Pat
Pat
Pat
Something soft and squishy paw at his hand.
"Mrow~"
The sound of a familiar purring.
Then…
Rustle
The warm, furry body rubbed against his face.
Eyes still closed, Hadrian smiled, as he was slowly woken up.
"Haah…"
With a soft sigh, he opened his eyes.
And sure enough, cuddling against his cheek was Maya.
"Morning…" Hadrian greeted softly.
In turn, the familiar purred.
"Mroow~"
After a few minutes of giving the familiar some loving attention, Hadrian sat up, and left the bed for the bathroom.
The stroll last night ended without much fuss.
Thank the Root for that.
Hadrian and Zelretch walked around the streets of Paris for most of the evening, talking casually of whatever subject that came to mind, only stopping after the clock had hit around 3:30 AM.
… to which the old mage mischievously dropped Hadrian off into the pool by the glass pavilion via portal, and without warning at that.
Hadrian was only glad that Natasha was already asleep at that time.
Otherwise, the redhead would get a weird introduction to the supernatural side of things.
Granted, the discussion he had with his grandfather was somewhat heavy in tone, but that could not be avoided, seeing as there are cases that they needed to speak about.
The imminent changes that will occur in his body, for one.
Leaning down, Hadrian sighed as he washed his face with cold water from the faucet.
The return of Type Mercury's blessing was rather… shocking to him.
Hadrian didn't think that that gift would accompany him in this life, considering that it never really made an appearance in the previous lifetime he had acquired it.
But in hindsight, Hadrian supposed it shouldn't have been surprising.
After all, the Lucis Caelum was no mere royal bloodline.
It was a special heritage consisting of three origins: mundane, divine and cosmic.
'An unholy trifecta against one… course it would overpower it.'
Sighing at the thought, Hadrian dried his face with a fluffy towel, exiting the bathroom to change his clothes, and start the day.
With the operation done and over with, he was free to follow his usual routine for the entire day.
He had something in mind after breakfast, but the first thing to do in his schedule was the two-hours training.
The display yesterday can be substituted as an exercise, but he was feeling restless, for some reason. Thus, he was eager to burn some excess energy through his usual drills.
Creak
Step
Upon entering the glass pavilion, Hadrian's lips twitched at what he saw.
Unsurprisingly, a certain redhead was already awake, and waiting inside.
It seemed Natasha had caught onto his schedule, and given her inquisitive nature, he supposed that it was not unexpected to see her there.
"Good morning." He greeted the girl.
"Hm…" She hummed in turn, giving a slight nod.
With their greetings exchanged, they began their routine exercises separately.
Natasha practiced her Escrima drills with her knife on the far side, while Hadrian focused on his exercises on the glass covered pool.
After an hour and a half, Natasha had finished her exercise and sat herself on a nearby sunbed, resting, and content to watch him practice with Maya beside her.
In silence, the redhead admired how swift and firm the motions of his assaults were.
Every movement was fluid and connected, almost like an artform.
Idly, she found it fitting that, even in combat, Hadrian remains graceful and elegant.
It was as if he had trained for hours, days, maybe even years to become that good.
If so, it was a feat that Natasha can deeply respect, given her own past.
Before she knew it, another hour passed in that manner.
…
Drip
Drip
"Huff… huff…"
The mage panted lightly, standing upright.
Droplets of sweat slid down his face, and his clothes clung to his skin due to perspiration.
Briefly closing his eyes, his head bowed slightly, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
He can hear the wild pulsation of his heart, beating against his ears.
But it slowly faded away, as his breathing was soon in order.
…
Step
Step
"Here…"
The familiar voice snapped Hadrian out of his mild trance.
"…?"
He opened his eyes, looked to the left, and blinked.
It was Natasha.
Her face was still impassive, as per usual.
But, in her hands, was a white fluffy towel and a bottle of cool water.
Hadrian felt a bit surprised.
The girl displays a cool and cold exterior, but can actually be caring inside.
Evident by her thoughtful gesture now.
The red tint on her cheeks made her look adorable too.
Obviously, she was well conscious of her actions.
However, he sees nothing wrong with that.
He would rather let her be true to herself, even if it seemed weird to others.
That way, she would be more content and happier with herself.
Root knows she needed it.
Not wanting to make her feel embarrassed, Hadrian gave her a gentle smile.
"Thank you." He said solemnly, taking the offered items.
"Hm…" she hummed with a slight nod.
Natasha remained cool and collected, but the growing flush on her cheeks was a different story.
Turning away (to give her space, cause he's a gentleman like that), Hadrian wiped the sweat off with the towel, hanging it over his shoulder once done.
He then opened the bottled water and drank, savoring the taste of fresh, cool liquid.
Pat
Pat
"Mrow… Purr… Purr…"
"…?"
The mage's lips twitched, as he felt a soft, furry body rubbing against his leg.
Pulling the bottle away, Hadrian gulped down the water in his mouth, before looking down.
He gave the feline an exasperated gaze.
"Mrooow… Purr…"
But he was ignored, as per usual.
Sighing, Hadrian gave up, busying himself with the now half-empty bottle in his grip, screwing the cap back on.
He was distracted, however, when a slightly deep, feminine voice spoke.
"Were you trained?"
Blinking, Hadrian turned his gaze, and saw Natasha staring at him.
The mage paused, glancing away briefly as he considered her question.
"You mean, in combat?" Hadrian faced her, brows furrowed.
Natasha nodded.
"Ah…" He paused again, thinking for a moment. "I was, yes."
Natasha made a thoughtful noise.
"What for?"
Hadrian chuckled.
It came out as a mixture of amusement and weariness.
"Survival." The mage smiled faintly. (1)
Vivid cyan eyes glazing a little from the flood of memories consisting of blood, sweat and tears from near-death experiences.
Natasha saw the withering expression.
The girl can relate, honestly, having been there more than once.
"How long?" she asked next, unable to quell the urge to know more.
Again, the question made him pause.
A torrent of memories came rushing in, unstoppable in its force.
So many, it almost gave him a headache from the recollection.
Dismissing them all away, Hadrian exhaled deeply.
"Too long…"
"…"
Silence hung over them after that admission.
Although, it was not uncomfortable.
The opposite, actually.
The girl asked a few simple questions, and he answered them all in turn.
Throughout, a sense of sympathy and understanding grew as they went back and forth.
Now, there was a bit of comfort in each other's presence.
It was as if… something has change.
What it was, the mage was not exactly sure.
But it does feel a bit familiar, he was simply unable to pinpoint it.
Shrugging it off, Hadrian moved and placed away the practice tools.
With their morning exercises done, Hadrian exited the glass pavilion, leading the other two back inside the penthouse, inquiring Natasha with her progress with Escrima along the way.
Typically, the redhead responded without a change in her impassive mask.
It was strange, but he supposed what he sensed earlier was nothing to ponder on.
'Hmm…'
...
---
...
With a cold shower and fresh clean clothes, Hadrian (and Maya) rendezvous with Natasha in the hallway, making their way to the kitchen, where he was assisted by her to cook breakfast.
During meal preparation, Hadrian couldn't help but smile to himself, as he noticed how Natasha was slowly getting accustomed to cutting vegetables using the proper techniques he taught her.
With her exceptional ability to adapt, it would only be a matter of time before she was ready to learn how to cook on her own, not just prepare the ingredients.
Surprisingly, Hadrian looked forward to teaching her some of the exquisite recipes he learned and acquired from his past travels.
As for breakfast itself, their meal was rather simple.
Neat cuts of crispy bacon, buttered toasts, sunny side-up eggs, and oven-roasted vegetables (potatoes and carrots), with a pitch of fresh lemonade on the side to wash all the grease down.
For his familiar, Maya, her meal was a large slab of cod fish meat, steamed-cooked.
By the perk of her ears and lazy swishing of her tail, the female feline was more than happy to patiently wait for him prepare her meal.
Midway into their breakfast, Hadrian lured Natasha into a conversation.
"Little spider?" He called.
"Hm?" Natasha hummed.
The redhead has a spoonful of tender and flavorful roasted potatoes and carrots, mostly cut into bite-size pieces, held up in her right hand.
Assured that he had her attention, Hadrian continued.
"Come by the study later. There's something important I wish to discuss with you there."
The girl frowned thoughtfully.
"Why not now?" She placed the spoon gently on the plate.
Hadrian smiled wryly.
"This is not the appropriate setting for it. Also, it'll be a long discussion. We might as well speak of everything there rather than here."
While a bit puzzled, Natasha nodded her head still.
"Hm, alright…"
Seeing a chance, Hadrian changed the topic.
"I've been meaning to ask…" He began calmly.
"Hm?" Natasha gazed at him questioningly, chewing a mouthful of food.
Hadrian resisted the urge to smile, as he noticed her cheeks bulging a little, akin to a squirrel.
"How did it go on your end during the operation?" Subtly, he watched her face closely.
To her credit, Natasha remained calm and composed.
The girl took her time chewing on her food, glancing up in thought, obviously recounting what she experienced in the operation.
It was a few moments later, when she turned back to him.
"It went fine. Almost smooth even. I saw a few guards patrolling on the way, but they weren't an issue since they went away on their own. I went into the office from there, and start searching." Natasha explained in a musing tone.
Recalling the not-so-empty satchel from before, Hadrian smiled.
While it looked the same, there was a hint of deviousness in his eyes.
Natasha failed to notice it, as she was more occupied with her food.
"And how was your search for the safe? Did it take you long?" Hadrian asked, subtly examining the girl's facial expression.
Natasha paused.
But it was so faint – a mere split-second, one would think to imagine it.
Thanks to his vigilance though, Hadrian caught it.
'Aha…'
His smile grew by a slight margin.
Natasha moved again, making a show of cutting her food into appropriate pieces.
"Not too long, several minutes at worst. It's an office, and he has a lot of stuff there, so…" She gave a mild shrug. "I found the safe on the shelves. He got a lot of stupid shit there."
Hadrian sniggered at the redhead's look of disgust.
"What do you mean?"
Natasha looked at him with her typical monotonic mask and voice, which he was recently linking it as one of her unique traits.
"He has a bookshelf filled with these dirty magazines – and get this, they were all hidden behind book covers. What an idiot. The gloves you gave me really came through that time…" Natasha shook her head with an exasperated sigh.
Hadrian chuckled.
Idly though, as he listened attentively, he took note of her vagueness when describing her time searching for the safe. He sensed her omitting a small portion of the truth from there.
The girl downplayed the tale, but she uttered no lies.
She merely became a bit vague on one part before moving onto the finale.
Out of respect for her privacy, Hadrian dismissed his curiosity over the matter, as he sensed a flash of embarrassment from her before it vanished.
Also, the reason was not that important to him.
What was important was that both objectives were successfully met.
In turn, the mission ended safely without any issue.
On a different note, it was quite adorable to watch the girl's cheeks turn rosy, pink, before she quickly controlled herself and regained her calm.
Most importantly, it was surprising to see her comfortable and relaxed around him now, as she responded to him.
It was a far cry from the feisty and guarded young girl he met in the alleyway, compared to the person he was speaking to now.
Hadrian can only hope she was well on her way to recovery.
Regain what was left of her humanity, from whatever traumatic experiences she endured in the past that turned her into a child soldier.
Hopefully, when that time comes, Natasha will be able to live her life, freely and independently, without him worrying about her future.
Determined as he was to keep her at arm's length, the girl was growing on him.
Although, he only wanted her to live a life without constant regrets and lesser hardships.
Natasha was still young, after all.
He sincerely hoped that she would mature and be more open to changing careers in the future, as the one she was actively pursuing now is not exactly proper, or healthy, for her age.
Dismissing his concerns for the future, Hadrian focused on washing the dishes…
… unaware of the curious glance he received from the very subject of his recent worries.
With the dishes cleaned, sorted, and their hunger sated, the pair soon changed venue and went to the study.
Step
Step
"…"
Natasha seemed to have nothing on her schedule, leaving Hadrian to lead the way to the study without giving her a second glance, as she followed him out of the dining room.
After gesturing for her to sit on one of the chairs, Natasha watched as Hadrian made a beeline to the desk, where a medium stack of documents was set neatly to the side.
He leaned down for a moment to rummage through the drawers, before he found what he was looking for and placed the object on the surface, pushing it in her way.
The object was a few pages of paper.
Natasha grabbed it with one hand, green eyes roving over the contents of the first page.
"That's the new contract." Hadrian stated, sitting down on the chair with a sigh.
Prompted by her inquiring expression, the mage continued.
"The conditions remain the same as the last one, but there are a few additions in place. Do not sign the contract yet. Take your time, and read each paper carefully. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask me."
The redhead nodded slowly, then proceeded to do as he suggested.
While she was busy pouring through the terms and agreement of the contract, Hadrian occupied himself by reading the new messages he received via holo-phone.
Making himself comfortable, he set the holo-phone into its small tablet form, placing one earbud into his right ear, keeping the other open in case Natasha needed his attention.
Petting Maya, who was curled in her cushion on the desk, Hadrian checked on his messages.
There were ten messages in his inbox, most consisting of thoughtful greetings from his family and annoying ribbings from his friends (his retainers mostly).
But there were three that required his immediate attention.
The first was from his grandfather, the second was from Luka (his temporary aide), and the last was from one of his retainers, Captain Nemo.
After taking the time to reply to other messages, Hadrian first opened the one from Zelretch, adopting a curious expression as he read its contents.
…
To: Enkel
From: Opa
Dear enkel,
Don't you forget our talk last night.
And don't work your little assistant too much, ya hear? ;)
With love,
Your opa
…
…
…
Shuffle
With blank eyes, Hadrian moved the cursor upwards to the left.
Click
And clicked on delete.
The old magician probably wore a shit-eating grin as he sent him that message.
'That would be just like him…' The mage huffed.
Next, he read the message from Luka.
It was a long-detailed message.
The first chunk consisted of the actions he took, his reasons, and his findings inside the target's warehouse after the raid.
The warehouse was searched thoroughly, Keres Komorov's office included.
The team found a few dossiers containing information of the target's safehouses locations, both locally and internationally.
Most of the copper ores were lost, with only several crates found (apparently, there were ten), but the rest of the client's stolen belongings can be retrieved and returned.
Luka had already set a schedule and a team to assist him with the operation in the near future.
From his explanation, it seems they plan on hunting for the ones nearby tonight.
The second was about the witnesses.
After the incident, they were quickly taken to a rehabilitation facility closeby – a private institute under contract with AEONS.
They had first undergone memory modifications, before they were fit to attend therapy sessions to relieve them of their mental health concerns.
And just as he suspected, they all have rough pasts that led them to their current lifestyles.
Most were drug users (the kind who resort to drugs to dull and suppress the painful moments in their lives), some were abused (physically and sexually), and a few were kidnapped from their respective countries and forced to work in brothels.
With that known, Hadrian was glad that the witnesses were escorted to a rehabilitation facility.
At least, they would be free from some of their mental burdens, and will gain another opportunity to start their lives again once their rehab is complete.
But the day when they would be released from the facility remains undetermined, as it depends on their progress and response to the sessions.
Hadrian was not worried as he had seen the facility they were sent to before, albeit briefly.
Also, he was assured that the doctors and staff were kind and thoughtful of their patients there.
Thus, the witnesses were in good hands.
Luka then went on, explaining how he had already set the provisions and the small funds for the witnesses, so they would not be concerned for their basic necessities once they are released.
The last of the aide's message was related to the client's gratitude and the full installment of the fee, which Luka will deliver later before rendezvousing with his team for the raid.
Tap
Tap
Hadrian sent Luka a short response, thanking him and wishing him luck on the raid.
He went back to the inbox, and clicked on the last.
The message sent by Captain Nemo was short, but it brought him great excitement.
…
To: Master
From: Captain Nemo
It's ready, Master.
C.N.
…
Immediately, Hadrian sent a reply.
…
HR: When can it be sent to me?
…
Moments later, the Captain's response was quick and simple.
…
C.N: It is possible before your departure for the next assignment.
…
Hadrian smiled, then typed again.
…
HR: Good job, and thank you, Captain
C.N: (thumbs up)
C.N: Anytime, master
…
Hadrian chortled softly, breaking the comfortable silence in the room.
The pleased smile remained fixed on his face, even as he closed the device and returned it into his pocket via holo-phone form.
"…?"
His elation was too obvious for the other occupant in the room to ignore, who looked at him from above the papers she was reading.
"What're you so happy about?" Natasha asked curiously.
"Eh?"
Hadrian blinked, smile freezing as he faced her in surprise.
In his excitement, he forgot that he was not alone.
Natasha stared at him with a hint of amusement on her impassive mask.
The contract (with two pages folded in the back) was held in her left hand, placed on her lap.
Green eyes held a glint of curiosity and expectation, as their gazes met.
Hadrian chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He supposed seeing him, who was usually calm and collected, smiling and looking ecstatic, was a rare sight for Natasha to witness.
The question sobered him, returning him to his usual calm self.
"Nothing important, I just received a message from one of my friends. His response amused me, that's all." Hadrian calmly took off the earbud, and placed it in its tiny case.
Natasha just looked at him, still amused.
"Uh-huh…" The girl monotoned.
Hadrian merely gave her a smile.
Seeing him unfazed, Natasha scoffed and turned back to the contract in her hand.
"I have some questions, Hadrian." The girl announced, addressing him by his first name for the first time.
Hadrian gave her his utmost focus.
"What is it?"
This prompted the redhead to look up.
The first page consisted of the terms of the contract, the second and third were the duties and benefits of the job (as an assistant), and the last was the details of the contract's penalty.
From there, he could only think of a few in mind of what she wanted to ask him about.
Natasha held up the contract, and pointed to a certain condition and penalty clause written.
"I know I've signed a contract before, but I need to know. How would this even work?"
Her index finger tapped on the penalty clause, for emphasis.
The details of the condition state – any information given in the past and present, ones that they discovered about the concerned party, was not allowed to be recorded or relayed to others in any given form, out of the people involved in the contract.
The penalty clause, however, was what caught her attention.
It refers to the violator losing their memories of the concerned party, whose secrets the former signee had relayed to outsiders without their permission.
Expecting it as such, Hadrian merely chuckled, and leaned back to search through the drawers again.
"Hmm, I figured you would ask that. Perhaps it's time to put your faith to the test."
Hadrian smiled vaguely, much to Natasha's curiosity and confusion.
Before she could ask, the mage pulled out a yellow folder from a drawer and extended it to her.
Setting the contract aside, Natasha took the offered folder and flipped it open…
"Huh…?"
… and see two papers with a few lines printed on each.
With furrowed brows, Natasha faced the disguised mage with a skeptical expression.
"What is this?" The redhead asked in a neutral tone.
Hadrian snickered, undeterred by her deadpan gaze.
"The first page is a contract stating that I cannot say your name out loud. If I do, the condition is breach, and the penalty clause will be active. The penalty will appear on the back of my hand. It will not disappear, until the contract is destroyed."
He paused, taking a moment for the girl to digest the information, before continuing.
"The contract was made via hybrid technology – which I cannot explain to you in detail, as it is a top secret kept by the organization." He added, seeing the question in her eyes.
"Anyways, once I sign that, the contract would turn active. From there, I will demonstrate to you what will happen when the set condition is breached, and how quick the penalty appears. The second paper is for you to test its authenticity, but you can do that after I'm finished. Do you follow me so far?"
While a bit puzzled, Natasha nodded firmly.
"I do, but I don't see how I can believe this without proof." Natasha said dubiously, returning the yellow folder to the disguised mage.
In response, Hadrian merely opened the folder, grabbed his fountain pen, and signed the paper.
Placing the pen down, the mage slid the folder to her, and lifted his left hand up, displaying the back of the appendage to Natasha.
Without looking away from her curious gaze, Hadrian spoke in a calm and cool tone.
"Natasha Romanoff."
Schlich
The effect was immediate.
So was her reaction, given how her green eyes turned round and wide.
"What the…?!"
Hadrian didn't look away from her though.
Even as he felt a sting and tear on the center of his back hand, as the muscle tissue ripped from the inside and outward, along with the slow and steady flow of viscous liquid coming out of it.
Natasha gulped, staring at his external limb.
The cause for her reaction was due to the thin, yet noticeable cut that appeared on the back of his left hand, as soon as he announced her name.
In clear view, Natasha can see the blood seeping from the shallow wound, accumulating before trickling down to his wrist in rivulets.
Blinking, the redhead turned away to glance at the contract on her lap.
"…?!"
– only for her to receive her second surprise of the day.
Wide green eyes took in the sight a red paper, instead of the white she had expected to see.
Using both hands, she grabbed the paper and examined it closely.
The words were the same, and the few paragraphs as well.
What changed was the paper's color.
The contract was dyed a deep crimson, almost the same shade as her hair.
"Че за хуйня…?" the girl cursed in Russian.
The question was – how did it happen?
'He did say that it was hybrid technology. But whatever that was, how could it injure him and turn this paper on my lap like this in an instant?'
Puzzled, Natasha faced Hadrian again.
The man pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket, and was about to tie the cloth around his hand when he noticed her attentive gaze.
As if sensing what she wanted, Hadrian extended his hand to her.
Dropping the contract in the other chair, Natasha stood up and leaned over the desk.
Green eyes inspected the wound, while her hands gripped his own to steady it in place.
Her gaze was so intense, Hadrian was a bit worried it might burn a hole in his hand.
Still, he endured it.
Better for her to believe now, than to let her keep doubting.
The girl took the handkerchief from his other hand, and used it to wipe the blood away.
'It's real…' was her thought, amazed and a little wary.
The redhead was silent, morbidly marveling as it kept bleeding, despite the shallowness of the cut that mysteriously appeared.
Rustle
Moments later, Hadrian gently pulled his hand away from her grasp, placing the external organ on the table (palm facing down) with the handkerchief over it.
Leaning back into his chair, he spoke.
"The contract holds power over me. If I do not destroy it, this cut will never heal."
He gestured to the wound with his right hand.
"I didn't include anything about repeat offenses, so the contract serves no purpose other than to maintain the penalty clause in effect. I can now say your name without fear of incurring further penalties since there was none in detail."
Hadrian used his right hand to set aside the contract he signed, grabbing the second page and sliding it to Natasha.
"…?"
The redhead glanced at the second contract, taking it with a hint of caution in her stoic façade before returning her gaze to him.
Exhaling deeply, Hadrian met her gaze and explained.
"Now, remember what I mentioned earlier?"
Upon seeing her nod, Hadrian continued with a small smile.
"The contract in your hands works similarly to the one I signed. The penalty clause is different though. If you've read the line, it says that you'll get pricked on the back of your left hand if you breached the contract's condition. I don't think you would appreciate receiving a cut like I did out of the blue with the demonstration earlier." He added with a wry smile.
And Natasha could only agree to that in silence.
Still, the redhead was attentive in her seat.
Hadrian held her gaze, a hint of challenge in his gaze.
"You want proof, Natasha? Sign the contract and break the clause. Only then, you can judge the authenticity for yourself."
"…"
Natasha looked a bit unsure, as she listened quietly to his explanation.
Her gaze remained on the contents of the contract.
But, as she caught sight of his poised smile and observant gaze, her curiosity and resolution on the situation had emboldened her to act.
With a determined frown, Natasha snatched the same pen he used and signed the contract.
Then, after placing the pen on the edge of the desk, she held the contract up in her right hand and raised her left hand beside it.
That way, she would have a full view of both the contract and her backhand.
Natasha took a deep breath, exhaling a moment later, and spoke.
"Hadrian Rey vo–"
Pain
Throb
"…?!"
The girl stopped.
Green eyes turned wide and round, as her left hand twitched in surprise.
Her surprise expression morphed into a slight wince, as she felt a sharp, pricking sensation on the back of her land.
Even though there was no detailed indication, Natasha did not even have to announce his name out loud for the penalty clause to become active.
And Hadrian was right.
Natasha was relieved that the penalty clause was not like his.
Having gone through worse experiences, she would be able to dismiss the small wound, but the throbbing pain made it a bit difficult for her to ignore it.
If Natasha had not seen it happen, she would have assumed that something crawled inside the tiny wound that was causing her pain, as the blood kept pouring out.
The contract in her hand also changed color.
But this time, she had a good view of how it happened.
It was sudden, almost a whole second.
There was no visible indication of its change of color.
No noise, movement, nothing.
It just happened, like splattering black ink all over it.
'Almost like magic…' was her idle thought.
Glancing at Hadrian briefly, Natasha was forced to admit defeat.
The cut on the back of Hadrian's hand looked worse than her own.
He looked unbothered though, even after he had covered the wound with a white handkerchief to prevent the blood from making a mess on his desk.
The cyan-eyed young man merely waited patiently for her to be done with the test.
Even as the pristine white cloth was, slowly and steadily, dying red as the blood from the small cut continued to seep out.
With a strained frown, Natasha glanced at her wound, and sighed.
"I believe you…"
The frown on her face deepened, seeing the red dot slowly growing, as the blood continued to accumulate and turn into a small bead.
"This is just a tiny prick, but it feels like there's something inside that's causing it to bleed more."
Natasha shook her head with another sigh.
"There's no way this is ordinary. Can we break these things now?"
Upon her request, Hadrian chuckled.
"Sure."
He grabbed the contract on his desk, while she did the same with her own.
In unison, the pair tore the crimson papers in their hands.
In effect, they were immediately relieved from the penalty clause.
"…?"
The disappearance of the throbbing pain rendered Natasha looking at her hand in curiosity, flexing the external organ to test it.
Wiping the small bead of blood with the rear sleeve of her shirt, the redhead turned away just in time to see Hadrian smile at her.
"With that said, why don't we sign the real contract now?"
...
---
...
Minutes later…
…
Natasha dutifully followed his instructions as to where she needed to sign on the new contract.
But, not after reading the contents of the contract thoroughly for the second time.
The main reason for her decision to sign the contract was due to Hadrian's noble character.
While still mysterious and secretive himself, the man was always honest and upfront with her, even when she was the one who kept intruding into his life.
His honesty and caring nature were almost refreshing, in her personal opinion.
Certainly a thousand times better than the imbeciles from the marketplace.
The second was that, once she signed, Hadrian would not be able to tell other people about her secrets either.
They can keep things from one another still, but with the new contract in place, their secrets are safe from being told to others, unless given permission.
Once she was finished, it was Hadrian's turn to sign.
And he did so without hesitation while under Natasha's scrutiny.
"…?"
With arms crossed below her chest, Natasha raised a brow.
The moment he was done, the words on the contract glowed for a moment, making her question whether her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.
Then, she paused, recalling his mention of hybrid technology.
Whatever it was, it sure was not normal.
But Natasha kept her curiosity aside, seeing as there was nothing she could do about it.
Unknown to her though, the glow was an indication that the magic imbued within the contract was activated.
With their signatures on the contract, Hadrian lifted the paper and revealed a complete replica of it from the bottom.
It was his own copy of the contract, and also magical in nature, of course.
That way, he would a way of knowing if the girl breaches their agreement in the future.
Hadrian was about to grab the copy and give the original to Natasha when –
Twitch
"Huh…?"
"…?"
Facing her, Hadrian noticed the confused expression she wore.
Bemused, he watched her look to the left.
"Is something the matter?"
His inquiry caused the girl to turn to him.
Natasha frowned, absentmindedly rubbing her left arm with her right hand.
"I… I'm not sure. I just shivered, for some reason."
Even as she said it, the redhead felt the small hairs on her body rise up, but she did not bother to mention that out loud.
It was just… weird.
Hadrian nodded in understanding.
"Ah, don't worry, what you felt was merely the contract's effects activating." The disguised mage reassured, calmly taking the from beneath the original contract.
Natasha paused, blinking in surprise.
Hesitantly, the girl asked.
"That… came from the contract?" Natasha stared at the disguised mage dubiously.
Hadrian confirmed with a nod.
"Yes. What you felt is just a light wave of energy imbued in the contract. I suppose the sensation would be akin to experiencing a small current of electricity course through your body, sufficient enough to cause small hairs to rise. It happens to first timers. You get used to it, in time."
Hadrian gave the girl one of his patented smiles again, one heavily tinged with mystery.
Natasha frowned thoughtfully.
"I don't know about that, but I guess I'll take your word for it."
Chuckling, Hadrian gave the original contract to Natasha, who did not waste any time taking it.
The reincarnated mage was in the middle of rolling the copy, and wrapping a velvet blue ribbon over it, when Natasha spoke.
"You know, you never told how it is possible for memories to be erased just through this." The girl lifted a questioning brow, waving the contract in her hand.
Facing her, Hadrian smiled wryly.
"And I believe I've mentioned it to you before, it is proprietary technology, little spider. I cannot divulge one of the organization's valuable secrets."
Natasha frowned.
"Even with this new contract between us?"
Hadrian nodded.
"Even then." He exhaled, then continued.
"It's not that I do not wish to tell you, but rather, it's due to the fact that you're not affiliated to the organization."
As if expecting this kind of response, Natasha was quick to refute him.
"You told me about your weapons, and what the contract can do."
Chuckling, Hadrian nodded with an ironic smile.
"Yes, I did. But that information was not too important to them (AEONS), and we already had an accord then. So…" He gave a casual shrug.
"As for the latter, well, I did that as it is within your right to know of its effects, not the how. And telling you of its creation is what would get the higher-ups all twisted up. The process of memory modifications in contracts is a highly vital secret that only a few in the organization know about, and they would rather keep it that way." He explained in an absentminded tone, thinking of certain AEONS members in mind.
"Does that include you?" Natasha asked rhetorically.
Rather than answering, the mage gave the girl a languid smile that neither confirmed nor denied her accusation.
At that, Natasha's face turned impassive.
She had to, if not to mask her exasperation at his silence, and the irritating fascination she felt at the alluring sight before her.
Honestly, it was both alarming and interesting how Hadrian can easily distract her, even without meaning to do so.
Either a glance, a smile, or just his presence alone was enough to throw her off kilter.
It was really annoying… yet captivating at the same time.
Setting aside her traitorous thoughts, his nonverbal response gave no indication of what the true answer was.
Still, Natasha knew better than to push the issue.
She just became his assistant, and it would not do her any good to force the answers out of him.
Not that she was discouraged by this.
No, she would simply have to be discrete and attentive to his actions and words from now on.
It was the only thing she could do at this point, without the risk of bombarding him incessantly with her inquiries like she had done before.
A deep sigh snapped Natasha out of her reverie.
Just as she faced him, the very subject of her thoughts met her gaze and spoke.
"With that done, I suppose it's time to prepare your documents."
"Documents?" Natasha parroted questioningly.
Hadrian nodded firmly.
"Yes, Natasha, documents."
Natasha watched with a hint of amusement, as Hadrian lifted a hand to his face and languidly pushed his spectacles up to the bridge of his nose.
The glasses glinted brightly for a moment as he did so.
(Idly, Natasha wondered how he managed such a feat, before shrugging it off and dismissing it as one of his oddities.)
And when it faded, a pair of calm and piercing vivid cyan eyes met her amused gaze from behind the spectacles.
"Now that you are my assistant, you will have to travel with me to wherever I would be deployed. Thus, proper documents for traveling are needed in your case."
At the word travel, Natasha's straightened in her seat.
A glint of excitement entered her green eyes, despite the lack of emotion on her face.
Due to the previous topic, she had forgotten that he would be departing the country soon.
"Are you going somewhere?"
With a sigh, Hadrian nodded with a small smile.
"Yes. Since Luka is occupied with raiding the former target's safe houses and tying up any loose ends related to the pest, I will have to be the one to take care of your documents, which is fine. I have enough time to spare before HQ informs me where and when my next deployment will be."
Natasha turned rigid.
Her face set into a determined expression.
"I want to come with you." The girl announced stiffly.
"That is fine." Hadrian agreed nonchalantly, surprising the girl momentarily.
"I was planning on bringing you along anyway. Proper identification papers need pictures. Thus, it is imperative for you to be present, while your documents are in production. I plan to go there now, if that is not an issue with you?"
The mage lifted a brow at her.
Pleased inside, Natasha nodded, standing up from the chair as Hadrian did.
Following after Maya, who roused from her comfortable nap, the pair exited the study together and went to their respective quarters.
Pocketing a fistful of gold coins, Hadrian grabbed his coat and left the master bedroom, meeting Natasha outside, who was wearing a dark gray winter coat.
In comfortable silence, they made their way downstairs.
They arrived at the elevator, where Hadrian bid for Maya to behave and guard the penthouse, much to Natasha's amusement.
They took the lift.
…
"~ ♫♪♪ ~"
Ding
And arrived at the ground floor in no time.
Upon exiting the lift, a certain head manager patiently awaited their arrival.
"Good afternoon, young master. Young miss." Lionel greeted, bowing to the reincarnated mage, and sending a polite nod to the stumped-looking Natasha.
Hadrian inclined his head to the man.
"Lionel. Is it ready?"
The man in a posh black butler outfit smiled.
"The area is cleared, young master. In fact, the sommelier has insisted for the store to be vacated, so that you may browse the wares in private."
Hadrian hummed, nodding.
"And the connoisseur?"
Standing on the side, Natasha glanced between Hadrian and Lionel with a confused expression.
Hadrian ignored it.
Instead, he focused on Lionel, who answered without delay.
"Like the sommelier, he has also cleared his schedule today. He wants to serve you without the prying eyes of other clients. Now, you only need to choose which one you wish to meet first, and I shall lead you to them right away."
Sensing the amused glance from a certain redhead at his side, Hadrian suppressed the urge to sigh at the man's formality.
The man was great at his job due to his good nature and knowledge in etiquette, but Hadrian could do without the formalities.
Or at least, a small portion of formality was enough.
He already had enough of it at home, and nearly everyone in AEONS.
Exhaling softly, Hadrian decided as he faced Lionel.
"The connoisseur first."
"It shall be done. Now, please follow me."
With that, Lionel turned on his heel and led the way.
As the pair followed after the hotel's head manager, Hadrian felt a soft pressure pulling around his left elbow.
Curious, he glanced down and saw Natasha, whose right hand was tugging on his left sleeve.
Meeting his gaze, the redhead leaned close to his side with a curious expression.
"I thought you said we're going to make my identification papers." Natasha whispered softly.
Hadrian chuckled.
"We are."
The mage smiled at the confused look he received.
"… Is it located outside?" Natasha tried to guess, unsure.
Hadrian sniggered.
"Who said anything about going outside?" The mage countered in a playful tone.
"…?"
Natasha's confused expression remained still, causing the former king to chuckle again.
Knowing her curiosity, Hadrian gave her a smile.
"Patience, Natasha. You will see soon enough."
At those words, Natasha relented.
The girl quieted her doubts, as she kept in pace with him.