BXBX NOVEL Chapter 159 Coaxing And Reminding
The woman was around her early fifties. However her graceful aura couldn't be masked by her age at all. She had a slight frown on her face, but her eyes still showed traces of panic and worry.
Beside her was an aged noble man who had a dark expression on his face. It was obvious that he was displeased by the scene he was witnessing.
"Alicia Michaela! Stop this farce at once!" His thundering voice echoed in Alicia's chaotic bedroom, even resonating in the corridor.
It was so loud that everyone who was in the room shuddered in fear and shock.
Even Alicia who was already emboldened by her raging angst and irritation couldn't help but freeze, obviously startled by the angry roar.
She slowly looked towards the direction of the room and saw her parents, Count Cross and Madame Cross, standing worriedly.
Realizing that she startled her aged parents, her anger and urge to break everything at sight immediately subsided. What remained after was her aggrieved expression.
Her body shuddered as her eyes formed beads of tears as she stared at her parents, deeply hurt and frustrated.
"Alicia, what happened? How could you act like this?" Madame Cross slowly approached her daughter with a gentle and concerned tone.
Although she was initially angry, she still could not let her daughter be miserable like this. She gently stretched out her arms and embraced the crying Alicia, soothing the lady's back to make her calm down.
As she did this, Madame Cross didn't forget to cast a threatening glance towards her husband, who was still bearing an angry expression, obviously wanting to reprimand Alicia from throwing tantrums.
Getting his wife's message, he helplessly sighed and gestured to the butler and maids waiting in the corridor, "Go and clean up. Someone send this maid to the physician and do not forget to bring my daughter some calming tea to help her ease her bad mood!"
"Yes Master!" The butler and the servants replied, immediately executing the orders given.
Madame Cross led Alicia to the balcony, and let her sit on the tea area.
The view from the balcony was absolutely serene and relaxing, with the scent of the lavender flower pots surrounding the area and the green expanse of the Cross estate garden.
Immediately, the change in scenery influenced Alicia's mood. She became calmer, although still dejected.
But the old couple was already sure that their daughter had already cleared her mind from her muddle-headedness due to intense anger.
"Now, my dear daughter, tell me what caused you to be in a bad mood?" Madame Cross continued to probe her daughter.
"It was because of the mysterious inventor Eli! She couldn't help but get on my nerves!" Alicia remembered the reason for her negative emotions and couldn't help but scrunch her eyebrows.
"The Great Inventor? Alicia, didn't we already discussed that you are to establish a good relationship with her as the Empress requested?" Count Cross immediately reacted with a voice that carried a hint of reprimand.
"Why are you suddenly getting angry at her instead of being friendly with her?! Alicia, are you out of your mind?!" Obviously, he was displeased because of Alicia's tantrums. Now, he was even more displeased to know her reason!
"What can I do! Would I actually kneel at her feet just because she was able to cause a few commotions in the capital?!" Alicia retaliated very quickly.
It was one thing to reprimand her for her actions, but it was another thing for her father to side with the person whom she despised at the moment!
"Just because she was an inventor, she actually dared to accept the honorary position only to render four hours of service in a week? Even so, she was still not obligated to exhaust those four hours by purely teaching?"
"Who does she think she is?? I spent my entire youth! The prime of my womanhood just to get the prestige I had today, but for what????"
"To witness a twenty four year old inventor pop up in the Institute like a mushroom to take a position that is higher than mine?"
"How did she even get the qualifications to have the senior deans attend as a listen-in participant at her lecture? How could she act like that?! Just who is she!!!"
Triggered by the lack of sympathy from her father, Alicia became more and more agitated as these words of frustration went out from her mouth.
"Alicia, calm down. Father would just like to know what really happened.. You know your father, he always talked like he was angry at the world.." Madame Cross tried to soothe her daughter's mood again.
Looking at Count Cross with a piercing cold glance, Madame Cross continued, "Do not take your father's tone to heart."
Her voice was extremely gentle however, the look in her eyes clearly warned her husband not to waste her efforts in coaxing their daughter.
Rendered powerless by his wife's cold stare, Count Cross could only sigh and awkwardly change the tone of his voice, "Your mother is right. I'm sorry to startle you. But I am just worried. Haven't you always dreamt of getting the dean position?"
Holding his daughter's hands he continued with a concerned expression, "I panicked because of your words. I thought that you were willing to forgo the chance of getting the dean position in the Vanderford Institute and disobey the Empress, just because of your enmity towards that inventor."
"Understand your dad this once. I was just worried that you would lose your direction because of your emotions." He coaxed his irritated daughter at his wife's order.
At her father's reminders, Alicia's body jolted. Her intense vexation towards Eli actually made her forget the Empress's offer.
However, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive towards the thought that she had to act so friendly to Eli, which she despised.
Obviously, she didn't want to associate herself to people she didn't like.
Just like Zeke, even if he didn't do anything to annoy her, just seeing the shadow of his clothes will make her furious for the whole day!
She gritted her teeth. Choosing between her deepest wish and denial of her very own behaviour, she would still choose her dream!
"I know dad.. I haven't forgotten the Empress's request. Just let me vent my anger for a while. I'll be fine once I go back to the campus."
"Besides, I really can't make a move right now, she is extremely mysterious! Apart from having a right to report for only four hours, she was currently staying in the Farauld Estate, deeply guarded." She explained, deeply frowning.
"Once she entered the estate, it was like she disappeared, and would only appear when she needed to report."
"Also add to the fact that she was actually busy from conducting a great reform for the research branch. Even the researchers could only meet her during the designated time of lecture. After that, she will disappear like a bubble and leave everything to Vice Chairman Bramwell and that guy Zeke!"
"Tell me, how could I even introduce myself with the current situation?!" She looked at her parents as if sincerely asking for their guidance, but deep inside she only said these words to convince the old couple.
"This.. It's really hard for you my dear.." Madame Cross replied, her eyes formed a layer of mist, deeply hurt after knowing her daughter's struggle.
"Sigh… It's not that we are forcing you to have results already. It's just that the Empress has been asking for your progress. In fact, it was not only you who have been working hard to contact that inventor, the entire duchy and county, including our vassals have been mobilized."
"Their sons and daughters studying in the Institute were already given an order similar to yours. I am just afraid that you would lose favor in the Empress's eyes if you continue to let her wait. You know how she is. She is a very impatient person." Count Cross explained in a voice that still carried a coaxing tone.
"I'm rather helpless at my side too. I can already guess that even the vassal's sons and daughters were not able to approach her at 10 meter radius." Alicia replied with a tone of certainty.
"Father, Mother, help me explain the situation to the Empress and ask for a little more time. In around two weeks, that Eli's so called bootcamp would already finish. Do not worry, for the time being, I will just prepare things that would help me build my relationship with her!" She asked with a coquettish tone.
Although she was already approaching her thirties, she knew that in the eyes of her parents, she was still their precious baby.
"Alright, alright! Just promise me to calm down and do not forget the reward in completing the Empress tasks, even if you despise the inventor to the core. You just only have to let her meet the Empress once and the dean position would be all yours!" Her father immediately relented.
Many people may find it ridiculous, to know that the Cross Family actually supported their daughter to go to a rival empire just to take a dean position.
However, the old couple didn't mind.
Because they all knew the moment Zeke was chosen, Alicia will never have a chance to be promoted even if they assassinated Zeke right now.
As a person who belonged to the senior generation, they had a clear understanding towards the Grandmaster of the Farauld Family.
Once he had already determined the best among the rest, he would never pick the second best even if that person was the only one left in the world. He would rather pick none at all!