Chapter 158 - 156

Chapter 158: Chapter 156

I stared at the enormous estate in front of me.

"..."

Actually calling it an estate felt wrong.

It looked more like an island.

The mansion stood proudly in the middle of an enormous lake, connected to the mainland by a single stone bridge and everywhere I looked was just water.

The surface was eerily calm, reflecting the cloudy afternoon sky like a giant mirror.

I slowly turned toward the twins. "...You neglected to mention..." I pointed at the lake surrounding the mansion. "...that your boss apparently likes swimming."

Remington scratched the back of his head. "...In hindsight, we probably should’ve started with that."

A freaking megalodon suddenly lunged upwards as Gawain pulled me just in time before punching it.

Before I could ask what he meant, the calm water suddenly exploded.

SPLASH!!

Something absolutely enormous burst out of the lake.

A gigantic mouth lined with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth came flying straight towards me.

"..."

My brain stopped working.

...That’s a shark.

...That’s a really big shark.

...WHY IS THERE A SHARK?!

Before I could even scream, a hand grabbed the back of my coat as Gawain yanked me backward.

At the same time, his fist slammed directly into the creature’s snout.

BAM!!

The impact echoed across the lake as the gigantic beast spun through the air before crashing back into the water with another massive splash.

I slowly looked at Gawain.

"...Was..."

"...Was that..."

My voice cracked.

"...A megalodon?"

A second later, the enormous shark resurfaced and instead of looking angry, it wagged its tail like an excited puppy.

"Gawain!" Remington clutched his head in despair. "Can you stop punching London every single time you come here?!"

"It became a habit of mine."

"I keep telling you that he’s only trying to say hello!"

Colt nodded with complete seriousness. "He was simply greeting both you and Miss Blanca."

I slowly pointed at the megalodon. "...That was a greeting?"

"Yes."

"It attempted to eat me."

"It attempted to greet you."

"It opened its mouth!"

"He’s very affectionate."

"It has six hundred teeth!"

"He smiles with all of them."

"I DON’T THINK THAT MAKES IT BETTER!"

London floated happily near the bridge, making soft rumbling noises.

To my absolute horror, he nudged Gawain’s leg like a dog asking for pets.

Gawain looked down at him then casually patted the shark’s head once. "There. You’ve been greeted."

London let out an oddly pleased rumble.

"..."

"..."

"...Who the hell..."

I pointed wildly between the lake and the mansion.

"...Keeps a megalodon as a pet?!"

The twins answered in perfect synchronization.

"Boss."

"..."

At this point I wasn’t even surprised anymore. I was just concerned about what else lived in that lake.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The moment we stepped inside, my eyes wandered across the grand foyer.

Okay I had to admit it... the interior was gorgeous.

The marble floors were polished so well I could practically see my reflection.

Elegant chandeliers hung from the impossibly high ceiling, bathing the hall in warm golden light.

Massive paintings decorated the walls, each one looking like it belonged in a museum rather than a private residence.

Expensive antique furniture was arranged with meticulous precision.

Even the flower arrangements looked like they cost more than an average person’s yearly salary.

I nodded to myself.

"Nice."

I took a few more steps, looking around.

"The paintings are beautiful."

I paused in front of one of the marble statues.

"...Although..."

I tilted my head.

"The statues are kind of..."

I searched for a polite word.

"...Meh."

Gawain looked at the statue. "...You’re insulting artwork now?"

I folded my arms. "My version of insulting artwork would involve me smashing every statue I hate just to soothe my eyes."

The room fell silent.

Remington slowly looked at the statue. "...Should we be worried?"

"No," I answered honestly. "I don’t carry a hammer."

Gawain rubbed his temples. "...You’re too cruel, My Lady."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Cruel?"

I gestured around the area.

"Do you see me destroying anything right now?"

"...No."

"Exactly."

"I’m showing tremendous self-restraint."

"That’s... one way to describe it."

"I even complimented them instead."

"You called the statues ’meh.’"

"I could’ve called them worse."

"You were thinking worse."

"I absolutely was."

Gawain sighed before deciding to change the subject and looked toward the twins. "...Where is he?"

My attention immediately snapped back to them as I looked around the massive entrance hall again.

"...Where’s Mister Cartiere?"

There wasn’t a single sign of the person I’d traveled all the way here to meet.

I stood on my toes, trying to peek into the adjoining hallways.

"...Did he forget I was coming?"

The twins exchanged a glance before sighing in perfect synchronization as Colt scratched the side of his neck.

"I’ll go find Boss."

Without another word, he turned and headed deeper into the estate.

As he disappeared down the hallway, Remington watched him leave before quietly muttering, "...Hopefully he actually managed to find the stairs this time."

I frowned. "...This time?"

Remington quickly smiled. "Nothing."

"...That wasn’t nothing."

"It absolutely was."

"It sounded like something."

"It wasn’t."

I narrowed my eyes. "...Explain."

Before Remington could answer, Gawain spoke instead.

"You’ve seen all the paintings and statues, right?"

"Yeah..." I glanced around the foyer again. "And?"

"They’re not just decorations... They’re actually signages."

"...What?"

"They’re landmarks."

He pointed toward a marble statue near the staircase.

"’Turn left at the knight with the missing shield.’"

Then at a landscape painting.

"’Walk straight until you reach the mountain painting.’"

Then toward another statue.

"’If you see the woman holding flowers, you’ve gone too far.’"

I slowly looked back at him. "...You’re joking."

"I’m not."

Before Gawain could continue, Remington launched himself at him. "Don’t tell her!"

Gawain casually sidestepped as Remington crashed into empty air.

"I’ll expose the truth."

"You traitor!"

"You can’t stop me."

"I absolutely can!"

Remington lunged again.

Gawain simply took one step to the side.

Remington stumbled right past him and nearly tackled a decorative porcelain vase.

His eyes widened.

"Oh—"

He caught it at the very last second.

"...That would’ve been expensive," Gawain remarked.

Remington carefully put the vase back where it belonged before spinning around.

"Focus!"

He pointed accusingly at Gawain.

"Don’t ruin Boss in front of Miss Blanca!"

Gawain looked completely unbothered.

"My Lady," he smiled pleasantly. "Kayden has a terrible sense of direction."

"Gawain I didn’t know you could be so petty," a voice said.

The three of us looked up to see Kayden standing on top of the stairs.

"...Gawain..." A fourth voice suddenly echoed through the entrance hall. "I didn’t know you could be this petty."

All three of us looked toward the grand staircase.

A man stood at the top landing.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed entirely in black.

One hand rested casually in his pocket while the other leaned against the polished wooden railing.

His silver hair was slightly tousled, as though he’d run a hand through it one too many times.

A pair of striking purplish-blue eyes landed on Gawain with unmistakable annoyance.

"I was gone for five minutes and you’re already destroying my reputation."

"So you’re Kayden Cartiere?" I asked.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The moment Kayden’s eyes landed on Blanca, his composure almost cracked.

’She’s really here....’

For one dangerously reckless second, every sensible thought in his head disappeared.

He wanted to run down the stairs, pull her into a hug, and confirm that she was actually standing in front of him and not another one of the countless times he’d imagined this meeting.

It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to stay exactly where he was.

Fortunately, years of discipline won.

Outwardly, he remained as calm and composed as ever but inside, he was already celebrating.

His gaze lingered on her for just a moment longer before another thought crossed his mind.

’Soren and Vesphyr.’

A smug smile slowly spread across his face.

Those two were probably still at the northern border subjugating Rogues, completely unaware that the woman all three of them had been waiting to meet...

...was currently standing inside his mansion.

He almost laughed.

’Looks like I won this round.’

If he hadn’t cornered Varek into fulfilling the deal...

If he hadn’t spent hours reminding the old principal...

If he hadn’t all but threatened to camp outside his house until Blanca showed up...

He wouldn’t have this opportunity.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Neither Soren nor Vesphyr could simply abandon a border subjugation.

Which meant for the first time, Blanca was his alone.

The thought alone was enough to put him in an exceptionally good mood.

He tucked one hand into his pocket and leisurely descended the staircase, making sure not to appear as eager as he actually felt.

By the time he reached the bottom, the smugness had disappeared behind his usual composed expression.

Only the faint smile lingering on his lips betrayed him as he stopped a respectful distance away from her.

"Miss Blanca..."

His purplish-blue eyes met hers.

"...We meet again."

Take it slow.

Don’t scare her.

Don’t look desperate.

He had waited far too long for this meeting.

He had absolutely no intention of wasting the opportunity.