One month later.

The great metal gates of Winston came into view. The town, more of a city in recent years, was protected by a square wall like many of the larger towns and cities of the human continent. The first thing that you noticed was, as always, the smell. 

The shit of horses passing by. The stink of the people who'd not have been able to showed in days in their journey here. Then the lingering scent of roasting meats or baked breads that wafted out from inside the walls.

Unpleasant, but bearable. 

To be honest, Phaedra has smelled worse. Not many people knew this, but New York was actually rather filthy and had a god-awful smell. 

Compared to that, this was even considered clean. 

Hadrian sat on Roach and trotted up next to the window of their carriage. "Well, we're here. What now?"

Faye took a swig of tea--sweet as a untouched maiden, just how she liked it--before answering. "Now we meet a friend."

Phaedra had planned this meticulously! She'd been searching for a new home for months before her departure from her parents' territory. As such, she'd sent many letters via carrier pidgeon--a method of long-range communication left in favor of more magical means in this world--and had finally found a seller of an estate. 

Not only that, but she'd also visited places in the past month along her way here. They were not the sort of areas a person like her should go, but according to the information she was able to gather they were trustworthy with their paperwork. 

What that meant, is that she had an identity forged. This was not too hard in a world like this, but it still required tedious care. 

You didn't need a proper I.D to go in and out of a town or city, but you did if you planned to live there. Most cities only sold to those born within their walls. Outsiders could too, but that required a very lengthy request for citizenship that would record your current identity and former living area.

Phaedra wanted to avoid that. She wanted no record about her at all. Her brother was unbelievably thorough and he would notice if her name popped up in some other city or town, requesting for citizenship. 

So the answer to that? Pay someone to give her the identity of someone who had already gone through this process. Why not give her the identity of someone who had grown up in the city? Because it posed a risk: Someone knowing the person who identity you stole, and somehow running into or learning of you.  Paranoia? Yes, but it was damn deserved!

And if you made a new identity altogether, there would be other suspicions. Like you having no record of actually living in the city. 

The designer Faye had been introduce to had an identity tailor made for her. it was a long process, but it was very authentic-looking.  Apparently someone else would make the request for citizenship for her at the place she'd chosen to live, and once done she would assume that person's identity. This way you had an established record, but it wasn't you own.

Duncan, the man who'd helped her plan all this and been the one to introduce her to all these seedy individuals, was who she planned to meet before going to the seller.

With that in mind, she took the letter from her pocket for the hundredth time and confirmed it's contents yet again. 

Silver Stag. Northern District. 

Faye nodded to herself. "Have your men take Ruri and find some place to rest for now."

Hadrian gave the order, then addressed her again. "You hired us for 2 years. We'll need a more permanent residence than an Inn. Otherwise...Well, you realize you'd have to pay for our housing, yes? With out number, we may have to scatter to other Inns, too." 

"Don't worry about that." She told him. 

And he shrugged, doing exactly that. 

"Now, come. I'll want you with me."

"Going to meet that friend, are we?"

"Quite." 

***

She spotted him easily enough. That was the way of him, Duncas. He attracted attention. With his silver-blond hair, and sharp blue eyes, he was the total opposite of her brother. In many other ways, too. Which Faye appreciated.

The way he was similar to Maverick, however, was his affinity with women. Which Faye envied to no end! 

Even now, several females glanced his way as he sat comfortably near the back of the tavern with one leg over the other. Eyes closed, the light from the late-morning sun turning his hair into an angelic halo. His head was dipped down over his chest, seemingly asleep, but Faye knew better. He was aware of everything.

This man was perhaps the only person her brother considered something of a rival. No one knew where he'd come from, but from the moment he showed himself Maverick had pegged him as, "Someone competent." 

From Maverick,  that kind of praise was unheard of. She'd never seen exactly how powerful her brother was, as he never had to use much power against the bandits and other outlaws he'd faced in their territory, but Faye had heard numerous stories this past month and understood that the level of destruction he could cause was even greater than what she'd thought. 

Apparently many eyes had been on his battle against the forces of the Demon King, just outside of the battlefield. 

Anyway, Maverick considered everyone he'd ever met as useless. Except Duncan. He may not be as powerful as her brother, but he may be in the same ballpark if Maverick would give him the evaluation he did. 

Phaedra had wanted the man to steal her away himself, at first. She even begged him to. But he refused, saying he couldn't undertake that kind of responsibility. But he did help her with this whole plan, so there was that. 

Anyway, Faye walked over and took a seat in front of him. She studied his face with a frown, hating how painfully handsome the guy was. Why couldn't she be reborn as this kind of person? Though, living as a girl hadn't been very bad and masturbation as a female was fucking godly, so she supposed she couldn't much complain.

Phaedra waited with a silent, bored-looking Hadrian at her side. She'd changed her hair and eyes since long ago, as her colorings were unusual. For a moment she feared the man wouldn't recognize her, but that was done away with in an instant. 

He raised his head and glanced at her with a single opened eye. He smiled, the damn thing blinding. "Have you been well?"

Faye sighed, nodding in the affirmative. "It's been stressful, but yeah."

"That's good to hear." Duncan replied, seeming to mean it. He turned his attention to Hadrian. "You hired Blackwater, I see. Good choice, he's rather capable."

Hadrian's muscles grew taut as he heard the man's words."You know me?"

"I know many people." Duncan said. 

Hadrian stared hard at him, then slowly calmed himself. He ordered a drink and proceeded to mind his own business. 

Faye was surprised. 

"Hadrian is a simple man, Faye." Duncan took notice of her expression and explained. " As long as you have coin, he is not interested in much else. Nor does he care about some stranger knowing his name and history. Not unless I threaten you, as protecting you is his current job."

Faye frowned at how he could know that about the man. They didn't seem to have met, or at least Hadrian didn't know him, and these were rather deep insights into his character. 

But she decided not to question it too much. Hadrian hadn't, and Duncan would not tell her anyway. 

"I've already paid for the estate." Duncan went on, surprising her yet again.

"What? Why?" She didn't understand why the man would do something like that. Although for some reason the estate chosen was not overly  expensive, despite it's size and design, it was not cheap either. That's why she robbed her family. 

Duncan curled his lip in amusement. "Think of it as a thank-you. I hadn't laughed so hard in so long, I wanted to show my appreciation." 

Faye furrowed her brows. What the hell? She racked her brain but couldn't think of a time she'd ever seen the man laugh. Certainly not around her, at least.

"I...see. Well, thanks."

"Think nothing of it." His calm blue eyes regarded her seriously. "Your brother won't find you here, Faye. But he'd raze the entire world to the ground to find you, and you can be sure he'd come across this place eventually."

His words were chilling. 

Her tofu!

"I'm finished. Kaput." She moaned. "What was the point of all this if that is going to happen anyway?!" She cried. Goddammit, was it her fate to fuck her brother? She was unwilling!

That damn yandere bro-con bastard, he'd never let her go! Her dreams of a quiet life with a harem of beauties, it would vanish! 

"Calm down, " His lips quirked upwards. "It wouldn't be for quite a while. You have plenty of prep time."

"Fuck prep time." Phaedra cursed. "Who am I, Batman? What's prep time going to do for me?" She banged her head on the table in hopelessness.

"Don't be so depressing. This is a world full of mysterious wonders, Phaedra. Find them. You'll be able to shake him off then. Probably."

Faye looked up at him through tearful eyes. "What mysterious wonders?" 

He only smiled that infuriatingly bright smile. 

"Go home. Earn the answer yourself." 

Of course, he didn't mean her old home. No, he meant her new one. 

The girl stared at him. "Why the fuck does everyone say that in these kind of situations? Tell me straight, dammit." She grumbled.