"Cora..." Tristan called out, intentionally making his voice soft.
He followed the direction Cora had gone and stopped in front of a partially open door. He pushed it wider and stepped inside.
It was clearly her room. The space was neater than the rest of the apartment, with a few old books stacked on a small desk and a faint herbal scent lingering in the air. Cora stood near the entrance of the attached bathroom, both of her hands already gripping the hem of her top as she prepared to pull it over her head.
"Uhm uhm..." Tristan cleared his throat to gain her attention.
Cora’s head snapped around. The moment she laid her eyes on him, irritation flared hard across her face. She yanked the top back down and turned fully toward him, her nose scrunching up in disgust.
"What are you doing in my room, you roaming pervert!" she snapped.
"Get out now before I do what-"
Tristan didn’t let Cora finish her sentence before cutting in. As he began talking, he remained where he was, still wearing that calm expression.
"I didn’t come here to fight, Cora. You asked where the money came from. I’m here regarding that question. I’m ready to answer you now."
Cora’s frown deepened, but she didn’t immediately throw him out. Curiosity flickered behind the annoyance in her eyes. She gulped visibly then lifted her chin.
"Okay... So?" She asked sharply.
Tristan met her gaze with the same intensity she was fixing him.
"I won’t tell you the exact source. But understand this part which I believe should really be your concern, the money will keep coming. In abundance. It won’t run dry anytime soon." he said firmly, confidently.
For a brief moment, something calculating moved across Cora’s face. It was subtle, but he caught it, because that was the same assessing look he had seen many times in his previous life from people who had just realized a person might be useful. The look passed quickly, replaced once more by unhidden disdain.
Cora studied his face for a few more seconds, then gave a short, reluctant nod.
"Fine." she said.
Before she could dismiss him, Tristan continued, "I need basic necessities. A new toothbrush, proper clothes, and a few other things. I don’t use what belongs to other people. Tell me where I can get them, please."
Cora raised an eyebrow. "So you want to go shopping?"
"Yes."
She was silent for a moment, still frowning. Then she spoke in a flat tone.
"I’ll take you."
Tristan was mildly surprised she agreed so readily, but he didn’t show it. He simply nodded.
Cora’s expression remained irritated. She waited, clearly expecting him to leave. When he didn’t move immediately, she snapped;
"I’m about to change and go take a bath. Will you stand through it all?" She asked angrily but she didn’t wait for him to provide a response before snapping again;
Get out of my room, you shameless pervert!"
"Of course." Tristan nodded simply, turned and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~
One hour later, Cora and Tristan were walking into a mid-sized shopping mall.
The place was moderately busy, filled with normal shopping activities. Tristan didn’t waste time, he actually wasn’t good with shopping because there were court ladies in his wing who handled that. Everything he needed usually got replaced immediately they needed replacement before he could complain about them.
He pressed his lips together tightly as he moved around sharply. He selected a new toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, towels, a few underwears, a few shirts, four trousers, and a simple pair of shoes. He kept his choices simple considering the amount he had left.
Cora, on the other hand wasn’t standing idly as he had expected of someone who brought another person to a place. She had disappeared into another section without a word the moment they entered the store, as if she had planned to be there before.
Tristan thought to himself that maybe she had a few things to buy so he just kept doing his thing.
When he finished gathering what he needed and there still wasn’t traces of Cora, he went looking for her. He found her in the household aisle, but before he could speak she simply turned and walked deeper into the store, as if his presence was irrelevant.
"Okay..." Tristan muttered, telling himself inwardly that maybe she hadn’t seen what she needed. He followed at a measured distance, watching then his eyes widened at what he saw her loading.
She was loading a large cart slowly, patiently...
In addition to some cosmetics that was in the cart, next came bags of rice, then multiple bottles of cooking oil, canned food stacked in careful rows, fresh vegetables, cartons of eggs, soaps, detergent, sponges, and cleaning supplies.
It was more groceries than three people would normally need for weeks.
Tristan’s eyes narrowed slightly as the cart grew heavier. She wasn’t just picking a few things. She was stocking the entire apartment.
He didn’t think too much of it as he quickly concluded that she was probably coming to shop before.
Cora eventually pushed the heavy cart toward the cashier without looking at him once. The young male cashier began scanning the items one by one, the total climbing steadily on the display. When he finished, Cora spoke in a loud, indifferent voice;
"My partner will pay."
Tristan’s lips parted slightly in surprise. However, he stepped forward, his expression was still controlled despite himself, but when he looked at the final number on the screen, his expression couldn’t longer be controlled.
Two hundred and fifty thousand. That was her payment alone, his own items hadn’t been calculated.
"Wait..." He muttered almost to himself. He quickly calculated in his head and realized that he currently had only one hundred and fifty thousand left from the earlier reward.
For a moment, the noise of the mall seemed to fade.
Cora didn’t wait for his reaction. She simply gripped the handle of the cart, turned toward the exit, and spoke over her shoulder without looking back.
"Finish paying and meet me outside."
Then she pushed the heavily loaded cart out of the store, leaving him standing at the counter with an insufficient amount of money and a cashier who was now watching him expectantly.
Tristan blinked in disbelief. His mouth was left hanging open because at the moment, even his intelligence didn’t know how to sort this out in his usual refined manner.