"Am I good enough?"
What a strange question.
Gauss couldn't help feeling a little awkward when he heard Albenna ask that.
Couldn't she have a little more confidence in herself?
In the end, Gauss kept his thoughts to himself.
He merely nodded, pretending to be calm.
"Of course. As long as you don't mind joining our team, Albenna. We look forward to working with you on the upcoming commission."
As he spoke, he politely held out his hand.
"Wonderful!" Albenna hurriedly clasped both hands around Gauss's.
"Then, Lord Gauss, I hope we'll work well together."
She squeezed his hand tightly, as if it were caught in a pair of iron tongs.
He instinctively tried to pull it free.
His first attempt failed.
It wouldn't budge.
He had no choice but to use more force.
Crack, crack, crack—
A strange series of crisp sounds rang out.
"Hrng—"
Gauss couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath. Now he had experienced firsthand the absolute difference in their raw strength.
"Albenna, your..."
He gave up struggling and gestured with his eyes toward their still-clasped hands.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was thinking about the commission and got a little distracted."
Albenna seemed to have only just realized what she was doing. She hurriedly let go, a faint blush rising to her cheeks as she gave a couple of sheepish laughs.
Gauss eyed her suspiciously.
He had the distinct feeling she'd brushed the back of his hand again just now.
Was there really something a little off about Albenna?
A vague suspicion stirred in Gauss's mind.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
He wasn't delusional enough to imagine that someone was in love with him.
The sort of person who thought someone liked them just because that person glanced their way or smiled at