Klein did not sleep.
He spent the entire night lying perfectly still while Audrey slept beside him, using his chest as a pillow. He listened to her soft breathing and counted the seconds until sunrise. His mind was filled with panic and a strange sense of quiet happiness.
As the first rays of dawn entered through the window curtains, he knew that he had to get up before the maids came in to wake up Audrey.
"Audrey," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "Audrey, wake up."
She stirred, letting out a soft mumble. "Mmm?" Her eyes fluttered open slowly. She just blinked, her mind still foggy.
The first thing she saw was Klein's face, inches from hers.
Her brain took a second to catch up. Then the memories of the night before were fragmented. All she knew was that she was brought back home, stripped in front of Klein, and then dragged him into bed.
Her own bed.
Audrey's eyes shot wide open. A hot blush instantly flooded her entire face.
"I— You— We—" she stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Good morning. And before you panic, nothing happened. You fell asleep, and I didn't want to leave you alone."
"But you were here... all night?"
"Yes," he admitted calmly. "I watched over you... and, well, you kind of slept on top of me, so I couldn't exactly move away."
Just as she was about to process that...
Click.
The bedroom door opened.
Countess Hall entered the room with a warm smile, carrying a small tray with a cup of tea. "Audrey, dear, I thought you might like this—"
Her words stopped. Her smile faded slightly as she took in the scene. Her daughter was sitting upright in a very messy bed, looking pale and panicked, staring at an empty spot beside her.
"Audrey?" the Countess asked, her voice filled with concern. "Dear, are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost."
"Mother! You startled me. I... I just had a nightmare."
"A nightmare, I see," she said, her tone a little too calm. "Well, get yourself dressed. Your father and I will see you at breakfast. Can you go invite Mr. Moretti?"
"Ah, yes, I will, Mother."
Without another word, she placed the tray she was carrying on top of a drawer and left, closing the door softly behind her.
The moment the door closed, the air beside Audrey shimmered, and Klein reappeared, looking stressed.
"That... was far too close," he whispered.
The moment the Countess entered the room, Klein created an illusion on pure instinct. He had been there the entire time, but he appeared invisible to others.
"Since when did your parents come back home? I didn't think they'd be back already," said Klein.
"They probably got home yesterday. Ha... that was too close."
"Do you think she noticed?" he asked.
Audrey's eyes scanned her surroundings. There were multiple signs of someone else having been in the room alongside her. The wrinkled sheets on both sides of the bed, her clothes thrown unusually on the floor, and the faint, unfamiliar scent of a man in her room.
"She didn't see you, but she's not a fool. She knows something happened." She sighed and continued, "We have to get dressed for breakfast."
...
Breakfast was quiet and very tense.
Klein, using his Clown powers, acted perfectly calm and polite. He ate his food carefully and kept quiet.
Audrey could barely look at her parents. Her face was still a little red with embarrassment.
Earl Hall read his newspaper and didn't seem to notice anything. The Countess, however, watched them like a hawk.
She didn't say anything mean, but her knowing looks made them very nervous. She would glance from Audrey to Klein with a small smile that hid what she was really thinking.
"Audrey, dear," the Countess said, her voice sweet. "You look tired this morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Y-yes, Mother," Audrey stammered. "I slept just fine."
The Countess's smile grew a tiny bit wider. "Good."
When her parents finally got up to leave, Audrey and Klein both let out a huge, quiet sigh of relief.
"That went better than I expected," Klein said.
Audrey let out a long sigh, "I expected my mother to bombard us with questions, but I guess not."
Later that afternoon, Audrey found him in the garden, watching Susie chase a butterfly.
"Hey, Klein," she said, her voice soft. "Have you seen the ocean?"
He turned to look at her. "The ocean? Yes, I have."
Audrey, you know damn well I'm Gehrman Sparrow, a famous bounty hunter in the Sonia Sea. What are you trying to get at?
"I don't mean just from the deck of a ship," she clarified, a small smile playing on her lips. "I mean if you've really seen it. Felt the warm sun, walked on the sand... without having to worry about anything else."
She took a small step closer, her emerald eyes full of a hopeful light.
"My family has a summer home in East Tucker County. It's quiet, and the beaches are beautiful."
Her voice dropped to a soft, earnest whisper. "I think we should go, Klein. Just for a few days."
Klein was taken aback. "Audrey, what about your parents? And my... 'work'?"
"I'll handle my parents," she said confidently. "I'll just tell them my 'fiancé' is taking me on a short business trip. I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions," she added with a wink. "Please, Klein? I want to go to the beach with you."
A quiet town, a sunny beach, and... Audrey in a swimsuit...
"Alright, Audrey," he said, his voice full of warmth. "Let's go to the ocean."
...
A day later, their carriage pulled into the seaside county of East Tucker.
The air here was completely different from Backlund's thick smog. Seagulls flew high up in the blue sky, and the sun felt warm on their skin.
The Hall family's summer home was a beautiful white house with large, open windows that looked out over the sparkling sea. On the beach, there was a huge umbrella that cast a shade on the two chairs beneath it.
Audrey led Klein straight through the living room and out onto a wide balcony. The view was breathtaking. The endless blue water stretched out to meet the bright sky.
"It's so pretty!" she said, her voice full of happiness as she leaned against the railing. "No parents, no investigators. Just this."
"It's perfect, Audrey," he said, and he meant it. A feeling of warmth made its way up his body.
"Good!" she said. "Now, go get changed. The beach is waiting for us!"
"R-right."
Audrey went to a private room to change, and Klein went to a different one.
Inside the room were multiple suitcases filled with the clothes Audrey had purchased for him.
He opened one of the suitcases. Inside were neat stacks of casual shirts, linen trousers, and other clothes he'd never seen before.
I guess I have no choice but to wear what she bought, he thought with a mental sigh.
He picked out a simple, loose-fitting, unbuttoned white shirt and a pair of light beige swimtrunks. It felt strange to wear something so casual. The last time he wore something like this was back on Earth when he went on a school field trip.
I didn't think men wore this to the beach. Is it thanks to Emperor Roselle?... I wonder... what will Audrey be wearing?
A faint blush appeared on his cheeks. Pure thoughts, Klein. Pure thoughts.
When he was ready, he walked out of the house and down a small, sandy path that led to the beach.
And then he saw her.
She was standing at the edge of the water, letting the small waves wash over her feet. She wasn't wearing the modest one-piece swimsuit that Klein was expecting.
It was a white two-piece swimsuit. The top piece was trimmed with delicate, playful frills and left her stomach completely bare to the sun. The matching bottom piece had similar frills along the waist. The white color matched with her milky white skin, and the curves of her body stood out thanks to the lack of fabric.
For the era, it was unbelievably scandalous. And on her, it was unbelievably beautiful.
"..." Klein was left speechless by the gorgeous sight. Weren't swimsuits during this era meant to be more conservative?! That's when Klein remembered a small description of the trends of Backlund depicted in the notebook that Audrey gave him.
"May: Many of the younger ladies have adopted a shocking new beach fashion, said to be inspired by the rediscovered clothing designs from Emperor Roselle. It is a 'two-piece' swimsuit that is quite daring! Many of the older ladies disapprove because of how revealing it is, but it has become very popular among the younger generations."
Roselle... Klein thought with a mental groan. It's always you. First the dress, now this. I really don't know whether to curse you or thank you...
He was still lost in thought when Audrey called out to him with a smile so bright it outshone the sun spreading across her face. "Klein! Come on in, the water's perfect!"
Klein took a deep breath and, with a relaxed smile, walked over to Audrey.
"It took you long enough," Audrey teased, splashing a little water at him.
"I was just admiring the view," he replied smoothly, his eyes meeting hers.
His eyes remained locked with hers, but then they faltered and checked out the rest of her body.
Audrey, being the Spectator that she is, didn't miss this.
"Perv~" she teased, splashing more water on Klein.
Just as he was about to say something back, the water a few feet away from them suddenly churned and bubbled.
Two figures burst from the surface, gasping for air.
One of them was a woman with brown hair. She was wearing a two-piece yellow swimsuit—it was more revealing than Audrey's.
"I told you there was nothing down there, Xio! Now I have saltwater in my mouth!"
The other figure was a short woman with short blonde hair. She wore a blue one-piece swimsuit that adhered to her petite figure—every single curve was clearly highlighted.
"I'm sorry, I thought I saw something."
The first woman shook her head, sending droplets of water flying, and then she froze. Her eyes landed on Audrey and went wide with shock.
"...Audrey?" Fors Wall asked. She felt like a child who had just been caught doing something wrong.
"Huh? Fors? Xio? What are you guys doing here?"
"Uh, you told us that we were free to come to this private beach whenever we wanted. We just happened to come over to East Tucker County today for the bounty of..." Her words trailed off as she turned her gaze to the handsome man with raven black hair next to Audrey. "Uhm... Audrey? Who is this gentleman?"
"This is my boyfriend, Klein Moretti." There was no point in hiding it from Fors—she already basically knows that she's dating The World. And as for Xio, she was also planning on telling her.
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Moretti," said Xio, with a slight bow.
Fors, however, kept quiet. Her face turned pale, and her expression froze. The World?! Gehrman Sparrow?! That Klein?! He's... He's...
Xio glanced at her friend, "Fors?—"
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Klein said as he stepped in, turning his attention to the frozen Fors. "You must be Fors Wall. Audrey has told me so much about you. She's a great admirer of your novels."
His calm voice was enough to snap Fors out of her panic.
"Ah! Y-yes! That's me! Th-thank you!" she stammered.
The four of them stood there in an awkward silence.
"W-we should probably leave, right, Fors?" said Xio as she elbowed Fors's side. "We wouldn't want to interrupt their date."
"Y-yes, you're right," Fors replied. She was going to start walking away, but instead she remained in place. "Uh, Xio."
"Hm?"
Fors leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Our bounty target is still somewhere in East Tucket Bounty... and we don't have much money left to pay for hotels while we stay."
"..."
"Uhm, Audrey... Do you mind if we stay in your summer house for a few days? We know you're here with your... boyfriend... but we really need a place to stay. We promise you won't even notice us during your date!" She pleaded, her expression turning as cute as she could make it. It wasn't as good as Audrey's puppy eyes, but it still carried a similar effect.
Audrey gave a resigned sigh and said, "Of course you can stay. We have more than enough rooms."
She glanced at Klein, her apologetic expression saying that their private getaway was over.
Fors's face lit up with pure relief. "Really? Oh, thank you, thank you, Audrey! You're a lifesaver! We promise we'll be quiet!"
"We are in your debt, Lady Audrey," said Xio.
So much for a quiet trip to the ocean, Klein thought, a helpless smile on his face.
"Well then," Audrey said, her bright smile returning, "Let's play in the water a little more. The sun is still out!" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and sent a huge splash of water right at Klein.
He dodged with surprising agility, laughing as the water missed him.
Fors, seeing her chance, joined in immediately, splashing water everywhere with childish glee.
Seeing that Xio had not joined in yet, Audrey and Fors looked at each other and shared a mischievous look. They both turned and sent a massive wave of water directly at Xio.
Xio was completely soaked. She stood there for a second, dripping and shocked. Then, a tiny smile touched her lips before she retaliated with a surprisingly powerful splash of her own.
For the next few minutes, the beach was filled with the sounds of laughter and splashing.