A/N: Mb for the late chapter, the new HSR patch came out, and I was running through the story
Enjoy the chapter tho!
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(3rd Person POV)
"Gunlaug. I'll get rid of Gunlaug for you."
Nephis' gray gaze was locked onto his expression, searching for any sign that he was kidding.
"Are you... Serious?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Do I look like the kind of guy to joke about something like this?"
"Yes."
The blatant confidence of her tone made Sunny's smile falter for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
He coughed into his fist.
"Ahem. I'm being quite serious, Neph."
Leveling his gaze, Sunny continued.
"It's a win-win situation. He's been a pain in my ass, and clearly, he's been a pain in yours as well. I get to kill off the cancer that's been bothering me for the past few months, and you get to take over the Castle."
Nephis furrowed her brow, her expression betraying her silent contemplation.
Unfortunately, during the time it took for Nephis to consider his offer, a certain legacy decided it'd be a good time to voice his opinions.
"Sunny, as much as I want to believe you, this is the-"
"Pipe down, the adults are talking."
A menacing armored figure stepped out of Sunny's elongated shadow, a gauntlet-clad hand grasping Caster's neck.
Without much flourish, Saint lifted the prideful legacy like a stray cat, her eyes glowing with ruby flames as her gaze bore into the sleeper.
Completely ignoring the muffled choking sounds ringing in his ears, Sunny continued to smile innocently at Nephis.
Nephis' gaze hardened.
"Sunny, let him down."
Effie had jumped to her feet, her countenance simultaneously immensely amused and rightfully wary.
White sparks lit up the room as Caster and Effie summoned their weapons, but the shadow and the star's expressions remained unchanged; the two engaged in a silent deadlock.
In this tense situation, no one spared the quiet oracle a glance, and thus, they all missed the small, satisfied yet exasperated smile spreading across her face.
After a few tense seconds had passed, Sunny finally let out a slightly annoyed huff.
"Fine.... Saint, could you be a dear and let him go?"
The loyal knight nodded her head and unceremoniously dropped the sleeper in her grasp.
The heavy thud of a body rang out in their conference room, the thump followed by loud gasps for air.
With her gaze flickering between Sunny and the disgraced Caster, Nephis let out a sigh.
"You all are dismissed. I'd like to speak with Sunny alone."
Putting away the dagger in her grasp, Effie shrugged.
"Whatever you say, princess."
Cassie simply nodded and quietly slipped out of the room, her eager retreat seemingly in pursuit of a place to rest.
Soon, the only ones left were Caster, Sunny, and Nephis, well, if you exclude the shadowy knight hovering over the prone legacy.
"Lady Nephis, you can't possibly be-"
"Caster. I told you to leave."
"But-"
"Caster."
The scion of the Han Li clan swallowed the words building in his throat, his eyes unable to meet the unyielding gray gaze directed at him.
Flashing Sunny a look of undisguised malice, he too left the room.
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The two were finally alone, and now, without the prying eyes of others, Sunny finally let the smile melt off his face, a genuine, bitter expression replacing it.
"Why are you doing this? I'd understand if you were just using me as a means to contact Audun, but that wasn't your intention at all."
Emotion bled into his voice, a raw mix of sadness, anger, and a hint of concern made apparent by the hoarse quality of his voice.
"I thought I made it pretty clear that I was done with this, done with your plans and schemes.... So why? Why are you trying to drag me back into all of this?"
Nephis's expression remained unreadable, her voice containing the same blank cadence he'd grown used to.
"Because... You, Cassie, and Audun are the only people in this world I can trust-"
Sunny couldn't help but scoff.
"Trust? Seriously? You used me like a tool and kept me in the dark for a month. You have no right to speak to me about trust."
A trace of guilt crept onto Nephis' face, but her composure was unshakable.
"I'm sorry, Sunny. Truly, that was my mistake."
An exasperated smile spread across Sunny's face.
"Wow. I never thought that the aloof Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan could issue an apology."
Nephis shrugged.
"I can admit when I'm at fault."
A chuckle forced its way out of Sunny's mouth.
"Well, I'm glad you're at least capable of that."
The two locked eyes in a silent exchange of emotions, neither bothering to speak a word.
Eventually, though, Sunny spoke up.
"You know, over the last few months, I've done a lot of thinking. Thinking about your plans, about your goals, and how I truly feel about the sacrifices you're about to make."
Sunny paused for a moment, his eyes unconsciously wandering to the window.
"... And while I tried to reach my conclusion, Audun's words kept ringing in my head. He told me that he had nothing in the world except the three of us... and I realized that that was true for me as well."
He continued:
"My mother and father are dead, my sister doesn't even know who I am, so, aside from the three of you, I truly... Have no one left."
Nephis' gaze lingered on him, her expression tight.
"Neph. I... I'll help you for now, at least. I'll help you get rid of Gunlaug, and afterwards, I'll accompany you to the labyrinth to find whatever artifact you're searching for..."
"But after that, you and I need to have a nice long chat about... Well, everything."
There was a hint of hesitation on Nephis's face, but she nodded firmly after a few seconds.
"Those terms... are acceptable."
A small smile spread across Sunny's face.
"Good."
Slowly getting out of his chair, Sunny called Saint back into his shadow and began to walk towards the door, but then, a sudden thought echoed in his head.
Turning back around, he flashed Nephis a business-like smile and rubbed his hands together.
"So... about the compensation..."
There was a small trace of disappointment in Nephis's eyes, but she hid it behind her usual inscrutable expression as the two began a lengthy negotiation.
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(A/N: I cut the chapter a little short since I didn't feel like there was a need to drag out his shopping at the Market or his preparations.
I'll probably start rushing through the remainder of the FS arc so I can move on, cuz I'm starting to lose motivation for the story and thus, I'm having a lot less fun writing in general, which is also why the uploads haven't been as frequent.
Anyway, thanks for reading!)