NOVEL WEB Chapter 16: Thoughts
Quick footsteps echoed as the end of the training was declared, one clearly smaller and lighter than the other, as Nathaniel watched, mesmerized as beads of sweat slid down his hair to the floor. He was still getting used to his increased strength, but he looked up to see Charlotte and Aria running in his direction, causing a tired smile to appear on his face.
Aria was the first to approach, but her haste to support her master blinded her to the fact that half the contents of the glass had spilled with her trot. Her cheeks were flushed, and when she saw Nathaniel, she walked with hesitant steps until she was in front of him. She wiped the wet surface of the glass with the towel, slyly attempting to conceal her error, but blushed even more when she saw Nathaniel's mocking smile in front of her. Nonetheless, she stretched out her slender arms and held out the crystal clear glass, which was sweating from the cold water.
"Master, please."
Nathaniel snatched the glass of water and drank it down. " Thank you, Aria; I don't know what I'd do if you weren't by my side." He exhaled contentedly as he spoke.
+5,000 points of affection.
+7,000 fate points.
[Aria
Love: 80%>>> 82% Love (She feels her heart racing with your compliments, every day she spends with you her love only grows).
Aria's cheeks turned red as a result of his words, and a silly smile almost escaped her lips, but it didn't bloom because she was also a little sad as a result of his compliments, but she didn't let it show on her face. While Nathaniel recovered, she offered the towel in her hands and waited for orders with her back straight. Charlotte, on the other hand, looked jealous but said nothing; it was necessary to sweeten Aria's ears in order to gain affection points, but that didn't take away Charlotte's mental pout at seeing her older brother acting so nicely with another girl.
"(I don't know what I'd do if you weren't by my side either)." Nathaniel said to his little sister, who was muttering and folding her arms.
"(It's not the same anymore)." she grumbled.
Nathaniel kept joking with his little sister for a while longer, until they both agreed to return when he had regained some stamina. They walked through the garden in the direction of the mansion. The bright white light of the midday sun illuminated the garden; some gardeners were trimming the trees, and flowers. The imposing mansion was a fantastic sight, and they couldn't get enough of it. The weather was so nice that Nathaniel wanted to have tea on the recreational balcony; although Nathaniel preferred coffee, tea was the most popular drink at noble gatherings, so he had no choice but to resign himself. As he continued to ramble, he realized he hadn't yet informed his sister of his progress.
"(The pills are a hit)"
"(How much strength did you gain?)" She returned the question, admiring the birds' flight.
"(I increased my purity level in just two days, which still leaves room for improvement, but based on the effects, it appears safe to use.)" Nathaniel stated as he searched the store for the pills.
[Store:
Potentiation Pill:
Description: Increases the host's potential, hence, their ease in leveling up. (Maximum use three times)
Price: 10,000 affection points 9,000 fate points,
Rarity: B+]
'Price has been raised by 25%... That's to be expected.' Nathaniel considered, shrugging his shoulders and asking another question. 'System, doesn't matter if we take all the pills at once?'
[It is recommended that the host wait approximately one week between doses in order to fully benefit from the accelerated growth period.]
"(Should I take the pill?)" Charlotte inquired, eager to increase her power.
"(Yes, just wait.)" Nathaniel said, and they both paused to breathe in the fresh spring air of the garden.
'They're fairly quiet.' Aria considered this as she stood behind the siblings, not interfering with their quiet time as a proper maid would.
Aria smiled as she watched their backs, the sun shining on them and providing a picturesque view of beautiful siblings enjoying nature. She thought about how her life had improved because of them.
When she thought she'd have to go back to that small shared room where she woke up uncomfortable because the other maids had replaced her bed with an older one, she was surprised to find herself in a private, luxurious, and clean room; it even rivaled her own room when she was a semi-baron, and that was a guest room. The majority, if not all, of the maids were terrified of her. She also didn't see the small group of young girls who bothered her anymore, so she assumed they'd either left or been dismissed. Her life was extremely rewarding; despite being very high-ranking nobles, they treated her as an equal and didn't mind that she was an orphan. She was grateful for this and worked hard to be a worthy maid to her master and a close friend to Charlotte. She would gladly jump into the fire for both of them.
She smiled dreamily as she observed the boy walk confidently with a straight back. She smiled happily as she watched the innocent and joyful girl walk next to him; she thought her life had improved significantly, but she also felt a little sad; she placed her right hand on her chest as she remembered her parents and the words her mother said to her.
'I think I found him, Mom. But our love is not meant to be.' She sighed, reflecting on her status. Aria assumed that no one noticed her moment of sadness, but one girl was paying close attention.
'She appears to be resigning herself.' Charlotte pondered this as she listened to Aria's internal debate. 'Didn't she consider becoming a concubine? She doesn't have much of a choice, unless she wants to die. Big brother's number one will always be me.' Her eyes shone with obsessive light as she thought.
[If a heroine dies, hosts will be punished; the severity of the punishment will be determined by the heroine's importance.] The system forewarned, sensing Charlotte's feelings toward girls vying for her position as number one.
'Isn't that unjust? There are a lot of heroines; one of them could die on the other side of the continent without us knowing.' She said with a frown on her pretty face.
[Don't worry, host 2; each of them has been blessed by the world, so they are safe and the likelihood of their death is almost nil.]
Charlotte sighed, her gaze shifting elsewhere. 'It appears that 80%-90% is the limit for normal love, so 100% must be something beyond that; Aria will not progress any further unless big brother makes a move.'
This was true; Aria's progress had also slowed, indicating that they had hit a snag with their love; she still provided affection points when she was happy, but they were few in comparison to increasing her love. Charlotte reasoned that because they had reached a stumbling block, her brother would advance on Novem in the near future because their mother still needed to stop seeing him as a child for him to move forward.
She kept her gaze fixed on her brother, who was walking straight ahead. She knew he wasn't going to move on Aria any time soon; She believed he had already realized the limit of love and was just letting Aria marinate in desperation in order to pull her out and give her a big boost in her love, possibly even exceeding 100%. Charlotte decided to leave Aria alone; she would not harm her as long as Aria was aware of her position; Aria was the result of her intervention, her personality changed, and she was a good maid. She could even be a good bodyguard with some training.
'Aria will be a good conquest for big brother, but his chastity is mine. I failed once before in the previous world; I won't fail again this time.' Charlotte thought, a determined and cold glint in her eyes.