Unfortunately, she was forced to get off work today.
Before Lisbeth could protest, Mama and Finnick just decided to push Lisbeth away from the tavern after the man asked for her time. She didn't mind if they had to talk in there, but somehow she wasn't allowed to.
And today, it became an awkward walk in the park. Lisbeth just donned her hoodie since the sun was still out, she quietly hissed at the sting but tried to maintain composure.
Unnoticed by Lisbeth, a shade of shadow hovered above her in the shape of an oval, looking down, she realized that Shin had opened an umbrella for her. She looked up to him with her eyes wide open.
"Uhm... Excuse me?" She asked.
"I thought the sun was hurting you?" He smiled, "Ah, but did I overstep?" He hovered the umbrella back, but then he waited for her confirmation.
A flowery thoughts accidentally appeared in her head. As suspicious as he is, he had the gesture of a fine gentleman. Surely, he was just a professor, of course he would act like that. But she decided to shake her head in denial, "Ah no, I should be thankful."
The man felt relieved, he continued to hold the umbrella for her as they went on, at the edge of the park, the building for Lectorus Academy was visible enough, towering the entire city. It has the shape of a pointy crown, fitting to their name.
At that moment, Lisbeth felt a pang of sadness, a sadness that was visible to the mysterious man himself.
"Oh right, so...." she looked to the side, "did you want to discuss something?"
"Why yes, sorry if it looks like I am delaying, I actually enjoyed the walk." He replies, which made Lisbeth's face feel warmer, perhaps she had misunderstood, but the notion of 'love at first sight' is very ridiculous in this situation.
"Riiiight..." She then scratches her head, "okay but, i'll be honest, i don't know what you want.... Nor do I know you from anywhere."
"I... I just want answers, that's all." She twitched, unknowingly playing with all the fingers on her hand.
In a silence, a flutter of wind blew some strands of her golden locks hanging from the hoodie, which captivated the man's crystalized eyes.
He then stepped forward from where they were standing.
"Actually, I just want to say 'Thank you' properly to you."
"To me?"
"Yes, I want to thank you for saving me yesterday, had you not found me.... Perhaps I will lose another of my limbs again."
Lisbeth, in her confusion, decided to piece together what he said, yesterday she saved a dragon. But he owes her for saving him. Which means....
While she lost in her own thoughts, a tail the size of a shark's tail was swinging under her eyes, the colors were similar to the yesterday's creature, she then looked up and the man was closing down to her,
She noticed, he looked different.
He grew a horn in the shape of a circlet, the pupils of his eyes were sharp as a dagger, and the scales formed on his cheeks made his skin present itself as an armor.
At that moment, she realized what he had meant.
"You're...."
"Yes, the exact same dragon you saved yesterday." He formed a smile, gently at her, he took her hand, giddy from all the excitement that he could finally show her his real form, "another gratitude is that i show you this form of mine, it…. is actually a public secret, but I thought you should know."
In a split second, rather than seeing the gentleman he was before, she just looked at him, up and down, and noticed that the swishing tail just strengthened her opinion of him, which was… He have the soul of a dog.
"And I need your help as well. But before that, I apologize, I didn't mean to peek into your room when this happens but...." He took a crumpled note, "I thought it was weird that you kept trash inside your cupboard but it's a letter of recommendation to the academy."
Lisbeth's eyes widened, but she didn't take the note, rather... She wished she didn't see it again. A trail of sweat was formed from her temple. Another nauseating feeling suffocates her.
"You almost became my student in the past… Did something happen?"
She shook her head, "I…"
But he didn't pause to check on her, as if it was a timed question, he asked again. "Would you like to be a student of the academy?"
"I..." at first she felt tightened from the question, "I can't.... I'm not actually from a well off family, I can't afford it even with the scholarship." She looked down.
"I wish I could.... Then maybe, I can get rid of the curse.... And maybe, I have more chances to make my family happy, maybe--"
He noticed the trembling hand, then he put his hand onto her face.
"I just need a yes or a no, Lisbeth."
"Huh?"
He nodded, "Put your circumstances aside, focus on what you really want."
"But--"
"Yes, or no?" His eyes sharpened at her, in a stern, gentle voice.
"....." The look of his eyes hit her in the heart like a dagger, she surrendered to his persuasion, and slowly held the hand on her face, lowering it.
"..... I always thought..... It's not fair that Gale was able to go and finished his studies there...." she grips the edge of her apron, "I also want.... To be a scholar, I want to learn...."
"I....." a single tear dropped on her eyes.
"I want to be human again without getting scrutinized, but I also want to chase my passion without needing to hide what I'm doing, is it.... Is it bad being selfish like this?" The single tears formed into a torrent of droplets, sliding from the corner of her eyes, like a pouring rain.
He didn't hesitate to wipe her face with a handkerchief he just took with his left hand. It was a moment he did while listening to the girl before him.
"My answer? No, you did very well at voicing your needs."
She sobbed, then proceeded to take his handkerchief to blow her own nose, at that moment she didn't care about putting up a front,
It felt refreshing to finally talk about her feelings, like a bottle that was pouring its content to the ground.
"Thank you for being honest, and now, to answer my previous question, do you want to become a student at the Lectorus academy?"
Without hesitation, she just nodded.
"Then, are you willing to do that while becoming my attendant?"
"Huh?"
She was dumbfounded by the sentence.
"Your skill in potion brewing was phenomenal. Memorizing what to use in critical conditions, pre-made ingredients in your arsenal… not to mention a potion to cure non-humanoid beasts…. not many students in the academy could achieve those levels." He showered her with praise.
".... But sir, excuse me for being rude, you can easily find those kinds of alchemists and apothecaries in town. I'm not licensed to be one."
"That's why the attendant offer was there, Lisbeth." He cleared his throat.
"Besides, many of the alchemists and apothecaries here have been appointed by few of the sovereign of this country, if not, some lower-ranked nobles have already taken them to work."
"And if you ask why don't I search for one in the academy, then simply put… None of them come as meticulous as you."
His expression later changed from a calm one to a serious one.
"I don't mean to exploit you by saying so, just so you know. I want you to have a steady life ahead as well." He nodded, his right hands were on his chin as he spoke.
"Steady? What do you mean?"
"You were just crying about how you felt suffocating for not being able to chase your dream and your economic condition…." he sighed.
Lisbeth just realized she wasn't prepared to have someone that genuinely wanted her to prosper, and it wasn't from a family. One would think it was suspicious, but from all the way he talks, at least it was a serious business.
"What…. Would I do, if I were to become your attendant though?"
"Simple, become my student first. Get your license, then I want you to be with me whenever I make a journey around the world. As you can see, I am a research professor as well, I dabble in notoriously dangerous creatures."
"I see…. Wait, really? That's it?"
"Yes, why?"
"..... W-well…." She paused, "I'm a woman, first of all…. Doesn't the idea of traveling with the opposite genders worry you?"
"Worry? Not really, if anything ever happens to you I would be the one upfront. Rest assured your safety is guaranteed."
She blinked many times before she realized something.
".... That's not what I meant…" She massaged the side of her temple, it's either painful from the excessive crying, or the sheer obliviousness of this man is outstanding.
"Aren't you in your thirties? Don't you have a wife? A girlfriend?" She just shot the bullet rapidly.
"No, why does that matter?" He tilted his head.
"Oh my g– Well, if I were to work solely for a man then i would need my father's approval! Are you insane to think a maiden like me can walk around alone with a man like you with no status at all?!" She huffed, her face warmed.
".... Ah, you're concerned about the view of other people, I see…" He thought, his tail swished.
"Then how about making the people at the tavern believe you just got engaged to me? Want to make it official?"
"Are you insane?!" She took the collar of his clothing and shook his body, Shin just laughed along with Lisbeth who was flustered, face colored in the redness of a cherry fruit.
"Well..." He reverted his draconic feature and returned to his civilian form, "I jest, but I don't mind if I had you as my wife either way."
The simplicity of his mind amazed Lisbeth more and more; she dropped the man onto the ground after holding the collar of his clothing for a while. A thud can be heard. But no protest from the man in sound.
That day, Lisbeth finally realized the skies had dimmed its sun. The colors are slowly turning into the shade of a raven's feather. The afternoon felt shorter than it should have.