When I got to the state, Styx was sleeping close to the front door instead of the tree branch he usually used.

I dragged my feet inside, petting his head briefly before crashing down on the sofa. I had no idea what time it was, and I didn’t want to know.

It was late. Very late.

I had spent hours at Ergos finishing the report, staying even after the gates closed—I had to climb the vines on the wall to leave. Yet I left the report on Belenus’ desk, a total of thirty-five pages.

Front and back.

On my way back, I noticed all the messages I had received, yet I simply had no more mental energy to spare. My stomach was empty, and I was famished, but there was no way I could get up to make something for me to eat. I just wanted to sleep. For days.

I woke up with the crashing noise of broken glass, sitting up in a flash. It took me less than five seconds to find the culprit, staring at me with his violet eyes from the outside. I stood up, still feeling my body heavy and my head far too light, and glanced outside.

The sun was almost up, which meant I had to leave for class soon.

“Could you please find a better way to wake me up? I don’t have money to keep fixing windows like this—and this is not even my house.”

Styx's expression told me he didn’t care the least.

Yet getting a better look at him, I could see he seemed…excited. Almost giddy, his tail swaying from one side to the other, his eyes alert.

Oh, that’s right…

I’m taking Styx with me.

As my stomach grumbled and complained, as if it was screaming to get my attention, I walked toward the kitchen to prepare a quick meal. Oats, milk, and one egg. I ate it as fast as I could, smelling my clothes to make sure I could still wear them for another day.

Apparently, I could not. In fact, I needed a shower. I glanced at the clock, cursing.

… Aren’t there showers at Ergos?

I would rather take the risk of actually stinking than being kicked out for not being on time for class. Since Styx was coming with me, I had to move the cage to the cart, and then rent a horse at the post to get to the academy. It would roughly take an hour and a half.

Then I would have to drop Styx at the stables and make sure he had enough food and water for the day. And the distance between the stables and my classroom was not that short—it could doom me with ease.

…I can at least change clothes before I leave.

I took out my shirt and threw it on the couch, halfway in the process of removing my pants.

“Oh my.”

My body completely froze, my heart stopping dead in its tracks. I followed the voice, meeting a pair of golden eyes.

Angus blinked, clearing his throat. And though he covered his mouth, he could not hide the smile that was starting to appear on his lips.

“Do excuse me, I did not mean to barge in like this. I saw the broken window, and thought something could’ve happened since you hadn’t replied to my messages.”

I did not respond.

The man was dressed as if he were going to meet the matriarch of a noble house. Even though he was standing at the door, I could smell his perfume—a musk and strong scent. He was wearing gloves and a hat, his dark clothes embroidered with gold spirals, his shoes pristine, his hair combed.

Angus' eyes scanned me briefly, his face impassive. “I can see better now the effects of your training—you were quite skinny before. Now you truly look like a rider. I must say, I’m proud of you.”

I felt my cheeks burning, his comment throwing me off a bit.

“What are you doing here? I don’t have time right now, I need to get ready for class before—”

Angus raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m giving you a ride today.”

“…what? Why?”

Angus cautiously walked in, avoiding the broken glass, looking over at Styx for a moment before going back to face me.

“I realized your first day must have been quite exhausting, so I wanted to give you a ride since I have business in the city.”

Angus? Having business around here?

I analyzed his clothes once again, a thought crossing my mind.

“Are you meeting with an investor?”

His smile beamed, its glow being reflected in his eyes. “Precisely! I do love how sharp you are—your presence is being dearly missed down there.”

“We didn’t even talk with each other that much…”

“But whenever we did, I never failed to have a great time.” Angus motioned to my clothes, the grin never leaving his face. “You were going to take a bath, right? I will make sure you won’t be late, so you can take your time. I rented a carriage for the day.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A carriage? He must want to really impress his investor if he spent that much just for the transportation.

“I need to bring Styx today.”

“The rental came with two unicorns—you can link his cage with the carriage.”

My eyes widened, my mind trying to process the money a carriage rental with not only one, but two unicorns would cost. And it could easily surpass the price of a dragon race ticket, especially if it was for more than a couple of hours.

Of all the creatures discovered so far, none symbolized nobility, status, and royalty more than unicorns. Though captive unicorns carried almost no magical properties in their blood, they were still absurdly strong and majestic, with some noble houses taking their image as their coat of arms.

Unicorn leather was one of the most expensive—solely for its appearance and durability—and their horns were great ingredients for potions. Yet from time to time, people would try to hunt wild unicorns to get some of their blood and meat.

The kingdoms were still researching and studying the extent of unicorns’ magical properties and powers, and since once captured the creatures would naturally lose their abilities—and wild unicorns were quite elusive—the study’s progress was…slow.

Which was why some crime families were always dying to get their hands on wild, living specimens.

“I won’t have to split the fare for the ride, will I?”

The offense in Angus’ voice almost made me regret the fact I even asked.

“Of course not! I wouldn’t demand such a thing from a dear friend.”

I thought about it for a few seconds. It was a free ride, that would save me time.

There was simply no reason to say no.

“I will be right back, wait here.” As I was about to turn away, I stopped myself. My gaze fell on Angus once more, my tone voicing my inner worries. “…you better don’t do anything weird.”

The man raised both hands, his eyes glimmering with innocence.

“I shall not leave this spot.”

Sighing, I made my way to the back, picking some clothes in my room. If even Angus mentioned, I must have been smelling quite bad. Still, that didn’t mean I had the luxury of wasting time in a long bath.

So five minutes later, I was connecting Styx’s cage to the carriage.

The carriage itself was elegant and classy, with padded seats, velvet carpet, laced curtains, and beautiful ornaments on its wheels. And yet none of that made my heart race as fast as when I set my eyes on the animals who would pull the carriage itself.

Being captive, they were both ebony black, their horns starting to reflect the sunrise. I held back my desire to touch them, admiring them from afar. The unicorns’ beauty was enough to take my breath away, magical powers or not.

I heard a growl, turning toward the cage in time to see Styx scoffing at me as he looked away as if avoiding my gaze.

He…

…wasn’t possibly jealous, was he?

“Everything done?” Angus asked from inside the carriage, standing his hand toward me.

I stared at it for a few seconds before climbing on my own.

“Yes, we can go. But shouldn’t one of us guide the unicorns?”

If Angus was offended by me not taking his hand, he didn’t show—his gentle smile as bright as ever.

“No need. They know where to go.”

The moment Angus tapped on the carriage’s roof, it began to move. I watched as his head almost touched the top, his hair brushing against the roof whenever he moved.

Sometimes I forgot how tall Angus was, since I was somewhat used to meeting others taller than me.

Thinking about it, I don’t think there is enough space for his legs in here…

As we made our way to Ergos, it didn’t take long for my former rival to break the silence.

“So! Have you made any friends yet?”

Angus asked with excitement bursting out of his voice and gaze, his hands clasped together as he crossed his legs.

For a brief moment, I saw Ceres’ face as she handed me her pastries and wished me good luck.

I scoffed, staring out of the window. “I barely had time to eat, much less make friends.”

“I told you—you should meet more people. You learn a lot of things by talking with others.”

For someone like Angus, meeting more people was easy. He enjoyed chatting, making connections, getting to know people’s little secrets and schemes.

I only liked the second half. After all, relationships were just that—mutual interests that aligned through contracts and formalities.

Emrys needed a place to stay and an income; the Jackal needed a rider.

The Jackal needed some contacts when I first started the ringleader business; Nikke wanted more rivals.

Underground people needed work; the Jackal needed employees.

That girl Ceres didn’t know the things I wanted, the same way I didn’t know the things she wanted. And we would only get “close” once our interests became clear, and our terms revealed.

That was how relationships truly worked.

“I met her yesterday.”

For some reason, I blurted out those words as if they had been corroding my throat since the day before. As if I desperately needed someone to be aware of that fact, and what it meant to me.

It took a few moments for Angus to reply, his face being weakly reflected on the window.

“I see…what did you say?”

I clenched my fists, so hard my knuckles turned white.

“I challenged her. Told her I would become Ergos number one, no matter what.”

“And what did she say?”

Trees and houses kept passing before my eyes, sunlight pouring into the carriage as the sun rose on the horizon. Yet if I closed my eyes, I would be inside the infirmary again. Staring at her gaze, gasping for air as I suffocated in my own shame.

“…she said she will be waiting.”

From the window, I could see a faint smile touching his lips.

“It appears that my dear friend found a worthy opponent. You should be glad.”

For a second, it was almost as if I could smell her. That sweet and pungent scent, making me sick and dizzy.

“I will only be glad once I beat her. Once she loses everything important to her—like she did to me.”

As Angus stared in my direction, I pretended not to notice the sad look in his eyes as he stared at me. Just like I made sure to push those memories aside, let them rot away until they became nothing. Because remembering that day wouldn’t make my years as Jackal come back.

But focusing on my future could bring me my revenge.

When the carriage finally stopped at Ergos—the street empty enough not to attract too much attention to a reinforcement class student riding a carriage driven by two unicorns—Angus helped me with Styx’s cage as we waited for some personnel from the academy to open the gate for the stables.

After being quiet for the remainder of the trip, Angus lightly touched my shoulder, forcing me to look at him.

“If you have some time later today, we can have that treat I promised. I can wait for you, in case my meeting ends too soon.”

I nodded once, certain I would never be able to refuse any favor Angus asked of me for a very, very long time.

Because Angus had already given me what I wanted. So it was my time to give him what he wanted.

This is what meant, being friends.