"Still nothing?" Lucy asked promptly the moment Seth appeared from the door.

The young red-haired man sighed, shaking his head to confirm Lucy's displeasure. "The city guard and some of my associates are doing their best, but we still have to wait," Seth said, causing the young maiden to pale slightly.

"We've been waiting for three days now. If we wait any longer than this..." Lucy snaps, her voice close to shouting, when Seth puts a placating hand over her shoulder.

"We'll find her. I promise you we will find her." Seth replied with a resounding resolution. The young lady paused. Thoughts thoroughly digesting his words before her body relaxed slightly before a healthy blush flushed her face.

"Y-yes... t-thank you gobs." Lucy mumbled beneath her breath. Her gaze avoided his as her once-paled ears warmed up slightly. It did not escape Seth's attention.

The red-haired merchant, finding an opportune time to ease her worries, simply could not resist the urge. A smirk formed across his lips before the words rolled off his tongue. "Is my dear Lucy blushing?" Seth drawled, exacerbating the red blush.

Lucy's jaw dropped; previous trouble left her mind as she could only stare back in shock at the audacity of the red-hair merchant. Handsome, but brazenly infuriating.

"...I wouldn't do that if I were you gobs. You wouldn't want it to happen again, would you?" Lucy gave a smirk of her own, memories flowing back of what happened underneath the tree. Seth seems to remember, evident in his growing rosy cheek.

Feeling slightly mischievous, Lucy pushed on, allowing her hand to freely travel across his shoulders. "Or perhaps you do want me to do it again?" Seth could not help but redden this time as Lucy smiled triumphantly.

"...And if I do?" However, it did not last long as Seth fired back. Lucy tried to pull her hand away, but Seth did not let her. "It seems you are forgetting just how gullible you are, Lucy. If you keep this up..." Seth paused, drawing closer to Lucy's ear. The distance between the two was so close that they could hear each other's breath.

The two young spirits were as bright as rubies, though the two could not notice it at the moment. Both were enraptured and anxious to one another's presence as Seth whispered softly in her ear.

"...I might just help myself." Lucy reddens. Seth blushed considerably in embarrassment and delight, though a pang of dissatisfaction crept through his heart. He wanted to say more, but his courage gave out at the last moment.

"...Y-you wouldn't." Lucy's voice trembled in embarrassment, though unknowingly or not, a hint of invitation was clear in her voice. Seth's eyes widened as he quickly took a step back when he saw it.

Eyes trembling in surprise and anticipation, Seth could not help but be drawn into those sapphire-like eyes. The room was quiet. Eerily so as the breathing of the two were the only ones that could be heard.

S-should I do it? Seth felt his resolve weaken as his consciousness slowly drew back to reality. Putting up a façade and maximizing trade rights? That he can do. Kissing the girl he has fallen for? He might as well slay an Uftrin.

Hunting one of those beasts was far simpler than the conundrum he was standing on now. Seth was about to pull back when he saw the look of disappointment in Lucy's eyes. It was barely visible, but a man in love can make him see things that others would not.

Mustering the courage once more, Seth draws closer this time. Startled, Lucy closes her eyes as if she was preparing for the worst and the best. The young man reaches his goal and gives a small peck on her forehead.

Lucy's eyes shot wide as Seth quickly retreated. Bright as an apple, Seth avoided her gaze. The two could not help but feel the rush coursing through their veins. The two were undeniably happy... but Lucy could not help but feel a pang of disappointment in her heart.

The young maiden suddenly chuckled, drawing Seth's attention once more. "F-for a second there, I thought there was something else." Lucy teased as Seth reddened even more. "Ah, but I shouldn't expect too much from a gobs, isn’t that right?" Seth was utterly gob-smacked as his jaw dropped slightly. The playful tease within Lucy's eyes never changed as he quaked in his boots.

The young lady even had the gall to give a smirk of her own. She truly believed she had won this time. That he failed despite his countless victories. Seth was not having it. Mustering his courage once more, the young man approaches the young lady in stride.

"Oh? Is our little gobs upset?" Lucy quipped as she gave a chuckle. An annoying, but surprisingly adorable chuckle in Seth's ears. Seth truly was at a loss how someone can be so brazen yet so adorable-

No focus! We are going for it this time!

Seth felt his throat tighten up before swallowing in commitment. "Hmm? Is there something you want to say, gobs dear?" Lucy laughed, ignorant of the current commitment the man was preparing for.

...You asked for it. Seth thought to himself as his right hand gently brushed off her hair from her ear. Sapphire eyes widened in horror, realizing too late what was happening as Seth drew closer.

Their lips meet. Warm to the touch and surprisingly salty, the two savored one another's warmth and presence. Lucy felt her mind go blank. Suddenly, nothing in the world mattered.

As if finally reuniting with her missing piece, Lucy had forgotten everything. The war, the blood, the screaming, the betrayal, the horrors, the fears, everything was gone. For an instant, the darkness was gone. Only the warm touch remained.

Seth, who spent every day resisting his family’s influence, had found warmth. A woman's warmth, one that cannot be traded with all of his possessions combined. Though given the chance, he would gladly surrender all that he had.

His titles, his wealth, his prestige, his honor, and even his life's work, he was ready to give it all if it meant to keep this warmth for the rest of his life. To keep this beautiful gift from the Gods by his side.

It was not long, however, when the cold inevitability separated them both. Their lips bid farewell as the two drew in deep breaths as they had forgotten to breathe in the moment. They were on a rush. The feeling, the warmth, it was beautiful. It was mesmerizing. The two barely registered what had happened between them when they felt the warmth fading from their lips.

Lucy had never despised the cold winds as much as she does now. She needed that warmth. Seth never knew how hungry he had been and how much he craved for that warmth once more.

It felt so empty. Both of them had never despised the cold void as much as they do so now. Both knew they should stop there, but the two were still unsatisfied- no, they had been unsatisfied from the very beginning. Hungry for one another's warmth, their love. The two yearned for it. Their appetite suddenly rose to new heights as they drank each other's image.

Sapphire and emerald met, savoring one another's presence as if it was all that mattered in the world. "...Yuck." Though the two knew they had to go back to reality, they never knew it would take form in the smallest, but cruelest of creatures.

The two turned back in shock and embarrassment to Iva's slightly disgusted face. "I-Iva! H-how long have you been standing there?" Seth tried to pass off as if nothing had happened with a smile.

Iva's disturbed gaze, however, shot down whatever confidence he had. "... Been knocking for a while. N-no one answered, so I opened it." Iva said, pointing at the door.

"A-ah I s-see. H-how much did you see?" Seth asked.

"..."

"...I see." Seth was thoroughly considering learning the dark arts just to cast memory manipulation on the poor little one.

A heavy silence fell across the three when Iva thankfully broke the ice first. "I-I got this f-for you. S-someone told me to give it to you." Iva said, avoiding Lucy's gaze as she handed the letter.

"A-ah! T-thank you I-Iva..." It was all Lucy could say. Not even the soldier within could withstand the embarrassment she was handling now.

"T-then I'll go now." Iva quickly replied before bolting through the door.

"Ah wait, Iva!" Seth shouted, but the little girl was already gone.

Cold sweat emerges from the two as Seth quietly closes the door. Silence reigns in for a moment before Seth suddenly chuckles.

"Y-you think this is funny?" Lucy hissed in reprehension, though her voice did not carry any weight at all.

"Well, considering what I got in exchange, I say it was quite worth it... wouldn't you agree?" Seth shot back his signature smirk as Lucy reddened in frustration and embarrassment.

"Y-you! Y-you...." Lucy stammered, causing the smirk to morph into a smile. An unfair smile.

"Yes?" Seth fluidly replied as if he was innocent.

"Y-you were the one who did it! T-take responsibility for it!" Lucy screeched as her heart palpitated to new records.

"Me? I'm sorry, but I seemed to remember how a bold young lady was daring me to go. If anything, you should be the one to take responsibility." Seth shot back as Lucy felt her jaw dropped back once more in complete astonishment and incredulity.

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"I-I'm the one who's wrong here?? I-I was the one who even warned you! Me! Not you!" Lucy begged for her innocence, though Seth was not having it.

"Ah, but we both know that is a lie, don't we? You say you warned me, but your eyes told a different story m-my... my dear Lucy" Whatever initial bravado Seth had had failed spectacularly as he now struggled to speak those three words without blushing.

Lucy was as bright as rubies can be. She never felt so infuriated, so wronged... and so happy that she could dance if she was alone in the room.

A kiss. A genuine kiss. The youth within her once dreamed of trying it, at least once with Kier. Betrayal and war had killed all of that dream. Amidst the roaring clash of steel and flesh, such dreams were abandoned in favor of survival.

Even when she returned, Lucy had never once entertained the thought. Never once considered what she would do if she did have the chance. Now that she was living in the moment, Lucy lamented how unprepared she was.

She did not know where to look, how to act, or what to say. She was entirely unprepared for the first time for as long as she could remember.

Desperate to buy some time to clear her thoughts, Lucy quickly opened the letter. I-I actually did it. T-this is... is this how being couples feel like? Lucy smiled; her chest filled with warmth. S-so warm... Lucy thought as she unfolded the paper.

...I wonder if I can do it with him again. N-no! Y-you s-shameful girl! Control yourself! You are not a... Lucy felt her smile died on her lips as her eyes widened in horror. The young maiden felt the exact same time the warmth within her chest died as she rereads the letter all over again.

Once, twice, thrice, and even when she had read it for the fourth time, the letter did not change, no matter how desperately she wanted it to. "Lucy?" Seth hurriedly rushes over to her side, sensing the sudden shift in her presence.

"Is everything all right? What seems to be the..." Seth trailed off when he saw it. His emerald eyes quickly scrutinized every detail within the paper before a grimace slowly formed across his face.

"T-they have her..." Lucy's voice trembled in fear, much to Seth's anger and pain. The desire to rip whoever wrote the note from limb to limb flooded through his head.

He had grown closer with sister Emma, along with everyone in the orphanage, to such a degree that he had never considered before.

They were like family to him now. A family far more open than his. To threaten someone so close to him was igniting the young blood within him. But all of it paled in comparison to the pain he was enduring now as he watched Lucy fall in panic. He never knew it would be this painful.

Anything else. Seth was prepared to endure anything else than watch the lady in his heart suffer. The pain of a thousand needles was suddenly more appealing than watching Lucy helplessly fall deeper into terror.

"Lucy, listen to me." Seth spoke, arms holding her shoulder firmly to keep it from trembling.

"S-seth they had Emma! T-they have h-her! We have to-" The words died midway from her lips as Seth embraced her trembling figure.

Surprised, but not unwelcome, Lucy allowed herself to be consumed by his warmth. His soothing heartbeat slowly steeled her nerves as her breathing slowly stabilized. "Lucy, look at me." Seth whispered softly, but firmly.

Lucy slowly allowed herself to drift away from the safety of his arms, no matter how desperate she was to remain in place.

Sapphire and emerald eyes meet once more, the former filled to the brim with unease and hope as the latter burned in conviction. "I'll gather what I can. We will try to save sister Emma, but I will not lie to you now, this battle is not in our favor." Lucy's eyes widen in alarm, though before she can speak, Seth continues immediately.

"Of course, I will try. I will do my best to come back with sister Emma by my side." Seth said as Lucy minutely relaxed. Here comes the hard part. "...But I want you to stay here." The effect was immediate, a hard scowl marking her face.

"I can fight." Lucy hissed, eyes burning in indignation. "You've seen what I can do gobs! I am a... a-a... c-champion." Lucy forced the word out with great difficulty. So much blood and hate that word had brought her life, yet now... now she needed to become one once more.

"I know." Seth said without resistance, though it only fanned the flame inside Lucy more.

"Then why are you trying to stop me?" Lucy spat out acidly, almost as if she was ready to kill once more. The Virescent spear waited to tear down whatever excuses Seth had come to prepare to stop her.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt." Though his reply was simple, it staggered Lucy to such an extent that monsters could never hope to replicate.

"W-what? That's-"

"Selfish? Unreasonable? I know. Kalva be damn, but I know all too well." Seth hastily admitted as his hands curled into fists, trying his best to hide the trembling in his hands. His heart was beginning to beat wildly once more, though this time it was filled with fear.

"I know you are strong, Lucy. Believe me, I had seen what you had done to those wretches back at the hill." Seth said, trying to steel his nerves. "But the mere thought I would find your body convulsing like it did back then... I don't think I can do it." Seth admitted weakly.

Silence fell between the two before a low chuckle escaped from Seth. "Y-you know in a way; it is still your fault. You are making me worry too much." Seth smiled softly. “L-look at me. I never trembled like this before. I could only blame you.” His warm emerald eyes shine as Lucy bit her lip.

The fire that had once burned within Lucy's chest was all but snuffed out by Seth's words. That's... this is... it's just unfair. Lucy cursed internally as Seth gently touched her hands. Such a small gesture brought the two comfort to no end.

"There is also one more thing I haven't mentioned. One that could only rival my fear for you..." Seth whispered; his complexion became so pale suddenly as swallowed before continuing. "...Your family might have hired them." Almost immediately, the cogs running inside her head froze. Terror, dismay, trauma. All of it came crashing down as Lucy began to tremble violently.

"N-no no no n-n-no t-t-that's-" On the verge of tears, Seth did not wait for even a second this time as he threw his entire being for her. His body trying its best to warm her shivering, vulnerable frame.

"Hey hey, it will be all right. It will be all right, ok?" Seth gently caressed her back as Lucy sobbed quietly in his arms. The two stayed still, savoring the warmth from one another before Seth slowly pulled back, much to their displeasure.

"I will bring her back. It will be fine, I promise." Seth smiled as he gently wiped down the tears from her marred face. Even when she was crying, she was still dazzling in his eyes.

"I-If you don't come back-"

"I will. I- no, we will come back." As firm as bedrock, Seth broker no ground for hesitation in his voice. The young maiden quietly nodded back in silence as Seth reluctantly let go. “I have to go now. Wait for me here, ok?” Seth whispered one last time before departing.

"...W-wait." Lucy said just as Seth was about to leave.

"Yes? Is there-" Seth was cut off as Lucy suddenly embraced him once more. Tighter than ever before as if she was terrified he would disappear for good. It did not take long for Seth to reciprocate as a quiet chuckle escaped from his lips.

"I didn't take you for one for skin ship, my lady." Seth said as Lucy surprisingly and pleasantly, chuckled back.

"As if you are any better." Lucy replied, a small smile gracing her lips as she finally let go.

"Don't worry, it will be over soon." Seth smiled warmly one last time before turning back towards the door.

Lucy watched his back for as long as she could even when he exited the villa and into the cold autumn winds outside. She watched as his figure slowly disappeared from the horizon before crashing back down to a nearby chair.

Deflating from the turn of events, Lucy stared at the fireplace, where the warm flame kept the cold at bay. The room was quiet as if tranquility would reign forever. However, it was not meant to last. ...What do you think? Lucy quietly thought.

'...I have already told you before.' A scowl etched into Lucy's face as the sardonic reply from Emma rang coldly through her mind.

You know what I want. There was no reply. I can do it! I can fight and save them without risking anyone! I just need-

'My help? No, I won't.'

I don't need you to fight! Just watch my back like we always do! A cold chuckle echoed from her mind as Emma sneered.

‘We? Sorry, it seems my time in this cage eroded my understanding a bit. Be patient with me here. Who is ‘we’ are you speaking of? The last time I remembered, ‘we’ don’t throw each other in chains. ‘We’ decide together… remind me again what ‘you’ were doing?’ Lucy clenches her teeth hard, barely forming a response.

…I made a mistake.

‘…’

I just… I just want to keep what I have. I didn’t mean to-

‘Trap me? Cage me? Chained, confined, bound… abandon… me?’ Lucy flinched, each word driving a nail into her heart as the pain and betrayal resonated within Emma’s voice. 'Have you seen yourself lately? You barely maintain your body. Your reserve is barely filled halfway. You don't even have a spear with you. You cannot win.'

…Is that your answer?

‘…Maybe failure for once will knock your senses back.’ Emma hissed before returning.

...Fine then, gloat all you want in that cage. Lucy sneered before cutting off. Lucy massaged her temple for a moment when she saw the letter. Determination flaring up, Lucy picked up the letter, gathering what she could from it, one last time.

֍

'We have her. Come alone and come unarmed. The house by the river. You have three days.'

֍

The nightmares clawed at the back of her mind. When Seth had offered him to stay, Lucy was sorely tempted to do so.

But the mere thought of either one of them dying was enough to endure the paranoia, no matter how dreadful it may be. Losing her home would be painful, but losing a family was unbearable.

The young maiden quietly studied the letter one last time, before throwing them into the fireplace. Lucy made sure not a single trace was left as she watched the flame consume the poor parchment.

When it was all naught but ash, Lucy quickly dressed in a much lighter clothing than her usual nun's clothes. She made her way outside, greeting the cheerful children and sisters along the way. She made sure her front remained strong until she was alone.

When she finally found herself alone, Lucy quickly made her way towards a shed. The tools were in pristine condition, unlike the ones at the old orphanage. Sheers and other gardening tools alike were there, waiting to be used, though Lucy had only eyes for one.

An ax for firewood cutting. Lucy quickly smuggled the ax outside before running towards the location the letter demanded. Back to the old house where Emma had first found her.

...I'm sorry everyone... I'm sorry Seth. Lucy struggled to push down the guilt rising from within. ...It seems I can't keep a single promise... Lucy quietly thought as she disappeared into the forest. Unbeknownst to her, a certain child had seen everything from start to finish and was running after her as fast as her little legs could carry her.