Chapter 78: Truth [Part-2]

The dark shadow of the night fell over Arclight City, making the evening air a bit colder. As a gentle breeze blew dry leaves across the pavement, two figures walked side by side down the street with slow, silent steps. Neither of them seemed in a hurry to reach their destination.

Alden couldn’t help but cast a quick glance beside him. Alicia wore casual clothes tonight, yet she looked more beautiful than usual. As the cool wind blew her silver hair, she tucked a loose strand neatly behind her ear. She clearly noticed his constant gaze, but she didn’t mind it at all. In fact, she seemed to prefer his attention over him looking anywhere else.

“Am I looking beautiful?” she asked in a playful tone, a small, teasing smile curving on her lips to highlight her expression.

Alden quickly looked away. Noticing her smug face, he replied with a calm, steady tone, not wanting to lose his cool over a little teasing.

“Did you not see your reflection in the mirror before coming here?”

The curve on her lips grew wider. She tilted her head and replied smoothly.

“Nope! I just thought of checking it by watching your reaction. And it seems I am looking pretty.”

She said it so shamelessly, acting as if she didn’t care whether he found her arrogant or just playful. Wanting to make him feel even more flustered, she lowered her voice to a soft whisper.

“You are looking handsome today.”

Alden didn’t react to her gesture. He controlled his facial expressions to the maximum and just gave a light nod.

As they walked together through the bustling city streets, Alden felt a soft touch against his hand. She was deliberately brushing her fingers against his. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, but she just ignored his reaction. Soon, they arrived in front of a large, elegant restaurant. Stepping forward, the glass doors automatically slid open, and they both walked inside to find a table.

A clerk standing near the entrance looked at them and offered a polite bow.

“Hello, sir and madam. How can I help you today?”

Alicia scanned the busy dining room, searching for a suitable spot.

“Can we get an empty seat away from the crowds? Somewhere quiet.”

The clerk nodded professionally, flipping through the available tables in her registry diary.

“Found one. Miss, you can sit at table number thirteen. It is quite peaceful over there. You can sit comfortably, and I will arrange for someone to take your orders shortly.”

They both nodded and headed straight for the table, sitting comfortably opposite each other.

Alden immediately pulled out his phone. This wasn’t the smartphone from his past world; this was the official device given by the academy. He had been quite laid back over the past few days and hadn’t bothered checking any of the messages sent to the academic group chats.

His eyes scanned through several unread texts until one specific announcement caught his attention.

“Hey, what is this academic ball all about? What exactly happens there?”

Alicia leaned back in her chair calmly, looking at him across the table.

“Well, if you ask me, I will suggest it is just a waste of time. The students try to interact with each other and the seniors so they can network. But behind the scenes, it is just a flashy battleground where everyone competes to see who stands higher in the social hierarchy.”

Alden nodded slightly, weighing his options. He thought about whether he should join the event or just drop the whole thing entirely. But after noticing a bold line stating that attendance was mandatory, he sighed and shook his head internally.

A waiter walked over from the back and handed them the menu cards. Alden took the menu and slid it directly across the table toward her, keeping his focus on his phone screen.

“Pick whatever you like for us.”

“Hmm? Are you offering to pay for today’s dinner?”

Alden looked up from his phone, narrowing his eyes at her amused expression.

“Oh, but you are the one who invited me out. You should be the one to pay.”

“Umm, how could you suggest the girl pays for the bill?” she teased.

Alden tilted his head, giving her a deadpan look.

“Well, if you were just a normal girl, I would have paid. But you are the daughter of one of the strongest Awakeners in the nation and probably have billions in wealth. Why are you hesitating to pay for a meal when you can just buy this whole restaurant on a whim?”

Alicia folded her hands, resting them on the table as she looked at him with a warm smile.

“Hmph. Well, you are right, I could buy the whole restaurant if I wanted to. But I didn’t bring my bodyguards to carry cash today, and I don’t carry that much money in my own pockets.”

She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a playful whisper.

“Look, I haven’t even worn a storage ring on my hand today. Unless, of course, you want to make me wear yours…”

Alden narrowed his eyes at that last whispered sentence.

“What did you say?”

Alicia smiled warmly and tilted her head innocently.

“Nothing.”

She turned her attention to the waiter, who stood there stiffly, feeling very much like a third wheel between the two youngster. Alicia quickly listed off their orders. The waiter nodded in relief and hurried away to the kitchen.

A comfortable silence settled between them. Alden looked at her side profile as she stared out the glass window with a blank, distant expression.

“Alicia… May I ask you something?”

Alicia immediately turned her head toward him and replied.

“No, not yet. I don’t want to ruin the moment. Just wait for a while.”

Alden pursed his lips at her answer. He slumped his shoulders in a tiny sigh but felt relaxed knowing she didn’t outright reject his attempt to ask a serious question.

The atmosphere remained calm, though several mysteries still lay hidden beneath their fragile relationship. The waiter soon returned, bringing large plates of delicious food and serving them elegantly. They focused entirely on their dinner, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment.

The meal ended with a sweet dessert. Alicia ordered her favorite ice cream and ate it slowly, her eyes staring right at him the whole time. Alden ignored her lingering gaze and finished his own cup in silence.

Once the plates were cleared, Alicia stood up from her seat and wiped her lips delicately with a handkerchief. Alden paid the hefty bill, and they walked out of the warm restaurant together.

Stepping into the empty streets, they found that night had fully fallen. The bright moon climbed to the top of the sky, casting a silver glow over their figures. They walked down the quiet road, guided by the flickering streetlights.

“What did you do during your break?” Alicia asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Alden kept walking, watching his own shadow stretch across the pavement as he answered.

“Well, maybe saving a little girl, earning some wealth, and getting a decent power boost.”

“Hmph? You are saying it like you just get power simply by saving people.”

Alden smiled softly, a knowing glint in his crimson eyes.

“Maybe yes, or maybe not. It all depends on the specific situation and the people involved.”

“Hmmm… You know, I am sure you are hiding something. And I have a few wild guesses about what it could be.”

Alden cast a sidelong glance at her, tilting his head with genuine curiosity.

“Well, tell me then. What am I hiding?”

Alicia spoke with a soft tone, making it sound more like a secret whisper than a normal conversation.

“Maybe you got your hands on some secret cheat code to boost your power.”

This time, Alden couldn’t help but fall silent. He stared at her in surprise He had hidden his System so well to make sure nothing seemed obvious, but he was genuinely shocked by her spot-on guess, even if she meant it as a playful joke.

“Hey, can you tell me how much you actually know about me?”

Alicia smiled softly, looking straight ahead at the quiet road as she answered.

“Maybe more than you think. Or maybe even more than you know about yourself.”

Alden stared at her, his eyes narrowing as he asked his next question in a much more serious tone.

“Alicia, since when did you know about me?”

“Well… From the beginning of the academy.”

Alden didn’t buy her answer for a second. It made no sense for her to know so much about him after just a few short months. She had tried to get near him from the very first day of classes, which meant she knew about him from even before the academy started.

But how could that possibly make sense? He wasn’t the original Alden. He was a transmigrated soul who had just entered this world recently.

He stopped walking right in the middle of the street. Turning to face her directly, he took a step forward, his taller frame casting a shadow over her figure under the moonlight.

“Alicia… I want to ask you something important. Promise me that you will answer truthfully.”

Alicia stopped in her tracks as he closed the distance between them. She didn’t pull back. Instead, she looked up, meeting his sharp eyes with her own steady gaze.

“I promise.”

Alden took a slow, deep breath. He looked at her firmly, searching for any trace of familiarity between the silver-haired girl standing in front of him and the memory of the girl from his past life.

“Are you, by any chance, Lia?”

Gift! Gift! Gift!

Inspire me by Showering me with gifts!