Chapter 685: Evening Conversation

He actually picked.

Sir Ezra actually picked up the call.

Selena’s mind nearly fell into chaos, but her face remained calm.

She sat on her bed with the same graceful posture she usually maintained in front of others.

Her emerald hair rested against her shoulders, and her lips held a faint smile.

Anyone who saw her would have thought she had made the call without a second thought.

Inside, however, she was panicking.

What am I supposed to say now?

Selena had spent time thinking about whether she should call Ezra, yet she had somehow failed to prepare herself for what she would say if he actually answered.

Now that his face was on the screen, all the words she had considered earlier seemed to have abandoned her.

Across the room...

Susannah Galehart narrowed her eyes on her younger sister.

She sat with her hands resting calmly on her lap and one leg crossed over the other.

Unlike Selena, who was struggling to maintain her composure, she looked perfectly comfortable watching the situation unfold.

"She’s clearly panicking right now,"

Susannah remarked.

Her words were direct enough to make Selena’s fingers twitch against the bedsheet.

Yet Selena’s expression did not change.

She kept her back straight and her smile in place, refusing to give her sister the satisfaction of seeing her lose control.

Susannah knew her younger sister too well to be fooled by such a simple act.

"Is it that obvious?"

The lady seated to Susannah’s right whispered, leaning closer to her ear.

Her eyes remained on Selena.

She was clearly trying to keep her voice down, but the amusement in it was difficult to hide.

"Lady Selena is really doing her best to maintain her elegance,"

Another of the three ladies of Gale remarked.

She pressed her lips together, holding back a laugh as she watched Selena sit in silence.

Bell folded her arms.

She had already begun to grow annoyed with her elder sister’s reaction, especially since Selena had been the one to make the call.

Now that Ezra had answered, she was doing nothing but staring at the screen.

The other ladies and the maids watched with amused expressions.

Some exchanged glances, while others kept their attention on Selena, waiting to see how long she would remain silent.

A few seconds passed.

Selena still hadn’t said a word.

On the other side of the call...

Ezra continued moving his hand over the table in front of him, apparently occupied with his work.

He had answered the call, but Selena’s silence gave him little reason to believe she had anything to say.

After a moment, he raised his gaze towards the screen.

"Is it about the contract I spoke of?"

His tone was plain.

There was no particular curiosity in his voice, only the practical assumption that Selena had called for a reason related to their previous discussion.

"If that’s the case, could you wait until we resume?"

Ezra continued.

"I’ve been occupied with some duties for a while, so I haven’t had time to write up the contract yet."

He spoke while continuing his work, his attention shifting between the task on his table and the call.

He didn’t seem bothered by the silence, nor did he appear to think there was anything unusual about Selena contacting him to discuss business.

"I hope you can understand."

Only after saying this did Ezra look directly at Selena.

His expression remained calm as he waited for her response.

Selena blinked.

No, wait! That’s not why I called!

Her silence had led him to assume that she wanted to discuss the contract for the Orchestra Funk House, which he wanted her to introduce into the Kingdom’s musical industry.

Given what she knew about Ezra, she could easily imagine him ending the call once he had explained the delay.

To him, the matter would be settled.

There would be no reason to continue talking.

And if he ended the call now, Selena would have to find another opportunity to speak with him.

I can’t let that happen!

"W... Sorry."

She adjusted her tone before speaking again, making sure she didn’t sound too hurried.

Her fingers moved slightly against the bedsheet, but she kept her smile in place.

"I didn’t call you about the contract, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

She delivered the words calmly, as though there had been no awkward silence at all.

"Really?"

Ezra’s reply was just as calm.

He didn’t look surprised.

In fact, his expression barely changed.

He simply looked at Selena for a moment before returning his attention to his work.

That was all.

Selena’s smile remained on her face, but she could feel her confidence slipping.

Really? That’s all you’re going to say?

"Then wh—"

Ezra was about to ask why she had called him if it wasn’t about the contract.

But before he could finish, Selena spoke.

"I called because I wanted to know how you’ve been."

She finally managed to explain her reason for contacting him.

Her voice was light, and she shifted her posture slightly on the bed, trying to make the conversation feel more natural.

For a brief moment, she thought she had managed to get through the most difficult part.

"So smooth... Selena."

Susannah’s teasing whisper reached her ears.

A small smirk appeared on Susannah’s lips as she watched her younger sister.

She made no attempt to hide her amusement now that Selena had finally managed to speak.

"Haha... haha... haha..."

The other ladies and Bell laughed quietly.

They kept their voices low enough not to interrupt the conversation, but their efforts did little to make Selena feel any better.

Selena turned her eyes towards them.

These bi—

She stopped herself even in her own thoughts, though not because she had suddenly become kinder.

These girls are making this so awkward.

Her gaze shifted towards the maids.

Unlike the ladies, they were doing their best to remain quiet, although their expressions suggested that they were enjoying the situation as well.

At least the rest are quieter.

Selena let out a small sigh inwardly before returning her attention to the call.

She couldn’t afford to let the people around her distract her.

She had made the effort to contact Ezra, and she intended to make the most of the opportunity.

"That’s surprising,"

Ezra replied, his tone remaining as flat as before.

Although he had described her reason for calling as surprising, neither his expression nor his voice suggested that he was particularly impressed.

He looked at her plainly, as if he had merely acknowledged a fact.

Selena returned his gaze through the screen and offered him a simple smile.

It’s fine. This is fine. He’s listening, isn’t he?

"Well, we’re going to be getting involved with each other during the second semester,"

She explained.

"So, I just wanted to make a friendly call. That’s all."

As she spoke, Selena raised her right hand and brushed her emerald hair to one side.

The movement exposed the pale skin of her neck and ear.

She then drew her arms around her right leg, which rested on the bed with her foot planted against the mattress, while she kept the other leg folded beneath her.

The gesture came naturally enough to appear casual.

Her expression remained composed, and her voice carried none of the panic that had been troubling her moments earlier.

"Okay,"

Ezra replied.

That was it.

Selena stared at the screen for a brief moment, trying to decide whether she should continue speaking or wait for him to say something else.

Okay?

She had offered him a reason for the call.

He had accepted it with a single word, leaving her to carry the conversation once more.

Before Selena could think of another response...

"Did she just expose her neck?"

Bell said, looking at Selena with an irritated expression, her attention fixed on the way her elder sister had moved her hair aside.

"Sheesh!"

Susannah placed her right index finger against her lips, signaling for Bell to quiet down.

Bell’s face immediately tightened.

"Huh? Do—"

She was about to shout back, clearly displeased with being silenced, when three maids moved at once.

Bell’s personal maid and two other maids serving the Mainline ladies hurried over and covered Bell’s mouth before she could raise her voice any further.

"Lady Bell, please calm down,"

Her personal maid pleaded.

The maid sounded worried.

If Bell caused a commotion now, she might ruin the conversation Selena was trying so hard to maintain.

"Mmmm!"

Bell struggled against the hands covering her mouth.

Her eyes moved between Susannah and the maids, making her displeasure perfectly clear.

However, after a brief struggle, she moved towards the back of the room rather than continuing to fight them.

She might have wanted to complain, but she wasn’t going to let them drag her into a bigger commotion.

The other ladies settled back into their seats, ready to continue watching.

A moment later, Susannah’s personal maid brought over some popcorn for them.

The ladies accepted it and resumed their silent observation, as though they were watching a performance arranged for their entertainment.

Meanwhile...

Selena had become too focused on speaking to Ezra to pay much attention to the commotion behind her.

She returned her attention to the screen and tried to steer the conversation towards something they could both talk about.

"So, how was your holiday?"

She asked the question with a light smile.

"I heard you were spotted in Thornwick not long ago. I was really surprised when I saw all those posts on Linsta about you being at Solcrest Airport."

Her emerald eyes remained on Ezra as she spoke.

She had heard about his movements through the posts circulating online, and his appearance in Thornwick had caught her attention.

Now that she had the chance to speak with him directly, she wanted to hear about it from him.

"First, my holiday is fine. It hasn’t ended yet, because it will be ending until when we resume,"

Ezra replied calmly.

He paused his work to answer her, giving the question his attention rather than continuing to move his hand across the table.

"Second, I visited Thornwick for business."

His explanation was straightforward.

He offered no lengthy account of the trip, nor did he seem to think that the reason for his visit required further explanation.

"Business? Couldn’t you go there just to enjoy yourself?"

Selena’s voice carried a hint of concern.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at him through the screen.

Does everything have to be about work with him?

She knew that Ezra had been occupied with his family’s craftsmen and their work.

Still, the thought of him spending his holiday dealing with business made her wonder whether he had found any time to relax.

"I was able to do some sightseeing, so you don’t have to worry about that,"

Ezra replied flatly.

He leaned back in his chair, his posture becoming a little more relaxed as he looked at Selena.

"What about you?"

He asked.

"Me...?"

Selena pointed at herself, caught off guard by the question.

He asked about me!

For a moment, her thoughts threatened to run wild again.

She had been so occupied with thinking of things to ask Ezra that she hadn’t expected him to turn the question around and show an interest in her holiday.

Calm down, Selena.

She straightened her posture slightly, keeping her expression under control.

You’re already doing well.

Just keep it going.

She took a small breath before answering, giving herself a moment to arrange her thoughts.

"Well, my holiday was also busy, like yours... although not as busy as yours. I mean..."

Her words faltered, and she had to correct herself.

Why am I stumbling over such a simple answer?

She quickly continued before the pause could grow any longer.

"I know you had to work with your family’s craftsmen to release those firearms and gadgets they advertised not long ago."

Selena’s voice grew a little fainter towards the end.

She had corrected herself several times, but she still managed to keep her usual elegance.

Her right hand rose to adjust her hair once more.

She glanced down briefly, gathered her thoughts, and then looked back at Ezra.

"I had two music concerts in four big cities in Northwick. I also attended three social gatherings. One was for one of my uncles’ birthdays, then there was my older half-sister’s wedding anniversary, and the general party for the young noble children of Northwick."

She paused to make sure she had remembered everything she wanted to mention.

"After that, I immediately returned to training to perfect my Alchemy Path and strategy."

Selena finished listing the things she had done during the holiday.

Her posture remained graceful, as she looked at Ezra with a composed expression, waiting to see how he would respond.

Inside, however, she was still paying far too much attention to every little thing he did.

All right. I’ve answered him. Now, please say something...