46 The Hidden Inheritance (1/2)
Reed would never have suspected something like this to happen, not in a million years. It was far too removed from the realm of comprehension. He was at a loss of words; Whenever he attempted to process the situation, his brain would short circuit and boil over like someone who'd left the stove on for too long.
He internally melted into a puddle on the side as he walked down the cobbled street with a stoic expression on his face. The maiden beside him had a smile wider than the sky as she held onto his arm. He, on the other hand, felt that he had stumbled into some bizarre, godforsaken reality...
Yes, indeed. Today ended up being a special day for the young boy. It was his first date with another person, more importantly, a member of the fairer sex.
The only problem was that his date was, well..... his Mom (title subject to change).
He couldn't deny that for the most part, it'd been a very enjoyable and refreshing experience so far. How long had it been since he had taken part in something like this? A day free of any form of work, stress, or annoyances? Admittedly, Reed still felt somewhat taken back by the entire situation.
Sure, she's beautiful, gentle, and wise like a perfect mother. And yes, she's got a keen sense of humor, too. Her stories of Lu'um's childhood are especially funny. But, even still...
Ahhhhhhhhh!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
His soundless screams echoed across the vast and barren wasteland made up his inner mind. He'd been fighting against himself for the last hour since they'd started touring Citlai's sights in disguise.
Never had he experienced what he felt now — endless embarrassment — as he walked down a quiet, secluded street in an old district of the city. It made zero sense; not once had he'd been affected like this when he'd been intimate with Lu'um, Astrid, or even Violett, and they were all gorgeous, beautiful girls in their own right.
Is it because of her particular experience, beauty, or charm?! What form of devilry is this?! It was like he was being unintentionally tempted by the queen of all sirens. Reed gritted his teeth and forced his horrible thoughts down into the abyss.
And so, he remained in that sweet and horrifying purgatory until they arrived at a certain place. Something had caught her interest enough that she stopped walking.
”...See that right over there? The old building with the small blue roof? That's an extremely famous restaurant, reserved only for special members of the noble caste. Back in the day, though, it was anything but famous... it was just a quaint little thing.”
Reed stared at the little restaurant and felt that something was special about it. It looked like it'd survived an era, or three. The old, weathered stones that made up the building's wall looked like they'd been through countless years of hardship. Even the door looked ancient, at least older than he; it appeared to be nothing more than a large, beaten piece of oak that had been shaped into a door.
The entire building looked grossly out of place amongst the newer buildings made of metal, shining crystal, and brand new stone.
Reed chuckled a bit. It just looked so out of place; like a rusty, ancient sword being put on display right next to blades made of gold and silver.
He yelped in pain. It seemed that the maiden had not approved of his laughter, given that she had lightly pinched him.
”Sorry, mila— Mom. I just found it a bit amusing, that's all. What sort of history does this place have to warrant such a reputation? It looks rather... homely if I had to describe it.” Reed immediately corrected himself when he felt that one of his arms had lost its blood circulation. He enjoyed having two working limbs, above his own shame.
”This place is special because of the unique history it possesses. A long, long time ago this area was just a simple backwater district that commoners lived in. A certain no-good rogue often took a very important princess here for drinks late at night. There was this bet of sorts between the rogue and the restaurant owner's son — that if the rogue ever brought a real princess to the restaurant, he'd give him free drinks for life.”
She sounded distant, as if she were someplace else, unbeknownst to Reed.
Reed chortled and said, ”These two miscreants you speak of sound dumb as bricks, Mom. I won't lie, though, it's still rather impressive that the rogue pulled it off in the end. He even sounds fairly reminiscent of someone else I've heard about from an old dream of sorts...”
She wanted to say something but held her tongue. Regrets should not be inherited, she thought. Otherwise, she would have...
Her feet started moving again with a renewed sense of purpose, and she dragged Reed over to the old restaurant. With a single snap, she had undone their disguises; she'd made her decision.
A smooth, suave voice beckoned them in as soon as they stepped in through the door. Reed noticed an older man working in the background of the little restaurant inside of a kitchen. His back faced them as he continued his business in the kitchen, not even taking a glance at them as he leisurely moved about here and there.
”Welcome, welcome! The Little House is always open for… I see. A pair of lovers, eh—”
When the man turned around, he violently choked on his words as he gazed at Reed with an astonished expression. He looked like he had stumbled upon a ghost.
”How have you been, Bernard? It's been far, far too long since our last meeting.”
The man's face softened up when laid eyes on her and said, ”It's been too long, Lady Moonlight . You're a sight for sore eyes, as ever, I might add. And the young lad beside you is....”
She nodded.
The man let out a prolonged whistle as he stirred a pot in the kitchen. ”It's been already been that long? Man, time sure flies, huh?” He slowly put down his ladle, washed his hands, and stepped out of the old kitchen.
He approached Reed and took a long look at his face, especially his eyes. It appeared like he was trying to find something within them. Searching for a sign of hope of...
”It's good that ya came back in one piece, lad. You had all us dreadfully worried, 'specially your mum. Still, I'm mighty proud of you for what you did; we all are. One thing's for certain, though, you sure as hell got your Pops's massive balls, hahaha!”
The man tightly hugged Reed of a sudden and then enthusiastically patted him on the back, much to Reed's consternation. He coughed violently when the man had unintentionally knocked the air out of his lungs and struggled for a while until he regained his composure.
”He's not fully recovered Bernard, both in body and mind. Mind yourself around him, or I'll reenact one of my most favorite memories in here, again. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, right?”
Bernard winced in horror exaggeratedly and said, ”Mercy, beauty, mercy! Unleash your fury on my body instead and leave my shop in peace! How 'bout I pay you and the lad back with a set of the restaurant's classics, hmm? Your favorite?” Bernard's eyes gleamed ominously and Reed felt a shiver run down his spine.
”That sounds fine,” she calmly said. She pulled Reed over to a small, secluded booth for two and said, ”Don't worry, he's an excellent cook... when he isn't running his mouth off.”
”...I heard that!” said Bernard, his voice muffled in the background.
Reed's silent, burning curiosity finally overtook him and he said, ”He spoke about my father as if he knew him... and me, too. I've gotten used to people calling me out already, but that was the first time I've ever heard someone mention my supposed father. How does he know this father of mine?”
”Bernard and your father were the best of friends and loyal accomplices back in their youth. They ran an impressive operation together — a surveillance network — that eventually became the backbone of the Empire's intelligence division. That sleazy looking fellow over there was, at one point, the Royal Spymaster and Chief of Shadows .”
Reed's eyes bulged in shock and stared at Mom (title subject to change) in total disbelief.