Little Tyrant Doesn't Want to Meet with a Bad End[1-200]

Chapter 14: Is This the Prelude to a Wedding (It Isn't)

 What is the key to winning a woman's heart?

 This was a universal problem that had confounded countless men since the dawn of mankind. It was like a philosophical question, where every single person had a unique answer.

 Some women indulge themselves in beauty, seeking out an attractive partner to spend their lives with. Some women value culture, demanding their other half to be romantic and talented. However, to children still caught in their studies, the greatest mark of success was often examination results. They tend to look up to their smarter peers with rose-tinted glasses, influencing their perception of the latter.

 Alicia was a child who had matured early, due to her past experiences, experiences which resulted in her having her own unique perspective regarding the world. A perspective which, while not necessarily a bad thing, resulted in her being unable to fit in with her peers, becoming estranged. Not even Roel, who had opened her heart, could change the girl's independent nature.

 That was why she desired to prove herself through her studies, so that she could receive everyone's acknowledgment. And right now, she desires one person's acknowledgment more than anyone else's in the world.

 Roel's.

 On the study desk, Alicia watched how the black-haired boy sitting next to her calculated out an entire page worth of sums, and her eyes twinkled in admiration.

 It didn't surprise her that Roel was able to solve the problem she had stumbled over easily; after all, she had already thought that this big brother was ahead of her in his studies. However, what Roel then proceeded to do made her realize just how vast the gap between them was.

 Not only did Roel explain the method of solving the problem to her in a concise manner, but he even went through the rest of Alicia's assignment to check for any errors—and he did so by calculating all of the sums on the spot.

 "Big brother Roel, how are you able to calculate so quickly?" asked Alicia in a mixture of shock and awe.

 After all, Roel had managed to work out all of the problems in just ten minutes when she had already spent more than half an hour on them.

 Hearing Alicia's question, Roel put down his pen before gazing at the questions before him, a pensive look on his face.

 "Regarding this..."

 You'd have been able to do it as quickly as me if you could recite the multiplication table too...

 Roel chuckled lightly to himself.

 "There's a small trick to it. I'll show you later."

 "Alright!"

 Witnessing Alicia's sweet smile and the massive influx of Affection Points he had just received, Roel couldn't help but smile to himself too. He casually turned around to glance at the utterly flabbergasted Anna, and a smug smile emerged on his lips.

 Heh, looks like I've managed to preserve my dignity!

 -----------------------------------------

 The following morning, Roel woke up early and had breakfast together with Alicia. The two didn't follow the usual routine of sticking close together. Rather, they quickly finished their meals before heading back to their rooms to prepare for the day's events.

 This was all because an esteemed guest was visiting today.

 The servants hadn't just shrugged off the message from Marquess Carter either. They'd worked through the night to ensure that the Ascart House was ready to host their guest. The change was so great that Roel nearly thought he had been kidnapped to somewhere else when he first emerged from his bedroom.