Under Raeden's sharp gaze, the three blue-haired foxes gulped. They sneakily took glances at each other while keeping their mouths shut.
"Don't you three love to talk? So why are you being quiet?" Raeden raised his eyebrows.
'What are we school kids?' Ann thought to herself.
For a forty-two-year-old (mentally aged) woman to stand with her hands behind her back like a troublemaker in front of the school principal. It was not something Kim Eunseo had intended for.
This was in fact the second time Noah, Oliver, and Ann had been caught red-handed by Raeden.
The first time was when Ann had newly joined the Nero mercenaries. One of the douchebag sons of the local Lord started an argument with Ann when he tried to hit on Bea. The argument escalated quickly into an all out brawl between his Knights and the trio.
The incident ended peacefully after the village chief stepped forward and apologized to the Lord.
Three days later, the Lord's son was found hanging upside down at the forest's entrance, robbed of his money and every single bit of clothing. He had been attacked on his way back home from the casino by a group of masked individuals.
The perpetrators of the attack were never caught, even after a thorough investigation by the guards. That was because, on their way home after the successful robbery, the responsible individuals were caught by Raeden, who had been waiting for them to come out of the forest. They were dragged back to the village and forced to hear the village chief's lecture till the sun was up.
Since then, the trio made sure not to do anything 'illegal' under Raeden's presence. It was to do the 'wrong' in the right way.
"Who came up with the ingenious spam?"
"...."
"...."
"...."
Raeden narrowed his eyes as he continued tapping his fingers on the table.
"Why is he being extra cranky today?" Ann pouted and mumbled under her breath.
"If Robinhood robbed people, it is heroic. But if I do the same, then it is a 'scam'. This world is so unfair to honest people"
"What was that?" Raeden asked Ann with a slightly amused voice. He hid his smile and continued to toy with them.
Not knowing Readen was pulling their legs, Noah, Oliver, and Ann were playing right into his hand. The people at the surrounding tables stifled their laughter at the sight of the village's top three troublemakers being disciplined.
Seeing the three troublemakers look guilty and speechless for the first time, was quite a sight to behold.
"We don't have all day. We have business to attend to" Raeden covered his mouth to hide his playful smile.
"I'll give you till the count of three"
Unlike the three had anticipated, he was having fun seeing them squirm caught red-handed for the first time in ages.
"Three..."
Ann frowned when she caught Noah and Oliver nodding at each other. They were having suspicious eye contact at a crucial time.
"Two....."
The spectators watched with bated breaths as the countdown neared its end. Even the guests who had just arrived silently observed the trio from a short distance not wanting to ruin the fun. Among them were two individuals with long robes listening in on their conversations.
"One"
"Her idea!"
"Their idea!"
The moment Readen finished counting, the twins and Ann pointed toward each other simultaneously.
"You're blaming me?"
Ann whispered to Noah and Oliver, annoyed at them for selling her out in an instant, ignoring the fact that she was doing the same.
"Fine. It was my idea!"
"Our idea!"
The breakfast house erupted into laughter at the sight of the three foxes pointing at themselves.
Ann facepalmed while the twins just shrugged.
If they were about to be reprimanded anyway, then there was no point in arguing over who did it. They were not children to get grounded for fighting in school. At most they would be forced to return the money and be lectured for hours.
"Pfft!" Jade choked on his coffee.
"At least get your stories straight!" He laughed, wiping the coffee all over his mouth.
"Look, Raeden!" Ann slammed her hand on the table.
"We never intended to create any trouble with the Golden Lion mercenaries!"
"They started it! They were the ones who boosted themselves!" Ann argued fiercely as if she was possessed by the spirit of fire.
"It was a fight monitored by the head of the Tullus mercenaries! And we won fair and square!"
She leaned on the table Raden was seated and hovered over him as she stated each of her points.
"Nobody's going to pay anybody back! Got that?!"
Ann huffed and stared into Raeden's eyes with determination. It was the money they had rightfully earned after winning the dual.
Ann had no intention of returning a single dime even if it was the last thing she did.
But contrary to Ann's calculations, Raeden did not even flinch. She wanted to confuse him with a constant barrage of words and when he gets flustered, change the topic into something completely unrelated.
It was a technique she constantly used on Clive ever since they were kids to get away with pranks. And it worked almost every time.
Yet Raeden, the invincible wolf, stared back at her face without saying a word. The two were in such close proximity that their position could be mistaken for kissing by onlookers.
"Ann..." Raeden raised his hand as he called out to her. He noticed an eyelash on Ann's left cheek.
But before Raeden could touch Ann's cheek, they were interrupted by a familiar cheery voice.
"Haha... Look at you. As rowdy as always."
The owner of the voice laughed heartily. He walked towards the table Ann and the others were in long strides like a supermodel. The tiger emblem on his head cloth shined under the sun as he confidently smiled at them.
"Never a boring day with the Nero mercenaries"
"Elijah?" Ann unconsciously called out to him in a confused state.
Elijah Sehra, also known as the 'Agrichian Sabertooth', was the head of the Sehra merchants belonging to the Desert Kingdom of Agrichia located in the southernmost part of Elan bordering both Orion and Velven.
Elijah was as handsome as he was ruthless. He earned the name 'Agrichian Sabertooth' after clawing down his competition within a year of becoming the head of the Sehra merchants.
Elijah had an eccentric taste towards rare artifacts and collected pieces of stones from all over the continent. He was dressed in a long white tunic and golden silk belt with a distinctive head cloth that had a golden sabertooth emblem at its center. His tanned skin and slanted yellow eyes, a feature common to the people from the Agrichia added to his mysterious charm.
Sehra merchants had a wide range of clientele ranging from noble houses to common people all over Elan. They traveled all year long across the continent before returning back to Agrichia for the spring season.
Which brings up the question,
'Why is he here?'
Since it is still the middle of spring, Elijah was supposed to be in Agrichia. So why would the Sehra merchants, who followed a strict schedule, be in an entirely different country when they were supposed to return home?
Leaving Raeden behind, Ann frowned at Elijah.
"You're as flashy as always"
Elijah was dressed from top to bottom in expensive clothing and jewelry. The yellow diamond on his pendant alone would be enough to feed ten villages for a year.
"You never mince your words, Ann. It hurts my fragile heart" Elijah clenched his heart and heaved a sorrowful sigh.
"Why are you here?" Ann asked, unamused by his pitiful acting.
"Because I missed you"
Elijah and his entourage were one of the few outsiders that had the privilege to stay inside the village for a prolonged time. And during his stay, he delivered the items requested by the village for subsequent pay.
Elijah became acquainted with Ann under Raeden's introductions and henceforth had been unsuccessfully flirting with her. He was also the one who procured the dye Ann used to color her platinum blonde hair into blue.
Seeing the twisted look on Ann's face, Elijah chuckled. Suddenly he could feel the temperature behind him drop at an alarming rate.
Fearing for his life, Elijah awkwardly laughed and turned to business mode.
"No more jokes" Elijah raised his hands as of to admit defeat, "I'm here on business"
"Can you see the gentlemen behind me? They are acquaintances of mine in need of your expertise" Elijah said, pointing to the two men behind him.
"My expertise?"
Ann tilted her head to find two men of varying heights behind Elijah. The taller man had a muscular build with sharp features and a long sword tied to his waist. His well-kept brown hair matched with his amber eyes, which felt inexplicably surreal.
The shorter guy had a comparatively lighter build. He had cinnamon-colored hair and black eyes that reminded Ann of the flying squirrels she often encountered in Bea's herb garden.
"Let me introduce you to them" Elijah corrected his throat and introduced the guests to a skeptical Ann.
"Gentlemen, this is Ann. She is a prominent member of the Nero mercenaries"
"Ann this is..." Elijah stammered and looked at the man in momentary panic.
"Kalan" Answered the tall man with a light smile. He extended his hand towards Ann.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you" Kalan said without taking his eyes off Ann.
"Likewise" Ann replied with a professional smile and took his hand.
'What a weird name. Must be Agrichian. He's got a nice voice though'
"Umm..."
Even after the introductions were over, Kalan held Ann's hand in a tight grasp, with no intention to let go.
"You can let go now" Ann pulled back her hand, irked by the prolonged handshake.
"Ah. I apologize" Kalan withdrew his hand albeit reluctantly and apologized for his rude behavior.
"It is a customary way to greet people in Agrichia" Elijah interrupted.
"Really?" Ann asked, raising her eyebrows in suspicion.
"Haha... Stop looking so suspicious Ann. It's bad for your beauty"
"Haah" Ann sighed, "What do you want?"
"My acquaintances need a group of reliable people as escorts to their entourage"
"To where?" Ann asked Elijah, fed up by his roundabout way of glossing over topics.
"Home" Kalan answered and touched Ann's cheek tenderly. His eyes curved into a crescent moon as he stared into her emerald eyes.