Raine observed Tyrone's movements. There seemed to be nothing to get worried about since he was back to his usual stoic expressions. The Glawackus powder worked well on him, but it was such a pity that she was the only one who could remember everything. Even so, she deserved it. She would simply have to consider it a punishment for herself.
He looked serious and focused on what he was doing, unlike just a while ago when he suddenly became a cheesy person, pampering her and smiling naughtily more often than usual. Ah, she would miss those wicked and naughty but adorable smiles… Not to mention his sweetness and thoughtfulness. He confessed his love for her, and he seemed to be his real self around her after that. His stoic personality appeared to be a facade somehow?
'Dummy! Of course, you'll see the real him! He sees you as his woman already the moment you gave your body to him! Make sure that this will be the last time you'll do that, Raine!' she inwardly scolded herself. She felt bad that she had to do this. And she might even regret it later, but she honestly thought it was the right thing to do at the time, given who she was.
She sighed deeply, then grabbed another lollipop, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth as she continued working on her laptop in the living area with Tyrone. Later, she had to go out and visit the Mirage Historian, but she didn't want to bring Tyrone with her. So she thought up a task to give him once she was out.
No one should know the identity of the Mirage Historian except for the royal families of each clan. Ah, but she was a fake, including her father and uncle Yun.
She let out another sigh.
"You've been eating too many lollipops now," Tyrone commented as he looked at the wrappers and lollipop sticks scattered atop the center table.
Raine didn't respond and just gave him a half-smile, "I need this to focus…"
Folding his laptop, Tyrone asked, "Focus? Why? Are you too distracted? What's bothering you? Maybe I can help?"
"I'm not distracted," Raine scoffed with a twitch of her mouth. "What makes you think I am?!"
Tyrone stood up from his seat and suddenly sat beside Raine while staring closely at her face.
"It's written all over your face…" he said without batting an eye at her.
Raine frowned, "You read wrong then. And why are you sitting here? Give me some space to concentrate!"
Tyrone only ignored her and did not even budge a bit. He just leaned at the center table to get a lollipop before staring at it.
"I really don't like lollipops," he whispered with a dim expression.
"And why is that?" Raine curiously asked.
That was when they both heard Aire's voice, interrupting their conversation.
"Mommy! Daddy! We're here!"
Aire burst forth as she ran towards Raine and Tyrone. Levi and Mia followed her.
"Ah, you're early," Raine commented since she specifically instructed to bring Aire at night to avoid suspicious eyes since it would be Aire's first time to enter the Moon Clan Territory. Someone could still recognize her real identity and question why she was with her.
"I insisted on going here already, Mommy. I don't wanna waste any moment spending time with you and Daddy. Besides, I used my wolf form. You can safely introduce me as your favorite pet now, Mommy. Your wolf, Draki!" Aire said with a grin. She looked so excited and happy.
Raine patted her head, "Ahh, but next time, you should follow instructions."
"Draki sounds manly, though, for a cute cub like you," Tyrone commented.
"But you like it, right? It's manly, yes, but cool too since your daughter is a cool little cub!" Aire answered with a broad smile at Tyrone.
"Yeah, it also suits you since you're a tough and strong kid," Tyrone complimented. Raine shook her head as she watched Tyrone and Aire bond effortlessly like a real father and daughter tandem.
Then, she turned and gave Mia and Levi a glare. The two gulped nervously, knowing they failed to inform the Boss of the sudden change in plans.
"Aire insisted not to tell you so she can surprise you like this. Sorry, Boss," Levi explained while scratching his head. He couldn't explain how things happened, to be honest. All he knew was that he and Mia only ended up following what Aire wanted without them even realizing it until it already happened. Something honestly felt weird and off, and Levi was getting worried.
Levi suspiciously looked at Aire. He had to report this to their Boss, but he couldn't find an opportunity to do so privately since whenever he would try, Aire would just pop up in front of him out of nowhere and pull him to play games or watch the TV. Aire was a nice kid, but there was something mysterious about her that they must look into. It was as if Aire was not some ordinary kid. There was more to her that Levi could not exactly pinpoint.
"So many lollipops…" Mia cautiously whispered, interrupting Levi from his deep thoughts.
Levi finally noticed the lollipop wrappers on the table as well. He was always the only one who had the guts to directly question their Boss as he burst, "Boss, what's wrong? What's the problem? You only overeat whenever something is bothering you or if you're conflicted in deciding what to do. Are you in a dilemma right now?!"
He sounded worried. It was really problematic whenever their Boss ate a lot of lollipops in just one sitting… Something terrible would definitely happen!
Raine wanted to hit Levi's head at that moment and bury it in the ground!
"Something is bothering you? Is it about me leaving for country D? Do you need me here more? Do you want me to stay?" Tyrone straightforwardly asked.
Mia and Levi exchanged meaningful glances, but it was Levi who quickly retorted, "Ah, I'm sure that's not what's bothering her since I'm here already… I mean, we are all here now to assist her with anything, so you can return to country D and do exactly what the Boss asks you to do…"
At least, Levi saved Raine from the awkward questions Tyrone threw. She had decided to spare Levi for his first mistake in mentioning how she ate a lot of lollipops because she was greatly bothered by something.
Raine ignored the scene as she got up, "Come, Aire. I'll show you to your room."
But Aire only had a pout and did not move from her seat. She crossed her arms as she mumbled, "This is not good. Mommy and Daddy shouldn't separate."
Aire then looked at Raine and said, "I'm sure you will miss him greatly once he leaves for a few days…"
Raine's jaw dropped, which too, was unexpected. Levi shook his head, and with a frown, murmured, "Aire, you should not join your elders whenever they talk, especially when you do not know what's going on."
Aire stood up and looked at Mia, "Aunty Mia and Uncle Levi will show me to my room. You should sort things out with Daddy, Mommy. Or else, you will regret shooing him away."
"Ah, this kid," Mia murmured as she quickly dragged Aire out of the living area so the kid would stop spurting any more nonsense.
Raine shook her head and followed Aire's back.
"It seems like it's not a good thing to have a nosy daughter at this rate," Raine murmured as she shook her head, still staring at Aire's back in disbelief.
Tyrone stood up, "She has a point. Plus, she's adorable. I would love to have a nosy daughter like her for sure."
He walked towards Raine and only stopped when there was only an inch of distance between them.
Raine met his stare. She lifted her eyebrows, "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to see through you. I noticed your conflicted look, too. Not to mention how you're sighing more often than usual. What is it that's bothering you? You also looked exhausted and spent. My flight is due tomorrow morning, so you still have time to cancel it. I would love to stay here with you and assist you well in everything you need."
Raine scoffed. She was not the type to cower, even if Tyrone's closeness was already too distracting. Ah, his hot breath and warmth lingered in her system. Maybe she should also try deleting her memories so that she would not be as affected as she was right now that everything that's happened between them kept replaying in her head. Oh how she was way too greedy to want more…
"A lot of things happened, darling. And there are a lot of things I need to do. So it's only natural for me to be bothered…" Raine said, followed by a wink before she immediately turned around and left Tyrone alone.
Tyrone followed her back with a loud, frustrated sigh as he whispered, "I'm so doomed…"