BXBX NOVEL Chapter 976: Chris Might Be Scoring Big Time
"Impressive! Not bad, you danced well, you\'re competent. Though your manners need great readjustments. And I am not in the mood of just teaching some country bumpkin." She sighed. "Unlike you, Blake is so well mannered…"
"Hahh…" Chris sighed. "I suppose so, he\'s amazing, isn\'t it? Even my other friends, they\'re all great people, talented and geniuses. I am like… the only guy that is always out of place within them, I think. Well, it feels a bit like that. I suppose you would agree to that, Lady Frederica."
"Hmm…"
Frederica, however, was making a different expression. It was a bit of empathy? Chris couldn\'t believe it.
"It is not like I don\'t understand how you feel in that regard." She sighed. "I have two other sisters, and they\'ve always been better than me in almost everything. Although they\'re one and two years older, they\'ve accomplished so much. Starting their own companies and such, meanwhile I can\'t figure out everything myself.
I\'m becoming just a worthless baggage for my father, that\'s why he just wants to marry me off someone."
"It\'s frustrating… Isn\'t it?" Chris sighed. "But well, compared to the country bumpkin I am, you are someone great, Lady Frederica. I think you\'re very smart, and have good manners, a strong personality as well. You just need some opportunity, something to kickstart whatever business you have an idea of."
"Hmm…" Frederica looked back at Chris only for a bit, as she blushed lightly. "Well, thanks. You\'re… Well, I went a bit overboard there. You\'re not so bad, if you\'re so strong, I guess that makes up for your lack of manners. I also like your red hair, that\'s rare."
"A-Ahhh…" Chris was having a hard time processing what just happened.
A girl praised him?!
And even more, she blushed at him!
"T-The hair color, it changed after I Ranked Up…" Sighed Chris.
"What\'s your Rank by the way?" Frederica wondered. "I\'m Rank 2 Initial Stage." She smiled cockily.
"Rank 4 Middle Stage!" Chris said proudly.
"Huh?!" Frederica knew he was strong, but not this powerful! "Y-You\'re strong… Very strong, I think you\'re stronger than the strongest knight in the entire country?"
"Really? I thought they were stronger?" Chris wondered, tilting his head.
"Not at all…" Frederica laughed. "Hmmm~ Maybe you\'re a fine enough asset. If I couldn\'t get Blake, getting the second best thing is not so bad, yes."
"E-Eh?" Chris didn\'t mind being called like that. In fact he was somehow developing a liking for this domineering young lady to treat him like an item. It was making him… slightly infatuated. "Well, if you say so… I don\'t mind being used."
"Such words…" Frederica squinted her eyes. "I guess you are really like me, desperate…"
"I\'m sorry if I sounded weird…" He apologized again.
"No need to apologize for everything, I get it." Frederica sighed. "Anyways, my dream is pretty simple. I don\'t just want to sell basic products of beauty or hygiene like my sisters… They make a good cash out of that, but that\'s boring!"
"Then what do you want to sell? Weapons? Armor? Potions?" Wondered Chris.
"No, no, no!" Frederica said with a loud voice. "Chris! I am a woman of culture, since I\'ve been a little baby girl that I\'ve loved art, performance, action, lights, passion, emotions! I want to make some business related with performance, with songs, with emotions, with the human nature made into art. Theatre and music, all of that and more! Yet… I\'ve discovered it is very hard to even try."
"O-Oh." Chris looked at her blankly. "That\'s…"
"I know, dumb, right? You as a man must find it quite boring and tasteless I suppose." Frederica shrugged.
"No, I think it\'s pretty amazing. And cool." Chris smiled. "I like theater too, and music. I think art and performance are part of what makes humanity so rich, the culture that we make, it becomes an expression of our souls and such."
And this, wasn\'t something Blake made him said.
Frederica looked at his eyes in surprise.
"T-That\'s exactly it, isn\'t it?! An expression of the soul! Oh, by the holy spirits, Chris, you\'re a genius! I get it now; I finally get it! Theater, performance, music. Usually it never involves spirits!
But what if we involve them? what if we find people that could control them well, make them dance, sing, perform with their masters? Wouldn\'t that revolutionize how we see art itself? Imagine the possibilities if we added magic, colorful one at that! illusions, light!" Frederica was a young woman full of dreams, and Chris couldn\'t help but fall for her even more.
"Yeah… I agree! I think I could help you. I am not that good at it and quite rough, but I wouldn\'t mind becoming your first employee." Said Chris. "I got four spirits with me, they\'re overall obedient and got flashy abilities and colors."
"Really Chris?! Would you go to such lengths for me? You just met me!" Frederica gasped.
"I don\'t mind!" Chris smiled. "We share a liking in common with all of those arts, and I am glad to help."
"You\'re… really good at courting me I suppose. Not many snotty nobles would ever get me this riled up!" Frederica smiled. "Ohohohoho!" And she laughed like a typical young noble lady.
Her laughter reminded Chris of Clarice, one of his schoolmates, another noble girl but that had taken a much different path.
"Well, in a week we\'re moving back to the academy unfortunately…" Said Chris.
"No worries! I\'ll be staying for the week, so let\'s get some performance ready." Said Frederica. "As long as we can gather some decent amount of money from it, I am sure father will approve of it!"
"S-Sure!" Chris got himself involved into something insane.
Just for a girl that might be made just for him.
Blake smiled in the distance, feeling relieved.
"I have to do everything I can, so this goes well, I want this bastard to stop crying because he has no girlfriend…" He thought with a calm smile.
It could be said he was a good friend.
But wasn\'t he being a bit too mean?