CHAPTER 27-Help From Lulu

***Varick's POV.***

“Have you told anyone about this yet? Who knows, aside from you?” I asked, my voice slow but audible.

“No one else,” he replied, a serious edge in his tone. “If they find out, you'll be in even more trouble. Not only will they rush to marry you off to my sister, but they'll extort money from your people. Then, they'll hand you over to King Kyrous in exchange for millions.”

I stared at the young man before me, still struggling to process the fact that he knew so much about me. His eyes, innocent and sincere, didn’t match the sinister family he came from. He looked nothing like the rest of them.

“How come you know so much about me, but your family doesn’t?” I asked, my confusion clear. I sat back on the bed, noticing how his eyes flicked nervously over my body, likely intimidated by my size and build. But he didn’t back away. Instead, he came closer and sat beside me, a gesture that melted something in my chest. It was like he was showing me that he wasn’t scared I’d hurt him, and that small act of bravery stirred something deep within me.

“I was born with a deformity,” he began quietly. “I couldn’t ‘wolf out’ at the right age, and my father called me a disgrace. He sent me to stay with his sister in a far-off village, far from home. I was treated badly there, kept locked in a room just like you are now. My father didn’t care about me; he forgot about me for years and focused only on Star because of the prophecy about her special gift. I was the youngest, and all the love I should’ve received was transferred to her. When I was with my aunt, the only thing I had access to was an old TV, and because of your father’s reputation, I heard his name all the time. But I noticed something—people barely talked about you. You were different from King Kyrous. I started following the news about Drakonia just so I could watch you. I’m a huge fan of yours.”

His words hit me like a wave. I had never considered how others might view me from the outside. For all my wealth and power, I was just a shadow in the media compared to the looming figure of King Kyrous. But Lulu didn’t stop there.

“My father only brought me back when a war broke out and my aunt was killed. I was the only one who survived, and that was when my father took me back.”

I glanced at him, my mind spinning. There was something about Lulu—something unique—but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It felt as though our lives were somehow entwined. But before I could process my thoughts, I pushed them aside.

“You should leave,” I said, my voice colder than I intended. “Your family will want you back. They’ll hurt you if they find out you came here.”

“No,” he said quickly, his voice soft but determined. “Please don’t send me away. I can help you escape. Let me help.”

“You’re just a child,” I replied, though the sharpness of my tone faltered. “You don’t know anything about these kinds of things.”

“Don’t be deceived,” he said, his voice growing more serious. “I’ll be 19 soon, and I know a lot. This clan is full of evil men. If they succeed in marrying you off to Star, you’ll be doomed. She’ll turn you into her plaything. Star has a mental illness that makes her act irrational, and she’ll do anything to get what she wants. Please, let me help you escape.”

His desperation was real, and it struck a chord deep inside me. I paused for a moment, then asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Lulu,” he said, a small smile breaking through his earlier tension. His eyes were sharp, piercing, and there was a rawness to him that suggested he’d seen far too much for someone so young. His long hair hung loosely around his face, messy and unkempt like that of a teenager who’d grown up too fast. But the bruises on his soul told a different story. He’d never been given the love and care he deserved. The strength in his eyes was beyond his years—he had endured more than most could bear.

I didn’t want to pull him into this. If I managed to escape and his family found out he helped me, they’d do unspeakable things to him. I wouldn’t be able to live with that.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. “Tell me what I need to know about this ceremony,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn’t want to drag Lulu any further into this, but I needed the details to make my escape plan.

“The Burnfire will happen outside the town hall, a few miles from here,” he explained. “On the day of the wedding, a car will come to pick you and Star up. The rest of the family will be in another car behind you. It’ll be heavily guarded because my father has influence, and there’ll be no way for you to escape without external help. If you don’t act before the vows, you’ll be locked in for life with Star, and that’ll be the end of you.”

I processed his words, trying to form a plan. He was right—the security would be too tight for me to escape on my own. I’d need help.

I stood, walking back to Lulu, and met his gaze. “Alright,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll let you help. But I need you to gather rogues. As many as you can. When we arrive at the town hall, and they see us walking down the aisle, they need to start shooting. That’s when the chaos will give me the opening I need to escape.”

Lulu nodded. “I’ll need money to do that.”

“I know you do,” I said, my mind working quickly. “And I have access to a lot of it right now—just not the kind I can easily get to. But you can sell something on the black market, right?”

He blinked, confused. “Sure, I can do that. I have friends who can help.”

“Good. There’s a sword over there,” I said, nodding toward a hidden compartment in the room. “It’s worth millions. It’s the same sword my father used to fight his first war and win. It’s made of pure gold and silver, but I concealed it with stainless steel so no one would know its true worth. It’s worth around $40 million on the black market. After King Achillis VII’s death, its price has likely gone up to $70 million, and at an official auction, it could fetch over $200 million.”

Lulu’s eyes widened in surprise. “The most I’ve ever traded on the black market is $50.”

“How can you handle something like this?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Leave that to me,” he said with a confident grin. “But I only have one request.”

“What’s that?” I asked, the edge of my voice sharp with curiosity.

“Take me with you,” he said softly. “Please.”

I stared at him, stunned. “What?!” I gasped. Just then, the door creaked, and we both froze, hearing it twist open.