Yes, I Do!

"Bertha, coffee please. Oh, Karen, what would you like to drink?" "I already have something." Karen picked up the water glass that had been placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa earlier. "Let me bring you a fresh one, as the ice in yours has almost melted," Bertha said with a smile. "Thank you." "You're welcome." Bertha stepped out of the office. "Come, have a seat, Karen." Piaget pulled his office chair out from behind the desk, walked over to the side of the table, and sat down. Karen sat diagonally across from him. The two were not separated by the entire desk, but merely by a single corner. "Back in Rojia City, I thought I heard you mention an intention to venture out, but I truly didn't expect you to come to York City, and so soon at that." "Ninety percent of young people in Ruilan believe their future lies in Wien. Isn't it only natural for me to come here?" "No, you're different." Piaget shook his head. "Many Ruilan youths carry an unrealistic, illusory Wien dream in their hearts. They are truly pure and naive. You, on the other hand, definitely have a clear reason driving you here." "My girlfriend is from Wien," Karen said. "Oh, right, Miss Eunice! I remember seeing her at your home. A very beautiful, very gentle young lady." "Yes. I came to Wien because of her." "Wonderful. That's truly wonderful." Piaget reached over, opened a drawer, and pulled out a small black briefcase, saying at the same time, "Though I know you're lying to me, I'll pretend to believe it." "Lying to you?" "Yes. Do you know what a person's eyes really look like when they truly love someone? I know you had feelings for Miss Eunice, but back then, it certainly hadn't reached the point where you would travel all alone to Wien purely for her sake." "Feelings can warm up over time." "It's very hard for you to truly fall in love with someone. By love, I mean the kind of infatuation I have for Linda, or the sort portrayed on stage in comedic plays. You're far too mature for your age. At an age when you should believe in love and pursue it, you appear far too rational." In a way, whenever Piaget wasn't caught in the agonizing cycle of 'Linda has returned' and 'Linda has left me,' he was indeed an exceptionally observant and sensitive man. "So, you came to find me." Piaget opened the briefcase and took out a checkbook. "Short on cash, are you?" "You could say that." "How much do you need? I'll write it out for you." "I need a job." Piaget's hand holding the pen paused. "Oh, is that so?" Just then, Miss Bertha knocked and came in. She set a cup of coffee before Piaget and placed a fresh glass of ice water in front of Karen before turning to leave. Piaget picked up the coffee cup, took a sip, and asked, "You want to work here with me?" "Would that be all right?" "Of course, of course!" Piaget smiled. "My clinic just opened. Although more than half of the clientele are the sort who treat psychological issues as a fashionable hobby, like going to the opera on weekends, there are indeed some who have genuine, rather severe mental conditions that require timely treatment. As for 'doctors' who have read a few books, grasp only half of it, but talk a smooth game—I already have plenty of those. That is why I truly need you to join us. A base salary of ten thousand riels a month, with commissions calculated separately. How does that sound?" "Isn't that a bit too high?" Karen said. "There's no need to be so generous." "It's just the going rate. Consultations are by appointment, so you wouldn't even need to stay at the clinic for regular shifts. A secretary will arrange your bookings at least a day in advance." "All right." "Then it's settled?" "Settled." "Excellent." Piaget stood up, coffee in hand, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. "Karen, what do you think of the view here?" "Very good. Quite charming." "How about I give you this office? Aside from formal receptions, I conduct patient sessions in a smaller workroom. This space is too large and has too many distracting elements. Real patients would feel insecure sitting here to talk." "No need. You're the boss." "Between the two of us, there's no need to be so polite." "As you said, this place isn't suitable for consultations. For my workspace, it would be best if the primary tone were black." "Understood. I'll have Bertha arrange the redecoration as soon as possible." "Wallpaper will do. No need to go to too much trouble." "Right, Karen, where are you staying now?" "In an apartment in Blue Bridge Community." "Blue Bridge Community... I've never heard of it, so it must be quite far." "It is a bit far." "Why don't I arrange another residence under the clinic's name? Or you could simply move in with me. I live alone anyway." "No need. I quite like my current place." "Is Miss Eunice staying with you?" Piaget asked with a smile. "You just invited me to move in with you. What do you think?" "Hahaha! I realized I skipped a step with that question, so I was trying to smooth it over. So, my good friend Karen, who came to Wien for Miss Eunice... have you two parted ways now?" "Yes." "I feel like you might be about to tell me a melodramatic tale of spurning the poor for the rich, but I hope you won't bother." "All right. Then I'll skip a step as well." "Well, it's about lunchtime. Let's eat together. There's a Ruilan restaurant nearby that isn't half bad." "If I'm starting work tomorrow, I'd like to head back and get things in order." Karen pointed at his clothes. "I need to buy two sets of clothes suitable for work—something with softer colors." "Heh, you haven't even started, and you're already turning down a lunch invitation from your boss." "I'm not a female employee, so declining a meal with my boss carries no psychological burden. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, the difference between Ruilan and Wien cuisine is that one tastes terrible and the other tastes awful. When you're free some other day, or when the clinic is closed, come over to my place and I'll cook for you myself." "Oh, that's right! I remember your culinary skills were extraordinary. I'll certainly look forward to it. By the way, buying work clothes counts as an official expense. Keep the receipts, and the clinic will reimburse you. For that matter, keep receipts for your daily expenses wherever possible, and we'll reimburse those too." "Thank you, but that won't be necessary." "Fair enough. In any case, if there is anything I can help with and you need it, please don't hesitate to ask. What are true friends for? A true friend is someone who finds joy in helping you with anything, without calculating gains and losses." "I can feel it. Thank you, Piaget." Karen stood up, preparing to leave. Just as he reached the office door, Piaget spoke again from behind him: "Oh, right, there's one more thing." "What is it?" "Never mind, there's no rush. I wanted you to do a psychological counseling session for me, but that can wait until after I visit your home and taste your cooking in a while." "Are you feeling all right?" Karen asked. "Things have been rather fulfilling lately. The issue is still there, but my attention can temporarily shift away. Choosing Bertha as my personal secretary was also a way of telling myself not to run from the problem." "I'm worried it might make the problem worse," Karen said. "Just because she looks like Linda? Haha, please, how could that be? My love for Linda goes straight to her soul, not merely her outward shell." "Then... see you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow." Karen walked out of the office. On a chair in the waiting area outside, Alfred sat reading a newspaper. Seeing Karen emerge, he immediately rose to follow. Bertha intended to see Karen off in person, but heard the bell ring at her desk. She instructed another secretary to escort the guest out, then pushed open the door and entered the office. "Karen will be starting work at the clinic tomorrow. Make the arrangements." "Understood, Boss. I'll go call Mr. Karen back right away to fill out his onboarding information." "No need to make it so troublesome. Set his internal clinic practitioner rating to match mine. As for the rest of the details, just make something up." "Understood, Boss. And his surname...?" Piaget stroked his chin. "Make one up at random too." "Understood, Boss. One can tell that you and Mr. Karen must have been very good friends in the past." "Of course. I believe that if you interact with him more in the future, you'll discover his charm as well. Still, he has a girlfriend—perhaps a fiancée, even—though they seem to have hit a rough patch right now. You aren't entirely without a chance." "Is that so? That's great news. I'll pass it along to the female staff and female doctors in the clinic." "Oh, no, don't! That would leave everyone too distracted to work. Also, when recommending clients, assign Karen patients... follow the same criteria you use for mine. His abilities are no less than my own." "Yes, Boss." "Mm. And if there are any wealthy widow clients, you can refer them to him as well. He's quite adept at handling that demographic." "Yes, Boss." "Order me some lunch, will you?" "Right away, Boss." Bertha exited. Piaget moved his chair back behind his desk, reached out, and opened the drawer on his left. Inside lay numerous photographs, mostly of himself and Linda. Looking at these pictures, a warm smile surfaced on Piaget's face. It remained there until he picked up the very last photograph, whereupon his smile gradually turned solemn. "You broke our appointment," Piaget said softly. "I've been waiting for you to come find me all this time. Why haven't you come? Instead... Karen came to see me." Piaget picked up the second glass of ice water that Karen hadn't touched, took a large gulp, and continued muttering to himself: "A pity I don't know your real name, nor do I know your identity. But before this, there was always an indistinct voice telling me that here, I would meet a hysterical you. And you would lead me into a new world—a world Linda had always yearned for." Piaget closed his eyes. In his mind flashed the image of that day when Linda flew into the air, and the vision of that female giant towering across the sky. He crossed his hands over his chest. *The one Linda pursued even at the cost of leaving me... just what kind of charm do you possess?* "Praise... Rielsa?" The background of that photograph was a café. In the picture, three people held up coffee cups: a middle-aged Bede, a youthful Linda... and a young Piaget. *** After instructing another secretary to order lunch takeout for the boss from that Ruilan restaurant, Bertha walked over to the restroom area. The restrooms were located along the clinic's outer perimeter. Just outside lay a relatively open area. Bertha walked up to an open window, letting the high-altitude wind ruffle her hair. Then, she quietly took out a pack of slim cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it. The smoke she exhaled was blown back by the wind, washing over her face, yet she seemed to relish the sensation. In her mind, the earlier scene from the office replayed: *"Listen, I hope you come to your senses now, and I hope you realize what it is you're actually doing..."* On the sofa, the words Karen had spoken while gripping her hand echoed in her ears once more. *Has he already seen through my identity? Is he urging me to wake up, urging me to turn back?* Bertha's gaze drifted toward the cityscape ahead and the flowing traffic between the buildings. His eyes had held regret and sympathy, but even more so, an indelible sense of concern. Bertha took another drag of her cigarette, reviewing every detail of Karen's earlier facial expressions in her mind. *Was he pitying me?* *No...* *Could he have been pitying us?* At that moment, a female security guard from the clinic walked up behind Bertha. A good portion of the clinic's clientele were women, so to better handle various situations, there were just as many female guards as male guards. "Rebecca, have you observed that attendant of his?" Bertha asked. "Lord Emissary, I observed him, but I cannot see through him." "You cannot see through him?" "He carries the aura of an aberrant demon, yet also the aura of a believer. He could be an aberrant demon, or a divine official, or perhaps even just an exceptionally charming male attendant." "Would an exceptionally charming man be willing to serve as a mere attendant?" Bertha countered. "It... it is a failing of my ability." "No, it's not your fault. That young man is not simple." "Could he be someone dispatched by another church?" "Unlikely. If he were sent by another church, we wouldn't have the luxury of standing here talking right now," Bertha said. "He seems to have come specifically for Piaget. He and Piaget appear to be genuine friends." "Is that so... Perhaps another faction has taken notice of Mr. Piaget as well? He might harbor the same goal as us." "I think the situation might not be that complicated, but we need to observe further. Even our boss is no simple man. Even though I have taken on an appearance virtually identical to his deceased wife, he still treats me in an ordinary manner." "Your subordinate previously suggested that you needn't complicate things, Lord Emissary. Using your original appearance might have yielded better results. Not all men harbor endless nostalgia for a dead wife to the point of seeking a replacement. In fact, most men in this world grow weary of the same thing and look for a change of taste." *Slap!* A red handprint bloomed across the female guard Rebecca's cheek. Bertha looked at her and said coldly, "I will not permit you to speak of Mr. Piaget like that." "Yes, Lord Emissary. I was wrong." "We will continue to wait. I do not believe the guidance of the Altar of Light could be mistaken. The opportunity for Light's revival is right here: a figure poised to rise with destiny and inherit the opportunity of the Church of the Mural God. "The one indicated by the Altar of Light must be him. "The opportunity of the Church of the Mural God ought to become the opportunity of our Church of Light as well. "So we shall continue to wait here. "In any case, we have waited for a very, very long time; a little longer won't hurt. "By the way, has the notice for the new gathering been sent out?" "In reply to the Lord Emissary, it has already been dispatched." "Were there any mishaps?" "An unexpected incident occurred. Two messenger ravens failed to return. According to memory retrospection, one raven was trapped by someone using a spell." "And the other?" Bertha asked. "The other was caught by a cat. That one was a genuine accident." Bertha nodded. "Lord Emissary, should the gathering still be held as scheduled?" "As scheduled." "However..." "Light will assimilate any other colors attempting to infiltrate. In fact, I rather hope they try to slip in, heh." "Yes, I understand." "Go attend to your duties. I'm going to have another cigarette." "Lord Emissary..." "Is there something else?" "Elder Doke asked me to pass along a message to you." "Heh, a warning, no doubt." "Elder Doke wanted to know if you've truly developed feelings for the boss." "He is a very charming man." Bertha lit her second cigarette. "Is it not perfectly normal to fall for him? Especially when he is treating patients—he is truly captivating. "Furthermore, that mysterious Mr. Karen from today... I hold quite a favorable impression of him as well. Very handsome, very charming, and wonderfully profound. "He will be starting work tomorrow. You don't need to monitor him any longer, lest it cause undesirable side effects. I will interact with him personally." "Understood. But... will that really be all right?" "There won't be any problem. Mr. Karen seems... very sympathetic toward our Church of Light. Today, he even urged me to wake up. I could tell that the look in his eyes back then was not feigned." Rebecca offered a quiet praise: "Light Everlasting." Exhaling a ring of smoke, Bertha echoed softly: "Mm. Light Everlasting." *** Stepping out of the elevator and exiting the building, Karen climbed into the car parked by the roadside. "Young Master, while I was sitting in the waiting area waiting for you, a female security guard in the clinic seemed to pay extra attention to me." "A female guard? Could it be she took a liking to you?" "I don't think so. She was using a low-level detection spell on me." "Given the status of Piaget's father, having a few low-level clergymen arranged as bodyguards for him in York City seems reasonably plausible." "If she had just probed once, that would be one thing. But one probe wasn't enough; she did it a second time. And when the second wasn't enough, she probed me a third time..." "Are you saying she discovered your identity as an aberrant demon?" Alfred looked down, sniffed both of his arms, and said, "Young Master, there's something I only discovered recently myself." "Speak." "It's that ever since coming to Wien with you, Young Master—especially these past few days after moving out of Allen Manor—I feel as though the aberrant demon aura on me has grown very faint." "Did Purr and Kevin mention this?" "They've probably been around me constantly, so they might have overlooked the change. But when we get home later, we can have them sniff again to properly confirm it. Regardless, I personally feel that my aberrant demon aura has faded considerably, replaced instead by... a different, rather special aura..." "A special aura?" "It feels like the aura of those clergymen I've encountered in the past. Very upright, very solemn, very aloof. In the past, I looked down on that sort of aura, thinking it was mere pretense. But now, it feels as though that very aura is truly settling onto me." Hearing this, Karen asked, "Are you saying that lately, behind our backs, you've secretly taken up faith in another religion?" "No, never! Absolutely not! Back when I served under Lord Diss, I didn't have the slightest interest in the Church of Order. How could I secretly believe in another—" All of a sudden, Alfred froze. Then, an expression of sheer ecstasy washed over his face, and he cried out: "Yes, I do!"