"You're welcome. Good night, Troy."
Clack.
Gigi heaved a sigh of relief and tossed her phone aside.
"He's still alive, after all," she thought, shrugging as she continued to dry her hair with a clean towel.
It had been a while since Troy and Sevan left, and Gigi was certain Troy must be close to home by now. So, she didn't dwell on it any longer. As long as the guy was alive, then there shouldn't be a problem.
As Gigi continued her nightly routine — blow-drying her hair, doing her skincare — she suddenly paused.
"Shoot!" she panicked, grabbing her phone to check the time. She winced; it was a little late — at least for Old Madam Marcelis.
"Is she still awake?" she wondered, about to send a message to [Grandson]. But in her rush, and with her cat face mask slipping off, Gigi accidentally hit "Call" instead of "Message" while trying to fix it.
Ring… ri — clack…
Gigi froze as soon as she heard the ringing. But before she could even hang up, the call was already answered.
"Hello?"
Her brows lifted, still holding the face mask in place. She slowly looked down at her phone, picked it up, and put it to her ear.
"Hey," she said, her voice slightly muffled with embarrassment. "Sorry for calling without warning."
Lucian arched a brow.
Did she have a sore throat? Her voice sounded a little off.
He didn't dwell on it, recalling that Aqua had coughed a bit earlier when they met — maybe it had affected her voice.
"Are you not busy anymore?" he asked, his voice calm, with his usual aloof touch.
"Mhm," she hummed. "Is Grandma awake?"
Lucian pressed his lips into a thin line and slid his eyes sideways. Old Madam Marcelis was sitting beside him, nodding encouragingly and excitedly.
"Yes," he replied, watching his grandmother. "She's right here."
"Really?" Gigi perked up, growing fond of the old woman. Among all the people she'd met, Old Madam Marcelis was the most normal. Yes, she was a little eccentric — but not in the strange way everyone else around Gigi was.
"Give it to me!" Old Madam Marcelis urged, snatching the phone from Lucian before he could fully pass it over. "My granddaughter! Where are you!? I can't see you again!"
"Grandma! I'm here! Where are you?!"
As they both turned on their cameras, Old Madam Marcelis moved slightly away from Lucian, though not far enough.
Lucian casually glanced at the screen. "…"
Last time, she wore a panda face mask, which looked a bit strange. But now she had on a cat one — with whiskers, a curled-up mouth, and a red nose.
"Grandma, look at me! I'm a kitty!" Gigi said cheerfully, eager for the old woman's reaction.
Old Madam Marcelis chuckled and clapped her hand on her arm. "My granddaughter is always the cutest. Even as a cat, you're the most stunning."
"Grandma…" Gigi giggled, growing more comfortable with the interaction.
The grandparents who raised her used to compliment her like this, too. Maybe that's why she was growing attached to Old Madam Marcelis.
"By the way, Grandma, why are you still awake? Aren't you supposed to be resting?" As Gigi chatted away, she noticed a man's shoulder captured by the camera in the corner of the screen.
Is that Grandson?
Gigi craned her neck slightly, as if that would give her a better peek. But Old Madam Marcelis turned, frowning, and hugged the phone tightly to her chest, as if staking a claim on Gigi.
I guess I can't ask to see Grandson. But then again, I don't think he'd be comfortable saying hi to a stranger.
Just from Lucian's voice, Gigi had guessed he was an introvert. So she dropped the idea and focused on chatting with the old lady.
Eventually, the conversation led to Gigi showing off her feet.
"Look, Grandma, they hurt a lot."
Old Madam Marcelis frowned, dramatically placing her hand on her chest as if her chest hurt. "Granddaughter, what happened? Is walking in this world too much for you?"
"Hehe, Grandma, it's not like that."
"Then tell Grandma what happened. Should I come over and heal them?"
"Grandma, I already put ointment on them. So don't worry!"
"How can I not worry? Look at those feet!"
Lucian pressed his lips together. He wasn't sure why he was still there. He could've left and given them privacy. But maybe he was just curious — or entertained — by how easily they chatted about anything under the sun. There weren't even minutes of silence as they talked and talked, jumping from one topic to another. Then there was also laughter in between.
Listening to them now, he glanced at the screen.
This time, it showed Gigi's feet—her toes playfully wiggling, spreading apart as she talked about her blisters.
What are those? He thought, noticing the red scratches across the top of her feet and ankles. That doesn't look like a normal blister…
Old Madam Marcelis wailed, "Oh, my granddaughter, you should dip them in ocean water. That'll heal them fast!"
"I will, Grandma. Salt water is good to prevent scarring, too," Gigi replied without thinking much of it. She just played along, knowing the old woman would keep fussing if she didn't.
Gigi hadn't meant to worry her by showing off her feet, after all.
The call went on for a full hour before Gigi finally convinced the stubborn Old Madam to go to bed.
Miraculously, the old lady fell asleep like a baby the moment the call ended — no fuss, just a satisfied smile on her face.
Watching from the door, Lucian smiled to himself. He closed the door carefully, knowing how lightly she slept. Even the slightest sound could wake her.
As he turned to leave, he glanced at the head butler waiting outside.
"Please find a highly effective ointment for blisters and have it sent to a specific address. I'll write it down later."
"Yes, Master."
Lucian took a few steps before stopping and glancing back over his shoulder.
"And send a flower too — something that means 'speedy recovery.'"