Pride & Humility

III

Beta: Taintedletter

Artwork by peachijuiceart on instagram/tumblr. 

(óヮò)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Several days later...

Dinner that night looked delightfully appetizing.

When eating at the Bradley's, it appeared no expense was spared when it came to the food. The dining room was a small, but lavishly decorated. The enticing aroma of dinner drifted around the room, enhancing the luxurious feel of the casual affair.

Of course what really made dinner such a treat for Elizabeth, was Mrs. Bradley—although she was starting to insist Elizabeth called her Auntie Katherine. The older woman had an magnanimous personality, and a charm that simply couldn't be beat. Already the woman had rapidly captured Elizabeth's admiration.

(Granted, that wasn't hard at that point since she was the first adult to treat Elizabeth with any bit of genuine kindness.)

To make matters even better, Elizabeth got to sit right next to her best friend.

At dinner, Selim was an infectiously cheerful boy. Elizabeth found it impossible not to smile, or giggle, when he was so plainly elated.

"And who might this be?" inquired an amused voice.

The trio at dinner turned to find führer King Bradley entering the dining room with a serene smile on his face. Mrs. Bradley, greeted her husband with an affectionate tone. "Welcome home, dear. This is Elizabeth Luxanna, a friend of Selim. She's been having dinner with us this week while you were away inspecting the south."

Elizabeth politely bowed her head, her cheeks warming under Mr. Bradley's scrutiny. "G-Good evening, sir."

"At ease. A friend of Selim doesn't need to call me sir," Mr. Bradley laughed, taking a seat beside Katherine and across from Elizabeth. His gaze roamed over to his adopted son and he asked, "And how have you been, Selim?"

"Well," Selim responded, nudging Elizabeth. "I've been having a lot of fun with Ellie!"

"Ah, I see, I see."

"How was the inspection, dear?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"Uneventful," Mr. Bradley admitted. "With so many of our State Alchemists retired, the hunt for more is still in full swing."

"Ellie's very good with alchemy," Selim remarked, purple eyes sparkling with admiration. "I bet she'll make the youngest State Alchemist in history!"

Elizabeth blushed, nervous pride fluttering inside of her. She averted her gaze, and fidgeted with her fingers. "I-I don't know about that."

"I'd bet a month's worth of desert on it," Selim crowd.

"Oh!" King exclaimed, reassessing Elizabeth with great interest. "That's a mighty big bet. Hmm. But I don't see how anyone would accept a State Alchemist before fifteen, at the very least."

Selim grinned widely. "She'll be ready well before then. She's very smart."

Elizabeth's face felt hotter than the sun, and she squirmed under her friend's praise. She hadn't received so much positive attention before, and it was making her head spin and her stomach tie itself in knots.

"That's quite enough," Katherine Bradley chided, reaching across the table to gently pat Elizabeth. "Can't you see you're making her flustered? Honestly, I hope you're don't become as clueless about women like your father..."