Chapter 126: The Unfathomable Charm of a Gentleman

Chapter 126

The Unfathomable Charm of a Gentleman

The commotion drew the attention of many people, and it was not only Ellie who stopped to look at the cute yet overly spoiled girl. No matter what the staff said or how much they reasoned with her, they couldn’t calm her down. She kept demanding the fragrant orchid wine. The sharp-witted staff member tried to convince her to switch to the chilled orchid wine, which wouldn’t cause her any issues, but to no avail.

"Why are you still here? Do you want me to destroy this inn?!!" The young lady continued her threats without regard for anything. The staff exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to do next.

As the staff struggled to find a solution, a tall and graceful figure appeared. The scent of herbs drew the attention of all the nearby women, including the little girl who had been causing the commotion.

"Lady Kara, what has upset you so much?"

The newcomer’s voice was uniquely gentle. He had a well-proportioned, handsome figure with an aura of elegance, and the various herbal scents suggested he was an erudite individual. His beautiful face was just slightly less striking than that of Professor Medik as his pronounced jawline gave him a more masculine appearance. He was both beautiful and handsome, unlike the more delicate-looking Professor Medik.

As soon as he appeared, the atmosphere changed. The little girl who had been shouting fell silent. Her small frame twisted with embarrassment, making her seem like a completely different person from moments before.

The little girl shyly tucked her hair behind her ear, glanced down bashfully, and stole glances at the beautiful man in front of her. She did this a few times before she finally spoke.

"I just...wanted to have some fragrant orchid wine. I heard you also enjoy fragrant orchid wine. If you have time, you could join me. The inn staff are probably getting it ready for me now. I heard they only open one bottle a day. If you don’t mind..."

The young girl spoke shyly, inviting the gentleman to join her for a meal. Such an invitation was not typical for a lady, but as a young lady from a prominent family, she didn’t mind. When she desired the company of a gentleman she took interest in, she simply voiced her invitation.

However, upon hearing that the fragrant orchid wine would be opened for the young lady tonight, the gentleman furrowed his thick eyebrows slightly and sighed.

"I see. I had also reserved a room to enjoy the fragrant orchid wine. I didn’t expect the inn to be hosting you. In that case, I won’t intrude. I’ll come back another time to enjoy it."

The beautiful gentleman spoke regretfully, glancing at the inn with understanding. If this spoiled young lady wanted the wine, even he would have to give way. Yet...ultimately, gentlemen like him didn’t understand the minds of women at all.

While the handsome man regretted not being able to taste the sweet fragrance of the fragrant orchid wine because a more esteemed young lady wanted it, he chose to give up rather than ask to join her. For him, it was too embarrassing. Should a gentleman let a lady treat him to wine? But in reality, the young lady did not want him to leave at all.

It was evident that she was allergic to the fragrant orchid wine. Drinking it had severe side effects that could result in the inn being accused of killing an important young lady. Yet she insisted on having the staff bring it to her table. It wasn’t because she wanted to drink it to the point of death but because she wanted the company of this gentleman.

Ellie noticed the disappointed and sorrowful look in the girl’s eyes as she watched the elegant gentleman walk away slowly. She felt a bit sorry for her but knew it wasn’t her concern. There was no reason for her to get involved.

The handsome gentleman didn’t understand the young lady’s feelings, or perhaps he understood but didn’t want to acknowledge them. As he walked past Ellie, who was standing near the staircase waiting for the situation to calm down before going to her reserved room, he unexpectedly stopped and turned to look at her with a bright expression.

"You are the first-year student from the number 1 institute, aren’t you?" His warm, gentle voice asked. He spoke softly, but his breath felt like a whisper right beside her ear.

If it weren’t for her past life experience of seeing many stars and idols on screens and her unfortunate luck in this life of being close to handsome but mentally unstable main characters, the charm this man exuded might have made her melt.

The main characters she had encountered all had naturally handsome faces, each of the 4 with their own unique charm. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to know how to use their good looks effectively.

One was a zealot—no! A fanatic servant of the Femon family, willing to act foolishly for them. Another was a villain who loved to wear a sinister expression. The third was a dull genius, but one who never utilized his handsome face to his advantage, always wearing the same expression. If she hadn’t occasionally seen a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, she might have thought he had facial paralysis. The fourth one...though she hadn’t seen his face clearly, she didn’t expect him to be any more normal than the others.

The man standing before her now had a face as handsome as any of the heroes in the story, but he knew how to use his looks and aura to captivate women. His warm and persuasive voice indicated he was not an ordinary, straightforward person.

"My name is “Christopher” from the “Iros” family. I am a second-year student at Gaia Institute, studying potion concocting just like you," the young man introduced himself formally. Among the gazes of all the beautiful women, Ellie inadvertently became a center of attention.

"Pleased to meet you. I am from the Ares Institute and a competitor in potion concocting, as you understand."

Looking at the man’s outstretched hand, which was a customary greeting in this kingdom, but she chose not to reciprocate such familiarity. She simply bowed her head as per her own kingdom’s customs and introduced herself as a competitor, aiming not to become more of a target. If the other women knew she and their beloved man were only acquainted due to the competition, that should be enough to ease their suspicions and anger.

"You don’t need to be so polite with me. Actually, I must apologize for secretly looking into your background. It made me realize that our family backgrounds are quite similar."

"You, who awakened your power on your own and discovered your talent in potion concocting despite being a commoner’s daughter, have a life path very much like mine. I, too, awakened my power on my own. Despite being a commoner’s son, I got the chance to study at Gaia Institute with a scholarship. Don’t you see how similar our lives are?"

The young man smiled beautifully, speaking slowly and with great courtesy, not appearing like someone from a humble background at all.

Ellie gave a dry smile in return. It seemed her attempt to distance herself had not been very effective. By speaking of their similarities, he had made it clear they shared much in common. While these things seemed ordinary, in the minds of jealous women, they would not be seen fairly.

"I see. Well then, I’ll take my leave." Ellie didn’t want to converse much with this ticking time bomb. She nodded as if understanding what he said but didn’t continue the conversation at all, simply excusing herself.

The handsome man’s eyebrows were raised in surprise. He had never been brushed off like this before. With his elegant appearance and outstanding demeanor, both men and women usually wanted to continue conversations with him. Especially those he greeted first—how could they not be overjoyed?

He checked his aura, infused with the relaxation-enhancing potion he had concocted and still intact during conversations. With his self-invented potion-concocting technique combined with his talent for using wind elemental power, he was confident that the gentle fragrance would have reached the young girl. So why did she act so indifferent?

Didn’t she notice? All the women here were completely enchanted by him. Even the great young lady, whom everyone talked about, was infatuated with him as well. It was well-known that she tried to drink fragrant orchid wine every day just to wait for him. This had become widely talked about because everyone knew how dangerous the fragrant orchid wine was for her. He merely pretended to want to drink it once a week, and she rushed here to reserve it every day just to wait for him.

"So, you’ve booked a room at this inn too? It seems we share similar tastes." Christopher didn’t let the intriguing girl slip away easily. She wasn’t just an apothecary who had won a competition; her ability to withstand the fragrant of his charm potion was particularly fascinating.

It seemed his charm potion still had some flaws to fix, and the girl in front of him might be the key to testing its efficacy.

"Indeed. But honestly, I don’t like this inn that much. I saw that the esteemed young lady chose to book a room here, so I figured it must be the best inn and decided to stay here."

Ellie gestured towards the young lady, who was now fuming with rage to the point that she wanted to strangle Ellie. But when the man who captured her heart looked in the direction Ellie pointed, the little girl quickly changed her expression to that of a sweet and charming lady.

Well...love can indeed make people act this way.

"You’re the one from downstairs earlier, right?" Lady Kara recognized Ellie’s face. So, this plainly dressed girl who seemed to have no money was a scholarship student like the one she admired?

At Gaia Institute, unlike Ares Institute where scholarship students were belittled and suppressed, scholarship students were highly valued. Nobles and royalty would actively seek them out, knowing these scholarship students were valuable resources for the future. This elevated the status of scholarship students here much higher than at Ares Institute.

It wasn’t surprising that Christopher had enough wealth to enjoy some drinks in an expensive inn, thanks to the strong support he received from people who saw his potential.

Only Ares Institute clung to such an outdated system, using noble bloodlines to marginalize others, forcing scholarship students into lowly positions.

"Yes, my lady. It’s me."

"Hmph, so you’re a scholarship student from Ares Institute? You must be quite capable." Lady Kara was unwilling to engage with Ellie but restrained by the presence of the gentleman she admired. She couldn’t afford to show her anger in front of him.

"She is the winner of the potion concocting competition, my lady. I heard she can sort the herbs very quickly, probably due to her botanic elemental talent," Christopher said, offering the explanation before Ellie could respond.

The young girl’s cheeks turned red with delight. Finally, he was engaging with her more, even if the conversation was about another girl.

"Botanic elemental power? While it’s a mysterious elemental power, it’s not as great as your wind elemental power."

"Thank you for the compliment, but I know my power is not versatile enough for most potion concocting. There are only 2 types I can use it to make money with."

"But isn’t that enough? You don’t need to work as hard as others." Kara lifted her chin with pride, as if she were the one earning a fortune from potion concocting, not someone else.