'What the fuck?' Khan cried in his mind. His overbearing attitude vanished, and his playful self came out. "Did you hit your head, old man?"
Abraham didn't move. He remained prostrated on the floor as if waiting for permission to lift his head. Still, Khan knew nothing of those customs and half-crouched to get closer to the kneeling man.
"Did you faint, too?" Khan asked, stretching an arm to poke Abraham.
Of course, Khan could sense Abraham's state, but the odd situation almost made him forget about the previous speech. Getting called "Prince" simply felt too strange, and that wasn't the end of it.
'Am I feeling comfortable?' Khan wondered.
Abraham's muffled aura had changed, transforming the symphony around him and affecting Khan. That wasn't the result of a technique. Otherwise, Khan would have sensed it. Something different had happened, and Khan knew what to blame.
The symphony was reassuring Khan. The very mana in the classroom was telling him that Abraham wasn't a threat. The instinctive feeling was so intense that Khan reached comfort levels only his friends could create.
"You know I'm a bastard, right?" Khan asked, continuing to poke Abraham's head.
"Illegitimate son!" Abraham angrily corrected, his head snapping upward. "It's different!"
"Sounds the same to me," Khan commented, placing an elbow on his thigh to support his head.
"You are no bastard, my Prince!" Abraham insisted. "Lady Elizabeth and Sir Bret lacked the Nognes family's approval but still got married according to the Global Army's laws."
'Lady Elizabeth?' Khan repeated in his mind, but the second part was too shocking to remain there. "Sir Bret!?"
Khan knew Bret as a grumpy, bad-tempered, smelly drunkard. He didn't resent those aspects, but hearing Abraham addressing him as "Sir" still sounded wrong.
Abraham nodded, but Khan could only scratch his head. The situation didn't make any sense, and the reassuring vibes coming from Abraham's aura made everything stranger.
"You said Lady Elizabeth," Khan pointed out. "Not Princess. She abandoned her status, so I couldn't have inherited it."
"My apologies," Abraham exclaimed, lowering his head again. "Lady Elizabeth hated her title. Lady was the only compromise she would accept."
From what Khan had heard about his mother, the explanation sounded realistic. Still, another problem quickly showed its presence. The mana was telling him that Abraham was on his side, but Khan didn't know whether their interests aligned.
Moreover, asking more questions would inevitably delve into forbidden topics. Khan was curious about many things, but the classroom wasn't the right place for that conversation.
"Alright," Khan sighed, straightening his position. "Come to my flat. We'll talk more there."
"Prince!" Abraham shouted, lifting his head. "If the reporters see us together-."
"I don't care," Khan interrupted, jumping off the teaching platform. "Besides, you'd be in more danger than me, which would prove your loyalty."
Abraham couldn't help but be amazed at Khan's insight into the political environment. Yes, the Global Army was aware of Abraham's life, so bringing him to his flat might hint at something. Yet, without proof, Abraham would be the only one under investigation.
"Your understanding amazes me, Prince," Abraham praised.
"Hurry up," Khan ordered, strolling toward the exit. "I want to hear what you have to say."
Abraham didn't make Khan repeat himself. He shot to his feet and followed him, reaching the embassy's roofs and grabbing the ride waiting for him. The trip inside the cab was silent, and that trend stretched until the elevator of Khan's building opened.
"Khan!" Monica's excited voice interrupted the silence between the two men, and her tempting figure soon filled the elevator room's exit.
Abraham promptly averted his gaze while Khan's eyes widened in desire. Monica was wearing a new lingerie piece that exposed most of her body. She clearly wanted it to be a surprise, but Abraham's presence made her scream in terror and hide behind the wall.
"Who is that pervert!?" Monica cried. "Why didn't you warn me!?"
"I could say the same to you," Khan chuckled while glaring at Abraham. Strangely, he wasn't angry at the old man, but his gesture told him to remain behind.
"It was a present for your birthday!" Monica shouted. "And presents can't have warnings!"
"She has a point," Khan thought loudly. "Get dressed. We have guests."
"I noticed!" Monica snorted, and the sound of her hurried steps soon filled the area.
Khan waited to hear a metal door closing before nodding at Abraham. The latter calmly followed him inside the main hall but didn't sit even after the silent invitation. He remained on his feet while Khan retrieved some booze.
Monica came back while Khan prepared the main hall for the imminent conversation. She had hurriedly donned her military uniform, and Khan didn't need to look at her to know the lingerie was under it.
Khan couldn't help but launch a teasing smirk at Monica, and a punch promptly landed on his side. Monica delivered a second blow, too, before crossing her arms and letting herself fall on the nearest couch. After that, she limited herself to glaring at Abraham, whom she finally recognized.
"I like it," Khan commented while placing a full glass on the opposite end of the table.
"Pity you'll never see it again," Monica scoffed, and her angry expression remained firm even after Khan handed her a glass.
"You have indeed good taste, Madam Monica," Abraham announced, approaching the end of the table with the glass ready for him. "I apologize for spoiling the surprise."
"Madam?" Monica repeated, growing angrier since she believed Abraham was calling her old.
"You are engaged with Major Khan," Abraham stated, picking up his glass. "From the little I learned about him, I assumed I should have addressed you as a married woman already."
"Oh," Monica exclaimed, her anger instantly vanishing. "All is forgiven."
Khan held back the urge to shake his head when he saw Monica's pleased smile. She even curled her legs on the couch and tapped the pillow at her side. Her mood had gone to the opposite extreme, and Khan could only play along.
"Sit," Khan ordered while taking his place beside Monica. She didn't hesitate to lean on him, but Abraham still didn't occupy the opposite couch.
The previous comment put Monica in a cuddling mood, but the situation felt too off. Abraham was a strange presence in the flat, and Khan's serious face made her shoot a questioning glance.
"He knows my parents," Khan shortly explained without moving his eyes from Abraham, "And he called me Prince."
The cuddling mood immediately vanished. Monica still leaned on Khan, but her face turned cold. The short explanation promised well, but she couldn't underestimate the topic. Her very education prevented that.
"It's time you explain yourself," Khan declared, "Starting with your lie."
"What lie?" Abraham frowned.
"You said you were here for the Global Army," Khan explained, "And then you asked to serve me. Which one is it?"
"Apologies," Abraham said, lowering his head. "I came here solely for the Global Army. I couldn't foresee your awareness of your lineage."
"Would that have changed anything?" Khan asked.
"Yes," Abraham nodded. "I probably wouldn't have come. My loyalty would have put you in danger."
Khan held back a sneer. He couldn't comment on Abraham's loyalty, but the situation had already gotten out of hand. It was enough for one soldier to see Khan and Abraham leave the embassy together for the entire network to learn about the matter, and the two men had crossed many of them.
"This loyalty," Monica joined the conversation. "How did it come to be?"
"I worked under Sir Bret for many years," Abraham revealed, looking at Khan. "What I learned as his assistant put me in my current position. Allow me to say, my Prince. Your father was the most talented and driven scientist I've ever seen."
Monica's expression faltered when she heard the word "Prince". She had addressed Khan in the same way during romantic and intimate moments, but seeing someone else using that title made everything more real.
"I have no time for compliments," Khan remained firm. "Your story."
"Of course," Abraham cleared his throat. "As Sir Bret's assistant, I often found myself alone in labs with him. Once Lady Elizabeth became part of the picture, I had to clear the way for her secret visits."
Monica smiled but quickly suppressed that reaction. She had done the same with Khan, and noticing the similarities with his mother pleased her.
As for Khan, the symphony continued to make him comfortable, but his rational side remained doubtful. Ideally, he would confirm the information with his father, but Bret was still missing.
"This still doesn't explain your loyalty," Khan pointed out.
"I owe Sir Bret much," Abraham uttered before thinking about the right words for his next statement. "As for Lady Elizabeth, she was a kind and free soul, scorching like the hottest flame but capable of the coziest warmth."
"And?" Khan asked.
"And," Abraham sighed, lowering his head, "It shouldn't have been possible. As a scientist, I can only see it as a miracle."
"What?" Khan pressed on.
"Their union," Abraham said. "To use your words, their love. The most hot-headed and devoted scientist with the freest person in the universe. Nothing could make them change their minds, but they did anyway."
Khan and Monica fell silent. Abraham kept his face lowered, but his expression was still visible, and the couple could read much on it. The man was lost in his memories, and more words were about to arrive.
"Their priorities shifted almost instantaneously," Abraham muttered. "Their other half became more important than anything. It was moving."
Abraham looked dead serious. Even Khan couldn't come up with such a perfect pretense. The man was either the best actor in the universe or was speaking the truth.
'I never took him for a romantic,' Khan thought, inspecting the old man. That mass of wrinkles, beard, and hair seemed to hide a warm heart. Still, that couldn't be enough for Khan.
"How did a Princess even come to like a mere first-level warrior?" Khan wondered.
"Sir Bret a first-level warrior?" Abraham frowned, his head snapping upward. "I've personally witnessed him reaching the fifth level."
