Extra: Grabiner-POV: Trust and Betrayel

Three days later, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of the Academy, while reading a good book in the library, when Petunia suddenly approaches me. "Hieronymous, may I have a moment of your time?", she asks me. "It depends. Is it about that Christmas party or any other stupid event?", I reply, without looking up from my book. "No…", she answers. Suspicious. But she is the headmistress after all. "What is it?", I ask and look up from my book.
"I wonder, what do you think about Miss Ojousama?" Miss Ojousama? How did it come to this topic?
"She's a good student, diligent and intelligent. Why, did something happen?" "Oh no, nothing happened.", Petunia answers.
"But I meant, what do you think of her as a person, not as a student.", she adds, while gazing at me questioningly.
"I fail to see how that would be of any importance, since she IS, after all, my STUDENT.", I reply, while narrowing my eyes.
"Ohohoh. No need to get so defensive, Hieronymous.", she replies giggling. Did her brain finally melt? I always knew, the day would come, that she would completely go insane. "You might consider paying a visit to the Melania's Garden of Peace. It's winter vacation after all.", I dryly remark, while grabbing my book, before leaving promptly. Melania's Garden of Peace is a famous institution run by a skilled white witch, who is helping members of the magical society to deal with psychological issues, such as anxiety attacks. Petunia had also tried to send me there, after that incident happened. I refused to go, of course.

After that weird conversation, Petunia stopped annoying me about those stupid matchmaking events. On the one hand, I'm relieved about that, but on the other I'm wary about what she might be planning now. Well, whether she finally has given up or not, it doesn't matter. She can't force me to do something I don't want to do after all.

The next day, another package arrives for me. This time it's a link to a Manus belonging to my family, with a note from my father, telling me to contract the Manus as eirs direct lord. Apparently, it is necessary for me, to have a Manus directly bound to me, if I want to inherit father's position. Of course, I'm not interested in inheriting father's position. I'd like to simply send the Manus back to him, but, according to the letter, unfortunately I don't have any choice. Father's position can't be left empty and in addition is bound by our family's blood and since I have no siblings, I must inherit his title sooner or later.
I hope it's going to be 'later'. I could delay the binding of the Manus of course, but that would be irresponsible. Though I hate it, I decide to discuss the ritual with Petunia and start reading the book.

Winter vacation doesn't last for long, unfortunately. Soon, the students returned and the hallways are noisy again. Well, not all students returned. Two freshmen dropped out during the vacation. One had broken a promise he made towards his childhood friend and therefore lost his magic. The other student didn't want to lose her non-magical friends. It's a pity, but it often happens with wild seeds. They simply have too many connections to the non-magical world, becoming a full-fledged member of magical society is more difficult for them.
There's another exam at the end of the week and I will naturally oversee the exam for the freshmen again. I'm competent enough to teach the higher grades as well, however I prefer being in charge of the freshmen, though they are more difficult to handle. The exams mostly went smoothly, with one exception.
Miss Sato thought it to be wise, to cast empathy on the Hodag. How disappointing. And here I thought, Petunia would properly take care of this troublesome student, but she let me down yet again. I truly don't know, why I keep trusting this untrustworthy, irresponsible old witch. Well, I won't make the same mistake again, this time I'll be the one overseeing Miss Sato's detention.

On my way to class during a break, I come across a suspicious acting Mr. Ramsey. He seems to be eavesdropping on someone else. I consider reproaching him for that, but decide against it. I don't want to meddle with the private life of my students too much. Though I decided against meddling with Mr. Ramsey's private life, I can't help but feel disturbed about his behavior lately. He's often acting suspiciously, by hiding in corners and what not. Due to this, I grew more aware of his presence. After observing him for a while, I come to the conclusion, that something must have happened between him and Miss Ojousama. I don't see the two interacting, but whenever he's acting suspicious, Miss Ojousama is near. He seems to be observing her. I feel deeply disturbed by this.
Maybe I should inform Petunia about that.

"Hieronymous… Are you jealous? You're thinking too much into it. If Mr. Ramsey is truly harassing Miss Ojousama, I'm sure she would come to you to complain about that.", Petunia replies giggling. Useless! She's so useless! Dammit. I angrily stomp away, unwilling to let myself insulted by her any further.
Let's go read, to calm down.
Ah, come to think of it, I forgot my book in the classroom. I sigh and head back to the classroom, to retrieve it. When I open the door to the classroom I freeze in shock. Miss Ojousama is standing there, leaning back with her arms placed on my desk, while Mr. Ramsay is standing close to her, stroking her cheek and kissing her deeply. How dare they do this in my classroom! And to think, that Miss Ojousama is in such a relationship with… Mr. Ramsay. Disgraceful! Utterly disappointing!
I cough, to stop the two lovebirds from doing what they're currently doing. Mr. Ramsey clicks his tongue rudely and steps away, but starts glaring at me angrily instead. HOW DARE HE?! I'm the one, who's angry! "I don't remember giving you permission to use this room as your 'little love nest', Mr. Ramsay.", I scold him coldly, with clear disdain in my voice. Miss Ojousama, who's been frozen till now, suddenly straightens her back and smooths down her robe, before stepping in front of Mr. Ramsay – and resoundingly slaps his face. Wait, what?
Perplexed by the new development of the situation, I silently stare at her, while she strengthens her arm with green magic, and slaps him again, this time leaving a clear red mark on his face. Mr. Ramsey seems as confused by this situation as I am, as he doesn't try to dodge the slap and simply stares at her surprised. "Lesson number 1, if you want to become a decent human be… uh… person, don't kiss people against their will", she scolds him flustered, before bidding me goodbye and storming off. After Miss Ojousama left, I snap out of it. "Twenty-five demerits and detention!", I yell at Mr. Ramsey enraged.
To think this piece of trash sexually harassed Miss Ojousama…! Furthermore, in my classroom! I'd really like to teach him a lesson about basic decency.
A long and violent one. "Twenty-five demerits? Isn't that a bit too much, for just a little kiss?", Mr. Ramsey retorts, while smiling provocatively. "You're lucky I'm not expelling you.", I hiss in response. We glare at each other for a moment, until Mr. Ramsey snorts scornfully and leaves. Despicable brat. I grab the book on my desk and try to find Petunia again. This time, she would surely listen to me. He was sexually harassing her this time after all.

"Back again so soon?", she greets me teasingly. "You don't seem to have calmed down yet though?"
"I just witnessed Mr. Ramsey kissing Miss Ojousama against her will. Please tell me, that you'll expel him.", I reply, while ignoring her teasing.
"Hm. It's worthy being punished, but expelling him would be too severe I'm afraid.", she answers at least somewhat serious. I click my tongue in disappointment. "Too severe? Then what about Miss Ojousama? Isn't it our DUTY to PROTECT our students?! Mr. Ramsey is clearly a threat for her! He showed no regret for his action at all! Instead, he even glared at me! And complained about me interrupting them! He clearly lacks respect for this institution, how can you allow him to continue being here, Petunia?", I scold her angrily. "Oh, but he might have thought, that Miss Ojousama would consent to the kiss. His actions deserve punishment, nonetheless, expelling him seems too harsh. I'm sorry, Hieronymous, but I will stand by this point."
Could this woman be any more disappointing?! "Besides, it'll be easier to keep an eye on him, if he stays at the Academy.", Petunia suddenly adds quietly, with a strangely serious expression. Still, I'm dissatisfied with her decision.
"Anyways, about that Manus that you wanted to contract… I think tonight would be a good time for that. Don't you agree? You have finished your preparations after all, haven't you, Hieronymous?", Petunia asks me out of the blue. "Ah? Ah, yes, I suppose.", I answer, confused about the sudden change of topic.
I nearly forgot about that thing. "Yes, tonight would be perfect.", Petunia mumbles with a strange glint in her eyes.
Sometimes, she's quite weird and hard to read.

In the evening, I go to the post office and ready the room for the ritual. According to Petunia, the post office is the most suitable place for the ritual, as the border between this dimension and the one, in which the Manus resides, is the thinnest here. Therefore, summoning the Manus will be easier here. To be honest, I don't see how this place is better than any other, but then again I'm not as good in white magic as Petunia is.
The ritual itself is quite complex and I have never done such a contract, so I'm thankful for everything, that eases the process. After I have drawn the pentagram, which will contain the Manus, I step inside and put the link between this dimension and the Manus I'm about to contract in the center of it. Since the Manus is contracted to my family already, e can't harm me. Then I take a deep breath and start activating the link with the method described in the book. Just activating the link is more complicated than I anticipated. I'm already getting a headache; however, I won't falter from just that much. The link starts glowing and a small crack appears above the link. The first step will be completed any moment now… The crack widens and tears the fabric of this reality apart. A blue hand appears from the crack, then another hand and finally, the Manus steps out. Good, now to the binding part. I continue the ritual and start binding the Manus. Just a little more… Suddenly, my vision darkens.

Potsdam POV

As expected, Hieronymous took the bait and nearly completed the ritual, despite it draining all his mental capacity. It's just like him, to have too much pride to stop in the middle. One day, his pride will certainly be his downfall. A magician should always pay attention to eirs mental capacity after all.
If he weren't so prideful, he might have questioned himself, as to why this first part already took so much of his energy. But he didn't, and therefore didn't realize, that I had strengthened the barrier between the two dimension in this room a bit, so that he will pass out. Now, that he's fast asleep, keeping him from waking up is child's play for me. Having prepared everything, I take another look at the scene of Hieronymous lying on the floor with the Manus floating above menacingly. Well, e looks more confused than threateningly right now, but that doesn't matter. So long as e doesn't leave - which e won't, since e has to protect the Grabiners and therefore must stay to make sure, that Hieronymous is alright - everything should be settled. Ok, just move Hieronymous' arm a little here and his legs a bit there…. Perfect! Now it looks so much more dramatic! Having finished my preparations – without actually taking a single step into the post office, of course – I head to Horse Hall. All what's left is to cast a hidden shield around the soul of the damsel, who'll save the distressed knight, and then wait for the morning to come. Ah, I can't wait to see it happen! Maybe I should get some popcorn…

Hieronymous POV

A dull pain suddenly spreads in my stomach and I feel a grip around my shoulders for a short moment. What the hell is going on? "… not touch that child!", I can hear Petunia yell. It's kind of hard to understand her, as I'm still feeling dizzy. I try to sit up and open my eyes flutteringly. Where am I? What happened again? "She's my rightful prey.", I hear someone reply to Petunia. Wait, prey?! "She is… of the house of Grabiner.", Petunia responds reluctantly.
My gaze shoots to where the unknown voice came from. The Manus is hovering there, his hand grasping… Miss Ojousama's neck. NO!
"She is his affianced bride, whom he has pledged to marry this very day!", Petunia declares. No…! But, dammit, there is no other way… F**K. "… It is so sworn.", I solemnly say. The Manus hisses, but releases Miss Ojousama's neck and returns to his dimension. If only he could have appeared as easily as he disappeared. Miss Ojousama gasps and takes a deep breath, while touching the fingerprints the Manus left behind on her neck.
Seeing her hurt, suddenly awakens my rage for her foolishness. "You absolute imbecile!", I yell at her. WHY IS SHE HERE? How could she enter the pentagram, when there was a Manus inside! Disappointing! Truly disappointing! I thought, she was a clever witch, so why did she have to act so stupid! Just a moment later and she would have... "Not here, Hieronymous.", Petunia tries to interfere. "Do you know, what you've done?", I ask her, while ignoring Petunia. Miss Ojousama could have died! "She was trying to save your life. Surely you wouldn't want her to lose her soul for such an act.", Petunia tries to sooth me. But I never wanted her to risk her life for me! Why did she have to act so stupid and rush into the pentagram? "I'm not sure this is an improvement.", I snap back at Petunia. "I'm sorry…", Miss Ojousama sobs, her cheeks wet from tears. Seeing her in this state pricks my heart. "In the future, Miss Ojousama, you should learn not to meddle with things you do not understand!", I scold her harshly. To think, that I could've been the reason for her death… No. This situation is unacceptable. I want to continue on my rant, and make her understand just how big her mistake was, but Petunia stops me, "Not here, please. We should speak away from the watch. I will take her away and explain. See you at noon?" Goddammit, this can't be happening. "As I appear to have little choice.", I hiss. I can't bear to see her any longer anyways. While Petunia leaves with Miss Ojousama, I start cleaning up the mess. Why are there marbles lying around here?

After I have cleaned up the post office, I return to my room, to prepare for… my wedding. I can't believe I'm about to marry a student. This is the worst!
I reluctantly open my wardrobe and take out a festive robe in dark red with gold embroidery and a green hem. I throw the clothes on the bed and stare at them. Dammit, I can't do this. I can't marry a student! Ah, but I have to. Dammit! I pace around the room, unable to calm down. This won't do.
I teleport myself into one of the Academy's dungeons, a small one, which isn't used normally, and start exploding the walls in an angry rage.

A while later, I'm lying on the floor and panting heavily. The dungeon looks like a warzone, with craters and brand marks all over the place.
It's about time soon. I sigh and teleport myself back into my room. I take a short shower and then start the ritual of repeatedly cleansing my hands, in preparation for the ceremony. Afterwards I get dressed and head to the dungeon, in which the ceremony is held. When I arrive, Petunia, Miss Ojousama and our witness, Miss Cochran are already there. Miss Cochran should be a good choice for the role of the witness, but I would have preferred another professor over a student as a witness. Miss Ojousama is standing with her back to me, wearing a white dress, which compliments her silhouette.
Suddenly, I have a lump in my throat, and I cough to clear it. Miss Ojousama slowly turns around and gazes at me for a moment. She seems calm and I'm unable to read her expression. I wonder, what she's thinking right now, that she sees me, her future "husband". Her gaze returns to Petunia, who in turn claps her hands. "Shall we begin?"
"Just get done with it.", I grunt, more to encourage myself, than to reply to Petunia. "Come and stand with me then." I walk side by side with Miss Ojousama towards Petunia, with a wedding basket in my hand. The basket contains a tree branch, as a symbol for the protection I'm about to offer her. The branch is from a hazel tree, as my second offer to her will be my wisdom. At least Petunia has chosen the correct gift for me. I hate to admit it, but she's a skilled wedding organizer, especially given how little time she had to prepare this. As for Miss Ojousama, her basket contains an ear of corn… there's no way she is going to offer me her fertility, and I doubt, that she has the financial means to offer me prosperity, therefore her ear of corn should symbolize her kindness and courage.
We arrive in front of Petunia, and she begins the wedding speech. Gosh, it's a long speech. That's what I hate about weddings, they're needlessly long and boring. We finally reach the part of the gifts exchange, and Miss Ojousama offers me her kindness and courage, as expected. "I give to you my wisdom and my protection.", I solemnly offer her in return. Petunia and Miss Cochran step forward, in order to bind our fates together, by draping the ribbons over our hands. And with this, I'll have to endure the shame of being married to my student for a year and a day. This is going to be a long year.
"You may now kiss the bride.", Petunia adds. Wait, I think that part is not necessary? "Is that strictly necessary?", I question her with furrowed eyebrows. "Well, no.", she replies. Then why bother bringing it up? "Then I have no intention of demeaning myself.", I retort irritated. Kissing a student of mine against her will… Disgraceful! "Well then, I see you in a year for the severance.", I turn to Miss Ojousama, while smiling grimly to make it clear, that our relationship will be in name only. I seriously wouldn't be able to take it, if she suddenly tries to act like my wife. The thought alone is enough to make me feel sick.
"I will still visit your classes though, Sir?", she retorts undisturbed. I can't help but admire her calmness amidst this dire situation a bit, though her reaction to this mess is extremely inappropriate. I was about to reproach her about taking this whole situation too lightly, when Petunia suddenly scolds me teasingly about being cruel to my "wife". Too cruel? It would be crueler, if I let her misunderstand our current relationship. The thought of her tearfully trying to like me and build a "relationship" with me, sickens me. It's better if I break the delusions she must have as a young student, in addition a wild seed, about marriage now. Petunia invites us to a dinner in the Glen, but I'm not in the mood for food, especially not in the presence of my newlywed "wife". After lecturing Miss Ojousama about the nature of our new relationship again, I return to my rooms. At least this farce of a wedding is finally over.

"Sir, I brought you your breakfast." I sit up and stare at Elise, who's standing beside my bed, with a tray in her hand and tears in her eyes. "What are you doing here? You have no business here!", I scold her angrily. Elise silently starts crying, without moving, and I suddenly notice a chain around her neck. "Who did that to you?", I ask her harshly, while standing up. However, as soon as I approach her, she fearfully takes a step back. I stiffen and take another step towards her, but she moves away again. "You… you did that to me, Sir!", she sobs and the tray slides out of her hands. "YOU DID THAT TO ME! YOU DID! IT'S YOUR FAULT!", she hysterically cries, while frantically wiping her tears with the back of her hands. "YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!" "No, I didn't…", I mumble aghast. "Shall I silence her for you, Master?" Suddenly Elise is lifted up by a blue hand wrapped around her neck. Elise violently gasps for breath, while desperately trying to escape the Manus' grasp. She's gazing into my eyes, with obvious fear. Not fear of the Manus, who's clutching her neck, but fear of me, eirs Master. I wake up, with my heart still pounding from the weird nightmare. What the hell…

The next day, I hole myself up in my room, refusing to go out, not even for food. Instead, I simply teleport a few pieces of bread, fruits and the like directly from the kitchen into my living quarters. It's not that I'm afraid of meeting … her, but I'm simply not in the mood to meet anybody. Though I do admit, that she's the person I want to see the least.

I wouldn't mind staying in my living quarters, away from everyone else, for a bit longer, however I have classes to teach on Monday. Hopefully, I don't come across her. To my relief, she doesn't attend any classes of mine. In addition, I somehow manage to not cross paths with her in the hallways as well. The next day, it's the same. Is she avoiding me on purpose? It would make sense for her not wanting to see me as well. I don't know, whether it's on purpose or not, but I'm thankful, that I don't have to meet her. The next time I see her is actually on Thursday, when she nearly collided with me, after I entered the classroom. She seems panicked and seems to have been on her way out. So she really did avoid me on purpose. "Class is about to start. Sit down.", I command her. It's bad, if it gets too obvious, that she's avoiding me. She obediently sits down and I start class. However, I can't help but be irritated by her presence, as it reminds me of the incident with the Manus.

"Hieronymous? May I have a word with you?", Petunia chirps, as she sits down in front of me. I'm currently in the cafeteria, eating dinner. "What is it?", I ask her. "I think it's better, if we discuss that in my office.", Petunia replies evasively. I narrow my eyes and stare at her. I hope this is not going to be a waste of my time. After dinner, I follow Petunia to her office. "Now, what is it, that you wanted to talk about, Petunia?", I ask her straight after sitting down.
"About Ms. Grabiner…", she begins, but I interrupt her, "I don't want to talk about her." "I just wanted to remind you, that what happened is not her fault. There is no reason to scorn her.", she counters softly. I'm not blaming her for the incident, I'm angry at her, because she could have died! Risking her life was foolish, whether she meant to save me or not doesn't matter. "I do not scorn her, I simply don't want to talk to her.", I retort.
"Well, if you just need some time adjusting, then that's fine. However, you can't run away from her any longer. She's the treasurer after all and Valentine's day is coming up. I was afraid, you would ditch your duty and keep avoiding her, but since you said yourself, that you don't scorn her, then I guess there's no need for me to worry.", Petunia replies relieved. For some reason, I feel played.
"Oh, by the way, about the Manus…" "I will NOT try that again, not after what happened to… her.", I retort vehemently. "But you must, Hieronymous, we both know that. Don't worry though, I found an even better location for the ritual and it's difficult to access the place, you won't have to worry about any stray students trying to save you." What the hell?! "Why didn't you tell me about that place beforehand?", I question her angrily.
Petunia smiles at me compassionately. "I didn't know about that place beforehand. Besides, I never expected this to turn out the way it did. Sometimes, catastrophes happen, Hieronymous. It's nobody's fault. In the end, we should be glad, that it didn't turn out worse." I raise an eyebrow at her. "How could it possibly have turned out worse?", I ask her sarcastically. "Ms. Ojousama-Grabiner could have died. Or you could have been forced to marry someone else. Aren't you glad, that you had to marry her, and not another student?" I narrow my eyes, and retort menacingly, "What do you mean by that?", my voice sounding dangerously low. Petunia simply laughs cheerfully in return. "Hieronymous, are you trying to threaten me? For stating the truth? You can't threaten me, you should know that. You're a hundred years too early to threaten me after all." I grit my teeth in anger, unable to refute her. It's vexing, but I know, that I'm still a little child in her eyes. "Anyways, about that ritual. I suggest doing it tomorrow, after you have discussed everything with your cute little wife. Any objections?" "No.", I force myself to say through gritted teeth. "Then that is all. Enjoy the rest of your evening.", Petunia dismisses me with a wink. Sometimes, I could strangle here, despite everything that she did for me in the past.

Following Petunia's reminder about Valentine's day, I head to the post office the next morning. "Good morning, Sir.", she greets me calmly, without looking up from her work. "I see little, that is good about it.", I retort sarcastically. She only sighs, without minding my provocation further. Though I appreciate her calmness, it also frightens me a bit how she's not intimidated at all by me. If I'm unable to scare her, then how am I going to make her listen to my warnings? Well, for now I should discuss the Valentine's day event with her.
After listening to me, she immediately informs me of her decisions. I must admit, she's a superb treasurer. She's fast at making decisions, nonetheless her decisions are well thought out, and she seems capable with money. As for Valentine's day, she came up with the interesting proposal to also sell flowers, apart from chocolate. Personally, I don't see the appeal in such public displays of affection, but for those, who are interested in Valentine's day, the flowers should be a good alternative to chocolate. I presume they'll sell well.
As everything is set, I turn to leave, but as I'm about to head out, she suddenly asks me for a moment of my time. "What is it now?", I ask her. "I'd like to ask a few questions about our… Arrangement." Our arrangement? I don't want to talk about that. Besides, didn't I already explain everything to her?
"There's nothing to discuss." "May I remind you, that I'm an ignorant wild seed? I don't know about the responsibilities of a magical wife.", she retorts.
"You are supposed to be a student. You are supposed to be learning. Not trying to get yourself killed and forcing others to waste resources rescuing you. How many times to you expect to be saved?" I certainly don't want her to force herself to act as my "wife". Besides, she's still my student, so she should act accordingly. Furthermore, she should throw away her needless heroism. There's no reason for her to risk her life for mine.
To begin with, she's a freshman student, there's not much she could do. But more importantly, she seems to attract danger, even without throwing herself into harm's way, which is all the more reason as to why she should behave more carefully. Case in point Mr. Ramsey: not only did this indecent playboy have his eyes on her, he even seemed to have developed an obsession with her. "I'm sorry for my ignorance, Sir. I'm trying to better myself, for example by finding out how to not accidently break my oath. I'm not interested in annoying you, Sir, I simply try to avoid trouble." Right. She just wanted to know about the responsibilities of a magical wife. She is a wild seed after all. "I suppose that is a reasonable request.", I admit. I reluctantly summarize the role of a wife in the magical society for her. I simply loathe the thought, that she might feel herself forced to do anything for me. "And what are your responsibilities, Sir? Can you still call me Miss Ojousama?", she asks me with upturned eyes. I sigh. She noticed. How keen of her. "No, I cannot. You are a member of my family, and I must acknowledge that. Therefore, I prefer to not address you at all.", I explain to her. "I see.", she replies nodding. "My responsibilities are to protect and support you to the best of my ability. I doubt you will notice any difference." Thankfully, she refrains from asking any further questions about our "marriage".
Talking about this topic irritates me.

Afterwards, I head to the dungeon Petunia told me about to try completing the ritual again. I draw the pentagram on the floor and sigh, before positioning myself in the center. I feel a bit unsettled, probably due to what happened before, so I continue sitting in the center and calming my mind, before starting the ritual. The first part of the ritual, the summoning, proceeds more smoothly this time, just like Petunia said. This place really must be more suited, in addition I'm better prepared this time, since I've done this before. After a while, I manage to finish the ritual, without fainting midway.
I dismiss the Manus and take a short break to recover, before teleporting myself back into my room. It's a relief, that I finally completed the binding.

One day, Petunia suddenly dragged me into one of the many corners of this Academy, when she came across me. "What the… What is it, Petunia?", I ask her, feeling already annoyed just by seeing her. "I just had to admit Miss Danson to the infirmary. Her old chronical disease acted up.", she informs me solemnly.
I'm confused. She's the expert in green magic, so why is she telling me this? "That's unfortunate. Especially since the next exam is tomorrow. It's a pity she'll lose this opportunity to test her abilities. However, I'm certain that she'll be alright soon, since she is under your care.", I comment honestly.
"Miss Danson is the roommate of your wife. She and the other roommate, Miss Middleton, seemed quite upset at discovering Miss Danson in such a dire state.", Petunia mentions with a sigh. And what am I supposed to do with this information? Petunia was always chatty, but she should know by now, that I'm not interested in any kind of gossip.
"The three of them seem to get along quite well as well…", Petunia adds sorrowfully. I remain quiet, still unsure as to why she's telling me all of this.
"Maybe you should go and console your wife for a bit? She seems terribly worried about her friend after all.", Petunia suddenly suggests. Oh hell no.
"And why would I do that? Not to mention, that I'm probably unable to cheer anyone up, how could the person she was forced to marry console her? Also, I have better things to do, than to soothe some student, who worries too much about others and forgets to worry about herself. Why should I waste my time for someone so reckless? If that is all, I'd like to excuse myself. I still need to prepare for tomorrow's exam." Petunia reluctantly bids me goodbye and I continue to walk towards the dungeon. I still need to check on the safety mechanisms. Seriously though, what the hell did that woman expect me to do?
Maybe she really needs to visit Melania's Garden of peace, she obviously can't think straight anymore.