Chapter 73: It's Here!

Chapter 73: They are Here!

Cullen sat on the sofa in the living room of Eunice's house, a cup of black tea and delicate pastries placed before him. Eunice sat quite close, diagonally across from him.

Today, she wore a long dress adorned with a blue plum blossom pattern, her hair falling naturally over her shoulders, exuding a soft, effortless beauty.

Reflecting on their first meeting when she wore a stark black gown, and looking at her now, it was clear she was consciously coordinating her attire for each encounter based on the evolving distance in their relationship.

Her style was becoming increasingly natural, and increasingly easygoing.

"You are dressed so formally today. After my mother saw you arrive, she went back to her room to change her clothes again," Eunice said, covering her mouth with a light chuckle.

This was, in truth, a subtle inquiry.

"Because today is the anniversary of an elder's passing. I attended his memorial service, and afterward, I didn't bother going home to change before coming straight to your place."

Cullen's implication was that arriving in such formal attire today was, in its own way, a gesture of casual familiarity.

Just then, Madame Jenny walked out, and to his surprise, she had changed into a formal evening gown.

"Cullen, we have already booked the ferry tickets."

"Thank you for your trouble, Madame," Cullen said, rising to express his gratitude.

"Please, think nothing of it, it is only proper. The family knows you are coming to visit, so they are already making preparations."

"Thank you and your family for your profound kindness. However, there is one matter—I might require a few more tickets, as I have several friends I need to bring along with me to Wien."

"No problem at all, there are plenty of tickets. I booked the entire third floor of a ship cabin, which has ten rooms in total, so it is completely spacious enough. Uh... it should be enough, right?"

"It will be enough, Madame. Two servants, as well as a cat and a dog."

"Oh, Cullen, you truly are a kind child. I always tell Eunice that people who love pets are inherently kind at heart, aren't they?"

Cullen offered a smile and went along with the sentiment.

It wasn't that he particularly loved pets. That cat happened to be her family's own ancestor.

And that dog was an evil god that had only recently been sealed away.

He wondered if Madame Jenny would still be able to say, "Oh, you truly are kind," if she ever discovered the true identities of these two pets.

Cullen did not ask too many questions regarding the Allen family, nor did he inquire about the details of his future living arrangements. Although Madame Jenny attempted to explain several times to demonstrate her family's meticulousness and thoughtfulness, it was difficult for her to voice them because Cullen did not respond with any enthusiastic conversation.

For Cullen, going to Wien was the primary objective. As for whether he could live comfortably or for long within the Allen family, he possessed no deep obsession with it.

After all, he was not someone whose family fortunes had declined to the point of having no other retreat, carrying a mere marriage contract to the Allen family to demand its fulfillment.

He would not suffer such a grievance himself.

And naturally,

Dis would never allow his grandson to suffer such a grievance either, which was why he had prepared so much in advance.

Most importantly,

He was not a rootless piece of duckweed; he was a man who had a home.

Upon taking his leave,

Madame Jenny remained inside the house, while Eunice escorted Cullen to the courtyard gate.

Cullen opened his arms, and Eunice leaned her body slightly forward. With a flawless tacit understanding and rhythm, the two of them embraced.

Yes, Eunice's hair bore a faint fragrance of lavender.

Cullen could not help but inhale somewhat deeply, casually brushing his nose against the curve of her neck.

"It tickles..."

"Haha."

"I will come to pick you up tomorrow."

"Mm, I will wait for you."

Cullen got into the car, and Eunice stood in the courtyard, watching him drive away.

What she did not know was that after driving a short distance, Cullen quickly parked the car in front of another man's house.

Piaget never had the habit of keeping his door locked, so Cullen pushed it open and walked right in.

The living room was an absolute mess, littered with leftover food and stained plates that no one had bothered to clean up.

Piaget was lying on the sofa, fast asleep and snoring loudly, his head pillowed upon a thick stack of notes, which looked to be around forty or fifty thousand Lu coins.

He wore a suit jacket on his upper body and riding trousers below, his hair a wild, disheveled tangle.

It was obvious that he was utterly exhausted.

The excitement he had shown when calling earlier that morning was entirely the abnormal state of someone pushed to the absolute brink of fatigue; his body and spirit had long since been overextended.

Silently, Cullen bagged all the trash, gathered the plates and utensils, placed them into the kitchen sink, and turned on the faucet.

Then, he took a broom to sweep the living room, and after sweeping, gave it a wipe with a mop.

Piaget remained in a deep slumber throughout, completely oblivious to it all.

Cullen returned to the kitchen to wash all the plates and utensils in the sink. As he was putting them away, he noticed a pot of coffee sitting by the edge of the stove.

He reached out to touch it; it was still somewhat warm.

Cullen poured a cup and took a sip, his expression instantly freezing.

"Huh?"

Somewhat puzzled and surprised, Cullen poked his head out of the kitchen, looking at Piaget who was still sleeping on the sofa, and then at the coffee in his hand.

After finishing the cup of coffee,

Cullen fetched paper and pen, leaving a short note for Piaget:

"I truly could not bear to wake you from such a sound sleep, so I took the liberty of cleaning up your pigsty for you. Perhaps you should consider hiring a couple of maids to look after your daily life."

After a moment's hesitation,

Cullen ultimately added one final line to the top:

"Thank you for the coffee you prepared for me. It was very delicious."

...

The next day,

In the afternoon.

"Auntie, you really didn't need to prepare such a lavish spread." Cullen leaned against the wall outside the kitchen, watching his aunt and his grand-aunt still busily working inside.

Today, he, the family's "head chef," had been stripped of his kitchen privileges. Aunt Mary and Grand-Aunt Winnie demanded that they be the ones responsible for dinner.

"How could we not prepare properly for Miss Eunice's birthday?" Aunt Mary said.

"Even so, the standard shouldn't be higher than Auntie's own birthday. She is, after all, of the younger generation."

Hearing these words, Aunt Mary reached out, tapped the tip of Cullen's nose, and smiled. "Why should the elders compare themselves with you youngsters? It is only natural that the best is given to the younger generation."

In truth, on her own birthday not long ago, the toast and blessing from Dis had already been the greatest gift she could receive.

Because Dis was the person she revered most; in the Inmerles household, he was a spiritual totem.

"Karen, rather than standing around here, you would do much better to change your clothes and fetch Miss Eunice."

"Very well, Auntie, as you wish."

Karen ascended the stairs first, entering his bedroom, where his gaze chanced upon two cards tucked into the crevice of his desk—gifts from Rent during their last encounter.

One was 'Moonlight Purge,' capable of dispelling all magical afflictions of a negative attribute.

The other was 'Shadow Guardian,' which summoned a dark silhouette to accompany and protect.

Karen gathered the two cards and slipped them within the pages of The Light of Order.

Changing into more casual attire, he walked downstairs holding two keys, ultimately choosing the family hearse over Alfred's Santlan.

Having come this far, there was truly no need to resort to some eccentric display to win a girl's attention.

He simply felt that his days of driving and riding in a hearse were numbered, and he wished to savor the experience while the opportunity remained.

Thus, twenty minutes later, Karen pulled up to the front of Eunice's home in the hearse, ushering her inside under the wide, astonished stare of Madame Jenny.

This time, Madame Jenny chose not to accompany them.

On the drive back home, Karen offered his apologies.

"I am quite sorry for bringing this car."

"It matters not, I understand. This vehicle carries your devotion to your family; you drove it here because you do not look upon me as a stranger."

"Thank you."

...

Upon returning home, Karen noticed another vehicle parked outside—it was Piaget's car.

As Karen led Eunice into the living room by the hand, he saw Piaget sitting on the sofa, thoroughly engrossed in flipping through a coffin brochure, while Uncle Mason sat beside him, offering an introduction.

"Karen, you are back," Uncle Mason said upon seeing him. "Mr. Adams has been waiting for you for a long while."

"Hey, Karen," Piaget greeted him warmly, then pointed to the catalog. "Mr. Mason, please place an order for me for this 'Elegant, Restrained, Composed, Wise, Brilliant, Calm, Gentle Breeze' coffin."

"Are you quite certain, Mr. Adams?" Uncle Mason was utterly dumbfounded.

One had to understand that although these two models of coffins always occupied the most prominent position at the top of the brochure, they served merely as illustrations to elevate the establishment's prestige; in truth, they were exceedingly difficult to sell—in fact, practically impossible.

"Yes, I want that one, though I must trouble you to have someone deliver it directly to my residence."

"Very well, I can offer a discount here, let me calculate it for you..."

"Just calculate it as you see fit, and let me know the final price when the time comes; I shall mail you a check."

"Of course, Mr. Adams. So, you intend to use this coffin for..."

"Oh, I plan to use it for my afternoon naps, as I find the sofa at home is truly not as comfortable for sleeping as this would be."

"Uh... very well then."

Piaget stepped forward to Karen, his gaze then settling upon Eunice.

"Conventions, young lady, you have chosen an exceptionally fine companion; I am certain that in your future life together, you will feel grateful and wise time and again for the choice you make today."