Chapter 112: Spar with me.
Just as their lips were about to meet—
Knock Knock Knock
A knock was heard.
"Miss Starling, the security tour is complete, your afternoon schedule has been moved back by thirty minutes. We need to leave."
It was Clara.
And the instant Evelyn heard that voice, her eyes widened in surprise, she looked at Lucian, who had quickly stepped away and she—
"I-I will be there!"
She shouted, her eyes not leaving Lucian for the slightest of instants.
"I was just about to get them.
The management saved it."
Lucian grinned.
"T-Then I guess I should thank them."
Evelyn grinned back.
In her mind however, she was already cursing Clara’s entire family.
Lucian looked at her and smiled, Evelyn smiled back and although he knew how fake that smile was.
This fake was far better than the hollow, dead fake she usually put up.
So he let it be.
"Shall we leave?"
He extended his hand, Evelyn looked at his hand. Her heart was still beating quickly, much quicker than even she expected, the excitement she felt just a few seconds ago was dangerous, much more dangerous than anything she had ever felt.
But...
As she looked at the man in front of her, as she saw that smile on his face, at his extended hand—
She couldn’t help but smile and take his hand.
The two then walked out of the music room and the preparation for Evelyn’s next appearance began.
More days passed like that, the routine remained the same, just that this time, instead of the hotel, everything shifted to Evelyn’s residence.
Lucian still stayed with Evelyn all the time, they got more and more comfortable with each other, so much that Sarah directly pointed it out.
"You are getting too comfortable."
She spoke while Lucian was reading a pdf Claire sent him. It was nothing big, till now, Lucian only knew demons since that was all he cared about.
But as he continued to grow, as he watched Evelyn’s life, as he saw how she, as a singer, constantly met with politicians, people she should have no relationship with whatsoever—
He began to understand how complicated a system was, how interconnected the world was.
He wanted a demon, to him, that was all that mattered.
But...
To get that, to reach the level where he could stand against that demon and kill him.
He couldn’t be ignorant about other races, so he began reading about them.
"With what?"
But still, when Sarah came to him, he stopped reading and talked.
"With her."
"Evelyn?"
Lucian looked up.
"Yes."
Sarah nodded.
"She is the client."
"She doesn’t seem just like one.
You call her Evelyn."
"I’ve called her that since the first day."
"But there was still a trace of professionalism in your voice, now there isn’t. You two talk like you are old buddies.
You sometimes call her Eve! Just Eve! She is a client!"
"That’s only a reference to this manga we ar—"
Lucian tried to explain but—
"And for God’s sake, please stop reading Mangas together!"
At those words, Lucian covered his mouth with a hand and acted dramatically shocked and hurt.
"You’ve said it to me, don’t say it to her.
She will fire you.
We NEETs are very serious about these things."
"You..."
Sarah’s mouth twitched.
"This is exactly what I am talking about!"
She raised her voice.
Lucian just smiled at those words.
"Alright alright."
He sighed, as if finally agreeing with her but then—
"We will read mangas together as well, come, have a seat. You don’t have to be jealous."
He spoke as he patted the sofa beside him.
"Oka—"
For a moment, Sarah did step towards him, but then—
"No! That is not what I am here for! And I am not jealous!"
She snapped out of her reverie.
"I am only telling you to be professional!"
"We are very professional.
Also, you sound jealous.
And it is okay, I actually like tsunderes, though I prefer yanderes more."
"Just... what are you talking about..."
Sarah was confused.
"Nothing."
Lucian shook his head in disappointment and Sarah—
"Do whatever you want!"
Her mouth twitched in annoyance and she walked away. Lucian watched her leave with a light smile, then, once she was gone, his face turned serious again and he glanced at the room Evelyn was in.
Then, he sighed, closed his eyes for a moment, before he shifted his focus back to reading again.
The routine continued, during the day, it was about moving and protecting Evelyn, at night, Lucian trained in the same way, that torture/training on his own, then learning from the guards early in the morning, before continuing the mission.
During this while, he also returned to the Enclave two more times, this time, Alaric didn’t try to stop him, not even once.
In fact, he actually put his number on the cell the Enclave gave to Lucian and instructed him to text him whenever he needed to leave and not bother coming to him.
Lucian was very happy with that, and so was Alaric since he no longer had to see that grin on his face.
Or at least...
That was what Alaric said to others.
Lucian however, could now see the truth.
Yes, the only reason Alaric was giving him time off was because Vivienne ordered him to, there was no doubt about that.
However, unlike most people, Alaric did not hold it as a grudge against him. Sure, he still treated him like an outsider, not including him in any of the plans but...
Lucian also understood why he did that.
The only thing Alaric wanted him to worry about was protecting Evelyn, they would do the rest.
Was it shunning?
In a way, yes.
But to Alaric, it was more like not explaining himself when he didn’t feel it necessary. It was... more arrogance than pettiness.
And Lucian—
He liked arrogance.
What he found more amusing however, was how... different Alaric was.
He didn’t hold a grudge, instead, the moment he received Vivienne’s call, he became more... interested.
A man Lady Vivienne was personally making efforts for.
Alaric decided to look into him and he found him training at night.
He didn’t say anything, he just watched as Lucian tortured himself and the more he watched...
The more he started to understand Lucian.
How hard he worked, how he pushed himself past his limits every single day, how he continued to get stronger and stronger and slowly...
He began to realise why Lady Vivienne took him in.
And once he did, he, without saying anything or having any conversation regarding it, completely stopped assigning him night missions, giving Lucian all the time he needed to train and then rest.
All while he visited him for a brief moment every single day, just to make sure he wasn’t dead.
And today—
Lucian, who had remained silent all this while every time he sensed Alaric watching him, turned towards him with an exhausted look on his face.
"You know... most people knock."
He grinned weakly.
"This is not your room."
Alaric answered with his usual cold look on his face.
"It has my blood on the floor.
I feel that gives me some ownership."
Alaric ignored that, he looked around the training room, at how Lucian trained and then—
"Spar with me."
