Chapter 68 Camouflage and Misunderstandings, Again
Waiting for Danon felt like holding my breath until my lungs burned. The documents he gave me yesterday? Absolute trash. The harbor data didn't match the customs inspection records at all.
If these get checked, my head and Gisella's are back on the chopping block, just like the shitty ending of the novel. I had to see the rat again.
No way in hell was I going back to that rotting hole of his.
Sent a message through a runner: meet at the park, behind the thickest bushes.
The perfect lover's nook. A total cliché, but it worked.
No one would blink an eye at seeing a noble meet a guy in a place like that.
They'd just assume we were two idiots caught up in a little romance.
The park was packed. The sun was setting, blinding, orange light everywhere. I sat on a wooden bench, crossed my legs, trying to look like a girl waiting for her lover.
Then Danon showed up. I nearly choked on my own spit. The guy was wearing a velvet cloak with garish gold embroidery, and looked like a neon sign in a crowded park. And he was holding a wilted red rose. A wilted rose.
"Lady Isle," he boomed. He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it like he was in some cheap opera.
I snatched my hand back, cringing. "What the hell is this, Mr. Teddler? Keep your voice down!"
"Camouflage, Miss," he whispered, sitting beside me. "If we look like lovers, no one questions the business."
I shoved the stack of documents back at him. "The data doesn't match the harbor ledger. Fix it. Make sure the signature and seal look legit. Add some trade tax notes so it looks legal."
Danon nodded, opening his leather satchel. "Don't worry. I'll sync it with the harbor records. The inspector there is cheap and easy to bribe. No issues."
We spent a few minutes going over the details. Danon was meticulous, even if his outfit was an eyesore. When he finished, he tucked the papers away, stood up, and grabbed my hand to kiss it again—going for the full "secret lover" act—before he strutted off.
I let out a long breath. Finally, some relief. I stood up, ready to disappear back into the palace, but my feet were glued to the pavement.
Across the street, by the pillars... a man. Tall, handsome in that novel-protagonist kind of way. Military cloak, sword on his hip. Claus.
He was standing there with his arms crossed, staring straight into the park. His gaze locked onto Danon, who was just walking away, and then shifted to me. His eyes narrowed, cold, practically radiating judgment.
I was frozen. He saw it all. The rose, the hand-kissing, my "intimate" meetup with this walking neon sign.
Claus stepped forward once, then stopped. He looked at me with an expression I couldn't even name, pure disgust mixed with deep disappointment. He shook his head slowly and walked off without a word.
I stood there, rooted to the sidewalk. God, what a day. Claus didn't approach. He didn't ask. He just jumped to his own conclusion. In his head, I'm probably some serial cheater, starting with Julian, now onto this tacky guy in gold-threaded velvet.
I watched his back disappear into the crowd. Misunderstood again, I thought. For the umpteenth time. And honestly? I was way too tired to bother explaining.