Bon Voyage! [Ace x Reader x Law]

[𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓]

Being outside the manor for the second time today, you once again weren't sure about where to go. However, this time you knew you were looking for some isolated place. A place where you can safely read the book that your aunt gave you earlier; apparently, it is this supposedly truth that your parents had hidden from you.

You did think of going to Pleasure Town to see Wolf for it, but you don't know if you want to burden him with the weight of what's written here. It could be something both of you were not prepared for, or God knows if this truth is just your aunt's roundabout ruse to chase you away for good.

But she looked like she really meant it. You recall the last conversation you had with her.

"You have to leave this kingdom- no, this island. Go far away from this place, fetch yourself a new identity, don't ever look back."

Although, you have to admit that it was really out of her character to say something like that to you. But again, technically, this was the first time she acted that way towards you.

You stop in your tracks as you exhale loudly at the thought. Your hands limply hang by your sides, one holding a lantern and the other the leather-bound book. You quickly divert your attention away from it in an attempt to stop yourself from dissecting all the earlier affairs, even the one involving Christensen. His confessions ring momentarily in your mind before you force yourself to shrug it off. The idea of a noble courting a commoner, let alone a wanted person such as you, is simply unthinkable. You never had qualms towards him, but you do not want to involve him in something you are unsure of yourself. Snapping your thoughts back to reality, your eyes are finally able to register the cobblestone pathway below your shoes. The familiarity of the uneven terrain prompts you to look up to the direction of the hill next to you, confirming your current whereabouts.

In your d̶e̶n̶i̶a̶l̶ defence, this road is one of the few ways to reach the forest near the border, the only one that you know of, in fact. You obviously have no conscious intention to-... you know what, it's not like you need to explain it to yourself.

Without finishing your own thought, you absent-mindedly walk closer to the shadowy shapes of ruins on the highland in the distance, giving in to the coincidences if fate does exist. And before you can consciously tell yourself to turn back, whatever remaining of the rubbles that used to be your home is now in front of you. The numbing question as to why you choose this place can be felt at the back of your mind. But you decide not to entertain it in fear of the overwhelming flashbacks from that day that still haunt you up to this second.

You carefully hold the items in your hand as your legs start to give in, resting your back onto a nearby wall before sliding down to a crouching position. At the contact of the cold concrete, you cannot help but close your eyes and slowly lean your head onto the wall in sudden fatigue. After making sure the structure is steady, you gently place your lantern down and stretch out your feet. The book of mystery sits on your lap.

Despite the distraught thoughts, you start to flip the cover. Uncertainty slowly creeps into you at the sight of your aunt's note you found earlier tonight. However, you immediately decide not to mull over it the second time tonight and proceed to mentally steel yourself for what is further written inside this book instead. As you try your best not to scrunch your eyebrows, your fingers finally glide to turn the next page. Your eyes hesitantly scan the first few lines,

--A long time ago, long long ago in unimaginable times, there once was a kingdom with vast fields of lush crops, concoctions and technologies beyond man's wildest dreams, as well as proud willful minds.--

Huh?

The words feel distant as you digest them, and you become puzzled at how they would fall into place with your predicament. Still curious, you decide to skim through the next page. And through another page, and the following page. And again. And again...