Chapter 118: The Matching Banquet Begins
Sophie Wexler stared at the pile of things, a headache brewing. It was clear they had all been chosen with care, and some were even handmade. It would be too heartless to just throw them away.
Just as she was wrestling with what to do, a voice called out, "Miss Wexler, I didn’t expect to run into you here. You’re one of the Healer-class participating in this matching, aren’t you?"
Sophie Wexler turned around, a little surprised to see who it was. "Your name is Shane..."
"Shane Thorne." The man gave a gentle smile, seemingly unbothered that Sophie hadn’t remembered his name, and repeated it for her.
"Sorry, I’m not very good with names."
"It’s fine," Shane Thorne said warmly.
"What... are you doing here?" Sophie Wexler asked, a little confused.
This was the residence the Empire had specifically arranged for the Healer-class this time. His presence here meant...
Shane Thorne chuckled and pointed to a building not far away. "I live over there. I just finished work and came out for a walk. I didn’t expect to run into you."
Sophie Wexler glanced in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, besides their own residences, there were other buildings nearby.
"It looks like you’ve run into a bit of trouble." Shane Thorne’s gaze swept over the pile of gifts next to her. "From a stalker?"
"No," Sophie Wexler denied. She couldn’t use a word like that to describe them.
At her words, an almost imperceptible darkness flashed in Shane Thorne’s eyes before quickly vanishing. "Then it seems I misunderstood."
He then added, "I just saw that you didn’t seem to know what to do with all these things. How about I help you..."
Before he could finish, Sophie Wexler’s communicator rang. She glanced at the name.
Sophie Wexler looked up at Shane Thorne. "Excuse me, one moment."
With that, she answered the call from Cillian Forrest. It was a voice call.
"What’s up?" Sophie Wexler asked.
"I heard you received a pile of gifts?" the man’s voice came from the other end.
Just as Sophie Wexler was wondering how he knew, Cillian Forrest preemptively explained, "Leo Fane told me."
"Sorry, I know this is your private business..."
Sophie Wexler: "Oh, it’s fine."
She figured it must have been Leo Fane who told him, since the two of them knew each other.
"In that case, would you like me to hold on to them for you for now? I can figure out how to return them after the matching is over," Cillian Forrest proposed.
Sophie Wexler’s eyes lit up. That would be perfect. Although she didn’t know any of these people and couldn’t return the gifts herself, Cillian Forrest probably did.
She couldn’t just throw the items away, so returning them was the best option. Sophie Wexler agreed at once. "Okay."
"I’ll have someone come pick them up later, then?"
Sophie Wexler: "Okay."
Standing to the side, Shane Thorne watched the smile on Sophie Wexler’s face. His eyes darkened, and the gentle look in them was replaced by an indescribable expression that was, in a word, unsettling.
But the moment Sophie Wexler hung up and turned back to him, his expression immediately reverted to its previous warmth.
"About these things, should I help you..."
Sophie Wexler smiled and declined. "No, thank you."
With Cillian Forrest handling it, these were no longer her problem.
The smile on Shane Thorne’s lips froze. "Alright."
"Well, Miss Wexler, are you free? I was wondering if I could invite you for a walk. I recently acquired a new music score."
Sophie Wexler: "No, thank you. I have something to do."
Shane Thorne’s expression stiffened before he forced a smile. "Alright, then. You go ahead and take care of your business."
Sophie Wexler nodded, said goodbye, then gave a few instructions to the person receiving the gifts before heading back.
After Sophie Wexler left, the expression on Shane Thorne’s face turned completely cold, a stark contrast to the smiling man from just moments before.
He watched Sophie Wexler’s departing figure, his eyes darkening. ’I have to be matched with this Healer-class. I must!’
Sophie Wexler was completely unaware of his thoughts. With the matching approaching, she hadn’t gone out much recently.
Cillian Forrest had someone pick up the gifts, to be returned after the matching banquet.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the day of the matching banquet finally arrived.
The banquet was also split into two venues, divided according to the Level test from a short while ago: C-class and above, and D-class and below.
The venue was enormous, allowing plenty of space for the Healer-class and candidates to move around.
Before entering the banquet, The Healer-class Association distributed a wristband to every attendee.
It contained their personal information and a list of potential matches.
The Healer-class’s wristbands contained more information, as they had access to the profiles of every candidate.
During the banquet, they were free to move about and converse.
Within moments, the venue was already crowded. Evan Adler had also arrived early.
He did a lap of the hall after entering, but there were so many people that he had no idea where Miss Wexler was.
There was another rule for the matching banquet: not all candidates could meet the Healer-class members.
Their wristbands had a "request" option. Only after they sent a request and received the Healer-class member’s approval would the location tracking for both parties be activated.
Of course, if fate allowed, it was also possible for them to run into each other by chance.
Any interaction at that point would depend on the willingness of both parties.
Evan Adler scanned the crowd but didn’t see any sign of Sophie Wexler.
Although Sophie Wexler’s photo had not been made public, for people like them, that wasn’t an issue.
After another lap, Evan Adler confirmed she wasn’t in sight, so he opened his wristband, sent a message and a request, and then settled down to wait quietly.
If fate was on his side, perhaps he might still run into Miss Wexler.
Several others did the same as Evan Adler.
After searching the room, they even began to suspect that Sophie Wexler was late. Otherwise, why hadn’t any of them seen her?
But that wasn’t the case. Sophie Wexler had arrived early, slipping in with a large crowd to avoid drawing too much attention.
After entering, she found a secluded spot and settled in.
She had also grabbed a pile of snacks and was eating while watching the mingling crowds in the distance.
Suddenly, her fine brows furrowed as she looked down at the pastry she had just taken a bite of.
"This is disgusting."
It was proof that the food in the Galaxy was a real crapshoot. Some of it was delicious, some was bad, and some was just plain awful.
Sophie Wexler gave up and put the food down, instead beginning to observe the people at the banquet with great interest.
Almost everyone was talking. Every Healer-class member was surrounded by candidates; after all, you couldn’t find many people in the entire Empire who were as unwilling to be matched as she was.
She even saw Rosalind Rhodes, who was surrounded by several people. Oh, and Howard Sharp was also nearby, walking back and forth.
’The original novel’s male and female leads definitely ended up matched. That goes without saying.’
She wanted no part of their story, so she got up and found another corner, even farther away.
Once she was sure very few people would see her there, she sat down lazily.
First, she politely declined the request messages that had come through on her wristband.
Then she took out her communicator and began tapping away.
A second later, a message notification chimed somewhere on the floor above.
Cillian Forrest looked down at his communicator: [Sophie Wexler: Can I slip out around the halfway point?]
After reading the message, his gaze returned to a certain corner below, where the woman was lounging on a sofa, fiddling with something.
Seeing this, Ethan Cross, who was standing beside him, opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Marshal, are you really not going to match with Miss Wexler?"