Chapter 38 - Torn Pages

Meanwhile, at the hide-out where Aire was being kept in custody, Mia joined Levi who was cooking their lunch in the kitchen. She was feeling frustrated since her search about the incident of the former King Arthur had been futile. She had only managed to find a few details about it, and what she did find wasn't very helpful at all.

"Ah… This is killing me. She already confirmed that my guess was right, Levi... But even if I bash my head against the wall right now, I just can't seem to figure out the connection between the lollipop boy and the Boss," Mia lamented. 

Levi sighed as he turned off the stove, "The food's ready. I'll set the table. I think we can let Aire go out of her room now. I already fixed the watch that would automatically stabilize her in case she lost control of her emotions again," Levi informed. After all, the hide-out was a secured area, so Aire wouldn't be able to get out unless she had access to the biometric locks on the doors like him and Mia.

"Alright. I'll go and fetch Aire," Mia mumbled with a sigh. She grabbed the watch from Levi's room and went inside Aire's room.

"Hello, cutie," Mia greeted. 

The girl gave her a bright smile the moment she saw her. Aire really was a genius of a little girl. In the short time that they've been together, she had already shown that she was able to learn things quickly. Last night, Mia monitored her, and she witnessed how Aire could already shapeshift into a cute little wolf without anyone even mentoring her. She was improving rapidly on her own… Or, if Mia didn't know better, she would've said that Aire already knew exactly what to do.

"Is that for me?" Aire asked while looking at the watch Mia was holding.

"Yes," Mia replied.

Aire quickly raised her hand with an open palm so Mia could give the watch to her. She watched as the little girl put on the wristwatch by herself.

"It stings…" Aire mumbled.

"Yeah. It will monitor your body. You see, that will help stabilize you in case you go out of control," Mia explained.

"Hmm, but I can already control myself now," Aire pouted.

Mia chuckled, "Since you're learning fast and behaving like a good girl, you're allowed to come out of the room now. So why don't you join us for lunch?"

Aire's face lit up with excitement as she grinned, "Really!?"

Mia nodded. And as soon she did, Aire hugged her in happiness. After a few seconds of embrace, she pulled and let Mia hold her tiny hand as they walked outside her room.

Reaching the dining room, Aire sat on the chair that Levi pulled out.

"Wow," she said as soon as she saw the meat on the table.

"Enjoy. Eat a lot, yeah?" Levi told her with a smile as he motioned Aire to start eating.

Levi was staring closely at Aire when Mia elbowed him and whispered, "Do you see the  similarities?"

"Yeah," Levi whispered back. Aire was like a miniature version of their Boss, except Aire's hair was curly while their Boss's was wavy.

Aire stopped eating as she suddenly looked at the couple sitting in front of her. They were keenly watching her.

"Aren't you going to eat, Uncle and Aunty?" Aire asked with a smile.

Mia and Levi smiled back before they started eating together with her.

"Mommy Raine is away, and she said she didn't know when she would be back. I'm trying to muster my wolf form right now, since I figured out that it's better to stay with her in my wolf form. I want to tag along wherever she goes," Aire casually said as she continued eating her food.

Mia and Levi exchanged meaningful glances.

"Aire, it would be dangerous to tag along with the Boss. You see, she's often involved in fights, so she might not even allow you to stay with her at all times," Mia explained.

Aire didn't respond as she listened. Instead, she chewed on her food, gulped it down, and continued with her conversation.

"You guys are the infamous Moonlight Squad, right?" 

Mia and Levi almost choked on their own food.

"How did you know?" Levi asked in disbelief.

"I've stayed with my grandfather long enough to know about this much. He's investigating the existence of some underworld groups. To be honest, I overheard a lot of things. And now I know a lot about those things," Aire casually confessed. She then added, "I even read all that was written on the torn pages from the Mirage Diaries."

"What?" Levi and Mia burst into chorus.

"I was able to put together the missing pieces. I always thought they were just stories from the torn pages of the diary I've read, but it turned out that it's not. Mommy Raine's red eyes proved it all," Aire spoke as if she was already a grown-up woman who had experienced a lot of encounters before.

"Torn pages? Of the Mirage Diaries?" Levi asked. None of them were aware that the Mirage even had diaries.

"The Boss should know about this," Mia whispered as she immediately stood up to call and report the matter to Raine.

In the meantime, Levi stayed with Aire. In the awkward silence, he asked, "What else have you read from those torn pages?"

"Hmm… It's more about King Arthur and the eradication of his family along with his followers. Both humans and mythical creatures," Aire replied before poking at the meat she just cut and ate. She then stared at Levi and questioned, "If I tell you everything I read in it, what can you do for me in return?"

Levi gulped, wondering if he was even talking to an eight-year-old girl. Oh, right… She was already turning nine this year, but that still wasn't the case at all. She was still a child.

"What do you have in mind, Aire?" Levi asked. He was dying out of curiosity.

Aire had a cunning smile plastered all over her face that made Levi inwardly curse. For a second, he visualized a little Raine giving him an evil smirk. Even their expressions were practically the same!

"Who are you really, Aire?" Levi unconsciously whispered.

"I am Aire Yue, the daughter of Mommy Raine Yue. Who else should I be?" Aire replied rather cheekily.

Levi's shoulders dropped. Aire seemed to be back to acting her proper age.

"So tell me, what do you want in return for you to confide to me the things that you have read in those torn pages of the diary? How can you even be sure that it's from the Mirage Diaries?