Goodness, he was excellent, there was no denying it! Yassia couldn’t help but be impressed at his quick and witty retort, and of course there was still a little hint of flirtation behind it all, or was she imagining the playful emphasize on the words ‘right now’? Clearly, the young duke knew what he wanted and there was no doubt he usually got it as well, whatever it may be. She had been like that once, Yassia realized, and maybe she would be again, once she had been restored as heir and owner to the Dyfrène Holding. She didn’t harbor much hope her setbacks would have changed her much, after all, right now she was only lacking the opportunities to get everything she wanted. She hadn’t lied about her fighting spirit though, it was the reason she was here right now, after all. Regrouping and collecting new forces, that was her plan for now, and it eventually would lead somewhere. All she needed was a good plan to counter Guifré’s and Stephane’s viciousness and lack of scruples.
"So consider yourself warned, and may the best man or woman win,"
Yassia gave a curt nod and mimicked his tone, when she said: “We have a deal, Sir!” Only a twinkling in her eyes betrayed that she was by no means being serious in her aggressive demeanor, even though an outsider might have surely guessed that. It was all part of their game, and Yassia was enjoying every second of it! There was no saying how long it would last, but she would not let that spoil her fun now.
One thing that surprised her about the young duke though was that he seemed by no means haughty. If not for his visit here, she might have bumped into him on the street and not realized at all that he was of noble birth, or used to much luxury. His words seemed genuine enough, and there was real excitement and gratitude in his eyes; he wasn’t just faking these things for courtesy’s sake. He was quite a mystery to Yassia, as she had never quite run across someone as intriguing as him. She’d like to get to know him better, maybe solve a few of those riddles that seemed to surround him like an aura – but maybe she was walking into his web with eyes wide open and would get entangled in another scandal? The reporters outside had reminded her almost brutally of her own vulnerability. Every picture told a tale, and as such every picture was money. Whether the tale it told was right, was of no consequence.
“Didn’t you feel like that when still here?” she asked, genuinely interested, even though she couldn’t refrain from teasing him for too long. “Or were you such a dutiful student.”
Yassia only gave a curt nod and a smile at their set date, since her uncle was within earshot now. She stepped back to allow the headmaster to take over from here, even though she hoped this would not be the end of their conversation. Well… there was the chocolate and then their talk later, right? So, what was she thinking, being all jealous of her uncle now getting his attention?!
Kay Griffiths gave a grumbling snort, a very significant sound for him. It wasn’t much, but it had an unbelievable variation of meanings, and Yassia couldn’t hope to ever decipher them all. Right now he seemed rather amused though.
“You always were good with words, Strathmore!” he said, letting go of all formalities now, as if the duke was still his student. “But I hope you remember they never had much effect on me. I have a mirror in my room, thank you very much. Just so you know, I will keep an eye on you now just as I did a few years back.” And with that he even waggled his index finger.
And a deal they had indeed. Bauer would be fairly surprised that Oliver got himself into a wager (other than with his guards) before he had even technically set foot into the school building. And once he finds that it was with the beautiful and charming young niece of the headmaster, Bauer would probably just roll his eyes. Oliver can hardly resist getting himself "involved" one way or another with a woman wherever he may be. What Bauer would probably be surprised with is the fact that this lady was not skimpily clad or fawning all over him like his previous exploits had been. Oliver didn't like to work hard to get a lady's attention. Why would he when his status would afford him anything and everything he wanted, even girls. But it seems now that he was exerting every effort possible to get this particular lady's attention. Bauer would be most interested to know why. Oliver may have told him about the unfortunate accident involving a lady, but he had not told Bauer that lady was Yassia herself. His friends and their own assistants had taken cared of things for him when he left Yassia recuperating at the hospital.
�Didn�t you feel like that when still here? Or were you such a dutiful student.�
Oliver only gave Yassia an amused grin at her question. He knew, of course, that she was just teasing him or was even merely being polite. He doubted if she was really interested about his life as a student at RAA. Even though she had accommodated him with as much courtesy as she could muster in behalf of her uncle, Oliver could see that she wasn't really as enthusiastic as other women who had been tasked to meet him. Or was she holding back? Or was she being only polite but was inwardly hating him to the core because of what the media had portrayed him to be, a womanizing, happy-go-lucky royal brat? Somehow, Oliver wanted her to really know him and not be biased by what is on the news. Somehow, it mattered to him that she knew the real him.
Genuine laughter rang through the air as Oliver listened to his former headmaster's remarks about him. He was thoroughly pleased that Sir Kay Griffiths was not treating him like some high and mighty state dignitary, but like a student. Oliver wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Again, somehow it mattered to him that Yassia was watching all this interaction, and Oliver hoped to give her a good impression of himself. "Don't worry, Sir. Rest assured that I have not spiked the hot chocolate with rhum this time. Your niece can attest to that. She had been with me since I arrived," he told him, turning his head and giving a seemingly conspiratory wink at Yassia.
He waited for them to lead him to where they were going next, trying as much as possible to contain his excitement both at tasting the school's traditional hot chocolate and at seeing the finished gymnasium. "Before I forget, your niece was asking what kind of a student I had been. I figured you would be the best person to answer that," he said as he gestured for Yassia to join him and her uncle. No, he wasn't letting her off the hook that easily just because her uncle was finally here. While Oliver liked seeing the headmaster after all these years, he also didn't want to lose sight of Yassia just yet. "Be nice now, Sir," he added obviously teasing. Yes, Oliver was starting to feel very much at home now. This was no stiff social function where he needed to conduct himself seriously. This was his old alma mater, he practically grew up here. He'd rather enjoy this visit and relive the memories and emotions of those fun times he have had as student before.
