NOVEL NEXT Chapter 84: A pleasant evening
As the party came to its conclusion, we reached out of the palace.
"Wait here, I will get the car," politely asking Silva to wait on a nearby seat, I took the car keys from her. She looked at me, her eyes asking if I knew how to drive, to which I answered with a nod before she finally gave me the keys.
Where was the car parked again? Ah! There it is!
I first reached the parking lot, got in the driver's seat before steering the car back to the entrance where Silva was waiting. She was talking with Alexandra and a few more guests, the last of the ones left at the party. Not disturbing her, I parked the car and waited for her to reach me.
Looking at the car, she yawned as she waved goodbye to Alexandra, who in turn waved at her and then at me, before returning to the other guests.
Then, moving towards the car, Silva opened the gate, sat in the passenger seat and massaged her nose bridge, as if easing her headache. As I drove out of the Milan Palace, I saw her taking out a bunch of medications and a bottle of water. Gulping it with a mouthful of water, she then reclined her seat before getting into a comfortable position.
Migraine, huh? Seems to be of the mild type. I observed the name of the medication before reaching the diagnosis.
As the car drove out of the palace and steered onto the highway, Silva took off the mask before finally relaxing her body. Closing her eyes, she kept quiet for a few seconds before she half opened the window, prompting me to do the same. If only one window were to be open, her headache would have gotten worse.
For the next 15 minutes, there was complete silence in the car as I drove on the nearly empty highway. Perhaps by this time, Silva's headache had eased a bit, that she was finally in the mood to say something.
"You did great," she said in a low voice. Her voice paused for a brief moment before she continued,
"In fact, you did excellently."
There were a lot of things that I had planned. Some things worked. Many didn't. Because of the sudden situation, I even had to change my plans here and there. But I guess… in the end, I managed to fill Silva's satisfaction quota, I suppose? I thought as I recalled the entire evening within the next few seconds.
"It's the bare minimum I should have done," I answered, acting a bit humble. There was a calm smile on her face as she mumbled in a low tone,
Bare minimum, huh?
"It would have been fine if you had stopped after the first incident with the Lesslers. That was enough for you to get the passing grade," she said, maintaining the same low tone of voice, barely enough for me to hear. She continued,
"But then you went on with the party, entangling Alex with your words, controlling the flow so naturally. Honestly, Mike, I was enthralled!"
Mike? I peeked at her from the side as I saw her looking at me with a mischievous smile, trying to gauge my reaction. Watching me peek at her, she giggled a bit before continuing,
"Then you helped that seemingly simple girl get connected with Alex, who turned out to be such a fine martial artist. And that dance. Pft-Hahahahaha…"
She laughed, recalling that awkward dance for a few seconds before slowly calming down as she spoke out loud,
"Just what was that dance? It was totally hilarious! I gave you 3 extra points for that. Hahahahahaha…"
I tried my best, though? I thought, but didn't say out loud.
"It was something that many wouldn't even dare to do. You totally held the spotlight tonight!' She said before finally calming down.
"But this was just the first layer. The fact that you deduced the one who died, and even got closer to the host, Alex. Man! That was something beyond my expectations. Honestly speaking, not even in my wildest dream I believed that you would get so close to Alex just in a single meeting," she praised me with a proud smile on her face.
"Lastly, the one that totally blew me away. That Arcadian Language… even I couldn't have expected something like that. Mike. Just who exactly are you… and how come I have never met you before?" She asked, her eyes totally focused on me.
"Well. Until I gain enough power, I have decided not to show my real self to anyone," I answered without turning to her. To which she smiled as she nodded,
"A smart decision. I support you on that one. Without proper power supporting you, no matter how great you are, you will be chewed by the carnivores hidden in society."
I don't think she had any idea of how close she was to the truth about high society. I wonder what she would think once she knows about those cannibalistic bastards. I amused that thought for a few seconds before speaking,
"If not for the recommendation, I probably would have kept myself hidden for a few more years."
"Yeah, I guessed as much. Though, Daniel doesn't know about this side of your does he?" She asked, to which I smiled and answered,
"No. No, he doesn't."
She then closed her eyes again as she mumbled," Since you have given me such a delightful evening, I will add a few more benefits to your recommendation. Consider this as a gift for making your elder sister happy."
Elder sister? I looked at her sleeping face, her eyes closed as she lay there on the reclined seat. Pondering for a few seconds,
"Thank you."
I answered before increasing the speed of the car as I removed the eye-mask, placing it on the item holder in between the seats. Looking out of the car, at the distant city lights and the starry sky, I enjoyed the wind brushing against my face.
It was a pleasant evening.
It was a fun evening.