Alister, who stood just behind her, chuckled softly, his tone calm as he remarked, “Yes, I have to agree, it’s almost like a different universe from the rest of the mall.” His eyes scanned the room, unfazed by how grand everything looked because he had seen sights just as grand from Kealan’s memories when he returned home.
Lady Aiko strode confidently ahead, her presence commanding as usual, drawing the attention of several well-dressed patrons and staff.
As Cinder walked beside Alister through Finesse Fabrication, she could feel the weight of countless eyes suddenly fix on her.
Their stares followed her every step-some small, others not. A few customers whispered to one another, their words just loud enough for her to hear what they were saying.
“Who is she?”
“She’s got quite the figure,” a man commented in a low voice, eyeing Cinder’s body before quickly looking away when she caught him staring.
“What’s up with the horns and tail? Some sort of augmentation?”
“I’ve heard rumors of Blanks getting surgery to implant monster cores in their bodies. I’ve heard it gives them abilities but also physical side effects.”
“So do you think she’s some sort of mercenary bodyguard?”
“She looks dangerous…” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
“It seems to add to her charm though.”
“What a waste; she could have easily become a model if she approached the right people.” Although they all whispered so Lady Aiko and Lila couldn’t hear them, being creatures with heightened senses, Alister and Cinder heard them clearly.
Again, Alister chose to ignore them, like he usually did, but then he heard a voice intrude on his thoughts, along with intense emotions of anger and disgust.
‘They are always like this, such filthy creatures with no pride or dignity.’
‘I wish I could make them all pay for what they did that night.’
‘I wish… I could just wipe all of them off the face of the planet!’
Suddenly, a fragment of a memory flashed before his eyes: a massive black dragon lay lifeless upon the snowy earth, battered and broken as all sorts of weapons were plunged into its body, past its cracked scales.
Men clad in armor seemed to be raising their hands in triumph, but Alister could barely hear their voices. Before he could try to make sense of what he was seeing, he heard a voice, weak and filled with crushing despair.
“Please…”
“Stand up… father!”
As quickly as the scene appeared, it disappeared, his eyes adjusting back to the grand setting of the boutique around him.
No one needed to tell Alister what those were: ‘Cinder’s memories…’
The moment was a mere instance, but Alister also felt rage towards the people that he saw, rage towards people of an era he never knew, and for some reason he was starting to get angry at the sight of the people here.
Though he also knew it was the scene he had just seen that was having a little effect on his reasoning.
He narrowed his eyes as they glowed slightly, looking at the people around, causing them to feel a shiver run down their spines as they fell silent.
Cinder was gritting her teeth, holding herself back from burning this place to the ground when, all of a sudden, Alister stopped in his tracks. She noticed Lady Aiko and Lila walking ahead, so she asked, “Is anything the matter—”
Before she could finish, Alister turned to face her, the upper half of his face darkened by his hair.
Cinder felt a bit uneasy at his sudden silence and was about to ask him if everything was alright, but then, out of nowhere, Alister raised his right hand and patted her head, ruffling her silver hair slightly.
Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up at him. “My lord, is everything alright?” she whispered.
Alister smiled slightly as he said, “It’s okay, Cinder. Ignore them; they aren’t worth the effort, so don’t get so worked up.”
Cinder wasn’t sure what caused him to suddenly act this way, but her cheeks blushed slightly as she replied, “Understood, my lord.”
Meanwhile, as Lila walked on ahead with Lady Aiko, she caught sight of a price tag on one of the clothing items, making her eyes widen in shock.
“5 million union credits? Isn’t that too much? A person could easily live comfortably for six months with that,” she exclaimed. Turning around to talk to Alister, she realized he wasn’t there. She looked around, wondering where he had gone until her eyes landed on him and Cinder a few steps back, with Alister patting Cinder’s head.
Seeing the blush on Cinder’s face, Lila was a bit shocked and stuttered, “W-What are they doing?”
Lila’s thoughts raced as she observed the scene before her. ‘They’re acting so close… But I thought Alister said he and Cinder weren’t like that?’ She felt a feeling of confusion. ‘But then why is he patting her head and smiling like that?’
While Lila’s mind spiraled with questions, Alister received a notification from the system:
[Your understanding of your sharpest fang has increased by 2%.]
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the yellow window that appeared by his side, and he
focused.
‘Of course the system is responsible… So that was really a memory belonging to Cinder… Her father was killed by humans, huh?’
‘Although that explains a lot…’
‘I have a feeling that isn’t the full story.’
Suddenly, Cinder spoke up, her voice drawing him back to the moment. “Um, my lord?”
Alister turned to her, curious. “What is it?”
She pointed ahead, her expression serious. “We are getting left behind.”
Alister followed her finger and noticed Lady Aiko striding ahead. He momentarily locked eyes with Lila, but she quickly looked away, hurrying to catch up with Lady Aiko.
Alister nodded, acknowledging Cinder’s observation. “You have a point; we should hurry up then.” He turned around and quickened his pace slightly to catch up with the others.
Cinder paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. “Understood, my lord,” she replied, quickening her pace to keep up with him.
As Lady Aiko walked ahead, she adjusted her glasses, a touch of irritation in her thoughts. ‘Kids these days,’ she thought, shaking her head slightly. ‘They’re so filled with energy.’ She glanced back briefly at Alister and Cinder, who were now caught up, but she knew when they stopped earlier and Alister decided to calm her down.
To her, they seemed caught up in their little world, and she couldn’t care less, but if they had delayed further… Let’s just say she would not have been so pleased.
Finally, she approached an attendant, a tall woman dressed in a sleek, minimalistic red, white, and black uniform. The attendant immediately recognized Lady Aiko, her posture straightening as she offered a respectful nod.
“Oh, Lady Aiko,” the attendant greeted with a formal tone. “Welcome again to Finesse Fabrication. How may we assist you today?”
Wanting to quickly get this over with, Lady Aiko’s voice was smooth yet decisive as she spoke.
“Show me your best suit selections.”
The attendant’s eyes narrowed; she understood where this was going. Although Lady Aiko didn’t visit as often as other customers, she was still one of their big spenders.