"I'm starting to see why she shot you," the Prince finally spoke, "You have a way with words that makes me want to shoot you myself."

  Lucian chuckled. He was a merchant. His job was to convince others that they were getting the best deal of their lives. Even if it wasn't. "Accepting me as Your Highness' rival might be hard to swallow, but at least we can agree that she is in safe hands with me, right? Or would Your Highness rather kiss your ex-fiancé and break Lady Bianca's heart in the process?"

  The Crown Prince didn't answer and instead raised a question, "She wanted to run away from me, that's what you said?"

  Lucian skipped a few details here and there, but the outcome was all the same, "I believe she thinks she's a burden to you, and she doesn't like to be a burden to anyone. Growing up as an illegitimate child, she is used to having no one to rely on."

  "You know quite a lot about her,” he said coldly.

  "We're friends at most," Lucian confirmed. "But that can change at any time. I wouldn't say no to more, you see."

  "Enough," the Crown Prince stopped him, shaking off whatever thoughts crossed through his head. "I'll leave her under your care until I get rid of the pest in my way," he said and opened the door to leave, "If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible. Personally."

  And then, he left.

  A knocking sound interrupted Lucian's attempt at taking a rest, followed by an annoyed chirp, “...”

  He opened the window to let the bird in, whispering, "I have no food for you, go find it somewhere else."

  Lucian pushed it out of the window, but it refused to budge, settling on his chest instead, "What? Did she kick you out already? Now you recognize me as your owner, huh?"

  The bird tilted its head and gave him a stinky eye as if saying, 'don't push your luck, buddy'.

  "Alright, alright. She's your owner, but I'm the one paying for your food and taking care of you. So technically, she is your owner, but I'm your boss," Lucian reasoned, untangling the letter attached to the bird's leg.

  'If you let someone else kiss me, it's over between us. Just so you know. I'm done protecting myself when it's a man's duty to protect his woman.'

  “...” Lucian's lips twitched upwards, pulling a fountain pen out of his jacket.

  'What’s holding you back from confessing to the world your undying love for me then?'

  He wrote back. And the bird was off.

  'Your heart is too weak to handle such a passionate decration from me, Celine Rochefort. It might just give up and fail for good. So, it's for your own good, really.'

  Came her response.

  'If my heart does give up and fail, it would only be because it can't bear to be apart from you.'

  Lucian crumbled his reply, tugging it into his pocket instead. He tried to fall asleep, only to be woken up a few minutes ter by the same annoying bird.

  It tried to steal his reply, probably to deliver it to Celine regardless of his wishes, but he grabbed the bird and held it hostage in his arms.

  "Let's have a good nap together, shall we?" He said, petting the bird's feathers until it fell asleep, and so did he.

  · · ─────── · ???· ─────── · ·

  Two weeks ter...

  The mercenary leader thanked Lord Arclight over and over again. He even shed some tears, promising to pay his debt in full as soon as he could, "Thank you, Lord Arclight. I'll never forget this, ever!"

  "I'm not so cruel to kill you over such a matter, especially if you are willing to make amends," Lucian smiled at him, "But if you betray me again, you can expect no such kindness."

  "Never, My Lord, I will never betray you again," the man swore, "I'm so lucky to meet such a benevolent person like you, Lord Arclight. Unlike Lady Rochefort… She promised to pay us double but instead of honoring her word, she tied us up like some kind of criminals and had us interrogated for hours! If it wasn't for your connections with the Crown Prince, who knows what she would have done to us!"

  The rest of the men nodded in agreement.

  They continued their travel and reached the private harbor without any further trouble. It was quiet, hidden from the bustle of the busy ports. A mix of ships was docked. Some rge, built for cargo, others small and fast. A few warships stood out with an ominous aura of danger around them.

  Men, armed to the teeth, stood watch at the bow of the several ships. They saluted Lord Arclight as they moved to help load the cargo, their nguage foreign to the mercenary's ears.

  The mercenary smiled, figuring they were greeting their Lord. "You have some fine men, Lord Arclight. Why would you hire us when you have them?"

  "They are just simple sailors and fishermen," Lord Arclight answered, his smile as bright as the sun.

  The mercenary leader scratched his head, "They look more like pirates, if I'm being completely honest."

  Lord Arclight's smile froze for a second, "Are you calling them criminals, my friend?"

  "N-no, My Lord," he stuttered, "I'm just saying that they seem quite capable, that's all."

  "Indeed," Lord Arclight agreed, his smile returning to its previous brightness.

  The moment they got on board, the sails were hoisted, and the crew set sail towards the open sea.

  After a while, the nd was no longer visible. As far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by nothing but water.

  A sense of unease washed over the mercenaries. The ships that accompanied them until now made a detour, leaving them to sail alone. Even the crew that greeted Lord Arclight with respect was mostly gone. Only a handful of sailors remained, and none spoke a common tongue.

  Lord Arclight kept them company, though. And that alone was reassuring.