Lucian’s impression of Ragnar worsened by the second as he watched him completely ignoring Grim’s words. But he couldn’t think of any reason why this person would be so rude to himself; he had never met him before as far as he can remember. He would really like to know his background and his exact connection with Aura, but he knew that all he would get as response was silence at worst and snappy remarks at best.

So, he instead asked Aura about something that he ought to know. “What happened to the rest of your crew?” His expression was solemn as he mentioned this subject, since he knew that they were most probably dead.

By his words it was clear that he was still not willing to openly admit that they were sent by him. And yet he still had the gall to inquire about them, thought Aura. Despite that, she wasn’t about to bring it up either since it would lead to a stretched-out argument that she lacked patience for.

“They died near the Quaraxi nest.” Aura replied without skipping a beat. But that was all she was willing to relay on this matter and Lucian could also guess it from her tone.

“Are you fine? Did it get too dangerous?” He asked with genuine worry visible in his eyes.

“Cut to the chase.” Aura didn’t seem moved in the slightest though. Even if his worry was real, she knew what his questions were leading up to.

Lucian also didn’t bother beating around the bush and simply asked. “How did you manage to kill the Quaraxi Queen. Even with the strength he showed today, it shouldn’t have been possible.”

Aura wasn’t surprised that he would know about it, since they had literally sold it at the Sylvancrest branch of the trade union. So it wouldn’t be hard for the next in line for the position of Sylvancrest patriarch to find out about their exchanges. But she wasn’t willing to reveal Ragnar’s another monstrous feat just to add fuel to the already widespread fire that was his reputation. But someone else didn’t have these restrictions. Her gaze matched Ragnar’s whose mouth was opening, clearly about to spill the beans.

“I de-“

“We didn’t do it, of course. We stole it from the person who did. Those three sacrificed themselves so we could run away.”

Aura wasn’t worried about Lucian not believing it of course. He can think whatever he wants, since it would be hard for him to conclude that Ragnar did it on his own. What she was worried about though…

“Try and interrupt me once more…”

Aura sighed, that was good, as long as it was just a warning. But Lucian didn’t find it good at all. This man was not only rude to him, but Aura as well? He wanted to ask Aura about their dynamic but he couldn’t help but sigh again. Instead, he turned to Ragnar, inquiring in a chilly tone. “And what is it you were going to say?”

Ragnar gave him a look… and walked away, leaving behind two words. “Let’s go.” If he stayed any longer, then he might be forced to act right now.

Aura was quick with the damage control this time. Although she wasn’t sure why Ragnar had decided to walk away now in particular, she was more than happy to comply. It would allow her to effectively leave this not so friendly and somewhat forced conversation.

So, she turned to Sierra with stern eyes. “Hand me the keys, now.”

It also worked wonders in distracting both Lucian and Grim, who was almost ready to jump Ragnar any moment now.

Sierra didn’t dare to delay any longer as she handed her the keys. But she wasn’t one to go down without fighting to her last breath, so in a last-ditch effort, she spoke out loud, making sure that Lucian heard her words. “Here, Lady Aura, your keys to two ‘standard’ rooms.”

Aura glared at her, finally understanding Sierra’s intentions. But this time Sierra had managed to hit the mark.

Lucian sighed once more, this time in exhaustion. Wasn’t this a bit too much. This girl was too petty. What was the meaning of taking the cheapest room in their own establishment, if not just to irritate him?

“Just escort them to the royal suite Sierra. Don’t refuse Aura. This place will belong to you soon enough anyways.” In his exasperation, he let those words slip out of his mouth but then immediately regretted it. And the result was instant as Aura gave him the coldest glare he had ever seen on her beautiful face. He had just taken a few steps backward in their relationship, just because of a moment of carelessness. But what’s done is done.

He had to suck up his pride if he wanted to save this. “I meant that it already belongs to you, so you should experience the best this place has to offer.”

Aura’s mood was not the least bit soothed from his words, since they were but a lie. She knew he was saying that to simply coax her and she wasn’t the least bit interested in wasting any more breath on lashing out at him. It would achieve nothing. Aura had no intention of refusing the better room though. She had wanted to visit this place ever since she was a child. And now that she was here, she might as well experience the best it had to offer.

So, she simply walked off, following after Ragnar, and Sierra ran after them since she had to escort them to their suite.

Lucian and Grim were left there standing, one with a bitter look in his eyes while the other had a frown on his face. “Boss, you will allow Lady Aura to leave with that man?”

His words weren’t precise but Lucian understood exactly what he was hinting at. “Aura won’t do anything stupid. I trust her that much; she can take care of herself. But just to keep her safe, since her efforts are only going to get more extreme and she might bite off more than she can chew, send someone to protect her in secret.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Grim nodded. Although he knew that protecting was just a secondary reason, he wasn’t about to point out his boss’s insecurities. His boss was just a man after all.

After giving instructions to Grim, Lucian simply observed Aura’s figure until it disappeared into the teleportation circle. He sighed once more, thinking to himself, ‘Just one more month.’

***

Ragnar and Aura followed Sierra into the transportation circle without sharing any words.

Ragnar’s sight was blasted by a white light followed by a weird sensation that went away the next second. When the white light receded, his vision was once again blasted by another splash of colour, this time it being green.

They were on top of the bark, which was a wide-open rooftop with several pubs and lounges with quite a few people indulging themselves. All around them, many rooms could be seen suspended between the branches and connected to the rooftop through bridges. Sierra didn’t seem to be taking them to one of those bridges though, instead she led them to another group of teleportation circles, disappearing into it but not before asking them to follow her.

Emerging on the other side of the circle, this time Ragnar’s eyes were greeted by one of the rooms that he had seen from the rooftop. They stood in its plaza, from where it was clear that it wasn’t just a room.

It was a proper tree house. It fit seamlessly with the canopy in the background while standing out at the same time. It was probably the most luxurious and aesthetically pleasing place that Ragnar was going to spend a night at. Everything appeared to be made or placed with purpose. From the position of the pots, chairs in the plaza to the shape of the beams that formed the structure of the tree house.

Ragnar’s eyes were shining in anticipation for the insides. Aura wasn’t much different, also looking excited to spend time in this place.

Sierra finally put her mind at ease watching Aura’s reaction. She was really sympathetic with her situation but she had no way of helping her. And Aura was dealing with all these things at the tender age of 18. So, she had done the best she possibly could, and her Lady’s smile at this moment made all her efforts worth it.

Aura couldn’t wait any longer. Although she had lived all her life in luxury, this place held a very special meaning in her heart. And no matter how luxurious her life had been until now; it couldn’t compare to the undisputed number one hotel created by mankind.

She turned to Sierra who was also looking at her with a smile. “Send dinner here, whatever you think is the best.”

Sierra was more than happy to comply however, “My lady, don’t you want the usual tour?” She asked with hesitation. She was really looking forward to showing off all the intricacies of this place.

But Aura dashed her hopes mercilessly. “It’s fine. You can leave.”

Sierra watched dejectedly as Aura walked in soon followed by Ragnar who was now excited about the dinner that such a place would serve.

Entering the suite, they were greeted by a well-furnished hall, organized yet chaotic, with a kitchen counter on one end, and a hanging chair on the other. There was also a dining table next to the kitchen counter and a wine cellar near it. The wine cellar looked antique and so did the bookshelf near the hanging chair. Just like on the outside, everything seemed to be placed with purpose.

A wooden circular staircase on the right led to the upper floor, where two hardwood doors were visible from where they stood.

“So, you own this hotel?” Asked Ragnar with no politeness whatsoever.

Aura gave him a wry smile; he was straight to the point like always. “Did you notice the name of the place?”

Ragnar did in fact notice it. “Aurora’s Sanctuary.” He replied.

“That’s my grandmother’s name. She founded the brand and created this hotel as well. Then she passed it on to my mother, who later passed it on to me.”

Ragnar was quite shocked in all honesty. Although he had made his guesses from hearing her talk with that Lucian, it was still quite a blow hearing it from her mouth. Did this mean he could stay here for as long as he wants? Maybe even take one of the suites for himself. But then why did she lack money? How could the owner of such a place ever lack money? He soon got his answers from Aura’s following words.

“Or at least that’s what was supposed to happen. As of now, no, it doesn’t belong to me.” Her tone carried a bit of resentment by the end accompanied by a fierce determination to take what belonged to her. But all that vanished as she continued with a smile of anticipation. “I am going to freshen up now, you should go as well, dinner will be here soon.”

Ragnar had taken a slight interest in this hotel’s past and wanted to know more about it, but her proposal of freshening up and checking out his room sounded much more appealing. So, without further ado, he took off towards the stairs.

Pushing open the hardwood door, he entered his room. It was a fairly big room with a king-sized bed on one side with a circular window above it. The room had the feeling of a cove and Ragnar liked It very much. There was a translucent glass door on the opposite wall of the bed, the only glass Ragnar had seen in this tree house. It was of course the washroom. Ragnar entered it and closed the door behind him.

Ragnar sat in the bathtub, finding himself strangely enjoying this experience. He was feeling a weird excitement from being in an amazing place that was made with so much attention to the smallest of details. He didn’t think that after everything that happened, an aesthetically pleasing room to stay in would get him so worked up. Did he like staying in such luxurious places, or did he like the feeling of exploring this new space? Did he encounter a moment of self-discovery, or was this a message for his future self to explore all the best hotels around the world? But little did he know that he had started off with the best the world had to offer. He was fated to never feel this way again.

On the other hand, Ragnar found himself really excited for the food as well, even though he had no clue what it was going to be, he was just excited to taste something that was sure to be delicious. He found himself strangely free of any other thoughts in this moment as he closed his eyes.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wall behind Ragnar’s bathtub was another bathtub. And Aura was currently completely submerged from below her shoulders in the water. Two substantial moon like globes were poking out from the water, and they weren’t her knees. Her head was resting on one edge of the bathtub, her freely flowing long jade green hair relieved from their shackles as they rested on the floor.

She had a bit too much on her mind. She was finding it really hard not to hate those who had forced her into this situation. She had never really had such extreme thoughts about them, since even after everything, they were still family. So, with that same excuse, she will be taking it all back. So what if they have gained power for the first time since the 400 years of the inception of their family. She will be just as ruthless as they were to her who didn’t knew any better.

She was well aware that this opportunity given to her to become the matriarch was but a formality. No one, for even a second thought that she would be able to do it. And even she had started to lose hope, especially with her ability. Although it was an amazing ability, it didn’t allow her to gain many points quickly. She had almost completely given up when she heard about the Quaraxi Nest appearing once again, so she headed there. But as luck would have it, it had already collapsed completely.

She was in the phase of acceptance when she found Ragnar. She had of course skipped the first 4 stages of grief. They were but a waste of time for her. She had a lot of things to achieve in her life even if she failed to get this one.

But then, her spirit was rekindled with a flame so bright or better, a shockwave so explosive that it threatened to blast her troubles to smithereens. However, she had a sinking suspicion that in order to achieve her goals, she might have made a deal with the devil.