Chapter 22 A Woman's Obsession
They nodded in agreement with Lea's statement. It seemed reasonable for them to discuss this, considering they were about to become Yeagers. However, Lea's words sounded like a classic excuse to Ethan.
"Well, whatever you guys say. I hope Prince Jacob doesn't hear you talking about him behind his back. I heard he really hates it when people talk about him being an esper," Ethan said as he resumed his lunch. Watching Ethan eat made Nami realize that his purpose in coming here was to eat.
He quickly dismissed the conversation and began to eat his lunch. Seeing Nami's attention diverted to the food, they had no choice but to end the conversation.
"Okay, let's just eat!" Lea said. Sydney, Robin, and Jensen nodded in agreement.
Ethan realized someone was watching them and immediately turned to where the person was. Just as he turned, the person immediately averted their attention and left.
"Prince Jacob?" he thought to himself. He was certain Prince Jacob had just glanced at them; he was certain it wasn't a glance, but rather a scrutinizing gaze. Although he didn't want to speculate, he was certain that the figure who had caught his attention was none other than Nami Ziegler, someone who would steal the world's attention in the future because of her powers.
Ethan didn't know how Prince Jacob knew about Nami's powers. Considering that Nami hadn't demonstrated her powers yet, or perhaps he had seen her demonstrate them elsewhere.
Besides being terrifying, Prince Jacob was extremely unpredictable, and up until now, Ethan hadn't had any visions of the future related to Prince Jacob, as if he were the only one he couldn't predict.
Sanders Laboratory
City of Helenes
Levi took off his anti-radiation glasses and planned to take a short break. Violet brought two cups of black coffee, her expression much more cheerful than usual. Jean, already guessing the reason behind her cheerful smile, immediately laughed sarcastically.
"Are you laughing at me?" Violet, ever so perceptive, immediately stopped walking and turned to Jean.
"No! Why do you feel like you're being laughed at?" Jean said. He was sure his laughter hadn't made any sound that could possibly offend Violet.
But Violet wouldn't be able to sense others' judgments about her, and for her, Jean was the one who bothered her the most in this regard. Considering they were both Levi's personal assistants in the laboratory, they often engaged in a verbal battle whenever Violet acted based on her feelings, not logic.
"Don't play dumb, Jean! I've known since yesterday that you were mocking me with that look of yours!" An irritated Violet immediately approached Jean, even though she hadn't had time to give Levi the coffee she had made on purpose.
"Shouldn't you give the coffee to the professor first? It looks like someone else will be happy to make it for him!" Jean once again teased Viole, pointing out that no matter how hard she tried to get rid of her love rival, it wouldn't work, considering there were plenty of women also vying for the attention of the man she liked.
"Tch, wait here! I'll get you back!" she said as she walked away from Jean and approached Levi.
"You selfish, crazy woman," Jean snarled. Violet, who could hear what she said, immediately turned back and shot him a murderous glare that was enough to leave him speechless.
"Professor, I brought coffee!" Violet said as she placed a cup of coffee on the table. Her demeanor had changed 180 degrees when she faced Levi.
"Thank you." Levi accepted it without question and took a sip, as he needed the caffeine to relax.
"Is the coffee good?"
"Not bad."
"Is it better than the one Nami makes?" As Jean suspected, Violet had once again overused her feelings for Levi, her superior. She should have been professional.
"The coffee you both make is equally good," Levi replied casually, without any excessive nonsense. However, his seemingly fair answer actually made Violet unhappy. Because that means in Levi's eyes, she is the same as Nami.
Her cheerful expression immediately changed after being compared to someone she disliked the most and considered her fiercest rival.
"Okay, Professor, if you'll excuse me!" she said as she walked away, her disappointment suppressed. Realizing Violet was in a bad mood, Jean pretended not to notice and ignored her as best as possible to avoid becoming the target of her anger.
But Violet wasn't one to seek an outlet, and Jean was the perfect outlet. Violet approached Jean and forced him to accept her anger.
"Jean...!"
"Hey, why are you looking at me like you want to kill me?" Jean was scared out of his wits. Besides Nami, whom he knew was incredibly strong and could crush the bones of anyone in this laboratory, Violet was a woman he couldn't underestimate. Violet was a beautiful, intelligent, and talented woman. The reason Levi chose her as his personal assistant was her ability to act quickly in the event of a project failure or other problem.
"This is all your fault, you idiot!"
"What did I do wrong? Why is it my fault?"
"It's because you keep ruining my mood, making me ask unnecessary questions!"
"It's your fault, why are you taking it out on others?"
"It's because you're always trying to tease me with your stupid laugh!"