Chapter 78: Guest at Home (2)
Later, both Serge and Nichole were shocked when they heard that Kestrel was about to take another trip away from the Tower.
"You mean you’re getting ready to leave again?"
"Did the SRD okay your outside job so fast? Where are you going this time?"
"Did you really go to the Polluted Zone? What was it like? Was it scary?"
"I’m kinda jealous of you, Kestrel. Honestly, I don’t care what people think. Few betas in the world get to live like you do, freely and comfortably just the way they want."
While they were talking, Locky, neatly dressed in a maid’s uniform with a bright white apron, brought over a dessert tart. She moved smoothly and gently, setting the beautiful dessert tart on the table, every action just right for a rich family’s maid.
"Thank you." Nicole gave her a sweet smile.
Kestrel’s courtyard was messy, and this big place didn’t have a butler or a gatekeeper. Good thing there was this kind and cute little maid.
"Oh, no, don’t thank me." Locky’s face turned red right away, she was all flustered, almost wanting to walk away sideways, but she managed to control herself, turning stiffly and walking out in a straight line.
She could feel the two guests’ eyes on her back, watching her. Their stares felt like needles in her back, making her tense.
These were two sharp betas, the same kind as Kestrel, just without her powerful perception. Locky was a bit worried they might have noticed something.
Locky got even more worried, even giving off a strong aura like a sea creature.
She realized she was totally exposed now. Those two had definitely picked up that smell, and they had seen through everything.
Locky’s mind was a mess, she felt really down, she wished she could scuttle back to her kitchen on all eight legs, without caring about anything else.
She kept thinking, "How are those guests looking at me right now? Will they secretly look down Kestrel, calling the place a haunted house with a monster, never wanting to come back?"
Locky was almost biting her handkerchief again.
She held back her tears and faced the strange looks, walking into the kitchen like nothing was wrong, and closed the door.
In the living room, Nicole looked at Kestrel with a surprised face.
"Her?" Nicole pointed towards the kitchen with its closed door, speaking very softly.
Kestrel nodded, showing that Nicole had guessed right.
"Oh my god." Nicole almost jumped up, but then she sat back down, smoothing out her skirt, feeling like her previous action was a bit unladylike.
"I knew some people kept mutants at home," Nicole said, whispering the word ’mutant,’ "but I never thought you would keep a mutant in your house."
"It’s not keeping, it’s hiring," Kestrel corrected.
"Hiring? Seriously?" Even Serge was surprised this time.
Kestrel nodded, "She’s really sweet and quite delicate. Please, don’t make fun of her."
Serge was almost at a loss for words—his every encounter with Kestrel would reset his understanding of this seemingly cold girl.
Sure, Serge had seen weird creatures grown in big tanks at flashy high-class parties, but he never thought someone would let a mutant creature live with them.
"Make fun? Of course not." Nicole finally replied, "This is your house, and it’s not my place to say anything about your lifestyle. But are you sure she’s delicate?"
Earlier, when the maid turned to go, Nicole had clearly felt the presence of a powerful creature. This creature had amazing speed, sharp weapons, and a hard shell.
Nicole always thought she was unique, but now she felt like she was nothing compared to Kestrel. Even Kestrel’s maid was awesome. She gave Kestrel a thumbs up.
In the kitchen, Locky closed the door and snuck out the kitchen’s back door. She squatted in a corner of the backyard, covering her face with her hands.
She felt like a bad crab, a disappointment to Kestrel.
Just then, a little girl, not even three years old, suddenly ran over and hugged her "leg".
Both were surprised at the moment.
When the little girl hugged her, Locky froze. One of her many hard legs was being held by chubby human hands, through her dress. It was probably the first time a human had held her odd leg.
Little Vasilisa was also confused, as this girl’s leg seemed different from other people’s – she carefully touched it and found it was very hard and maybe sharp.
Looking down, Vasilisa saw the edge of Locky’s white petticoat showing a sharp limb, covered in soft fur. It looked like the foot of a sea creature she had seen at the market.
The little girl blinked.
Locky wanted to run, but Vasilisa clung to her leg, and her dress got messed up, revealing more of her bug legs.
"Wow, you have so many legs," Vasilisa’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
Locky held back her urge to run, and awkwardly shuffled a few steps. The little girl hanging on to her leg laughed out loud.
"Aren’t you scared?" asked Locky, her body stiff.
Besides Kestrel, she hadn’t seen any humans who weren’t scared or grossed out by her.
"Not at all." Vasilisa loved to grab onto people’s legs. She continued, "You have so many legs; you must be really fast. Can you run and show me?"
...
When Kestrel walked into the kitchen, she saw Locky carrying Vasilisa and walking upright on the kitchen walls, moving in all directions. She had emptied the pantry, taking out all kinds of desserts and stuffing Vasilisa’s pockets.
Seeing Kestrel, Locky quickly got down from the wall. Adjusting her dress, she gave Kestrel an embarrassed look.
The tendrils started to complain:
"Not her again."
"Don’t let her come back."
"Kids are the worst."
"My candy is gone again."
"But I like playing with the big kitten in the yard."
"The snake is my friend now."
"Let her come back; it’s fun to play together."
"Why didn’t Little Fish come?"
Parties were indeed interesting, Kestrel thought. No wonder people loved their friends and going to their houses.
But she decided to hire a gardener to clean up the garden before inviting friends over next time.
Kestrel looked out the window.
The night was getting late, the bright moon alone lighting up the sky. It was already dark, and everyone was getting ready to go home. It seemed like Ren really wasn’t coming after all.
Ren stood in a dark alley, where he could perfectly see the lit-up building inside the manor.
After the dangerous mission to kill Malenia last night, he had spent all of today dealing with two high-ranking alphas from the royal guard. Killing, getting poisoned, getting rid of poisons, intense mental focus... it was only now that Ren finally had a chance to rest.
His body was very tired, and he didn’t know why he came here, but since he was already here, he decided to take a break.
Ren didn’t purposefully use his enhanced hearing. He didn’t need to listen too carefully—simply standing here and seeing the faint light from the courtyard was enough. He imagined the scene inside to be warm, filled with soft light, the smell of tasty food, and the sound of laughter.
It felt like he could hear a little girl’s laughing and the sweet smell of pastries. As an alpha, his heightened senses were a bit annoying at times like these.
The powerful drug that was put into his neck last night had messed up various body functions. Even someone as strong as him had gone through discomfort all day. He kept all discomforts down and faced the two officers of the royal guards in top mental condition, even though he felt like throwing up. To prevent himself from getting sick, he didn’t eat anything all day.
Now, standing in this cold alley, looking at the distant light, he found himself feeling strangely hungry. Ren missed his job at the North outpost. Even though it was a deserted place, if he was hungry on a night like this, he could go to any colleague’s house. Any door he walked through would welcome him with warm hugs and hot food.
Now, he hardly dared to go back there, to face those people’s parents and wives. In the busy capital of the Empire, he felt alone. When he was tired, it seemed there was nowhere to go.
Thankfully, there was still a place he wanted to be. He could stand here and watch her from afar. "She invited me, too. I’m not totally without a place to go," Ren comforted himself.
He stood alone in the alley for a long time. Occasionally, footsteps passed on the road in front of him. The night grew darker, the moon hung high in the sky, and it was very cold. His breath turned into white fog.
Ren, in his black clothes, blended into the pitch-dark alley. The highest room in the deep, plant-covered courtyard had its lights on. The curved window showed a blurry shadow.
Ren in the alley couldn’t help but take a step forward. He saw a familiar figure appear at the window. The light figure seemed to be in a good mood, spinning around at the window and lifting up a round little orca plushie.
Ren’s eyes narrowed, unable to resist focusing his vision. There was no doubt it was a orca. He saw the girl poke the orca’s face, squeeze its tail, and finally touch the orca’s round head gently.
The soft moonlight lit up the dark alley. Ren kept looking at the small, lit window. His psychic incarnation appeared in the night, and the orca’s big head popped out from the void beside him. It lifted its head and made a tiny whining sound.
All his tiredness and trouble seemed to go away with the gentle touches of the shadow at the window.
