Chapter 76: Steal and Leave

MAEVE

Nathalia flinched at my touch as our lips met. I didn't know how to kiss properly, but the closeness of our faces was enough to hide her from anyone. Her hands hit my chest with force, trying to push me away, but I held her in place.

Slowly, I placed her hood back on her head as I let go of her lips, turning to the man who just arrived. I pushed Nathalia's head to my chest, restraining her movements.

"What are you doing here, Grand Knight?" I asked, hiding the woman's face from him. I wiped the corner of my lips, caging her in my arms.

Sir Knox looked at me with furrowed brows, then to the hidden woman. "I didn't know you were here to find women, Sir Massimo," he took a step closer, his hand reaching out to Nathalia.

I pushed his hand away. "Don't touch her," I warned. "I don't like sharing what's mine," Nathalia held on to my arms, making herself as small as possible. "Now, if you don't have anything important to say, you can leave my woman and me. You're ruining our experience."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir," he replied, showing a piece of paper to me. "We need to talk. This is important and urgent. I'm sure you can leave your woman for a while, right?"

My eyes landed on the paper. An unfamiliar name was on the document, but just like me, he was described as a wealthy buyer, someone who was collecting older familial relics.

"I will meet you at the exit," I told the Grand Knight. "I just need a few moments with my woman."

Sir Knox looked hesitant, his eyes moving between Nathalia and me, but in the end, he left. I followed his footsteps, and when his scent was out of reach, I took a step away from Nathalia, who was shaking in anger.

"Why would you do that?" she exclaimed, wiping her lips with the fabric of her hood. She was wiping it roughly, removing my traces on her skin. "You violated me!"

I shook my head, defending myself from the punches she landed on my body. I could say that her punches were pretty strong, and they really hurt. I didn't expect that she would be this strong. I even almost stumbled because of her attacks. Was she always like this?

"I needed to do that, okay?" I grabbed her arms. "He can't see you. I'm sure he knows who you are. What do you think he will think if he sees us together?" I whispered. "You're not even supposed to be here!"

Nathalia spat out, looking at me with hostile eyes. "You'd better do what I told you," she started walking away, still wiping her lips as if I just given her an illness. "I can't lose my first kiss to a knight like this. You'd better make it worth it."

Nathalia disappeared into the shadows. I felt guilty, wiping my own lips. I couldn't believe I just did that. Even when I was still in a relationship with Draven, we never kissed—at least on the lips.

I couldn't believe my first kiss was a woman.

I took a deep breath. I was desperate, and I needed to be more careful. Soon, I might encounter the same problem, and I couldn't do the same thing again. Besides, Nathalia might distance herself more now that I had just done such a violating thing.

I headed to the exit, and Sir Knox was just standing there impatiently. His eyes wandered around when he saw me and asked, "Where's the woman?"

"Sent her back," I leaned on the wall casually. "So, what is this important thing you need to tell me?"

"Sir William had told me about the auction tomorrow," he said. "I had looked deeper into it, and I saw a potential rival for the relic."

I crossed my arms. "And that is the man on the paper?" I asked.

He nodded, lighting up the cigarette in his hand. "He is not just rich. He is filthy rich. He had been a customer of this district for years, and he always got everything that he wanted," he replied. "There's a huge possibility that he can outbid us. I knew that man would do anything to win. We can't let him have the relic."

"We will let him have it," I muttered, much to his surprise. "But we will get it from him."

"What the hell do you mean, Lieutenant?" he faced me, blowing out heavy smoke from his mouth. "Once he wins the auction, it will be much more difficult for us to get our hands on it. You're taking a big risk."

"Every successful buyer will be sent to their office for the processing of payments. He wouldn't have his hands on the relic immediately. He would need to wait for at least a day," I responded. "But before that, the owner will show us where the products are located. There's a huge possibility that they will show where the relic is."

He squinted, processing my words. A chuckle escaped from his lips as he realized something. "And you plan to steal the relic before he can get it, right?"

"Yes," I replied, smiling as I moved away from the smoke. "That way, we won't need to pay a huge price. Just buy one cheap product and steal the other."

"You do realize that stealing it will be the most challenging part, right?" he scoffed. "Their security is tight. A huge mess would happen if the owners realized their relic is missing. The district might even be in a lockdown, and if that happens, we are stuck here," he added. "You might be overestimating your abilities, Sir Massimo. If you fail to steal the relic, what will happen next?" he widened his eyes. "We will go back empty-handed."

I tapped his shoulder. "I know what I'm doing," I assure him. "I wouldn't do anything if I knew that I couldn't do it. Besides, you should focus on looking for the rebels. Have you got any leads?"

He leaned back, puffing the smoke. "Three rebels are hiding in Scarlet C. I can say that their leader is also here, but I can't even find his shadow."

"Leader?" I raised a brow. "Then you should hurry and find him. Catch the big fish before they can do something in this district," I shrugged. "You will never know what they can do. What if they blow up the district just like what they did at the palace?"

"Don't tell me what to do," he spoke, shard and warning. "Make sure your plan will work. I don't want to go back to the palace empty-handed. And if that happens," his finger pushed my temple. "I will make sure that you'll lose your position in the faction. So do well, Lieutenant."

I smirked, flicking the cigarette away from his hand. "You should tell that to yourself," I whispered, stepping on the cigarette. "Because everything I do goes according to plan, unless someone purposely ruins it for me.”