NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Luciel La Lebrador (UP)
Obviously, Luciel's appetite isn't that large. The reason she made so many dishes is to feed Xanthia.
She admitted that she tends to get carried away with her imagination. So, after impulsively making so many dishes, she came to her senses and found herself a bit sore.
Luciel's familia isn't wealthy; they can only be considered middle-class.
Her familia lives in an ordinary town in Thessaloniki. Her father is a worker at the glass factory in town and, with his seniority, he's considered middle management at the factory. Her mother runs a hair salon in town. Their combined income provides more than enough for Luciel.
Her parents dote on her, their only daughter, very much. Her lifestyle and expenses are not inferior to girls from urban backgrounds, and she has more than enough pocket money.
Mainly because Luciel has been sensible and ambitious since she was young. Her previous exam scores in junior high were already good enough to enter the best high school in the province. But she wasn't satisfied and managed to pass the entrance exam for the Thessaloniki High School.
However, because she wasn't placed in the top two experimental classes, she secretly cried because she had always been in the best classes from elementary to junior high based on her own abilities.
Later, after knowing that although Class 3 of the first year seemed like a "regular class" on the surface, the allocation of teaching resources was almost the same as the top two experimental classes, she felt a bit more balanced. She secretly vowed to catch up because she's a girl with strong aspirations and determination.
The top high school in the provincial capital almost gathers the best students in the province, so the competition pressure is naturally high. So, Luciel calmly accepted the fact that she ranked 27th in the class and 116th in the grade in the diagnostic test, but as long as she can maintain a ranking around the top 100 in the year, getting into a prestigious university would be a piece of cake.
Luciel wasn't intimidated by this competitive pressure. Now that high school has just started for less than a month, everyone is on the same starting line, and she's confident in catching up and surpassing.
In short, Luciel's parents are absolutely relieved about their precocious and sensible daughter. No matter how indulgent they are, they don't have to worry about spoiling her.
The reason Luciel felt sore was simple. Although she has a lot of pocket money, she spends it very wisely. She rarely makes impulsive purchases.
When shopping online, she insists on collecting coupons and reaching minimum purchase amounts for discounts. When shopping at the supermarket, she likes to buy discounted items and takes advantage of any offers.
She's not stingy or frugal, it's just her nature, maybe because she excels in mathematics and is very sensitive to numbers, so she aims for the best use of money.
Before feeding Xanthia, Luciel was, of course, thinking about how to ask without hurting her pride.
She had interacted with classmates from poor families in junior high and had extended a helping hand as much as she could. However, some sensitive classmates refused her kindness and even became jealous and resentful, accusing her of setting herself up as a hypocritical saint.
Luciel's overly beautiful appearance and heroic personality make her both easily welcomed by classmates and prone to criticism. Fortunately, she is internally strong and does everything with a clear conscience.
"Xanthia, could I have some of the vegetarian dishes you ordered?" Luciel tentatively asked.
Xanthia looked slightly puzzled but generously replied, "Of course, feel free to take whatever you like, no need to be polite."
Having someone help her speed up her "clean plate campaign" was great, especially when the person was so beautiful.
It's quite sad to think that Xanthia had never had a pretty girl accompany her for a meal in the cafeteria from high school to college.
She couldn't help but take a closer look at Luciel, who had shoulder-length hair with airy bangs, chestnut-colored hair with some natural curls, and imposing phoenix-like eyes. Her facial features were extremely delicate.
Luciel's beauty has a kind of aggressive charm about it, so it's no wonder boys all recognize her as the "class flower," yet they can't muster the courage to make a move.
Additionally, it's a bit regrettable that Thessaloniki First High School has strict rules on student attire to prevent comparison. Except for weekends, students must wear uniforms every day. These uniforms aren't the Japanese style uniforms but classic loose black and white sportswear that completely conceals the girls' figures since cold climate is msotly all year-round, undoubtedly reducing Luciel's charm.
Seeing Xanthia's generosity, Luciel couldn't help but feel a certain admiration. She felt that this girl didn't seem as sensitive or introverted as rumored.
Xanthia's inherent "Social Butterfly" trait also continued to shine, making a great impression on Luciel during their interaction.
After casually eating a few bites of Xanthia's vegetarian dish, Luciel directly picked up a pork chop from her own plate and placed it on Xanthia's plate, saying straightforwardly, "Xanthia, I won't just take your vegetarian dish for free. I'll exchange it with my meat dish. I accidentally ordered too much meat today and definitely can't finish it. To avoid wasting food, I can only ask for your help."
Xanthia was momentarily stunned but didn't outright refuse Luciel. However, she felt this action seemed familiar.
Being well-versed in online novels, she immediately remembered that in order not to let the poor girl go hungry, the male protagonist used this method to increase her favorability.
Xanthia's favorability, of course, wasn't successfully increased, but it must be said that Luciel, with that face of hers, had already won her favor. Who could refuse to be friends with such a beautiful girl?
However, Xanthia naturally wouldn't pretend to be a poor girl to take advantage of others. She responded, "Luciel, I can help you finish the extra dishes today, but I hope you won't do this in the future... Have you misunderstood something?"
Luciel thought to herself, where did I misunderstand? Clearly, it's because of your pride that you're unwilling to accept my kindness for a long time. But I just can't stand seeing you not getting enough to eat every day, especially when you're so thin...
Being such a confident and strong-willed girl, she inevitably had some self-righteousness, firmly believing in her own judgment until the bitter end.
Due to Luciel's excellent first impression of Xanthia, now that she was in close contact with her, she realized that despite often keeping her head down, Xanthia had a delicate and charming face, with skin that Luciel envied as "porcelain white," and an aura of vulnerability that was quite endearing.
How could she bear to let such a beautiful girl go hungry? So, she coddled her like one would a child, saying indulgently, "Maybe I did misunderstand after all. Anyway, you must eat your fill today!"