Chapter 10: Investment 10— Master Planner(Part Two)

Two days later, he strategically sat on the bench by the garden, which Seria and her friends were always fond of passing by.

The previous day, he had spoken to Deria about asking Seria on a date. But she told him it would be better if she got Seria to ask him instead, though he had to be in the right position if she were to do it.

Deria gave him a wink as she walked behind Seria, which was a sign for him to act as if he wasn’t aware and accept her invitation.

She asked him to go on the shopping trip with them, and he agreed. While shopping, he asked Deria and Edith to help him pick a ring. To his surprise, they were more than happy to be on board with his plan.

"I felt an intense chemistry between you guys. It would be nice to take it a bit slower, but a proposal doesn’t stop that," Deria mentioned.

"I knew you had a crush on her ever since the first day I saw you," Edith grinned weirdly.

"Eh-Eh, okay, okay." Elliot took a step back and smiled.

"You won’t even ask for any sort of reassurance?" Elliot asked.

"You stood against that bastard prince at the welcome ball in our absence. I don’t think we need any other reassurance," they mentioned.

"But..." They both closed their faces in on his. He had never seen either of them this serious before; their presence was heavily terrifying.

"Don’t you ever think of hurting our best friend. If not, we will make sure you face a consequence worse than death." Their voices carried.

Elliot immediately changed his tempo. "Don’t worry. I plan to protect her with every fibre of my being," he stated boldly.

They took a step back and held their hands as bright smiles formed on each of their faces.

"Awww," they both reacted.

"I told you he had the spunk." Deria turned towards Edith.

"That I agree with you on," she nodded in agreement.

They returned to meet Seria at the other shop before she noticed they were gone. The battle at the back alley also served as a catalyst for his plans by allowing him to show off his strength to Seria.

Then finally, at the gate, he signalled Edith and Deria to give them some space, though they watched from a distance.

’Despite all this planning, I didn’t think she would actually accept.’

The sun started to rise, signifying the start of a new day. Whether Elliot liked it or not, he would have to wake up to his reality, especially the new changes to his system.

[The Investment System has received an upgrade. The host will be allowed access to primary and secondary quests. Also, making your fiancée happy by either protecting her or making new changes to her life will award you rewards.]

[Primary Quest: Save Edith and Deria]

[Reward: 10th-tier spell: Star Cleaver and the mythic-grade artifact: The Book of Wess]

[Secondary Quest: Get your fiancée an early morning cup of coffee]

[Reward: One 7th-tier spell]

’You have to be kidding me.’ He rubbed his hands against his temples.

[Time limit: 30 minutes]

[Penalty: Mana reserve -3]

’Holy shit! I have to hurry.’ He jumped from the bed and immediately began to prepare for class.

After he was done, he ran towards the coffee shop without greeting his roommate.

"Eh, excuse me." Elliot tried to catch his breath.

"Elliot, congrats." The saleswoman congratulated him for something he wasn’t even aware of.

’Maybe it’s the student council thing.’ He brushed it off.

"Madame May, I would like one double-layered coffee and a Prema ice latte." Lucky for him, there was no line. He was literally the first customer of the day. I mean, that’s what you get by waking up at 6:30 a.m.

"That would be 8 copper coins. But I am feeling generous today, so I will give it to you for 6." She handed him the coffee.

"Thank you, Madame May." He paid, grabbed the coffee, and dashed out.

"Young people these days." She chuckled.

As usual, he saw Seria and her besties walking past the garden on their way to class.

[Time limit: 3 minutes]

’I swear to God. This system is rigged.’ Upon seeing the time he had left, he ran even faster.

"Why is Elliot running towards us?" Deria pointed a finger at the incoming Elliot.

"HAH!" She gasped. "Don’t tell me, he couldn’t wait to see his fiancée." She teased Seria.

"Ohohohohoho," Edith joined in.

’I need to stop before I bump into her.’ He skidded to reduce his speed.

"Seria. Good morning." He managed to stop before colliding head-on with her and handed her the coffee.

"Double-layered coffee? How did he know this was my favourite?" she thought.

She wrapped her fingers around the coffee and collected it. Her eyes lit up in a swell of positive emotion.

"Thank you." She blushed.

"Awww!" Deria exclaimed.

"This is so sweet," Edith added.

"Look, it’s Seria and her new fiancé."

"His name is Elliot, by the way. He mopped the floor with Liam the other day."

"Yeah, I remember. I couldn’t believe it."

"You had better!"

"I dub them Ser-El. The Flaming Ice Couple of Adonite Academy."

"Owwwww. Nice one."

The idle chatter of some students passing by echoed. The news about Seria and Elliot’s engagement quickly spread around the academy, reaching those who were pleased and some who were heavily displeased.

Prince Alex had not been in the academy for an entire week because he was being reprimanded by his father. On his way back to the academy, he got an unnerving telepathic message.

"Aley-chan. It seems your former fiancée has decided to move on real quick." A cheery female voice echoed in his head.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, she’s now engaged to that Elliot guy that grabbed your hand at the ball and made you look like a pathetic clown," the voice replied.

’You might be my upperclassman, but I would advise you to watch your words when speaking to me,’ he threatened without holding back.

"Ok, ok, chill, tiger." The voice chuckled.

"Anywooo. Safe trip back. There’s a lot for you to take care of," the voice said with a sinister tone and then disappeared. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Seria! This isn’t over just yet." He clenched his teeth.