Chapter 148

[Third Person's PoV] 

Merlin was seen sitting on a couch with Yukime on his lap, surrounded by multiple bags of gold coins.

"It seems like my lap is your favorite place to have a seat," Merlin teased.

Instead of being embarrassed, Yukime wiggled her butt in his lap and brushed her tail past his cheek and chin. "It's rather comfy, I dare say," she said with a sultry tone.

Merlin took hold of her chin as they faced each other. "You better be careful of what you're starting. Once I start, there's no stopping."

Yukime didn't look away, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing her face closer. "That's perfect then, I didn't want you to stop in the first place."

They were so close they could feel each other's breath. As Yukime closed her eyes and brought her lips closer, she felt contact with something unexpected—Merlin's hand.

When she opened her eyes, she saw his amused expression and the back of his hand covering his mouth. On his palm was a tattoo of a mouth with its tongue out, and on the tongue, the word "Sorry" was tattooed.

Yukime pouted. "Why did you stop it?"

"Business before pleasure, sweetheart," Merlin said, grabbing her chin again. "And I just love teasing you; I want to see how far I can get away with it."

Yukime, still pouting, gave him a playful glare. "You're a sinful man."

"Thank you," Merlin replied, taking it as a compliment.

Yukime sighed as she leaned her head back on his chest. "We have already exchanged the counterfeit bills with actual money," she said, pulling out real bills from the union. "All that's left is to exchange the real bills, and the trust should completely collapse. I'm going to go and exchange it myself."

Merlin, his hands wrapped around Yukime, asked, "To have your final confrontation with Gettan?"

Yukime nodded. "It's time I finally close a chapter in my life and move forward."

Merlin petted her head and ears. "Then I wish you all the good luck in the world."

As he was petting her, he thought about the girls. 'Sherry should have already found the note.'

Yukime softly held his cheek and gave his other cheek a small kiss. "Thank you."

When she looked at Merlin, he didn't respond. His eyes were widened in shock. Confused, she turned to see a floating baby with a cold expression, spinning slowly with a baby bottle in her hands.

As the baby sucked on her milk, she continued to look at Merlin with cold eyes and an expression of disappointment.

"C-Celeste?" Merlin called out.

Merlin almost threw Yukime off but slowly picked her up and set her aside.

"W-Who is this?" Yukime asked in surprise.

Merlin held out his hand and took hold of Celeste, his expression awkward. "This… this is Celeste… my daughter."

"Your daughter!?" Yukime asked in astonishment.

Celeste gave Yukime a side-eye, sending a shiver down her spine.

As Merlin held her, he asked with concern, "How did you get here?"

Celeste continued to look at him coldly as she drank her milk, then looked away and pouted angrily.

"Oh right, I'm in disguise. Here, look, it's just daddy," Cid said, undoing his Merlin disguise.

As Cid held her, Celeste took one hand off her bottle and put it on his cheek. "Bah," she said.

"Sorry? Sorry for wha—"

*Smack*

Cid and Yukime looked surprised as Celeste smacked Cid across the face. She then gained an angry expression and started pulling Cid's face, releasing the bottle from her hand. "Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah!"

'Here I was worried and sad since you haven't visited me for hours!'

"Baby, I'm so—"

"Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah!" 

'And when I was missing you the most, I somehow teleported to you and what did I find!'

"Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah!! Bah! Bah! Bah!" Celeste shouted, pointing towards Yukime.

'I found you in the arms of this foxy lady cheating on mommy!! I know you're married to other women, but she isn't one of them!'

Celeste then had tears in her eyes as she let out little baby cries. "Bah bah bah," she said sadly, stopping pulling his face and looking down. 'I don't like it when you go away for a long time.'

Celeste pouted with tears pooling in her eyes. 

Cid smiled understandingly as he stood up with her in his arms. 'Right, it appears she seems to have a case of separation anxiety.'

Cid rocked her in his arms and put his forehead to hers. 'I'm sorry, Celeste. I shouldn't be leaving you alone for so long. I hope you can forgive me.'

Celeste wrapped her baby arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "Bah, bah," she said. 'Just don't do it again.'

Yukime watched the scene of Cid with his daughter with fierce eyes. 'Him being a father, and so caring, just made his appeal skyrocket. Oh my goodness gracious.'

Cid and Celeste continued their thought communication. 'How did you even teleport to me?'

'I don't really know, daddy. I just missed you a lot and felt like I really, really, really, really, really wanted to see you. And before I knew it, I was watching you snuggling with the fox woman.'

'I see,' Cid thought. 'I have to check what she's the Monarch of and her special title.'

Cid then turned to Yukime. "Well, it looks like we have to cut our meeting short today."

Yukime shook her head. "We were already done. And once again, thank you for everything."

She smiled at Celeste and said in a small, cute voice, "And it was a pleasure to meet you too, Lady Celeste."

Celeste gave her a look and scoffed before looking away, causing both Cid and Yukime to smile awkwardly at each other.

Cid gave Yukime a final nod before disappearing into his shadow.

...

Aurora was seen in Celeste room looking around frantically, "Where did she go!"

She was seen lifting up the entire bed up into the sky and looking under, while also looking under the pillows.

"How could I have lost her!? She was in my arms for crying out loud!"

"Celeste! Celeste my baby! Where are you!? Its time to sleep not play hide and go seek with mommy!"

When Cid appeared next to her with Celeste in his arms drinking her milk, Aurora let out the loudest sound of relief. She plopped down on the floor and held her chest.

"You found her, thank goodness" Aurora said with tears in her eyes.

Cid had an awkward smile as he rubbed Celeste little cheeks, "More like she found me"