The two were standing by the road and it did not take long before a carriage stopped. Lyren was the first to climb as he helped her inside.
The driver could not help but look and get jealous as teenagers getting all lovey-dovey. The two sat on opposite sides to each other and Lyren felt that she was a genuine one.
The fact that she followed him despite the fact he had just offended the mayor who might send assassins after him was enough to know where her loyalties lay.
"Let's be friends and drop the maid-young master act. I know you are under orders to try milk money from me which I understand but I feel that we are holding our back our potential. What do you think?"
Lyren asked and when Claire heard him, she got a serious look on her face and Lyren realized there was a story behind her.
"I have my own reasons as to why I cannot agree with you. I have my own quota to meet. Sorry," she replied genuinely and Lyren sighed.
"I won't be pouring money for your unless I need information you know… I can ask all questions I want to know and get rid of you… I am not threatening you but I want to have a mutual friendship with your," Lyren said and her gaze only got complicated.
What he said was true and if he did that, she could lose her seat as number one in her sector. If that happened, her future was going to be bleak. But why was he bringing that now? Was he now threatening her?
"I understand but I don't think that it is possible. You can do as you want and get rid of me and destroy my future if that would comfort you…"
She replied almost angrily as she tried her last dregs of manipulation. If that did not work, then she was done for. She knew the kid meant what he said.
"I have a solution which I have been thinking about. As long as you meet your quota, you can stop trying so hard and we can have genuine friendship. You know what I mean, right?"
"I get you but a hundred silver is the bare minimum. I have to get as much as even two times that from you. I don't think you are willing to part with that sum…"
"How about this? I am going to give you this after I leave. You will have surpassed everything you are striving to get all this time.
"What I want though is for your full cooperation and unlimited information. What do you think? Does this meet your quota?" Lyren asked as he showed a gold coin.
Claire was taken aback and she could not even build surprise. Why was he doing that? She did not understand. The harder she tried to get him, the more he drifted further.
That one gold coin was enough to pay for her salary the next few six months. And yet, he was offering it to her just to be herself before him.
His face blurred in her eyes as she felt a lump in her throat. Why was he being good to her? Had she not tried to force herself on to him? Was he not annoyed with her?
She realized why she had cried when he lashed at her. He was the only one who had tried to be soft to her and had even kept up with her antics.
His shouting at her when she was genuinely happy had broken her and she had been unable to stop herself from crying. This time, it was the same.
It was hard to swallow and she could feel a trickle on her cheeks. Why was she crying again? Had she not promised herself that she was never going to cry again?
She could not hold it in and covered her eyes as she started to sob again. Her moans and quivering voice reached the driver who had his eyes wide open.
Were those two already in the act? Just how impatient could one be. He shook his head as he tried his best not to listen to teenagers doing adult acts.
Lyren had known that she was deep from the first day but now he realized he had underestimated her depth.
He could not quite wrap it around his mind but he could guess that she was suffering from something traumatic and her smile and profession were her way of escape.
Just who was she?
He wanted to comfort her but he could not bring himself to stand up. He felt that she ought to cry in the silence of his presence.
Maybe she wanted someone who could see her for who she really was. He could not claim to be that someone but he could empathize with her. Then her voice came in middle of her whimper.
"Why?"
Lyren was shocked by her question and he wondered how he could reply to her. She was right. Why was he even giving up the gold coin to her?
"It was your eyes. I had a feeling that you were lonely. I have been alone for more than a year and been through hardships and for a moment, all I wanted was someone to connect with.
"I had no friends and when I came here, I saw the same eyes as mine. I think we can be friends. We both are trying to reach out for someone." Lyren hated to admit it but he too wanted to have a friend.
He did not mind the gender in first place. Real friendship did not know gender boundaries and if she could agree to be his friend, he could have gained himself an ally.
It's not like he wanted to get free information from her but he knew that with her help, he could get any information he wanted from her.
Also, even though the friendship was built on deception and priorities, he still wanted to try it. He wanted her to be herself as he was to her. Only her whimpers remained as her eyes, tired, looked at him.
"Do you mean it?" She asked? Lyren was surprised when she asked this question and he just nodded. If anything, he had calculated all the pros and cons of this friendship and the pros beat the cons.
"Then don't move."
She said and stood up from her seat and came to seat next to him. She wrapped her hand on his shoulder before she whispered in his ears sending a jolt throughout his body.
"I am still your woman. Don't dare forget," she said as she bit the coin that Lyren was holding between his thumb and index finger. She tried to pull it but Lyren's grip was tight as a smile formed on his face.
"Its not yet time," Lyren replied and she released the coin before resting her head on his shoulder.
She fell asleep almost immediately and he realized that she was always being overworked. He was not the kind to pry into people secret and he accepted the fact that everyone had a past.
When she woke up later, the sun was heading west and it was about to become evening.
The carriage had stopped and when Claire realized that she had overslept, she quickly stood up and looked outside only to find the sun was still up but time had gone.
"Why did you not wake me up?" She asked and Lyren chuckled.
"You were snoring adorably," Lyren replied and he seemed to get a genuine reaction from her as her face reddened. He could not help but wonder if one could fake it.
"I don't snore!" Her voice rose and he raised his hands in defeat before walking out and she followed after him.
Lyren went to the driver and gave him five silvers as the carriage left. Their vision cleared to a road that seemed to be the final destination of everyone who came to the market today. Claire identified it quickly as she spoke.
"You still are in the mood to explore the academy grounds? As you can see, they have their own ecosystem completely independent from the city. This is one of the occasions you can get genuine product as they have been verified by the academy."
"Do they open on every market day?"
"Nope, only when the entrance ceremony is a week away. It had to be today so you are pretty lucky."
"Can I get pills here?" Lyren asked and Claire looked at him with a curious gaze. So, he had bitten the forbidden fruit and he was in need for more.
Well, that was to be expected.