Chapter 341: Outgoing and Sociable
Chapter 341: Outgoing and Sociable
Over the next few days, Albert didn't venture back to the northern forest, nor did he encounter Louise again.
Nia's skiing lessons didn't go as smoothly as she had hoped, and she still fell over quite often, sometimes even taking Albert down with her into the snow.
Such scenes were a common occurrence on the snowy slopes beside the town. It wasn't just Nia; many other tourists who weren't skilled skiers ended up in similar situations.
Since everyone was in the same boat, there was no need to feel embarrassed. The skilled skiers, on the other hand, took the cable cars to other ski areas.
"Another failure!" Nia said, reaching out for Albert to help her up, her voice a soft grumble.
"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a teacher," Albert said decisively, brushing the snow off Nia with a gentle hand and offering her a comforting smile. "I'll ask Dad to teach you instead!"
"You just don't want to teach me anymore because you think I'm stupid!" Nia pouted, clearly unhappy with this turn of events.
"Alright, let's try again," Albert sighed.
"Balance is key when it comes to skiing," Albert advised, sharing his insights. "It's similar to ice skating or riding a bicycle. In the beginning, you don't need to rush things. With any new sport, it's best to take it slow and steady. Trying to succeed all at once is unrealistic."
"Mhm," Nia nodded, only to end up falling again shortly after, taking Albert with her this time.
"Sorry," they said in unison.
"Are you hurt?" Albert asked, concerned.
"No, I'm fine," Nia assured him.
"That's good," Albert breathed a sigh of relief.
This particular exchange had become a familiar routine by now.
In truth, Albert wasn't much of a skier himself. His skiing skill was only at the first level, and his technique was rather average. When teaching Nia, he could only rely on his own sense of balance and try to convey that to her.
Initially, Albert had thought that Nia's poor balance was the reason for her frequent falls. Now, however, he was beginning to suspect that the problem might lie with his own inadequate teaching skills.
As noon approached, Daisy and Herbert returned from their skiing excursion and made their way over to the slope to check on their children's progress. The sight that greeted them was the two siblings tumbling down the slope together.
"I think I'm just not cut out to be a teacher," Albert said with a helpless shrug to Herbert, who had been watching his futile attempts to teach Nia over the past few days.
As it turned out, Albert's suspicions were correct—he simply didn't have a talent for teaching. It took Daisy just half an hour to successfully teach Nia how to ski.
Although Nia's skiing was still a bit rough, she had indeed picked up the basics. This left Albert feeling a bit glum, questioning his own teaching abilities.
"I guess being a teacher just isn't for me," he muttered softly.
"To celebrate Nia's skiing success, let's go to that French restaurant we visited before," Herbert suggested, leading the way with his family in tow. "The food there is excellent!"
As for the other member of their family, the chubby cat Tom, he was currently curled up on a soft cushion, fast asleep.
Indeed, the food at the restaurant was delightful—authentic French cuisine, although a bit on the pricey side.
Often, when the cuisine of one country is introduced to another, the flavors undergo strange transformations to cater to the local palate. As a result, it becomes challenging to find authentic dishes outside of their country of origin, and most people remain unaware of the true flavors of these foreign delicacies.
The family chatted over their meal, discussing their skiing adventures. Herbert had discovered some picturesque spots during his ski trips and suggested taking them there for some memorable photos.
However, Albert felt that Nia needed more practice with her skiing, so they decided to postpone the photo excursion for the time being.
In truth, Albert wasn't all that enthusiastic about skiing. Most of the time, he only bothered to learn a skill because he felt he ought to, and then he would use his experience points to level it up.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Anderson," a familiar voice called out, interrupting their meal.
Albert looked up, a hint of surprise flashing across his face as he recognized the speaker.
The Anderson family exchanged curious glances, unsure who this beautiful young woman was, but soon realized she was there to see Albert. They turned to him, awaiting an introduction.
"The food here is quite delightful," Albert said casually, breaking the slight tension. "Are you dining alone?"
"They're over there," Louise said, gesturing to a nondescript couple sitting at a nearby table.
Albert offered a brief nod in their direction but made no move to introduce himself, preferring to keep his distance.
However, Mr. Drakul took it upon himself to approach their table.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Anderson," Mr. Drakul said, his English somewhat awkward and clearly not his first language. "I hope you don't mind my forwardness."
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Drakul," Albert replied politely, switching to French as the man's English was quite difficult to understand.
"Muggle sports can be quite enjoyable as well," Mr. Drakul continued, seemingly oblivious to the awkwardness he was creating. "It only took me a few days to learn how to ski. Last winter, when Lord Hextor visited France, I invited him skiing, but he didn't seem to take a liking to the sport."
Albert caught a whiff of something unusual in the man's words.
"Don't look at me like that," Mr. Drakul said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I've known Hextor for several years now, and I hear he thinks highly of you. If you were a few years older, I'd certainly welcome you pursuing my daughter, Louise. She's quite the beauty, isn't she?" He winked at Albert.
This man was certainly outgoing and sociable, chatting away and even seeming to promote his daughter to Albert, earning him several disapproving glares from both Louise and his wife.
Albert's mouth hung open, unsure how to respond to this unexpected turn of events.
"You seem unaware of your own fame," Mr. Drakul remarked, noticing Albert's bewildered expression.
"I am," Albert admitted.
"I've read some of your papers; they're quite impressive. Many believe you could be the next Dumbledore," Mr. Drakul said, a hint of jest in his tone.
Albert took this with a grain of salt, deciding to let the man continue.
"I hear Hextor is researching a potion to restore werewolves," Mr. Drakul said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I'm not aware of that," Albert replied calmly. "However, it's no easy task to turn a werewolf back into a fully human state. What you're describing is likely a suppressant of some sort, to make their transformations less dangerous."
"I suspected as much," Mr. Drakul nodded in agreement. "The condition is incurable, after all. But tell me, are you familiar with the wager between Hextor and Mr. di Grimani?"
"I recall that they had a rather amicable relationship," Albert said, his interest piqued.
"Hmm?"
"It's hard to imagine Mr. di Grimani agreeing to such a wager," Albert said, his skepticism evident. He knew the man in question had already attained great glory and held little interest in anything beyond potion-making.
"I don't know Mr. di Grimani very well," Mr. Drakul admitted, his curiosity about Albert growing.
"Perhaps Mr. di Grimani is looking to lend Hextor a helping hand," Albert speculated, "after all, another Merlin Order medal holds little value for him, whereas Hextor could certainly use the recognition."
(End of Chapter)
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