A Plan of Doing Nothing

Sitting while staring at the cup of tea on the table, Erus remained quiet. He was still trying to figure out how they had actually ended up at Mesi's private quarters. He had witnessed the drama back in the market, but he still couldn't piece together what was really happening. Cana hadn't explained a single thing to him yet, but here he was, not even objecting to coming into this place. It was his first time being brought to Mesi's personal space, and he hadn't expected the dealer to trust Cana this quickly either.

"Sorry, I made you wait."

Mesi descended the stairs like a reborn man—no hair ornaments, just his long black hair neatly tied back. Even his clothes had changed into proper attire a man would wear. His voice had dropped into a pure, deep masculine tone, completely stripping away his previous disguise.

Erus snatched his eyes back to his tea. He had to admit, Mesi possessed an undeniably pretty face for a man. The way he so easily drew Cana's attention only proved what she had teased earlier about being fond of beautiful creatures.

Erus bit down on his lower lip until he tasted the faint iron of his own blood.

​"You surprisingly look prettier by not having those flashy things and white powder on you," Cana commented.

"Thank you, Lady Cana. I will accept that as a compliment." Mesi bowed to her before pulling out a chair for himself and sitting across from her.

Erus pursed his lips, counting the times Cana had complimented Mesi without flinching in the slightest. His eyes were deeply gnawing on the teacup. A little more taunt and the damn thing would break.

"I hope the tea is to your liking? I don't have better drinks to offer. The rest are all booze."

"Yeah, it's good. I just don't think Erus likes it. He's been sending deadly glares at it for a while now."

Cana and Mesi both turned to look at the alarmed Erus.

Was he really that obvious? He hadn't even noticed himself doing it.

"I don't drink tea," Erus blurted out, finding a quick way out.

But Cana caught his eyes avoiding hers. She chuckled, resting her chin in her hand while giving Erus a teasing look. "My Erus is so tensed. You hate the tea that much?"

Erus felt the heat quickly flaring up his face upon hearing how Cana addressed him in front of a stranger. Why call him that, like they were into something they hadn't even talked about? She was way too bold to claim him without his consent.

But it somehow eased him.

He sighed, letting out a heavy breath. "You're overfocusing on me. I'm just not thirsty, nor am I hungry."

Mesi, who was not used to seeing this side of Erus, fought to keep a straight face. He had never imagined the infamous Tyrant and curse bearer could be so thoroughly tamed by a woman, completely unaware of the silent jealousy brewing behind that golden mask.

Cana just smiled, then turned back to Mesi, her tone shifting seamlessly back to business.

"Anyway, what's your real deal, Mesi? You didn't bring us here just to taste your tea, right?"

Mesi looked at her, reluctance and a fresh wave of nervousness creeping back into his chest. Though he knew she held ultimate authority, he still had no real idea who he was dealing with. Was bringing them into his private space truly the right choice, or had he just panicked because Cana held his secrets in her palm?

"I didn't have a plan," Mesi admitted, his voice quiet. "I was just stunned that you knew my secret, so I invited you in."

"That's all?" Cana asked, her disappointment sharp when Mesi went silent. "I don't like liars. I might leave your pretty face unscathed, but I can easily find a million other ways to punish you," she added, her tone dripping with sweet poison.

Both Erus and Mesi swallowed hard. While Erus was having doubts if these two really knew each other.

An image of pure chaos and blood spilled across their minds, accompanied by the echo of Cana's dark, villainous laugh. Yet in reality, she simply sat there, maintaining the flawless, elegant posture of a noble lady.

"I... I was looking for a chance to ask if you could save the last remaining bloodline of my family." He paused, steadying his breath. "I know it sounds absurd asking you, a mortal, but you're the only one who hasn't treated the likes of us differently. You didn't fear touching a creature like me."

Hearing Mesi, Erus frowned, completely lost. Asking Cana to save his remaining bloodline made no sense.

How could she even do that? Was this dealer trying to ask her to bear his children?

Erus gritted his teeth at the thought, his left fist clenching tight against his thigh.

"Be direct with your words. What exactly do you want Cana to do?" Erus' voice dropped into a low, heavy octave, suffocating the air in the room.

Mesi instinctively tensed. That growling tone promised nothing good, especially with Erus' eyes darkening toward crimson. The Tyrant was ready for a bloodbath. It meant whatever Cana decided, this man still held the blade.

"He is already being straightforward, Erus," Cana cut in, leaving Erus momentarily confused. "I told you, he's mine to handle." She kept her gaze fixed on Mesi.

"I can help too," Mesi pressed on. "It will be you against this entire kingdom if you do it alone. I'm willing to be the sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Erus echoed, the pieces starting to shift. This wasn't about Mesi—it was about someone else. "And you, Cana... going against the kingdom?"

"He's asking me to save the fox you caught," Cana said plainly, surprising both of them.

Mesi's eyes widened, fear spiking through his chest. Had he asked the wrong person? Why would she let her own familiar be killed?

"What?" Erus asked, his tone dropping further as the puzzle came together, save for one glaring piece. He darted a sharp look at Mesi. "You said your last remaining bloodline. You're a mortal. How could you be related by blood to that fox?"

Drowning in Erus' stifling aura, Mesi glanced at Cana, hoping she would step in to temper the man's murderous intent.

"I suppose you've been using Erus' hunting ability to sustain yourself," Cana remarked calmly. "So telling him the truth won't hurt, will it?"

Mesi gulped, nodding slowly. But would revealing his true nature to this Tyrant sign his death warrant?

He let out a quiet sigh. With a wave of his hand, all five swords—his most prized possessions—materialized on the table with a heavy metallic clatter. It was a gamble, but he chose to trust his instincts and place his life in Cana's hands, even with Erus' deadly presence looming over him.

"I was a five-tailed Teumessian fox," Mesi began trying his best not to stammer and show his most sincere words.

Erus' lips parted slightly as he studied the serious look on Mesi's face, then glanced down at the five blades. The realization hit him immediately.

"Three hundred years old... and I was one of the knights serving directly under the leader of our lineage. My father. Until war broke out between my kin and the empire." Mesi clenched his fist, the memory painful enough to tear open old wounds. "The old empire betrayed us and slaughtered my people. My grandson's child and I were the only ones who survived. I severed my tails to pass as a mortal so the kingdom couldn't trace me. But while hiding, I was captured and enslaved, leaving the poor child alone on that deadly mountain. Months passed before I broke free to search for him, but I couldn't trace him anymore. My fox abilities were gone, and I could no longer enter the mountain where I had left him. I never gave up on finding him—that child was the only reason I chose to keep living. And now he is here. Alive, but... about to be executed." The words were almost too heavy for him to bear, but he forced them out anyway, suppressing his emotions so he wouldn't be consumed by guilt and feeling worthless in his current state.

The room fell silent.

Erus' murderous aura gradually subsided as he realized someone had suffered even worse than him at the hands of the empire's rulers.

And the pieces finally fit into place. Mesi's words aligned perfectly with Gregory's report. The place where Erus had captured the Teumessian fox was that same highly poisonous, deadly mountain—a hellscape no ordinary mortal could ever survive.

If the previous rulers were venomous, what made the present ones any better? He shouldn't wonder why he had suffered so much just to earn his father's attention and love. The same root, the same bitter fruit. But he no longer craved that approval—not since that trial where he had almost lost his life. If he could strip away the very blood connecting him to the royal line, he would do it without a second thought.

Cana took a slow, unhurried sip of her tea, the porcelain clicking softly against the table in the heavy silence.

Erus looked at Cana.

"Did you already know the fox I caught was the same kid you let mark you?"

She took another sip of her tea before turning to Erus. "You didn't tell me."

Erus avoided her eyes, his gaze flickering toward Mesi for a brief moment before settling back on the wooden table. He felt the weight of owing them both now—the hot seat was entirely his. And the guilt for not telling her earlier had doubled.

What was he supposed to do? Saving the fox child was almost impossible now that the royal palace held total control over it—unless both he and Cana chose to go all out. But doing that would cause far too much chaos and heavy casualties. And shedding royal blood was tantamount to defying the gods themselves.

"I was blinded by following orders," Erus admitted quietly. "I thought the fox was a threat to you."

Cana simply responded with a quiet sigh, prompting Erus to look back up at her. A sudden spike of anxiety hit him—he was terrified that she might go berserk or turn against him.

"I won't say sorry. Tell me how to atone for my blindness," he blurted out before he could second-guess himself.

Cana fixed her gaze on the five swords laid across the table. "Do nothing."

Erus stared at her, unable to grasp what she meant by 'do nothing.' He could only assume she was furious with him and pushing him away.

"Your great-grandchild is my familiar now. Mine alone to handle," she told Mesi, her tone leaving no room for argument. "And both of you will do nothing on the day of his execution."

"What?" Erus and Mesi spoke in unison, completely taken aback.

"Are you planning to go by yourself?" Erus asked, alarm bleeding through his voice at the thought of Cana attempting to save the familiar on her own.

"You know saving the child will cause total chaos, and I have no desire to bring that about," she replied calmly.

"Lady Cana..." Mesi spoke, but the rest of his words died in his throat. He couldn't comprehend why she would abandon her own familiar. He had harbored a desperate hope that she would step in to help him.

Had he been wrong about her all along?

"Tomorrow evening, decide which of these swords you want to become whole with you again."

Mesi stared at Cana for nearly a full minute, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.

"C...come again?"

"I don't repeat myself. You heard me clearly."

He gulped as Cana fixed her unyielding gaze on him.

Was it truly possible for a mortal like her to restore his severed tails? And if she could, why waste that immense power on him instead of saving her own familiar first? Why restore his strength only after his great-grandchild was already executed?

"Cana, if you don't mind, enlighten me later because I am utterly confused right now," Erus muttered, leaning back heavily against his chair. Just when he thought he finally had all the pieces put together, Cana had become the biggest puzzle of all.

"I simply don't need a weak familiar. I want Daeven at his peak," Cana said offhandedly, as if discussing the weather.

Erus glanced at her before turning to Mesi, hoping to find some sense of her meaning reflected on the dealer's face. But Mesi only stared back at him with the exact same utter bewilderment.

"Daeven? Who is that?" Erus asked.

"My blood familiar," Cana replied, a subtle, sharp grin breaking across her face.

She looked like someone harboring a dark design in the back of her mind—terrifying both of them. It made Erus doubt if Cana was still the woman he could trust. She was far too different from the Cana he was used to.

He might be a violent person himself, but her changing like this was an entirely different matter. It made him question if this was her real personality all along.

As for the blood familiar—that was an ancient art, and he had never heard of any family with the power to perform it. Mortals were simply too weak to handle a divine art like that. Yet Cana had said it with complete seriousness.

Did she really have a blood familiar? Meaning, she had also regained her memory now, too?

Meanwhile, Mesi held no doubts about whether Cana could perform the divine art. The fact that she had seen right through the Teumessian foxes' highest art was proof enough that she was no ordinary mortal. Her offer to make him whole again with one of his tails was also a lost art—one that only the ancient fox ancestors knew how to perform. But he was also curious about this blood familiar of Cana. What kind of beast could it be?

"Cana, are you playing some kind of game here? Because I really don't understand what you are up to," Erus said, his tone turning sharp and serious.

She pursed her lips, noticing Erus' irritation spiking.

"You'll understand later. Just make sure you are by my side tomorrow night," she said without looking at him.

Erus wanted to ask why, but he didn't feel it was necessary to press further with an outsider listening. He chose to keep it to himself and simply nodded.

"Tomorrow morning, Mesi will keep me company while you do your other duties," Cana added, causing alarm bells to ring in his head.

"I don't have any duties tomorrow, and I'm not entrusting you to him!" he reacted quickly.

Cana looked at Mesi and gestured for him to give them space to talk. The latter understood what she meant and immediately scrambled away with his five swords.

When Mesi was gone, Cana sighed, but in a brief moment she was already standing behind Erus, leaning down near his ear.

"I'm harvesting future gifts for you, so don't be stubborn. And you're the only one I allowed to breathe within my real shield. Do you know what that means?"

The hairs on Erus' neck stood on end as he listened to Cana's whisper. He didn't know, but he swallowed hard at her question. What did she mean by those words? Was he at her mercy now? And what real shield? He had only ever seen her use her blue flame shield.

"I hope you still remember it," she whispered into his ear before standing straight.