"What?" the Earl asked.
The Countess turned to look at Audrey and said, "Yes, Darling, she said that our daughter was engaged to a historian. If I recall correctly, the man's name was... Klein Moretti." She turned her gaze to Klein for a second before returning it to Audrey. "Audrey, do you care to explain?" The Countess spoke in a soft, understanding voice—the voice of a mother willing to listen to her child.
Earl Hall placed his own utensils down with a heavy thud. His gaze was fixed on his daughter. "Audrey. Look at me."
She flinched. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her head, her emerald eyes wide and panicked. She looked less like the composed gem of Backlund and more like a frightened doe caught in the lamplight.
"Is this true?" The Earl's voice resonated across the room, turning everything silent.
Audrey's mouth opened, but no sound came out. She swallowed hard, her gaze darting to Klein for a desperate, fleeting second before falling back to the table.
Don't look at me! You're the one who speedran this whole relationship thing! It's your job to fix the misunderstanding you made! Klein looked away from her.
"I... um..." Audrey stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "Y-yes, Father. It's... It's true."
Audreeeeey! I don't recall being officially engaged to a noble! Don't deepen the misunderstanding!
The 'fiancé' misunderstanding first arose when Audrey introduced Klein to the nobles at a party, in an attempt to finally end the interrogation from her aunt and deter potential suitors. Audrey knew it would become a big misunderstanding, but she did it regardless. She planned on clearing the misunderstanding before it grew out of proportion by saying she broke up with Klein. This way, she wouldn't be bothered by marriage proposals for a while since everyone would pity her "broken heart."
However, that was not how reality turned out. Her parents had been absent for a few days, and both had finally returned home the prior day.
Just when did Mother get to talk to Aunt Cassandra?! Audrey thought. She believed that she would've already cleared up the misunderstanding before it reached her parents' ears. It would've been inevitable that it would reach them at some point, but she could've explained to her parents that it was just a fleeting relationship and she was too heartbroken to talk about it. However, fate had other plans in store.
Now, Audrey and Klein were under the same roof, still engaged in the eyes of others.
The Earl's focus shifted from his panicked daughter to the silent man sitting across from her.
"And you, Mr. Moretti," he said, his voice dangerously low. "You are engaged to my daughter, and I am forced to learn of this from secondhand gossip?"
"My Lord, the fault is entirely mine," Klein stated, bringing forth his charming Dwayne Dantès persona. "Audrey and I met a few months ago when I was here at the request of the Royal Museum. The moment I laid eyes on Audrey, I instantly became smitten by her charming and beautiful personality. Our feelings for one another deepened over time, and before I knew it, I proposed to her just a few weeks ago. Sadly, I had to leave soon after as I was called away on urgent business. I felt tremendous guilt for not having asked for your blessing before I proposed to your daughter, so I asked her to keep the matter private until I could return and formally request her hand in marriage."
It was an enormous lie told with a perfectly straight face. Klein described a fast romance and a secret proposal, but every word was pure deception. Thanks to his Clown powers, he looked completely calm and honest, hiding that he was making it all up as he went.
Earl Hall's cold stare kept drilling a hole through Klein.
Please say something already!
A few moments later, the Earl's gaze became warmer, and a slight smile formed on his face. "Ho, is that so?" he chuckled. He put his arm on the table and leaned forward. "Mr. Moretti, you aren't so different from the young me. Ha ha ha! I was also captivated by my wife's beauty all those years ago, and I knew that I had to marry her before anyone else came and swept her away from me."
The sudden warmth in the Earl's voice was more shocking than any shout could have been.
Klein, who had only seen the Earl's serious side, was completely thrown off. He expected anger, not a cheerful laugh. For Audrey, the surprise was even stranger. She knew her father had a kind and romantic heart, but she had never seen him switch from the stern "Earl Hall" to the nostalgic "Father" so quickly. She had braced herself for a serious lecture, not a trip down memory lane. The sudden change left them both feeling completely confused.
"A historian, huh? And one good enough to be recognized by the Royal Museum?" The Earl chuckled, "I don't see why I should oppose such young love." He gave Klein a bright, approving smile.
That's... that's it? Is it actually resolved?... Praise the Lady! Klein thought, thanking the Goddess in his mind. Wait, does this mean I'm actually engaged now?! I just got her father's blessing... Klein began to imagine the future. A future where he got to see Audrey wearing a grand and beautiful white wedding dress as she walked down the aisle with the most dazzling smile on her face. He imagined themselves moving out to the countryside and buying a large mansion. Their kids would be running down the halls, and Klein would scold them. Audrey would then come up from behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She'd whisper in his ear, "Darling, let them be children," her voice full of warmth.
Children... Multiple children... Unknowingly, Klein's ears and cheeks had turned bright pink.
"Mr. Moretti? Are you all right?" The Countess's voice shattered Klein's fantasy, bringing him back to the real world.
"Ahem, yes, I'm good, I apologize."
The Earl was able to speculate what actually went on inside Klein's head. Ah, to be young again... He thought.
...
They all soon finished their breakfast, and their plates were taken away.
One of the servants walked up to the Earl and whispered into his ear. He then walked over to the Countess and whispered into her ear, too.
"Mr. Moretti," the Earl began, "I apologize, but our presence is required somewhere else." He looked at Audrey for a second before returning his gaze to Klein. "I trust you'll take care of my daughter," he said as he was standing up from his seat—everyone else also stood up.
Klein showed a warm smile and said, "I'll treasure Audrey forever, my Lord."
The Earl chuckled and nodded. He then walked to where Klein was standing and leaned in close to his ear. "The bedrooms on the first floor have good soundproofing," he whispered, and then soon left after bidding farewell.
Audrey remained quiet throughout the entirety of breakfast, purely out of shyness and embarrassment. After she said her goodbyes to her parents, she turned to face Klein and saw him standing still, his face bright red.
I wonder what Father whispered to him...
...
Somewhere in the streets of Backlund, the wandering magician Merlin Hermes felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment wash over him.
While a part of his consciousness, currently inside the persona of Klein Moretti, was blushing furiously inside the Hall mansion, his Merlin Hermes persona had a more important task at hand.
He adjusted his hat and focused his gaze on an armored carriage rumbling down the street. The carriage had the symbol of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery drawn on its doors.
This was a transport convoy.
Klein pulled out the Staff of the Stars from the Historical Void and then teleported inside the carriage.
Inside the carriage, there were four Machinery Hivemind members sitting facing each other. One of them carried a cage on his lap.
Klein took a seat right next to them.
The Machinery Hivemind looked at him with confusion written all over their faces. Klein showed no hostility and spoke no words. They sat together in silence for thirty seconds before Klein finally broke the silence.
"I'm surprised security is this sloppy. Have you guys heard there have been many burglaries in the area?" Klein, his voice calm and casual, as if inquiring about the weather.
The Machinery Hivemind members tensed. The one directly across from Klein opened his mouth to issue a command, but no sound came out. A look of confusion crossed his face, which was quickly mirrored by the others. The rumbling of the carriage wheels seemed to fade, and time seemed to slow down.
"Don't worry," Klein said reassuringly, his voice now sounding distant, as if from the end of a long tunnel. "I'm just borrowing something."
He reached out and grabbed the cage on the guard's lap.
The Beyonders saw all of this happen right in front of them, but their thoughts felt too sluggish to do anything. It felt as though they were losing control over their own bodies.
Having obtained what he came here for, Klein waved them goodbye and teleported out.
After he left, the guards jolted back with a gasp. The cage was gone. The intruder was gone. And the carriage was still moving at full speed through the crowded streets of Backlund.
...
Inside a small, abandoned apartment.
The wandering magician Merlin Hermes pulled out an item from the cage he had just "borrowed."
It was a silver mirror with ancient patterns on the back and an eye-like pattern on each side at the front.
Klein turned the mirror front-side up and saw the ancient silver mirror tremble slightly. White words quickly appeared on its surface.
"Master! Your humble servant, Arrodes, is at your service!"