Chapter 116: Running Away Together

– A few minutes ago…

Yari was cloaked well. But that didn’t mean she was confident.

As she snuck into her father’s private laboratory and office, she made her footsteps as light as she possibly could. She’d even taken off her shoes so as not to risk her heels clicking against the ground.

Climbing in through the window was nerve-racking enough. But actually being inside was another thing altogether.

Yari could hear laughter coming in from her father’s study. A bit of light slipped underneath the doorframe and helped to illuminate her surroundings and show her the shadows of the guests inside.

She could smell the smoke of fine cigars from the other room, as well as the scent of good brandy. Her father was in a festive mood.

And why wouldn’t she be? The day had been most fortuitous for him.

A woman’s voice came from the other room. “Speak plain to me, Raidis. The Albazian. Where did you find him?”

“Gardenia, my old friend, you know full well that I never go looking for diamonds. They have their ways of finding me.”

“Enough with the roundabout. I’d like to forgo my place in this year’s selection and take him instead.” A man’s voice came next.

Raidis cackled. “I’m aware the young A’Kenai is impressive, but he is only a first-year student. He still has four more years of schooling ahead of him.”

“I see, so that’s how you’re going to play it…. name your price. My family has recently secured an orichalcum mine in Darrod that we would be more than willing to part with.”

“Kenneth, you bastard!”

“If anyone should have rights to the last A’kenai, it should be my clan and my clan alone!”

Yari listened with wide, trembling eyes as arguments turned into an abrupt shouting of numbers. Ones that would be quite unfathomable to the common ear.

If Yari stopped to think about it, she didn’t know why she was so surprised.

Titan-Bloods who could shift into different states were so incredibly rare in Komen. The fact that Solomon was young and assumed to be impressionable only enhanced his value.

He had no backing. No real financial power either. Forget making him a knight. He could be made a son-in-law of a noble house.

The chance to inherit the ability to shift as a child was very slim. Roughly a 15% chance.

But male shifters are known to be very virile. If offered multiple daughters, Solomon would have a greater chance of providing the Noble families with an heir unlike any other.

It would rocket them to the top of the world. Perhaps one day, they would even rival Eirbane.

When Yari heard her father’s voice again, the thoughtful undertone in his speech nearly terrified her to her core.

“Well… you’ve all certainly given me a lot to think about. I shall greet you with an answer on tomorrow.”

– Present…

Solomon stood up quickly, embracing Yari and Jiaoying. “Slow down. Tell me what is going on-”

“We don’t have time…!” Yari said in a panicked voice. “We need to go now! All of us!”

Nila got up next and went inside Solomon’s room.

When she returned, she was carrying her sword and a burlap sack with what little items she owned. “Ready.”

“Wait, wait, wait… What’s going on??” Everett stood up. “You guys are leaving just like that??”

Solomon and Nila both looked flustered.

“That…”

“We…”

“Nevermind, I can tell it’s a long story.” Everett held up his hand. “Tell us on the way there.”

“”…What?””

Everett pulled his feet out of the water basin and rubbed them off with a towel. “Well, you didn’t think you guys were just going to leave us, did you? I told you, man. I’ll follow you for the rest of my life.”

As he pulled his boots on, Dakota stood up with Bansha in her arms. Her eyes were full of tears that threatened to spill at any moment.

“You…You guys aren’t going to leave me… right..?”

Solomon and Nila’s expressions instantly hardened.

“No.”

“Of course not.”

Nila turned to Jiaoying with a worried expression. “I-Is that okay..?”

“Yes, dear, it’s fine, but we really need to go right now.” Jiaoying said urgently. “My ship is already here, and we’re leaving with more than just extra bodies.”

At that moment, Solomon realized that Jiaoying was carrying another large sack in addition to her luggage.

It seemed to be filled to the brim with some rather heavy items.

Solomon gently took it from her and tossed it over his shoulder. “Everyone, out the window, now.”

Everett moved directly to open the way for everyone. However, when he was just a step away from it, he paused in his tracks.

Turning around, all of the color had left his face, and his expression was downright comical. His brain slowly began connecting the pieces to a puzzle that had long eluded him.

He slowly pointed between Yari and Jiaoying. “W-Wait… that time… It was-”

“””EVERETT!!”””

“Fine, fine, damn! But we are so talking about this on the fucking boat!”

Tucking in his wings, Everett leapt out the window, and everyone else followed his lead.

–

The group raced toward the docks like fugitives.

There were many ships here, all belonging to nobles who had come to take part in the selection. Jiaoying ran at the front of the pack until she laid eyes on a particular boat.

“There!”

In unison, all seven of the travelers leapt from the dock onto the main deck.

A pot-bellied human male was on the deck smoking from a pipe when the group arrived. He was so surprised by the way they boarded that he fell onto his butt, screaming.

Jiaoying quickly grabbed him by the mouth to stop him from making a sound.

“Quiet, Jafar. It’s me.”

A hard metal sound rang out into the night.

Lining both sides of the deck were sixteen knights dressed in red and gold. As soon as Jiaoying arrived, they stood at attention and held their swords in front of their faces.

“WELCOME BACk, GRANDMASTER.”

Jiaoying stood up with a hardened air. Her posture was perfect, and the tone in her voice was completely different from normal.

“No time for ceremony, boys. Get us out of her now, I want to be back home by the time day breaks.”

The knights raced to cast away, and Jiaoying strode off to make sure that their extra members would have proper accommodations.

Yari and Solomon watched her with lingering gazes and color rising in their cheeks.

“Is it me or does she seem..?”

“Extremely attractive, yes.” Solomon nodded.

“Just making sure…”

Shaking his head before he got too deep into his thoughts, Solomon hefted up the burlap sack that Jiaoying had been carrying.

“Am I to take it that this has something to do with the reason for our frantic exit?”

Yari smiled wryly. “Somewhat… I did not want to leave certain… items in his possession, so I made sure to take them with me.”

“Items?”

Yari nodded. “My research, and… the seeds.”

Solomon felt like the wind had been knocked out of his chest. “How many did you take??”

“…All of them.”

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