The string of standard matchmaking remarks echoed clearly through the quiet ice sculpture garden, causing the atmosphere to freeze for a moment.
Lucien's fingers unconsciously rubbed the cover of Instant Speech as he turned his head slightly.
This problem with unsynchronised audio and video, along with the severe delay, really needed to be fixed as soon as possible.
Clearly, his aunt had not yet "seen" Fleur or heard her greeting.
This lag is going to ruin me!
Perhaps he should design an alchemical device similar to headphones, or add some Charms with similar effects to Instant Speech...
"Ahem."
Lucien coughed lightly, scratched his cheek with his index finger, then removed the film camera hanging around his neck and handed it to Fleur as naturally as possible.
"Fleur, could I trouble you to take a few photos for me? The ice sculptures here are quite special."
Fleur blinked, pretending she had not heard the "family matter" just now, and quickly accepted the camera.
"Of course."
She skilfully adjusted the camera settings as she said,
"When I first came to Beauxbatons, I also loved taking photographs everywhere and sending them to my parents and my younger sister, Gabrielle. Gabrielle is very cute and really looks forward to attending Beauxbatons, but she's still too young. She has a few more years before she can start school."
"That's very sweet." Lucien stood beside an ice sculpture shaped like a rose and nodded in agreement. "Beauxbatons is beautiful. It's all worth preserving in photographs."
Taking advantage of the pauses between photographs, Fleur recalled Madame Maxime's request.
She hesitated for a moment, her red lips parting slightly before closing again.
Raising the camera towards Lucien and the ice sculpture, she asked as casually as she could,
"Lucien, what do you think... of Beauxbatons?"
"The environment is beautiful, the academic atmosphere is excellent, the students are very well-mannered, and each professor's classes have their own unique qualities," Lucien replied objectively.
Fleur's fingers lightly rubbed the cold metal casing of the camera.
The words that had been hovering on the tip of her tongue finally came out, her voice slightly softer than before.
"Then... would you like to stay at Beauxbatons a little longer? I'm sure Madame Maxime would be happy to arrange it, and..."
She paused.
The words, "and it's much safer here than Hogwarts," lingered in her throat, but in the end, she swallowed them back without saying them.
Lucien gave her an understanding but apologetic smile, his tone gentle yet firm.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Fleur. But I'm still more accustomed to life at Hogwarts."
More importantly, he needed to hurry back and handle the Valentine's Day preparations.
Since recently taking on the loan task for the Fire Elemental Magic Pattern, he had already begun making preparations related to Hogwarts, including questionnaires distributed around the school and the new products that The Seventh Workshop needed to launch at the same time.
In the end, it would be much easier to move everything forward once he returned to the familiar environment of Hogwarts.
Hearing Lucien's polite refusal, a trace of regret flickered in Fleur's beautiful azure eyes.
The task Madame Maxime had given her was proving difficult indeed.
Lowering her gaze, Fleur absent-mindedly rubbed the camera in her hands as a wave of self-doubt rose within her. Was it because she interacted too little with her classmates in daily life, making her too inexperienced when it came to communication? Had she been too direct just now? Should she have been subtler, gentler?
Unfortunately, Fleur truly had very few friends at Beauxbatons, and not many classmates she could talk to.
Since childhood, Fleur had long been used to being indulged by those around her.
Her outstanding beauty, rare Veela heritage, and top-tier academic performance meant she had never needed to accommodate anyone.
The halo that surrounded her had even made her take it for granted that she was special. She was accustomed to speaking her mind directly, never caring too much about what others thought.
But during these days spent with Lucien, she had felt an unprecedented sense of ease.
Lucien did not deliberately flatter or cater to her the way most of her peers did, and for the first time, Fleur did not feel the awkwardness or anxiety of having to search for topics to talk about.
Their conversations always flowed naturally, like a quiet spring in the afternoon.
As Fleur raised the camera to find an angle for Lucien and saw his natural, relaxed smile through the viewfinder, she suddenly remembered a sentence she had once read in a book.
"Someone who always makes you feel comfortable when you're together with them is likely the one accommodating you."
Accommodating.
Accommodating...
As she pressed the shutter, Fleur suddenly spoke, her tone slightly unnatural.
"Lucien, if possible, could you give me a copy of Instant Speech?"
Lucien pulled a brand-new copy of Instant Speech from his pocket and, as he handed it to her, asked casually with a smile,
"Are you curious about the alchemical principles behind Instant Speech?"
Fleur did not answer immediately. The faint silver glow in her hair seemed to brighten slightly as she looked directly into Lucien's dark green eyes, her voice clear and honest.
"I am curious. Well, as you said when introducing Instant Speech, it delivers messages of longing instantly." She paused, then added, "Yes, owls are still too slow."
Lucien's hand, holding the thin booklet, paused briefly in mid-air.
This girl... she really was quite direct.
A French habit, perhaps?
Thinking back to their discussions about magical theory and Alchemy over the past few days, Fleur had always spoken her thoughts directly, whether she agreed or disagreed, never beating around the bush.
While studying, Lucien had simply taken it as a sign that the girl was straightforward and serious about learning.
Whatever he thought, Lucien still handed the Instant Speech to Fleur, only adding casually, "You know, international communication still has a delay, especially with sound and images."
Fleur accepted the booklet, a bright smile blossoming on her face.
"But I believe you'll solve that problem very soon, won't you?"
Before Lucien could reply, she continued, "If possible, send me a new copy of Instant Speech once the improvements are finished, all right?" After thinking for a moment, Fleur added seriously, "I think that sometimes voices and images say more than text."
After saying that, she quickly raised the camera in her hand, a bright smile spreading across her face as if the previous exchange had been perfectly ordinary.
"By the way, would you like to take a photo together?"
Naturally, Lucien had no reason to refuse. He lightly drew his wand and gave it a small flick. The camera floated steadily in mid-air, its lens aimed at where the two of them stood.
Fleur walked to his side. In the brief silence as they waited for the shutter to click, she subconsciously glanced sideways at the boy's profile.
His skin does not have any flaws, and his eyelashes are so thick...
Click.
The soft sound of the shutter preserved that moment forever.
In the photograph, the boy and girl stood side by side before the translucent Ice Crystal Roses, while sunlight refracted through the ice sculptures and scattered tiny flecks of light across their hair and shoulders.
Through the power of magic, the photograph would perfectly preserve this scene.
________
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