"Come here, Haide. I'll show you a good spot."
I brought Haide to the abandoned harbour I often visit in both of my lives. Usually, only Cassius and I used this place, but today, I was feeling especially mischievous and wanted to show my beloved partner this secret place.
After walking through cramped spaces and climbing heaps of empty cargo containers, we finally reached the place I wanted to introduce Haide to.
The shimmering neon lights from the city across from us, the waves of sea reflecting the moonlight, and the salty taste in the air as the wind blew past our faces.
This was the only place I could calm my mind in.
"It's peaceful here isn't it?"
I asked the man beside me, though my question was met with silence, I knew we both were enjoying the breeze and the beautiful view in front of us right now.
"Do you come here often?" Haide asked as he crossed his arms, a smile hung on his lips.
A similar expression also appeared on my face, putting my arm on my hips, I answered, "Yes, a lot."
He nodded as he said, "It's definitely quiet. I knew it, these kinds of quiet places definitely suit your image."
"Is it? Just what kind of image do you have about me?"
Haide chuckled when I narrowed my eyes, "Don't worry, I always see you in a positive light. In fact, I would love to know more about these kinds of places – places you often visit. So I could know more about you."
I glanced at him, "Now that you mentioned it, you haven't told me the places you often visit either. You owe me your secrets."
He just shrugged at my words, "What can we do? It's only been four months since we have known each other before we were suddenly forced to be Kings in War of Throne."
Then he looked at me, "If we can somehow break free from this crest, I would gladly take you to travel the world – introducing you to places I fancy. Just so you know, this proud boyfriend of yours has been to several countries already."
I rubbed my chin as I observed the smug grin on Haide's face.
His words of traveling to several countries might be true because just from that one time when Haide brought a revolver from Bhastergio, a country known for its conservative nature, I could already tell he had a lot of connection in another country.
I raised my gaze toward the horizon, the islands beyond that sea were somewhere I had never really ventured deeply.
'Foreign country, huh?'
This world had 4 different continents and 137 countries, yet the one place I was confined in was this accursed country, Exquin.
Sure, I had been to different countries with my parents because of our family's business, but there was never a time for me to actually enjoy other countries' tourism spots like how someone on a vacation did.
So the idea of Haide taking me on a trip to another country and enjoying our vacation seemed like a nice idea.
"By the way, I've never seen your revolver again. Where is it?" I glanced at him up and down with a teasing look, which made Haide flinch like a guilty puppy.
"Ah… That's… I left it in the box back at the storage, while I do want to use it, after trying it a few times, revolver isn't really my style. How about I gift it to you?"
I waved my hand dismissively, "You know a weapon is your partner for life, unless my Cecily is damaged beyond repair, I won't replace her."
"Pftt, yeah, sure. You're free to use mine if you'd like."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
Another silence fell.
The tranquil atmosphere between us as we looked at the sea created a sense of calm in my heart.
Because of that same reason, I let my guard down and didn't realize someone was watching us from a distance. Through binoculars, they silently observed our interaction from the shadows.
.
.
"The black faction and white faction Kings are acquaintances, I'm sure of it."
"What?"
Two men, one with a rifle swung over his shoulder leaning on the windowsill and one sitting in front of a table with a dumbfounded look on his face after hearing the news coming from his friend's mouth, were gathered inside a building.
The man carrying a rifle threw a stack of photos on the table before continuing.
"I found two of them talking in an abandoned dock. I'm quite far from them but just from these blurry photos you could tell they have some kind of relationship going on."
The dumbfounded man took the photos, his brow turned into wrinkles, "This is… The abandoned dock in northern Vienna? What were you doing near the dock anyway?"
"Have you seen the bounty secretly placed by the Torentto family? Anyone would be flocking to Vienna with that amount of rewards."
"What bounty are you talking about?"
Seeing his friend's dumbfounded face for the second time, the man clicked his tongue, "This is why you shouldn't stop being a mercenary, you missed all the important information for the past six months."
The man stopped for a while before rubbing his chin and cautiously spoke, "Last month, the Torentto family had put up a bounty for their leader, Haide Ritcher. They promised to give out a huge amount of money, one of the islands they owe and even the position of the leader of the underworld, replacing Haide."
He smirked, "Heh, the Torentto hate their leader so much they are willing to assassinate him huh?"
Turning to his friend, he continued, "Hear me out Pietro. Why don't we take this chance to gain power instead?"
Pietro, having heard all his friend's rambling information since the start, wrinkled his brow again after hearing his suggestion, "You mean, you want me to take that bounty and participate in your plan, Atias?"
Pointing at the crest on Pietro's hand, Atias continued, "How long are you going to be bound by this? As long as you have this, you will always be bound to that person – to his authority. Even coming here without feeling paranoid about being detected is already hard enough right?"
Atias stepped forward and sat down in front of him, a face that looked like a father seeing his helpless child etched on his face.
"Don't you always find it weird how that man work? No kidnapping, no blackmailing, only explosives and guns. It feels more like a show and less like a death and life situation where you bet everything you have to achieve your goal."
"The weird part is… Once you rebel against him, you are shot to death. You don't like it, don't you? The way he rules with fear? And the way you explained to me about how he's so overprotective of the black faction King's personal information… There must be something going on between the two. Friends? Lovers? Who knows?"
"Trust me, you could never obtain what you want under him, and not with your scaredy-cat members that obey him like a god either."
"We're betas Pietro. The world of pheromone won't affect us, you're the only one who can rebel against your faction. And with this opportunity presented to us, let's kill your leader and take control of the underworld. Between the wish granted by god and this… It's the same anyway."
"You know I still have this crest on my hand right? He could still control me with his authority."
"You have me and the boys don't you? We could do your job for you."
With a smirk on his face, he propped his chin on the table, "How about it? Interested?"
"So instead of killing the black faction King, I aim for my own faction's king instead?
Pietro was silent for a second before he finally raised his head and nodded.
"Fine then, what's your plan?"