Chapter Seventy-Three: Unlikely Lift Buddies
1161 Words
The bar was well lit, high-end and very guarded.
From the sleek potted plants dressing every corner of the room to the smooth reflective white marble tiles that reflected the sound of my low heels.
It was as though I had walked into the palace, or perhaps I had just spent too long in Clay to remember what luxury resembles.
The bar to any average person would appear unguarded. However, it was anything but.
I turned my gaze to the bulky men posing as customers. My suspicions were confirmed when one of the men’s gazes hastily turned to their soup.
“Would you like us to take your coat?”
A white-haired man with slit eyes and a broad smile offered.
“No, I’d much rather swim with the tigers.”
“ Which year of the tiger blend would you like?”
‘It’s the imperial year 576. Plus the amount of time this auction has been functioning, one hundred and seven years, and the final touch of dividing it by two makes the code less conspicuous.’
“I hear the harvest from the mid-Imperial year 342 was pretty good.”
“My, my, the customer surely knows their champagne. Unfortunately, that brand is out of stock. Would you like to look for an alternative in the back? I would hate for the customer to leave dissatisfied.”
“Yes, the service here is to my liking.”
I turned in the direction he urged me.
We reached a general area where the only way forward was a sleek metallic elevator with one other patron inside.
Their hair was a bright golden yellow.
Even with a mask, Finor’s beauty could not be hidden.
I guess we are at that portion of the story where Finor takes Regina to the auction house to tear down the operation.
Well, that’s how the story was presented; it is only in my previous life that I realised a first time user doesn’t just happen to guess such an elaborate password.
Typically, the main part of the hidden auction is done simultaneously with the main public auction on the day of shooting stars.
That is tomorrow.
But the main portion of the secret event will be held today and tomorrow’s auction will be what was meant to be today, of course, with the fact that he has already paid for all damages in advance.
If the player, as Regina, did not give Finor attention, he sets up an entire bust all to ensure that he becomes ‘the man who saved her life’, ‘her hero’…this sets the scene for a grand confession as it emphasised her guilt over rejecting him such that even without the player’s permission, they share a kiss and she tells him she will consider his feelings.
‘Oooh, poor stupid Regina…believing every act performed before your very eyes as though that is the barest qualification of what is to be deemed true.’
“Don’t feel shy, my dear patron, that is but a customer like you. If you would show me your invitation card, I will let you board the lift.”
There were fast movements behind me.
‘Ah…they mean to kill me if I do not have it. So much for money as my problem solver.’
“As luck would have it, I am this patron’s plus one.”
I pulled my hood down then smiled at Finor.
He stilled.
I know he knows who I am, even with my mask on.
Just the way I know him with the cloak.
He is smart.
Finor scowled.
“Miss, I don’t know you.”
Well, maybe not smart enough to disregard his dislike of me.
“If you intend for your plans to be successful, you will add me as your plus one.”
His face was turned in a way that portrayed I would be the last person he would ever deem as his ‘plus one’, let alone lift buddy.
“Explain yourself.”
“In public, like this, I am embarrassed.”
Finor clicked his tongue then made some room for me on the lift.
The two escorts stepped aside to let me pass.
“I have to say, desperation looks good on you. Your-,”
“Bean, call me bean here.”
As soon as he said that, the lift doors shut, and we began our descent.
“Alright…do you need me to repeat my-? You know what, I will. ‘I have to say Bean, desperate-’.”
“ Oh, shut your mouth! I want to hear nothing from you but an explanation of what you know and why?”
“Aw! Don’t say that; I went through the trouble of repeating my words to you.“
He turned his gaze coldly to me, then after what felt like ages, a frown crossed his face.
“What…? Did you…did you fart in here or something? Gross!”
“I di-,”
He flushed when he realised the futility of defending himself.
“For f*cks sake, is everything a joke to-.”
He took a deep breath then began his sentence again.
“I can see two in you.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Are you pregnant?”
Instantly, my hand caressed the layers above my stomach.
There was a tense silence that came over us, the jokes I gave freely no longer caressed my tongue.
‘Can I kill him? No, I can’t risk going back to the ball…! F*ck!’
A smirk crossed his face.
“Elves are highly perceptive to this kind of thing.”
“Must be nice.”
“Don’t look at me as though you want to kill me.”
“Is there another way I can look at you, at this particular moment?”
“Of course, Countess.”
“A.”
“ ‘A’ as in the letter? You want me to call you a letter?”
“Better than Bean.”
“That’s a whole-.”
He sighed heavily.
“Fine, A.”
He rolled his eyes then continued.
“I want to make a deal with you.”
“It better be a deal that involves your silence and mine over your plans for tomorrow.”
“That went with the plus one space, A. Keep up. This is a new deal.”
“Pertaining?”
“Maybe we discuss the details over coffee tomorrow.”
‘And risk meeting Regina, ew.’
“I’m busy. Give me a brief now so that I can decide my next move.”
He stared at me for what felt like ages, then sighed.
“I heard that you led a troop of less than one hundred to war.”
“Yeah, so?”
“ ‘So’? That’s-,”
He paused then cleared his throat.
“I want you to teach me how to utilize mana, in exchange for my silence.”
“Come again?”
- Writer
