Benson?.... Melissa? Wha—
"Klein, that actor was really good!"
"Huh? Ah, yes, he's good..." Klein's thoughts had been interrupted by Audrey's comment.
The play continued, but Klein's mind was still focused on his siblings. He was using the persona of Klein Moretti, and meeting someone who knew Klein Moretti would be troublesome—especially if his siblings saw him!
I could make an illusion around us like last time... but Earl Hall's Beyonders are keeping a close watch. It would cast more suspicion on me if Audrey and I suddenly turned invisible. I also can't switch my appearance for the same reason...
I guess I'll just pray to the Goddess that Benson and Melissa don't see us...
"Thank you everyone for coming!"
The play came to an end, and the crowd began to clap.
"That was wonderful!" Audrey said. "Ah, Klein, let's leave now before the exit gets too crowded."
"Is something the matter?"
"It's just that the reservation I made is coming up, and it's a little far from here. I don't want us to be late." She grabbed his hand and led him out of their private box and towards the exit of the opera hall.
Klein's heart pounded in his chest. No, no, not this way!
His bird's-eye view from the crimson star in Sefirah Castle let him see the whole situation. This exit was not good!
They joined the river of people flowing into the main hall. Klein tried to keep his head down, hoping to disappear into the crowd. But for a single, terrible moment, the people in front of them parted.
Across the crowd, a young woman with familiar dark hair and brown eyes suddenly froze. Her eyes went wide as they locked with his.
It was Melissa.
She saw the face of her brother. Her dead brother. He looked healthy, wearing fine clothes, with a beautiful blonde lady holding his hand.
It was just for a second.
Then the crowd shifted again, and he was gone.
"Melissa? What is it?" Benson asked, seeing his sister stop suddenly.
She blinked, staring at the spot where the man had been. There was no one there now but strangers.
"It's... nothing," she whispered, shaking her head. "I thought I saw someone I knew."
"...Melissa? Why are you crying?"
"Huh?"
She touched her cheek, and her fingertips came back damp with tears she hadn't even realized she was shedding. The impossible image of her brother, smiling and alive, flashed in her mind again, and a fresh wave of grief washed over her.
Her brother looked healthy, and also had a gorgeous young woman next to him. Perhaps it was a lover. Melissa thought this was her mind playing tricks on her. He's... He... Klein is dead... He can't... Right?
Her eyes became blurry, and she began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Melissa?! What happened?!" Benson was shocked by her sudden crying. "L-lets get you to the carriage," he said as he led her by the shoulder.
Seeing her dead brother was definitely an illusion of sorts. Right? She thought so, too. Melissa interpreted it as her mind showing her the possibility of an alternate future. A future where her brother was still alive. A future where he was a healthy man and had a beautiful partner.
A sudden flash of images created by her imagination hit her mind. What would've Klein's wedding looked like? And his wife?
More scenes flashed through her mind.
She imagined Klein and his wife visiting her and Benson. Klein would be carrying his child, and he would pass it to Melissa for her to carry. It was a cute baby.
In another scene, she saw herself alongside Benson and Klein. They were much older, but still hung out as siblings. They would go to their favorite pastry shop, arguing over who would get the last slice of Desi pie. She could almost hear Klein's laugh as he told them not to worry, that he would just buy the whole shop for them.
The beautiful dream was shattered when she felt Benson's hand gently squeeze her shoulder. "Melissa, we're here. The carriage is waiting."
She blinked, the happy images fading away, leaving behind only the cold night and a throbbing pain in her heart of what could never be.
"Klein? Are you alright?" Audrey pulled out a small handkerchief and cleaned Klein's tears. "I also thought the play was very emotional. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who cried a little bit at the end," she said with a small smile on her face.
Crying? I was... crying?
"Yes, it was a very emotional ending," he said as he looked out of the window of the carriage.
Seeing his siblings unknowingly made his eyes teary, and now he felt a gaping hole in his heart slowly forming. It was old wounds reopening.
He wished so much to be able to go see Benson and Melissa once again. He wished he could appear before them and give them the tightest hug ever. He wished he could proudly introduce Audrey to them. To let them attend his wedding, to see his children, to grow old alongside them.
Thinking about this made his chest tighten.
Audrey, who was sitting next to him, kept her eyes on Klein the entire time.
The ending of the play wasn't emotional at all, Klein...
She thought of all the possibilities that could've caused Klein to be like this. She recalled everything they saw and heard.
That's when two people popped into her mind. Melissa Moretti. A prodigy student at the Backlund University of Technology and Industry, which Audrey visited fairly recently. She also knew that the man next to Melissa was her brother and guardian.
Melissa Moretti... Moretti? Klein... were they your...
"My Lady, we have arrived," the carriage driver announced.
Audrey cleared her throat and said, "Y-yes, thank you." She then led Klein outside the carriage.
Hm? She noticed that Klein was no longer crying—in fact, he was smiling just as brightly as he did every other day.
"Alright, Audrey. What did you book for us today?"
Wasn't Klein crying just minutes ago? Did I misread the situation? Did he actually not see his siblings?
"You'll see," she said, squeezing his hand as she led him out of the carriage.
What Audrey didn't see was that Klein was using his Clown powers to deceive her. He wanted to cry so badly right now, but that would've spoiled the mood of the date.
He held his feelings behind a fake, warm smile.
Seeing his siblings hurt him, but it also changed something inside of him. His siblings would've wished happiness for their brother, and Klein was going to do just that. He vowed to live life to the fullest and become just as happy as his siblings wished for him to be.
For the family he had lost, he would protect the woman in front of him that he refused to lose.
Notes:This is the place where she made the reservation? But yesterday she said it was a 'high-end restaurant'... Klein looked around and noticed that they were not in West Borough or Empress Borough, but rather in the outskirts of East Borough—the most crowded and poor area in Backlund.
Klein and Audrey then entered a small establishment. It was dirty, dusty, and the air smelled like manure. It was a shop that sold farming and mining gear.
Audrey walked up to the counter and said, "Good evening, I'd like a glass of your finest South Bank Red."
The shop owner barely looked up. "The red is only for those who've seen the sun rise over the Sonia Sea."
What is going on?
Audrey kept on smiling. "And only when the crimson moon is at its fullest."
The shop owner's expression changed. He stood up straight and gave a slight, respectful bow.
"Of course, My Lady. Right this way."
What? What was that exchange?
The shop owner walked over to a large, dusty shelf filled with pickaxes and shovels and pulled on a hidden lever. With a low rumble, the entire wall of tools slid to the side, revealing a dark passage.
The man gestured for them to walk in.
The moment they stepped through, the world changed. The rich aroma of roasted meat and fine wine replaced the smell of manure. The dim, dusty lights of the shop turned into soft, warm, and elegant gas lamps.
They were standing in a luxurious, secret restaurant with polished dark-wood tables, velvet chairs, and a quiet pianist playing in the corner.
It was a hidden world for the city's elite, tucked away behind the most unlikely of doors. A secret space that was invitation-only and required a password to access. A restaurant so elite that only fifty people knew about its existence.
Klein and Audrey were quickly seated, and the waiter took their order.
"This place..."
"Interesting, right?" Audrey began, "It's a sort of 'paradise' for a very specific group of nobles—the most elite of the elite. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they have whatever dish you ask for, no matter how exotic. The only way they can procure all these ingredients so quickly must be thanks to Beyonders, but that's beside the point. Tonight I wanted to treat you to something you can't find anywhere else."
"And what would that be?" Klein asked, intrigued.
"High-quality alcohol, of course!" she said. "This place serves the best wine in the North Continent. It'll help you take your mind off my father's Beyonder investigators."
Klein was stunned into silence for a moment. Heh, so you also knew we were being followed by Beyonders...
"You noticed my little fan club, then?" he asked, his voice had a hint of amusement. "I was beginning to think they were just admiring my new suit."
Audrey let out a soft giggle, "Your suit is very handsome, but their observation skills were rather clumsy. I noticed them before we even entered the first shop."
She bowed slightly, her expression turning sincere. "I'm sorry, Klein. It's my fault you're being followed. I knew my father would send people, so that's why I brought you here. A place they can't enter, with wine that can make even an angel forget his troubles for a little while."
Just then, a waiter arrived with a bottle of deep red wine and began to pour it into two glasses.
Klein picked up his glass, the rich aroma of the aged wine filling his senses. He looked at Audrey over the rim and smiled softly.
Sigh... Who knew she would end up like this?
In front of Klein was a completely drunk Audrey.
Her head was propped up on one hand, but it kept threatening to slip. Her cheeks were colored bright pink, and her eyes were unfocused. A silly smile was plastered on her face.
A Sequence 4 Demigod taken down by some fermented grapes... Klein thought with amusement.
"Audrey?" he said softly. "Are you still with me?"
She slowly lifted her head, blinking at him as if trying to remember who he was.
"Kleeein..." she slurred, her voice a happy mumble. "You're... you're very handsome. Did you know that? My Spectator powers tell me... you're very handsome."
"Thank you," he replied.
He knew he had to get her home. Leaving her like this was not an option.
After paying the painfully expensive bill, Klein gently helped her stand up. She leaned heavily against him, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Ha ha, the room is spinning~" she chuckled.
"I know. Just hold on to me," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
The waiter who attended them spared them a look but said nothing. This must be a common occurrence for him.
Klein guided her through an exit that led to an alley outside.
He once again looked through the crimson star representing Miss Justice and verified that no Beyonders sent by Earl Hall were outside.
"Alright," he whispered into her ear. "Time to go home."
"Home..." she mumbled happily, snuggling closer against his chest. "Okay..."
The world around them dissolved into a variety of colors, and the alley became empty.
Two figures manifested in a luxurious room—Audrey's room.
"Ah! My bed, yes~" The drunk Audrey stumbled away from Klein and jumped straight onto her bed.
"Audrey, you should change into something more comfortable before you fall asleep," Klein advised.
"Change... clothes?" She slowly looked down at her dark blue dress. "You're so right, Klein~"
She began to take off her clothes right in front of him.
Klein's mind went completely blank for a second before pure panic set in.
"Wait, Audrey, what are you doing?!" he yelped, immediately turning around to face the wall.
He heard a confused mumble from behind him. "Hm? But you said... to change... These buttons are... tricky..." Her delicate hands fumbled around the buttons on her dress.
Don't turn around. Do not turn around. Do not turn around! Klein repeated in his head.
He could hear the soft rustle of fabric, followed by a frustrated sigh.
"I can't... reach the back..." she whined sleepily.
Klein squeezed his eyes shut. "Audrey, is your nightgown nearby?"
"Mmm-hmm... on the... other side of the bed..."
"Can you get it?"
"Don't wanna! It's too far!"
"..."
"Klein! Help me~! It's the... zipper on the back!"
Klein let out a shaky breath. There was no escape. "Alright," he said. "I'm turning around. But I'm only looking at the zipper. Only the zipper."
"Okay!"
He turned slowly. Audrey was sitting on her bed with her back to him, her golden hair spilling over her shoulders. He fixed his gaze on the small zipper, ignoring everything else.
His hands trembled as he reached out and took hold of it. He pulled it down in one quick, smooth motion.
"There," he said, "now you can—"
Her dress suddenly slipped from her shoulders, revealing her bare back.
"!!!" Klein was taken aback by the view.
Audrey, for some reason, became slightly sober in this exact moment, and her face flushed bright red.
"Kyaa!!!"
She shrieked and scrambled to pull the dress back up. In her panicked and clumsy state, she lost her balance on the soft mattress. Her arm shot out instinctively to grab onto something, anything, to stop her fall. Her fingers found Klein's sleeve and clamped down with surprising strength.
"Whoa—!"
Klein was pulled off balance, tumbling forward with her onto the massive bed.
He landed on top of her, their faces extremely close.
Klein's own face was burning. He pushed himself up slightly, trying to give her space without looking.
Audrey pulled on his shirt, bringing him closer once again. "Did you... Did you see anything?" she asked shyly. Her eyes were averted, and her face was flushed bright pink.
"I..."
"So you did..."
"...Sorry."
Audrey wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, their lips almost touching. "Do you... Want to see more?"
This is the alcohol talking, Klein! Don't give in! His mind screamed. Don't lose yourself like last time, Klein!
Her breath was warm on his lips, smelling faintly of sweet wine. For a split second, every rational thought threatened to burn away.
Pure thoughts!
"Audrey," he whispered. "Listen to me. You're drunk."
"I don't... care..." she mumbled. She leaned in and kissed his lips.
Klein was taken aback for a moment, but then pulled away and firmly said, "But I care." He looked directly into her hazy eyes, "I want you, Audrey. More than you can imagine. I want to hold you, I want to kiss you, but not like this."
"You're no fun," she whispered, her voice sounding slightly disappointed. "Then at least... sleep next to me... please?" She looked at Klein with puppy eyes. Who could refuse such an expression?
You're really bad for my heart...
"Okay," he replied.
"Yay!"
With a happy little cheer, Audrey grabbed his hand and pulled him down.
Klein fell right next to her. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, his heart pounding fast. She immediately rolled over and cuddled close, resting her head on his chest as if he were a pillow.
"Warm..." she mumbled. A moment later, she was fast asleep.
Klein didn't move at all. He was in Audrey's bed, and she was asleep on top of him. He didn't know what to do. He looked at her peaceful face, and a small, helpless smile appeared on his lips.
Outside, a black raven landed on a tree branch near the balcony.
It tilted its head, its dark eyes looking too smart for a normal bird. It stared into the bedroom. The red moonlight shone on something over its right eye.
It was a small, crystal monocle.
The raven just watched the two people in the bed, a silent observer in the quiet night.
Notes: