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1693 Convincing Lie

Very soon, Sunny personally delivered a portion of his nearly immaculate waffles to Nephis, complete with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some freshly cut strawberries.

'I think I've outdone myself this time! if I do say so myself...'

He was in a great mood. Sunny wasn't sure what had come over him, but he was especially inspired today while making the waffles. It almost felt like he was on the verge of breaking through the bottleneck of his culinary skill.

Perhaps the missing ingredient was not the waffles themselves, but the customer for whom he was making them?

Contemplating these profound issues, he sat across from Nephis and smiled.

She wasn't wearing that clumsy disguise of hers today, so he could enjoy the sight of her lustrous silver locks. The few customers present in the dining hall were frozen in stunned awe, the name Changing Star ready to fall from their lips. Sunlight seemed especially radiant in her presence, bathing the Brilliant Emporium in a warm glow.

Sunny felt his heartbeat quickening.

Nephis spared him a short glance, then looked away to take a sip of tea. Finally, she picked up the spoon and took a small bite of the waffle with an aloof expression.

'She won't even look at me. Well, makes sense. Why would she?'

Unlike Sunny, who couldn't help stealing glances at Nephis, she was probably preoccupied with different thoughts.

He sighed.

"I can't help but notice that you are not hiding your identity anymore, Lady Nephis. I was under the assumption that you wanted to keep the commission secret, though. What changed?"

She put the spoon down, gave the waffles a strange stare, and then finally faced him.

"I still do. However, plans had to change due to our last conversation. Considering that we will have to spend a lot of time together, trying to

hide our connection from Valor is not an option. They'll discover a new person in my immediate circle sooner than later... so, we will have to resort to a bit of misdirection, instead."

A subtle smile touched her lips.

"Congratulations, Master Sunless. You are now the official Memory Purveyor of the Fire Keepers — an independent specialist we've hired to handle sales and acquisitions of sorcerous equipment. Of course, you will receive a generous commission for every deal you facilitate... which will pay for the actual commission."

As Sunny froze, unable to speak, she studied his face for a few moments and then returned to the waffles with a small, but seemingly pleased smile.

'...Goddamn! We've struck it rich, Aiko!'

Signing an official contract with the Fire Keepers was not much different from receiving a government tender. The Memory Boutique side of the Brilliant Emporium was about to explode in revenue... all of that simply to bury the exchange of soul shards for the actual work Sunny was being hired to do.

'Very crafty.'

It was Cassie who had come up with that scheme, without a doubt. However... something still did not make sense.

He frowned slightly.

"That is great news, and I am definitely delighted to hear it. But, my lady... even so, isn't it a little bit too strange for you to deliver the news personally? Surely, sending one of your subordinates would have been much more in line with such an arrangement."

Nephis was an exalted existence even among Saints. She would have never had to deal with something as mundane as hiring a procurement specialist personally. So, there was an obvious contradiction between her intention to create a cover for him and her actions, which only served to blow it.

She remained silent for a while, savoring her tea and dessert — or pretending to savor them, most likely. It was hard to tell from her expression if she was really enjoying the taste of what Sunny had cooked... which, honestly speaking, was a little heartbreaking.

But that was how Nephis was. She had never really had a sweet tooth.

Still, her acting skills must have improved tremendously in the past four years. Her pretense of being engrossed in his waffles was incredibly convincing. Sunny wasn't sure that he could have put on such a performance himself.

Eventually, she put the spoon down with a masterfully acted out hint of reluctance.

"Huh? Oh. You are correct, but that would not have solved the problem. You and I are going to be seen together often, after all, and there needs to be an explanation. So, I am here to sow the seeds of that explanation. The Memory Purveyor position is an intentionally flimsy misdirection — no one would really buy it, considering the circumstances."

Nephis paused for a moment.

"So, there will be a deeper layer of deception hidden beneath it."

Sunny smiled.

"A double misdirection?"

She smiled faintly in response and nodded.

"Once someone becomes suspicious of your official position and digs deeper, they'll discover the prepared explanation and come to a false conclusion, thinking that they've discovered the truth. Not knowing that what they've discovered is actually another, more convincing lie."

'Definitely Cassie's idea.'

Sunny tilted his head a little.

"And that more convincing lie is..."

Nephis shifted a little.

"Well. I mean no offense, Master Sunless, but nothing about your background suggests that you are worthy of my attention. However... how do I say this... you must have looked in the mirror. What do you think people will assume when they see me keeping someone like that by my side?"

He blinked a couple of times, confused.

"Actually... I avoid mirrors. I'm sorry, Lady Nephis, but I don't quite understand what you mean."

Strangely enough, Nephis... seemed stumped.

She remained silent for a while, then took a sip of tea. Then, she cleared her throat.

"What I mean to say... is that people will assume that I am infatuated with you. That I've arranged for you to have a position with the Fire Keepers because you are my paramour. So, I am here today to plant the seeds of that impression... Master Sunless."

'A... paramour...'

Sunny froze.

He was suddenly happy that he had not brought himself a cup of tea, as well, because he would have definitely spat it all out at that moment.

The implications of what Nephis had said slowly seeped into his mind.

It wasn't that outrageous... on the contrary, it was an ingenious lie that would perfectly explain why the two of them were spending time together. People loved nothing more than salacious rumors, after all.

But, still...

'What she's trying to say is that my cover... will be... that I'm her boy toy?!'

Sunny was mortified. ...But also, intrigued. But also mortified.

The mix of emotions must have been apparent on his face, because Nephis suddenly picked her cup, looked away, and said evenly:

"It is just for the sake of deception, of course. I'll understand if you're uncomfortable with this arrangement."

Sunny slowly shook his head and forced out a pale smile:

"I'm... I'm not... uncomfortable."

She looked at him with a hint of concern.

"Are you sure? Come to think of it... I didn't even ask if you have a partner. I wouldn't want for your girlfriend to misunderstand..."

Sunny's smile grew brittle.

"I am sure... and there's no one like that. This arrangement works, for me. I think it's a splendid idea... very deceptive..."

Internally, though, he was imploding.

[Saint Cassia... care to explain yourself?!]

1694 Facing the Consequences

Cassie did not answer. Perhaps she wasn't in the mood to waste essence to hijack his senses, or perhaps she simply did not want to...

In any case, after that bombshell of a revelation, Sunny sat quietly and stared into the distance for a while.

He was trying to understand how he had ended up in this situation.

It was all his fault, of course... really, Sunny had no one but himself to blame. Had he not suggested creating a soulbound Memory for Nephis on the spur of the moment, there would have been no need for them to interact, let alone do so while hiding the real reason from Clan Valor.

The Lord of Shadows would have continued to play his role as her battle partner, while the humble shopkeeper would have continued living his mostly peaceful life in solitude.

But now...

'I'm going to be a kept man... gods, why am I so handsome?!'

That pretty face of his... was a curse!

If Sunny had a more rugged appearance, Cassie would have had to come up with a different explanation for his presence near Nephis. The Lord of Shadows, who always wore a ferocious mask, received nothing but respect... but when Sunny showed his face, the most people could believe was that he had caught the princess's fancy due to his pleasing looks.

Surely, being a Saint and ruling a Citadel in a Death Zone had nothing to do with the difference in treatment...

'I can't believe it.'

Jet had once told Sunny that he could become a flower boy one day. Who knew that her words would not only come true, but also come back to bite him one day?

He glanced at Nephis furtively.

She was finishing her waffles with a calm expression, seemingly not affected by the sensitive nature of their conversation at all. There was no hint of agitation or embarrassment on her beautiful face, and her posture remained graceful and poised, like always.

Well, it made sense. It was nothing but a strategy of deception for her,

after all. She did not know Sunny, and only saw him as a valuable resource. A talented enchanter who could create a powerful Memory for her to use.

But it was different for Sunny.

Because, to him, she meant so much more.

Throwing another glance at her, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

'What happened happened. There's no point in worrying about it now.'

In fact... he should just accept the situation and allow himself to enjoy it. Sunny would have lied if he said that he didn't feel a little bit excited about the whole situation.

After all, if Nephis was calm, then why couldn't he be calm, as well?

***

'He's looking at me... what do I do... should I... he's looking at me again!'

Pretending to be nonchalant, Nephis tried to concentrate on the stunningly delicious waffles that Master Sunless had made for her and not show any sign of her distress.

She didn't quite understand how she had allowed Cassie to convince her to go with this plan.

When they discussed how to go about allowing the charming enchanter to stay close to her without alerting Clan Valor to the true purpose of the arrangement, the idea seemed quite reasonable. Strategically, it was sound.

There was even the added benefit of shielding Nephis from the pursuits of the prospective bachelors from other Legacy clans... somewhat.

It was only this morning that she had gotten cold feet. Knowing herself, Nephis had rehearsed the conversation in her room... extensively... and finally realized how deeply embarrassing it would be to say something like that to the charming young man's face.

Nevertheless, she had gone through with it. She was not someone to back down from a challenge, after all.

But now, she had to face the consequences.

'Ah... he looked so put-upon...'

Well, why wouldn't he? Despite his alluring looks, Master Sunless was an incredibly talented craftsman, first and foremost. He must have taken a lot of pride in his skill. To be reduced to such a role... had to be extremely humiliating, from his point of view.

Yet, he graciously accepted their scheme without voicing any complaints.

Being involved in all the lies and deceit surrounding the royal family of the Sword Domain could not have been easy for a decent and honest person like him, either. Nephs was starting to understand better why such a talented sorcerer had chosen to stay away from the Great Clans.

She felt... a little guilty.

When her plate became empty, she sighed with regret and looked at Master Sunless.

'I should protect him well.'

There was no choice now but to proceed with the plan, now.

"If you are ready, we should go to the Castle."

The charming young man seemed a little startled.

"Go to the Castle? Right now?"

Having calmed down somewhat, Nephis nodded.

"Yes. We need to sign the contract officially. Apart from that, the more people see us together, the better. Don't worry, though — there is no need for you to do anything extra or force yourself to act in any kind of way. As long as we are simply seen together, those who need to get the wrong impression will convince themselves of the falsehood. So, you won't need to compromise your dignity."

She lingered for a moment, and then added in a serious tone:

"You have my promise, Master Sunless."

She meant it.

He looked at her silently for a while, his expression unreadable. Eventually, the young man nodded:

"Alright. Give me a minute to give instructions to Aiko, and we can go."

He stood up and retreated into the kitchen of the small cafe, leaving Nephis alone.

She was using a Memory to make it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop

on their conversation, but people could still stare. So, she couldn't allow herself to show any sign of losing composure.

...Even thought all Nephis wanted to do was slump in her chair and bury her face in her hands.

And maybe order another serving of those delicious waffles.

[Cassie...]

Her friend's voice resounded in her head a moment later, composed and calming:

[Yes?]

Nephis lingered for a few moments.

[...Prepare the contract.]

There was a little pause, and then Cassie replied neutrally:

[Already done.]

Nephis was a little surprised. She hesitated for a bit, then asked mentally:

[You already did it? But what if he refused?]

Her friend chuckled.

[Why would he refuse? There's an army of men out there who would kill for the opportunity to act as your romantic partner... don't sell yourself short!]

Nephis frowned.

That was true. She was beautiful in her own right... young, wealthy, renowned, and had the backing of a prestigious family.

So, then...

Her frown deepened a little.

'Now, wait a second. So why did he look so put-upon? Who... who does he think..'

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Cassie's pleasant voice:

[Oh, I wanted to say something. The way you found out if he has a girlfriend... well done! Very slick.]

Nephis blinked.

'What?'

Then, her eyes widened a little.

A moment later, Master Sunless appeared near her table.

He seemed to have regained his composure. Sparing Nephis a bright smile, the charming young man bowed slightly.

"We can leave... Lady Nephis? Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath.

"Yes... I am fine. Let's just go...."