Reversing to Youth Ritual

Because of Meg's presence, Iver didn't go to the White Shoes Club today. Instead, he left with Meg after class.

To his surprise, Meg ended up taking him to Iver's own dormitory.

14 Ronin Street.

Meg also appears to have a key to the villa.

Whether it was a privilege reserved for the Dean of Students, or something Isabel had given her... judging from the fact that Isabel hadn't mentioned it at all, Iver believed it was the former.

"Sit down, kid."

Meg sat down in the living room with a generous air and handed the bottle of wine she was carrying to Lily.

At the same time, the old lady casually asked, "Can I drink alcohol?"

"What kind of wine is this?" Iver didn't recognize the bottle.

"Fino Sherry, not fierce."

Meg concluded, "Sweet."

"Okay."

Iver readily agreed.

Seeing Meg's friendly attitude, he gradually lowered his guard.

If the old lady really comes to settle scores with me, she most likely won't invite me for a drink.

Although I haven't had dinner yet, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach isn't good for my health... but since it's sweet, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Lily expertly poured drinks and added ice for the two of them. Then she stood quietly behind Iver, her hands folded.

"Hey, you sit down too."

Meg chuckled and said to Lily, "No need for such formalities with me. Have yourself a drink too—no problem, kid?"

"Of course." Iver nodded readily.

He certainly didn't have any "unconventional" thoughts. On the contrary, he and Lily were quite casual with each other when no one else was around.

Although Lily can be shy at times, she is actually quite happy.

However, that was in private.

Even now, standing before Meg, the Grand Arbitrator, she still felt somewhat uneasy. Because she wasn't familiar with Meg, she didn't know if it was just a polite remark or if Meg truly meant it.

However, since Iver had spoken, she had no choice but to obey her master.

As Lily poured the wine, Meg took a sip and said bluntly, "Hey kid, what do you think of little Isa?"

Her hand trembled instinctively, almost spilling the wine. Luckily, Lily's hand was steady, so it only wobbled slightly.

"A very nice girl... what's wrong?"

Iver hesitated for a moment, but still answered in the same way.

"Oh," the old lady said casually, "So when are you planning to get married?"

"Cough, cough..."

Iver coughed up his drink.

—Here it comes—the elders' signature move: pressuring us to get married the moment we meet! Seriously, aren't you going to give us a heads-up? "Well..."

Iver smiled helplessly, "Let's wait a little longer..."

"Wait? What's wrong? You have other girlfriends?"

No, not at all.

Really? [Tell the truth.]

"No, really."

Iver replied definitively, "I've never had a girlfriend. And, Dean Meg... could you please stop using your Word of Power on me?"

"Oh, sorry."

Meg nodded readily. "I'm used to it. Since you don't like it, you won't do it again. After all, this isn't an interrogation, it's just a conversation."

"... But you've never had a girlfriend? According to my investigation, your reputation isn't like that at all..."

"Public opinion is public opinion, and people are people."

Iver shook his head. "Many girls this age don't understand why they feel their hearts flutter. It might be a sincere act of help, a kind thank you, or even a physical touch. But I think they haven't really looked into their own hearts."

"Oh, I understand."

Meg crossed her arms and concluded, "So what you're saying is, you're the one being pursued, and you haven't been caught—what kind of traditional young lady are you? You're so slow and indecisive, you're way too hard to get! Are you still a virgin?"

"Ah, that's not true..."

Iver casually took a sip of his drink. Lily, standing beside him, also casually followed Iver's lead and took a sip, then choked and coughed softly.

Meg glanced at her and then realized, "Oh, right. You have a personal maid."

"At what age did you start?"

"When the young master was thirteen or fourteen years old, he had just begun his education. I was about twenty-two or twenty-three at that time."

It wasn't Iver who answered, but Lily.

She said earnestly, "It's been like this ever since then."

"This is the duty of a personal maid. To prevent her from having an illegitimate daughter at a young age... that would become a handle against the family. At the same time, it is also to prevent her from having too many desires in her youth, being easily deceived, or being unwilling to study."

"In the end, it will mostly be a family Marriage Alliance. If he already has a lover before that, it will become very troublesome. Moreover, given the young master's personality, he is likely to attract trouble. If he can't control himself, he could easily get into trouble."

She blushed slightly as she spoke, but then her expression gradually returned to normal. "However, apart from me, the young master has not touched anyone else."

"... You knight families really know how to play games."

Meg's expression, however, was rather complicated.

But that's normal.

Teenagers are easily swept away by passion. She herself had been through that stage, so she understood that.

but...

Meg looked at Lily and asked with some confusion, "Aren't you an illegitimate child yourself?"

"Yes," Lily nodded, "That's why I don't want anyone to live a life as painful as I have."

"That's unlikely, isn't it? Although this little Fox seems quite flirtatious, she shouldn't be a scumbag like Charles."

Meg cursed at someone without any politeness.

Charles is Lily's biological father. The Charles Drost who murdered her mother, tried to murder his own daughter... and doesn't even remember Lily's voice.

"... That's not the only reason."

Lily shook her head, stubbornly insisting, "Having an illegitimate child is never good; it's not honorable. It only brings unhappiness to everyone."

She was clearly very firm on this issue.

So Meg stopped bringing it up.

Meg turned to look at Iver: "So, you don't want Isabel to abandon her pride and status to pursue you, do you?"

"I just feel that she doesn't really understand me."

Iver, holding his wine glass, said softly, "Her understanding of me and her affection for me largely stem from our first meeting in the dream. Her perception and expectations of me may be misplaced... The one she likes may not be me, but perhaps just the ' Fox ' in her dream."

He can't usually say these things to anyone.

It was only when I met Meg, a respectable elder who was also very tight-lipped, that I was finally able to say a few words.

In the dream, the two are a close-knit married couple, and she is also "Iver's mother." This intimate yet complex relationship could easily captivate a girl who has never experienced social interaction. It's like a dream lover falling from the sky.

"But it is immoral to take advantage of her when she is in a daze."

Iver said seriously, "Besides, I'm not ready to get married yet. So please don't bring it up again."

Although he seems like a womanizer, he usually only flirts but never actually gives anything in return.

Because he is actually very cautious about relationships, he is worried that he will choose the wrong person, and he is also worried that the other person will choose the wrong person.

If I were to choose a lover, it would have to be someone whose personality and habits best match mine, someone I'm sure truly loves me, someone I love enough in return, and someone who can stay with me until the end.

If, after a relationship is established, one of the parties feels regret or even just a moment of unhappiness, then Iver considers the relationship hasty and incomplete.

"... How strange, a perfectionist in matters of the heart."

Meg had clearly seen it all. She saw right through Iver's true nature in a single sentence.

She sighed, "That's really not a good opponent... Little Isa picked such a difficult opponent for herself right off the bat."

"Not a rival."

Iver corrected, "In matters of the heart, the two parties are not competitors, but partners... You don't have no experience either, do you?"

"Haha, you really dare to say that, kid!"

Upon hearing this, Meg was overjoyed and burst into laughter.

She downed the drink in one gulp, leaving only a large ice cube that clattered back into the glass.

As Lily poured herself a drink, she let out a burp.

"I was young once too."

Meg sighed. "But he died a long time ago... probably in his early thirties?"

"Did they die in battle?" Iver guessed.

"Oh, you're overestimating him. He's not that amazing."

Meg summarized it simply and bluntly in a very crude dialect. "He was too reckless when he went out exploring, so he was eaten by a dragon. We had just gotten married then, and in the end, we didn't even have a child."

... No, I think this is much cooler than dying in battle.

Iver thought to himself.

Many people never see a dragon in their entire lives... Nowadays, many young people even believe that the dragon is just a myth that doesn't exist.

Iver certainly knew that dragons existed, but he also knew that dragons were extremely rare.

"So I think I understand what you're thinking. I don't think it's right, but I don't think it's wrong either."

Meg sighed and picked up her glass. "If only you were a morally bankrupt playboy. Then I could just talk to Isabel. She might cry for a while, but that's better than challenging Demon Dragon."

"It's not quite Demon Dragon, is it..."

"Ha, not necessarily." Meg's gaze seemed to see right through people's hearts.

She chuckled. "Let's not talk about that. What are you going to say about little Isabella?"

"Let's spend more time together... at least help her get promoted a few more times."

Iver replied, "Sherlock alone might not be able to help her—mainly because she might not follow Sherlock orders."

Sherlock and Isabel are clearly incompatible in personality.

Despite Sherlock's loyalty to the Queen, the fact that they argued so fiercely when they first met in a dream, when neither knew the other, proves it. It was precisely because they didn't know each other's identities that their true attitudes were revealed.

Later, after Sherlock recognized Lu Lu's true identity, his attitude changed noticeably.

But that's not good.

It's not good for Sherlock, because he clearly doesn't want to take Isabel with him, and to him, Isabel is even a burden; and it's not good for Isabel either... because she's too emotional and can't understand Sherlock's reasoning and plans.

And Iver can act as a lubricant.

He can be friends with most people—as long as they're not people he dislikes. If it's someone he dislikes, then Iver just wants them dead.

"But I might not live that long."

Meg frowned, wondering if she should give it another push.

At this moment, Iver's brow relaxed.

"That's easy."

Iver said lightly, "Do you want to live longer? I have a way."

"... Let me state upfront that I loathe twilight and am an outcast of the Hourglass. Neither the balance nor the life-extending effects of the Twilight Path will work," Meg cautioned.

"I know."

Iver nodded. "I have other ideas."

"For example, the Breaking the Cocoon into a Butterfly... Reversing to Youth Ritual."

Chapter Two will still be posted around 2 AM~ My sleep schedule is messed up again, I fell asleep at 4:30 AM last night (pounding the floor).