Chapter 711: Pen Pals
Chapter 711: Pen Pals
"What were the three of you chatting about in the room?"
Albert, walking alongside Isabelle on the dimly lit path, took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
"Are you curious?" Isabelle inquired.
"Is it about beauty potions?" Albert hazarded a guess, thinking he knew the reason.
It was indeed extraordinary to imagine three beautiful women calmly chatting together.
Women! They were always so concerned about their appearance.
"We plan to research beauty potions together. Every woman wants to preserve her youth, and if we succeed, the profits will undoubtedly be astonishing." Isabelle glanced at Albert and asked, "Don't you want the same?"
Albert remained silent.
"By the way, I took the liberty of including you without your consent. I hope you're not angry with me for that."
"To be honest, I doubt if there truly exists a potion that can permanently preserve one's appearance in this world." Albert responded ambiguously.
"But there's the Elixir of Life that grants immortality. Why couldn't there be a potion for eternal youth?" Isabelle rebutted.
"That's a fair point."
Indeed! If Nicolas Flamel could create a magical elixir for immortality, why not a potion for eternal beauty? With the effects of his skill panel, Albert even speculated that it might be possible to invent a potion for eternal youth and beauty, but he wondered how much effort and experience would be required to fill this bottomless pit.
"Valeria thinks so too," Isabelle said.
"Valeria?"
"Yes, Codstodriz's student. Don't tell me you've forgotten about her." Isabelle moved closer to Albert, resting her head on his shoulder and whispering, "She seems quite curious about you."
"Curious?" Albert's expression turned peculiar. "Didn't you tell her that you're my girlfriend?"
"What does my being your girlfriend have to do with Valeria's curiosity about you?" Isabelle's voice was soft and playful, like a cat toying with Albert's emotions.
"Isn't interest in someone the beginning of falling in love?" Albert narrowed his eyes slightly, examining Isabelle's attire.
"Pfft!"
Isabelle couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Are you saying that you're falling for me?"
"Well, you do make a good point. Do you want me to introduce you to Valeria?" Isabelle's eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Let's forget it. Messing with too many pretty girls will bring bad karma. No girl likes a boyfriend who's a flirt. Maybe the French girls are an exception." Albert remained calm.
"The French are indeed more open-minded about mistresses; it's a part of their culture and quite popular. So, do you plan to make Miss Louise your mistress? Miss Catherine also seems to have a soft spot for you." Isabelle fixed her gaze on Albert, her curiosity evident.
"No, you're overthinking things. Let's head back." Albert studied the girl in front of him, feeling that Isabelle was acting a bit strange.
"By the way, when did you two switch identities?"
"What?"
"The compound potion."
"How did you find out?" Catherine was surprisingly unfazed by the revelation of her true identity.
"Isabelle wouldn't joke about something like having a mistress. Besides, your Occlumency isn't as strong as hers. Does she know about this?" Albert asked.
"No, I'm with Valeria right now." The girl admitted that she was Catherine.
"I figured as much. She probably wouldn't agree to something like this."
"You still haven't answered when you realized I wasn't Isabelle." Catherine pressed further, feeling that she hadn't made any obvious mistakes, yet Albert had discovered the truth in just a few minutes, perhaps even from the very beginning.
"Your clothes, the way you speak, and your habits—they all felt a bit off. And it's unusual for you to carry a compound potion with you." Albert glanced at the fake girlfriend by his side.
"Are you mad?"
"No," Catherine pouted. "Isabelle said that you two are already engaged. She even said that she'll invite us to your wedding."
"Remember to keep it confidential," Albert replied without denying it. He didn't think Catherine's weak Occlumency would be able to hide the truth from a Legilimens like Isabelle.
After all, the two of them had come to know each other well, and Catherine obviously couldn't deceive him, so Isabelle didn't bother pursuing the matter further.
Upon returning to the bar and entering Isabelle's room, Albert's suspicions were confirmed.
Isabelle, seeing herself walk into the room with Albert, didn't seem surprised at all and merely glanced at them indifferently.
"When did you figure it out?" Catherine asked curiously, showing no signs of embarrassment at being found out.
"I saw you secretly taking a strand of hair from my pillow, and I guessed the reason," Isabelle said nonchalantly to her doppelganger. "You still don't know Albert well enough. He's the type to disguise the truth as a joke, and he's not easily deceived, especially since we're so close. In his eyes, you're probably full of loopholes, and he can see right through you."
"I suddenly feel like such a fool," Catherine huffed, sitting in an armchair and sulking.
"You shouldn't have done this in the first place," Valeria said to Catherine. "No one would like that."
"And yet you agreed to help me," Catherine glared at the girl who was speaking ill of her.
"Your English is good," Albert remarked, observing the Russian teenager. Her English was very standard, which must have taken a lot of hard work.
"Because I have a pen pal from Britain," Valeria smiled at Isabelle.
"You're pen pals?" Albert seemed to realize something.
"You have a bunch of pen pals yourself. How can I not have one or two?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow.
"No, I'm just surprised that you also understand Russian," Albert clarified.
"I don't. We've always communicated in English," Isabelle shook her head.
"Isabelle is really good at disguising herself," Valeria complained. "I always thought she was a guy, or rather, I thought she was you. You don't know how happy I was to see you, but then... she turned out to be a girl. No wonder Isabelle only uses the surname McDougall; I should've guessed it earlier."
"So, at that time, you were actually trying to figure out if I was your pen pal?" Albert realized something, no wonder Valeria had been so generous, and the three of them had gotten along so peacefully. Now, it seemed like the previous weird feeling had disappeared.
"Yes!" Valeria nodded. "But your progress seems faster than I expected. By the way, I'm also pen pals with Catherine. I just didn't expect that you two would know each other and be so close."
"What is this, a pen pal reunion?"
"No, I think your relationship might be more than just pen pals."
Valeria's gaze shifted between Albert and Catherine, feeling that these two had some sort of unspoken understanding.
"I'm Catherine's partner," Albert said, directing his words at Isabelle, who probably wouldn't have difficulty guessing what he meant.
"Will you help us?" Valeria asked. She had learned from the two of them that Albert was a genius in the field of potion-making.
"I can provide assistance, but don't rely on me too much." Albert asked with a smile. "However, I'm curious, what was your reaction when you found out your pen pal was a beautiful girl?"
"A little disappointed," Valeria pouted. "I lost an excellent potential boyfriend, and I never expected her to bring her boyfriend to the Potion-Making Championship."
To be honest, Valeria felt quite unbalanced inside.
Isabelle had not only deceived her but also force-fed her dog food, causing her to almost lose her composure on the spot. That was why she had agreed to Catherine's farce.
(End of Chapter)
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