The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

Lucian looked back on those days with a silent shake of his head.

"The Master only said, ‘Let it be!’"

The mistakes of his youth, he still had to bear in his old age. When he adopted Lorne and Bowie, he wondered if this could be considered a good deed, a way to atone for his mistakes. But in Horatio's eyes, these were all obsessions!

If back then he knew the repercussions would fall on his own child, perhaps he wouldn't have insisted on having his daughter Lavinia.

Bowie chuckled alongside. "Grandpa, if that's the case, don't dwell on it too much. I'll take care of Lorne's funeral arrangements. You're not in the best of health, so there's no need for you to attend. Let Elara and I handle it. After all, the Richardson legacy will eventually go to Elara."

Lucian stubbornly shook his head. "No, Bowie, you're my grandson too. What Elara has, you'll have as well. I won't favor one over the other! Having Elara back doesn’t mean I’ll stop seeing you as my own. I’ve treated both you and Lorne as my own for so many years."

Lorne's stubbornness led him astray!

"I understand."

"Elara, you and Bowie take care of it! You were raised by Marcel and Merrick. I trust you can handle it."

Elara thought for a moment. With Lucian putting it that way, it was clear he hoped Elara would return to the Richardson family, giving him some peace of mind. What mattered most to the old man now was his descendants.

"Alright, Grandpa, I understand."

Hearing her refer to him so naturally as Grandpa, Lucian's eyes welled up with tears. After patting Elara and Bowie's hands, he left the hospital.

Bowie politely asked, "Elara, have you eaten yet? I haven't had a chance to grab a bite since my flight. Would you mind joining me for a quick meal? I've brought some documents over, so you won't be bored. If you don't trust me because of what Lorne did, you can just look over the documents. We can act like family in front of Grandpa and Aunt, and strangers otherwise."

Bowie's tactful manner was a stark contrast to Lorne's personality. No wonder the Richardson’s family business was entrusted to him. Compared to Lorne, Bowie had a comforting presence, like a breath of fresh spring air.

With him lowering his stance so much, Elara found it hard to refuse.

"Sure. There's a nice diner nearby, owned by the Schnabel family. Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

...

At the Imperial University, Noella walked into the classroom with her backpack, finding a seat in the back row of the large amphitheater.

Absentmindedly, she rubbed the USB drive Palmer had given her. She was supposed to check it as soon as she got home, but then there was the whole ordeal with Lavinia, plus helping out with some late-night errands for Polaris Star and Horatio. She hadn't had a chance to see what was on it yet.

The USB felt like it still carried Palmer's warmth, bringing a smile to Noella's face.

A new person took the seat beside her. Malvina, wearing a preppy plaid skirt and hiding her face behind a book, sat next to Noella.

Malvina's expression was one of utter distress. Upon seeing Noella, she looked like she was on the verge of tears!

Noella raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "Malvina? What brings you here? Did you suddenly decide to relive your college days?"

"I checked your class schedule and knew you'd be here. Relive college days? As if! I finally graduated and there's no way I'm going back to school. Noella, darling, your brother Ulrich...”

“Hmm?”

Malvina paused for a moment, looking for the right words.

“Has he lost his mind?”

“What did he do?”

Malvina rested her chin in her hands, lamenting, “I was at the hospital getting some gang members patched up, and he came up asking why we didn't go to his hospital. Those guys were barely hanging on; we obviously would go for the closest help available! Then he asked why I hadn’t confessed to him yet!

Do you think he’s sick? Or is it that all doctors are a bit off? Not you, darling, I just think... your brother might be suffering from delusions.” Malvina's earnest and somewhat scared expression, her eyes shining as she solemnly recounted Ulrich's misdeeds to Noella.

Noella almost burst out laughing.

“What else did he do?”

“He said his EQ was 180, claiming he could tell I liked him and wanted to know when I’d confess, so he could consider whether to accept.” Malvina was expressionless, but on the verge of tears.

Noella struggled to contain her laughter, asking patiently, “And what did you say?” Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

“I told him his EQ wasn’t 180; it must be 80 at most.”

Noella was surprised at how boldly Ulrich acted, straightforwardly pursuing what he wanted, a true hallmark of the Schnabel family.

“So, what do you think of Ulrich?”

Malvina shuddered. “He’s nice, handsome, and successful. I heard from the nurses that he dedicates a week each year just to turn down friend requests from doctors, nurses, patients, and pharmaceutical reps. He must be quite popular!”

But his EQ was a whole other story.

In the final row, there were only Malvina and Noella, with several rows ahead also unoccupied. Upon entering, students hesitated upon seeing Noella seated at the back, before proceeding to the front rows with their books, leaving an unusually vacant space around her and Malvina.

Noticing this, Noella flipped open her textbook and quietly asked, “Oh, what about you? Do you like him?”

Malvina looked even more troubled. “I do, but I’m scared he’s not right in the head.”

Noella tried to stifle her laughter, finding it harder to stop. She wondered how Ulrich would feel if he knew what Malvina thought of him!

"Sweetie, don't laugh. Dr. Schnabel's problem is that he's too perfect. He's had it all too easy in life. He might find my life utterly dull if he really got to know me. Right now, he's charmed, probably because he's never encountered a hot mess like me before. But once he comes to his senses, who'll want me then?"

Malvina just didn't want to be left behind. All her life, nobody had ever firmly chosen her.

"The day I was born, my mom died. My granddad always blamed me, said it was my fault, that I was a curse that killed my mom. And my biological dad? Total deadbeat. They never loved me. I feel like nobody in this world loves me, and that makes me scared... scared to just love anyone.

Anyways, does Dr. Schnabel really like me? Or is he just mocking me?"

Noella glanced at Malvina beside her. Traces of bandages still adorned her, and the burns on her legs hadn't healed properly. The ointment Noella developed would need her skin to recover a bit more before it could be applied. Despite this, her face still shone brightly, her eyes like marbles, yet they held a hint of vacancy and disillusionment.

Noella forwarded everything Malvina had said to Ulrich without changing a word, adding a line of her own.

[Ulrich, looks like you are going to lose your girl!]