Chapter 157 - 155: RU-108 District

Chapter 157: Chapter 155: RU-108 District

The moment I stepped through the checkpoint, the atmosphere changed.

The clean streets and elegant buildings of the capital disappeared behind us, replaced by cracked roads, abandoned apartments, flickering street lamps, graffiti-covered walls, and people who instinctively sized up every stranger that walked by.

It was the kind of place respectable citizens avoided.

The kind of place where even the guards preferred not to patrol unless absolutely necessary.

Naturally...

This was exactly where I needed to be.

"My Lady."

Before I could take another step, Gawain grabbed the back of my shirt and stopped me.

I looked back. "What?"

"Why are we here?"

"We’re here for business."

I casually stepped sideways out of his reach and continued walking.

I made it exactly three steps.

Then Gawain appeared in front of me again like an overprotective traffic cone.

"My Lady."

"What?"

"This place is dangerous."

I looked around.

A man was currently trying to sell what looked suspiciously like someone else’s bicycle.

Two people were arguing over a wallet.

Someone in an alley was definitely losing a fistfight.

"I’ve noticed."

"You shouldn’t be here."

I shrugged. "You’re also dangerous."

"..."

"Therefore, I brought my own danger."

He stared at me for a long moment. "...That isn’t the compliment you think it is."

"It wasn’t supposed to be."

I tried walking around him but he grabbed the back of my collar again.

"My Lady."

I sighed dramatically. "What now?"

"Whatever deal you made with the principal..."

His expression became unusually serious.

"...Back out of it."

The teasing completely disappeared from his voice. For the first time since we arrived, he sounded genuinely worried.

I gently pulled my collar free from his grip. "No."

"My Lady."

"That deal is important to me."

"More important than your own safety?"

"...Yes."

Gawain fell silent.

"And besides..." I smiled. "I have you."

He blinked.

"So why would I worry about myself?"

He groaned loudly and rubbed both hands down his face. "...Please don’t say things like that."

"Why?"

"It makes it impossible to stay mad at you."

"I knew it."

"You’ve simply become harder to strangle."

"Come on," I clasped my hands behind my back and continued walking. "Think of this as our vacation."

"I can’t."

I stopped. "...Why not?"

His footsteps slowed behind me. "...Because this is where I grew up."

He probably expected me to freeze, look at him with pity, or maybe become nervous now that I knew he had grown up in one of the most dangerous districts in the empire.

My eyes lit up instead. "Great!"

Gawain blinked. "...What?"

"That means you know all the streets around here!"

I clapped my hands together excitedly.

"You can be my tour guide!"

"..."

"..."

He stared at me for several long seconds as I waited patiently.

Finally, a reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"...You’re unbelievable."

"I know."

"You hear that I grew up in one of the worst districts in the empire and your first thought is sightseeing?"

"I like local experts."

"...Fine," he chuckled under his breath before shaking his head. "What’s the name of this client of yours anyway?"

I frowned as I tried remembering what Principal Varek had told me.

"...Kayden..."

No reaction.

"...Cart..."

Still nothing.

"...Cartiere?"

The smile disappeared from Gawain’s face so quickly it was honestly impressive.

"...Okay," he grabbed my wrist. "That’s it."

"Hm?"

"We’re leaving."

"What?"

He turned around without another word.

"But the deal—"

Before I could finish, he effortlessly threw me over his shoulder.

"GAWAIN!"

"We’re going home."

"No, we’re not!"

"Yes, we are."

He immediately started sprinting back the way we had come.

People instinctively jumped out of our path as I bounced with every step.

"Put me down!"

"No."

"I have business!"

"You have terrible decision-making skills."

"I object!"

"Overruled."

"What are you talking about?!"

"I should’ve carried you away the moment I saw this wretched place."

"You’ve officially lost me!"

"I’ve officially lost my patience."

I crossed my arms upside down. "You’re being dramatic."

"I’m not being dramatic enough."

"...Gawain!"

A familiar voice suddenly called out.

"Our grumpy’s back!"

Gawain came to an immediate stop as I felt him take the deepest sigh I ever heard.

He turned around to see two men casually leaning against a nearby wall wearing the same infuriatingly smug smiles.

"Long time no see."

Gawain looked like he’d rather fight a whole group of assassins.

"...Colt."

"...Remington."

He paused.

"...Cursed seeing you two here."

"Ouch," the man with violet eyes placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "The feeling isn’t mutual. We actually missed you."

"I didn’t."

The blue-eyed man laughed. "Still as friendly as ever."

The twins suddenly turned their attention to me.

The one with electric blue eyes stepped forward first and gave a polite bow. "Allow us to formally introduce ourselves."

He placed a hand over his chest. "You may call me Colt," then he gestured toward his brother. "And this troublemaker is Remington."

I tilted my head. "...I think we’ve already met."

Colt nodded. "Indeed we have. You were riding that giant fox back then."

Remington smiled. "I suppose introductions are still in order then."

"I agree."

I gave them a small wave.

"It’s nice meeting you properly this time."

"The pleasure is ours, Miss Blanca."

"Done with the introductions?" Gawain interrupted before anyone could continue. "We should get going."

He took exactly one step when Colt pushed himself off the wall.

"We’re actually here for her."

Gawain narrowed his eyes. "...Meaning?"

"We were tasked with escorting Miss Blanca."

"...By whom?"

The twins answered without hesitation. "Boss."

"...Once we get back..." Gawain muttered something under his breath. "...I’m going to strangle that principal for deliberately leaving me out of the meeting."

"What was that?" Remington asked.

Gawain immediately forced the brightest smile imaginable.

It looked horrifying.

"No. Nothing."

His eye twitched.

"Lead the way..."

He inhaled deeply.

"...damn twins."

The twins exchanged amused glances.

"Our grumpy really hasn’t changed."

"I was hoping being away from us would’ve fixed him."

"It clearly made him worse."

"I can still hear you."

"We know," the twins smiled even wider.

I looked back and forth between them. "...You all know each other?"

The twins answered at the same time. "We used to work together."

I stared at Gawain. "...You have friends?"

Gawain’s eye twitched. "They’re not my friends."

Before I could respond, Colt spoke in his usual calm, matter-of-fact tone.

"We’re closer than that."

I blinked. "Huh?"

Remington immediately grinned and threw an arm around Gawain’s shoulders before the latter could dodge.

"We’re family."

Gawain’s expression instantly soured.

"...We’re colleagues."

He grabbed Remington’s wrist, peeled the arm off his shoulder with practiced ease, and kicked him squarely in the shin.

"Ow!" Remington hopped backward on one foot.

I folded my arms.

"So you’re telling me..."

I pointed between the three of them.

"...This Kayden Cartiere was also Gawain’s former boss?"

"Uh-huh," Remington nodded enthusiastically.

My curiosity immediately kicked in as I clasped my hands together. "Can you tell me more about your boss?"

The twins exchanged a glance.

Then...

Without warning...

They each grabbed one of my arms and smoothly guided me away from Gawain.

"Of course, Miss Blanca!"

"We’d be delighted."

"Hey—"

Before Gawain could reach me, Remington casually stepped sideways, blocking his path perfectly.

"My Lady," Gawain reached towards me. "Don’t listen to them."

Colt completely ignored him. "Boss may appear cold and indifferent..."

I started nodding along.

"...but he has a bigger heart than anyone I’ve ever met."

"Mhm."

"He simply isn’t very good at showing it."

"Mhm."

"He rarely smiles."

"Mhm."

"He doesn’t waste words."

"Mhm."

"But he’ll quietly solve everyone’s problems before they even realize they’re in trouble."

"Mhm."

Behind us, Gawain looked like his blood pressure was reaching dangerous levels. "He’s spouting complete nonsense!"

"Am not."

"You absolutely are!"

"Everything I said was true."

"You conveniently skipped all the important parts."

"What important parts?"

"The ones that would make her run away!"

Remington clicked his tongue. "You really don’t know when to quit."

"I know exactly when to quit."

"When?"

"When my lady leaves this district."

Gawain tried to step around Remington but Remington blocked him again.

"Are you trying to pick a fight right now?"

"We’re protecting destiny."

"I don’t care about destiny."

"You should."

"I care about my lady surviving."

Remington leaned closer, his playful grin disappeared for the first time as he lowered his voice into a whisper.

"Can you shut it? This is the first time Boss is finally going to meet his mate."

Silence.

Gawain’s face remained completely expressionless.

"...Do you think..."

He slowly drew one of his twin daggers.

"...I give a fuck?"

The blade flashed through the air.

CLANG!

"There he is," Remington reacted without the slightest hint of panic.

With a flick of his wrist, his electrified rope dart shot forward, the cable coiling around Gawain’s attacking dagger before he yanked it sideways.

The strike missed him by mere inches.

Blue sparks crackled along the cable as he laughed.

"I was wondering how long it would take before you tried stabbing me."

"Move."

Clang!

"No."

Clang!

Colt didn’t even bother looking. He continued talking to me as if steel wasn’t ringing behind us.

"Boss enjoys reading."

Clang!

"He drinks black coffee."

Clang!

"He has a terrible habit of skipping meals."

Clang!

"He pretends he doesn’t care about people."

CLANG!

"But he always remembers everyone’s birthdays."

"..."

I slowly glanced behind Colt.

Gawain and Remington were now exchanging blows fast enough to leave afterimages.

"...Shouldn’t we stop them?"

"They’ll tire themselves out."

Right on cue, Gawain kicked Remington backward.

Remington rolled across the ground before springing back onto his feet, laughing. "I missed this!"

"I didn’t."

He lunged again.

I looked at Colt. "...Does this happen often?"

"Almost every reunion."

"..."

"...Should I be worried?"

"No."