Cecil sat up in shock, Xue withdrawing back to avoid getting hit. 

“Hana, this is--” 

“Cecil!” Hana cried out in relief, throwing her arms out as she lunged forward. 

The raven-haired woman widened her eyes in shock. 

To her surprise, Hana did not care that she caught the two of them in a compromising position. In fact, Hana shoved Xue aside mercilessly and embraced Cecil. 

“Umph!”

Xue himself was surprised as well. He pushed himself up from the ground, speechless at Hana’s hidden strength.  

Cecil was completely engulfed in her friend’s arms. She peeked her head out, the moonlight showing the tears that rolled down Hana’s cheeks. 

The red-haired beauty sniffled noisily. 

Cecil was flustered, patting Hana on her back. “Hana, it’s okay, it’s okay.” 

“It’s not okay!” Hana burst out. “You woke up! You finally woke up!” 

Cecil laughed helplessly. “You must have been so worried, I apologise.” 

“No, don’t say sorry, you dummy!” Hana sobbed, almost choking on her tears. “You du-dummy! Big dummy! Al-all that matters is--you woke up and--you are okay!” 

“Yeah, I’m okay now,” Cecil hugged her back, withdrawing back and wiping her tears. “So there’s no need to cry anymore, okay?” 

Hana nodded vehemently, wiping the rest of tears away with her sleeve. Cecil stroked her head, smiling softly as she comforted Hana. 

Xue watched this scene, a fond look on his face as he smiled. 

“Oh!” Hana gasped, shooting her head up. 

“...?” 

Cecil tilted her head. 

“Xue was going to kiss you!” Hana exclaimed, peeking her head out at Xue. “I’m sorry!” 

Cecil was flabbergasted. 

Xue shrugged his shoulders at Hana, his expression soft. 

“You two can continue, and I--” Hana continued speaking, her tone nonchalant as she started to wiggle her way out of the blanket and futon. “I will let you two be alone now!” 

Hana stood up, her steps light as she headed to the sliding doors. She slid them open, the moonlight streaming in. 

Cecil was blushing all the way up to her ears now. 

Hana beamed, waving at Cecil and Xue as she exited the room. She was still teary, sniffling and she hastily wiped away a stray tear.

Seeing this sight, despite her embarrassment, Cecil still found herself smiling. 

Hana closed the sliding doors. 

“Cecil Lan.” 

She felt warm arms enveloping behind her, his low voice was gentle. 

“Mhmm?”

Xue buried his head into her shoulder, inhaling deeply. 

Her scent of flowers and herbs always comforted him. 

“I’m so glad you are back.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Cecil smiled at his words, placing her hands on his arms that were wrapped around her waist. “Once again, I’m sorry for causing so much trouble and worry.” 

“...if you are really sorry,” Xue tightened his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Don’t get hurt anymore.” 

“...” 

Cecil was hesitant to respond to those words.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? I told you not to get hurt anymore.” 

“I...don’t think--!” 

Cecil was pushed gently onto the futon, her head landing on the pillow. Once again, Xue was on top of her. 

He was frowning, the frustration evident on his face. 

“Promise me.” 

“I can’t promise--mmph.” 

Xue cut her off with a kiss.

His lips moved roughly against hers, giving her no chance to ease her way into the kiss. It lasted for quite a while, and he bit on her lower lip as he tugged on it lightly before finally separating. 

Xue gazed down at her, clearly unhappy.

Cecil felt her head spinning, her breaths coming out in pants. 

“At times like this, you should be saying that you will promise me.” Xue said with a hint of anger.

She was still trying to recover her breath. 

“...is it so hard to promise me that?” Xue questioned, lowering his voice and anyone could hear the tinge of sorrow within his voice. “Is it really that hard?” 

“Please…”

“Don’t get hurt anymore.” 

She could see Xue trembling slightly. 

It seemed like his anger had dissipated. 

Cecil softened the look in her eyes.

This man…really…

She cupped his cheeks, smiling gently. 

There was sorrow apparent in his grey eyes.

Xue glanced away, not meeting her eyes but he did not reject her warm touch. 

“I can’t promise not to get hurt, Xue,” Cecil moved one of her hands away, pecking his cheek. “But I can promise to get hurt less.” 

“That’s not any better.” 

Cecil continued smiling, lifting her head and pressing her lips softly onto his, her eyes closed. Xue reciprocated her soft kiss, closing his eyes as well. 

He was still angry and disappointed at her answer, however, he could never reject her soft lips. 

In fact, he could never reject the woman before him. 

Cecil threw her arms around his neck, her lips moving to match his pace. 

This time, it was slow and tantalizing. Enough to make one’s heart flutter and melt into the kiss. 

Their bodies shifted, with Cecil on top of Xue before going back to the former. The sheets rustled to their movements, and the moonlight shone down on the couple kissing passionately inside the room. 

They finally withdrew after a long moment, Xue planting kisses from her lips all the way down to her neck. 

“From now onwards, I’ll stick to your side,” Xue said in between his kisses, his voice laced with huskiness. “Even if you get sick of me, I don’t care.” 

Cecil laughed. 

“I don’t care if you push me off either.” 

“I’ll stay by your side forever.” 

“No one can touch you.” 

Xue continued mumbling out sentence after sentence, his possessiveness apparent for Cecil. However, with each sentence, his sleepiness grew. 

The fatigue from staying up and having restless nights was starting to seep in. 

Without any warning, he collapsed onto Cecil, his face buried into her neck. 

“...” 

“...Xue?” 

Cecil could hear him breathing deeply. 

She blinked rapidly, shifting her position and Xue slid down her body, laying on her lap. His eyes were closed, breathing evenly. 

She observed his haggard appearance, though he was still as handsome. 

He must have been exhausted. 

Cecil smiled, holding his hand in hers. 

“Sweet dreams, Xue.” 

***

They were assigned to different rooms to sleep in. The rooms were catered for special guests of Tsuki, but she was more than happy to loan them the rooms. 

Cecil exited the room quietly, smiling once more at the ash blonde-haired man snuggling into the futon.

“Oh, so you are finally awake.” 

Cecil paused, turning around. 

It was a gorgeous, lithe silver-haired woman. 

“Miss Tsuki.” 

She exhaled the smoke from her mouth, holding the pipe within her fingers. She glanced Cecil up and down, raising her eyebrows. 

“I am sure after laying down for almost six days straight, your muscles are feeling weak,” Tsuki stated, nudging her head. “Take a walk around our yard, it’s just straight down and on your left. You definitely won’t miss it.” 

“...” Cecil nodded, her expression remaining indifferent though her voice held a tinge of gratitude. “Thank you.” 

“You caused your friends much worry, it seems.” 

Cecil smiled guiltily, taking her leave and she followed Tsuki’s instructions. True to her words, she found the yard easily as the entrance to it was hard to miss. 

It was a row of opened sliding doors, with a wooden platform acting as a step out to the yard. There was a single tree and a small pond in the yard, the moon high up in the starry sky reflected on the surface of the pond. 

The weather was neither too chilly or warm, and Cecil found herself wearing a different outfit from when she fainted. 

It was a black kimono decorated with floral patterns. 

Hana...she must have helped me change into this as well. 

Cecil smiled to herself, gazing up at the moon. A small breeze swept by, ruffling her hair and she tugged her hair behind her ears. All of a sudden, someone appeared beside her, their movements were silent. 

She recoiled back in shock. 

“K-K’xug.” 

The handsome, copper-browned haired man observed her with wide eyes. There were a myriad of emotions present in his heterochromia eyes. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Cecil tilted her head before recognition hit her. “You must have been worried as well, I apologise.” 

K’xug raised his hand, hesitant. 

“...”

Eventually, he placed it upon Cecil’s shoulder, patting it. 

There was a relieved smile on his face. 

I’m glad you are awake now. 

Somehow, Cecil could hear him saying those words.

“Ah, I haven’t thanked you for saving my life,” she smiled back. “Thank you so much, K’xug.” 

K’xug shook his head before he stiffened. 

Cecil blinked in confusion. 

He rubbed at his neck awkwardly, looking at her as he tapped on his shoulder. 

“You are asking about how my shoulder is now?” 

K’xug nodded. 

Cecil swung her arm around, nodding. “I’m all better now, in fact…” 

She started to stretch her muscles and limbs, nodding once again. “I feel way better than before, and it’s all thanks to you.” 

K’xug frowned, shaking his head again. There was an apologetic expression on his face, his eyes lingering on her shoulder. 

Cecil hummed thoughtfully, trying to interpret K’xug’s silent words. It was then something occurred to her. 

“Are you possibly worried about how much pain you caused me?” 

K’xug nodded once again, looking extremely guilty. 

Even if I had no other choice, that amount of pain you went through wasn’t a small amount. 

I’m sorry. 

Cecil shook her head at K’xug. “If it wasn’t for you, I would have died. Going through that amount of pain to come back alive, it’s a reasonable price to pay.” 

K’xug was still battling against his own guilt. 

No, if it wasn’t me, the pain wouldn’t have been so severe. 

This all comes down to me being a half-breed. 

A half-breed bastard. 

He clenched his trembling fists, glancing away as he narrowed his eyes. 

Cecil could see the self-criticizing and bitterness written all over his face 

Somehow, she had a feeling that this experience made K’xug remember an unpleasant memory. 

“K’xug.” 

Cecil placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“I don’t really know what you are thinking right now or why you are still blaming yourself but…” she smiled warmly at him. “Nothing changes the fact that you saved my life.”

“...” 

K’xug was touched by her words, but there was still reluctance in his eyes. 

He still believed that he had hurt his friend carelessly due to his incompetence. 

“You know, I’m glad someone like you is my friend,” she added on. “And that someone like you is beside Hana as well.” 

K’xug blinked rapidly. 

“Oh come on, I know you treasure Hana very dearly.” 

K’xug grew flustered. 

Cecil giggled, stepping back. 

“Both of you are very precious people to me,” she gazed up at the moon. “I sincerely wish the two of you all the happiness in the world.” 

K’xug recovered from his flustered moment, staring at the raven-haired woman. 

Right then, he wished he could speak. If he could, he would be able to express his gratitude towards this woman right here. 

A woman he now considered one of his good friends. 

The two friends stood there, admiring the crescent moon in the starry sky. 

The guilt that weighed down on him earlier, for being an incompetent friend and a ugly half-breed, was finally starting to dissipate. 

***

A week has finally gone. 

There was an influx of people in the town and the island. 

It was for a very simple reason. 

The auction house that held its event yearly was finally starting once again. It welcomed everyone regardless of their status, gender or nationality, as long as they possessed an invitation. 

Rugi and Masaru were having a massive headache trying to organize for the auction house event as leaders of this town, as well as planning for their secretive mission to intrude the auction house. 

The previous day, after Cecil awoke, they organised a meeting to discuss their plans. They needed someone to infiltrate the auction house from the inside. 

One, it was to confirm the identity of the owner of the auction house, since he only wore a mask in front of his guests. 

Second, they were responsible for kidnapping the owner of the auction house. 

The owner of the auction house was another right-hand man of Ephert. 

He was the person majorly responsible for sponsoring illegal slaves to Ephert, to assist in building his very own utopia. 

Rugi and his people were strong. 

However, they weren’t strong enough to overcome the forces that were placed within the auction house. 

Moreover, Rugi had to prioritize the safety of his civilians. 

He could not simply touch the auction house, and he had been planning for this moment for many years. 

“The fact this kind of auction house existed after Ephert took over,” Rugi clenched his jaw. “It absolutely disgusts me.” 

“Bastard, I really ought to kill him when I see him again.” Haru growled out. 

“Unfortunately, the price of death is not worthy for a man like him,” Kiyae clicked her tongue, crossing her arms. “He needs to pay with more than just his death.” 

They were seated inside a private room, with a large, wooden round table in front of them. It was a room located inside Rugi’s brothel and the room had simple furnishings. 

“Someone here needs to volunteer to infiltrate from this inside,” Yun adjusted his glasses. “As a slave in disguise, that is sold to these gentlemen behind us.” 

Yun nudged his head over to the back of the room. 

The spies that were apprehended by them also played a role in kidnapping slaves, to be sent to the auction house. 

They flinched once the attention was on them, cowering. 

The crowd inside this room was just too frightening. 

“Owner, I’m afraid it would be too rude to ask anyone here to disguise as a slave, how about choosing one of our--” 

“Definitely not, I am not sacrificing any one of my people.” 

“It’s better to have someone from this room, whom we can trust, both in terms of ability and character.” 

“Yun Yun, that...what kind of slave do you expect us to be?”

“Oi, Ryo! Stop sleeping!” 

“Huh? What? Captain? Oh...” 

K’xug had his eyes closed, leaning against the wall. 

“A slave? What do we need to do as slaves?” 

K’xug burst his eyes open, since that question was asked by Hana. He marched forward, putting his hands over her ears and shaking his head at her. 

Don’t listen. 

You don’t need to listen to any of those bad things. 

Hana tilted her head in confusion.

“If it is a slave for Ephert, I imagine him to be rather picky according to his character.” 

“You are right, Cecil.”

Xue was playing with Cecil’s hair, resting his chin on his palm. “We could simply destroy the entire auction house and drag him out.” 

His words were nonchalant and confident. 

“...” 

“...” 

“...” 

Everyone stared speechlessly at Xue. 

“...wait, no, hold on a minute,” Haru mumbled out. “If we have Xue and K’xug here, such a thing is possible! Haha!” 

“Agreed.” 

“Definitely.” 

“He is crazy strong!” 

Soon enough, everyone nodded in agreement. 

“Supposedly, we carried on with that plan...” Yun started to explain, a glint in his eyes. “There are a few things we need to take into consideration.”

Kiyae recoiled back, an apprehensive look on her face. “I have a bad feeling.” 

Haru blinked innocently. “Eh?” 

“We will need to consider the cost of repairing the ruined auction house and the surroundings. Despite its declining reputation, the auction house is considered a historical landmark ever since our founding fathers established it. We also have to take into account the innocent civilians that might be injured during our mission, and we will have to compensate for whatever damage was done to them. The country has already suffered under Ephert’s tyranny and we cannot afford anymore sacrifices. In addition to that, Lord Kiba’s reputation will be dragged through the mud since we are associated with the Lord and such actions will be condemned by the public. There is also the matter of…” 

Yun stated the consequences of their actions, one by one. 

The amount of repercussions made one head spin. 

Haru, who had been eager to carry out Xue’s haphazard plan, found himself paling at Yun’s words. 

The reaction of everyone else was similar to Haru. 

“Okay, okay! I got it, I got it, so no destroying the auction house or dragging its master away!” Haru cut in, bringing a halt to Yun’s rambling. “No more, Yun! No more! Spare me from the agony!”

Haru wanted to cry without tears. 

“We-well, there is a particular type of slave the master of the auction house is looking for,” the spy started to speak up, garnering attention from everyone. “And...h-he would accept them as a product instantly, with no questions asked.” 

“Who?” 

“What type?” 

“What is it? Speak.” 

“Th-that…” 

“Come on, just spit it out already!” 

“A-an obedient pretty black-haired gal,” the spy managed to squeeze his words out, extremely nervous. “With...with any kind of skillset, especially one that...entertains.”

The spy glanced away nervously, before looking back. 

More specifically, the spy was looking at Cecil’s direction. 

Cecil blinked in surprise.

***

Pt. 1

《 start 》

Thank you.

For saying that you are glad to have me as your friend. 

Also, thank you, for your sincere wish. 

I too, wish you and Xue all the happiness in the world as well. 

Being glad for someone like me to be your friend. 

...is it fine? 

Will I be able to do it right, this time? 

《 stop 》

***

Pt. 2

《 start 》

Your familiar scent. 

Your beautiful eyes that pierce right through me. 

Your smile that feels me with warmth. 

Your soft kisses. 

Your gentle voice. 

That’s all I need. 

That’s all I ever need. 

《 stop 》

***

Author's Note: Damn period, damn time of the month.

...fuck cramps.

Doesn't help that I need to go for vaccination next week. Can't I just write comfortably for once? Jesus christ.

*angry rin noises*