The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

"Wow, I didn't see that coming. You managed to have such a big kid in no time."

Stirling replied dryly, "Where would I have had the time? I found him!"

"Oh, so you've got a thing for playing daddy now?"

"What did you just say about a hobby?" Stirling was fuming, gritting his teeth. "He got separated from his family. What are you on about?"

Yasbel gave Stirling a meaningful look. "Is Mr. Schnabel the type who used to help little old ladies cross the street when he was young? Such a do- gooder. Should we pin a gold star on you?"

"No need for a gold star, finding the kid's parents will do. I can barely understand what he's saying."

Yasbel took a deep breath, lifted the child from Stirling's arms, and weighed him in her own. Stirling couldn't smell the borderland scent on the child, but she could see it right away! She and the Polaris Star crew had been tirelessly protecting Stirling, and here he was, coming out with a child after just a bath!

Little did they know, Stirling was the most oblivious of the Schnabel family. He was completely unaware of Yasbel's irritation. Seeing the genuine, slightly goofy smile on Stirling's face, and the child's somewhat slow response, Yasbel sighed.

Forget it! No point in getting mad at two dummies.

"Kid, who's your dad?"

Shiba mumbled something, his chubby little hands making a gesture of soaring high, like a bird flying over the sea.

Mizar, leaning against the wall, saw Yasbel holding a child and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did we have a baby? You're impressive, madam!"

"Cut it out, is this kid... a bit off?"

Mizar, having picked up some medical knowledge from Noella, stepped closer to examine Shiba's eyes. "Autistic kids are often like this, children from the stars."

"He's not faking it?"This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

"If a kid this age could control their pupil focus and speak without any logic, unable to carry a conversation, that'd be genius. You think everyone's as freakish as our boss?"

After using a flashlight to check Shiba's pupils and tongue and exchanging a few words with him, Mizar confirmed the child showed mild signs of autism. Stirling noticed too, Shiba tended to avoid eye contact when speaking and couldn't hold a gaze. His words were mostly illogical, but Stirling thought all kids were like that and didn't think much of it.

He frowned, "I used to work with autistic children. It's impossible for a child with these traits to wander off on his own. He said he followed his dad here secretly. What's going on?"

"It's normal. Kids with special talents often excel in one area, usually in the arts, but it's not unusual for him to have a knack for hiding or tracking." After all, growing up on the borderlands, artistic talent isn't very useful. It's the skill of evasion that ensures their survival! Kids living on the border evolve in the most unexpected ways!

Mizar sighed. "Then let's take him to the masquerade. Lots of people there, we might spot his dad."

"Sounds good."

The Masquerade.

The cruise ship had invited internationally renowned bands to perform, with pianos and violins playing in harmony. Noella entered the hall in a fitted black gown that highlighted her slender figure, her aura so icy it made the assassins in the room wary. Her presence was unmasked, her intent to kill unmistakable!

Despite a throbbing headache and no memory of recent events, Dillon approached Noella. "Wise Fool. Pleased to meet you."

"Get lost."

Dillon was unaccustomed to such blatant disrespect! His face turned green on the spot! Noella found a window and started cleaning her sniper rifle right there, in full view of everyone!

Then Palmer, dressed in a meticulously tailored white suit, entered the hall. The waltz played, making him seem less like an assassin and more like a noble. Before Dillon could approach, Palmer said, "Get lost."

Dillon: ".."

He was, after all, the eldest grandson of the Patel family! Did he look like trash or something?! Seeing the two giants, other assassins were eager for a spectacle. But Palmer and Noella just raised their glasses to each other, displaying an unexpected harmony!

Since when were the Abyssal Organization and the Obelisk Organization on such good terms?

Stirling, wearing a mask, entered the hall and immediately felt on edge. "Yasbel, something's not right here!"

"How did you notice?"

Being specially trained, Yasbel was naturally sensitive to the aura of assassins, but it was surprising that Stirling could feel those gazes too. Stirling earnestly said, "I'm an actor. I can feel when people are looking at me."

Turns out, it was his sensitivity to attention as an actor that tipped him off! "These people are looking at me strangely, Yasbel, you should go first!"

"No need, weren't we going to find this little guy's dad?" Yasbel laughed.

Stirling, the fool, was actually thinking of her safety at a time like this! Sure, he might be a bit dim and have some useless kindness, but... not bad! Shiba, clinging to Stirling's neck, said, "I miss Daddy."

"Daddy's busy working, I miss him a lot. They said if I came to find Daddy, he'd be happy."

"Will he really be happy? I have so much to tell Daddy."

Stirling patted Shiba's head. "Why are you called Shiba?"

"Shiba Inu is called Shiba! My dad's a Husky!"

A Husky? Who on earth would be named that?

Shiba's gaze locked onto a man wearing a Husky mask, and he shouted with joy. "Daddy!"

The man known as Dog-Head turned

his gaze and gun toward Stirling, but at that moment, he also noticed Shiba in Stirling's arms! How did

Shiba end up here? He had just

overdone it with the booze, puking his guts out before passing out for a bit, Through the haze, he could swear he heard his son's voice in his dreams.

Was it just because he missed his kid so much?

"Shiba!"

Shiba reached out towards Dog-Head, his face lit up with a joyful grin.

Damn it! The other hitmen only knew their target had shown up. They

didn't care if Stirling was holding kid or not Shiba was right there,

clinging to Stirling's chest. feet

hitmen aimed for Stirling's heart, Shiba would be caught in the crossfire!

Dog-Head's eyes went wide with shock. "Shiba, what are you doing here?"

"Dad, I sneaked up here. This man brought me to find you. He's a good guy."

Dog-Head, his face hidden behind a mask, looked at Stirling with a complex expression, unable to detect any hint of murderous intent from him. "Listen here... Mr. Husky, you gotta be more careful in the future. Your son loves you a lot; you're a lucky man."

Shiba affectionately nuzzled against Stirling's chin. It was clear, even from their brief time together, that Shiba had really taken a liking to this handsome man!