The past three months had been taxing, both mentally and physically, filled with trainings and lectures so that Noah would be ready for his year in Seoul. He’d kept his texting with Reign to a minimum too, not able to afford such distractions when he had so much to do. To push through and survive so he could be here today, about to meet Ambassador Mancini so the two of them would head to Florence by train for a final briefing before they boarded one of the few flights that ever left the Holy Christian Empire.
The taste of freedom mere hours away was like a powerful drug, rivaled only by his fantasies of the demon Reign. Just like his interactions with the real man, he’d kept those mostly at bay, especially for the past week. The final preparations and last-minute lessons had drained his remaining energy, allowing for the briefest of glimpseswhen the demon visited before Noah would collapse in bed.
“Noah, dear.” Teresa’s beaming smile greeted him the moment he stepped into the small waiting room adjacent to the ambassador’s makeshift office. “There you are. I was waiting for you,” she said, walking over from the couch with a box of exotic teas in her hands.
Was she here to see Noah off? But it was too early for that lunch he’d agreed to, so maybe it was to make introductions?
“Ah, you didn’t need to,” Noah rushed to reply, doing his best not to sound too pushy. “Lunch is not until later.”
“Well.” She donned a mischievous grin that sent a shudder through him. “I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel that.”
Oh?Would he be as lucky?Surely not, considering this was going to be her last chance to impose her company on him for an entire year.
Noah arched an eyebrow, his confused look making her grin even wider.
“After all, I’m going to the Asian Federation with you,” she declared with pleasure and squeezed his left arm with one hand.
Noah’s stomach dropped to his feet, then protested the physical contact by trying to fold in on itself. “You are?” he sought to confirm, keeping his voice as leveled as he could and not daring to establish eye contact from fear his disappointment would be too obvious.
“Yes! I have some business there, so I’ll be tagging along.”
This was news to Noah. And on the day before he was to leave her behind for an entire year, too… He cursed internally. Why hadn’t she told him earlier? Why now? Thiskind of arrangement would’ve been agreed on in advance, not last minute.
“This puts me at ease,” he lied, debating whether to probe for an explanation. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“Ah, it was decided a couple of days ago, so it must’ve slipped my mind,” she mused, guiding them both toward the door leading into the conference room that Noah was sure was just as opulent as everything else on this floor. “And as much as I wish I could stay mainly in Seoul, I will be traveling all over the Federation, so we won’t see each other that often.”
Noah felt some of the tension dissipate, his shoulders slouching slightly. He could work with that. It was far from ideal, especially after the expectation that he would be completely out of her reach for the entire duration of his visit, but he could do little about it, so he gritted his teeth and made do with this sudden development.
Teresa paused in front of the door, just as Noah caught a stray thought in passing about Reign helping keep him busy, so he had an excuse why he couldn’t hang out with Teresa.
“I will be in Seoul for most of January and then spend some time in Shanghai and Hong Kong…” she informed him unprompted, her hand reaching out to thread through his hair. Her fingers brushed the side of his neck as she pulled away, the contact eliciting one of those uncomfortable shivers he hated. “But I should be back in April or May, depending on my schedule.”
“It sounds like you’ll be busy.”
“When isn’t that the case?” she giggled, knocking on the luxurious wooden door.
“Come in!” a deep and energetic voice invited them.
“Agostino, it’s been ages!” Teresa greeted the ambassador, letting him wrap his arms around her thin figure in a friendly hug.
Agostino Mancini was a big man in his fifties with a huge grin that reached his blue eyes. His hair was a natural gray, just like his full beard, and he wore square glasses. “It sure has been! Tell me, Teresa, how have you been?” he said with enthusiasm when they came apart, his expressive eyes moving onto Noah.
“I am quite alright, thank you. Excited too, to be working alongside you.” She chuckled, turning around. “As is our dear Noah.”
“To be chosen as the Church’s delegate for the Eastern-Pacific Region and have such a lovely lady and smart young man as consultants to my office!” Agostino said with glee. “This is surely God’s doing!”
To Noah’s credit, he managed to keep his cringing mostly internal, the rest masked as a well-timed friendly chuckle. “It sure is,” he agreed as the situation seemed to expect of him.
“I’ve heard a lot from the Director, Noah.” Agostino reached out, firmly shaking Noah’s extended hand.
The man’s good mood was genuine and Noah found it infectious, ripping out of him a real smile. “All good things, I hope.”
Agostino laughed, the sound loud as thunder in the conference room as it bounced off the empty white walls. “He sounded impressed, to say the least, and this old man”—he pointed at himself—“is in your hands starting tomorrow!”
“I’ll do my best to ensure the safety of your and the embassy’s data, ambassador Mancini.”
“Please, call me Agostino,” he demanded, patting Noah on the back in a fatherly gesture. “I have a couple of matters to tend to before we leave, so go ahead and enjoy an early lunch in the meantime.” He walked over to a chair with velvet upholstery and grabbed his slim suitcase. “I’ll meet you at the train station in two hours.”
