"Wait! What?"
I snapped.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" I asked.
He looked around and replied with a smirk,
"This? You call this a house?"
Seriously? I had been drooling over this man just seconds ago, and here he was — an arrogant, ego-filled stranger with no respect for others.
Okay, fine. He wasn't exactly wrong. This place barely qualified as a home.
But still… hearing it from someone else?
That hurt.
I snapped at him, "Okay, if you don't like it, then get out of here!"
He didn't move. Just stared at my hands and said coldly,
"You stole that money, didn't you?"
I quickly hid the money behind my back. "Why? Does it bother you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What if I called the royal guards? Let them arrest a dirty thief like you."
I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I've been arrested plenty of times. All they do is take your money and let you go."
His expression shifted. "What? They do that?!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Oh, come on. Don't act like you didn't know. You must be a criminal too—you broke into my house."
The man said, "Alright, fine. Whatever. Just let me stay here for a while. I'm sure you need the money, so how about this—ten gold coins per week, and you keep your mouth shut and let me stay."
Ten gold coins per week?
Was he insane—or just stupidly rich?
Not that I cared. If he stayed long enough, I could probably buy a whole new roof... or better, move out entirely.
I shrugged and said, "Fine. But seriously, what are you even doing here?"
He shot back instantly, "Why should I tell you?
Why does it bother you?
Just focus on your ten shiny coins and keep out of it."
I blinked. Twice.
Then sat back down like nothing happened, pretending this was totally normal.
It hadn't even been a few minutes since our argument when he suddenly said,
"Well, don't people here offer food to their guests?"
I shot him a look, already irritated.
"You're not my guest."
He replied, completely unfazed,
"Still, I live here now. So obviously, I'll eat. Go get me something."
I folded my arms. "If you're that hungry, go get it yourself. Eat whatever you want."
Without missing a beat, he said,
"No, you go. Don't worry—I'll pay. Buy something for yourself too."
I swear, I almost threw him out that second.
But I held back. Can't risk losing free gold coins over a snack.
I went to the market and bought the food that looked the most tempting — after all, it was his treat.
On my way back, I ran into my one and only best friend, Mira.
She shouted, "Zera! Where were you? Do you even know what happened while you were gone?"
I froze, surprised by her tone. "What happened?"
She said, "While you were gone, a group of men and royal guards broke into a fight — a real one, Zera. Swords drawn. It was right in front of me. I was terrified one of them would come too close and I'd get caught in it. But it ended quickly... they were badly injured, and then they just left."
I looked at Mira and said casually, "Wow, a lot happened when I was gone. Anyway, I've got some important work to do. We'll talk next time, okay?" Then I turned and walked off, not even glancing back — I wasn't about to get dragged into another long conversation.
As I walked, I thought to myself, So that man fought with the royal guards… and then came to my home to hide. Totally reasonable. He talks without thinking — of course he'd get into a fight.
When I got back home, I looked at him with a smug little smile, as if all his secrets were now laid bare to me.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing," I said, handing him the food. "Here, but wash your hands first."
As he stood up, I subtly scanned him — no blood, no injuries, not even a torn sleeve. He was walking around like nothing happened.
Ah, I see it now, I thought. All bark and no bite. Probably ran away the second the swords came out. Coward.
I made a bunch of expressions while staring at him — judgment, disbelief, mockery — all while he stood there, trying to figure out what was wrong with me.
After we ate, it was already getting dark. He looked pretty tired too — probably because of his epic battle to the death, or whatever that was supposed to be.
So I said, "I'm sleeping in this corner, and you'll take that one. Don't even think about coming near me."
He made a face and said, "Ew… don't worry, I won't even think about it."
That stung. I felt a flash of anger, but I didn't say anything. I just lay down and turned my back to him.
But his words kept echoing in my head. Well… he's not wrong. A man like him wouldn't even look at someone like me. I wish I'd been born in a better place — maybe then, people wouldn't look down on me. Maybe I could've lived with just a little respect.
Thinking all that, I drifted off before I even realised.