Then the entire ballroom full of stuffed, drunken aristocrats broke out into a burst of contagious laughter. The only people in the room who didn't seem to laugh were Kiev, Christine, Kassandra, Payne, and certainly Jessamine. The Empress's eyes were wide in disbelief, the edge of her lips twitching as she didn't know whether she should smile or continue her path into rage. She just stared at Kaid, who stared back, refusing to look any of the mockery around him in the eye.

He knew what they all assumed: a foreigner, without an ounce of Vitross blood or aristocratic value was putting himself forward for one of the highest esteemed positions any Emperor or Empress possessed. A man with no skill with a sword, let alone any knowledge of politics, elegance, or schemes, was putting himself out there, in front of a man who had trained his entire life for this moment.

Kiev was aghast, but he did not laugh. He thought there was nothing funny in the matter of some foreigner getting in his way, who danced with Jessamine with such intimacy, or wormed his way into getting whatever the hell he wanted because he was 'kind'. Kiev believed Kaid's kindness to have an ulterior motive and he was going to figure it out, no matter the cost. But he would not dare laugh at the man. No, that would only add fuel to his passionate heart.

"Pardon for the interruption, Eden," Jessamine's voice rose over the laughter, everyone growing quiet again, "thank you, for the wonderful, spontaneous gift. I accept it. I acknowledge Kiev's nomination as Guardian. I also acknowledge the nomination of my guest of honor: Kaid. You see, he is my guest of honor tonight because he saved my life. Foreigner he may be, he has the heart of what Vitross represents. An unquenchable fire resides in his heart, a desire to help others, to protect them from harm, while also striking his own enemies down if needed. I will work with my Council of Jurors on a date for the two challengers to fight. In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of the party."

Eden stood up there, a kickable smile on his face. He got what he wanted, and even better, it would embarrass the man he was so keen on getting rid of on those Guard grounds. Kaid should've known challenging for the same position meant a fight, but it didn't quite resonate with him until Jessamine had stated it. He had seen Kiev fight, train until he bled. Perhaps he should've listened to his mind first before jumping into this mess.

Once the party settled, Kaid and Kiev still standing there not once glancing at each other, Jessamine worked her way over. And from the way she walked, she was still angry. She didn't even acknowledge Kiev, going straight to Kaid and grabbing his wrist harshly, pulling him away.

"We need to fucking talk," she spoke, leading him outside away from the party. They reached a small courtyard, flowers and lights strewn everywhere but given the cold weather everyone was staying indoors. Jessamine finally let go of his wrist, walking over to the balcony edge and pacing back and forth. Her cold breath was visible under the light, as if her fury was trying to melt the chill of the evening wind. A part of her hair was out of place, her hand moving to wrap it around her ear before she finally looked at Kaid.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" she asked, her voice on the verge of going off the edge. She didn't want to yell at him. She didn't want to let all her emotions out on the man who only tried to make this evening better for her, who supported her. But how could he ever think this was a great idea?

Kaid stood there, trying to find words to put together. Honestly, at that moment he nominated himself, he wasn't thinking. He just did it. Of course now the reality of the situation was settling in, sinking into this air like unwanted humidity. Kaid wasn't going to let it stop him though. He just was entirely unsure how to express his words in a way she might understand.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Jess asked, this time calming her voice slightly as she stopped pacing, "Do you even want to-"

"Yes, I want to be your Guardian," Kaid interrupted her, seeing the surprise on her face, "I didn't do it for a show, for entertainment for these drunks to talk for weeks about and laugh. You need someone who can protect you. I do not doubt Kiev's ability to protect you. But... I want to protect you. You told me I could stay here, try and find a purpose or meaningful reason to my life and I think I've found it. You said a Guardian would be invasive to every aspect of your life, that's not what I want. For a man who can control time, I know that we never have enough of it. I want to spend this limited time all of us are burdened with, with you."

Jessamine fell silent, now seeing the breath from his lips contrast with his black kaftan, the emotions swelling in his heart, chest rising from the adrenaline in Kaid's veins. He was sincere. She wanted to say she should be relieved. If there was ever a choice in making a Guardian, Kaid would have been her first choice. Fuck tradition. Kaid proved his loyalty, to both her and Vitross, better than any aristocratic brat who's family resided here for hundreds of years. If she was going to be the first Empress, having an outside as her Guardian was the least of her scandals.

But to get there, all of that was up to Kaid.

"I'm sorry for yelling," Jessamine whispered, her blue eyes full of silent apologies.

"I'm sorry for throwing this at you, so spontaneously, on all days your birthday," Kaid apologized, knowing he added more stress to her shoulders, the same shoulders already breaking under the pressure.

"That is not on you," she shook her head, taking a deep breath, "I should've known Eden was planning on taking this public the longer I postponed wanting a Guardian."

It wasn't fair for Jessamine to take the blame. Kaid knew the reasons all too well why she didn't want one. She never trusted easily, if she ever trusted someone at all. The only reason Kaid was different was that in Caladin, Jessamine had to trust him to survive. When given a choice, she wouldn't trust anyone at all. A Guardian was just another person she'd have to keep her eyes on, one who would constantly be watching her every movement and be there for vulnerable moments.

They stood there a moment in silence, Jessamine feeling a shiver on the sheer parts of her dress but did not want to return inside. She would rather stand in the cold, let her heart adjust to its bitter hatred. She hated the men and women who laughed at Kaid, a man who put himself out there (stupidly but bravely), and was mocked for it. She wondered if this kind of anger was the same he felt, hearing all the treacherous whispers of the newspapers or Vitross citizens behind her back.

Kaid adjusted the scarf around his waist to pull the top layer of his kaftan off, leaving him in just a thin black silk long sleeve. He didn't think twice to wrap it around Jessamine's shoulders, getting it to cover all the vulnerable parts of her skin now wrapped in goosebumps. She glanced up at him in appreciation, wishing nothing more than to grab him by the collar of his shirt and press her lips into his. But she couldn't.

Even Jessamine didn't know what he felt, if it was real, or just a radiance of what Jessamine felt for him.

"Kaid, I won't be able to postpone this challenge for long. You're a man only two months into training, against a man who carried a sword the very day he learned how to walk. I know that you know the odds are heavily stacked and I will do whatever it takes to support you in this endeavor. But you have to promise me something," she whispered, stepping closer to him to take his hands, enveloping them in warmth.

"Anything," Kaid replied, one hand moving on top of her own, gently gripping the entirety of it in his hand.

"This duel for Guardian has killed men in the past, men who were too stubborn to quit, men who believed their honor relied on winning this duel or dying. You cannot be like those men. If Kiev is to best you, you must yield. I would rather have you by my side not as a Guardian, than dead because you want this. I will not watch you get hurt in this process. I will not let you overtrain for this. If you go out there and give it your best, I will be proud regardless. I am proud of you, already," she admitted softly.

Kaid had never had anyone proud of him before, to shower praise for something he didn't feel was necessary for it. The Trials in Caladin were not met with praise, only another chance at survival. To hear that from her lips it meant a lot to him, one of the most important words she had ever said to him. To have her support in this reckless, split second decision he made made him feel even more confident he was making the right decision: the right decision for both of them.

"Thank you, Jessamine," he smiled, not sure how to really express his gratitude other than squeeze her soft hands.

"You have a heart of gold, Kaid. That kind of gold is richer than everyone else in that ballroom combined," she responded, smiling in return.

Their moment was ruined when Kaid noticed someone exiting the ballroom and walking towards them, Kaid glancing up to see Mattias walking over. For once, he had actually wished it had been Payne or any other irritable soul rather than this Lungor fool. Kaid bristled, letting go of Jessamine's hand and stepping in front of her.

"Mind if I have a word?" Mattias asked, clearing his throat and looking a little bit more sober than earlier.

"No," Kaid responded.

"I wasn't asking you," Mattias scowled slightly.

"I'm in the middle of a conversation with her," Kaid pointed out the obvious.

"You've been speaking to her all night."

"That's what the guest of honor does," Kaid retorted, seeing Mattias grow red.

"Now, boys, let's not forget I have a voice too," Jessamine interrupted them with a sweet, over the top tone, "I'm sure Mattias whatever you wish to say to me, you can say in Kaid's presence as well."

Mattias didn't seem to like that answer at all, but he wasn't going to let it stop him from saying whatever the hell he wanted, "Jessamine, I know we've had a bit of a rocky past. I apologize for any harm I might have done."

Might?! Was this man that serious?

"I just wanted to reassure you, per my uncle Emperor Bashir's words, that Lungor is not your enemy. We want to work together, establish trade...all the things neighboring kingdoms do. This rumor that we put you into Caladin is baseless and not true no matter what Payne might suggest," Mattias clarified, "we want to work with you."

"All you want is Vitross's turbine technology," Jessamine responded.

"The same turbines that your grandfather refused to give us, resulting in thousands of deaths."

"I'm not my grandfather. When your uncle comes to me with a better agreement that is not reliant on war, tell him I will give him as many turbines as he wishes. But he cannot loom war over my head and think it's enough to give him what he so desires. If he wants a turbine, we want access to your graphite."

Mattias' eyes widened, before he laughed, "You really think we would just hand over our greatest resource, to you? What would a sailing nation be in need of it for?"

"You think I would just hand over my greatest resource?" Jessamine questioned in return.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Drinking water is not a resource; it's a necessity, a human right that your grandfather took away!"

"Well, maybe with your love of liquor you'll find a way to turn whiskey into water. I do what is right for my people. When your Emperor comes with a better offer, I will consider it. I have Arillian matters to attend to, so if he wants to work something out he is going to have to wait until after the fourth season," Jessamine's patience wore thin, "go enjoy the rest of the party. I don't think you'll be returning to Lungor with any good news."

"We'll see about that," Mattias shook his head, scoffing to himself. He glared at Kaid, as if tempted to say something but refused to. The man didn't want to give Kaid more of a reason to be angry at him. Mattias had lost and he knew it was best to acknowledge that and drown his sorrows elsewhere. The man finally lingered off, Kaid feeling that hot anger vanish the second he was out of sight.

"Divines, I hate that man," Jessamine muttered, shaking her head slightly.

"Jess, did he...?" he began to ask, before realizing just how it was none of his concern or business. Kaid knew his constant desire to know the truth meant he couldn't just straight up bring up traumatizing experiences. This wasn't something Jessamine should feel compelled to share with him anyways.

"He did," Jessamine answered for him quickly, those blue eyes hardened for a moment, "but that's for another time, like I said earlier. I don't wish to speak of it now, of all places on my birthday."

"Of course, I'm sorry," Kaid nodded, knowing that while she may have felt comfortable to share, this wasn't the time to do so. Kaid had plenty of questions. If Jessamine could just infiltrate a mind and make it do anything, how could she not get Mattias to stop? None of it was her fault, of course, and Kaid would place all the responsibility and burden on Mattias. The fact she confirmed it only made him angrier.

"Don't apologize," she nudged him, not wanting him to feel guilty about any of it. Only very few knew, and even fewer knew the consequences of Mattias committing such a crime. It set this entire nightmare into motion, whether Mattias knew it or not. Jessamine didn't want to burden him with the entire history that led to her ruling Vitross tonight.

"It may not be the best birthday you've ever had, but I hope it's at least memorable," Kaid leaned into her, trying to cheer her up slightly.

"Oh it's already the best by far, and it's not even over yet. I thought you promised to be with me until morning? Or is that no longer a part of my birthday gift?" she asked, a teasing smile beginning to form. She'd much rather tease him like this than discuss matters of the past. Her future was far more important anyways.

"I didn't know that was part of your birthday gift," Kaid stammered slightly, feeling his cheeks grow a bit red.

"You can always withdraw the offer," Jessamine leaned closer, her hand resting on his upper side, feeling the muscles underneath his shirt. She knew she was getting too far ahead of herself. They had not kissed, other than the one against his cheek and she was already thinking about all the things she could demand of him on her birthday. She was right, this could turn out to be the best birthday she's ever had. She wanted nothing more than to escape this rest of the party and spend the rest of it with him alone.

"No, I'm a man of my word," he responded, feeling his entire body tense upon feeling her hand reside there. His breathing turned slightly ragged, his jaw clenched as he was doing everything in his power to ignore what his body was saying right now. It was just a touch, nothing more. But was it so wrong to resist her? He knew she had already seduced him, there was no going back. But Payne's words lingered in the back of his mind, attempting to fight those urges he had.

Kaid felt Jessamine's nose brush against his own, the hand on his side had moved up to his neck, burying itself gently amongst his beard. Their eyes remained opened, heart rates on the verge of exploding, and lips merely inches away from touching. She was asking him to close the gap, that she brought it this far and now it was his turn to hurl them over this edge. Kaid had the feeling that once started, it could never go back to normal. It was a choice he didn't have to freeze time to make, even though everything could be doomed from this moment forward. Time be damned, he would make the most of it. Kaid leaned forward, lips brushing before a blood curdling scream broke through the silence.

"Help! Somebody, fucking help! He's dying!" a woman shrieked from the ballroom. Both Kaid and Jessamine withdrew slightly, wondering if it was just their imagination. But more screams came from the ballroom and it was clear something was going on. Jessamine turned to rush into action, Kaid moving to grip her wrist but she slipped away. She shouldn't be diving headfirst into danger, not when they didn't know what was going on.

Kaid ran in after her, finding herself pushing through the crowd. Kaid had a more difficult time barreling through, stepping into the open space to see it was Christine the one who was screaming. Jessamine stood frozen along with everyone else at the moment, Kaid finally seeing who had fallen victim to death's grasp tonight.

Payne was writhing on the floor, foaming at the mouth, his body going into complete shock.

"What happened!?" Jessamine shrieked, moving close to Payne. Kaid grabbed her arm, not knowing if what happened could be contagious or some form of poisoning that could latch onto her. She didn't like being grabbed but backed off slightly, realizing why Kaid had done that.

"I don't know, we were talking and drinking and...it started happening so fast," Christine spoke, tears falling down her face. She may despise the man sometimes, but she wasn't just going to witness him dying right in front of her on a night like this. This night of celebration was turning into a chaotic nightmare.

"Where's Cadize?!" Jessamine shouted, looking around her but the crowd was too thick to really try and pinpoint anyone that could help. Cadize could know straight away what was going on, but nobody had any clue where the doctor would be in a large party like this. Nobody knew just how much time they had, if they had much time at all.

"I don't know, I'll go find him," Christine and Kassandra ran off, hoping to find someone who could solve this mess.

"Payne...Payne can you hear me?" Jessamine asked, bending down to glance at him. His face was red like fire, still foaming at the mouth and choking on it severely. He felt like he was suffocating and the only thing he could do was die in front of his Empress.

Kaid still stood there, almost feeling time speak to him, telling him to sit there and watch his enemy suffer. Kaid almost fell into that temptation, taking just a momentary moment to find joy in his torturer being tortured. But this was Jessamine's friend, her only protector at the moment. It was very possible Vitross could fall apart without him, and Kaid knew that he would have to push his own feelings aside to save this man.

Cadize was still nowhere to be found.

Kaid browsed through the memories of his mind, knowing he had read a book about various poisons somewhere. Payne was choking, rhetorically. He had read there was a poison out there, but where? His memory surged back to when he had been in Cadize's office, opening a random page of a book and scanning its contents. What were the odds it was the same poison? What kind of fate was intertwined in this very moment that something as simple as an orange could save his adversary?

"We need an orange. Now!" Kaid shouted over the mess, seeing Jessamine glare up at him in confusion. The rest of the crowd seemed bewildered at the response, but Kiev was quick enough to listen to the command. Kiev ran over to the buffet of food, grabbing the nearest orange he could find before throwing it to Kaid.

Kaid immediately began peeling it, tearing off small pieces of the peel before handing it to Jessamine.

"Make him eat it," Kaid insisted, seeing Jessamine nod. She didn't doubt Kaid for a second, despite the ridiculous request. She leaned back over Payne, trying to get him to eat it. Payne fervently shook his head, as if he'd rather die than let Kaid be right, let a citrus peel counteract a powerful poison. At that moment, Jessamine didn't care what Payne thought. She shoved the peels near his lips, shoving it through the foam before feeling its acidic burn. Payne had swallowed some, hopefully just enough as Jess pulled her burning hand away.

Kaid pulled her away, moving his hand to inspect hers which looked a bit red, similar to a burn from touching a burning stovetop. The gagging from Payne stopped, soon turning into coughing and wheezing, air flowing back into his lungs. Color was returning normally to Payne's skin who no longer was experiencing the same symptoms he was moments ago. The entire crowd was in shock, whispering to each other at the miraculous recovery of the Royal Investigator, and how Kaid knew how to stop it.

"Kaid, how did you-" Jessamine whispered before Cadize pushed through, stress on his face until he realized the situation was resolved.

"Kaid, you're brilliant! You of all people would know how an orange counteracts botulinum toxins," Cadize laughed, the nerves still leaving his system as he realized all was well...to an extent.

"Payne, what happened?" Jess asked, her hand resting on his shoulder as he was still slightly lurched over on the floor. His shaky hand moved, pointing over at the table he must've been standing nearby. Resting there, was an opened bottle of that rosé, Jessamine's favorite and the one thing her lips didn't touch this evening.

Jessamine's face turned pale.

Kaid stood back up to gaze at the crowd, scanning for one particular person and one person alone. The man who had mentioned Jessamine's beloved addiction to the rosê: Mattias. Kaid pushed through the crowd gently before seeing a flash of pearly white attire sneak back out towards that balcony. Fuck, he was going to get away.

Kaid burst through, knocking people over without apology as he ran back out. Mattias had jumped down the railing, already climbing down towards the gardens. Fuck, if he got into the city, this could get disastrous. Kaid leapt over the wall, initiating the chase, not realizing Kiev was following close behind.

Kaid's lungs burned at the running, but it wasn't the same burn he experienced with escaping Caladin. By now, it was just energy filling his lungs, his endurance stronger than ever before that moment. He knew he would have to be wise in using Oblivion. While he could use it to predict Mattias' movements and get closer, if this initiated a fight he'd want as much energy as he could muster.

Luckily enough the streets were relatively empty due to the celebration, most either already asleep or the rest enjoying the remainder of the party. It wasn't much of a party anymore. Kaid knew Mattias couldn't hold off much longer, already running out of steam, knocking things over to stop Kaid. But nothing was going to stop him. He had hurt Jessamine in the past, and now he had attempted to assassinate her with poison. Had Jessamine not picked that Arillian wine, she could've been dead an hour ago. And that pissed Kaid off, and there was no holding back this time.

He finally caught up to the bastard, leaping to tackle him to the ground. Mattias fell with a yelp, hitting the hard rock as Kaid immediately climbed on top of him. He grabbed him by the back of his mangy brown hair, forcing his head up before slamming it into the ground, repeating the process despite Mattias' beg for mercy.

Kaid had warned him he wasn't going to show mercy, not going to stop even if he begged over and over again.

Kaid had enough of not getting his anger out, turning Mattias over as his entire nose was broken, blood seeping from it along with the various scrapes and cuts along his forehead. Kaid threw one punch into his face, and then another, over and over again as he felt rage surge him. How dare he touch Jessamine, dare to kill her. How dare he even try to get away with it! Kaid's scream of rage overcame Mattias' begging, leading Kiev straight to them, witnessing Kaid beating their suspect with every ounce of animosity the foreigner could muster.

"Kaid! Kaid, stop!" Kiev shouted, trying to pry him off, "We need him alive!"

That was the only logic that got through to Kaid in that moment, knowing Mattias was of better use alive than dead. Kaid finally stopped, his heart racing, chest heaving as he glanced down to see the entirety of Mattias' face covered in blood, not an inch of his white skin showing through. Kiev finally pried Kaid off, moving to see if Mattias was even still alive, which by his pained wheezing was. Kaid crawled back to lean against the nearest wall, panting heavily as he wondered what the hell he had just done.

He had never beaten a man like that before, to the point he could've killed him and enjoyed it. It felt so different from the moment he had killed that Caladin guard, feeling his Oblivion surge, but also feeling the guilt of taking a life overcome him. He didn't feel any guilt here, only anger, an anger he long kept secret to himself.

"You're lucky he's alive," Kiev spoke, looking over at Kaid, "are you alright?" Kaid for a moment thought he was asking Mattias, until he saw Kiev looking at himself. It was the first words the two had said to each other upon being picked for Guardians to each other. What felt like forced animosity was far from it. Despite the new tension between them, they both held respect for each other. Kiev didn't necessarily approve of Kaid beating this man, but he now realized Kaid wasn't the withdrawn, peaceful heart of gold the Guards teased him to be.

"I'm okay," Kaid answered breathlessly, feeling like he wanted to curl up at the moment against that wall, his hands and limbs still shaking as the adrenaline wore off.

Kaid watched Kiev put Mattias' wrists together before shooting a cold blast of ice, enveloping the wrist together in a binding of glacier. Kiev could control water, ice more specifically. It was the first time Kaid had witnessed his Oblivion, but he supposed he was already a good fighter with a sword that he never needed to use his Oblivion. But, it sure came in handy at the moment when Kiev didn't have his handcuffs.

"Ow, that hurts," Mattias cried.

"Shut up," Kiev scowled, picking him up and watching the blood pool all down his white suit, "Kaid, come. We can take him back together."

"Go on ahead, I think I need a moment," Kaid spoke honestly, looking at his bruised hands, his knuckles busted and covered with blood. Mostly not his blood anyways.

"A-are you sure? You should take credit for this. My god, you saved Payne and stopped his killer from escaping," Kiev shook his head, staring at Kaid who remained silent. He didn't understand this man. How could he do these things and not even want to take credit? Kiev could waltz back in there like a hero for this, be awarded highest honors. But how could he when the truth was now sitting in an alleyway, needing a moment to compose himself?

Kiev eventually forced Mattias to walk back to the palace, glancing back at Kaid who still remained on the ground. Kaid waited until they were out of sight before feeling tears prick his eyes. Why he felt this way, he didn't know. What it meant, he couldn't say. It was a shroud of sadness, like a moment of mourning.

"What the fuck have I gotten myself into?" Kaid asked himself, knowing deep down there was no turning back now.