Chapter 218: Wake-Up Call

The next day, Monet and Sugar arrived early at Carl's quarters. Entering the room, they found Carl still deep in slumber with no sign of waking anytime soon.

Last night, before Carl had gone to bed, he specifically asked them to wake him up early. Monet and Sugar moved to his bedside, and Monet softly called, "Young Master."

After waiting a moment with no response, Monet called out a few more times, louder. Sugar, unable to reach, bounced on her feet in frustration. Seeing this, Monet lifted her up so she could reach Carl's ear. Unexpectedly, Sugar gasped in alarm, exclaiming, "Big Sister! Young Master isn't breathing!"

"What?!" Monet's face instantly turned pale with worry. She kicked off her shoes, revealing her white knee-high socks, and climbed onto the bed with Sugar still in her arms. She placed her finger under Carl's nose, feeling a faint breath, though weak. Relieved, Monet wiped the sweat from her forehead and gently set Sugar aside. Now that she was already up there, she decided to push Carl a little more insistently.

This time, Carl finally reacted. His brows furrowed slightly, and Monet leaned in closer, hoping this would be enough to wake him up. But before she could say another word, Carl's arm shot out, pulling both Monet and Sugar close to him in a sleepy embrace. With a mumble, he muttered, "Stop fussing…"

Monet froze, completely stunned in Carl's arms, while Sugar covered her mouth with her tiny hands, obediently following Carl's "order" to stay quiet.

...

Meanwhile, Saturn had arrived at the Figarland family estate. After spending some time with Garling, he grew curious about Carl's absence. Turning to Garling, he asked, "Saint Garling, what's Carl doing?"

Garling admitted he wasn't sure either. However, waiting much longer wasn't ideal, so he instructed Saturn to wait for a bit before heading toward Carl's chambers.

Upon arriving, he found the door ajar and stepped inside, only to see Carl fast asleep, hugging Monet and Sugar like they were plush toys. Carl, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly. Monet and Sugar glanced at Garling with wide eyes, but didn't make a sound.

Garling frowned, moving to Carl's bedside and speaking in a low tone, "What are you two doing?"

Sugar made a small hand gesture, but Monet quickly held her back and explained the situation to Garling. Even as she spoke, Carl continued to sleep deeply. Garling, listening, turned to Carl and said to Monet, "Alright, you two should leave now."

Though Monet felt a twinge of reluctance, she began to wriggle out of Carl's embrace. But after struggling for a bit and finding it impossible to break free, she used her elemental ability, transforming into a swirl of ice and snow that wrapped around Sugar and lifted them both off the bed.

Once the sisters had left, Garling took a deep breath, then shouted with a booming voice, "Are you planning to sleep all day?!"

The force of his voice, laced with a hint of Conqueror's Haki, caused the blankets on Carl to fly off, and his hair whipped upwards as if blown by a fierce wind.

Under this intense awakening, Carl's eyes snapped open, looking bewildered at the figure before him. "Uncle Garling?"

Garling crossed his arms, looking down at Carl in mild irritation. "Finally awake? You've gotten so relaxed that you don't even wake up with a little noise around you."

Carl sat up, his robe slipping slightly to reveal his skin marked with faint, web-like veins that were slowly receding. He seemed unconcerned, yawning lazily. "Uncle Garling, here I can relax a bit, can't I? Although, I do remember someone calling me earlier… Was I dreaming?"

He stretched his arm, catching a faint scent of milk lingering on his sleeve. Noticing this, he chuckled and glanced toward the door, where Monet and Sugar were peeking in. But as soon as Garling's gaze followed his, the two quickly ducked back out of sight.

Carl shook his head, smiling. "So it was them. I did ask them to wake me up early."

Garling reminded him, "Alright, get up now. Saturn has been waiting for a while. Don't keep him waiting any longer."

Carl nodded, "Right, apologies. I've been feeling a bit strange lately, dozing off too deeply."

Garling's face filled with concern. "Is something wrong? Maybe you should rest a bit longer. We can postpone the meeting with Im if needed. There's nothing urgent."

Carl laughed, waving it off. "No way, Uncle Garling. Saint Im summoned me, and I wouldn't dare ignore that."

Though he spoke respectfully, his face betrayed a lighthearted smirk as if he were making a joke of it. Getting out of bed, he reached into his wardrobe and donned a black robe. Garling, seeing Carl ready, merely said, "I'll be waiting for you in the reception hall," and left.

Monet and Sugar tried to enter to help Carl with his attire, but he was quick; before they knew it, he was already dressed. Crouching down, Carl patted their heads with a smile. "I'm very pleased with your wake-up service today, you two."

Before they could respond, Carl's figure blurred and vanished from sight.

In the reception hall, a dark vortex appeared on the sofa across from Saturn, and Carl stepped out of it, smiling. Garling was still nowhere to be seen, so Carl greeted Saturn, "Good morning, Saint Saturn. Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Saturn waved it off. "No worries. Did you see Saint Garling? He went looking for you."

"Oh, I saw him. No need to wait for Uncle Garling. Let's set off now. We don't want to make Saint Im wait."

"Saint Im's temperament isn't as harsh as you think," Saturn replied. "Let's get going, then, Saint Carl."

Carl motioned for Saturn to lead the way, and the two left together.

When Garling returned, he found the reception hall empty. One of the guards at the door, Carlos, quickly reported, "Saint Garling, the young master has already left with Saint Saturn."

Garling sighed, nodding in acknowledgment.

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