However...


    Joshua nced discreetly at Ste. She hadn''t grown up in his world; she had an aversion to violence. Just killing Leonard seemed anticlimactic. Perhaps it would be more interesting to keep him alive and torment him slowly.


    As he packed, his mind churned with ns for the future. When he reached for one of the bags, his fingers brushed against something unexpected.


    He pulled the contents out, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "What... is this?"


    Hearing his voice, Ste turned and saw him holding two unusually shaped candles.


    She froze. The next second, her face went scarlet. She suddenly remembered the shopkeeper''s lecherous grin when she''d bought the supplies. After she paid, he''d even told her, "If they work well,e back for more. I''ll give you a discount." At the time, she hadn''t understood what he meant. Now it was painfully clear he''d thrown in a couple of "gifts."


    One look at the candles was enough to know they weren''t for illumination. They


    were...


    Ste snatched them from his hand and shoved them back into the bag. But in her haste, the entire contents of the bag spilled onto the floor.


    Rope. Handcuffs.


    Combined with the bizarrely shaped candles, the collection painted a vivid and deeply embarrassing picture.


    Ste saw the look in Joshua''s eyes change. She wanted to exin, but where would she even begin? After all, she *had* bought those things for him.


    In the end, she silently gathered the items from the floor, her expression carefully neutral. "Everything''s packed. Let''s go."


    Without waiting for a response, she fled the room as if the devil himself were at her heels. Even as she hurried down the hall, she could feel his intense, prating gaze fixed on her back.


    A few momentster, Joshua caught up. He didn''t ask any questions or mention what had just happened, and Ste breathed a quiet sigh of relief.


    On their way out, they passed the tool shop from before. The owner was outside, chatting with a neighbor. He saw Ste and Joshua, did a double-take, and then his eyes tanded on the bandage still wrapped around Joshua''s head.  s


    A look of pure shock crossed his face. "Whoa, that intense, huh? You even busted his head open?"


    Joshua, still confused, just stared at him.<fnf264> Content originallyes from find{n}ovel</fnf264>


    The shopkeeper recovered, letting out a sleazy chuckle. "So, miss, how were those candles? Need a refill?"


    Ste grabbed Joshua''s arm and practically dragged him away.


    Ten minutester, they were seated in the helicopter. As the city shrank below them, Ste felt a strange sense of dislocation. They had only been in Germany for a few days, but it felt like a lifetime.  s


    Her n unfolded perfectly. Shortly after leaving Germany, she received a message from Antoney confirming he had also made it out safely.


    Two dayster, Ste was finally back in Solmaris.


    Upon returning to the Williams Mansion, she was about to heade upstairs to rest when she saw the three Williams brother''s waiting for her in the grand hall. They seemed to have been lying in wait.  s


    Her reaction showed no trace of surprise. Turning to Joshua, she said, "Joshua,


    why don''t you go on ahead?"