VIII: Cast-away

Jaxon opened his eyes, feeling some pressure on his shoulder. He looked over to his side to see a sleeping Lilith resting her head on him. He could hear her steady breathing, and he could observe how the woman was pouting while on her siesta. He smiled a bit, realizing how adorable she looked.

They finished drinking the whole bottle of alcohol hours ago. Well, most of it was of Lilith's help, because he was already drunk when he got home so he minimized his drinking throughout the rest of the night.

He looked towards the window and observed that it was still dark outside. He also looked over his wall clock to see that it was already four in the morning. He returned his gaze to the woman and his heart ached a little bit.

If he wasn't who he was, or if he really did belong in this world, he could stay and get to know the woman more. His heart also ached remembering the friends he got to know while he was in here. It was just more than a month since he got here and he felt happy knowing them. Not once did he and his brother have friends that never used them just for clout.

Jaxon ran away from the Kingdom in hopes to experience a normal commoner life. His parents would always tell him and his brother what to do, or always remind them about the actions proper noblemen should have. They probably grew up where everything around them was administered, and he didn't like that, he never liked control. He wanted to explore, he wanted to do what he wanted freedom, he wanted to draw and he didn't want to be stuck inside a gigantic wall all his life.

He would always rant to Sven and ask him to run away with him together but his brother would just comfort him and promises him that one day, he would be able to finally do what he wanted. So once his brother became the King, he took the opportunity to be away from the Kingdom. His brother allowed him, since he has the upper hand now, but for only a limited time. He was only given a month.

His little getaway was supposed to be over, a week ago, so the Kingdom had been looking for him in the past few days. Yesterday, they finally found him and they explained to him why his urgent presence was needed in the Kingdom. He predicted it to happen anyway because Sin saw him in Dionysus two nights ago. So he did his best to enjoy the remaining days he had left in the city. If it weren't for the love he had for his brother and the betterment of the kingdom, he wouldn't have agreed to go back to continue hiding in this city.

He removed Lilith's head over his shoulder carefully not to wake her, before gently laying her down to sleep comfortably on the couch. He placed a throw pillow under where her head was resting.

He then went on his way to take a quick shower afterward, to prepare for his early departure, and to prepare for the biggest day that will dictate his future.

When he was done, he quickly took a small piece of paper to write a short note for Lilith. It took him a few minutes to finish the note and it was the same time someone suddenly entered his apartment.

He placed his pointing finger over his mouth in an attempt to move the captain of the King's royal guard to be quiet, to not wake the sleeping woman up. The Royal guard who was about to speak, got the young prince's command right away so he nodded.

"Young Prince, Prince Sin is waiting for you on the rooftop." The Royal guard advised him, whispering. Jaxon nodded before glancing one last time at the sleeping woman on his couch.

After placing the little note on the table for Lilith to see as soon as she wakes up, he turned around to finally leave the mafia land with a heavy heart forever.

Or so he thought...

Carina was having her breakfast on the long dining table when Julian entered the room. He was already wearing his black suit, ready for the meeting he needed to attend as his sister's representative.

He immediately turned around to leave when he eyed the woman he'd been planning to ignore, but he was stopped by her calling his name.

"Jeon Julian." She said, placing her utensils down when she sensed the presence of the young man. He turned around and looked at her with a questioning look. The woman motioned towards the sit beside her, asking for him to join her. "Eat your breakfast." She commanded.

Julian stood there for a minute, contemplating whether to eat a proper breakfast or just get some banana milk in the pantry, and then continue with his day, but in the end, he decided to do the former.

He casually went towards the sit next to his sister, unbuttoning his suit jacket to comfortably sit on the chair. He started to eat once he was already settled.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Carina asked, going back to her food. Julian, who was busy gobbling on his food just simply nodded.

"Did you bring everything you need for the meeting?" Carina once again asked, and the man just nodded once more in response. Carina eyed him as she observes the man's lack of

communication. She placed her utensils down before leaning back on her seat. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Julian." She called out for his attention. The man quickly finished the remaining food on his plate before standing up to leave.

"You know that I might not be able to come back right?" She asked, standing up. "You are aware that this could be the last time you might see me." She added. Julian halted, so Carina started walking towards him. "This might be the last time you'll see me." She repeated in a softer voice, moving closer to him.

She just knows what to say to get his full attention, and she would always succeed just like now because the young man slowly turned around to face her.

"Nuna. I'm sorry for last night." He finally spoke, looking down at his feet.

Carina didn't miss the moment to hug him the moment she heard him speak. She leaned her head on his chest. Julian just stood there, frozen and bewildered by the sudden contact.

"Why did you drink so much? And who's this girl you've been talking about?" She said, after pulling away. "Is it your girlfriend? Did she cheat on you? Do you want me to kill her before I leave?" She continued, holding his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him.

The young man just looked at her, his mouth slightly agape. He was confused and surprised for a second before feeling like his chest was shot from the pain it gradually embodied.

"Julian? Was she the reason why you look like you've been daydreaming a lot lately?" She continued, looking up at him, waiting for his explanation, but the man just kept his stare on her longer because of disbelief.

"Nuna." Julian finally called out, as he looked into the woman's eyes, with a pained expression. "I was talking about you last night. The woman was you." He confessed.

Carina looked puzzled, before placing a hand over his forehead. "Are you sick? Or are you still drunk? I'll ask the head server to give you some med-" She was cut off.

"Nuna. That person is you. You are the woman I'm talking about." He repeated. "I like you. I liked you for years." He grabbed the woman's hand.

"JJ, what the fuck are you talking about? I'm your sister, and you are my baby brot-" She was cut off once again.

"We're not even related by blood!" He shouted, pulling on her arm. "Nuna, I've liked you for years. I tried my best to disregard and hide it. I dated, and I ignored my feelings, but I can't stop thinking about you these past few days... It's driving me crazy. I can't stop thinking about how it would be if you see me differently. I can't stop thinking about how it would feel to hold you without feeling the guilt, because you don't look at me the same." He continued, rambling on his words before letting go of the woman because for a moment, he realized that he had just openly talked about what's been bothering him, so he went back to look down at his feet, feeling ashamed of what he just did.

He felt bad and pitiful of himself for being such a mess in front of her and for not acting so manly just like the man she was just embracing yesterday.

He started to leave to escape his self-pity, but Carina followed him as she was still surprised about the absurd words she heard from her adopted brother. "Julian, have you gone crazy? What feelings are you talking about? That's impossible!" She shouted back at him, feeling frustrated because he can't make sense of the words that her brother spoke.

The man stopped and turned around again to face her upon hearing her answer. "Yes! And that's what hurts the most because you would always think that it's forbidden. So I'm also aware that it will never happen..." He tells her, his voice getting low. "So just let me be. And I'll promise to unlearn these feelings the best way I could." He added, before completely turning around to leave her.

"Julian!" Carina shouted for his name one last time, but the man ignored her and just continued to walk out of the mansion.

Carina breathed out a heavy sigh. She didn't know what she feels. She didn't know if she was angry, confused, or frustrated. If those emotions can be felt at the same time, then that must've been it.

She wanted to know why, or when or how the man's said feelings started, but she still couldn't pinpoint a valid and practical reason behind it. She'd been living under one roof with him for eighteen years and it was the first time that she felt this mix of emotions toward him.

Lilith opened her eyes as she got awoken by the strong sunlight coming inside the room juxtaposing the sofa on where she was laying. She looked around her surroundings. It took her a few blinks and rubs of their eyes to realize that she wasn't in her apartment.

She glanced around further and she suddenly felt the coldness of the apartment because of how quiet the environment she was in. She couldn't sense any movement around, and she could only hear the busy cars that were a bit far below since she was on the twelfth floor.

She glanced over the table where her phone was placed. Before getting the gadget, she saw a small piece of paper beside it. Her curiosity got to her so she picked the paper first.

"When you can only see white, and I'm looking different, I'll find you.." -J.P.

She eyed the note once again because it didn't make sense to her. She suddenly remembered the promise she made to the man last night, before looking back at the note that she was holding right now. She tried to think of any connection between the two, but she couldn't figure it out because their thoughts were contradicting each other.

She re-read the words a couple more times just to double-check, before finally putting the note down because her phone suddenly rang. She picked up the phone from the center table before standing up. "Hello." She answered after seeing the person who was calling, picking up the note once more and putting it inside her shorts pocket.

"Lilith, where are you? We are already here in Travis' apartment. Carina is in a bad mood, and she wants to see you right now." Nathalie was the one on the other side of the line.

Lilith started walking towards the main door of the apartment. "I'm here." She tells her, as she started to unlock the door.

"What do you mean you're here? I can hear from your voice that you just woke up. You'll be late again, Lili." Nathalie reminded her.

She didn't answer and just went out of the apartment. She was greeted by Nathalie and Travis' face who was in the hallway outside of the apartment next to Jaxon's. They looked at her in confusion.

Lilith started walking towards them. "Good morning." She greeted the two with a neutral expression.

Nathalie eyed her, and then eyed the apartment door she went out of, before looking at her again. "Did you move to a new apartment or is that a new portal leading from your apartment?" She asked Lilith, before moving towards the door of Travis' apartment.

"But that's Jaxon's," Travis spoke this time. He and Lilith followed Nathalie toward the door.

Nathalie's face suddenly expressed a cheerful one. "You and Jaxon?" She teased the woman, squealing. Lilith turned to her shaking her head, before pointing at her and then at Travis. "No. But I think it's you and Travis." She teased back, remembering what Julian told her when they were talking over the phone, before turning around with an accomplished grin. "I'll use your shower Tae." She added, before completely going inside the said room.

The two people who were left in front of the threshold just looked at each other. Travis suddenly got nervous at the thought that they think something happened between them the other night. Nathalie on the other hand found the idea funny so she just laughed and smiled at him, making the man shyly rub his nape before giving back a smile too.

When Lilith was finished showering and had already changed into her red suit, all of them went inside Travis' workroom to finalize what they needed to do for today's mission. Nathalie was now also wearing her navy blue assassin suit, while Carina on the other hand was advised by Travis to wear a white dress suit, as it was required for the mission.

The three of them were sitting in front of the man, who was next to a whiteboard. That's where he wrote and drew the detailed map of the Kingdom's garden with the surrounding facilities too. "I'll give you a quick rerun of what we will do." He started to point toward a specific area with a black marker. It looked like the backdoor going out of the walls of the Kingdom.

"This is where we will drop boss and Nathalie off. She needs to assassinate the two royal guards guarding the party, for Carina to be able to enter the party in disguise." He started. He pointed towards the balcony not too far from where the engagement party will occur. "This will be Lilith's location. It's approximately sixty-five radius of her surrounding area. The distance is the normal target range she can handle in archery, so she can kill the princess with one try." He continued.

"Why did you locate me in a surrounding radius, rather than a distance range?" Lilith asked.

"After killing the princess and everyone in the event started to get disorderly, the surrounding radius is also equal to the distance you need, to run to the backdoor of the palace as the jet will be there to wait for you. I calculated your running speed with it. It will take you around 10 minutes." Travis explained. The curious girl just nodded.

"Now once the boss is already inside the party, Nathalie will also be there in disguise to protect her in case she would need some help." He continued to explain, before getting an envelope on the desk behind him.

It had the color and symbol of Coterie City. "This will be the evidence boss will be leaving the area." He handed the envelope to Carina, who nodded understanding. "When everything is already done, Nathalie and the boss signal to leave the area if all the attention was placed on the dead princess and Lilith's direction. The two of you will run towards the back gate just like Lilith. Everything would probably happen in just ten to fifteen minutes. After the three of you boarded the jet, we will leave the Realm right away." He continued.

"That's a big ass castle," Nathalie commented after hearing the man's instructions. Travis just nodded.

"Now in case, I'm saying just in case, Lilith wasn't able to hit the princess in one try, I'll remind you of our alternative." The genius man continued.

"Nathalie needs to attack the princess directly. I know that it is going to be a dangerous act but since she's the best in combat between you two, she should be the one to do it. Anyway, she'd be armed with a gun. The boss should leave the area after leaving the envelope, she doesn't need to stay in the area for Nathalie. She'll be left alone on the scene and she just needs to find her way to the backyard gate herself for an easier departure." He explained, placing the marker down.

The three ladies stayed quiet for some time and Travis just watched them as it looks like they were absorbing all the information. They knew that it will be the most dangerous mission ever but they never felt this agitated before.

"Okay. Let's do this." Carina stood up. "We'll trust Travis' plan. Anyway, it's the easiest plan we can think of since we can't attach equipment inside the Kingdom for safer actions." She tells them, before moving out of the room.

"Oh, and one more thing, this is where your hidden cameras are attached." Travis stopped them from moving out of the room. He picked up three accessories on his desk. He handed a chocker necklace to Lilith, a pair of earrings to Nathalie, and a ring to Carina. "Please try your best not to cover it." He tells the three. They quickly took it and wore it right away.

They boarded the jet at exactly nine in the morning. The travel to the other city will take about four hours. The engagement party will occur after lunch so they needed to be there before then.

While they were on the way to their mission, Lilith couldn't help but read Jaxon's note again. She managed to hide it on her flask holder belt after changing into her suit.

Seeing something white. Seeing Jaxon differently.

She mentally read, and for the hundredth time today, it didn't make sense to her.

"We're now crossing the borders. "Travis proclaimed.

They all looked out of the window. The air suddenly gave them chills as they realized the land that they were flying over was all covered in snow.

"What in the ice ghouls world is this?" Nathalie retorted. "Is this the reason why we need to wear these white mantles for the disguise?" She added, motioning to the un-pigmented cloth in her hands.

Travis nodded. "Yes, and-" He stopped himself to continue. "You'll find out later on." He finished.

The travel didn't take them longer than they expected, so when they arrived at the planned destination they wore their disguises right away and double-checked the gadgets they needed for the mission. Lilith and Nathalie fixed their bandanas in place.

They dropped Lilith off first. It wasn't difficult for her to enter the left wing of the Kingdom and find her way to the balcony where she needed to be. It was surprisingly empty. No guards were found nearby. When she arrived on the balcony, Lilith squatted down to hide.

"I'm ready." She said over her mic, as she was attaching the monocular gadget over her left eye to see from a distance, where the event was currently happening.

"After Nathalie and Carina got in, I'll start counting before you shoot your shot," Travis tells her.

She stood up and fixed her stance, her shoulder width apart. She zoomed her monocles to look for the exact location of her target.

A woman in a white flowy maxi dress, with long hair and a white complexion.

She finally found her, as it resembles the photo Travis provided them during the meeting. The princess was talking to a man that wasn't facing her direction. It might be the Prince, she assumed.

Lilith grabbed a bow on her quiver that was on her back, before gradually fixing it on her re-curve bow, waiting for the man's signal.

"Lilith, they're in." She finally heard over her earpiece. "I'll start counting." He added.

"1.."

She carefully pulled the string back using her back muscles, focusing it on the princess.

"2..."

Her index finger is now under her chin, the string subtly touching her lips.

"3...."

She was about to look down on the arrow using her dominant eye to align it with the target, but she was stopped when the man talking to the princess faced her direction.

White suit, chiseled jaw, and silver hair.

No.

She thought.

It's impossible.

He whispered something towards the princess' ears and they both laughed together. Her hands started to get a bit shaky.

"Lilith... What are you doing? Shoot!" Travis shouted over the earpiece before a loud static occurred. The sound made her cringe so the bow was suddenly shot from somewhere in the crowd of people because of her sudden movement. She suddenly panicked and squatted back down to hide from the crowd that started looking in her direction.

"Travis! I fucked up!" She told the man over her mic. "Travis!" She tries again, but there was no response on the other line.

"Lilith.." She immediately heard a voice behind her, so she quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

It was a man in an elegant white suit, who was tilting his head to the side, with a familiar gummy kind of smile.

"It's nice to finally see you again.." The man added, without breaking his soft but powerful-looking expression.

"Pretty boy?" Was the only word she could mutter, as her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.