Liliana Creamwell.
Lustrous pink hair, striking eyes, and a figure that made her look like something out of a fever dream. She carried an innocent demeanor that only made her more dangerous, a face that was simultaneously cute, guileless, and alluring all at once. Wasn't that a terrifying combination.
That was the perfect description of Liliana Creamwell.
An irresistible poison, as the novel had called her.
She was a dangerous individual, and a villainess for good reason.
'Hey, Nelia.'
'What?'
'Does the trinket have any defense against mental attacks?' I asked, because I wasn't feeling that same pull I had felt in class the day she first introduced herself.
'Yes, it does,' she replied, and it clicked immediately.
No wonder the protagonist had been immune to her abilities. But now that he no longer had the trinket of destiny, didn't that mean he was completely vulnerable?
'Which protagonist? Why do you keep referencing a novel?' Nelia asked, and I decided it was time she understood. Her ignorance wasn't going to help either of us.
'Can you read memories?' I asked.
'Yes, but it will require a significant amount of your mana.'
'Fine. We'll do it tonight.'
'Do what?!' she screamed.
'The memory reading. I'll let you into my memories so you understand what I've been talking about. Unless you don't want to?'
'Oh... that's what you meant.'
'Wait. Don't tell me being alone for all those centuries left you that desperate?'
'Shut up!' she screamed, and even through the link I could sense the embarrassment radiating off her as she retreated into the earring in a stream of light.
I didn't even know she could do that.
"Um, hello?" I turned to find Liliana still standing there with her hand outstretched, looking slightly awkward.
"Sorry about that," I said, but I didn't take her hand. She withdrew it herself, cheeks coloring faintly.
Please. She could fool anyone else, but not me. I knew her better than she realized. The scheming type, every gesture deliberate, every expression calculated.
"Can I sit here while I wait for a friend?" she asked in a soft, sweet voice.
"No. I came with someone, and they won't appreciate that," I said evenly.
"It would only be for a little while," she pressed.
"My answer is still no," I said clearly, and I caught her eyes locking onto mine with a focus that felt less like eye contact and more like something being pushed against me.
"Please?" she said, her voice carrying a strange, honeyed quality to it.
"Huh?" I tilted my head slightly. The man seated beside me was glaring at me with an intensity that could bore through stone. The girl who had been beside him had already gotten up and left, and he hadn't even noticed.
So she really was trying to bend me with her ability.
"I won't repeat myself," I said, without so much as a smile, and she went quiet. The innocent expression dropped entirely. She just looked at me, cold and calculating, the mask gone.
"Excuse me." A familiar voice cut in. I looked up to find Selena standing there, smiling pleasantly. "I'd appreciate it if you stepped away from my boyfriend. I don't welcome that sort of company around him."
"You misunderstand, I was only saying hello. We're in the same class, you're in it too, aren't you?" Liliana tried to soften it, but Selena wasn't interested.
"All the same, consider this a warning. Stay away from him," she said simply, gave Liliana a light nudge as she passed, and sat down.
Liliana looked at us both for a long moment, then turned and walked straight out of the cafe.
Didn't she say she was waiting for someone?
"You took your time," I said, unbothered by the exchange since I was more than happy to have Liliana off my case.
"Girls need time to look their best," Selena said with a breezy smile, back to her usual self.
"Alright, let's go."
"What?"
"Let's leave. You were worried about curfew earlier, so let's go," she said, hooking her arm through mine and pulling me to my feet before I had much say in the matter.
"I thought you were enjoying this... date," I said, and her smile widened noticeably.
"You actually thought of it that way?" She seemed genuinely pleased by that. "Alright then, how about this. We can eat at my place on the weekend. I'm a very good cook," she said as we made our way to the door.
"Sure," I agreed. Tomorrow would be busy regardless, general alchemy class wasn't something I could take lightly, even if Selena wouldn't be in it since she wasn't pursuing alchemy. That was fine.
"Wait," I said, stopping her.
"What?"
I reached forward and touched something near her collar.
"Isn't that blood?"
"Blood? Why would you think that? It's lipstick."
I stared at her.
I might be dense about some things, I'll admit that freely, but did she genuinely think I was that much of an idiot?