Chapter 190 - 189: Bound to Go Blind

Yvonne Lowell had originally planned to spend a few days vegging out at Moonshadow before running off to The Shadow Pavilion to mooch off them.

But as soon as she returned to headquarters from North, Felix Knight shoved a pile of documents into her hands.

His reasoning was simple and blunt—Regan Knight hadn’t returned, and Alan Knight was out on a mission. The two of them couldn’t keep up even if they had eight arms, not unless Yvonne Lowell developed some smart prosthetic limbs for them.

Felix Knight’s whole song and dance made Yvonne Lowell’s previously non-existent conscience suddenly sprout, and it even began to twinge with guilt.

Resigned, she had no choice but to help process the work that was, in fact, hers to begin with.

But after two straight days of it, she was about to throw up.

Contracts of every type, in every language. You name it, they had it, and it was all a chaotic mess.

She couldn’t look anymore. She really couldn’t stand another second of it.

Otherwise, the only time she’d get to see this beautiful world would be at noon, because she’d be going blind in the morning and at night.

So, deciding it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, she booked an overnight flight to Continent R. She was off to her man’s territory to "broaden her horizons"—or more accurately, to hide out and enjoy some peace and quiet.

On the plane, Yvonne Lowell glanced at the Leogryph lying by her feet and pouted.

"I’m making a getaway here. What are you doing tagging along so shamelessly? Since when did you get so chummy with that deadbeat dad of yours?"

ROAR! ’I just want to go out and play! Who said I’m chummy with him?!’

...

「Continent R, The Shadow Pavilion.」

During morning training today, the members of The Shadow Pavilion all witnessed a strange phenomenon.

Their Master was standing near the landing pad early this morning, staring intently at the sky without moving an inch.

Was he... waiting for money to rain down from the sky? ’Could such a wonderful thing really happen?!’

Member A: "What’s the Master doing? Did he pray so hard he started hallucinating? Is he waiting for a goddess to descend from the heavens? But does a goddess even have a passport?"

Member B: "Beats me. He was already standing there before I got here for training."

Member C: "Don’t tell me the Master’s girlfriend is coming?"

Member B: "You know, now that you mention it, you might be right. He looks like one of those legendary stones, waiting for his wife to return."

Member D: "Oh, that’s right! I overheard Hall Master Ford and the others talking once. They said the Master’s girlfriend is Falcon! Moonshadow is a massive organization. She must be swamped with work every day. Would she really have time to visit?"

Member A: "Holy shit! Moonshadow’s Falcon is a woman?! And she’s our future Mistress!?"

Member C: "Good heavens... How did the Master get so damn lucky?!"

Member D: "Keep your voice down! If the Master hears you, don’t come crying to us when he assigns you extra training."

Member B: "We’ll know when she gets here... Wait, it’s here! It’s here! That plane looks like it’s landing on our strip!"

The plane touched down on The Shadow Pavilion’s landing pad. Yvonne Lowell gave the Leogryph a light nudge with her foot. "We’re here. Go on, get down and find your deadbeat dad."

ROAR! ’Alrighty, then! I’ll go on ahead and get him all dirty!’

The Leogryph stood up, stretched, and padded toward the cabin door.

The moment the cabin door opened, Leo Grant strode over, unable to wait.

Before he could even get close, the huge creature that burst from the plane threw a paw over his shoulder.

ROAR! ’Little bro! I’m here! Miss your big bro? Come on, let me give you a big smooch!’

The Leogryph rubbed its thick mane against him, but its leonine sixth sense told it that it couldn’t afford the consequences of licking the guy’s face. So, it settled for slobbering all over his hoodie instead.

In moments, a dark, damp patch appeared on the shoulder of Leo Grant’s gray hoodie, which was now also covered in lion fur.

Yvonne Lowell, following close behind, crossed her arms and watched this scene of "deep father-son affection" with great amusement.

Leo Grant shot a reproachful look at the amused spectator nearby before irritably peeling the lion’s head off him and shoving it aside.

"I don’t remember you being this friendly before. Why are you sucking up all of a sudden?"

ROAR! ’I did it on purpose! To keep you from touching my mom! What’re you gonna do about it, huh?’

The Leogryph shot him a sidelong glance, then sauntered back to Yvonne Lowell’s side like a supermodel on a catwalk and obediently picked up the suitcase by her feet.

Leo Grant walked over too, opening his arms for a hug.

Yvonne Lowell reacted instantly, placing a hand on his chest and tilting her chin toward his shoulder.

"President Grant, you smell like another male. You’re not clean anymore. I can’t possibly hug you now."

Seeing his hug rejected, Leo Grant settled for a light peck on her lips.

He leaned in with his other, still-dry shoulder and took her small hand, leading her away.

His tone was that of a neglected husband. "Well, you’re the one who brought him. He pounced on me the second he got here and ruined my hoodie."

"I swear, it’s not my fault. He missed his deadbeat dad. The moment he heard I was coming to see you, he shamelessly tagged along. As for the shoulder thing, that’s just how he shows he likes you. He does the same thing to me every time I get home," Yvonne Lowell said with an innocent shrug.

Leo Grant glanced down at the huge creature beside them, thinking, ’I can’t tell if he actually missed me or just came here looking for trouble.’

"Why the sudden trip? You flew overnight? I only saw your message saying you’d left when I woke up. You’d already been gone for five hours."

Yvonne Lowell pouted. "I missed you, so I came. Do I need any other reason? What, is that not allowed?"

"Of course it’s allowed. You can come anytime you want." Leo Grant raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing.

"But... did you really just miss me? Or did you get fed up with being forced to do paperwork and decide to sneak away?"

Yvonne Lowell gave him a light punch. "President Grant, I advise you to be nice. Some things are better left unsaid if you want us to stay a couple."

"Alright, alright, my mistake. You just missed me, purely and simply," Leo Grant said, playing along.

He didn’t dare to actually provoke her. If she could hijack a plane and run away overnight once, she could do it a second time.

As they passed the training grounds, a chorus of voices shouted in unison.

"Greetings, Master! Greetings, Mistress! Greetings, big lion!"

Yvonne Lowell froze for a second. She turned to see all the members on the training grounds grinning foolishly at them.

Snapping out of it, Yvonne Lowell smiled back at them. "Hello, everyone."

’Mistress... That has a nice ring to it. I should get the Moonshadow members to call my handsome man that, too!’

The members’ grins grew even wider.

’Mom, I’ve made it! I met my idol! My idol said hello to me!’

"Are you all finished? Training objectives complete? Or are you looking for a group-wide extra session?"

Leo Grant shot them a disdainful look. They had absolutely no tact.

That was that. The Living Yama had spoken, and the crowd instantly scattered.

Leo Grant turned Yvonne Lowell’s face back toward him. "Are they better-looking than me? Look at me, not them."

Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes at him. ’He gets jealous over everything.’

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Yvonne Lowell asked, "Wait a minute... you don’t only have men here, do you?"