The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 285: Surprise!

Their lips were swollen and clothes wrinkled when they got out of the bathroom. So much for trying to look formal. Damien had tried to get them both in order, but... There was only so much he could do in a short moment, with Miles Allen waiting on the other side of the door.

Destruction was always easier than the cleanup.

Miles’ cold, grey eyes visibly twitched when the door opened and Lane and Damien showed up, in all of their ’we just had an intense make-out session’ glory, with Damien’s face still bright red, even redder now from the embarrassment. Although, to be fair, his reaction was probably caused by the fact that it was Damien Lennox that Lane was with, rather than the state they were in. Of course, he had heard about Damien’s presence from the butler already, but until he had seen it with his own eyes, there was still a possibility that there was some sort of mistake... Perhaps a lookalike that the butler had confused with the real deal, since he had never met Damien in person.

But no. It was most certainly the S-rank Esper Damien Lennox, currently working for the Awakened Association, where he held the position of a Team Leader. No matter how little sense this situation made, it was an indisputable fact.

No matter how surprised Miles was by Damien’s presence, though, he still reacted properly. He was the current head of the Allen family, the Leader of the Allen Guild and their whole conglomerate, after all, it wasn’t so easy to throw him off balance.

"Team Leader Lennox, it’s nice to see you again," he nodded his head at Damien. "We weren’t aware that you would be coming to visit us today."

"I’m the one who brought him!" Lane jumped forward before Damien could say anything. "Since I was coming home anyway, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce you to my boyfriend!"

Miles’ eyes twitched again, but the tone of his voice remained calm, as he spoke, "You should have let us know in advance. We would have prepared to greet him better."

"But that would ruin the surprise!"

Miles’ eyes twitched again. It seemed that he had more to say, for with Damien around, he was watching his words a bit more. Not that he saw Damien as a potential threat or anything, but Damien was not only someone he wanted to scout, but also a representative of the Association. It was more convenient for the Allens to maintain a cordial relationship. Arguing with Lane simply wasn’t worth risking leaving a bad impression.

"I see. You have always liked... spontaneity," he just said calmly. "Still, you should be more mindful. Team Leader Lennox was considered as a potential husband for your sister. It might be difficult for her to see him pay us a visit, and as your boyfriend to make things worse..."

Right. As if Nyla would care.

Lane couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "It was just an arranged marriage that never even got accepted by Damien, so what’s a big deal?"

Not to mention, Miles and Catherine had already been considering pushing someone else Damien’s side, a man this time, with his (straight!) cousin Elliott being the most suitable candidate (in their opinion). And they had discussed it right in front of Nyla! So Miles scolding him right now was such a show of hypocrisy...

And Miles even had the gall to disagree with Lane, saying, "Perhaps Team Leader Lennox had no feelings for Nyla, but your sister was rather smitten with him."

Right. His sister, whom Lane was absolutely sure had no interest in men, had been smitten with Damien. Of course. That made perfect sense...

Not. Yes, Damien was super hot, desirable, and all, Lane had to admit that he was quite a catch (which was why he allowed himself to be caught!), but to turn a lesbian straight? Yeah, nope. Putting aside the fact that Lane had seen Nyla interact with Damien, so he could tell that there were no special feelings there, only fulfilling family expectations, this match was terribly mismatched from the start. A lesbian and a gay man. That certainly didn’t seem like the most suitable couple!

He didn’t say that out loud though. He didn’t know if their parents knew about Nyla’s orientation, and he didn’t want to out her, just in case. While their parents weren’t homophobic or anything (they already had so many vices that they couldn’t possibly squeeze in any more), perhaps they might feel differently towards Nyla, since she’s the only heir. She had to marry a man and produce offspring, or else her cousins’ children might eventually take over!

So, he just sighed and shook his head, "I’m sure she’ll be fine. It’s just a marriage match. She’s a resilient person, I’m sure she’s already over it."

"It’s still inconsiderate of you," Miles rebuked, before turning to Damien. "Team Leader Lennox, I’m sorry you had to witness that."

’That’ as in his little disagreement with Lane. Miles acted like a tired but good parent, who apologized to his distinguished guest for his five-year-old son making a scene in front of everyone because he thought his slice of cake was too small. Which may or may not have happened before, except that the reason behind it wasn’t the cake, actually. Or not the size of it, at least, but rather what another kid did with Nyla’s piece, which led to Lane’s fist having a close meeting with that kid’s face...

But unlike the distinguished guests from before, Damien didn’t act all polite, while clearly haughty and offended under the surface, but rather shook his head. "There’s no reason to apologize. It was I who wanted to come with Lane, so please don’t blame him for anything."

"...Is that so?" Miles was a bit taken aback. His eyes turned even colder than they already had been, but aside from that, he didn’t show how displeased he was with Damien taking Lane’s side so openly. He just glanced at the butler, causing him to step out and announce,

"Sirs, if I may," he said, bowing down. "Dinner is about to be served."

"Right," Miles nodded at him. If that could be called a nod, when his head barely moved. "Shall we move to the dining room, then? We can continue our conversation there."

"Of course," Damien agreed, subtly giving Lane a glance which said, ’Please don’t make any more trouble.’ They were about to have a serious conversation about ending the deal, after all! And the Allens were probably already pissed that Lane had revealed his identity to Damien...

Lane rolled his eyes in response, but he remained quiet, obediently following Miles into the dining room. He could stop himself from making trouble, if that’s what Damien wanted...

For now, at least.

Everyone else was already inside, waiting. Cyrus, Catherine, and Nyla. Sitting by the massive table on top of which all the cold appetizers were already arranged, and now that the head of the house arrived with ’Young Master’ and his guest, they quickly started bringing in hot dishes. Whether they were curious about the situation or not, they had to finish their tasks first and foremost. Quickly, silently, without getting in anyone’s way. Especially since Cyrus Allen was around, and his opinion on the servants was that the best servant was the one who got his tasks done unnoticed, so that his masters hardly noticed that he (or she) had even been there. Thus, they had no time to observe the people who entered.

But the people sitting at the table did. The moment the three men stepped in, their eyes turned toward them. Catherine was mostly like her husband - cold, with only a minimal change in her expression that hinted at her surprise and displeasure. So faint that most people wouldn’t even pick up on that, unless they had lived under the same roof with her for years, like Lane once had.

Nyla, on the other hand, was far more open with her feelings. Her grey eyes were wide and round like saucers, and she stared at Lane with a mix of many feelings, after barely giving Damien a glance. So much for being smitten with the man, huh?

As for Cyrus... Well, Cyrus also remained fairly cold and stoic, but his brows furrowed. He focused his intense gaze on Lane...

And he activated his ability.

Just a little bit, aimed only at Lane. It was perfectly controlled, to cause Lane pain, but so that no one else (read: Damien) would be able to notice.

A shudder passed through Lane’s spine, and he almost dropped to the floor. Not because of the ability, but rather out of habit. He was used to pretending that he was affected by Cyrus’ Domination, after all.

But then he remembered that he came there to announce himself as an A-ranker, so he raised his chin, meeting Cyrus’ gaze defiantly.

Which caused Cyrus to furrow his brows even more, intensifying his ability.

But Lane still stood proudly, unmoved. Resisting the ability, albeit with some effort... Or at least that was what he pretended to do, since A-ranker wouldn’t go unaffected. Even though for how he was now, it was nothing but a light tingling to Lane.

Confused and angry, Cyrus intensified his ability even more...

When a stern voice interrupted the silence.

"What is going on here?" Damien asked.