Celia took off her fancy dress and put on more comfortable attire─her trusted long leather boots, breeches, shirt and corset with many extra pockets, completed with her gun belt. She looked towards the bed, where Gabriel slept, his chest slowly rising and falling. I should have used poison, she thought, fastening her belt. Instead, she used the sleeping powder, which should keep him out for a few hours.

Weakling, said a voice in her head that sounded surprisingly like Lyn's. You can't leave your enemies behind you. He will come after you. Kill him while you have a chance.

Celia closed her eyes and took a deep breath while her mind raced. She knew it was a voice of reason. As Gabriel revealed the true extent of his plans, she couldn't stay at his side. She wasn't interested in war or power coups. Celia just wanted a way out and knew there was no escape for her in his vision of the future. She would make a fool out of him if she fled now when he'd just announced her vital role in his plan. Not to mention, she was planning to venture right into the enemy territory, holding intel that could change the tide of the upcoming conflict.

She gritted her teeth and pulled out her revolver, pointing it at Gabriel's chest. Killing him would solve everything. He wouldn't feel a thing. He would never wake up...

But her hand shook so badly that she would probably miss his heart even standing just a few feet away. Celia groaned and lowered her gun.

"Rust and starvation, you are such a coward!" She holstered her gun and checked a little bag at her belt. She had to make haste if she wasn't strong enough to get rid of Gabriel before he became a problem. There was much to be done, and she had to be far away from here before Gabriel woke up and tried to stop her.

She hesitated when she reached the door and turned towards the bed. Gabriel looked so peaceful while he slept. His blonde hair sprayed all over the pristine white pillow. He seemed almost angelic. In their short time together, she learnt all the lines and curves of his body and little quirks like a little birthmark on the inside of his left upper arm or that his right little finger had a slightly odd shape, even though he had never broken it. All those inconsequential things made him feel far too authentic and unique. For a moment, she let herself believe they were a perfect match. That she finally found someone who knew all her flaws and loved her anyway.

But the universe had a way of proving you wrong every time you thought you built something lasting. There was no such thing as pure love, strong enough to weather any storm. Humans were just foolish enough to cling to hope and refuse to acknowledge the reality until their life fell apart and nothing was left.

„Goodbye, Gabriel," Celia whispered and left the room.

She could still hear the party even this far away from the ballroom. It was a good sign, as it might be a while before anyone realised what she was doing and tried to stop her. Celia moved confidently towards the west wing, passing several servants running errands, but no one stopped her. She's been visiting the palace often enough that most staff already knew her. Her reputation also didn't encourage people to question her without a good reason.

As expected, the gallery was devoid of people. The candlelight reflected on brass, iron a golden part of various trinkets and machines. Even though Celia loved this place, she had no time to admire the exhibits. She opened a little bag at her belt and fished out a little metal ball, fitting snuggly into her hand.

"Time to wreck some chaos," she murmured, putting a breathing mask on her face.

Celia strolled down the hallway, and the guards at the stairs stood to attention when they spotted her. She didn't waste any time and threw the gas bomb, which exploded in green smoke right in front of the soldiers.

"Hey! What the─" The surprised voices were cut off by violent coughing, and after a few seconds, two bodies thumped to the floor.

Celia only slowed down to grab the keys from the guard's belt and run down the stairs, picking up an oil lamp on her way. Her body still tensed when she entered the foul-smelling prison, but she had no time for her anxieties. She doubted anyone would venture to this part of the palace any time soon, but she didn't want to fight her way out of this place.

At least not with the dead weight of the stranger on her back.

Without hesitation, she opened the cell door, kneeled at the motionless body, and unlocked the shackles binding him. The man moved slightly with a painful groan. At least the butchers bandaged his back, where now only small stumps adorned his back. Hopefully, he would survive the trip.

The stranger was still unconscious once she was done with all the chains. Cursing under her breath, Celia exited the cell to look around. She found a bucket full of water, grabbed it and, without remorse, poured it on the prisoner's head.

He awake with a start, a strain of angry words on his lips.

"Get up," she commanded. She knew the stranger couldn't understand her, but she hoped that her urging tone was enough of an explanation.

The man blinked several times to adjust his eyes to the light. Then looked at his wrists, free of chains now and back at Celia. He said something again.

"We don't have time for that." She crouched next to him, grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulders. The stranger hissed in pain. "I'll take you home. But to do that, I need you to work with me. I can't drag your body with me all the way."

He looked at her for a moment, his face a mask of distrust, hatred, and exhaustion. He slowly nodded, and she felt his muscles tense.

"We get up on three. One. Two. Three!" Celia sprung up, dragging the man with her, but her legs almost buckled under his weight. He managed to keep upright but was swaying on his feet, leaning heavily on her. His body was hot and feverish. Celia gritted her teeth and started towards the stairs. "It won't be pretty, but I need you to hang in there. Once we leave this place, it will get easier."

The way up the stairs was a nightmare. Every step was a pain, and before they reached the halfway point, Celia was already drenched in sweat, and her legs were shaking so badly, she was sure they would buckle under her at any second. But she pressed on, one step at a time. The stranger was mumbling something that sounded like curses, but he tried to pull his weight. Considering what he's been through, Celia was still impressed he could stand upright.

When they finally reached the hallway, she sighed with relief. At least there would be no more stairs. The guards were still unconscious, but the green smoke had dissipated, leaving behind a barely distinguished repulsive metallic smell.

Celia took a moment to slow her racing heart, adjust her grip on the stranger, and move on. But before they reached the gallery, the hallway filled with a steady clack of heels on the floor tiles. Celia looked around in panic, but there was nowhere to hide. She could try running back to the prison but would never make it on time, with the stranger slowing her down. Also, there was no other way out of there, and she would not let herself get caught in that hellhole.

Before she could come up with anything, a woman appeared on the other side of the hallway, and her pace slowed as she tried to make sense of what she was looking at.

"Letticia," Celia called, surprised. "Thanks Lady Luck,d it's just you."

The other woman regarded them in silence. She was dressed impeccably, as always, in a pretty green dress with her hair in a perfect bun. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, you see, Gabriel ask me to move the prisoner for him."

Letticia cocked her head, looking behind Celia. "Really? Did he tell you to kill the guards too?"

Celia rolled her eyes. "They are not dead; they are just asleep..."

Before she finished the sentence, Letticia pulled out a small gun aiming it at her. It was small, perfect for tucking away in a purse, but still deadly. Part of Celia was impressed with other woman's quick reflexes. She did not expect that from a mere assistant.

"What did you do to Lord Gabriel?" Letticia asked coldly, her green eyes furious.

"Nothing. He's in his room, asleep. He might wake up with a headache, but that's it."

"Lies. I knew you can't be trusted, you pirate scum!"

"Woah, firstly, that's offensive. And secondly, I didn't know you have such a foul mouth, Lettie."

"Get away from the prisoner and raise your hands. I will call the guards to take care of you two."

"Wait! You might want to reconsider that."

Letticia narrowed her eyes. "Why is that?"

"Because if you let me go, you'll never see me again. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"If they execute you for treason, I won't see you again either. Sounds like a much better solution to me," Letticia said, her eyes burning with hatred.

Celia laughed bitterly. "Oh, Lettie, can't you see? If you call the guards now, they won't execute me. They might throw me to prison, yes. They might even consider making an example out of me and executing me. But once Gabriel wakes up, he'll make it all go away." Celia watched as Letticia's face turned into a scowl. "You know that he has feelings for me for some bizarre reasons and needs me for his plans. Do you really think he'll let the governor kill me? After his big announcement today?"

Letticia was momentarily silent, but Celia could see she knew what she was right. Gabriel had a lot of influence and could make almost impossible things happen. And Celia was certain that Lettie was infatuated with him, so she would do anything to keep Celia away from her beloved lord.

"What do you propose then?" Letticia asked bitterly.

"Let me go. You've never seen me. I'll escape with a prisoner and do some despicable pirate things that will make it impossible for Gabriel to keep me at his side. I'll be free and out of your life. See? Everybody wins."

"But you will spoil Lord Gabriel's plans. I can't let you do this."

"I don't have much time, Lettie." She adjusted her grip on the stranger, who groaned in pain, barely able to keep his body upright. "I can't do too much damage. And I know you don't believe it, but I genuinely care for Gabriel and don't want to hurt him. Too much, that is. I might force him to change his plans, but I can't do much to ruin it for him now."

Letticia drew her lips into a thin line and stared at Celia with disdain, considering her options. After what felt like an eternity, she hesitantly lowered her gun.

"Go. I've never seen you."

Celia sighed with relief. "Thank you, Lettie."

"I don't want to see you ever gain. If you come back, I will kill you."

"Oh, don't worry, the feeling is mutual," Celia said, passing her and slowly making her way forward.

"And one more thing," Letticia called after her. "If you're going to the west exit, you might reconsider. The guard patrol is going down this route. They should be here in a few minutes, so you might want to make haste."

"Rust and starvation," Celia mumbled, forcing her body to move faster. As they reached the gallery, her mind raced, desperately trying to find an alternative escape route. And then her eyes rested on the vintage winged jetpack. "Well, hello there, darling."

She led the stranger to the wall and helped him sit down. Once she was sure he wouldn't fall over, she ran up to the exhibit dome, and the glass shattered with one sharp elbow strike. She used her revolver to move the remaining shards out of the way and took out the winged jetpack.

"Dear Lady Luck, I know you will love this one, so please ensure this beauty is still working, alright?" She quickly checked the ignition, and the thing came to life with a low rumble, so she quickly turned it off. Excitement flooded her, making her move faster and more efficiently despite exhaustion. She put on the backpack with the wings and swayed under its weight. It was heavier than she had assumed. She fiddled with straps, adjusting how she needed, and then she ran back to the stranger, who watched her with his eyes wide.

"Get up," she commanded. "We need to get going, quick."

"Ferenza," he said and, gritting his teeth, slowly got up.

"Yeah, whatever you say." The hallway leading to the gallery echoed with heavy thumps of steps. "We need to hurry." Celia helped him go through the double doors to the expansive balcony. They stopped at the railing, and a cold wind mussed her sweat-drenched hair. She pulled a length of rope from her bag and winded it around them, securing it with tight knots in several places, creating a harness, and keeping them pressed together with their chests. The stranger seemed to be made primarily from muscles, which she was grateful for, as otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move with such grave wounds. She also felt tiny and frail being pressed to his broad chest, and she was aware that if he wanted, he could probably crush her bones, but she hoped her rescue attempt counted toward the evening score between them.

She looked down over the railing on the sprawling platforms below them. The palace faced the sea, so if she steered adequately, they should glide into the port, where all government ships, including Percy, were docked.

Celia looked back at the stranger; the breeze and the upcoming ride made her giddy with excitement, so she grinned. "Hold on tight!"

"Ferenza!" he repeated, but his arms closed tighter around her waist.

"Hey! Stop right there!" came the shout from the gallery.

Celia climbed over the railing, helping the stranger do the same, and she turned to the guards, rushing at them. "Sorry, gentlemen, but we are late for the cruise to the end of the world." She made a mocking salute. "So long!"

She pushed them off the balcony.