Unexpected (3)
Unexpected (3)
Vrrr—
The faint vibration from beside her head made Claire's eyelids flutter.
"Mm......."
With a drowsy hum she would never normally let slip, Claire's eyes opened.
"......."
"......."
Waking in the arms of the one person she could truly rely on, she hesitated for a moment. Then, very quietly, she pressed her ear to Baek Woo-jin's broad chest.
Thump— thump—
Listening to his heartbeat alongside his steady warmth, her face flushed.
Vrrr—
The smartwatch vibrated again. Claire carefully reached out and picked it up.
[ Maria: Executor, would it be all right if I went shopping at the department store with Ha-na? ]
[ Maria: We're still eating breakfast, so no rush on the reply!! ]
Claire read the messages and considered.
Letting the children go out on their own posed too many risks. A guardian needed to accompany them. That was precisely why she had followed him here, and why she had been keeping her distance from the one she loved all this time.
But deciding meant waking him for his opinion, when he had finally been able to sleep for the first time in days.
'I have to wake the professor.......'
The old Claire would have hesitated briefly but ultimately chosen to wake him. Now, she couldn't.
Unless circumstances forced her hand, he never slept except when they lay together in bed. She refused to disturb the deep rest he so rarely got.
"Claire."
"......?!"
Still holding the smartwatch and listening to his chest, Claire flinched at the sudden sound of his voice.
As she froze, his voice continued against her ear.
"You can give them permission."
Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.
The smartwatch's tiny keyboard moved on its own, sending the reply for her. Then the device drifted gently out of her hand and floated back to the bedside table.
Shff.
"Woo-jin......?"
Claire turned slightly and carefully murmured his name as his arms tightened around her waist.
Baek Woo-jin pressed his lips to the top of her head and mumbled softly.
"We'll go out in the afternoon. Just stay like this a little longer."
"......Yes."
Claire closed her eyes and listened once more.
**
"He says we can go."
"Really? He said it's okay with just us?"
"That's right. Now hurry up and get ready."
"Yesss~!!"
Idni, who had been sprawled on the sofa like a lounger with her stomach full of room-service food, sprang up and dashed for the wardrobe.
"How about you three stop watching that, wash up, and get dressed?"
Baek Ha-na, Lee Na-young, and Na Yeon-ju still couldn't tear their eyes from the enormous TV in the living room.
-Piiii.......
And the tiny Fairy.
The three of them plus Fairy Ha-na had been looping the video Nam Seo-hee recorded yesterday the moment they woke up. Watching a man with an impossible face was, admittedly, deeply enjoyable and fluttery, so Maria had no real complaint. But she didn't want it to derail today's schedule.
"Ha-na~? Weren't we going to buy a present for the professor?"
"Ah......!!"
Baek Ha-na, who'd been gaping slack-jawed enough to swallow a mouthful of dust, went wide-eyed and jumped up. "Present!!"
"Na-young. Didn't you say you wanted to see the Alchemy Association?"
"The Association......!!"
Lee Na-young murmured, "Ingredients......," and got up, pattering after Baek Ha-na to the bathroom.
"Yeon-ju? Did the professor give you any tasks?"
"Hehe... free day today......."
"Oh, really? Then could you give your big sisters a ride?"
"Uhehe, got it. Just gimme a shout when you're ready......."
Yesterday she'd been unconscious with a nosebleed. Today she wore a rather bizarre smile and showed no intention of looking away from the screen.
After a brief pause, Maria walked over to Na Yeon-ju and raised her palm slightly. Then, like a strike, she brought it down lightly with no mana at all, just raw force.
Smack—!!
"Agh?!"
At the crisp sound, Na Yeon-ju tumbled off the sofa, rolled across the floor, and started groaning.
"You're shopping with us, so go wash up. Understood?"
"Hi-hic... y-yes, I get it!! I'm going to wash up right now......!!"
Na Yeon-ju crawled away into the bathroom.
Shff.
Turning her head, Maria smiled softly as she saw Nam Seo-hee rising from the spot where she'd been lying down, hugging the pillow Baek Ha-na had rested her head on.
"I'll be out in a moment...."
"Fufu, all right."
Nam Seo-hee set the pillow down and quietly disappeared into the bathroom.
"So then~"
Maria gently stroked the Fairy sitting on the table.
-Peewoong~
The Fairy made a pleased sound, though its gaze still hadn't left the TV. Maria laughed soundlessly and lifted her head to watch as well.
"Seeing it's still up, looks like the professor and Executor don't know about it......."
The culprit who'd clipped her friend's video and uploaded it without permission.
Maria could guess who it was without much trouble.
'...Well, they'll handle it themselves.'
That's how she left it, but Maria was certain.
The goddess statue was about to get smashed this time for sure.
**
Shwsh.
With a soft shimmer of light, the blanket and bed sheets vanished, leaving not a trace behind.
Having cleanly erased the evidence of the night, Claire checked the bed a second time, then a third, searching for any remaining signs.
"Mm."
Only then did Claire nod, satisfied.
-Claire.
At the voice calling her from outside the bedroom, she turned quietly and headed for the door.
"Apologies. I had something to take care of......."
"It's fine."
Uncombed, messy hair. Large glasses hiding his face. A fresh coat draped over his shoulders—Baek Woo-jin extended his hand toward her.
"Let's be on our way."
"Yes."
Claire gently took his large hand and stepped out of the suite.
"By the way, is it all right not to wear the perception-inhibiting glasses......?"
"This isn't a place where human eyes will fall on us. Don't worry."
Ding—
The elevator doors slid open at the underground level. Feeling the warmth of Baek Woo-jin's hand gently clasping hers, Claire matched his pace as they walked.
"I've been waiting."
A single limousine and a middle-aged man were stationed at the parking garage entrance.
Claire recognized him the instant she saw his face.
'Eddie Holt.'
A former high-ranker, an Awakened who now served as Queen Eleanor's shadow.
"I'll see to your safe journey."
Eddie Holt approached and opened the rear door.
"Get in."
"Yes."
Claire climbed in first, and Baek Woo-jin followed.
Eddie Holt carefully shut the door behind them and got into the driver's seat.
The scenery outside the window began to move slowly.
Claire, leaning comfortably against Baek Woo-jin's shoulder, lifted her head cautiously and spoke.
"Professor. May I ask our destination?"
There was no particular reason for the question.
If it happened to be a place she already knew, she wanted to be helpful.
"The Crow's Nest."
"Crow......."
At Baek Woo-jin's answer, Claire tilted her head.
He had been quietly watching her. He turned his head and continued.
"Raven's auction house."
"Ah...... Raven."
She had received invitations a few times, but she'd never made the time to go somewhere she'd be spending money rather than earning it.
That aside, the word "auction house" put her somewhat at ease.
'I have plenty of money.......'
Surely she could manage a decent present or two.
And, perhaps, a few things for the children as well.
Claire felt a quiet joy at the thought of putting the money she had merely amassed to meaningful use. Baek Woo-jin silently looked down at her, reading her heart.
No words were exchanged, but while each was thinking of the other, the limousine arrived at their destination: the Raven building.
Eddie Holt already held the letter that served as their entry ticket, so they were able to be guided directly to the underground level without any cumbersome procedures.
"I will be waiting."
He handed the invitation to Baek Woo-jin and bowed once more.
"Let's go."
Claire followed Baek Woo-jin through a lavishly decorated corridor to the elevator.
Ding—
The elevator that had risen smoothly came to a stop and the doors opened. Claire rapidly scanned the broad space, paneled floor-to-ceiling in ivory marble.
'...Nothing unusual.'
She knew the being beside her needed no help from her. Yet she never let her guard down.
Once she had confirmed their safety, Claire followed Baek Woo-jin and sat with him on the massive sofa set in the center.
'Sweets...... Miss Ha-na will like these.'
The moment she saw the sliced cakes and desserts laid out on the table, that was her first thought.
Rustle.
At the sound of unfolding paper, Claire's gaze naturally turned that way.
Beside her, Baek Woo-jin had opened a letter and was reading it.
"......."
He glanced at Claire briefly, then lowered the hand holding the letter slightly so she could see.
"Mm......."
She had merely reacted to a sound.
Claire studiously ignored the faint heat rising in her cheeks and leaned her head against his shoulder to read.
『My name is Le Coléon Arju Raven, head of Raven. I have left this invitation not for any ordinary matter, but because I wish to conduct a private transaction with you. If you board the elevator with this, it will take you to the room where I am.』
That was the entirety of the message.
"What will you do?"
"This."
Baek Woo-jin gave a light flick of his fingers—tak—and the letter floated into the air and glided toward the elevator.
Ding—
The closed doors opened. The letter fluttered to the elevator floor. The doors shut and the elevator activated.
'...So he intends to do business.'
Upon finishing the letter, Claire's first thought had been to eliminate the sender, one Le Coléon. Some insolent worm who didn't know its place dared to summon someone like him? If it were truly desperate, it ought to have come in person and prostrated its head to the ground, and even that would be insufficient.
While she was suppressing her murderous intent toward the letter's author, the elevator hummed back into motion and then chimed—ding—as the doors opened once more.
Swish.
Claire was on her feet instantly, turning around.
She fixed her gaze on the middle-aged woman in a black dress stepping out of the elevator and demanded.
"Are you Le Coléon Arju Raven?"
"I am. O Sword of the God of Amusement."
The woman, who introduced herself as Le Coléon, bowed with great deference.
"State your business from there."
Claire did not permit her to approach Baek Woo-jin.
At this, Le Coléon gently gathered her black dress and dipped into another formal bow before she spoke.
"I wish to paint the likeness of the two of you."
"......?"
Claire's head tilted slightly.