Chương 87: I'm not a doll!
- Knock
"Mister Isaac? Are you there?"
Knocking at the cafe's doors, Freminet warily looked around as his gaze lingered on the locked door that separates him from the comfortable cafe.
It was currently the next morning, and the newspapers contained nothing but the latest discovery of the missing painting of Focalors.
Freminet would have usually just ignored it if not for the fact that one of the major contributors of it was Isaac. When he found out about it, he immediately left to congratulate him.
But to the young diver's dismay, the cafe was still closed.
It left him in an uncomfortable mood.
"This can't be right..." Freminet mumbled under his breath as his gaze lingered. "It's not Sunday yet and it's well past the opening hours..."
"Mister Isaac... Where are you?"
As Isaac's pupil, Freminet had always come by and learn from the former without missing a single day. The intricate brewing technique as well as the subtle but beautiful art of mixture had somehow stirred something deep inside the young diver's character, inevitably making him a pupil to which Isaac passes his techniques to.
As such, the thought of missing a day of lesson with his mentor slightly troubled him. It was as though he was being separated from his parent... which was rather odd due to his loyalty to the Knave.
Perhaps, deep in the young diver's heart, he sensed a similar dependable figure of the Knave in Isaac. It was far from being a responsible parent, but more of a pillar of support.
After all, the thought of Isaac acting like a good parent never really crossed his mind. Rather, he could clearly paint a scene of Isaac struggling to even properly handle a toddler, and resorting to underhanded tactics.
Unironically, Isaac wouldn't even doubt him if Freminet were to speak that idea out loud. He could see himself doing it too.
Just then, while Freminet was in the middle of his stupor, a voice reached his ears, slightly startling him.
"Hmm... Is this the place?"
'?!'
Immediately turning around, Freminet looked at the source of the voice. Who it was, however, gave him a bit of shock that he almost didn't manage to contain. His gaze landed on the person's figure and deeply observed their figure.
Pale skin, violet eyes fading to pink, and long violet hair with the tips all swept upwards...
...And a musket that hung on her left shoulder.
Freminet could never mistake someone like that for anyone else even if he wanted to. After all, it was the very same person that the spies of the Heart were actively avoiding.
Noticing the young diver's curious gaze, the person looked at him with a similar gaze and asked sincerely, "Excuse me, this is the cafe run by Isaac Alder, right?"
After a while, however, she immediately recognized the young man standing in front of her.
"Hm? Hold on... Freminet? That's you, right? The star diver?"
Upon hearing his name uttered by her, Freminet forced a calm demeanor taught to him by Isaac and nodded his head, quickly responding to her question.
"Y-Yes... That's me, Miss Chevreuse..."
This lady was none other than the captain of the Maison Gardiennage's Special Security and Surveillance Patrol. Using unorthodox yet conventional methods, she had garnered a bit of a reputation for her high efficiency in capturing criminals.
For Freminet, who was associated with an espionage orphanage, he and his siblings naturally know her. After all, they had been avoiding her after every operation.
Chevreuse nodded her head. "Ah, I was right. Recognizing a star diver has never been easier."
Her claims weren't groundless.
Even though Freminet prefers to be reclusive and avoids the limelight frequently, his capabilities weren't hidden completely. The young diver, too, had earned a bit of fame from his outstanding diving capabilities among his peers.
Though, if Freminet was a tad bit more paranoid, he would have thought that she recognized him as a suspicious individual.
Fortunately, he has an alibi for his presence here today.
Mustering a bit of courage to speak, he opened his mouth. "What brings you here, Miss Chevreuse? Do you need something from... Mister Isaac?"
Aware of Isaac and the Knave's connection, he made sure to ask the question as mundanely as possible. He doesn't know if Isaac was part of something far more sinister to catch the Knave's attention, but he was determined to protect his mentor. This stems from the fact that he was both a mentor figure and an acquaintance of his Father.
Chevreuse gazed at the young diver and nodded. "That's right. I wanted to discuss something with him and express the Special Security's gratitude. I already know Navia and have talked to her first, and now it's his turn."
"However... It seems that I've come at a bad time."
She shook her head lightly before continuing, still looking at Freminet.
"You're waiting for him, aren't you? I'm sorry, but I don't think I'd be able to stay for a bit longer. Can you give Mister Isaac my regards? It would be much appreciated."
Freminet nodded his head, slightly relieved that the officer wouldn't be lingering further.
"Yes... I'd make sure to send him your regards, Miss Chevreuse. That is... If he opens today."
She smiled softly at his answer.
"Thank you. Well then, farewell."
With that said, Chevreuse waved him goodbye before turning around and leaving, returning to her duty as a Captain.
Watching her leave, Freminet lingered for a bit before turning around and looking at the closed doors of the cafe. It was still there, closed and never changing. There were no sights of Isaac anywhere.
...at some point, Freminet even entertained the idea of breaking in.
But he restrained himself and convinced himself that Isaac would be quite upset if he did such a thing, as such, he waited outside for nearly half an hour.
Still, there were no signs of Isaac ever opening the doors.
'Maybe he really isn't gonna open today...' Faced with this thought, a defeated sigh escaped his mouth.
Reluctantly looking at the cafe one last time, Freminet lingered for a bit more longer before finally leaving. It was obvious that Isaac was absent today, which was a rare occurrence.
As the deterred young man walked the streets of Fontaine, he couldn't help but contemplate in his mind what he should do for the time being.
'There really aren't any new mission issues out by Father... She had just been training us as if preparing for something...'
'As for Lyney and Lynette, ever since they were granted free reign by the Archon with their magic pockets project, coupled with Isaac's financial support, they've been quite busy.'
He then stopped and looked at the distant blue skies of the nation of waters, pondering his purpose for the day.
'Maybe I should just go home and brew coffee...'
The young man was about to entertain this idea, when suddenly, a figure suddenly dashed in the distance and quickly turned a corner to where Freminet was, determined to get away from something.
"...huh?"
Freminet, who saw the figure rapidly approaching him, froze as he quickly recognized who it was. That lean figure, coupled with that memorable brown hair...
He wouldn't mistake it for anyone even if he wanted to.
It was Isaac.
And... He was running while wearing a suit.
Confirming who it was, Freminet shouted, with curiosity and a bit of longing present in his voice.
"Mister Isaac! Where have you been all this time?"
Isaac, who was running with all his might, heard someone call for him and looked at the young man.
"Huh? Oh, Freminet?"
Recognizing who it was, Isaac quickly turned around as if looking out for someone before changing his direction towards the young man at full speed.
With his physical fitness, it wasn't hard to dash quickly. In less than a few moments, the student and mentor reunited, albeit in an alleyway.
Huffing, Isaac looked out and made sure he wasn't caught. "Huff... I should be safe here... For the time being, at least."
Looking at his mentor, Freminet's eyes trembled as many thoughts flashed through his mind, trying to piece together what was happening from the clues present currently.
A loose suit with a lingering fragrant scent, an exhausted stature, and a cautious expression only resulted in Freminet forming a dangerous thought.
When he formed that thought, a foreign feeling emerged from the young man's mind. It was a feeling he had seemingly long lost.
"Mister Isaac... A-Are you being followed?"
He recognized those sharp and alert eyes. It was the very same eyes he had seen in his siblings before when doing undercover missions. Those stark, keen eyes which seem to look like a hawk were nothing new to him.
Hearing the young man's words, Isaac lingered for a bit before smiling wryly. "Ah, well... It's a complicated story."
Freminet pursued the matter.
"Do you need any help then? I-Im sure I can be of help?"
Isaac shook his head lightly.
"There's no need. There had just been... a mild misunderstanding. That's all."
'Misunderstanding...?' Freminet was just about to ask this question when he suddenly saw Isaac's expression change.
"Uh oh." Isaac said with a cautious expression. He then looked at the young man. "Come on, let's not get caught."
With that said, Isaac grabbed Freminet by the hand and backed to a corner in the shadows. With a reluctant hesitation, Isaac paused for a moment before grimacing.
Shortly after Isaac's grimace emerged, it was as if the darkness around them thickened. The dark became darker and the light became lighter— it was quite surreal.
But it was also thanks to this that they managed to escape the eyes of the pursuers.
Not too far away, the two hidden men heard the voice of women.
"Keep looking, Chevreuse. He couldn't have gotten away."
A stern voice echoed throughout the alleyway.
Followed by it was the voice Freminet was familiar with.
"Why are you even so bent on capturing Isaac, Chiori? Did he do something to you?"
The woman named Chiori shook her head and quickly responded.
"No, not me entirely. Her too."
Then, not far away, the familiar visage of the Archon of Fontaine appeared. Similar to Isaac, she was wearing a dress unfit for the current situation.
If the two were put together, one can't help but suspect that they were attending a classical ball... or perhaps...
A ceremony of sorts?
Whatever it was, it made the two of them look stunningly gorgeous as if they were about to be the center stage of it all.
Furina, who had an irritated expression, looked at the other two women and spoke candidly.
"No matter what, you have to capture him, my dear captain. He still owes me his presence for our important ball, and the two of us need to be of perfect outfits!"
Chiori then added after Furina.
"Also, he dashed out while I was dressing him, and, on the way, bumped to Emilie who came to visit me. The result was her new perfume splashing onto him."
"That should add more reasons to the urgency of your help, yes?"
Chevreuse didn't know what to say for a moment before coming up with a response.
"I guess so... Well, since it's a request from Lady Furina and you, I guess I'll put in more work."
"I'll count on you, Chevreuse."
As the three women spoke, not far away from them, the hidden Isaac shuddered as he heard them talk about what they'd do once they found him.
Freminet on the other hand, remained silent and merely grabbed on to Isaac's arm as if trying to comfort him.
"Should we... Hide somewhere else, Mister Isaac?"
Isaac smiled wryly.
"Yeah, I think we should... God knows what would happen to me if Furina gets her hands on me again."
After saying this, he looked down on his suit and remembered where Furina had dragged him to this morning. From saloks to various boutiques, he was dragged everywhere for a supposed ball they would attend.
Along the way, Furina made Isaac put on a variety of things. Some were pleasant while some were... suspiciously thought-provoking.
He then shuddered as he whispered something under his breath.
"I don't want to be a doll again..."
It was going to be a long day.
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