The Acolyte of Spirits and Curses

Morning light filtered softly through the half-drawn curtains of the hotel room.

Klein’s eyes opened slowly, and for a few seconds he remained still, staring at the ceiling.

The sheets were warm against his skin, and the quiet hum of the air conditioner was the only sound in the room.

He turned his head slightly toward the other side of the bed.

It was empty.

His gaze drifted across the room until it settled on the figure standing in front of the full-length mirror near the wardrobe.

Lyra stood with her back mostly turned toward him.

She was already in her blue bra and matching underwear as the soft morning light traced the mature curves of her body.

Her brown hair was slightly damp after her shower, falling loosely around her shoulders as she reached for the blouse.

The smooth line of her bare back, the gentle dip of her waist, and the full shape of her hips were clearly visible as she slipped one arm into the sleeve of the blouse.

Klein remained quiet for a moment longer, simply watching her.

Lyra stepped into her pants and pulled them up over her hips, fastening them.

She then turned slightly toward the mirror, checking her reflection as she began buttoning the blouse from the bottom up.

It was only when she raised her eyes to the mirror that she finally noticed him watching through the reflection.

Their gazes met.

Lyra’s hands paused on the next button before she continued buttoning her blouse.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

She finished the last button and smoothed the front of the blouse with both hands before turning fully to face him.

She reached for her blazer and asked "How long were you staring?"

Klein sat up slowly, letting the sheet slide down to his waist as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Long enough,"

Lyra clicked her tongue under her breath and turned back toward the mirror and began tying her hair into a loose style.

"You are leaving after this, right? As for another session of blockages removal, we can meet later."

Klein got down from the bed and stretched his arms above his head "Nope, we are going out."

Huh? Lyra looked at his reflection in the mirror, "...Going out?"

"Yeah." Klein began to remove his shirt.

"No reason to waste the morning sitting in a hotel room."

Lyra finished tying her hair and turned to face him fully, "I have plans of my own after this. And unlike you, I don’t have the free time to wander around just because you feel like it."

Klein glanced at her while slipping off his pants, "Cancel them."

Lyra stared at him "...Excuse me?"

"Cancel them," he repeated as he finished removing his clothes and stood there in his boxers.

She looked at him in confusion "And why the hell are you getting naked?"

"I’m going to take a shower. After that, we’re going out."

Lyra’s expression twisted into pure disbelief.

"You motherfu-"

The rest of the word caught in her throat as he continued past her without slowing down.

Klein walked straight into the bathroom, and the soft sound of the shower being turned on reached her a few seconds later.

Lyra stared at the open doorway for a moment longer before muttering under her breath,

"I just had a shower."

From inside the bathroom, Klein’s voice came back "Yeah, yeah. I’m not going to drink your bath water, woman."

-_- Lyra’s eye twitched.

She stood there in silence for a second, processing the completely unnecessary reply.

"That is not what I meant and you know it," she called out.

In the end she clicked her tongue quietly, walked over to the chair, and sat down.

She reached for her phone on the side table and unlocked it.

After scrolling through her contacts for a moment, she selected a number and brought the device to her ear.

The line connected after only two rings.

A composed female voice answered on the other end "Lady Yuliya."

"Cancel the Guild Executive meeting scheduled for today."

There was a short pause on the other end of the line.

"...Cancel it, my lady?"

"The other executives have already confirmed their attendance. Several of them traveled from the eastern branch specifically for this session. If we postpone now-"

"I said cancel it," Lyra cut in.

"Reschedule it for next week. Use whatever reason you need... I don’t care. Just make sure no one shows up today."

Another brief silence followed.

"...Understood, Lady Yuliya. I will handle the notifications immediately. Should I also inform your father about the change?"

Lyra’s fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

"No. Don’t involve him. Just cancel the meeting and leave it at that."

"Yes, my lady."

Lyra ended the call without another word and lowered the phone to her lap.

---

They stepped out of the hotel into the late morning air.

Soft sunlight filtered between the buildings as Klein and Lyra walked side by side along the pavement.

After a while she glanced sideways at him.

"So? Do you actually want to buy something today, or did you just drag me out for no reason?"

Klein shook his head without slowing his pace "No..."

Lyra raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rest of the answer.

He looked ahead along the street, "Let’s go on a date."

Lyra’s steps faltered for a second.

She turned her head fully toward him in embarrassment "...A date?"

"Yeah."

She stared at him in surprise "You- I am a married woman, you know that, right?"

Klein gave a small nod "Yeah, I do remember you telling me you had a political marriage."

Dumbfounded by his casual answer, she spoke "...That doesn’t mean I can just go around accepting dates from other men," she muttered.

"Even if the marriage is only political, I’m still married on paper. There are appearances to maintain. If someone... well, if anyone I know saw me with another man..."

Klein glanced at her briefly with a smile "Don’t worry, we are far away from the capital... so I doubt anyone would recognize you."

"You said you’ve never been on a date. So I thought we could fix that."

Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but then she sighed "You are such a fucking moron... I hate you."

The two of them continued walking in silence for several more steps.

Lyra’s expression remained complicated the entire time.

"...Fine. But if this turns into another one of your shameless routines, I’m freezing your legs and leaving you in the middle of the street."

With a soft chuckle, he replied "...So what are we doing then?"

Klein tilted his head slightly, as if actually thinking about it now that she asked.

"There’s a market street not too far from here. Food stalls, shops and... random stuff, I guess."

Lyra glanced at him from the side. "You’re just... wandering?"

"Pretty much."

Lyra: ⊙▂⊙

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