He was woken by a strange feeling on his left ear. It felt like something soft was putting pressure on it but at the same time, it was slightly wet. As he became more and more awake he noticed pressure on his upper body along with something soft pressing against him.

This again . . . she really can't stop doing this.

Zane slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ivana's shoulder. When she noticed that he had opened his eyes she pulled away slightly from his ear, leaving it wet.

"Good morning," she whispered in his ear.

"Good morning," Zane replied with a smile on his face.

She sat up on top of him and looked down at him with her two gemstone-like dark green eyes. For a moment he just stared at her naked body, then he extended his arms and let them slowly glide up her back, all the way from her two round ass cheeks up to her arms. Once he reached them he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, giving her a kiss. She pulled away and smiled down at him before rolling off him and laying down beside him, one hand on his chest.

"We servants will have our hands full tonight . . ." Ivana said.

"Right, the wedding is tomorrow. Although I don't really understand why they had to wait an entire week after his birthday . . . couldn't they have just done it a day or two later?" Zane asked.

"It's a custom . . . I believe the Vermillion's do it like that because a soon to be head of the family once married the day after his birthday and then died during the ceremony," Ivana said. "And so for good measure, they wait a week."

"How did they die?" Zane asked.

"No one knows, although I've heard other servants say that they were poisoned by a servant," Ivana said with a slightly mysterious undertone.

"That so? But that still doesn't explain my question from yesterday. Why do you have to help with all that? I thought Holvin assigned you to me specifically," Zane said.

"I told you that every servant has to help prepare a wedding," Ivana said.

"Yeah but you aren't a normal servant," Zane said as he pulled her closer and gave her another kiss.

Ivana chuckled as she pulled away.

"But we really should get up, you don't want to miss lunch yet again. If Xavier gets angry the day before his wedding who knows what will happen," Ivana said.

"He might get himself killed again, that's his favourite activity after all," Zane replied.

Ivana chuckled again as she got out of the bed and walked over to the table where her clothes had landed the night before. She quickly put them on and walked over to the door.

"I'll see you later," she said, winking at Zane, before opening the door and leaving his room.

"Yeah, see you later," Zane said, quietly.

He slowly got out of bed, grabbed his clothes and went through the morning routine he had repeated every day for the past few months with a bored expression. He sat next to Mira at the lunch table like usually and then left the mansion to go hang around the training grounds.

"What's up with you Zane?" Veral asked with a concerned expression. "Did that servant girl of yours dump ya?"

Zane shook his head.

"It's just that my life has been a bit . . . too calm for the past two months," Zane said.

"Wait, are you thinking about quitting?" Lovana asked.

"What?" Igarem asked. "That cannot be true, right?"

"No . . . I don't know. I haven't made a decision yet," Zane said.

"You'd make Mira unhappy, do you want to do that? Merana would probably hunt you down," Lovana said.

"You might be right about tha- no wait, you are right about that," Zane said.

"At least stay for the wedding, afterwards she has her husband to cheer her up," Veral said.

"Oh, I do not think so," Igarem said. "That marriage will not result in much. The way things are going between those two they might not even give Holvin an heir."

Zane nodded.

"Whenever I'm with them they are arguing over something, it almost got violent at some points," Zane said.

"Xavier wouldn't dare hit her, would he?" Lovana asked.

"Even if he did that, she would kick his ass," Zane replied. "That's not what I'm concerned about. But if they ever have a kid it might turn out badly."

"Well, no use thinking about things we have no way of figuring out," Veral said. "I just want to calm down a bit before having to wear that stupid ceremonial armour tomorrow. Did yours arrive yet?"

"Ivana said she'd bring it to my room later," Zane said.

"Then you're all ready for the wedding," Lovana said.

Yeah . . . right.

Zane sat down on one of the benches and looked down at the ground while the other three trained on the dummies and targets.

That wedding is the least of my concerns right now. I just don't know what I should do right now. Should I stay even when I know that I don't want to? Or should I leave and follow my gut? I mean there is nothing stopping me from doing so. The contract states that I can quit whenever I want. I have over a hundred bullets for my guns and I just had my katana repaired, my equipment is all in top condition . . . but should I really leave? Would I just be running away again? But from what? I have changed. I'm basically the way I used to be over eight years ago. Maybe that's why I want to leave because the me eight years ago wanted to do nothing but adventure and adventure some more.

As Zane thought a few tears rolled down his face and fell onto the ground.

But there's Ivana . . . although would I even have these thoughts in the first place if she was a definite reason for me to stay? I doubt it.

As Zane sank deeper and deeper into though he didn't notice how fast time had passed. Lovana pulled him out of his thoughts when she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Zane?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zane said as he got up from the bench.

"Good, if we stay here any longer we're going to be late for dinner . . . again," Veral said.

The four quickly walked back to the mansion, down the stairs and entered the dining hall. Everyone was already there.

"There you four are, come sit down quickly dinner starts soon," Holvin said as they entered.

All four of them nodded to him and walked to their seats.

"Late again, Zane," Xavier said.

"Sorry," Zane replied.

"Don't be like that Xavier," Mira said to her soon to be husband.

Zane sat down next to Mira. Shortly after the servants brought out the food and as soon as they left everyone started shovelling food on their plates and began eating, just like every day. Zane was silent throughout the entire meal and when everyone was finished and Zane was just following Mira and Xavier up the stairs he was stopped by Mira at the top of the stairs.

"Don't wait for me," Mira said.

Xavier nodded and went to his room.

"What's wrong?" Mira asked.

"Nothing," Zane said.

"As weird as this might sound but you haven't been this quiet in a while," Mira said.

"Nothing is wrong," Zane said. "Don't worry, just concentrate on tomorrow alright?"

Mira looked away for a second.

"Right . . ." she said. "Anyway, I guess it's time to go to bed and make sure to try on the ceremonial armour tomorrow morning."

"I will," Zane said as he watched her go up the stairs.

He followed after her and each of them went to their rooms. Zane sat down on his couch and leaned back for a while. The ceremonial armour laid on his table, next to a small note. But he felt too tired to stand up right now.

This really isn't the life for me . . . it's made me weaker, I can feel it. I haven't gone anywhere outside the city in months. I haven't fought a real opponent in months . . .

After a while of being alone with his thoughts, he heard a knocking on his door.

Didn't Ivana say she couldn't come tonight? Who else could it be?

Zane slowly got up from the couch and walked over to his door and opened it. Mira stood in front of him, wrapped in a blanket.

"W-What do you want here at this time?" Zane asked.

Without giving an answer Mira pushed him further into his room and closed the door shut behind her with one of her feet.

"W-What is it?" Zane asked.

Again Mira gave no answer. Instead, she dropped her blanket, revealing her completely naked body. Her nine white tails were swinging around behind her as she looked Zane straight in the eyes, hiding nothing. Zane swallowed down all the saliva in his mouth.

"W-Wha-" he began but before he could finish Mira put a finger on his mouth.

"Shh! Just follow my lead," she said.

Oh hell no . . . this isn't happening right . . . I knew that whole marriage thing wasn't going to work out.

Zane backed away, but Mira followed him, not letting him gain any distance. Eventually, he fell onto his bed and Mira took that opportunity to climb onto him, just like Ivana did on their first night together.

"Mira stop, what are you doing?" Zane asked. "You're supposed to get married tomorrow."

"Just . . . follow my lead," Mira said, a single tear running down her face.

"Alright, no. This is clearly not what you want," Zane said.

He pushed her off of him, got up from his bed and grabbed her blanket which he then threw to her.

"What is this really about? Tell me," Zane said to Mira who wrapped herself in her blanket again.

"I-I just don't want my first to be with . . . with that guy," Mira said, beginning to cry for real.

Zane sat down on the bed beside her and put his arms around her.

"And that's why you decided to come to me?" he asked sceptically.

"Yes, if I had to marry him I at least didn't want him to get my first . . . I know it might be childish . . . but I hate him. I'm only marrying him because I have to," Mira said as she leaned on Zane.

Fucking great. Of course, something like this would happen . . .

Zane looked down at Mira.

"This isn't the way to do this . . ." Zane said.

"Yeah . . . I know. Sorry for dragging you into this," Mira said. "Can we just . . . stay like this for a while?"

Zane nodded with a smile on his face. For some time they stayed like that. Zane with his arms wrapped around Mira, who was crying. Once she had calmed down she got up.

"I'm really sorry . . . it won't happen again. I'll . . . I'll leave now," she said.

Zane nodded at her and watched as she walked out the door again.

This won't end well.

Zane got up from his bed and walked over to his table where the ceremonial armour laid, with a note next to it. It was clearly Ivana's handwriting.

'I'm sorry that we can't be together tonight. But I will make it up to you. Love, Ivana'

Zane looked down at the note and smiled.

I'm sorry.

He took the pencil that was still beside the note, turned it around and began writing. Once he was done he put the note on top of the ceremonial armour and walked over to one of his wardrobes, he grabbed his armour and weapons, put them on and then stuffed his clothes into the wardrobe. He left his room and walked down the stairs with a queasy feeling in his stomach. He walked out the mansion and down the stairs, then down the ramp and along the street towards the gate.

It's better this way . . . at least for me I guess.

Ivana walked up to Zane's door with a grin on her face.

How should I wake him today?

She slowly opened his door, her heart beating faster and faster. But it immediately dropped when she found the room empty.

He wasn't in the dining hall . . . and he never gets up in time for breakfast . . . where could he be.

She walked into his room and noticed that the note she had written was now on the armour and not next to it anymore. She walked up to the table and took the note.

'I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. This isn't the life I want. So I will be quitting. And if you read this Ivana, I apologize for leaving this abruptly, I hope you understand. Zane'

Ivana sank to the ground and began crying loudly. She heard footsteps quickly approaching the room but didn't have enough energy to even turn her head. Her mind was filled with so many emotions that she couldn't tell what they were.

"My dear, what happened? Where is Zane?" Holvin asked.

Ivana just handed him the note.

"Oh dear, this is bad . . ." he said.

He leaned down and helped her up.

"You may have this day off . . . try and calm down dear," Holvin said.

"He can't just do that . . . can he?" Ivana asked, tears running down her face. She suddenly started screaming. "He can't just do that, right!?"

"I understand that you are sad right now, but please dear try to calm down," Holvin said with the most comforting voice he could muster.

"What is going on?" another member of the Vermillion family asked, standing in the door.

"Nothing Grelas, she just needs some time to calm down," Holvin said.

"So the bastard really did leave," Veral said.

"Oh, Veral, you're awake," Grelas said.

"Yes, master Vermillion," Veral responded.

"What do you mean?" Holvin asked.

"Yesterday at the training grounds he mentioned that there was a possibility that he might leave," Veral said.

"And you did not tell me!?" Holvin said loudly.

"We didn't think he would actually do it," Veral responded.

"This is bad, please make sure that Mira does not find out, tell her that he got sick or something like that," Holvin said, still trying to comfort the crying Ivana.

Grelas whistled and a servant approached them.

"What can I do for you, master Vermillion?" the young-looking man asked.

"Tell all the servants to tell Mira Vermillion that her bodyguard Zane Larcadia got sick and sadly cannot attend the wedding because of it," Grelas said.

"Right away," the servant responded.

Ivana took a deep breath and looked up at Holvin.

"May I stay here for the day?" she asked.

"Of course dear," Holvin responded.

He then walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Why, why, why? Why did he leave? Maybe it's my fault. Maybe it's because he thinks I forced myself on him.

Without even noticing she walked over to the bed where they had slept together so many times and threw herself on it, burying her face in the pillow. The smell reminded her of him and more tears began welling up inside of her.

Zane stood atop a snowy mountain, looking down at the frozen lake in the middle of the Velva Highland, covered completely in blood, multiple dead dire wolfs laying around him.

"This is the life!" he screamed into the sky as blood dripped into the snow from his katana.

"So this is where you are Z," a familiar voice said from above.