Legacy World 2.11 A Christmas Date

On the night before the Christmas event, Ethan was drying her skirt as usual. "Alice, you're going tomorrow, right?"

"The Christmas event?"

Ethan nodded.

"I remember the arrangement I had with Violet. Don't worry."

"I'll pick you up." Ethan declared.

Alice looked at him dead in the eye. "You mean you need to come as a couple?" She truly did not know what the event was like. The original soul had been badly injured the last year on the day before the event. So she was not in the condition to leave her bed.

"No, but I- Wait, didn't you go to the event last year?" Ethan lightly frowned.

Alice shook her head. "Tell me about the event."

"It's simply like a social gathering event. It is only during this event where Normals, Talents, and Blessings have the chance to interact with each other. There is a strict no conflict policy. Anyone violating this will be expelled from the school. There'll be food and drinks, the large field in front of the canteen will be lavishly decorated, performances held, and a ballroom dance."

"Ballroom dance?" Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. /What have I agreed to?/

"If you come with a date, nobody would bother you for the dance. If you come single, you'll be up for grabs. This year, Stephan will likely be the one to take Violet to the event."

"I see." /So I'm going to be used as a deterrent./ "Sounds like a pretty extravagant event. Is there a dress code?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going." Alice decided. She did not have anything to wear besides her school uniform. Her parents only had money to cover her school expenses.

"I can prepare something for you." Ethan offered. He inferred the problem she had.

Alice frowned. She ignored him and turned to leave the pavilion.

"Take it as doing a favour for me? Please come to the event." Ethan pleaded.

Alice stopped in her tracks. "...Fine."

"Tomorrow, let's go out to get something after lunch then?"

Alice nodded.

Later at the front of the canteen, Alice insisted for Ethan to not walk her back to her room. However, he was obstinate.

/What a pain./ Alice thought to herself. "Take it as returning my favour then. Leave me alone now."

Ethan frowned but relented. However, BaoBao informed her that he was tailing her in secret instead.

/Seriously, what's up with him?/ Alice complained. She felt like the second male lead in this world was especially hard for her to control.

When she reached her dormitory building, a group of boys emerged from the shadows. It was the same group of bullies with the fire-earth user as their leader. Once they noticed that Violet was associated with another girl, they have been trying to find her to vent their pent up frustrations but could not locate her anywhere in school.

"Your ability to hide from us have really increased. Could this be your second ability?" The leader mocked.

Alice was not surprised. They were the ones responsible for her not being able to attend the event the previous year after all. The no conflict policy was a way to hone students' scheming skills. They could harm another and get away with it if they weren't found out. This group's method was to break the people they do not want at the event before the event began.

"It's time to pay you back for all the kindness you've shown me." Alice smiled coldly.

Suddenly the boys felt like it was increasingly hard to breath as if they were held under water. They all frowned and started coughing. This brought back their trauma of being locked in Ethan's water ball, so they began throwing attacks at Alice carelessly. She easily dodged everything and advanced towards them skillfully. 

Taking advantage of their shaken mental state, she used pure physical prowess to bash them all up. For every injury the original soul suffered, she dealt it back to them. The leader cried out in pain as she easily snapped his right arm like a twig. She jumped from one member to the next so quickly that everyone suffered burns and injuries inflicted by their own powers as well. 

The boys were soon writhing on the ground groaning in pain while Alice came out of the scuffle entirely unharmed. Everything happened under five minutes. That was how fast Alice has become thanks to the spiritual cultivation made possible by the lake.

Ethan looked at Alice calmly looking down at all the boys. His heart welled with pride and happiness. She was now not only capable of defending herself but she could also fight back. He thought back to their first meeting when her arm was broken. /So these people were the culprits.../ His expression darkened. He waited for Alice to return to her room before he made his move to dispose of these people, who were then never seen or heard from again.

The next day, Leah tried approaching Ethan after lunch again. "Everyone's relaxing today since there is the Christmas event. Ethan, why not you take a break today with us as well?" She asked with hope-filled eyes. 

Ethan frowned at her leaning into him. He leaned away but she continued to lean in further. Finally, he took a step back while replying, "I don't take breaks." He looked at Violet to continue speaking. "I'll see all of you later during the event."

Violet nodded and waved goodbye while Ethan departed. Leah hung her head so she looked disappointed as usual but she was actually staring daggers at the ground. Stephan did not want Violet to be subtly blamed for not supporting Leah earlier so he pulled Violet away to get themselves ready for the event.

Ethan saw Alice waiting at the front gate of the school as arranged. His irritation cleared up and his heart warmed. He did not break his stride while he passed by her. Instead, he immediately took her wrist and brought her to a nearby lavish black carriage, he did not want to be delayed or disturbed by Violet or Leah if they saw him with Alice. He brought her to a town further down the road, in case Violet's group decided to do some shopping at the last minute.

The carriage stopped in an area where there were high-end boutique and apparel shops. When he saw Alice frown, he whispered into her ear, "Thank you."

Alice rolled her eyes. /Fine. Whatever he does doesn't affect me anyway./

BaoBao was the one who was having the most difficult time. [Boohoo... I can't hate him... I can't even dislike him...]

/You don't have to hate or dislike him./

[But if I don't, it means that I like him!] BaoBao wailed.

/Still so naive./ Alice teased BaoBao.

Alice ended up with an elegant silver grey gown that reveals her back but covers her arms and chest modestly. The dress hugged her waist but falls loose from her hips on and ended at her knees. She wore black heels and a black choker with a small and simple diamond pendant adorned her neck. Her hair was styled in a waterfall fashion and covered part of her back.

Ethan's breath was taken away when she stepped out of the dressing room. She may not be a beauty that causes the fall of cities, but she was enchanting.

Alice was also taking in the sight of Ethan in a blue-grey suit with a midnight blue tie.

"You look wonderful." Ethan complimented with a soft gaze on her and a bright smile.

"You too." Alice quickly looked away and easily threw a compliment back. However, Ethan grinned as he noticed how she subtly rubbed her nose as she walked ahead of him back to the carriage.

It was already late afternoon by the time they were done. They left the shop and reached back to school in time for the event to start. Upon reaching the venue, they quickly found the lead couple as they outshone everyone else in the room. Violet was in a bright blue modest gown with short loose sleeves while Stephan was in a smart black suit. Leah stood out in a different way. Her long emerald green gown revealed a bit of her cleavage and most of her back. It was teasing to most people.

The pair approached the trio. The three people all held shock on their faces.

"Ethan, I didn't know you'd be coming as a pair with Alice." Violet said with surprise.

"Well, you have Stephan this year." Ethan gave a small smile. It came off as a sorrowful one.

Violet blushed a little and apologised to Ethan, "Sorry that you almost had to fend for yourself during the dance. Lucky for you, there was Alice."

"I'm lucky that she agreed to come with me." /Not because she is useful./ Ethan tried clarifying.

"What's there to be sorry about? He won't lose a hair on him by fending girls off for the dance." Stephan sulked a little. He wanted Violet to feel confident and happy coming to the party with him.

"I can help too. Maybe next year we can come to the event together." Leah looked at Ethan to propose her idea. She hated that Alice who were always absent from this group somehow got the role she wanted all along. /How unfair, she's just some nobody!/

Alice raised her eyebrows slightly. She had caught Leah secretly glaring at her when Ethan, Violet, and Stephan were engaged in their conversation with each other. /She's really bothered by me.../

"No." Ethan shot her idea down without a second thought.

"Why?" Leah felt hurt at his firm and quick rejection.

However, Ethan did not reply her. He kept his gaze on the crowd as if there was something very interesting happening.

"Yet Alice is fine?" Leah did not give up her pursuit.

Ethan still did not reply her.

"What makes her better than me? She never comes around anymore. She doesn't even care about Violet or Stephan or you." Leah shot her mouth off, not knowing that everyone else knew how Ethan met Alice every night.

"You can't compare to her." The look in Ethan's eyes turned sharp and dangerous as he glared at her from the corner of his eyes.

"So anyone else would do except me?"

Ethan began ignoring her again but she took it as his consent.

Leah suddenly grabbed onto his hand firmly. "I like you... Can't you give me a chance?" Leah surprised everyone with her sudden and soft confession. She looked at Ethan with her soft teary eyes and slightly pouting lips.

Ethan quickly withdrew his hand from her hands as if he was scalded by something hot. He frowned and had a slightly disgusted look. "Don't even think about it."

Leah's eyes widened with shock and hurt at his brutal rejection. She looked at Violet for help.

"Ethan... Why not-" Violet's words got stuck in her throat when Ethan looked at her with a hurt expression. Violet hung her head low.

Stephan grabbed her shoulders and veered her towards the table with food and drinks. "We'll get something for all of us to drink."

However, Leah grabbed Violet's hands with pleading eyes. "Only you can help me." She whispered. She believed that as long as there is a wedge between Violet and Ethan, she would have the chance to crawl into his heart. She saw how hurt he looked when Violet was about to say something.

However, Violet shook her head gently and whispered, "You can't force love." 

Stephan frowned, gave Leah's hand a shock of strong static to separate it from Violet's hand, then guided Violet to the drinks.

Leah held onto her hurting hand and turned back to face Ethan. She opened her mouth to say something, but Ethan talked to Alice, "Let's get the food then." He held onto Alice's hand and brought her away from Leah.

Alice had been watching the whole exchange with a contemplative gaze. /What was she thinking to achieve by confessing in such an untimely manner with an unsuitable setting? Why did she look for Violet for support? Is the second female lead of this world this naive and simple in her schemes?/

They ended up catching up to the lead couple ahead of them.

For the rest of the night, the four of them reverted back to the dynamics they had before Leah joined. Stephan liked it this way because Violet's attention would be on him now instead of Leah. Alice and Ethan were quiet people and did not fight for her attention. To his pleasure, Leah did not find them again and was nowhere to be seen at the party. 

[She left after she got rejected. That's it? Where's the drama?] BaoBao wondered to himself after updating Alice of Leah's whereabouts.