213 Moving On Towards The Future (1/2)
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A month had pa.s.sed since then. Ah, the timeframe I meant was the war— the Great Transcontinental War that lasted a few months. Tik tok, tik tok, days and weeks went by without me realizing.
It worked for me, anyway. Helped my mind to become more astute than ever, focused on what I should be doing after the whole ordeal with Amathelia had ended.
Ah, that reminded me of what Azalea, one of C.U's general-in-charge said to me back then. If the war had not ended by Maltyie, intercontinental ballistic missiles would be launched onto Neo Africa.
With Amathelia's absence during that time, and the circ.u.mstances surrounding her and Leah (the flying fortress), it left room for the C.U to retreat from the war. In the end, Gheele signed a peace treaty with the C.U. This allowed Russia to be independent along with a few other countries— Ah, wait, I forgot The People's Light that demanded peace. Cutting the unnecessary details, these countries wanted out of C.U, which Maltyie relented. She threw a few conditions at them to prevent birth of terrorist organizations, such as embargoes and a selected import quota for weapons— especially Vasquez, Teria airs.h.i.+ps and the like.
”...Ugh!!!”
Tap, tap. I adjusted my shoes and retied it a few times. ”Okay! Let's get going.”
Arriving at a school I would be attending after this—called Ågren Grundskola School—Aya pulled my hand as we walked. Following us with a smile on their faces were Maltyie, Derrick, and Elle. Once the school princ.i.p.al's office was in sight, my feet halted.
”Aya! Slow down a bit!” I said to her with my cheeks puffed. She laughed at it, and so did a few other students that pa.s.sed us. ”The office is not going anywhere, you know!”
”Hehe. But aren't you excited?! You are, right? We're going to start school after we registered. I can't wait!”
”Well... technically, I'm excited. Though, Aya! We won't be coming to cla.s.s until next week. So—”
Aya pulled my hand again and knocked at the princ.i.p.al's door. We got in real quick followed by Maltyie and his husband. Oh, and their daughter Elle too, looking confuzzled, sticking close to Derrick's side.
”Ava Lindberg and Aya Andersson... Ah, right here.” A woman standing next to the princ.i.p.al presented two doc.u.ments on the princ.i.p.al's desk. ”Cute girls. Haha. You will get used to this school in no time.”
”Eh-hem!” coughed the bald princ.i.p.al. ”I apologize for her rude comments, Your Benevolence.”
”Don't mind it, don't mind it. Though, to make things fair, I'll give her a warning.” Maltyie winked at the woman, and she bowed incessantly. What a sight. We registered at the school no problem, which led us to a restaurant Elle's parents took us. Ah, not really. Maltyie forced us to eat there— and it looked expensive.
”Nope, it's crazy expensive here,” said Aya, drooling at the food placed on our white round table. Along with Elle, I grabbed the food in sight and gobbled it down. Maltyie didn't like that tho. She narrowed her eyes at us—and she did so because it was a restaurant, and in a restaurant, especially an opulent one like this, I should eat with mannerism.
Grace, adroitness, finesse— these aspects were necessary for a lady. Most people thought so, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. ”I'll just use spoon and fork, ever so slowly. Is it okay, Maltiye?”
”Haha. That will do. Eat whatever you want, okay? Don't be shy.” The woman emphasized her point by ordering what she thought we wanted, or the foods she desired, to be more precise. Needless to say, with her position and the fortune she owned, she could even buy the whole restaurant if she ever thought of it.
”Derrick, um, you only ordered a pudding?” said Maltyie with a worried expression. Now, you don't see that every day. Oh wait... from that day I moved to her house (a mansion, exactly), there hadn't been a day where Maltyie wouldn't worry about Derrick. She was her wife, I knew that, but the level Maltyie cared for him could be—
”You need more than that, honey! You just recovered from a fever, but that doesn't mean you can neglect a healthy diet. Don't do this to me, Derrick... What if you get sick again? Oh no...”
Derrick chuckled at his wife's demeanor. He got used to this side of Maltyie, but the guy didn't mind it one bit. In fact, he loved her more like this.
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Well, the nadir I expected from our little s.h.i.+ndig didn't happen. By s.h.i.+ndig, I meant the banter between Aya and me over who should eat what (which almost turned into a quarrel). The restaurant's owner contemplated to throw us out, but of course, Maltyie's presence became our saving grace.
Maltyie could afford what was on the menu, but yeah, we were being noisy in there, so I could understand the owner's sentiment. Ah, enough of this triviality.
We got back to our mansion and I flitted to my own room upstairs. Lying down after work could never be more relaxing.
Ah, right... I should explain about Maltyie's house (or mansion). Due to her position as the C.U's Ruler, it was deemed inappropriate for her to stay at her old house, for some reason. Not that I would complain, because this mansion she bought was miles better. I mean, it had a large garden as its backyard (complete with a fountain), five floors, numerous rooms to stay in, and more importantly—
Knock, knock!
”Miss Lindberg, the dark chocolate you requested is here.” A young, dark-haired maid placed a plate with three stacked bars of chocolate on a table. ”Is there anything else you need, Miss?”
”Ah, roast almond, if you don't mind.”
”Roast almond it is.”
”Hehe. Thanks, Yaerin. I've been bothering you a lot these days. I'm sure you're busy with the house ch.o.r.es and all... so—”
Yaerin shook her head and smiled. ”It's my pleasure to serve you, Miss Lindberg, and everyone else. I'm one of the maids hired by Mrs.Jones, so it would be unwise for me to not give my job everything I have.”
I returned her smile and she left, closing the door gently. As she said, Maltyie hired a dozen maids to work in this mansion, and each one was hand-picked by her. True enough, their abilities and skills flummoxed me. Whether it be cleaning or cooking, they handled it astutely, every movement swift.
”Hah...” I sighed.
”Hey, Avchan.” Aya burst into my room and I yelped. Of course, she laughed at it! ”You're so not prepared for that.”
”Cringe. Don't call me that!”
”Hahaha.”
”What're you here for?” I got straight to the point, pouting.
”Derrick's leaving. He got work to do at the military HQ. Seems busy, don't ya' think?” Aya said to this to me as we walked down the staircase. ”Compared to Maltyie, Derrick seems busier to me,” I said.
”Nah. It just looks that way. Maltyie doesn't have to move anywhere to do her job, for now, since her office is still being rebuilt. Plus, she has her subordinates.”
”Officers.”
”Ah, yes, that too. Anyway, she has people to s.h.i.+ft her work onto. Convenient, if you ask me.”
”Uhuh.”