The girl's voice was quiet, and her expression was extremely shy. She crumpled the edges of her tattered robe in her hands and said:
- My lord, forgive me, I...
"Cheer up, miss, I don't bite," Richie gave the girl an encouraging smile. "Introduce yourself first."
"Chelsea Chester, my lord," the girl muttered and even made a semblance of a curtsy.
Chelsea's exaggeratedly polite manner toward the Earl, much like calling a lieutenant "Captain" as a compliment, earned Richard's approval. He decided to check on Miss Chester later; she looked too much like a humble orphan. He needed people like that. Granger, for example, was already demonstrating the qualities of a strict leader. But not everyone could be the Lord's deputy; he needed other close personnel as well. For example, a secretary who would be loyal to the Lord and not run off and give up all her insecurities to competitors. And if she were a sorceress, it would be a triple benefit: she'd be a last resort guard, and she'd be able to slip a potion into a business partner's drink to make them more accommodating.
Overall, Richard drew several conclusions. One was that Chester was highly likely ignored by her classmates and was a very lonely girl. The second was that Miss Chelsea was desperately in need of money, which had driven her to come up with something to propose to the lord. All of this stemmed from the fact that, unlike the others, she acted alone, not as part of a team. Her appearance, demeanor, and the looks of those around her also spoke volumes.
Plucking up her courage, Chelsea continued:
"My lord, I don't know how you'll like this, but I've come up with several ways to use graphene.
"I'm listening to you carefully, Miss Chester," Richard encouraged the girl.
"I think graphene film could be used to strengthen various materials," Chelsea said quietly. "I've made a few crafts, if you don't mind..."
"I'd be delighted to see them, Miss Chester," said Richard.
Chelsea, with trembling hands, began to quickly take out various objects from the deep pockets of her robe: scraps of fabric, pieces of glass, wire, a copper plate.
The students moved closer, narrowing the circle, trying to get a better look at the objects in Chelsea's hands.
Richard took the trouble to rise from his chair and approach the shy girl. He stared with undisguised curiosity at what looked like trash.
Chelsea's hands began to tremble even more violently at the Lord's proximity. She held her breath and froze like a pillar of salt.
"Miss Chester, don't worry," Richard tried to reassure the girl in a calm tone. "Tell me, what are these objects?"
"M-m-my lord," Chelsea began to stutter. "I-I'm sorry, I'm nervous."
"It's okay, everyone's worried," Richard said warmly. "Still, I'm very interested to know what you've prepared."
"This," Chelsea held up a piece of colorful fabric, "I reinforced it by gluing graphene film to one side. After that, the fabric became incredibly strong."
- Amazing.
Richard picked up a piece of fabric and tried to tear it, but to no avail. He then took a penknife from his pocket and tried to pierce the fabric. This attempt proved more successful.
"An excellent result," he smiled dazzlingly. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Chelsea nodded hesitantly, handing the boy a copper plate. "This plate is made of thin layers of copper and graphene sheets, which I bonded together using a permanent bonding charm. The metal's strength is a hundred times greater!"
"Graphene composite," Richard noted with satisfaction. "If you add chromium plates, the strength will increase even more. I'm glad you came up with this technology. Anything else?"
"Yes, my lord," Chelsea said, her voice even quieter. "Here, the mirror... It became much stronger after I glued several layers of graphene film to it."
"That's all wonderful, Miss Chelsea," Richard praised the girl. "You've definitely earned a bonus. Miss Chelsea, come see me next weekend with a full report on the properties of various materials you've tested in combination with graphene, and you'll receive your reward."
Richard noticed that some of the students were looking at Chelsea with a certain unkindness, a kind of animalistic malice and envy. Others, on the contrary, looked at her as if she were a fool who had been pitied by rich Richie. He felt so sorry for her that he was even embarrassed to announce the prize money out loud, as he did for the other contestants.
To defuse the situation, Richard said loudly:
- Professor Flitwick, do you have anything to say?
Filius Flitwick, unnoticed by most students, suddenly stepped into the center of the room, clapping his hands loudly. In the sudden silence that followed, he said joyfully, loudly:
- Bravo! Bravo! Fifty points to Ravenclaw and fifty points to Hufflepuff for their significant investment in magical scholarship. And now, everyone, please leave!
"Goodbye, ladies and gentlemen," Richard said goodbye and headed towards the exit of the hostel.
People reluctantly began to disperse to their bedrooms or leave the living room through the main door.
***
Richard spent the following Sunday meeting with the Ravenclaw research team leaders. An abandoned classroom on the fourth floor was chosen for the meeting, quickly restored to a presentable state with the help of charms and transfiguration. The last visitor of the day was Chelsea Chester.
"Hello, My Lord," she said shyly, trying to curtsy again.
- Good afternoon, Miss Chester. Please have a seat.