My Family in the Novel?

Chapter 137: First Act 8 Euphemia's Suspicion

'Just where is that guy?'

I looked at the Location Tracker potion I created. What should I call this potion in the first place?

"Hey, Marie, what do you think would be an appropriate name for this potion?" I asked Marie, who was dressing me up from behind.

Marie looked at the purplish potion that had a hint of white glow in it. "Is that the potion that locates a person, Lady Euphemia?" Marie asked as she looked at it curiously.

"Yes, I've been thinking of names that are appropriate for this masterpiece, you see. But considering Adrian also made one, can I even give a potion like this a name to begin with?"

I pondered. The alchemic rules emphasized the monopolization of our products.

What I made was something that Adrian created first, so it would be a big problem if this potion ever came out into the public without his consent.

However, considering I haven't seen his potion yet, it is also highly possible that his is slightly different from mine.

"I think it would be best if you confirm young master Adrian's variant of the potion, Lady Euphemia, to avoid any future troubles…. But young master Adrian truly is a genius, like you huh? my lady. I can't believe this young lady of mine is getting inspired by someone, hehe" said Marie while chuckling behind me.

Her words sparked a small blush on my cheeks.

"Marie, it's not like that. I just want to create the best potion possible!"

"And What do you mean by inspired!? I've never been inspired by him!" I exclaimed, trying to explain to Marie. However, all I got from her, while looking at the mirror, was the reflection of her smug face.

"Although you say that, my lady, haven't you noticed that almost all the unique potions you've made so far were all potions he has created or could've created?"

"That—well, that's true, but—"

"And also!" Marie said as she straightened my head and made me look at the mirror, starting to comb and style my hair into a braid. "Ever since you entered the academy, you haven't once made a potion of your own without his influence in some way," Marie said with a smile.

"You're wrong! I've also created a bunch of potions that weren't at all inspired by him. I mean, look at all those potions there!"

I pointed at the dozens of potions at my makeshift lab in my personal dorm. They ranged from healing potions to mana potions and many others beneficial for adventuring.

"Lady Euphemia, you do realize that all those potions there are public knowledge, right? None of those are originally yours, though yours are a bit better as an improved version of the original. It doesn't dismiss the fact that the idea is not yours, just like the potions you make now, are all inspired by Young Master Adrian, hehe," Marie explained with a knowing smile.

I sighed, feeling a bit defeated. It was true that many of my creations were influenced by Adrian's work.

The line between inspiration and originality became blurred, and I couldn't deny the impact he had on my alchemical journey

"I told you I'm not inspired by him; he's just my rival. That's why I'm constantly trying to make better versions of his own potions. Right, that's right, it's because I can see the flaws in his potions that the genius in me tries to improve it!" I said, averting my gaze from Marie's eyes.

"Sure~ if you say so, my lady, hehe."

"But it's true!"

"Ok~"

"I told you it's true!!"

"Sure, my lady. I fully believe you don't get inspiration from him, even though you think of him as a rival~ I'm sure you don't have a crush on him as well~"

"Marie!!"

Seriously, if I didn't treat her as my sister despite being my servant, any other employer would've fired her right now for contradicting her master's words.

Marie continued working on my hair, seemingly unfazed by my protests. The playful glint in her eyes suggested that she enjoyed teasing me about Adrian.

The truth was, even I couldn't deny the undeniable influence he had on my work and thoughts. The subtle admiration I held for him wasn't something I was ready to admit, not even to myself.

Ignoring Marie's annoying teasing, I looked at the potion again. Should I use it one last time? I'm actually running out of ingredients now, so maybe not?

Considering this potion requires delicate mana control when making it, maybe I should save this one.

I've used the potion for some time now, and every time I used it, the location from where I could feel Adrian was always somewhere far away.

"All done, my lady. You look as beautiful as always"

I looked at the mirror and nodded as well. Marie always had a way to highlight my beauty, even though most of us students wore the same outfits and uniforms.

The way Marie dressed me up and added minor changes to my uniform, as well as having me try out different hairstyles every single day, was always something I appreciated her doing.

"I'm going now" I said to Marie as I grabbed a potion from the table, each one different from the other.

"Take care, Lady Euphemia," said Marie as she escorted me out of my room.

She said her goodbyes with a bow. I looked behind her and felt a little sorry for her, as the looks in my room were anything but cozy.

The amount of alchemic ingredients and reagents either lying around or rolling on the floor was really dirty to see.

But knowing Marie, I'm sure she would rather have my room be dirty than clean, as she wouldn't have anything else to do.

If she ever sees my room clean, she would probably have a heart attack. Now that I think about it, that's kind of nice to see.

Maybe I should try it out sometime?

….

Making my way to my classroom, my classmates wore troubled expressions, ensuring they could meet the required quota for the upcoming dungeon exams that most combat-based courses required participation in.

The word had spread that each alchemy student needed to produce at least 500 healing and mana potions, a task that, despite my genius status, I could understand as tedious and boring.

I knew firsthand just how monotonous and exhausting it was to create the same potions repeatedly.

The seniors, especially those in their fourth year, were likely experiencing sleep deprivation, given their double quota compared to us.

As I strolled through the hallway, I overheard desperate pleas for ingredients, some students having run out of essential components.

It dawned on me that I was somewhat privileged, as the school itself and my family personally delivered the necessary ingredients whenever tests or exams occurred. Perhaps this was one of the perks of being a top student.

I noticed curious glances from some students, likely wanting to ask why I didn't seem as stressed about the quota, but were too afraid to approach me.

I suppose it worked to my advantage that I had established an initial impression as someone difficult to approach.

"Miss Euphemia," called out a classmate of mine, her blue eyes slightly quivering. Now that I think about it, other than Adrian, the only other person I've interacted with in this class is her.

"What is it, Miss Fumina?" Fumina seemed to quiver for a bit, not expecting me to acknowledge her call. Even though we do talk, our interactions are usually short, and sometimes I downright ignore her.

"U-uhm, I just wanted to ask if you were already finished making your potions." She bowed her head, not making eye contact with me. Am I really that scary?

"Yes," I replied firmly. She looked at me with amazement and a hint of envy, as well as hope?

"T-then if you don't mind me asking, do you have any excess ingredients you don't need?" After she asked that, the whole class fell silent.

All eyes and ears were practically on us right now, and as usual, I chose to ignore them.

"I do have some. Do you want them?" I said to her nonchalantly. Her face immediately brightened up after hearing my words.

Now that I think about it, there must be a scarcity of ingredients, considering the fourth years must be hoarding most of them.

Even if you can buy them in the commercial district, the prices over there can be a bit much, especially for students who are commoners or already having trouble covering the costs for the semester.

"Y-yes! P-please do, thank you very much, Miss Euphemia!" she said while bowing. Some of my classmates seemed jealous, but what can they do? I've already decided to give them to her.

Sitting at my chair, I organized my thoughts and looked at the list of names Marie gave me to ponder over: Tristan, Alex, Bella, Elena, Leslie.

There were five names written on it, and they were all top students in their respective fields.

No matter who these guys teamed up with, it would be a guarantee for a significant prize in the dungeon exploration, given that they were the strongest in their fields.

Examining the names, I found myself having a hard time deciding whom to sponsor between Tristan and his future party or Bella's. Aside from the normal required quota of potions we were obligated to make and sell for the students, there was also a sponsorship system.

The professor himself mentioned that whoever we sponsored and personally provided high-grade potions to, regardless of the exam results, would reflect our grades for the semester.

Choosing a party to sponsor among the top students presented a dilemma, as I knew most of these guys would secure the top spots, especially Bella and Tristan. If only they could team up together, it would be ideal.

Suddenly, I heard my classmates greeting someone with enthusiasm. The moment I caught the name "Adrian" coming out of their mouths, all my thoughts about whom to sponsor were immediately redirected to the man I saw near the door.

I promptly stood up and attempted to get near him, but my path was blocked by a throng of classmates eager to greet him. They were all trying to score points and establish a connection with the undisputed top student of our department.

He had been absent for a week without any explanations, breaking promises to me multiple times now. Logically, I should be mad right now, but instead, why did I feel so happy seeing his arrogantly composed face again?

His black eyes, those high-and-mighty hazy ashen grey eyes, I missed them. That fake smile he was making right now, attempting to calm his classmates down, and those typical responses he gave to dissuade anyone approaching him, I missed them all.

"Sure my lady, I fully believe you don't get inspiration from him, even though you think of him as a rival~

Marie's words echoed in my mind as I observed Adrian. My heart raced as I looked at him, but that didn't mean I had a crush on him. I just liked him, even though I hated admitting that, nothing more—just a friendship.

Ignoring the turmoil in my head, I approached him and raised my voice, "So where were you?" Adrian and my other classmates heard my voice, and the ones blocking my way immediately opened up a path.

He looked at me with his usual arrogant expression. Was it the way his eyes normally were, or was he genuinely displeased to see me?

Before I could inquire further, the professor arrived and interrupted us. Suddenly, Adrian leaned in and whispered into my ear, "I'll tell you later."

There he goes again, not explaining anything and always making excuses. I inwardly clicked my tongue and returned to my seat.

I shot an annoyed glance at him, sitting right next to me. He wasn't even looking at me, continuing to focus on the professor throughout the class.

Couldn't he have at least looked a bit happy to see me? Seriously, this guy is so annoying.

…..

After class ended, I immediately asked him where he had been, but the look on his face made it clear that he intended to share the details when we reached the cafeteria.

In an attempt to keep our conversation going, I eagerly presented to him all the potions I had created so far. However, the only potions that caught his attention were the tracking potion and the upgraded version of the aphrodisiac potion I had made for fun. His irritated expression made me quickly hide the latter.

As Adrian and I continued on our way, I found myself leading the conversation solo. I tried various ways to encourage him to chime in, even purposefully pausing mid-sentence to give him an opening. Yet, he remained silent, seemingly engrossed in his thoughts, which was both puzzling and annoying.

I looked behind us and noticed a group of students gathered, following us. I assumed they were curious about our potion-making endeavors, but couldn't they be more discreet? Most of these guys were probably struggling, but couldn't they at least maintain the dignity of their logos and insignia as students of Estelle Academy?

Adrian seemed aware of them too, but for some reason, he chose to ignore them. Was he waiting for me to call them out? Well, sorry for him, as I didn't really care. My troubles were now his troubles, and he needed to diffuse this situation. Annoying bastard!

It seemed he couldn't take it anymore as more and more eyes continued to pour in from all directions.

"Euphemia," he called out.

"What?" I responded.

"Calm down and look around you," he said.

I glanced around and saw the students following us, all of whom averted their eyes when I looked at them.

"Why are they following us?" I acted innocent.

"You really have no idea?"

"No?" I replied, enjoying the sight of his annoyed expression. He was probably thinking I was being dumb right now... and for some reason, that was getting on my nerves.

Suddenly, Adrian looked around at the students trailing us, and his words echoed throughout the hallways.

"SHAMELESS"

It was just one word, but all the students immediately stopped and scattered, trying to avoid further embarrassment. Despite his awkward demeanor, Adrian seemed to possess a certain charisma that commanded attention. Was it because of his high-ranking noble status, or was it simply due to being the top student in our department?

"Those guys were really pathetic, huh?" I commented, attempting not to be overly impressed by his actions.

"So, you were aware?" he asked in an annoyed and suspicious tone. I couldn't help but enjoy seeing that reaction, as it made him seem more human.

"Of course, I'm not so dense as to not notice two or three people looking at me, let alone dozens of them," I replied.

"Right... so why did you say all those words out loud? I never thought you were the type to want attention," he questioned.

"I don't exactly hate attention, and at the same time, I don't like it, as it reminds me of both good and awful things," I explained to him. The truth was, those jealous eyes reminded me of my brother Isaac somehow. I wondered where he was now after being excommunicated from the family by our father.

"Then why?" Adrian asked.

"Well, to see your reaction," I said honestly. I really just wanted to observe how he would handle such a situation.

"Huh?" he looked at me puzzled.

"Adrian, I've noticed this since the first time we met, but aside from me and all of your friends, you've been looking at everyone else as if they were not people. Even at the entrance exam, the moment you spoke your speech, you were acting like some god. Well, until now, that is. I can confirm you are human, hehe," I explained, using it as an excuse.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Nothing, let's just say it's a genius's curiosity, perhaps," I laughed. I enjoyed watching the ridiculous expression on his face; he looked so confused right now. Although it was just me who found his eyes appearing arrogant, it seemed he took my words to heart and now appeared nervous about the way he looked at people. I chuckled internally.

…..

Arriving at the cafeteria, I scanned the room for Adrian's usual companions, Alex and Tristan.

Usually, that annoying Louise would be here as well, but she's currently missing, so I guess this is a happy day for me, huh? I wanted to take the seat close to where Adrian usually sits, but to my surprise, another person was already occupying it.

I looked at her and was immediately captivated by her beauty. She seemed both holy and beautiful at the same time. I recognized her as the one and only saintess in the continent, our senior by two years, Elena Tellarum.

It appeared that Adrian and she were quite close, as she used a nickname to call out to him. However, the way she talked to him and looked at him raised suspicions.

She might be acting normal, but something about her demeanor made my senses tingle.

Despite my suspicions, I took my seat and couldn't help but notice the ring on Elena's finger.

"That's a really beautiful ring you got there, Senior! Is that a blue frost crystal embedded at its center? That's quite rare. Where did you get it?"

I asked out of curiosity, noticing the rare blue frost crystal at its center. It might have seemed like a random question, but I was genuinely interested in blue frost crystals, as they were one of the rarest gems in this continent, typically found only in the northern regions.

Suddenly, senior Elena smiled subtly before glancing at Adrian for a bit. What was that look she gave him? Even Tristan and Alex noticed it.

"It's a gift from someone special, but unfortunately, I have no knowledge regarding its whereabouts," she explained with a graceful smile.

'Okay, these two are highly suspicious!'

My suspicions grew as I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to their relationship than met the eye.