trembling. "I always keep it right here in this exact spot! If the teacher finds out that I lost my gear... he will absolutely toast me alive today!"
Lily looked down at the neatly folded PE uniform held in her own hands. Without a single second of hesitation, she reached out and handed it over to Viella.
"Take my own, My Lady. It is completely new and clean, so you can use it for today’s class."
Viella looked deeply troubled, refusing to take it at first. "But what about you, Lily? You don’t understand. He is so incredibly strict. He won’t let a newcomer slide out of trouble either! You will get punished instead of me."
"It is perfectly fine, please do not worry about me at all," Lily said in her usual calm voice. She firmly placed the uniform into the little girl’s hands. "I will be back in just a little bit." With that, Lily turned around and walked away into the crowded hallway.
Hidden just around the corner of the locker room, Lucian had seen the entire interaction unfold. A wide malicious smile spread across his handsome face. His evil little plan was progressing perfectly and smoothly! He was the one who had secretly stolen and hidden Viella’s uniform earlier, knowing damn well that the overly loyal Lily would immediately offer her own clothes to protect her lady.
He absolutely couldn’t wait to finally see that cold emotionless servant girl look afraid or cry in front of the entire school! With a satisfied chuckle, he jumped down from the ledge he was leaning on and happily walked towards the boys’ changing room to get dressed.
After all, their classes were combined today, so they all had the exact same PE period together.
On his way down the crowded corridor, Lucian was just about to enter the boys’ changing room when someone suddenly bumped straight into his shoulder.
"Watch where you are going, you idiot!" Lucian said rudely, his voice snapping with irritation.
He didn’t even bother to look up to see who it actually was, since that mysterious person quickly walked away into the crowd before he could catch their face. Besides, he wasn’t particularly interested in looking anyway; after all, he was in a remarkably good mood today, eagerly anticipating the glorious moment he would get to see Lily suffer under the strict teacher’s wrath.
He pushed past the changing room doors, walked over to his private locker, and pulled out his keys. He happily opened his own locker door to take out his PE uniform, but the exact moment he opened it... his proud face completely fell. His eyes widened in absolute shock.
HE COULDN’T FIND HIS OWN UNIFORM!
Lucian searched absolutely everywhere. He threw his books out, tore through his sports bag, and checked under the benches, but his uniform was completely gone. He was so incredibly pissed off, his fists clenching tightly as his blood began to boil.
Who in this school dared to play a prank on him?! Feeling a sudden wave of panic, he quickly checked the secret corner where he had hidden Viella’s stolen uniform earlier- but it wasn’t there anymore either! Both uniforms had completely vanished.
Just then, the loud bell rang across the school grounds. Having no other choice, Lucian had to walk out to the sports field in his regular school clothes, his heart pounding with pure rage.
The moment he entered the wide grassy ground, his sharp eyes immediately fell upon the two girls standing in line. Both of them were wearing complete PE uniforms. Viella was wearing Lily’s small uniform, which fit her perfectly fine. But then, his burning eyes landed directly on Lily. She was standing perfectly straight, wearing a baggy oversized uniform that swallowed her small frame.
Lucian froze as his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. The initials stitched into the collar, the specific fabric, the massive size... IT WAS HIS UNIFORM! That little brat had broken into his locker and stolen his clothes right out from under his nose!
His handsome face turned a deep red with pure anger. He was about to storm right up to her, scream at the top of his lungs, and violently snatch the clothes back, but before he could take a single step forward, the terrifying PE teacher noticed his improper attire.
"Where exactly is your uniform, Lucian?!" the strict teacher shouted loudly, his booming voice echoing across the entire sports field. "Did you completely forget the strict rules of my class?! I don’t care who your wealthy family is- no uniform means a harsh penalty! Go run 20 laps around the entire field right now! Move it!"
Lucian glared with absolute murderous hatred at Lily as he was forced to turn around and walk away toward the running track, his pride completely shattered into pieces.
Standing safely in the student line, Viella looked over at her servant with confused eyes. She tugged gently on the sleeve of Lily’s shirt. "Lily... where in the world did you find this uniform? This looks a whole lot bigger for you. It looks like a giant tent!"
Lily looked down at the loose fabric dangling over her hands, her expression remaining completely blank. "Oh, this? I found it lying around in a trash can that kept making snake noises, My Lady. It was a bit dusty, but it gets the job done."
Hearing the bizarre reply, Viella completely forgot about her worries and let out a joyful giggle, covering her mouth with her hands as she watched her arrogant older brother miserably start his twenty long laps in the distance.
Soon after the exhausting PE class finally ended, the loud bell rang once more, and all the tired students immediately left the sports field to head back to the changing rooms.
Lucian, who had finally completed his twenty laps under the hot sun, was huffing and puffing loudly, his lungs burning with deep fatigue. He slumped down heavily on a wooden bench, wiping the sweat from his forehead, feeling completely humiliated and angry.
Just then, a pair of long slender fingers suddenly appeared right in front of his face, holding out a neatly folded piece of clothing. It was his missing uniform.
He looked up, his eyes narrowing as he saw Lily standing directly over him. Her expression was completely blank, but her dark eyes held a glint of victory.
"Thanks for today’s help, Young Master," she said smoothly, her calm voice clearly mocking his current miserable state.
Lucian glared at her with absolute hatred, his teeth clenching tightly together as he snapped back at her. "You... you will definitely live to regret this! Don’t think you have won anything, you filthy little servant!"
Without giving him any reply, Lily simply turned around on her heel and walked away, leaving him alone in the dust.
Lucian looked down at the uniform in his hands, his blood boiling with intense frustration. He raised his arm, fully intending to violently throw the clothing straight into the nearest trash can to wash his hands of the insult. But just as he was about to toss it away, a soft, sweet, and comforting smell lingered on the fabric. It was an unique scent of wild flowers that belonged entirely to Lily from when she wore it.
Suddenly, to his complete horror, Lucian felt the tips of his ears turn bright red. The strange warmth creeping up his neck made him become infinitely more irritated and confused. He aggressively pulled the uniform back against his chest, frowning deeply at his own bizarre reaction.
Just then, one of his wealthy friends from his gang casually walked up to the bench, stretching his arms. "Hey, Lucian! My own PE class is about to start in a few minutes, and I completely forgot my gear. Can I borrow your uniform for an hour? I noticed you were just about to throw it away into the trash anyway, so you obviously don’t need it."
Lucian looked down at the soft fabric in his hands, his grip tightening defensively. "Not anymore. I am going to keep it," he muttered in a coldtone, standing up abruptly. Without another word, he turned his back on his friend and quickly left the sports field, carrying the oversized uniform tightly with him.
His friend stayed standing by the bench, completely confused and scratching his head in total bewilderment. "What in the world is up with him today?" he murmured to himself, watching Lucian walk away. "Wasn’t he literally the exact same guy who was about to throw that uniform into the dirt a second ago? He is acting completely crazy.
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TO BE CONTINUED
