Chapter 1693: Convincing Lie.

Chapter 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 herp 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.

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?!]