'When did she get so bossy?'
Sunny shook his head.
"No, it wouldn't remind me of her."
Eunbin rolled her eyes.
"Sure it wouldn't,"
Sunny sat on Bin's bed as she retracted her hand from his chest and stepped away from him, went into her closet, grabbed a blue dress, then went into the bathroom again.
Thirty minutes had passed when Eunbin put on her first dress and stepped out of her bathroom with her hands on her hips. She wore a light blue dress that hugged her slender figure and showed her neckline where a blue diamond necklace hung just below her collarbone.
"Well? What do you think?"
"You look amazing, heaven sent, many men and women would kill to lay eyes on you for a moment, and yet here I am sitting on your bed with no consequences, watching you try on a dress. I truly am the luckiest person in the two worlds, Bin."
Eunbin's sudden jealousy of Effie went away like dust in the wind as she smiled brightly at him and stepped closer. Sunny had to tilt his head because he was sitting down and because of her height.
"Do you mean it?"
Sunny nodded with a smile.
"Of course I do,"
Bin smiled at him, leaned down to meet his gaze, gently grabbed his chin, and whispered into his ear.
"I'm glad to hear it,"
Sunny's eyes widened as she patted his cheek and sat beside him with a smile, while Sunny stared at her with an incredulous expression
.
"That's the second time you've done that."
"You have yet to tell me to stop, so I'll continue to do so until you say otherwise."
Sunny coughed.
"So- uh, who's the dinner with?"
"You'll see, but you already asked that, Sunny, why?"
Sunny frowned.
"Because I'm curious about who's taking you to dinner before I could."
He froze once the words left his mouth.
'Ah, damnit,'
He didn't mean to say that!
For some reason, Bin smiled wider.
"Really?"
Sunny scratched his cheek and nodded.
"Uh, well yeah,"
Eunbin placed her hand on his chest and gently pressed on it.
"Lie down,"
"W-why?"
What was she going to do?!
"Just do it,"
Sunny complied and lay on the bed when suddenly Eunbin moved to his right, lay down alongside him, and placed her head on his shoulder.
Due to the difference in their height, her soft hair brushed against his temple, and he could smell her strawberry shampoo. Her dark eyes met his as she smiled at him.
"Well then, where would you take me?"
'D-damn, since when was she so bold?'
Sunny tried to calm his wildly beating heart and answered.
"One of those fancy restaurants that have multiple forks, you know, I never understood that, who the hell needs two or three forks?"
Eunbin softly laughed against his shoulder, making his entire body vibrate.
She leaned away from him with a smile, moved closer so their legs were touching, then lay her head on his shoulder again with a contented sigh.
"It's about etiquette, Sunny. I'll tell you about it when we actually get to the-"
Sunny stared at her in confusion at the abrupt cut-off.
"Get to what?"
"Nothing,"
"You're acting weird, you know that?"
Eunbin quickly stood up from the bed, headed to her closet again to grab another dress she had hidden from him, then stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
While she was in there, Sunny couldn't help but frown at her sudden absence from his shoulder, but stooped when she suddenly called out to him.
"No, I'm not, anyway, onto the second dress, it shouldn't take long."
It took an entire hour before she stepped out of the bathroom, revealing Eunbin wearing a violet form-fitting dress with dark threads laced near her shoulders. She slowly twirled around and then faced him again with a nervous look.
"How about this one?"
Why was his opinion on her dresses so important when he was only her escort?
"It looks gorgeous on you, Bin. I'm trying to maintain my composure at seeing you so close in this dress."
Eunbin broke out into a gorgeous smile and waved him away.
"You're just saying that because you think it's what I want to hear."
"I mean it, if Kai were here, he would immediately say it's the truth,"
"You really know how to make a woman smile, onto the third one,"
'Third one? There's more?!'
"Ah, of course,"
Another hour had passed before she stepped out of the bathroom again, wearing a white dress with her hands on her hips.
"Well, which dress do you prefer?"
"All of them,"
Eunbin's lips curled into a pout.
"If you had to choose, which one would you like to see me in?"
"The light blue dress, why?"
She smiled at him.
"Good,"
"You didn't answer my question, Bin."
Eunbin waved at him and went into her bathroom again.
"I'll see you in four days, Sunny,"
Sunny frowned at her for dodging his question, but bid her goodbye nonetheless and walked out of her room, then went back into the throne room. He closed the doors behind him, then walked up to where Ki Song hadn't moved from his earlier visit.
"Ah, Sunless, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. What is the matter?"
"I have a question, your majesty,"
Ki Song nodded.
"Go on,"
Sunny took a deep breath and spoke.
"What kind of flowers does Eunbin like?"
Ki Song didn't answer for a long time, when, suddenly and strangely enough, a smile slowly appeared on her beautiful face.
"Ahh, I understand now,"
"Understand what?"
"I'm happy to see that Eunbin is happy, but I am quite sad that she failed to mention this to me."
"I don't understand?"
"Now that you two are together, I must tell you something. I am certain Eunbin's birth parents already told you this, but in case they didn't, then I will tell you."
'Oh no'
Sunny had a bad feeling.
"What is it, your highness?"
Ki Song's gaze softened as she leaned forward.
"Sunless… you are a young man, and while you are alone with Eunbin, you both may want to…. Ah, indulge in activities. I want to make sure that you know to take….. precautions to avoid any unwanted news. I will admit this is more for my sake than anything else, as I don't think I am mentally prepared yet."
Sunny felt dread wash over him.
"P-prepared for what?"
"Becoming a grandma, of course,"
Sunny nearly collapsed in place.
'Good gods, when does it stop?!'
"Ah, right to answer your question, she likes tulips,"
"Thank you, your majesty,"
Ki Song, for the third time today, let a smile grace her face.
"Yes, of course, I hope you enjoy your date with Eunbin,"
Date? What did she mean by date?
***
Four days had passed since his talk with Ki Song, and as it turned out, the entire time he spent with Eunbin judging her dresses didn't take an hour, as she said.
No, no, that would've been far too quick, because instead of one hour, it took five hours for four damn dresses! Not that he minded being there, of course. He had taken the time to look for a suit with the unwanted assistance of the Prince of Nothing.
Sunny shook his head with a smile and began wiping off the tables when the entrance opened, revealing Silent Stalker, who walked inside, closed the door behind her, and nodded at him with a neutral expression.
"Sunless, I take it you know what I'm here for."
Sunny smiled and put the rag over his shoulder.
"Of course, follow me."
The sullen woman nodded and followed him into the emporium's basement, where memories were displayed in glass cases. She looked around with a subtle but noticeable expression of surprise.
"Not bad, I hope you're treating my sister well,"
Sunny paused as he was retrieving her memory from a nearby table.
"What do you mean?"
Silent Stalker raised an eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes.
"You two are dating now, aren't you?"
Sunny nearly tripped as he was walking towards and stopped in place when he regained his balance.
"What? No! Why does everyone keep thinking that?!"
First Eunbin's parents, then Aiko, then Ki Song, and now Silent Stalker! There was a damn war about to break out in a couple of years, and they're concerned about this?!
The woman shrugged.
"Because she's always making excuses to come see you, so my sisters and I just figured that you two finally got together. But now that I know you're not, I have to ask."
"What?"
"What the hell is taking you so goddamn long? Are you going to keep being oblivious?"
"I'm taking my time! And I'm not being oblivious! Just take the damn memory, I have to get ready,"
"For what?"
"Being an escort,"
"An escort? For what?"
"Bin, she said she was having dinner with someone important today and wanted me to escort her."
Silent Stalker's face scrunched in confusion.
"Today's her birthday, Sunless. She told me about the dinner, and I doubt she would plan something like that with some random person on such a special day."
"What?! Then who the hell could it be? Some guy?"
Silent stalker palmed her face and rolled her eyes at him, then scowled when she saw that he was genuinely confused.
"You can't be serious. Has anyone ever told you that you have the emotional intelligence of a damn tree?"
Sunny scowled as well.
"No, they haven't, what do you mean?"
"You mean you don't know who the important person is? You really haven't figured it out yet?"
Sunny threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Of course I don't, and no, I haven't!"
Silent Stalker took a deep breath.
"Good gods, well, forget it, hopefully you'll figure it out by the end of the night,"
"So you know who it is?"
"Yes, I know who it is, Sunless."
"Well, tell me,"
"No,"
"Why the hell not?!"
Why was everyone being so damn coy today?!
"Because it should be pretty damn obvious, that's why!" Silent Stalker raised her voice.
Sunny handed her the black box.
"Forget it! Take your damn memory and go!"
She snatched it from him.
"Gladly, because if I spend another minute around, I'm going to punch something."
Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Knock yourself out,"
Silent Stalker transferred the memory to her soul sea, then immediately looked into the open air for a moment before turning to him with a deep frown.
"What the hell is this?"
"What? The enchantments? You didn't specify what you wanted, so I put them on there."
"No, not the damn enchantments, the name,"
"What about it?"
"You named it the 'Bow of Silence'? Have you lost your goddamn mind?"
Sunny shrugged and made his way back upstairs with Silent Stalker on his heels, and they moved to the cafe area.
"Well, you're all about being silent. I mean, it's in your name, well, except for talking, I've noticed that you're a bit of a motor mouth. And yes, I have lost my mind, multiple times actually, how did you know?"
She scowled as she handed him a large pouch of coins.
"I'm going to strangle you,"
Sunny scoffed and handed the pouch to Aiko, who had once again appeared out of thin air, then handed it to her. The short woman quickly left as Sunny waved Silent Stalker away.
"Yeah, yeah, save it for when I'm not busy, will you? Now, get going, I have to get ready."
With that said, Sunny shadow stepped into his room and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Mordret sitting on his bed, wearing a crystal monocle on his right eye while reading a book he had mentioned before. It was called 'Lord of the Mysteries.'
Sunny stared at him and nearly punched the bastard in the face.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Mordret looked up and smiled, then closed his book.
"Ah, Sunless, there you are. I've been waiting for you, my friend. I wanted to see how the suit I helped pick out looked on you, like the kind, benevolent man I am."
Sunny rolled his eyes and then pointed to Mordret's right eye.
"Why are you wearing that thing again?"
Mordret stared at him with a smile.
"Oh, this? I know I said I might wear it at the Halloween party, but unfortunately, I never did after that. But the more I've read this book, the more I've thought about buying a ton of monocles and putting one in every single one of my vessels' pockets. So I'm testing it out with my original body. I've taken inspiration from my favorite character in this book."
'What a weirdo,'
For whatever reason, seeing the monocle on his right eye gave him a deep, unexplainable sense of unease.
Suddenly, he heard the bell ring from downstairs, signaling someone's arrival, and Sunny took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Give me a moment."
Sunny quickly went into his closet, then into his bathroom, put on his dark grey suit coat and grey vest, and matched it with dark grey slacks.
Once he stepped out, he saw Mordret eyeing him with a smile and walking up to him while reaching out to him.
"You look spectacular, Sunless. Just let me fix your tie, oh, and I have another monocle if you want one."
"Touch me, and I will rip your hands off,"
Mordret retracted his hands with a laugh and settled for patting his shoulder.
"So vicious, I must ask, did I put honey in your coffee at some point to make you despise me this much?"
"No,"
Mordret shrugged.
"If you say so,"
"Get out, she could be waiting for me."
"I wish you the best time for your date, my friend."
Sunny stopped in place.
'Why does everyone keep saying that?'
Once Mordret left and Sunny checked himself with his avatar, he grabbed the flowers he had bought for her, then headed downstairs to see Eunbin sitting at one of the tables with a smile.
To his surprise, she was wearing the light blue dress Sunny had chosen, with the blue diamond necklace.
In addition, she now wore pearl bracelets on both wrists, her hair was braided on the sides, and the rest of it fell down her back like a silk curtain, along with lipstick.
Noticing him, she smiled at him, and Sunny stepped to the table she was sitting at. He outstretched his hand, and she took it. Then, together, they stepped into the evening sun, and Sunny closed the door behind them.
Noticing his silent gaze, Eunbin tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Is something wrong?"
Sunny snapped out of his staring and blinked a few times before smiling and handing her the tulips he had bought.
"No, no, it's just you somehow even look more beautiful now that we're about to head out, I didn't think that was even possible. Here you go, Ki Song mentioned that these were your favorite. Happy birthday. I wasn't sure what to get you other than these flowers because how can you get something for someone who already has everything?"
Eunbin grabbed the flowers from him with a bright smile, then walked past him and set the flowers in a vase Sunny had placed before Silent Stalker showed up. She gave them a long sniff and smiled before walking back to him from behind.
Sunny was confused about why she didn't stand in front of him again and was about to turn around when, suddenly, he felt two arms wrap around him. Her breath hit the back of his neck as she pulled him close to her body.
She hugged him for a long moment before she placed her chin on his right shoulder from behind and leaned in.
He watched her right hand move from his chest, drift up to his chin, then gently grab it. Eunbin began to turn his head towards her so that his right ear was closer to her lips. She was close enough that her soft lips almost brushed against his ear, and he could feel her warm breath as she moved even closer. This time, her warm, soft lips brushed against his ear as she began to whisper.
Her husky, soft-spoken voice was like a silk blanket wrapping around him.
"Thank you, and before you ask, I hugged because you're sweet, and I've wanted to do that for a while now, but never had an excuse to do so. Also, don't worry about it; your flowers are more than enough as a gift. Now, come."
Sunny blushed at her actions, then quickly frowned when she let go, as he found himself missing the warmth and closeness of her, but he hid it with a smile and settled for a nod. Eunbin then moved to his right, looped his arm through hers, and transported them to the waking world, where the cool afternoon air of NQSC hit his face. They soon began walking.
"So where's the dinner going to be?"
Eunbin regarded him for a moment and smiled.
"You'll see, you look absolutely dashing by the way,"
"Thank you,"
Suddenly, she stopped walking, then gently grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close, their faces inches apart.
Sunny was flustered at her actions and asked in a trembling voice.
"W-what are you doing?"
She stared at him before her hands drifted towards his tie and began tying it.
"You forgot your tie."
"I was going to get it eventually."
Eunbin stopped and gave him an unamused stare before finishing his tie, then smiled at him and took his hand, interlocking their fingers.
"There, now, hold my hand,"
Sunny gave her a confused look but didn't pull away as they began walking.
"What for?"
"My hand is cold,"
"But saints don't-"
"I said my hand is cold,"
Sunny nodded as he wasn't opposed to holding her hand. They walked hand in hand for a few minutes, with onlookers staring at them with each step.
"Who's the lucky guy?"
"I don't- wait, I know him! That's Master Sunless! Way to go, Master Sunless!"
"What?! You're telling me that pint-sized pretty boy is dating Beastmaster?!"
"What a lucky woman-er man! I mean, man!"
"Sure you did."
Sunny pretended not to hear them while Eunbin silently smiled and moved closer to him, as they made their way to the restaurant Eunbin had in mind.
"You know, Bin, you still haven't told me who the dinner is with,"
"Hmm? You mean you don't know yet? I thought someone as smart as you would have guessed it as soon as I said it. I suppose having intelligence doesn't mean you also have emotional intelligence, which is okay."
Sunny eyed her and shook his head.
"No, I don't know yet,"
She gave him a coy smile.
"You'll figure it out soon, but never mind that, we're here."
Sunny looked to his left and saw a luxurious restaurant with a velvet carpet rolled out at the entrance, where a long line of rich, mundane, and awakened humans alike stood. It stretched onto the sidewalk.
Sunny watched as mundane security guards patted down mundane people, then checked a ticket and let them inside. In contrast, awakened people had to sign a form stating they wouldn't summon any memories while in the restaurant.
Eunbin didn't stop as she moved in front of him, holding his hand, and casually walked past the guards, who noticed her and quickly bowed.
Sunny stared at her.
"You made a reservation?"
Eunbin laughed,
"Reservation? No, Sunny, I own the place."
"What?!"
'Damn legacies and their richness,'
Eunbin laughed again and led him into the restaurant. It was a lavish interior, with waiters and waitresses gracefully moving around, carrying plates of food, others holding bottles of wine, and some holding desserts.
They all wore black-and-white suits with a professional demeanor, which made Sunny feel self-conscious about his own restaurant. Noticing this, Eunbin gently squeezed his hand and led him to a table. Once they were at the table, they sat down across from each other.
Sunny looked around again with a surprised expression.
"I still can't believe you own this entire establishment."
Eunbin leaned forward with a sigh.
"I own several, actually, but I never said anything about it since I didn't want you to think I'm some stuck-up legacy,"
Sunny's jaw dropped at her words.
"S-several restaurants, what the hell for?!"
Eunbin threw her head back and laughed.
"Because I like their food so much that I bought the place,"
Sunny leaned back with a scoff.
"That's ridiculous,"
Eunbin ignored his comment and asked.
"What do you want to eat?"
Sunny stared at the menu for a while before shrugging.
"I'm not sure, you choose."
Eunbin nodded, then looked over and saw a waiter passing by.
"Alright then, short, dark, and handsome, Kevin, come here for a moment, will you?"
A tall man looked over and then made his way to their table and bowed.
"Lady Eunbin, will you be having the usual?"
"Yes, I will,"
The man nodded, then turned his attention to Sunny. His eyes darted between Sunny and Eunbin several times before he considered his words carefully and asked.
"Will your boyfriend be having the same?"
Eunbin nodded without missing a beat.
"Yes, he will,"
The waiter nodded and bowed again.
"Alright, your wine will be here shortly."
Sunny stared at the interaction, a confused expression on his face, prompting Eunbin to smile at him.
"I know his mother; she's a lovely woman,"
"What about the other waiters, do you know them as well?"
Eunbin nodded as she thanked a waiter who came by and brought a bottle of wine to their table.
"Thank you, Asterion, you're always quick to bring the wine here. To answer your question, Sunny, yes, I do know them. I know every single person here."
Sunny tried not to comment on how she said the Dreamspawn's name, as he didn't want to spoil her happy mood, and instead nodded at her with a forced smile.
"That's rare, most owners wouldn't bother with taking the time to do that, you're one of a kind, Bin."
Eunbin poured the wine into her glass and took a sip before answering with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Sunny, you know my parents have been talking about you over the past few days since they came to Raven Heart."
Sunny grabbed the bottle of wine and poured himself a glass as well.
"Oh? What have they been saying?"
"They've wanted to read your reports, you told me about,"
Two hours passed as they made conversation with each other, so much so that Eunbin nearly choked on her wine from laughing at one point. After another thirty minutes of conversation, Kevin brought the food to their table and left shortly after.
"Youve been quiet,"
Sunny's eyes snapped to hers.
"I'm just admiring your beauty, that's all."
Eunbin smiled warmly, and maybe it was the lighting, but he could have sworn she was blushing.
"Normally, I would be used to compliments like that, considering how often I get them, but when it comes from you, it feels different, in a good way. What I'm trying to say is I like the way you make me feel."
Sunny smiled.
"I do too,"
Sunny leaned forward, and so did Eunbin, but after a moment, the woman seemed to remember that they weren't alone in the restaurant.
With that in mind, she quickly leaned back and cleared her throat while looking down at her plate with heated cheeks as she avoided his eyes.
"We should eat, the…the food is getting cold,"
Sunny looked down as well, having momentarily completely forgotten about the food.
"Right, the food, I've never had steak."
"You'll like it, trust me,"
Sunny smiled and looked down, then froze at the sight of multiple spoons, forks, and knives, and thought back to his conversation with Eunbin in her room four days ago.
'Ah,'
"These damn utensils! Who the hell needs this many? We're not a damn buffet!"
Eunbin laughed and pointed his utensils.
"Right, I said I would tell you about it later, didn't I? The furthest fork to your left is usually for salad, the one beside it is for fish, and the last one is for meat. Then there are the knives, the closest one is your meat knife, the one next to it is your fish knife, and the furthest one is your salad knife. The lonely spoon next to your knives is the soup spoon. The spoon and fork above your plate are for dessert, and the knife on the top left is for buttering your bread if you have any."
Sunny stared at her with a blank face after she finished her explanation, then picked up a fork and knife and stabbed into the steak.
"To hell with etiquette, I shouldn't have to do a goddamn pop quiz to eat my food."
Eunbin laughed harder at his words.
***
After five hours, they finally left the restaurant and stepped into the now-cool night air. Eunbin studied his face for a moment, then frowned and pointed at it.
"Sunny, there's something on your cheek."
'It must've been from the desert,'
Sunny wiped his left cheek and then looked at his hand.
"Did I get it?"
Eunbin shook her head and then pointed at his right cheek.
"It's that one,"
Sunny nodded and wiped his right cheek, then looked at his hand and saw nothing, then stared at Eunbin with an annoyed expression.
"What kind of game are you playing, Bin?"
She shrugged, then grabbed his chin and leaned closer.
"I mean it, there's something on your cheek."
"No, there isn't! Quit gaslighting me!"
"Oh? What's this then?"
"What's wha-"
Sunny didn't finish his question as he felt her warm lips press against his right cheek for a few seconds before she moved away and let go of his chin with a smile.
"See? I told you there was something on your cheek."
When her lips left, he suddenly noticed the cool night air on his face as he stood there in shock.
"W-what was that for?"
"For making my birthday a wonderful night, thank you."
Sunny briefly touched his cheek and smiled.
"You're welcome,"
Sunny and Eunbin transported themselves back to Raven Heart and soon stood outside his emporium, their hands still intertwined, and he reluctantly let go with a smile.
"I had a great time tonight, Bin Happy birthday."
Eunbin leaned down and grabbed his chin again before turning his head and pressing her warm lips to his left cheek for much longer than last time, then pulled away. She held his gaze for a few moments longer, her eyes darting to his lips and back to his eyes, then hesitated before kissing both his cheeks a few times more and letting go of his chin with a smile.
Sunny stood there in a daze.
"W-what were those for?"
Eunbin shrugged and winked at him.
"Oh, that? I had to see if my new… lipstick was the right color, yes, that's right. There's plenty more where that came from; all you have to do is ask nicely."
"You damn liar."
Eunbin said nothing, then smiled at him and walked away.
"I'd like to go to the movies for our next date, I like romantic comedies by the way."
"Next.. Date? This was a date?! Wait, wait, wait. I was the important person?!"
Eunbin laughed as she walked away.
"Yes, I thought you had figured that out already. Have a good night, I can't wait to do this again."
Sunny watched her figure walk into the night with a smile when Cassie spoke in his head.
[Hey, Sunny, ]
[Yeah?]
[You should've kissed her, ]
[What?!]
[It was the perfect opportunity, and the mood was right; it would have been romantic.]
[You must be drunk, ]
[Fine, think whatever you want to, just don't open the door, ]
Just as Cassie finished those words, Sunny opened the door to see all six of the transcendent song sisters, along with their ascended sisters, sitting at tables staring at him with various expressions.
All of their eyebrows shot up, and their faces broke out into mischievous smiles when Sunny walked through the door, and they saw his face. Even Silent Stalker and Revel cracked a smile.
Moonveil was the first to speak, her tone full of amusement.
"My, my, Sunless, just what have you been up to with Eunbin for your face to be covered in lipstick?"
His eyes widened before he briefly touched his left cheek, then his right, and saw smudges of red lipstick.
"Goddamnit,"
You know, I didn't intend for the chapter to be this long, but oh well, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. :) This new schedule is fun but exhausting.
Perhaps there will be an R18+ chapter between Eunbin and Sunny in the future as a non-canon chapter. It honestly depends on whether I want to write one. Realistically, though, I'll get embarrassed by what I wrote and delete it entirely.