░20░ Supposed Surprise For Iris

After a while Iris had woken up from the long sleep. She thought she was still in her room as she gently rubbed her eyes. When the rays of the sun strikes her figure she blinked her eyes to avoid the brightness. When she clearly avoided the rays of the run, she yawns and stretches herself. Then she looked around completely surprised knowing that she was already in the forest instead of her room

'Wait, did I teleport? What in the world---- Oh I remembered that I had already said my goodbyes with Grey and Lucius. I was about to enter the market when some bad guys cornered a lady but I can't remember anything else from then on’

She thought as her head slightly hurt when she tried remembering such things. Her head hurt because one of the after-effects of the aphrodisiac that was shoved into her mouth earlier. The after-effects were forgetting how she was pleasured early on. She can’t remember that one thing ever again unless she keeps on wanting to remember it

'Oh well, seems like it's not out of ordinary, maybe I saved the lady and she brought me here for something, wait did she even gave me her coat?'

She thought as she felt some warm cloth around her body. Looking at it, she knew it's a brown coat similar to Damon when he first used his for covering her hair. This time, when she touched her hair she knew that she was again seen without the cloth in her hair

'Thank god for the coat she left for me but why does it smell of a man's coat? Oh nevermind'

She thought as she arranged herself standing up and fixing her clothes. She then, puts the coat to her head and walked back to the bakeshop

'This time I'll truly be killed by Selby being late on time!'

She thought as she hurried to go to the market not hesitating to reminisce the past event that she just went through earlier with the crown prince. Because she was unaware of such things but not with Wilhelm, as the crown prince

If she was ever aware she would’ve pinch herself and dreamed of the guy with silver hair and golden eyes that she just kissed and almost had s*x on with such a young age that she doesn't even know what it was. That's the bad effect of the drug called an aphrodisiac.

Not long after, due to her running inside the market, she caught a few people's eyes. She came running covered in a long brown coat but Iris never paid any attention to them. Considering that she's focused on going to the bakeshop. She knew that she's very late to her part-time job thinking about the time she was saving some lady when in truth she's the one who was cornered

'I'm very late but thank goodness I made it in the shop'

She thought while breathing hard in front of the bakeshop. She had only stopped for a while as she calmed herself. She then fixed the coat that the lady – whom - she thought had given her. Then, she went inside only to immediately run towards the kitchen because of the people inside

Upon entering the kitchen she immediately saw Damon baking as he followed the directions on the table. His hands were full of dough when he was surprised to see Iris. She was in front of him illuminating her unusual face covered in the brown coat all over her body looking straight back at him

Being confused for a while, he finally get what she truly meant. So he immediately pulled her closer to him and led her to the changing room. The reason? - For her to cover her hair that was being seen from the coat that was covering her whole being

"You surprised me there for a minute, Iris, and what had happened to you? What's this brown coat about? I remembered you give me my brown coat yesterday,"

"It's from the lady I saved earlier from being harassed by those bad guys," Iris said calmly while removing the coat from her body. She had set it aside as she picked a spare of white cloth to cover her hair. When all of a sudden, pairs of arms cornered her making her looked at Damon's seriousness for the first time in the day

Little did she know the truth because of the after-effects of the aphrodisiac that she was forced to take. If Wilhelm didn't see such a thing, probably she'll be raped in no time but because he was there to save her, she wasn’t at all

"You know that you should be careful especially for those bad guys, Iris," he said seriously while eyeing her making sure that she was alright. When he saw that she was alright he sighed for a while that made Iris’ eyes went wide in surprise

But instead of thinking some assumption, she beamed and held Damon's both cheeks. There, she started teasing him for a while

"You're too worried for me El, I can take care of myself, and you should take care of your debts instead!" Iris said, gently pinching Damon. From that moment, he suddenly let go of his hands that were cornering Iris in between her head. After looking at how Damon reacted, she chuckled as she proceeded to go out of the changing room – where they were

Damon just shook his head and unconsciously smiled at the gorgeous lady. He smiled at the gorgeous commoner that he made friends with. Thinking, she was alright after saving the lady. However, he was reminded about the lie he said the previous day. It was the time where him having a loan and was looking for a part-time job. There upon remembering, he was only shaking his head as it was the moment they became closed and friends

'If I hadn't lied for that day, will I be able to be friends with her using my real name? Probably not, she'll immediately run away from me because of our difference in status. I'm a duke's son and she's just a commoner. Upon thinking of those, she'll never associate herself with me again - knowing her in such a short period'

He thought shaking his head as he closed the closet Iris was in earlier. Then he walked out of the room with an unconscious smile, leaving the brown coat of Wilhelm inside the closet. He did not notice the familiar scent it has earlier because his focus was only on her

After closing the door, he head back to where he was earlier - in the kitchen and baked the cake he was working. He then waited for the dough to be greatly baked inside the fiery fire of a cemented heated baking tool. Leaning his back on the sidewall of the said tool while peaking Iris – who was now - cleaning some of the vacant tables. There were no people inside the shop already as they had already finished ordering and eating.

There she proceeded to wipe the floor with a long and clean floor mat. She then again proceeded to wipe the windows with unbothered expressions. After doing so, she again walked inside the kitchen heading to the material rooms where she was earlier after escaping Damon's cage

Just as before, Damon couldn't help but shook his head. His lips were slowly lifting without him being aware from the first place. Just like being unconscious for a moment, and all that he saw was the person that was right in front of him. Iris – who was making his world stopped right in front of them. He was imagining like they were the only two people in his tiny world

"What are you daydreaming about El? Your cake was about to get burned if you keep smiling at something. You’re probably imagining something," Iris said with a teasing voice that only made him shook his head and smile at her in response

'Do you even know what I'm imagining about? It's about the two of us'

He thought and he wanted to say those words but he controlled himself. He only smiled in return while gently shoving her to go outside of the kitchen.As he turned his body around looking at the baking stool to find that the cake was already baked. Taking it out immediately made both of his hands slightly burned as he returned the cake to where it was being baked

"Ouch!" he shouted in pain which Iris laughed out loud firstly because he looks like he doesn't know what to do after smiling at her in response to her statement - of teasing earlier

"Next time be careful, come here," Iris said as she gently led Damon to where the small cabinet was. There she saw a small aid kit then upon opening it she immediately aided his hands. Then she gently blows the small burn making Damon look at her seriously as his heart beats faster again than usual

When Iris was done aiding his hands, he was about to speak to her when Selby went inside the kitchen. He just saw them holding hands. Though, when he saw that his hands got burnt from taking the baked cake he created, he started to get back in his reality of daydreaming about her. Yet, when Iris aided his hands, it felt like he’s the luckiest to have her at his side when he was hurt

"Our cashier for the day quitted and you two will be the only official people that will work in this bakeshop. So I hope you do your jobs properly, don't worry I'll be giving you two your advance payments for tomorrow," Selby said looking at the two and how the two looked at each other in surprise

'Oh that was unexpected'

Damon thought

'Well it's only good because Iris' birthday is near around the corner'

Selby thought inwardly smiling while looking unbothered with the two

'Well I feel sorry for the lady who quit but I'm glad that I’ll get paid earlier. Besides, I need to celebrate my birthday together with my love ones' Iris thought as she averted her gaze from Damon and smiled brightly at Selby. Then, she runs towards him and hugged him tightly making Selby cough as Damon laughed hard checking about the two

There Iris immediately released Selby and beamed in front of him

"You're considerate, Selby!" with that she went ahead towards Damon. She was about to hug him when they saw a cloud of black smoke coming from the baking tool

"Uh-oh! El!"

"Uh-Oh! Apologies boss!" Damon said apologetically and was about to be the one to put that off when Selby said something

"Iris, put that off. El couldn't handle with his burnt hands," Selby commanded Iris when she suddenly salutes and beamed in front of the two

'This day couldn't get anything surprising like it was out of my dictionary'

Damon thought. He was naware again of his lips lifting from the sudden events. He's about to say something at Iris who was putting the burnt cake that Damon baked earlier when Selby dragged him from somewhere away where Iris was

"Listen El, Iris' birthday will be tomorrow and we have to prepare something for her. Are you free this later evening?"

"Yes, as the boss just say so. Then, what I'll do,"

"Alright, for now just go along with her and assist my bakeshop, later I'll instruct you," Selby said seriously making Damon gulp and nod like Selby

‘I’m already excited at how we’ll celebrate Iris’ birthday tomorrow’

Little did they know what was about to happen next