Chapter 13: A Bitter Reunion

‘Fran…’

Yuli’s heart lurched with a sudden shock. She couldn’t fathom why the figure she had longed for so intensely would suddenly reappear before her eyes.

She froze in place. Lyon, noticing her halt, turned back in confusion to look.

They saw only the golden-haired ‘girl’ approaching the center of the stage.

Fran was clad in a form-fitting black gown, its upper half featuring a hollowed design that exposed his luminous back and slender shoulders to the lights.

The lower half flowed gracefully, like a mermaid’s tail.

Though the dress was undeniably alluring, bordering on scandalous, when worn by him, it evoked a mysterious, almost ascetic aura.

It left observers bewildered, unsure whether the child’s gender was misleading, or if their own perceptions were simply askew.

For a moment, Yuli wondered if she was hallucinating.

She remained rooted to the spot. Beside her, Lyon nudged Yuli.

“Sister Yuli… Sister Yuli!”

Lyon’s voice pulled the stunned Yuli back to reality. She offered an awkward smile, yet eagerly turned her head once more, her gaze fixed on Fran’s figure.

“Oh…”

Lyon’s keen eyes narrowed on Fran’s retreating back, a sly smile spreading across his face. “Sister Yuli, the child you spoke of, the one named Fran, that’s him, isn’t it?”

Yuli nodded blankly. Beside her, Lyon secretly chuckled.

He found the sight of the girl, frozen like a statue, utterly amusing. ‘Ah, this sister of mine…’ he thought.

However, a thought suddenly struck him, sparking his curiosity. He looked back at Fran, watching the black-gowned ‘girl’ glide across the stage.

The flickering night lights illuminated him. He wore eye makeup today, his long lashes fluttering, and his gaze, somewhat ambiguous, swept over the frenzied crowd of the night.

‘Is this guy truly worth Sister Yuli’s endless longing?’

A question welled up in his mind, but he still initiated conversation with Yuli beside him.

“Heh, Sister Yuli, I never expected you to search Purburg for so long, visiting every respectable place, only to overlook this particular establishment. See? Isn’t he right here?”

For some reason, Yuli found Lyon’s words particularly harsh. It felt as though a sharp dagger had pierced her heart, its tip perhaps even smeared with poison.

Her heart, beyond merely bleeding with icy despair, was now tormented by a corrosive agony.

She lowered her head, no longer daring to look at Fran’s figure. Lyon’s words had jolted her awake, forcing her to confront the cold reality once more.

Indeed, this was hardly a suitable place for a reunion. She had been overjoyed by Fran’s sudden appearance before her.

But the moment she realized this was, in fact, an establishment of ill repute, her rekindled hopes were instantly doused with icy disillusionment.

“I’ve entertained many guests…”

“But I truly can’t remember every guest’s name.”

Yuli offered a bitter smile. ‘There’s no need to deceive myself anymore, is there?’ she thought.

All her fantasies had been shattered the very night she reunited with Fran.

Fran was truly nothing more than a person of the night. He harbored no affection or longing for her.

Perhaps he was pitiable, but… the thought that he might have been working in this very establishment all this time, entertaining countless individuals, filled her with dread.

A chill ran down Yuli’s spine. She turned, ready to leave immediately, yet couldn’t help but cast one last, reluctant glance back.

‘No…’

‘Please, no…’

Yuli watched as Fran sat shoulder-to-shoulder with a Teuton soldier, leaning intimately close. He was smiling, so charmingly, so captivatingly.

‘Hmph—’

Yuli let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. How could she describe it? Her smile was uglier than a cry.

Lyon, unable to bear the sight any longer, patted Yuli’s shoulder, reminding her.

“Sister Yuli, if this isn’t working, let’s just go. Standing by the door is blocking people, and you’re clearly not happy with this place. There’s nothing left for us here.”

“Go?” Yuli glared at Lyon, shouting with a touch of uncontrolled emotion. “Go where? Get me a woman, a pretty one, a blonde!”

Lyon watched his superior’s tantrum with a considerable degree of helplessness. ‘What does your infatuation with a prostitute have to do with me?’ he thought. ‘Is there any need to vent all that frustration on me?’

Nevertheless, he could only comply. He found Yuli a private room, ensuring the ‘big sister’ was well-fed and provided with drinks, hoping to soothe her temper.

Then, he went into the crowd of women, carefully selecting one.

‘Hmm, blonde, pretty… isn’t this exactly what she’s looking for, mirroring that man?’

Lyon felt quite helpless, but he eventually found a suitable candidate. ‘Hmm… she looks quite cute. I wonder if Sister Yuli likes this type, but I’ll bring her over anyway.’

He led the chosen woman into Yuli’s room, then discreetly withdrew, pulling the curtain shut behind him.

Initially, he considered standing guard by the door. But on second thought, he decided against it. ‘If Sister Yuli found out, she might get angry with me,’ he reasoned.

He wisely moved away, finding a spot to entertain himself with women.

The golden-haired girl, led in by Lyon, timidly entered the room. Yuli, seated on the sofa, scrutinized her from head to toe.

The girl’s rouge was applied with a seductive flair, and she exuded a pervasive perfume scent that Yuli found disagreeable; she detested it.

Regardless, judging by her attire, she didn’t appear to be a novice. She ought to have some experience, and certainly shouldn’t be this nervous.

Yuli gestured with her eyes, indicating for her to sit. The golden-haired girl hesitantly sat beside Yuli and began to remove her outer garment of her own accord.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Yuli exclaimed, frowning as she stopped her. She motioned for the girl not to undress.

The girl froze, unsure of what to do next.

Yuli pressed a hand to her forehead, then pointed resignedly at the cake on the table.

“You can try some; it’s my treat.” Yuli sighed. Her mind was utterly devoid of thought beyond her profound discomfort; she couldn’t even find a stray distraction.

She realized she had simply acted out of a moment of frustrated anger.

She knew she couldn’t endure this much longer. With another sigh, she began conversing with the girl in Francian, hoping to divert her own attention.

“Are you very nervous? Why are you so afraid of me?”

“I…” The golden-haired girl paused, startled to hear Yuli ask her a question in Francian, then stammered in response.

“I haven’t… been chosen by a woman before. I’m a little nervous… It just feels very strange…”

Her expression was awkward, yet her words pierced deep into Yuli’s heart.

‘Woman… strange…’

‘Heh.’

“Exactly, who wouldn’t find it strange? Even I find it strange… but what can I do?” she said with a bitter laugh.

“The boy I like, the one who embodies all my ideals of beauty, and who I never had to worry about worldly concerns disturbing, he… he…”

Yuli clenched her fists. The thought that Fran, the one she loved, might currently be drinking with soldiers, or even sleeping with someone else, filled her with a chilling sensation.

‘Perhaps I should forcibly take him away. He’s right here in the establishment. If I can’t have his heart, can’t I at least have him? Take him home, ‘train’ him for a while, I refuse to believe—’

Swish!