Chapter 106: Escalating The Juicy Drama
"Caedia, it is truly a pleasure to have you back safely," Esmeralda said, her gaze firmly locked on Caedia.
However, she soon turned to Rael and scowled. "I suppose this is the one responsible for taking you hostage?"
There was a moment of silence, so Rael sent a subtle elbow to Caedia's side to wake her up.
"Err... not exactly..." Caedia muttered as she straightened her back. "You see, while I was out collecting my fragment, he just so happened to offer me an escort back, and as you can see, I've returned weeks earlier than I should have."
"Yes, I can see that." Esmeralda nodded, resting a finger on her chin. "Your envoy sent word claiming you'd been kidnapped. Why exactly would they suggest something so vile?"
Rael's brows twitched as he continued listening to this woman speak.
She wasn't old by any means, likely in her mid-twenties. Still, her sheer fucking attitude made him want to stay far away.
And from Caedia's fake smile, he figured she didn't want to be near her either.
"Rael and I started off on the wrong foot," Caedia explained. "I attacked him, and he defeated our entire army. However, he's not evil, so he offered to bring me back at a price."
"Price?" Victoria, the redhead, chimed in. "You didn't offer him your body, did you?"
Before the angered Caedia could say anything, Rael cut her off. "I'm not interested in anyone's body at the moment. What I am interested in, however, is how much money you're willing to give me for bringing her back safely and ahead of schedule."
"Ha!" Victoria covered her mouth, her eyes narrowing. "Now why should we pay you anything? We accept your service of escorting Empress Caedia back safely and therefore award you with the honor of having this chat with us."