Mercenary of Navigon:
The Compass of Power
Chapter 2: Noble Interlude (Part 4)
With newfound resolve, the Duchess made her way through the hall and confronted her parents. Since it was in the midst of a lot of commotion going on, whether it be from people dining or others assisting the wounded Lord, Kratos couldn’t hear what Duchess Hilda said to her parents. He realised it wasn’t his place to interfere, despite what happened just now, so he proceeded to wait outside of the restaurant. The mercenary was the moon amongst a hall of stars, each with its own luminescence but none as prominent as the black he wore, so it was easy for the triumphant Duchess to spot him as he was leaving. She also handed the engagement ring back to her ex-fiancée, as he teared up again since Kratos humiliated him.
The Duchess found the mercenary standing outside by a lamppost.
“Hey!” she greeted, “I thought you were going to wait around.”
“By the tone of your voice, you seemed to have handled it well and got what you wanted,” he replied coolly, with his arms crossed. “I didn’t need to be there for you to shine your own light.”
She paced towards him modestly with her hands behind her back.
“But it’s thanks to yours that I was able to shine by myself.” She acknowledged, “Thank you, Kratos.”
As they wrapped their conversation up, Kratos looked behind her and saw her parents walking out. Duchess Hilda turned around and stood off to the side. The parents scanned the mercenary up and down and then looked at each other followed by a nod.
The father started, “Lord Kratos, if you—”
“My apologies, Your Lordship,” he interrupted, “I’ve sullied your lunch date with your daughter.”
“It’s not that, young man. We actually came to inform you that if you and Hilda wish—”
“Father, remember what I said?” Duchess Hilda interrupted. “Now’s not a good time to force these things.”
The old man nodded and turned to his wife who said, “We’re proud of you, sweetie. And we’re sorry for trying to force anything unto you.”
The Duchess smiled and said, “All is well, Mother, thank you.”
Kratos actually wasn’t done with them yet and needed to tell them something. He remembered what Duchess Hilda said about family and though he let go of those bonds, at the end of the day, they still cared for him growing up. That was something he couldn’t deny.
“I want you both to not mention anything about me to anyone.”
The parents looked at one another.
“I want you to forget what I said inside the restaurant… Please. For my family’s sake as well.”
Knowing they shouldn’t pry into his private affairs; they respected his wish.
The Duchess’s father placed a firm hand onto the young Lord’s shoulder and reassured, “The heir who went missing… is still missing.”
Kratos nodded with a silent gesture of gratitude as he then watched the couple stroll off, to carry on their day. Perhaps they were going to get lunch. The thought of it made his stomach rumble.
Duchess Hilda commented as she patted his iron body, “Let’s get some food into you, mister!”
They went off to a food truck within the busy plaza and had their fill there. The pair then entered the palace and headed to Duchess Hilda’s office, where she hand wrote three letters stating Kratos’s business. She wrote quickly and legibly with her quill as her secretary proofread them and stamped them with the Navigonian royal crest. Kratos sealed them away for future use.
“Normally, these would have to go through Princess Krystoria in order to get approved but because she’s not around and the Council has yet to grant you an audience, then the administrative power automatically falls to me,” the Duchess reminded him. “But either way, you were chosen in regard to finding her, so you will not get penalised for carrying these documents. It’ll grant you immediate audience with the Matriarchs across Arcadia so we can bring back Her Majesty as soon as possible.”
Kratos nodded and thanked her for doing this for him.
“… It’s you whom I should be thanking…” she replied under her breath.
Duchess Hilda accompanied the mercenary as he left the palace. Kratos was quietly descending the stairs and she was following behind his heels.
“Kratos…” she said, which stopped him in his tracks.
“What?” he replied, and he proceeded to turn around to face her.
The moment he did, Duchess Hilda cupped Kratos’ face in both her hands and leaned in to press her smooth lips against his. Her fingers slowly massaged his facial hair while she closed her eyes, continuing to smooch the mercenary. Because he was caught off guard, Kratos’ eyes were still opened and by the time the young Duchess retracted, he could feel that his face was hot. She giggled because he was visibly turning red and hardly breathing. The mercenary was subdued by the beautiful Duchess of Navigon.
“… Thank you… again, Kratos,” she shyly said, cupping her flustered face this time as she looked off to the side.
“Uh…” he replied, dumbfounded like when they first met.
“It’ll probably be a while before I see you again… so I just wanted to give you something from my heart.”
“Uhh…” he repeated, while she giggled again.
“I hope you find Princess Krystoria soon.”
She then pinched his nose, and the mercenary regained his composure.
He cleared his throat and said, “S-See you around, Duchess…”
“Oh please, you can call me Hilda,” she replied, with a gentle smile.
“Okay…” Kratos finalised as he slowly made his way to the fake fire hydrant.
Since his mind was rattled still, he had trouble trying to focus on releasing the seal on his bike. After revving the engine, he took one last look at Hilda and she waved, to which he bashfully waved back. He pulled off and a breeze blew in his direction, seemingly guiding him to his next location.
Hilda’s hair blew in the direction he went as well, as she softly muttered to herself, “Please be safe, Kratos.”
She believed that her words would undoubtedly reach the mercenary just as his got through to her. The Duchess continued to watch him, until his figure faded beyond the horizon like a setting moon.
Randy Boodram 
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