The soft clatter of spoons echoed in the warm afternoon air as everyone finished eating. Plates emptied, mouths wiped, and satisfied sighs filled the space.
Without wasting ti, Asher leaned back in his seat at the negotiation table they’d set up outside, legs crossed, eyes sharp.
He was now in business mode.
"So... you’re more like a mother to , right?" he said casually, gaze locked on Alice. "How does twenty Platinum Coins sound—for the entire kingdom?"
Alice froze mid-sip, blinking. "Platinum coins?" she echoed with a half-laugh. "Boy, you better not be joking! That ain’t the kind of currency you throw around for fun!"
But Asher only grinned.
"I’m not joking," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a handful of shimring Platinum coins—five of them—and tossed them toward Alice with a flick of the wrist.
Alice caught them like a pro and held one up, eyes narrowing. She ran her fingers over the etched design, tested the weight. This wasn’t fake. This was the real deal.
Her mind was already doing the math.
If one Platinum coin equals 100 gold... then twenty of them... holy sh— Two thousand gold coins?!
She glanced around at the houses of the kingdom, estimating materials and labor. At most, they’d need 500 to 1000 gold worth of supplies. That left them with a huge surplus. They’d be rich.
Her face betrayed her excitent as she smiled to herself, already dreaming about what she’d do with the leftovers.
"So?" Asher pressed, a knowing smirk on his face.
"We’re in," Alice said imdiately, reaching out a hand.
Asher shook it firmly. "Glad to hear it. If there’s anything else you need, talk to Adrian. He’s my assistant—and the one I trust most around here."
Alice’s gaze softened, watching her son silently from across the table. He might not have reached Asher’s level of success, but the fact that Asher trusted him enough to take the lead ant sothing. It made her feel proud, even if she didn’t say it out loud.
Adrian stood up, clapping his hands like a manager in a boardroom.
"Alright! No slacking off! No lounging around at ho, following mom like puppies. I want this entire place tiled and done in a week or two, max!" he barked, pointing at his two fathers like a general giving orders to his soldiers.
The n blinked at him, stunned. Their son had never spoken with that much authority before and where had he gotten the balls to order them around?
The rest of the day flew by. Work picked up fast.
Kelly showed up later that afternoon, arriving alongside Banji.
They ca for the usual stock: fruits... and dildos.
Asher was crouched beside a makeshift sli farm when they found him, arms deep in work alongside Adrian. They were harvesting slis, transforming them into the ever-popular "sli dildos" for their Lick & Stick enterprise.
Using geomancy, Asher had built a low wall near the edge of the forest, knee-height, forming a pen where the slis could be contained. The area ran along a water source, and every day, Asher fed the slis his aura—causing them to bud, grow, and reproduce rapidly. Adrian maintained the environnt: sunlight, shade, food, water... everything the little guys needed.
"Master, good afternoon!" Kelly called out as they approached.
"Hey, Kelly!" Asher replied, standing up and dusting his hands off.
"Yo, boss!" Banji added, balancing a crate full of colorful fruits on her shoulder.
"Back for stock again, huh? You ladies must be swimming in work," Asher said with a small grin.
"We are," Banji replied. "Business is booming. We’ve got a few minor complaints—idiots trying to sabotage us—but Freya handles them. You know how she is."
"Mm, good. Where is she, by the way?" Asher asked.
"Left her at the shop to stand guard," Kelly said.
"Alright. Anyway, I made about 568 sli dildos today." Asher tapped his storage pouch. "I’ll drop them at the shop myself after this. In the anti, go ahead and take whatever fruits you ca for."
"Got it, boss," Banji said with a respectful nod.
Just then, she heard distant chatter from within the kingdom walls. Laughter, hamring, voices echoing in coordination.
"Sounds lively in here today," she comnted.
Asher smiled proudly. "Oh, trust ... this is just the beginning."
Banji and Kelly headed off toward the orchard, but they had no idea what was really going on back at the shop...
**
At Lick & Stick Enterprises...
Freya sat behind the counter with a steaming cup of tea in hand, legs crossed, savoring the rare mont of peace. The shop was locked—officially on break.
Then sothing stirred beneath her desk.
The shadows moved.
Freya’s brows furrowed just as a figure erged from under the table like a ghost—silent, smooth, and far too smug.
"GAH! You—!" Freya nearly dropped her cup as she saw Tama’s feline eyes staring up at her.
"It’s rude to just pop up like that!" Freya shrieked.
Tama climbed out, wordless, and slowly circled Freya like a predator eyeing prey. Then, she sat herself on top of the desk like she owned it.
"You’re an S-rank, right?" Tama asked coolly.
Freya blinked. "Yeah... why?"
"So that ans you handle the kingdom’s dirty work from the shadows?"
Freya raised a brow. "What the hell are you getting at?"
"Nothing specific," Tama replied smoothly. Then her tone shifted, sharper. "Do you happen to know anyone who used to hunt my kind?"
Freya went still. The air grew heavy.
"The Blackcat tribe?" she muttered. "You know the old beliefs. Anyone hunted your kind back then. Everyone believed that nonsense. Ordinary citizens, too."
"By ’anyone,’ do you an the S-ranks included?" Tama pressed, her tone sharp now.
"I an anyone but the S-ranks," Freya snapped. "At least not the ones in Eldoria. There weren’t even many of your people here. If you want answers, go sniff around Felmora. That’s where most of your kind used to live."
"Oh?" Tama’s voice dipped lower. She leaned forward slightly, watching Freya’s reaction like a hawk. "So... you do know what happened in Felmora?"
"What? No, I didn’t say that—"
"Then why did you point there?" Tama cut her off, voice flat. "Why would you send to Felmora if you didn’t already know sothing?"
Freya froze.
Tama didn’t blink. "You’re a high-rank S. A veteran. Soone with access to classified records, secret operations... connections. You expect to believe you threw out the na of a kingdom just to guess?"
Freya’s lips tightened. "You’re digging where you shouldn’t."
"I’m asking for facts. You’re the one squirming," Tama replied bluntly.
Freya’s jaw clenched. Her fingers gripped her teacup tighter.
"Say, Freya," Tama said, her voice softening—almost too soft. "I’m not asking because I want revenge. That’d be stupid. You think I’d live long if I went hunting every person who hated my kind?"
She stared at Freya now, unblinking. "I just want to know what happened that day. The day my village was erased from the map. Everyone... wiped out."
"Why do you care so much about digging up the past?" Freya asked cautiously.
Tama tilted her head. "Why are you curious if you weren’t involved?"
Freya’s eye twitched.
A tense silence fell between them—eye contact held, unbroken.
Then Tama smiled. "So... the nas of those involved. Are you going to tell ?"
Freya clicked her tongue. "You’re playing with fire. Dig too deep and you’ll burn out fast."
Tama smirked. "Good thing I’ve got nine lives. Now... the nas?"
Outside, Rin was counting, still invisible and muffling her giggles.
"Ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred!"
A loud bang echoed as she knocked on the window. "Tama! Ti’s up! Bring the gift you promised or I’m opening my eyes!"
Tama’s gaze remained locked on Freya.
"You’ve got a minute," she said.
Freya gritted her teeth. Finally, with a frustrated sigh, she muttered sothing under her breath—barely audible.
Tama nodded, satisfied.
Then she casually snatched two bottles of wine from the shelf, winked, and whispered, "Pleasure doing business. The master doesn’t need to know I was here."
"Tama!" Freya barked. "The money—!"
"Take it out of the tab," Tama said, already lting into the shadows beneath the desk.
A second later, she was gone, and Rin’s voice faded into the distance as the chase ga resud all the way back to Val’s Estate.
Freya stood there, unmoving for a mont.
Then she sighed.
"That damn cat’s trouble..."
TBC
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