Chapter 707: Peaceful Day

Nickolas immediately shifted away from Veda’s side.

"What exactly did I do?!"

He looked warily at the Young Lord of Ash.

"I’m only suggesting the Lady of Ash because of how close Lady Sasha Burnwick and she are. Maybe she will help you."

He explained, looking somewhat offended.

"He does have a point, Young Lord."

Cole said calmly.

Veda turned his eyes towards his Butler.

For a brief moment, he simply looked at Cole without saying anything. Then, he shifted his gaze back to Nickolas.

"Ahh."

He sighed helplessly.

"Vera would just accuse me of something, or she would basically insult me for making Sasha mad. I honestly don’t know, but she wouldn’t help me. That much I’m sure of."

Veda lowered his gaze towards the remaining food on his plate.

He had already considered the possibility of asking Vera for help.

Unfortunately, he could imagine how that conversation would go. Rather than helping him understand Sasha’s behaviour, Vera would probably find a way to make the situation even more troublesome.

And he wasn’t particularly interested in becoming the target of her remarks.

"If that’s the case, then I really don’t know what to advise you on to get her to talk to you."

Nickolas said as he moved back into his seat properly.

He adjusted his position and glanced at Veda.

There wasn’t much else he could suggest.

He had already offered the most obvious person who might be able to help, but Veda had rejected the idea.

The table fell quiet for a moment.

Ezra had already finished his meal.

He picked up the white napkin and gently wiped his mouth before setting it down.

"Just ask her on a date."

He suggested plainly.

Lucy, who was pouring warm water into a glass cup for her Master, immediately paused.

Her hand remained above the table as she looked at her Master with a surprised expression.

Nickolas turned towards him.

Cole also looked at Ezra, his expression showing a hint of surprise.

And Veda, in particular, stared at him.

For a moment, none of them seemed to know how to respond.

"Wait, how would that even work?"

Nickolas asked with an unsure expression.

He looked at Ezra as though he hadn’t heard him correctly.

Does Ezra even understand what he is suggesting?

Nickolas couldn’t help wondering whether Ezra had misunderstood the situation. After all, Veda had been talking about how Sasha was refusing to speak to him, not asking for a way to arrange a date.

Says the same person who mentioned Vera’s name a moment ago?

Ezra narrowed his plain black eyes at Nickolas.

He thought to himself, already guessing what Nickolas was thinking in his mind from the way Nickolas looked at him.

Nickolas noticed the look.

"What?"

He blinked, leaning back slightly.

"Nothing."

Ezra replied calmly.

He folded the white napkin before placing it neatly on his plate.

"Just ask her on the date, randomly, and that should solve everything."

He said straightforwardly, looking towards Veda.

The Young Lord of Ash was still staring at him with a surprised expression.

"A date?"

A familiar voice came from the front of Ezra’s seat.

"The Young Lord is asking someone on a date?"

The voice sounded completely shocked.

There was also something complicated in the way the question was delivered.

Nickolas immediately lowered his head and covered part of his face with one hand.

"Shit."

He muttered.

He didn’t even want to look at the person who had just spoken.

"Linda."

Veda turned towards her quietly.

Linda was standing a short distance from the table.

She held a poster in one hand and a list of names in the other.

The faction had assigned her several female students to approach and speak with, with the intention of getting them to support their side.

She had apparently been carrying out that task when she overheard the conversation.

Now, she stood frozen.

Her gaze remained on the people seated at the table.

Ezra, on the other hand, calmly lifted his glass and drank the warm water Lucy had poured for him.

The silence that settled over the pavilion became awkward.

Even the earlier conversation between Veda, Nickolas, and Cole had come to an abrupt stop.

Linda didn’t move.

Nickolas kept his face lowered.

Veda remained seated, looking towards her.

And Ezra continued drinking as though nothing unusual had happened.

"Hey, Linda."

Tracy’s energetic voice suddenly came from behind her.

She walked towards Linda, apparently unaware of the atmosphere surrounding the pavilion.

"Oh, Young Lord, Nickolas and Ezra, you all are eating here."

Tracy turned towards the table and waved at them with a bright smile.

However, the moment she looked more closely, she noticed that something was wrong.

The atmosphere was strangely quiet.

Her gaze moved from Veda to Ezra, then towards Nickolas, who was still hiding his face for some reason.

She looked back at Linda.

"Let’s go, Tracy."

Linda said in a low voice.

She reached for Tracy’s hand and began pulling her away.

"Huh?"

Tracy looked dumbfounded.

She hadn’t even had the chance to greet everyone properly before Linda started dragging her away.

She turned her head towards the Young Lord of Ash.

Veda seemed as though he wanted to stand up, but he remained in his seat.

Tracy then shifted her gaze towards Linda’s face.

From the side, she could see that Linda’s eyes were teary.

Her expression changed.

Tracy didn’t ask anything.

She simply allowed Linda to pull her along, following her away from the pavilion.

The two gradually disappeared from view.

The silence returned almost immediately.

For a moment, nobody at the table said anything.

Then...

"Wow, what a player."

Ezra remarked dryly.

He didn’t even look at Veda.

Veda lowered his head, placing both hands over his face.

He had no idea what to say.

"You aren’t making things better, Ezra."

He said, his voice carrying the awkwardness he was feeling.

"I know."

Ezra replied directly.

He finished drinking the warm water and placed the empty glass cup back on the table.

His expression remained as plain as ever.

"Well, I have to go now."

He stood up and adjusted his clothes.

After taking his space bag, he turned towards Lucy and the others, giving them a simple wave goodbye.

Lucy watched him leave.

Master, you know, you can sometimes be as bad as Lady Vera Ashenlocke.

She thought to herself.

Her gaze followed her Master as he walked away, and she wore a helpless expression.

She had expected him to offer some advice to Veda.

Instead, he had casually suggested asking Sasha on a date, only for Linda to overhear the conversation.

And judging by Linda’s reaction, the situation had become even more awkward.

Lucy lowered her gaze briefly.

She wasn’t sure whether her Master had considered that possibility before making the suggestion.

Judging from his expression, he probably hadn’t given it much thought.

Hours passed...

Classes eventually came to an end, and students began returning to their respective homes.

The Academy gradually became quieter as the day drew to a close. Students who had spent the afternoon attending lessons or discussing the ongoing campaigns started making their way towards the exits.

Some remained behind to finish their activities, while others gathered their belongings and left with their friends.

Things went normally without much happening.

Even though the campaigns had already commenced, nothing grand had happened yet to signal that the Faction Wars had truly begun.

The factions had started their preparations, and their representatives were now known among the First Years. However, the larger activities that would draw the attention of the entire year had yet to take place.

For now, the campaign period was still taking its first steps.

The next day also passed peacefully as well.

Different faction members among the First Years had begun gathering their supporters.

Some stood in open areas around the Academy, holding small public speeches before the students who were willing to listen.

Others moved around in groups, approaching their fellow First Years and trying to convince them to support their chosen representatives.

The campaign was gradually becoming more visible.

It wasn’t unusual to see students carrying posters or discussing the candidates during their free time. Even those who weren’t particularly interested in politics had begun hearing more about the other different representatives apart from the representative they knew in their faction.

The day’s schedule continued as usual.

The Foreign Class was held, with students learning more about the world outside the Kingdom.

The lessons covered matters beyond the borders of Britannia, giving the First Years an opportunity to continue learning about the other Nations and the wider world.

And finally...

It was straight to the Mix Arena.

"Move! Lady Willow Derlis will be holding a speech at the Mix Arena Assembly!"

A First-Year Noble lady excitedly dragged a First-Year Non-Noble boy towards the assembly area.

The boy almost stumbled as she pulled him along.

"I’m coming, but why do we have to listen to Lady Willow Derlis’s speech when we should be supporting Lady Fatima Drakes of our faction?"

He asked curiously.

His question didn’t seem to slow the girl down.

"I just want to hear what Lady Willow Derlis wants to say. You know how important the position of General Representative of our Year is. If we end up picking the wrong student, we might suffer for it throughout this second semester."

The Noble lady replied firmly.

She continued pulling him along, seemingly unwilling to miss the speech.

The boy looked at her for a moment.

He didn’t appear entirely convinced, but he continued following her.

Cyrus and Ezra were calmly passing by when they noticed the two students running towards the assembly direction.

Cyrus glanced at them.

"I bet they are dating."

He said playfully.

Ezra didn’t reply.

He simply continued walking towards their Club Building.

Cyrus looked at his companion for a moment, but Ezra showed no interest in continuing the conversation.

The two carried on.

The streets around the Mix Arena were filled with activity.

Faction groups were moving together rather than heading towards their different clubs.

Their members could be seen carrying posters, handing out flyers, and gathering students around them.

The First Years were displaying their favorite candidates for the General Representative position.

Some groups had already formed small crowds, while others were still approaching students passing through the area.

The sound of conversations and campaign speeches mixed together, making the streets busier than usual.

"This is why you should consider Sir Ravenor Burnwick as the General Representative of our Year!"

A First-Year member of the Ivory Circle Faction shouted.

He was standing with a group of girls, all of whom were holding Ravenor’s flyers.

They handed the papers to students passing by while trying to start conversations with them.

Some students accepted the flyers and continued walking. Others stopped to listen as the faction members explained why they believed Ravenor was the right candidate.

The group continued their efforts, making sure that the name of their representative reached as many students as possible.

Not far away, another faction member raised his voice.

"If you are tired of just watching those boring campaign speeches and getting hounded by stupid faction members trying to convince you to vote for their representative, then come watch the debate between Prince Tristin Aethelmont and Prince Charles Aethelmont on why they deserve to be the General Representative, starting Saturday afternoon!"

A member of the Royal Blue Faction shouted loudly.

His announcement drew the attention of several students nearby.

A debate between the two princes was certainly different from the usual campaign speeches. It was an opportunity for students to hear their arguments directly and decide which candidate had the better case.

"For more information, just come over and we will inform you more about it!"

Another member shouted.

He continued calling out to the passing students, trying to draw more attention towards their announcement.

The streets remained busy.

Every faction seemed to have its own approach to gaining support.

Some relied on speeches, others on personal conversations, while the Royal Blue Faction was already promoting a public debate between two of the princes.

The campaign period was gradually taking shape.

Ezra and Cyrus continued walking calmly through the crowd.

Neither of them stopped to listen to the speeches or accept the flyers being handed out.

They eventually reached the Craft & Research Seekers Club Building.

Click.

Ezra scanned his club card after Cyrus had entered.

The entrance responded to the scan, allowing him to proceed inside.

A bit farther away, within the crowd of moving students...

"He made his way to his club building. I’ve noted his movement for today. With this amount of information, we should be able to get the opportunity."

A calm voice muttered.

A Starlix was held close to the speaker’s mouth, who spoke to another person on the call.

The person on the other end listened.

"Good."

The reply came shortly afterwards, sounding pleased.

Bonus Chapter For GT Ranking 14th.

This the First Bonus, the second for the GT Ranking 14th will come tomorrow.

Thank you for this achievement!!