"Your new job," Lucian replied, causing the men to want to flee the scene immediately.
They did not sign up for babysitting someone else's adult son.
"Let's toss him into the ocean. The fish will enjoy him for sure," Jax suggested, ready to grab the body and throw it overboard.
"Is he unconscious or asleep? When was the last time he slept?" Goblin poked the snoring A's in the ribs, getting a groan in response.
"A week ago, if his eye bags are any indication," Fishbone answered, leaning in to lift the hat and take a look at the dark circles under A's eyes, which were so dark, they looked like bruises.
They left him to rot and returned to packing their luggage. They hated this guy, the way he treated their Boss, and were happy to see him suffer.
"Didn't you want to beat him up?" Lucian asked the crew, "This is the perfect chance to do it."
"Nah..." they said, waving their hands, not interested, "You made him scream enough. Any more and our ears will start bleeding from the noise."
They didn't know what Lucian did to make A's scream like that, but it sounded painful enough.
Lucian also didn't mention how A's tried to kill both himself and Lucian in a moment of desperation, and kept the ruthless persona they created for him in their minds.
It would make them stay in line.
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Meanwhile on Celine's side of things, she was stuck inside a marriage party.
Her school break had barely started, and invitations to various events had already been pouring in.
The hostess was a lady her age, Priscilla, with whom Celine was friends.
The girl would soon be married to Earl Crestmont's son, which was quite the achievement, considering Priscilla's status as a daughter of a lowly viscount.
The party was held inside the Earl's family manor's garden.
Celine sat on a chair at one of the many tables placed around the dance floor. Her dress was a bright shade of blue, matching her eyes.
The engagement was a rushed affair. Priscilla's belly was starting to show, and her family wanted to secure the child's legitimacy.
The Earl's family was not happy about it. Their faces showed clear displeasure at the event, which was the only source of entertainment for Celine.
Priscilla's family, on the other hand, was ecstatic. They couldn't be happier. The marriage would elevate them, and their standing in the kingdom.
The earl's territory was a rich land that had access to the west sea and a couple of trading routes, mainly for seafood and pearls.
Though Celine was more interested in Lucian's affairs and the new trade routes, which he planned to secure.
She could have given him a whole port town in the Rochefort territory, a couple of ships, and a fleet of sailors to play with if he married her right here and now.
But he preferred to get everything without her name involved.
It was sweet and romantic, and she loved it. So much so, that she would sit at a boring party just so she could stay closer to him. The Breezy Cove was half a day of travel from her.
Celine covered her mouth,yawning a little, 'He is such a hard worker, I wonder how much sleep he gets... I hope he is taking care of himself.'
The more she was away from him, the more her thoughts went back to him. It wasn't a good sign, as it showed a lack of self control.
'Am I becoming a love sick puppy? Ugh...' she felt disgusted with herself for a second, but the warm feeling of love quickly washed it away, 'No, that's fine. It's a sign of true love. I'm in love, and I am proud of it. Who can stop me from loving a man I chose myself?'
It was such a comforting feeling to have such a person in one's life, that it should be illegal. Celine could see why people were so obsessed with love. She wanted to sink deeper into the sensation, to keep onto it for dear life.
It didn't truly lessen her efficiency. No, the opposite was true. Her motivation was higher than ever. She had so many things to look forward to, it made her work even harder.
She looked around, observing the guests, wondering if they would be useful. She had a habit of calculating everyone's worth, not in terms of wealth, but in terms of what they could provide her with.
Priscilla, despite being from a lower status noble family, had a big bossom. The earl was not a saint, and was easily seduced by a pair of breasts pressed against his arm. Combine it with the academy's pressure, restricting his freedom and the deal was sealed.
Lucian was at the top since the moment Celine met him. And his value kept climbing up and up, never once stopping.
'That's my man. He is the best in the world!' Celine was proud of her man. She could brag about him for hours, but she had no one to brag to.
"...Meow..."
She felt something brush against her dress, and when she looked down, she saw a cat.
A light brown, fluffy one. The kind that you wanted to hug, cuddle, and squeeze.
It was the earl's cat, which was roaming around the garden, enjoying the sunshine.
Celine outstretched her hand to pet the cat, but it avoided her, as if offended by her touch.
'Lucian's... doppleganger!'
Celine sent it a mental glare, which startled the cat. It hissed at her and raised its paw to scratch her, but then realized the woman in front of it was not a good target for such a thing and hmpfed in a cat-like way, turning its head to the side.
"..." Celine wanted to pick it up and throw it away, but the cat was the earl's cat, and it would be bad form on her part to do so.
She had a good history with animals, except cats. She preffered animals like Seline, and even tried to steal her from Lucian a couple of times, but failed miserably. It was a loyal dog, and it wanted to stay by her master's side instead of her, even if Celine had tastier treats.
Good thing ToGo didn't fall for Lucian's charm like Seline did, or else Celine would have to question its intelligence and loyalty to her (not Celine just fawning over her man a few seconds before).