After hours, Shane was tired of trying to break the ropes. It wasn't the first time he had to get out of something like this, but it was the first time the knot binding his wrists was so elaborate.

It didn´t help how often some of the criminals returned to steal what clearly didń´t belong to them. Usually it ended up with only a minor cut, sometimes even an existing wound was enough. Before Shane knew it, he could recognize the faces of all those scumbags. At some point, he gave up trying to stand and slowly fell to the ground. He leaned against the tree and continued untangling the ropes behind his back. He had no energy at all, he wasn't acclimated to Rinsel's lack of luck, and depleting his supplies wasn't the most pleasant either.

However, as he felt how loose the ropes were, he knew he would be able to escape in a few minutes. But unexpectedly, he heard footsteps in his direction again and he had to stop his effort as a new guy entered his field of vision.

Shane looked up at the Rinselan and noted that this one hadn't visited him yet. He didn't react, he just sat on the ground, staring at the guy and waiting for him to do the disgusting act that everyone in this beastly land considered normal.

He didn´t think of anything else, so when the man pulled out the knife, he just looked irritated at his face and imagined himself cutting the guy instead. The man took a step towards and Shane looked to the side, wanting to get it done as soon as possible. However, the knife fell on the ground next to him.

Shane looked at the criminal incredulous, as if he couldn't believe that the blade would just fall out of his hand.

"Go hide somewhere, don't wander too far, let us find you," said the guy and without another word he returned to the group of criminals.

Shane stared blankly behind him, and although he didn't understand what had happened, he knew that not taking advantage of the miraculous opportunity would be a waste of his own luck. And so, within a moment, he freed himself.

If the guy had come earlier, he wouldn't have had to bother for several hours. He sighed deeply and brushed off the dirt. He quickly buttoned up his bloody tattered robe and looked towards the criminals. He knew why they had left him near the trees, not the closest to their fire where they were roasting their food. The thought of someone trying to get more intimate with him made him want to vomit. Getting gang-raped by a group of Rinselans was clearly not in his preferences.

He clenched his fists in irritation, but calmed down in a second, as he knew that acting rashly doesn´t pay off. He was aware that the most logical thing to do would be to turn around and hide, or to run away. However, Shane wasn't planning on doing anything a suspicious Rinselan told him to do, and since the luck in his body was still apparently enough to keep him alive, he decided to take what he wanted back.

Slowly, so as not to attract anyone's attention, he made his way beyond the trees to the part where he saw the weapons. He wasn't going to fight with his bare hands, and since he had his own sword here somewhere, he knew he wouldn't have to.

Fortunately, half of the guys were busy eating, some were sleeping, some were just chatting, and the rest weren't even here. Even the boss who irritated him the most disappeared somewhere, and Shane decided that it was the best moment to act. He got to the weapons quite unnoticed, no one was guarding them, and for a moment he doubted that it was that simple. In no time he found his sword and proceeded to vent some anger.

However, the moment he stepped forward, his gaze fell on the man who basically helped him and made him hesitate. He had no idea why he wanted to save him, or what he meant when he said to wait for them, but he suddenly felt like he should calm down.

When he went to this country, he knew how disgusting all the Rinselans were, what animals they were, and he didn't expect anything from them. However, he knew that he couldn't make trouble right away in the form of slaughtering a group of their inhabitants, he knew that he couldn't, even though he wanted to. And so, after a moment of clutching the hilt of his sword at his side and coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to kill the people who stole his luck, he turned to leave and disappeared behind the trees.

He intended to find at least something resembling a road in the forest, where he could meet travelers and ask them about the direction of the capital. No matter how much he didn't want to be here, he had to fulfill his role. He tried to forget about the group of criminals and put the situation behind him, thinking that it wasn´t in his nature to do more work than he was assigned. It wasn't even the most awkward situation of his life, he pushed out of his mind to keep from going crazy.

But he had barely gone a little deeper behind the trees when he heard a shout from behind.

"Where is he?!" The voice of their boss made him quicken his pace, but not enough to let everyone know where the rustling of leaves under his feet was coming from.

"Which one of you saw him last?!" He shouted.

Shane was so focused on the noises behind him that he almost didn't notice a group of guys running towards him as the shouts drew them to the camp. At the last moment, he hid behind a tree. He stood leaning against the trunk and waited for the guys to run over. However, one of them stopped there and Shane knew that his struggle had become more complicated.

"Boss, boss! There's blood?!” Shouted one.

"What?!" The guy couldn't hear well, so he ran after them.

Shane looked at the trail of blood he was leaving behind and took a deep breath. The ideal plan to sneak off without being noticed didn't work and Shane only slowly moved his hand to his sword as he decided to settle it with the blade.

He expected it wouldn't take long for everyone to get to him, and it didn´t. As soon as the chief of the thieves caught up to them, he assessed the situation and noticed the bloody paths leading to the tree where Shane was hiding, laughingly walked towards him.

"Stupid Lacrisan," he said and knocked on the tree, "I hope you didn't think I wouldn't find you."

Shane was waiting for the moment when the boss would peek in his direction so that he could give the bastard at least one good hit before he went for more.

As the criminal ducked behind a tree, Shane drew his sword and slashed through the man's chest in a wide swing. He jumped out from behind the tree and aimed his weapon in front of him at the thief who had given him trouble last night due to his strength. However, he didn´t intend to repeat the same mistake twice, so he clearly didn´t plan to get caught stupidly.

"Agh!" screamed the guy and clutched his chest, where blood had already seeped through the cloth and was slowly dripping to the ground, "Bitch!"

“Bastard.” Shane just snorted in disgust before taking a fighting stance and waiting for someone to run at him.

But before anyone could do anything, a loud rumble, similar to a mild earthquake, came from the forest. The sound was very well known to Shane, and since he had no idea if it was made by an enemy or an ally, he automatically backed away. He didn't believe in the second option, considering that he had no allies here, so he hid behind a tree before a group of armed horsemen rushed out of the forest.

"Leave two of them!" He heard a forceful voice.

However, since the subsequent shouting and cursing of the criminals wasn´t enthusiastic, at least he confirmed that the new guys weren´t the original enemies, and thus didn´t pose a real threat to him. However, he didn´t know if he would be mistaken for bandit, so he clearly didn´t intend to come out.

He just waited behind the tree for the noise of the fight to calm down and considered where he would run off. But he didn't get much time to think. The sounds quickly faded out, and instead of the screams and blows of blades, he only heard the cursing of the criminals, the soldiers had left alive.

Shane didn't think the group was capable of overpowering numerous thugs in such a short time, so he was even more certain that he shouldn't come out.

"Done?" Asked a calm voice, as if he didn´t even care about criminals.

"All except those two and Luke, sir." Another voice said.

"Good job, where's Luke?"

"Your Highness," a new voice that probably belonged to the aforementioned Luke made Shane notice how familiar it was. He didn't have to search his memory for long before he realized that it belonged to the guy who had freed him.

"Where is he?" Asked the leader of the new group.

"Behind the tree in front of you," Luke stated, causing Shane to take a step forward in an attempt to duck before they found him.

He barely moved when suddenly a group of soldiers surrounded him and pointed their swords at his direction. Shane launched his own sword in front of him, but he was well aware that he wouldn't stand a chance against the trained Rinsel´s soldiers at full strength, especially when he had been bleeding for several hours.

"Don´t harm him." Nielle stated sharply and jumped off his horse. He slowly followed his men who were pointing their swords at Shane. He stepped between them and examined his new toy.

His white hair caught Shane's eyes, causing him to question the man's identity. According to information, only the descendants of the royal family in Rinseli had white hair, but the idea of him meeting one here was not very likely.

"Prettier than I expected," Nielle assessed his Lacrisan, folding his arms over his chest, "although the one at the camp was prettier." He laughed.

Shane could feel how this Rinsel´s way of evaluating the Lacrisans as commodities was starting to irritate him: "Who are you and what do you want from me?" He growled.

"Don't be insolent right away," laughed Nielle, "is this how you thank your savior? If it weren't for Luke and my soldiers, they would have had you for dinner for a few days before you would be dold." He clarified.

Shane knew he was right, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't like something about the young man, "Who are you?" He repeated.

Nielle took a step forward towards him and when Shane pointed his weapon at him, he laughed in amusement, "Nielle Owen von Rinse," he slowly drew his own sword and lightly touched Shane's blade with it, "but for you it's 'Your Highness.' " He laughed and slammed his sword down.

Shane automatically reacted to the attack and pulled the weapon closer to him, but he didn't do it fast enough as Nielle's next swing knocked the blade out of his hand. Shane blinked in surprise as he was left without a weapon to defend himself against the man, and before he looked up at Nielle he felt the touch of the foreign sword at his throat. He gulped softly at how quickly the whole fight had happened, and Shane only backed away slightly.

Nielle followed him and took a step forward with his sword still at his neck. Then another one...and another until Shane slammed his back into a tree. No sooner had he done so than Nielle smiled contentedly and pressed the blade more firmly under Shan's chin, which he lifted lightly with his sword.

"Do you think you could defend yourself against them with your abilities?" Nielle asked amused.

Shane gave Nielle an irritated look, but didn't speak. He didn't feel like talking about the fact that it was his first day in Rinsel, that he was only weakened and didn't feel like fighting.

However, as soon as Nielle pressed his sword against his neck and forced him to swallow dry, as his skin was lightly cut, he began to feel that perhaps he had come to execute him rather that save him. But Nielle knew what he was doing. He only lightly pushed harder, creating a shallow cut on the young man's throat. He leaned closer to him and with the sword still under his chin, brought his face close enough to see the details of his irises.

“Light blue...beautiful." He laughed and lightly moved closer to his neck.

Shane wanted to protest, but it was hard to do with a sword at his throat, so when Nielle's tongue reached the slightly shallow gash and lightly pecked at it, Shane just gritted his teeth in pain. However, he wasn't going to let this happen again. The moment Nielle stole some of his blood, Shane's neck flared painfully and he once again felt the sick feeling of his luck slipping away, he kicked forward aggressively.

Nielle jumped back amused, laughing lightly as he expected a similar reaction and put the sword back. He motioned for the men to return to their horses and walked over to Shane again, who was just clutching his neck in displeasure.

"I appreciate all the efforts to guard my property, so I'm glad how nicely you defend yourself, but in the future, do it only if someone else tries to take it," he began and extended his hand to him, but Shane irritably brushed it away, " Lacris sent you to us for some reason, but why you are here is beyond me...all I care about is how you behave in my presence...and believe me, insolence is not a problem for me. To teach someone discipline happens to be my hobby. If you want to be naughty, I'll have the same fun anyway. I'll just use ways you won't like. So think about how you want to behave and whether it's better to be tame. Lacrisan."

After his words, Shane realized that this white haired youth was indeed the prince he was supposed to meet yesterday. He cursed in his mind, how he didn't believe that he really had more bad luck than real luck and closed his eyes in an attempt to adapt to the unpleasant situation.

"Shane," he finally said disgruntled, backing away from Nielle as his proximity irritated him, "my name is Shane."

Nielle smiled gently: "To me, you´re Lacrisan."

"I'm not a thing, I'm a person, I have a name," he frowned, "I know it's hard to understand, since it's hard for me to take your people as a humans, but if you treat me like a thing, I won't be the only one for whom it will be unpleasant." He clarified.

Nielle gently raised his eyebrows and after a while laughed with pleasure: "Really?" he chuckled lightly, "I can't wait." He looked at him with interest for a moment before walking back to his horse.

Shane looked at him with displeasure, but since he had found the person he was sent to, he wasn't about to back down. After a while he strode after him.

“Can you ride a horse?” Nielle asked him, dismounting his white horse before letting bring another one to Shane.

"Of course,“ He didn't understand who the prince thought he was.

However, he didn´t receive additional information. He understood that he was supposed to disembark, so he did so. When Nielle made sure that he really wasn't lying, he instructed the soldiers which formation they should keep in. He then broke into a gallop and Shane, who had no idea where they were going, set off after him. He didn't feel comfortable knowing who he was following, and the presence of eleven guys who he clearly couldn't count as allies didn't add to his vigor.

However, he had no choice, he had nowhere else to go and he knew he had to fulfill his duties. And so he followed him. He clearly wasn't beaming with enthusiasm, and Shane doubted he'll ever even crack a genuine smile in this hideous country.

There was only one thought running through his mind: "How could I end up with a Rinselan who doesn't even call the Lacrisans by name?"

***

When he arrived in the city, he didn't know what to look at first. The enthusiasm that had been filling him all day rose to a level he didn't even know was possible, and it duly showed on him. He energetically ran between the alleys, between the various shops with goods that he often saw for the first time. The world had really changed during that time, and he had no idea how many things people had invented.

He wanted to buy something, he wanted to talk to someone, but he didn't know where to stop first, so he just walked up and down, greeted people, looked at everything, and couldn't stop at one place. Until one of the merchants forced him.

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„Luck with you," Greeted him in front of the flower stand, looking contented.

Rue looked at him enthusiastically and finally approached someone: “Luck with you." He smiled and looked at the beautiful bouquets that the man was selling.

"It's a beautiful day to give flowers to your bride-to-be, look around, make her happy, that's what guys are for." The guy laughed.

Rue blinked slightly, as if for a moment he didn't understand what the man was talking about, but he smiled anyway. In the normal world, at the age he looked, it was normal to have a fiancee, or to be married with several children to feed. However, for Rue there was no such thing. In his country, everything worked differently in his customs, and he knew that he wouldn´t get a fiancee or anything like that. And he wasn't even interested.

Infey was a land where Luck decided everything. Their population was numerically stable. They all lived in it for hundreds of years before their contact with Luck was cut off. Only then was one of them, according to the layer in which Infey was absent, given permission to create a child. In other circumstances, similar acts were prohibited and sex was a taboo throughout the country. Rue considered all intimate matters to be blessed by Luck, and sex was a most sensitive matter for him, which he had never experienced, nor intended until Luck´ll command.

"I don't have an upcoming one, but I'd like to buy some flowers." He smiled and looked at the colorful goods in front of him.

The man was confused by his phrase, but he didn't show it: "Of course...flowers are beautiful for every occasion for everyone." He laughed.

"They are beautiful...which one would you choose?" He wondered.

The man was waiting for this question all the time. Ever since he spotted rich looking Lacrisan in the crowd, he was looking forward to selling his flowers to him at a high price. Recently, business hasn´t gone very well, flower shops have increased in number and he really needed to sell as much as possible. Although the quality of his flowers wasn´t above standard in the capital, as he didn´t say. However, the rich, naive and young Lacrisans were the best buyers, they loved flowers and, in a country unpleasant to them, they liked to enjoy their days with similar frivolities.

"When I see you like that, daffodils suit you," he started with the cheaper options and then closed his eyes thoughtfully and took a better look at Rue, "or no no...roses, definitely roses...red...or yellow. ..no, white, unmistakably white...rare white roses...behold." He pointed in front of him to the flowers he needed to sell most urgently and briskly tied several bouquets together.

"They look beautiful, don't they?" He laughed.

Rue, who found all the flowers beautiful, nodded: "They´re beautiful...all...white roses are common, but each flower is special." He clarified.

The florist objected: "Not at this time of the year...white ones are rarer...ask anywhere." He lied.

“Really?” Rue didn't know, “You have enough of them, you must be a skilled seller if you can get them when the time isn´t right for them.” He stated naively and looked at the flowers.

"I'm the best in town." He lied and slowly started tying the bouquets into one big one.

“All of them?” Rue blinked in confusion.

"Flowers are more beautiful when there are more of them," remarked the guy with satisfaction.

"True," Rue nodded and pulled out a bag of money, "how much is it?"

"You´re very likeable and you love flowers. Show how much you have and I'll tell you, I'll give you discounts." He said.

"Thank you." Rue smiled and showed the man the contents of the pouch.

At that moment, the guy almost dropped the bouquet and he coughed loudly, as he had never seen so much money in his life.

"Are you okay?" Rue didn't understand.

"Ngh-agh-hhh-hh!" He coughed in shock, "Yeah...of course." He calmed down and calculated how much was probably in the pouch. However, he didn´t know if his head was even capable of creating such a number.

He had seen a lot of gold, silver and sometimes a diamond gem in his life, although he never owned them. However, he had never seen more diamonds in one place before. Even the royal family didn't pay with diamonds. In fact, he had never heard of them having many at all. You couldn't just get diamonds, you had to be really lucky to come across one through an acquaintance or be a thief. And if someone got one, he guarded it like his life, or he immediately turned it into gold, which was at least not noticeable. It was unheard of to have more diamond stones just like that, and the guy suddenly didn't know how to react.

"Do you live in Rinsel?" He suddenly changed the subject to find out what his customer might actually be.

"I just came, I'm passing through." explained Rue.

"Of course." Breathed the guy, knowing that it's probably just the disgustingly rich Lacrisan who travels the world and won't stay in Rinsel.

"How much are those flowers?" Rue asked again as the man didn't speak.

"Since it's you, one translucent stone will do." He laughed. He wanted to know if the young man knew anything about money at all, if he was raised only to spend. He wanted to know if he could happen to get a stone for the first time, which he never dreamed he would ever see so close, not that it would get into his possession.

“Just one?” Rue asked, pulling out a stone of which Infey had heaps.

"Only one." The guy smiled broadly as he began to enjoy the profit that was getting closer to him. Especially when he was relieved to find out that the young man was really stupid.

"Okay, thank you." Rue cheered, placing a shiny stone in front of the florist.

The guy swallowed hard as he almost didn't dare to accept the money. He only reached for the diamond stone with trembling hands while Rue stared at the white roses on the counter next to him. The exchange went through, the guy took the money he wasn't entitled to and Rue got flowers he didn't even know how to use.

"Thank you." The guy said enthusiastically and immediately hid the diamond stone in his pocket so that no one would see it.

"Thank you, Luck with you." Rue said and walked away.

The guy behind him stared silently, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. When he woke up in the morning, his compass showed that he didn´t have much of his luck left and he would soon have to recharge it somehow. He really didn't think that the naive rich Lacrisan would get to him and just give away one diamond for a bunch of useless flowers.

He laughed excitedly for a few short seconds before a new person stopped by the flower shop. The sharp placement of his elbows on the counter forced the seller to jump up and look at the new customer. At first glance, he appeared to be a similar age to Lacrisan before him, but he had a completely different kind of smile playing on his face than the naive youth.

His bright blue eyes were just bursting with luck, which the florist always envied Lacrisans, and his red hair, matching the pleasant red uniform, was so striking that he immediately realized that this was no ordinary Lacrisan.

"I'm really lucky to have weird people today." He thought.

“Luck with you, would you like some flowers?" He asked after a while.

“You need the luck more than I, don't you think?" Laughed Ylre, who clearly didn´t come here for flowers.

"Hahah," the guy laughed, "of course I need it...but for me it's lucky if someone buys flowers." He declared.

,,Really? I don't know if I have enough diamonds for the bouquets," he laughed, "you increased the price." Ylre pointed out ironically.

The merchant blinked nervously: "What are you talking about? What diamonds?” He laughed.

"Did I say something funny? I just saw you sell a customer two dozen of roses that grow free outside the city for a diamond.” Ylre laughed in a way that didn't sound amused at all.

Strange chills went through the man when he looked at his face, forcing him to back away, although he didn't know the reason at all. The young man oozed danger that he would like to avoid, but suddenly he didn't know how to react so that nothing would spread further. If anyone found out about his deception, he would be out of town...at best.

"You must have seen wrong." He tried.

,,Really? I can still see him," Ylre looked behind Rue, "Should I go and ask him? Or better yet, should I ask the guards around the corner to search your pockets? I hear it's been pretty busy with thieves lately...if they found something you couldn't have, they would definitely be interested." He clarified.

A cold sweat ran down the man's forehead as he began to panic: "I-I," he didn't know how to answer, "I...I just need money..." He finally admitted.

"Next time, choose the people you wrongfully take from better." Ylre said, placing his palm on the counter to take the diamond. The guy looked at him in embarrassment.

"I...I really need it." He tried.

“More than the hand you'll lose if I report you?” Ylre wondered.

The men flinched in terror as he imagined at best getting his hand cut off by one of Prince Nielle's executioners if the guards really looked in his pockets. He hesitated for a moment before realizing that he really wasn't lucky, that he really had just foolishly come up with something he didn't even claim and reached into his pocket with a sigh. He took out the diamond he had only owned for less than a few minutes and handed it to Ylre.

“Wise.” Ylre laughed softly and turned away.

,,Hold on! And for those flowers? They weren’t free…now I’ve redone…at least pay for his flowers!” He protested.

Ylre looked at him dispassionately: "You wanted to rob him, he ended up robbing you. Learn your lesson and be happy that you have all your fingers left," he said and walked away.

Ylre didn´t care about the Rinsel man who had just run out of Money. He smiled gently and ran on his way to find Rue, whom he had been looking for for less than a day. He knew he wouldn't be far, so he only hurried lightly. But when he came to a crossroads and suddenly had no idea where to go next, he took out his compass with a sigh and looked at the hands that showed a clear direction.

He continued to run through the crowd until he saw a beautiful black robe in the crowd that he recognized from Infey. He smiled contentedly and quickly caught up with Rue. He touched his shoulder very lightly and stopped the young man.

Rue turned in surprise. He gently backed away from the man who was able to touch him, though he was wary of everyone and blinked a few times. His golden eyes met Ylre's bright blue ones, evoking a strange feeling in him. He wanted to run away, but for some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away from the young man's expression, so he hypnotized him for a few long seconds before realizing that he was acting strangely.

However, he couldn't help himself....something told him that running away wasn´t right, something told him that he should stay.

“Can I help you?” Rue blurted out, taken aback by his own behavior.

Ylre smiled lightly and held out his palm with the diamond to Rue: "You dropped this."

Rue blinked at the shiny stone and looked at the young man again, "Me?" He didn't believe.

Ylre nodded, "I was standing by the flower shop when you were paying and one fell on the ground." He smiled and looked at Rue's hand, which still hadn't taken the stone.

However, he didn´t force him to do so, he didn´t reach out to him, nor did he force the stone into his palm. He was waiting...waiting for Rue to realize what he was saying and take it himself.

"I see...in that case, thank you," Rue smiled more tenderly and gave him a pleased look, what a happy feeling filled him. “How nice the people are in this city,“ he thought to himself.

He gently spread his palm in front of him. Ylre stared at him silently for a moment before setting the stone over him and gently releasing it. The stone fell into Rue's palm, who slowly gripped it and pulled it close as Ylre watched his satisfied expression. His golden eyes locked on him again and barely before Ylre could take a closer look at him, barely before he could think of what to say, Rue backed away again.

"You're welcome," he smiled. Ylre continued to watch him carefully, lost in his own thoughts to the point that he almost didn´t notice that Rue handed him a white rose.

Confused, Ylre accepted the rose and looked at it confused. He hypnotized the flower with a look as if he had never seen a similar one before. He wanted to say something, thank him, but he didn't have time to do anything as Rue spoke again and ended their conversation.

"Luck with you," Rue smiled at him contentedly and waved at him.

With a rose in his hand, Ylre watched as he walked into the crowd, before he conjured up a barely noticeable smile, "Luck with you," he said, though Rue had long since disappeared into the streets of the city.

But it didn't matter, because even though their meeting was short, he knew that once he found him, he wouldn't lose him again. He knew they would meet again soon.

***

Shane felt as if he was a prisoner. A group of soldiers surrounded him in formation, as if waiting for him to escape, while Nielle galloped contentedly at the head of the group. Shane had no idea where they were going, but he assumed they were near the capital, so the palace would be their destination. That's why he was quite surprised when they suddenly stopped at a small river and everyone dismounted.

"We'll rest here for a while, wait." ordered Nielle.

One by one, the soldiers led their horses to the river, the flow of which wasn´t tolled. Shane followed suit. He looked at Nielle. The prince didn't even look at him before slowly making his way along the river to the small bridge that led to the village which could be seen on the other side.

"Where's he going?" Shane asked the soldiers, but they didn't look like they wanted to communicate with him.

Shane let out a deep sigh and sat down on the grass. His first day in Rinsel wasn't exactly the most ideal, but it was still tolerable. And so he just waited for Nielle to come back, wherever he went.

While the group of soldiers stayed by the water, the prince made his way across the bridge to the other side. At a certain point, he threw on a coat, threw a hood over his head to cover his conspicuous hair, and calmly made his way between the houses.

The village they stopped at was nothing significant compared to others near the capital. More populated that it almost didn't resemble a village, with a bunch of travelers just passing through. It wasn't Nielle's first time here, but it still didn't represent anything important to him. He walked among the people with a slow pace towards the place he had to visit today.

When he finally stopped, he didn't even look up at the name of the store and simply walked into it. The pleasant smell of a mixture of herbs and fruit aroma immediately hit his nose.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The merchant smiled at him from behind the counter.

Nielle walked past several customers near the shelves to the seller and placed his hands on the table: "Ninety grams of lavender and something suitable for sleep."

The merchant laughed softly, "Lavender is also good for sleep."

"Something stronger," added Nielle.

"There are several stronger herbs next to you, and if you don't like them, I have the strongest one at the back. You can choose," he said.

"As strong as possible," Nielle nodded.

"Then come with me," said the merchant, allowing Nielle to walk past the counter and back through the curtain.

Nielle followed the merchant into the warehouse to the next room. They walked purposefully before stopping at one of the shelves. The guy slowly opened it, revealing the passage to the dark corridor. Nielle took the initiative and finally dropped the hood from his hair after the shelf slammed shut behind them giving them privacy.

"When did you catch him?" He wondered.

"Yesterday after midnight, Your Highness, I let you know as soon as we confirmed his identity," he clarified.

"At the Happy Mines?" He asked.

,,Yes, sir."

Nielle continued to the next room, which at first glance looked like just another tea warehouse, if not for the handcuffed stuffed guy on the ground in the middle of it. Lacrisan, about thirty years old, whose blue eyes were fixed on him, looked like he would prefer to stab him if he had free hands.

"What a nice view," Nielle said, "you killed your owners, tryied to break into a place where you shouldn´t, and now you are looking at me like it's my fault you ended up like this?" He laughed.

The Lacrisan grunted exasperatedly into the obstruction in his mouth, before Nielle let him speak.

He spat on the ground in anger and barked through the blood in his mouth: "You bastards...your nation should never have existed, it all belongs to us," He shouted.

Not wanting to listen to the same crap again, Nielle sighed and roughly kicked the guy in the face, simply sending him to the ground.

"I don't have time for nonsense, I don't care what you did, if you want to save yourself a really unpleasant interrogation, answer the questions, otherwise you'll end up like a bunch of your colleagues before you, understandable, right?" he raised his eyebrows.

The guy just grunted in irritation and spat bloody saliva on Nielle's shoes, who let out a deep sigh: "As you wish," He said and nodded to his employee next to him, who understood and pulled the guy´s hand out of the ropes. Then he spread out his palm to Nielle, who stomped on it roughly.

There was a crack through the room as several of his tiny bones broke in a second. The guy's scream of pain faded away in the hand of the man who kept holding him.

"If you don't want to say who else is working with you, that's fine," Nielle pushed his hand more roughly and added, "I'll catch you all, you're not the first or the last to try to pass information. I just wanted to give you a chance... you wasted it." he stated and stomped on his hand again.

"Nghhhh!" The guy whined in shock. His bloody face mixed with the tears that came out of his eyes with another stomp. Nielle just laugh softly.

"My Lacrisans can withstand almost anything and I won't get tears out of them right away," he said, "how did they train you in Lacris? Probably didn´t." He nodded to his man behind him, who smiled contentedly and leaned towards the guy. He kept his hand over Lacrisan´s mouth so that his unpleasant scream couldn´t be heard.

Nielle watched as the man gently approached Lacrisan's face and lightly pressed his lips to his cheeks. The man's struggle to break free multiplied in a second, his squealing went from discomfort to maddened aggression as his body heated up in agony, and although Nielle was still standing on his arm, the man no longer felt the slight pain from the fractures.

"What's it like?" Nielle wondered after a while.

The vendor gently pulled away from Lacrisan's tears and dropped his unconscious body to the ground as the pain stunned him, making it impossible for him to continue his interrogation.

"Average," he clarified, "thank you, sir."

Nielle just nodded and said, "His owners?"

"We burned down the house, it was closed as an accident with four victims including him," He answered.

Nielle nodded, "I was going to take him to the palace for questioning, but I changed my mind, just get rid of him." He declared, knowing that this guy, like his predecessors, knew nothing about the movements of others.

"Yes, sir.“

Nielle took the man back to the teahouse. In the warehouse Nielle took the required tea from a nearby bag and put the hood back on his head before returning to the register.

"Good choice," the salesman laughed as he placed Nielle's tea on the counter.

"And the lavender, I need it to last at least a week," He said.

The guy understood the hidden meaning behind Nielle's words and smiled softly. He set about preparing the tea he had ordered and after getting everything he needed Nielle headed out.

He wasn't the most pleased with the outcome of his trip, but he couldn't help but get rid of the guy. It wasn't the first Lacrisan in the last weeks to kill its owners and try to break out, probably with sensitive information. Luckily, Nielle had noticed and resolved all the incidents before they reached the king, but still hadn't found all the spies involved in the incidents. However, right now wasn´t the best time to be interrogate new Lacrisans in his dungeons, and he wasn't going to risk anyone in the palace finding out about things they weren't supposed to know about.

Nielle knew what the Lacris had been trying to do for years, he knew that they wanted nothing more than the destruction of other countries. However, Nielle wasn´t going to allow any of that. Neither their dominance nor their foolish endeavors coming to light. He knew that his father would intervene, he knew that he wouldn´t hesitate to declaring war on the daring Lacrisans. He knew that Louise would go there, and maybe even himself.

And he was clearly not going to risk it...war or end to his peaceful life. That's why he didn't let the king find out what Lacris was planning, neither let Lacris succeed. And since it worked for him in recent years, he continued.

The local tea shop was just one of many he owned. There was nothing better to hide a network of spies than an inconspicuous business that immediately caught on in all countries. His tea came from several lands, was the most popular, and his brand was a variety of goods suitable for both the poor and the snobbish rich.

Everyone in the world knew his tears, and no one would ever have guessed that the third Prince of Rinsel was behind their operation with other goals. Also the finances that he obtained from the business weren´t harmful. Anyway, it wasn't noticeable.

After all, Nielle had a free hand in punishing criminals and sending spies and men wherever he wanted. He shouldn´t have needed to do so secretly without the king's knowledge. However, the reality was different and Nielle needed that no one, especially his father, knew about his affairs, he needed to keep his network of people secret both from him and from anyone who wanted to destroy his plans.

He didn't trust anyone...and his family the least.

And so he took the tea bags to the river. On the way, he stopped at several shops, one with coffee, one with sweets. He packed souvenirs for his brothers so that the tea deliveries wouldn´t sound conspicuous after each of his trips and returned to the road.

After all, once the small matter that had forced him to leave the palace was resolved, he could spend the rest of the day doing more pleasant things...like getting to know his new Lacrisan.