Elena nodded, looking at her friend as she started to curl up in her chair, scared of him, scared of the possibility of what he could do, yet she also knew in the back of her mind that Forrest Young's name caused this. But why?
"J-Jake, yo-your scaring me, please relax," She said, trying to calm him down.
Jake took on the look as if someone just slapped him, the cold aura around him disappearing as fast as it appeared. Jake closed his eyes and breathed, his tail and ears returning to normal. He took a deep breath and then released it.
"Sorry, Elena, I…" Jake hesitated, knowing what Forrest Young does; everyone knew what the noble does in the underground city.
Elena's father must have had to do research, right? How was her father not able to find out? Did Elena's father not have any informants in the underground city? If so, how incompetent was he?
Elena could tell gears were turning in Jake's mind. He always froze when thinking about something so complex that she could barely understand it.
"Elena… how stupid is your father?" Jake said, suddenly Elena couldn't speak at his bluntness, her father was stupid? She knew that her father could be stupid at times, but not with planned marriages.
"Uh, a little rude, don't you think, and what in the world of the 7 Diamons is going on, Jake?" Elena said, crossing her arms.
Jake just looked at her and then started to mutter; then his mind seemed to finally realize what she said.
"Oh… um Elena, Forrest Young is very well known in the underground city… due to the things he does…" Jake said, his eyes distant.
Elena immediately connected the dots. If Forrest Young is well known for his doings. How did her father not find out? She knew her father had informants in the underground city. But not to tell him about Forrest Young, everything seemed weird. But what were Young's doings, and she asked Jake, she had a sinking feeling in her gut.
"Jake… what is Forrest Young known for in the Underground City?"
Her heart sank as Jake spoke; it was like being hit by a carriage. As Jake spoke 2 words.
"Slave trade"
Jake could see the mental shock on her face; the slave trade was supposed to be gone 50 years ago. Yet it still thrived, and to have Forrest Young, a powerful noble house that was almost as powerful as the 7 major houses, to be a part of it. It was terrifying.
But as Elena's thoughts raced with the implications of the slave trade, one thought popped into her head, and she immediately asked Jake.
"Jake, is your family in?" Elena was cut off by Jake, shaking his head.
"No, my family is not in the slave trade, even my father, the bastard he is, doesn't agree with it." Elena felt relief pump through her veins as she relaxed.
But also her mind was still racing at the knowledge that Forrest Young, a person that her own father wanted her to marry, was in the slave trade and didn't know about it… unless her father was. She tried to shake the thought away, but she looked at Jake, her eyes pleading with him to tell the truth.
Jake easily read her question and said. "No"
His answer was simple but comforting as the thought dissipated away. But she couldn't help but feel that this rot in the young family spread wider.
"Jake… how much rot and corruption are in the noble courts…" Jake held his breath, not knowing how much to tell her, as his mind raced with ideas she could tell her and excuses and half lies and half truths…
But… she was his friend, she deserved to know the truth if she was heir of a noble house and would face these people in the future.
"Honestly, Elena… there are a lot… but mostly the lower nobles, there are only a few powerful nobles that I can think of or know of that have some corruption. The 7 major houses don't have any corruption; if they do, they keep it well hidden." Jake told Elena, he told her the truth…
Elena relaxed, but still couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach that the noble courts, the ones that were supposed to protect the people, were corrupt. Jake's mind raced with ideas, his mind making and throwing away plans and schemes. Then a simple one appeared.
"Ah, I know what we can do!" Jake said with a smile plastered on his face. Elena looked at him with confusion.
"Let's continue on the ball thing, but while we are there, scare some of them straight. Imagine a nobody that no one has barely heard of, with an heir of one of the 7 noble houses, and telling them their secrets that they think they have hidden? Right in front of their faces?" Elena's eyes went wide at his plan.
They would scare a lot of them straight, having one of the 7 houses know your schemes and secrets, and could easily accuse them of their crimes without full proof, and yet also tell the truth? But Elena did hesitate on one thing, Elena was gonna be protected easily, and no one would want to hurt her or dare do so. But Lamore? He was a nobody.
"Jake, I like the idea, but what about you? I mean, you will only be under my protection for only the night!" Jake had a smirk on his mouth as he walked backward into a shadow and merged with it.
He was gone completely in a matter of seconds. Elena stood up, looking for Jake, as she asked, turning in circles. "Jake, where did you go?"
"Boo"
He said behind her as she turned and was about to scream her heart in her throat, but Jake's hand covered her mouth, and his golden eyes, his face, his messy black hair, and fluffy wolf ears, all were right in front of her. But his eyes were the most majestic thing, always grabbing her attention whenever she even glanced at him; they were like liquid gold.
Jake's chuckle brought her back to reality; his hand was still covering her mouth.
"You're always too easy to scare… EW!" Jake said in disgust as he removed his hand to reveal Elena's tongue was out, giving him a mirthful smirk.
"Oh, come on, I thought you would like it." Elena teased, her posture shifting.
Jake gave her a flat look as he wiped her saliva off on his pants while Elena giggled, but her laugh always brought a smile to his face.
"Really? But I will be fine." Jake asked as she nodded. But she noticed they were back on topic, her face growing a little more serious.
"Alright, Jake, I trust you and your skills. It's just that… now knowing these things, I mean, I knew some had taken bribes and other stuff, that we used to get out of other planned marriages… but the slave trade?" Her voice was venom itself at just saying the word slave. Jake nodded, then took on a thoughtful look. Elena let him think, seeing his expression.
"What is it?" Elena asked after a minute of silence.
"The ball is at the… Dalfor house, right? That's the only thing I can think of due to recent chatter." Elena's eyes widened at the fact that he guessed correctly, and the underground city even knew about the ball; the ball itself was a minor event. It wasn't held regularly; only 5 in the past 10 years of its existence have happened that she knew of.
"Yes, it is at the Dalfor house… how does the underground city even know about such a relatively small ball?" Jake chuckled, looking at Elena, her amber eyes staring into his.
He felt something in those eyes, but he closed his own and said. "It's the underground city; the poor always know what the rich are doing. It's simple, they are jealous, so they keep watch."
Elena lowered her eyes and looked away from him, as she remembered where he came from, his lineage, and where they ruled. "Ah, I uh… see," She muttered.
Jake looked at her, and he saw her, and walked over to her, and put a hand on her back, and rubbed it. "Elena, it's just the harsh reality of the world we live in. But the people of the underground, they are…"
He couldn't find the words; their reality was truly harsh, and Elena had a kind heart, one that he adored.
"They are living, that's what matters, lives… are special, all are, but you don't get to choose where you're born. You have to be lucky, and you can't rule luck." Jake said, knowing full well that he had taken lives in the past, some innocent, but the majority were not.
But not all people decided to choose their lives as well. Some were forced into a life. Jake felt a pang of guilt and empathy for those people, knowing their pain, being heir to a crime family where they ruled over others and killed those who got in their way. He didn't choose it, yet he lived it.
Elena felt his hand on her back; his touch gave her comfort and warmth like a flame in the night. She turned to him and hugged him; he froze, his tail swagged side to side, as he hugged her back. His chin rested on top of her red hair. As he rubbed her back, he was comforting her more.
"You uh okay?" He asked quietly, and they were still hugging in the middle of the room.
Her head resting against his chest, she heard his heartbeat. It was slightly faster than a normal heartbeat, but it gave her comfort listening to it.
"Yes… just… Can we stay here a little longer… like this…" she asked as she felt a blush creeping on her face as she hugged Jake tighter, waiting for his response. She could hear his heartbeat quicken as he gave her a response.
"Sure, we have enough time until the ball… I uh could let you pet my ears in the meantime?" He said as he rubbed her back more.
Elena looked at him with a flaming smile as she heard that she could pet those fluffy ears of his. She rarely got to pet them, but when she did, she always savored the moment and tried to make it last as long as possible.