Damn it. This was becoming a cliché nightmare. Sir Alex was the "First Love/Noble Knight" trope, and Viking was the "Dangerous/Seductive Anti-Hero" trope. If I wasn't careful, this "quest" was going to turn into a three-hundred-chapter slow-burn-boring romance about a brooding male lead and beautiful sunshine. I don't have time for that, hell no! I have a coffee empire to run!
Should I get rid of the brooding vampire? I wondered. He was annoying, sure, and he definitely complicated the "original plot" I was trying to navigate. But he was also the only one who could match my sass level and keep the Titans in check.
"Sir Alex!" I called out.
The knight appeared instantly, armor clanking, his expression serious. "Yes, My Lady? I mean, Your Highness?"
"Check the perimeter. We leave at dawn." I glanced back at Viking. "And you... keep your distance. I'm a business woman, not a princess. We are here for a ritual, not a rose ceremony."
