Heroine On Strike

Surprised by her answer, Xyle had assumed that Ella thought they would be friends only because they were in the story. Everyone who came to visit him had used the same excuses to befriend him, which he coldly rejected. This time, he didn’t do that and instead gave her an opportunity to use it to her advantage. However, she didn’t use it and instead bluntly told him the truth. What could be on her mind? How was she going to persuade him? He was very curious about that.

“And so, I’m absolutely clueless on how I’ll be able to become friends with you. It’s not like I am intelligent enough, and since you know who I actually am, you won’t fall for it anyway,” said Ella with a disappointed look on her face. It almost felt like Xyle had to apologize to her.

“Are you giving up then?”

“I don’t want to give up, but I’m not the type to hold onto something for too long either. Besides, you look like you won’t budge, so I won’t even try,” said Ella. “Just promise me one thing.”

Xyle, who was surprised by her surrender, disappointedly asked, “What is it?”

“Please don’t tell Evan about me. I like this world, and I love my family here. I don’t want anything spectacular. I just want to live a peaceful life with them,” said Ella. What she said was true. She did exaggerate some of her facial expressions as she said those words, but all of it was the truth. She considered it a requirement to be truthful when asking for help.

He knew who she was, so there was no chance he would side with her. People were bound to reject unordinary things. She also revealed her intentions behind her visit, so there was no going back. Ella saw how he reacted to Clara, who had similar intentions, so she thought it would be useless to try the same thing. In addition, she was able to differentiate herself from Clara, but there was no telling if he thought the same. After all, Ella was also a foreigner.

‘But if I say what I want is my family’s happiness… maybe he will at least let me be. Maybe he won’t reveal to everyone that I’m not actually Luciella.’ This was a bet Ella took. Xyle took a minute to think about her wish. It wasn’t a hard thing to do, as all he needed to do was leave her alone. It was actually more annoying to reject her request and prove that she wasn’t actually Luciella. He also sympathized with her wish, as he too once dreamed of such a thing in the past.

“Alright. It’s not like knowing the truth about you makes any difference. I also don’t want him to cry over his lost sister either,” replied Xyle.

“Thank you,” said Ella as she bowed down to her waist, which most noble ladies would never do. That was another difference between her and Clara.

‘Ugh, am I under her influence already?’ wondered Xyle. He created a seal that only he could create and threw it over to Ella. She barely managed to catch it and was surprised to find out that it was a seal.

“I’m Xyle. You can call me that.”

Ella almost cried at her success. Because she thought she had failed and almost gave up, tears flowed from her eyes.

“Wh-why are you crying? Ugh,” said Xyle as he waved his hand. Both of them then instantly teleported to the top of the tower where his laboratory was located. Ella was startled by this and looked around.

“Where… where are we?” asked Ella.

Xyle let out a sigh of relief as Ella had stopped crying. Then he pointed at a pile of books in a room filled with them. Then he replied, “We’re on the top floor, and this is my room. You may sit over there.”

“Aren’t books valued here? Is it okay if I sit on them?” Ella asked, not sure if he really meant what he said.

“They’re going to be disposed of soon, so yes, you may sit on them. Do you want some tea? It’ll take some time to find what Evan wanted,” Xyle answered as Ella walked over to the pile of books and sat down.

She nodded to his offer for some tea as she felt her mouth dry from the tense conversations and nervousness of trying to persuade Xyle. What she really wanted was cold sparkling water, but there was no such thing in this world. In the end, she had tea.

Xyle looked pleased to find Ella, eagerly wanting for some tea. Then he brought over the tea leaves he got as a gift and brewed up a cup of tea with magic. A teapot hovered over as tea leaves moved into it by itself, then steam began to rise up from the pot. Soon, a teacup appeared in Ella’s hand, and the pot flew over. The pot poured some hot tea into it. The scent was much better than what Smila brewed for her back home. She enjoyed the scent with her eyes closed and asked how long he needed to find the information Evan had asked.

“Records on the Change of the Generation aren’t well organized, so I’ll be looking for more trustworthy sources first. You can take them once I find them. I will send the rest of them to your house once I find them later,” replied Xyle.

“Will you be at my company while we wait?” 

She had lots of questions to ask. The world was too different from what she read in the book, and she needed more information to develop a plan. He knew who she was, so it felt like he could give her some useful advice. Xyle, however, seemed taken back by her eagerness.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but it will take about two hours if I look for it myself,” Xyle answered, slightly apologetically. He then waved his hand, summoning up a group of small light particles. “When you’re done with your tea, follow this light. You will find records that I’m sure you are interested in. Enjoy reading them while you wait for me.”

Soon, a group of light flew over to Ella.

“Records? What records?” asked Ella curiously.

“Records of women who didn’t want to become an empress.”

“What? There are records for it?” questioned Ella, who immediately stood up from her seat.