He flipped the watch over. The engraving was delicate, etched in elegant script:For the days we get, and the ones we lose. Yours, Helen.
Aries, Clive, and Gravis gathered around, eager to ogle Nic’s handsome new watch.
“Whoa, that’s a fine-looking one,” Aries exclaimed.
“Thatisa nice gift,” Gravis said, but his tone was oddly cool. His gaze flicked to Nic, sharp and assessing. “It certainly pays to be courting a steward’s daughter, huh?”
Nic stiffened instantly. It was as if he were a porcupine, his quills rattling with ire. The muscles in his arms and shoulders tightened, and he took a step closer to Gravis.
“What do you mean by that?” His voice was low, dangerous. “Are you saying I’m with her because of her social status? Because she’s rich?”
Gravis shrugged, his expression unreadable. “No. I’m just surprised you’d choose to be involved with a steward’s daughter.Thatsteward’s daughter, especially.”
Nic’s smoldering eyes narrowed. It was rare to see him this fierce. “And what, exactly, is wrong with my girl and her family?”
Gravis didn’t flinch. If anything, his smirk deepened, laced with contempt. “That’s a pretty fancy watch she gave you. I bet she eats extremely well. Her father is Crimisa’s treasurer, isn’t he? While he collects taxes from the already poor and needy, his daughter is shopping for pretty dresses and shoes and buying her beau fancy trinkets.”
Nic clenched his fists. He took another step forward, his eyes igniting with fury. “Talk about Helen again and I’ll test how well this expensive watch holds up when I...”
Instinctively, Collin stepped in, his body moving before his mind could catch up. It wasn’t his habit to interfere when a man was defending his beloved’s honor—but this was different. They were surrounded by guards and captains, men who wouldn’thesitate to throw them in a cell for disorderly conduct. If Nic and Gravis came to blows, it wouldn’t just be bruises they’d walk away with.
Collin needn’t have worried alone. Aries was right beside him, stepping forward in perfect sync, as if they had rehearsed this moment a hundred times before.
Nic’s fury crackled in the air, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His breath was shallow, his shoulders coiled like a spring ready to snap. Collin and Aries didn’t need words—Nic knew them too well, and they knew him.
Collin’s gaze was steady, full of reason.Not here. Not now.Aries’s expression was sharper, edged with caution, but beneath it lay unwavering loyalty.If you fight, we fight. But think first.
For a long, tense moment, Nic’s burning eyes flicked between them. The sons of Crimisa stood locked in silent conversation, a language built over years of shared battles, whispered confessions, and unshaken trust.
“Everyone, come on!” Clive’s tone was light, attempting to break the tension. “We’re all friends here! No need for this.”
Nic didn’t take his eyes off Gravis, but he dropped back a step, muscles still strained. “Yeah, because clearly, Helen’s been funneling tax money straight into my wrist.” His voice was sharp, edged with mockery. “She bought this with her own earnings—jewelry she made, yarn she sold. But sure, let’s pretend she’s robbing the poor to spoil me.”
Gravis didn’t respond. His glare remained icy, but after another tense breath, he turned and strolled away.
Collin exhaled sharply. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until his lungs protested. He didn’t like taking sides, but if Nic had needed to fight, Collin wouldn’t have hesitated. Some bonds didn’t ask for permission
“Anyway,” Nic muttered, “I should really stop courting rich girls. It’s bad for my image.”
Aries chuckled, and said, “A year already, and you haven’t run—I’m impressed.”
Nic smirked, his expression losing some of its edge.
Collin handed the watch back with a small grin. “Congratulations—and happy anniversary. Feels like just yesterday you were swearing you’d never get tied down.”
Nic buckled the watch around his wrist, his movements stiff with lingering frustration. “Helen’s perfect. Her parents, though? Let’s just say they’d rather gift me a swift kick than a watch. The idea that they’d hand her money formeis about as likely as them naming me their beloved son-in-law.”
No one replied. It was no secret that Helen’s parents detested the fact that their only child was being avidly courted by the builder’s son. Whenever Nic brought up the unpleasant topic, no one could offer helpful advice. Helen seemed indifferent to her parents’ disapproval, and Nic—though he cared—could hardly do anything to change their minds. Instead, the lovers were drawn more intensely together, their passionate and effusive relationship growing and flourishing right before everyone’s eyes.
“What did you give Helen?” Collin asked curiously.
Nic’s grin softened, almost bashful. “Nothing extravagant,” he said, voice low. “Just a little box I carved—for her trinkets. Thought she might like somewhere to keep the stuff she never throws away. But it’s not finished yet. Hope we get some free time.”
Aries snorted, crossing his arms. “Right. And maybe they’ll throw in a vacation while they’re at it.”
A couple of shade canopies away, Captain Eric stood giving instructions to a group of guards. The rising sun caught in his copper hair, making it glint like burnished metal.
Collin watched him, unease rising in his stomach. He wondered what awaited them on this first day of training. Hedoubted it would be a gentle introduction—no time to acclimate, no easing into their new reality. More likely, they would be thrown into the deep end, forced to adapt quickly or suffer whatever punishment Sol deemed appropriate.
