Chapter 26: How

... ... ...

Mei's POV [Blood Pledge Castle - Library]

"He wants to do what?!" I choked.

I had expected Gwendal wanted to talk to me about Waltrona and my attitude during the meeting, but I heard something completely unexpected. It was hard not to notice Yuuri lingering as everyone filtered out of the meeting room, his eyes hardly straying from Gwendal. I figured he was only going to ask Gwendal what would happen next after this meeting, so I left with no thought of it. I only just entered my bedroom when a guard knocked at my door, informing me Gwendal wished to speak with me in the library as soon as possible. Without hesitated, I went to the library where I found Gwendal waiting already with an annoyed, yet worried expression marring his face. Both of those alone made Gwendal hard to manage. Before I could utter a single word, Gwendal told me of this crazy plan.

"I said, Yuuri Shibuya wants to travel to the other territories," Gwendal repeated.

"Why in the name of the First King would he want to do that?!" I spat, knowing he'd be prancing about as if screaming, 'Kill me! Anyone! I don't care! Kill me! I'm giving everyone a fair chance to kill me! Going once! Going twice! Yes! You! Good sir! You're a Cimaron rebel! Great! Perfect! Kill me!'

"He said it would help him make his decision," Gwendal answered.

"He's crazy. It's dangerous and he shouldn't go," I said.

"He told me that if he doesn't go then he'll give up the throne immediately," Gwendal whispered, eyeing the door.

"What the hell? We might not get a king either way. It would waste all the time everyone spent today and all other earlier dates. You all are going to make me worry my way into an early grave. I've been very hesitate with any of this since the beginning and now you're telling me I should let my friend going riding off into dangerous areas, knowing full well he's practically going to have a target on his back. No. No. No. Just give me a few hours with him. I'll talk some sense into him," I said, imagining having to tell the Shibuyas that their son was dead.

"Then were not going to agree with each other," Gwendal replied.

"You're going to let him go on this death trip! You're crazy!" I yelled.

Gwendal stared at the doors again. "I'm not happy about this, but it might do the kid some good. Seeing the damages in the villages that still align with the kingdom might sway him. He's a very caring person. We all know and see that. Ever since he was a kid, he looked after you and even Wolfram when they met. It might be good for him to see the families that suffer due to this silly war. It might give him some motivation."

"This isn't like you, Gwendal. I don't like it," I said.

"You don't have to like it," he replied.

"Then why did you call me here?"

"I know you know you're way around this country and especially the capital. Don't pretend you think I didn't notice. You'd disappear and show up with things you could only get in the other lands. Items I know they don't sell in the capital. Then, you'd sneak out of the castle at night with James to see his family. You know trails and other ways to get to other lands without drawing attention to yourself. I need you to help with this. I need you to lead Yuuri and help him maneuver safely across the territories. Don't deny any of this, Meiline. I know you can do it. After all, you just did it to go see your uncle," Gwendal said.

"That was entirely different. I've known that trail since I could ride a horse and I was completely by myself," I tried to argue.

"Please, Meiline. The sooner we let him take this trip, the sooner we can start putting our kingdom back in proper order. The sooner he sees everything and agrees to take the throne, the sooner we can start training him his royal duties. Shin Makoku will have a ruler again. It's a selfish request from both Yuuri Shibuya and I, but I'm asking you to help with this one thing."

This was completely unlike Gwendal. I stared at him and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. His hair had started turning silver in some spots and he was paler than I was used to him being. He had been acting as interim king and still governing over the Voltaire territory all while chasing after our mother. He was probably exhausted. I sighed. "Fine. I'll look after him, but we aren't going into the Radford territory. My uncle is sick and if the rebels hear about it and find out about us traveling there, we might as well take our swords and drive them through our own hearts. Also, the minute I sense trouble, we're turning around and returning to the capital. No ifs or buts."

Gwendal nodded curtly. "I have already told Shibuya to expect that if it comes to that. I'd like to get organized as soon as possible. After dinner, we'll start making arrangements."

"Okay. I'll speak with you later then," I said and left the library.

This was beyond stupid. Yuuri could've asked anyone anything about Shin Maokou and yet he wants to see it all himself. Idiocy. It was almost suicide. I glanced back at the library doors when I heard it click behind me. I could probably make an argument if I told Gwendal the Radford territory is lost, but there were still other parts of the country Yuuri could go. There was no point. Rebels have already made their way into the capital. Everywhere was dangerous.

"You look conflicted, Lady von Radford. Is something on your mind?" Yozak called to me.

"What isn't on my mind, Yozak?" I asked.

Yozak frowned. "How are you? Being back here... The last time you were here, you didn't exactly leave on the best terms,"

"I'm as fine as I can be. It's been three years, Yozak. I was fifteen. That's more than enough time to grieve and move on," I said.

"Are you sure about that? I've heard you've been interrogating everyone in the castle. Are you looking for a spy or a traitor perhaps?" Yozak asked, steering me into an empty room.

"I'm not talking about this with you," I said.

"Meiline, you shouldn't go looking for something that doesn't exist," Yozak countered.

"Yozak," I growled.

Just because James..." he continued.

"Yozak! Shut up! You'll keep your mouth closed if you know what's good for you," I spat.

He threw his hands up defensively. "I'm only trying to look out for you. You're paranoia is causing you unnecessary stress. It's unhealthy."

"I'm not being paranoid. I'm being cautious. There's a saying, isn't there? What happens once can happen twice. Are you even sure you weeded out all the spies? One could still be lurking..."

"That's enough, young lady. We're not idiots, Meiline. We've got our own spies looking into it. How do you think I heard you were talking to people?" Yozak interrupted.

"Just let me do this. I need to do this," I said softly.

"Don't get yourself wrapped up in trouble again," he replied just as quietly.

I already am.

"I'm not an idiot."

"So have you found anything out?"

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Just curious as to how your little investigation was going," he continued.

"A guard that's usually stationed near the front gate has been acting suspiciously. A new maid I've been keeping tabs on makes me nervous. I've caught her near Yuuri several times with no explanation as to why she's there," I informed him.

Yozak nodded. "I've heard the same. We're going to look into it."

"Really? I'm being paranoid?" I rolled my eyes and moved towards the door.

"I never exactly said your paranoia was leading you wrong. It's only causing you stress when others are already looking into it."

"Did you hear about the trip yet? I'm not sure if I'm the first Gwendal told," I said, changing the subject.

"Yes. I had a message for Gwendal from Conrart, so I was waiting near the meeting room. He told me and plans are already being made."

"Gwendal had already made up his mind and started the planning anyway. Stubborn," I mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Are you coming as well?"

Yozak nodded. "I'll be in the shadows if you need me."

"Good to know."

"We proably won't leave for a few days. A lot of preparations need to be made. Try relaxing until then."

"Alright. Okay. I get it. Let people do their jobs and stop doing it for them. Noted," I said, leaving.

Yeah. Right. Relax. Who the hell can do that in this country?

... ... ...

Yuuri's POV [Blood Pledge Castle - Yuuri's bedroom]

I spit the minty toothpaste into the sink. Gwendal had pulled me aside after dinner. He told me planning for the trip I requested were already in motion. I wouldn't go everywhere. He told me I'd visit no more than three villages that have felt some of the worst effects from the war, but still remain loyal and friendly to the throne. I knew it was beyond risky, but several precautions would be taken. I shouldn't have asked to do this. Maybe I was just trying to subconsciously delay making a decision.

"You should wipe that toothpaste off your lip before it dries," Wolf said, leaning back against sink beside me.

"What?"

"Drifting off into your own thoughts again?" Wolf asked, wiping away the toothpaste with his thumb.

I nodded. "Conrart's going to show me how to find with a sword tomorrow."

"It's different than holding a baseball bat," he said, rinsing the toothpaste off this thumb.

"Why do you use swords in Shin Makoku anyway? It's a little medieval, isn't it?"

Wolf sighed. "Honestly. I know you've only just started learning about Shin Makoku, but have you paid attention at all?" He paused. "Shin Makoku has always been a closed off country. Several countries have tried to pry open our ports for trade, especially the United States. The thing was, Shin Makoku had nothing of interest to trade to them and we wanted nothing from them. To us, guns are barbaric and cause nothing more than violence. Violence is something Shin Makoku already had an abundance of. This country only developed our own way to generate electricity 20 years ago and indoor plumbing developed 40 years ago. Cars are a rarity that only nobles and other high class members of society own because we have to get gas shipped here. The only countries we have friendly relations with is Japan and recently, Switzerland."

"You sound like a history textbook," I chuckled.

Wolf smacked me on the back of the head. "I'm only an informed citizen. You should be, too."

"Shin Makoku seems to have similar feelings about guns as Japan," I said.

Wolf snorted. "And yet they still have guns. Police and soldiers there still carry them, right? What about those mafia people? Shin Makoku has outlawed guns entirely. If anyone is caught in possession of a gun, they'll be imprisoned. One man has even been executed. It's rare, but guns still make it into our country. We worry that some Cimaron rebels have bought some on the black market. We'd have to prepare for a worst case scenario if that happens."

"Let's just hope they don't," I replied, putting away my toothbrush and exiting the bathroom.

I waited for Wolf to finish in the bathroom and climb into our bed before turning off the light. I slid into the bed beside him and he instantly curled into my side. His head rested on my shoulder and his arm wrapped around my waist. He started tracing small circles on my hip with this thumb.

"Are you going to come to practice with me tomorrow?" I asked, wrapping my arm around his back.

"Do you want me to?" he asked.

"Yeah. I could use your criticism," I said.

Wolf snorted and laughed softly. "You need my criticisms, wimp. How else am I going to get you ready for the throne? Whether you take it or I do or anyone else, you're stuck with me. Get used to it. I'm never letting you go again. No matter how, you'll be pulled into this country's problems anyway."

I thought about it for a second before quietly murmuring, "Sounds like a health relationship."

Wolf huffed at me and dug his nails into my hip.

"Abusive, too," I added, hissing at the pain.

"Yuuri!"

"Joking! I'm joking," I said, squeezing him lightly.

"Idiot," Wolf muttered into my chest.

I hummed.

"Yuuri."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing."

... ... ...

Wolf's POV [Blood Pledge Castle/traveling/Kalarin]

Preparations took nearly a week. When some of the nobles heard what was going on, a few arguments broke out, delaying our departure. For the first time in my life, I heard Mei and Uncle Waltrona agreeing on something. It was odd seeing them have a civil conversation together over afternoon tea. They both thought this trip was ridiculous, yet neither of them tried to sway Yuuri to stay. Funnily enough, Mei was in charge of traveling with Yuuri during this entire thing. Uncle Waltrona decided to accompany us as well since one of the little villages we were travelling to was in Bielefelt territory. Gwendal spent little time and effort trying to convince my uncle otherwise. His mind was made up and nothing could change that.

It was early morning of our departure day. Yuuri had put in a pair of coloured contacts and was currently scratching at a wig Conrart helped him put on. It didn't do much to change his appearance. Rumors mentioned that a king candidate was Japanese. Luckily, most peasants don't know what anyone from an East Asian decent looked like, but a simple glance could tell you he's not originally from Shin Makoku. No one in this country has eyes shaped quite like his. Even the dumbest people can spot a foreigner. I understand why the wig and contacts were needed to hide the original black coloring he had. While it does occasionally happen, black hair and eyes were a very rare thing to find in Shin Makoku. It's about as rare as finding someone with Gisela's hair in any other country in the world.

"Why is this so itchy?" Yuuri complained, scratching at the wig again.

"Quit scratching at it. You'll make it fall off," I said, shoving his hand away.

"But I itch," Yuuri whined.

"Ignore it," I replied.

"What kind of an inhuman being are you that you can ignore an itch?" Yuuri asked.

"Do you itch your private parts in public when they itch?" I asked.

"No! That's indescent!"

"Now, what did you say, 'What kind of an inhuman being are you to ignore an itch?' See. You can ignore itches. Congratulations. You're inhuman," I replied, ignoring the shocked look on his face.

"You know, you're kind of vulgar," Yuuri said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "If you think that's vulgar, you should hear me when I purposely speak vulgar."

"You...you...that's embarrassing," Yuuri said.

A smirk tugged at my lips when I realized what he thought I meant. "Who's the vulgar one now? I didn't mean it like that, but it's good to know where you're mind is drifting off to in a public area surrounded by my family."

A light blush graced his cheeks as he glanced at the people around us. They all were either far away enough not to hear us or were all good at pretending they didn't hear anything. Any comment Yuuri was going to make was quickly tossed aside as Gwendal and Mei approached us.

"We're going to head to the village in the Voltaire territory first. Then, to the village in the Karbelnikoff territory before making our final stop in the Bielefelt territory. We should only be staying in each village for a few days. This trip shouldn't last longer than two weeks. I have alerted the others at the castle that if we haven't returned by then, a search should be made. Since a large group would attract attention to us, we'll be splitting off into several small groups. Meiline will be leading you two as well as Conrart, Dacauscous, and Brenden. Don't stray away from her ever, even if part of the group gets lost. The second I find out you stray, we'll turn around immediately. Do you understand?" Gwendal informed us.

"I understand," Yuuri replied.

"Good," he simply said before leaving us alone with Mei.

"He's way too tense. It's giving me a headache," Mei said, watching him leave.

"We're not going a normal route, are we?" I asked.

"Nope," Mei said, motioning us towards our horses where the other three were already waiting.

"Lead the way then," I said, mounting my horse and watching Yuuri struggle to mount his. He had been practicing, but he still had a lot of trouble getting on and off a horse.

"I see you still need to make some improvements, Yuuri," Mei said, smiling.

"Maybe I need a better teacher," Yuuri shot back at her.

"Fine. Whatever helps you improve better and faster," Mei replied, shrugging.

Yuuri probably couldn't find anyone to teach him better than Mei. She essentially knew how to ride a horse since she could walk. Horses were her favorite animals and it showed. Even the most colicky horses were docile with her. Mei had trained a lot of our horses. Gwendal had informed me that she taught Yuuri's horse, Ao, several commands. One made him stop and another made him run away. It was one of the many precautions put in place.

"Mei," I said, motioning her to come closer.

She rode up beside me. "Is something wrong?"

"I thought Günter was coming with us," I whispered.

She shook her head. "He went ahead of us. I told him the path we were going to take and he scoped it out yesterday. We just received a letter from him that he didn't encounter anyone or see anyone unsettling near the trail. We'll meet him in Kalarin."*

"Okay."

"You nervous?" She asked.

"No, we're all good fighters. Well, Yuuri is getting there," I replied.

"Is Brenden good? I've never seen him fight?" Mei asked.

I nodded. "He;s one of the top. That's why he was assigned to us."

She nodded while glancing over at the soldier. "We should get going. Our route is a little longer, so it'll take us more time to get there."

... ... ...

The route we ended up taking hardly seemed like a trail at all. Mostly because there wasn't a path cleared out for us at all. In the end, we were riding our horses seemingly blind through the middle of the forest. This felt reckless, but Mei never hesitated as she twisted, turned, and rode through the trees. It wasn't a secret Mei used to sneak out. Everyone knew she did it and turned a blind eye at it, but no one questioned where she went. I guess she went further than I thought she did.

Yuuri sighed beside me. "If we had a train here., this would probably only take us an hour, maybe an hour and a half."

"We do have a train system. It's mostly used to ship cargo from one territory to the next," I pointed out.

"Really? Does anyone ever use them for passenger trains?" Yuuri asked.

"Rarely. Most people generally stay in the village they were born in their whole lives, so using trains as you do in Japan would be wasteful," I replied.

"We're all grateful no one uses the trains for transportation. It's easier to keep track of who is coming in and out of certain regions. If people used trains more regularly for their own travel, it would be simple for the Cimaron rebels to get into the capital," Conrart said, riding up to the other side of Yuuri.

"What is they do use trains?" Yuuri asked.

"We check them for unwelcome passengers every time a train pulls into a station. This happens everywhere, but they are checked more carefully in the capital. We've thought about a lot of ways the rebels can get in the capital. They're all checked on a regular basis," Conrart explained.

"So they could be getting in the same way we're going to the Voltaire territory. Through the woods and such," Yuuri said.

"Unfortunately , yes. There was talk about putting up fences along the borders once, but we don't want to do that. Everyone should be free to move throughout the country as they please. Besides, it's a little hard to determine who is a rebel. At the beginning, they were all solely from Cimaron, but now they're all over. And not everyone from Cimaron is a rebel. It's harder to find a threat than simple looking at someone's I.D.," Conrart continued.

"They probably have some sort of way to identify one another. Maybe they all wear a certain color or have matching tattoos or something," Yuuri said.

"We can't just question people because they may be wearing the same color around each other. And out of the Cimaron rebels we've caught, none of them so far have tattoos. If they do have an identifying mark, it's probably not something very visible or something that may seem common. It's easier to catch someone if they stand out," Conrart said.

"Then how do you know who the rebels are?" Yuuri asked.

"That's the thing. We don't know, not until they turn aggressive towards us. They use guerrilla tactics as well. There's not many of them, but it's difficult to weed out the enemy when they look like everyday people," Conrart continued.

"Where is Cimaron? It's a town, right?" Yuuri asked.

"It's an island off the coast of the Grantz and Radford territories. They were always friendly with the Wincott territory. I think a majority of people living in the coastal city of Caloria were originally born in Cimaron," I answered.

"Caloria? Why does that name sound familiar?" Yuuri asked.

"It's a port town. When you are your family came to visit when you were younger, you came on a boat that arrived in Caloria," Conrart said.

"Oh."

"Hey boys! We're here!" Mei called back to us.

I sighed in relief as I saw a clearing ahead of us. The green that has swallowed us soon changed to a bright blue and the sounds of children playing filled the air. Men and women could be heard in the village center haggling prices at the market. The village sounded full of life, but its looks contrasted greatly. Streets were muddy and buildings looked decrepit. Some building had charred from a fire in the building next door where black frames remained like a grave. Some building had no doors or windows with boards busted down here and there. If someone looked inside, they'd see perhaps thirty homeless civilians camped inside. The clothes the villagers wore look shabby with holes and the ends of trousers shredded. Many women wore their hair up tightly in buns with bits of spare cloth and if you got close, you could see that it looked as if they hadn't bathed in weeks. The smell was something indescribable. It was a mixture of a sour, spoiled coming from the food in the market and the filth radiating off the civilians.

"Wolf, can't we do something?" Yuuri asked as eyes glanced up at us.

"We're not only here to satisfy your curiosity, Yuuri. These people are starving because Cimaron rebels are cutting off their food supply and taking it for themselves. The foods they are managing to get are already close to rotting and expensive. Most people are taking money they spend on other things to buy spoiled food that'll make them sick. Gwendal is finishing up an arrangement with another supplier to sell here. He's going to meet with the village mayor tomorrow to discuss it," Conrart said,

"That's news to me," I muttered.

"Gwendal would like you to join him tomorrow, but I'll let him tell you the details. For now, let's get to the inn. Günter should already be there," Conrart continued.

The inn was probably the nicest place left in town. The building didn't look rundown and it both windows and doors. Lively music could even be heard playing as someone opened the door. We rode to the stable in the back, which was already occupied with two other horses. We left our horses in the stables and made our way into the inn.

The woman that greeted us has caked way too much make-up on her face and possibly used a whole bottle of perfume to hide her stench. She had bigger muscles than I've even see on a woman and was quite voluptuous looking in her tight dress. She tossed her blonde curls over her should as she spoke to us.

"You must be Lord von Christ's associates. Yes, yes. You must simply be with looks like that. Men from the Christ territory are always so beautiful. Your rooms have already been paid for. I'll take you to them, so you can relieve yourself from your luggage. Lord von Christ is in the pub if you wish to join him after," she tittered, pointing to the room emitting music next to the staircase. "I really hope you do come down. I'll be there and I'd like to see you again, sugar," the woman said, cupping Conrart's cheek. I shivered and glanced back at the pub doors. I hoped Günter wasn't drinking. A sober Günter is already hard to mange. A drunk Günter was a nightmare.

"I think Conrad attracts strange women," Yuuri whispered.

I hummed in agreement.

"Are you okay, Wolf?" Yuuri asked.

"I'm fine. Let's just get our stuff settled upstairs," I answered.

... ... ...

Yuuri's POV [Kalarin – the inn, Yuuri and Wolfram's room]

I was surprised to find two single beds in our room as we opened the door. Wolf wasted no time and fixed it immediately. He dropped his bag on the dresser before staring at the beds with an unimpressed expression. He pushed the bed closest to the door to the other bed. I watched him adjust the blankets and pillows until he was satisfied. It reminded me of a bird building its nest.

"Cute," I murmured.

"What?" Wolf turned around. "Did you say something?"

"No, nothing important," I replied, dropping my bag on the floor beside the dresser.

He stared at me for a minute before shaking his head and muttering 'wimp' under his breath. "Okay. Then, should we go downstairs?"

I nodded.

... ... ...

When we arrived downstairs, Conrad and Mei were already at the foot of the stairs. Conrad cocked his head toward the pub door. He and Mei walked inside first. Before entering, I felt Wolf slip his hand into mine. Some people think jealousy is an ugly thing, but if this is how he's going to keep acting, I don't mind his protective tendancies.

"I don't need drunken whores clinging onto you," he muttered, pulling me into the pub.

We were instantly greeted with the sight of a petite green-haired girl and a buff macho man arm wrestling. Upon further inspection and thanks to Mei's cheers, I discovered the green-haired girl was Gisela. Also... she was winning.

"She's holding back to spare the man hurt feelings," Wolf whispered seemingly bored and pulling me over to an unoccupied table.

A sharp crack rippled through the air as the match ended. Buff macho man had lost and was quietly rubbing the back of his hand. Mei cheered and ordered a round for everyone in the pub. This caused even more cheering. She dropped a small bad in front of the barkeeper as he poured pints of beer and passed them around. Gisela, Mei, Wolf, and myself received some non-alcoholic drinks since we were all under age. Daucaucous was handed a beer as he entered the pub. His 18th birthday was only a few weeks ago.

It was heartwarming that there was this much merriment when so much suffering was going on. Günter has greeted us briefly before fluttering around the room to talk to everyone in it. He left them with smiles on their faces and a ghost of a laugh in their eyes. These were good people, good people that didn't deserve to suffer. I heard the barkeeper arguing with Mei that she had overpaid. She told him to keep it and if he felt wrong keeping it, he should donate it to the orphanage down the street.

... ... ...

Wolf and I went up to bed at about ten o'clock that evening, but I couldn't sleep. I decided to check on the horses rather than stare up at the ceiling all night. Maybe I'd go brush Ao. As I slid out of Wolf's grasp, I felt him stir.

"Yuuri?" He yawned. "What are you doing?"

"Can't sleep. I'm going to go brush Ao," I replied, slipping on my boots.

"I'll come with you," he said, his speech slightly slurring.

"No. You sleep," I told him.

"No. Can't let you go alone. Too dangerous. Might het attacked. Got to protect you," he said, slipping into a pair of pants.

He slid on his boots and put on a jacket on top of his night shirt. He stared down at himself for a moment before making a few attempts at strapping his sword on. I managed to wrestle the sword out of his grip and strap it on for him. He looked ridiculous with his bed head and sloppy dress. It was adorable. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room behind me. He yawned again as I closed the door behind us. He tottered after me, rubbing at his eyes like a toddler that just woke up from his nap.

A soft chuckling followed by a high whine and a recognizable voice saying, 'stop it,' had me freezing in front of the room Conrad was staying in. I should've done nothing. I should've ignored it, kept going, and pretended I hadn't heard anything, but the door was open a crack and I couldn't stop myself. I let my hand slip out of Wolf's and I cautiously peeked into the room.

Straddling a very naked Conrad was the blonde innkeeper from before, except her blonde "hair" was now tossed onto the ground. Instead, she had fiery red hair that was a lot shorter than previous blonde curls. Her tight dress remained, but her peppy voice from before was gone and it was a lot lower than a girl's vocal range could probably go.

"Shh. Conrart. Relax. We won't be disturbed. Everyone in the pub saw us go upstairs together. They know what we're doing up here. Besides, it'll be much more believable if I suddenly leave when the handsome men leave town if I fell in love with one of them," the deep voice purred.

"Yozak," Conrad moaned.

Y-Yozak?! That's Yozak?! Why is he dressed like a lady? And what is he doing with Conrad? I heard the red-haired man chuckle as his hand moved south. I quickly backed away from the door as I heard Conrad take a sharp breath. Nope. Nope. Nope. I didn't see that... that... whatever they were doing. I spun around to find Wolf nearly falling asleep as he leaned against the wall. I grabbed his hand and quickly pulled him back into our room.

"Yuuri? I thought we were going to see the horses," Wolf mumbled.

"I changed my mind. I'm suddenly feeling very tired," I replied, kicking off my boots and dropping onto the bed. This is why we don't explore places at night. Maybe this is a dream. I didn't just about see... I shivered. How was I going to look at Conrad tomorrow? How was I going to look at him ever again?

Wolf hesitated before stripping down to his night shirt. "Okay."

As he slipped into bed beside me, I visually remembered what I saw. Was Yozak putting his finer in Conrad's butt? Why? Is that how... Is that how men...have...sex? I glanced at Wolf beside me. That... We... How... How?

Sleepy Wolf bae needs to protect his finace. He's doing his best.

Yuuri is so... He's also doing his best, but it's no good peeping on others doing the deed. Oh man. I turned Yuuri into a peeping tom. It sounds so much worse now that it's in the story than when I wrote it in my outline. I don't think he'd do that if it ever happened in the canon, but I needed to do it. What have I done?

They're both doing their best. Okay? I need a drink.

*Kalarin is a village from my imagination as well as super guard man Brenden and Buff Mancho Man