Chapter 277 - A New Carriage

The Cafe Evergarden was still open as Daisy had the manager take over while she would leave early. Adjacent to its store was a hotel suite and had a conjoined path that led to it.

Daisy also owned the building.

Athan was fascinated by how accommodating and sophisticated the place was, and he couldn't help but dart even at the small details of the furniture found in the room.

The cozy, quiet ambiance of the room was enough for him to ponder a lot of his thoughts in a short time. 

Beside him was a spare polished wooden table with a bottle of red wine and his glass emptied for quite some time now.

When Nathalie barged in, he glanced at her with a nod and followed her tracks. 

She had a high ponytail and red matte lips— simple yet her features popped unlike the multiple layers of dangerous make-up women wore.

In the alley, he was a few inches behind her, and he would peer down, noticing her bare neck and the outline of her dainty shoulders from the beige leather trench coat. 

He couldn't help but wonder how elegant she looked with white skin-tight jeans and stiletto heels.

Even turning her back, she was rather flawless and he couldn't help but ponder again, 'This is… Quite a get-up she had…' 

By the looks of it, she didn't need any corset and bodice like most noblewomen wore; with the belt that cinched her curves worked the same effect. 

Even the way she swayed her hips as she walked turned out similar to Mystique.

"You're staring at me far too much…"

Athan blinked his eyes when she muttered out of the blue, and he scratched his nape while averting his gaze from getting caught off guard. Moreover, she wasn't even staring in his direction.

He was being too obvious.

"Pardon me; it's just… Uhh, you look a lot like her..."

"I do get that a lot ever since..."

Even from her profile, he noticed how she was over with the same comment about her. However, he thought that this might be an opportunity to open up the conversation.

"I do apologize for causing you distress and nothing but trouble ever since you—"

Nathalie turned around, which he halted right away before he could bump her but he almost lost his balance when she covered his mouth. 

His eyes widened, staring at her soft gaze.

While his reflexes were top notch and it wasn't a problem as he was able to recover fast regardless.

First, it was their clacks and thuds echoing the alley, and then their interaction, low and inaudible. Right now, it was utter silence, aside from the sound of the vents with frigid air oozing from it.

"I already lost count of how many times you apologized, and how many times I've accepted it already. It seemed like you're not the same character that I know so well."

When she smiled at him; it was as though a part of him died— with his heart becoming too fuzzy and palpitations coming in from her subtle actions.

Once she let go, he cleared his throat before replying, "I suppose I didn't expect to turn out this way; even I wouldn't be able to think of— I still believed your words at the end of the day."

"You're no stranger to crazy phenomena in your life. So, there's no point in lying to you anyway."

"But I treated you so differently…"

"If I was in your shoes; I would've acted the same. Especially when I know what the future holds— at least your vision, that is..."

"Would there be any way to make it up to you?"

"Now that you know, I don't think you and I have an issue, right?"

Athan found a myriad of responses in his head but as soon as his lips parted, everything went out of the window. Ashamed, he scratched his head, spouting, "What about, you know, the curse?"

"Let's leave it like we're in a contractual relationship, the usual. Better if we're professional about it, don't you think so?" Nathalie smiled then tapped on his shoulder. "There's dust on your coat. We have to leave."

When she turned around and strutted away, he hung his head, leering at his hands curled to a fist.

'Keeping personal matters aside, huh?' 

Athan decided to follow her nonetheless, for there was still time for him to think about everything else.

The main concern they had was finding Mystique after all.

Though the question remained about the manuscript that they spoke of: Nathalie had a copy, and he couldn't get over with his jaw on the floor. The more he flipped through the pages, the worse his fingers and eyes became from the trembles he had.

Most of it turned out to be true, and he couldn't help but think that he was one of the puppets on a stage, like everyone else in his world.

More than anything, when the odds went in his favor, he couldn't help but watch her in a different light.

But Nathalie denied that she has control over it. For she claimed as a spectator from the dreams she had since. While some of the passages went offset, the crucial parts hit right at the mark.

Even so, his story gained a lot of attention and praise, even adapted no different from artistic plays.

'The Prince's Retribution, huh… That TV also played such a scene...'

Both Nathalie and Athan went to the corner with a door and a peculiar warning sign. Though he had nothing to fear as she opened it and presented downstairs that led to the car park.

Fascinated, his steps became crisp and quick with the metal plate he stepped on every time, compared to the bulky stone pavements and stairs he got used to, and he couldn't help but appreciate its convenience.

They had been turning several times like it had no end but it was hard to deny after using it earlier and better than the one entering into a metal cage that either lifted or dropped them quickly.

He couldn't take it with the sudden onset of vertigo he had and took a safe course.

Alas, the struggle was over as they arrived at the parking lot. Within a distance found Daisy and Jonathan, standing beside the long white carriage that beamed two distinct lights upfront and blared.

"A monster?!" Athan then reached for the hilt of his sword, close to unsheathing when Nathalie tugged his arm as she shook her head.

"No, a limousine…"

"Pardon?"

"We will ride using that."

Athan scrunched his face, inwardly screaming in confusion.