They watched Lady Lily sleeping soundly, with a peaceful expression on her face. She seemed to be dreaming about something pleasant, a faint smile forming on her lips.
"It's hard to believe that someone would try to harm such a lovely woman," Lucian said, his voice filled with concern as if he wasn't the one who made her drink the cup of tea. "She deserves better than that. I hope you can find the culprit and punish them accordingly."
"We will, rest assured. We will not let them get away with it," the owner promised, her face darkening. "You have been most gracious to help us, and we are grateful for your kindness."
"It's nothing, really. I just did what any decent man would do," he said, modestly.
"Decent man, huh," the owner repeated, giving him a look, "Do you mind waiting for a while? I'm sure she will want to thank you personally when she wakes up."
"Gladly," Lucian said, nodding his head. He was curious to see how Lady Lily would react, and what she would do next.
The owner calmed down a little, chatting with him about some mundane topics. She told him a bit about Lady Lily, how she became a courtesan and how popular she was, and how many tried to buy her, yet she refused them all, staying loyal to the brothel.
Lucian nodded and listened. 'Nobody would stay in a brothel if they had the means to leave it. She probably had a good reason to do so. Maybe for independence, or a secret lover to meet in secret.'
A few coughs interrupted their conversation, and they saw Lady Lily waking up from her sleep. She looked confused and groggy, like she didn't know where she was or what happened to her. She tried to get up, but fell back on the bed, clutching her head in pain.
The owner rushed to her side, helping her sit up and supporting her back. Lady Lily looked at her with a puzzled expression, then her gaze drifted to Lucian's, who stood at the foot of the bed, smiling politely.
"Everything is alright. You are safe," Lucian said, in a comforting tone.
Lady Lily opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead, as if trying to remember what happened.
'She won't admit that she tried to drug me, will she? Not in front of her boss,' Lucian thought.
"Thank Gods it was Sir Arclight who was with you. He noticed your symptoms and sent for a doctor right away," the owner said, patting her hand. "If it weren't for him, who knows what would have happened to you."
Lucian noticed the slight twitch in her lips, but she quickly regained her composure.
"It seems that I am indebted to you, Sir Arclight," she said, lowering her eyes. "I don't know how to repay you for your kindness."
She didn't know whether the man, who called her a slut (not literally) was an illusion caused by the poison, or was it a reality, which was even worse. She had to tread carefully, in case he was the latter.
The owner nodded and left the room, leaving them alone. Lady Lily glanced at Lucian again, and this time, he saw a hint of fear in her eyes. She tried to hide it, but he noticed it anyway. She must have realized that she had made a mistake.
Her voice was barely audible as she whispered, "Who are you?"
"Just a man," Lucian answered, smiling warmly as he adjusted his cufflinks.
"Are you not going to ask me about my intentions?" she asked, fidgeting with the sheets nervously.
"I'll ask the person who is responsible for this," Lucian said, 'Stay here and be a good bait for now.'
He bid his farewell and left her by herself. He suggested to the owner that Lady Lily shouldn't leave the brothel and rest, to which the owner agreed.
She also offered him the services of another courtesan to keep his company instead. He declined the offer, though he asked her to take care of Jax. They just had to keep him alive, nothing more.
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There was an inn not far away from the brothel, and that was the place where Lucian decided to spend the night, not expecting to meet ToGo of all things.
The black bird was perched on the roof of the inn, looking down at him.
Lucian quickly got a room and opened the window for it to fly in. Could Celine be close by?
"Is your master around?" Lucian asked.
The bird landed on his bed and puffed its feathers, looking around curiously.
"What? Are you lost or something?" Lucian asked.
The bird tilted its head to the side, and then flew off.
"Hey, where are you going?" Lucian asked, looking out of the window to see where the bird had gone.
The bird flew back to its previous spot on the rooftop.
Lucian kept the window open, just in case. His third eye kept track of people entering the brothel and leaving it. He also checked the guests in the inn, not finding anyone familiar or suspicious.
He went to buy some wine downstairs to occupy himself with silver stage training. Multitasking would make the time pass faster.
'Voice, take over the watch duty,' Lucian said when he felt his third eye was getting more sleepy and less alert than his two actual eyeballs.
'Who do you think I am? Your servant?' it refused.
'If you don't do it, you will have to deal with my crying self all day tomorrow,' he replied, 'You don't want that, do you?'
'...you bastard,' Voice cursed.
'I'm not asking much, it's beneficial for both of us,' Lucian said, 'Do your job, and let me do mine.'
Voice didn't answer, but Lucian knew it would take over the watch duty. He wasn't the only one who couldn't stand his crying self.