Soul Bonded [Claude De Alger Obelia x reader ]

79. Fire

"He's my man!"

You stifled the laugh threatening to burst out at the dumbstruck look on both their faces. Claude recovered first, his face turning stoic yet a glint of something intense remained in his eyes staring at you.

"I-I see." Pierce cleared his throat. A brief awkward silence followed and your grin widened. Taking mercy on the old man, you broke the silence by properly introducing Claude. Of course, Claude remained deadpan, looking completely disinterested. He only nodded in greeting when you pinched his side.

"Where's your accomplice troublemaker?" Pierce asked, once his shock subsided. "He's always running amok with you, never leaving your side."

Your smile stiffened, the joy in your eyes dimming slightly. "You know him, mister, he has the knack for disappearing on me. This time it's no different. Maybe he'll be back."

"Oh," Pierce laughed, "Well, both of you have the knack for that. Him more so than you."

You only smiled, eyes clouding over. Claude frowned. That again. He didn't have the time to prob as two kids with similar features ran up to him, big eyes filled with wonder and excitement.

"You're (Y/n)?! Grandpa told us about you! You are the troublemaker, right?"

Confusion was the only thing you felt as the girl and boy both similar age to Athy pulled your hands with eagerness.

"You can climb trees right?! Right?!" You only had time to send stinky eyes to Pierce - how dare he tarnish your name -before both kids dragged you to pluck apples from the highest tree completely ignoring your protests and pleas.

Pierce helplessly watched as you were forced to climb up the tree at his grandchildren's demand.

"They are my grandchildren. Always full of energy. They love to roam the wilderness, pretending to go on adventures. I told them about (Y/n) since she did love to do the same and instantly they took a liking to her. Now that she's in front of them, they can't stop their excitement. I'm sorry about that."

Claude's frown had turned to scowl when the kids appeared, deepened when your attention was dragged away from him. He paid a quarter of his attention to the old man's babbling but something he said next piqued his interest.

"I'm glad she's happy and the decision to send her away was the correct one. If she had stayed, she'd have continued to suffer instead at the hands of the people of this village." Pierce shook his head, "I'm glad she's found her happiness far away from here."

"....What do you mean?"

"Alright, alright. I'm climbing up." You sighed in exasperation, quickly scaling the tree with smooth and graceful movements. "I'm going to throw the apples, be sure to catch them!"

You chuckled when kids nodded with bright eyes, baskets ready in their hands. You threw the apples in a random direction forcing the kids to run to catch them. Of course, you were generous enough to yeet the apples in range of their reach while smirking at the running kids.

Suddenly a chill ran down your spine, your attention diverted back to Claude and the old man. They were talking about something, apparently, something not to Claude's liking as his expression turned cold and severe, growing more disdainful and menacing with each word that came out of the old man's mouth. Claude glanced at the distant village, murderous intent burning within his cold eyes.

"Old man, what the hell did you tell him..?" You muttered worriedly.

"Big sis! More apples! We need more!" Both the kids shouted, jumping in eagerness.

You shot them a blank look, "Here you are worried about apples when most likely your village is in danger."

"Sis, the big one! The one on your right!"