Lucas' POV
"Fuck, yeah. And for the punishment of talking about running away from me with a fucking pimp doctor, the she-wolf has to be grounded. From now on, she can't go anywhere without my permission. I want those seven dwarves over there to keep a close eye on her." I pointed at the seven personal guards Louisa had just hired. They were standing outside the Luna Tent with clueless faces, staring at me like fucking moose.
"They work for Louisa, Luke," Lucian said. "She decides to subsidize them with her own allowance..."
"Which was paid by me!" I said impatiently. "Pay them extra, I don't care. They work for me or walk the fucking away from my camp."
"OK, I'll see to it," Lucian said. "Can I take Louisa to the ball tonight?"
"Yeah."
"Can she take Will with her?"
"The fucking vampire kid? Is she going to take a fucking vampire to the Grand Ball of werewolves?"
"She's a half-vampire, so, you know." Lucian shrugged.
"Fuck. She can take that kid to the ball as a pet. I don't care. As long as she doesn't take those two fucking salamanders with her!" I said.
I felt much relieved and satisfied after hearing what Lucian had said as we were walking into the tailor's tent.
My new tuxedo for tonight's ball was waiting for me on the tailor's mannequin.
"I can't believe I paid 500,000 krons for a fucking piece of cloth to cover my junk, but fuck, that's a fucking good-looking suit," I said.
"I should fucking change my job to be a tailor, you know. Because that seems to be easy money to make." I took a glance at the tailors, who were shivering in the corner of the tent. I could tell they were literally dying inside.
"Why don't you leave those poor tailors alone and try it on?" Lucian said to me. He looked at the soldiers and they escorted the tailors away.
There were only two of us in the giant tent.
I took off my clothes and Lucian helped me to put on the tuxedo.
I looked into the mirror and asked Lucian, "Fuck. How do I look?"
Lucian adjusted the collar for me and said, "You look good, as always."
I looked down at him and frowned, "That sounds perfunctory. Seriously. Tell me. How do I look?"
Lucian buttoned up my shirt and said, "You look like a wolf tuxedo."
"Fuck. I hate wearing tuxedoes." I said.
"Why? Because you don't like being restrained?" Lucian put a tie on my neck and pulled.
I saw that fucking shit-eating look on his face again, combined with his fucking vocal fry.
It got on my nerves immediately.
"Fuck, no," I tried to loosen the tie and said. "Why do I have to wear a fucking tie?! I'm not a dog and I don't need a fucking collar on my neck! It's fucking uncomfortable!"
Lucian tightened the tie all the way up to my neck and said, "You'll have to learn how to put up with this kind of minor annoyance in your life because that's what grown-ups do."
"I don't need a fucking tie to prove that I'm a grown-up," I said.
"But a gentleman needs a tie to complete his look," Lucian said in a soft voice. "It's the first time you show up in front of everyone after all these years. Many of them have only heard of your name, but they have never seen you in person. People will be curious about you and all eyes will be on you. The slightest fracture to your look will be put under the magnifying glass and subject to relentless criticism. Most importantly, they will use that as evidence against you, to prove their preconceived opinions about you, that is, you're just a nobody that comes from in the middle of nowhere, pretending to be somebody. Is that what you want?"
I lifted my chin, adjusted the tie, and said, "They'll see. I'm a fucking self-made somebody. And they're just a bunch of self-pity, self-destructive, and self-pretentious nobody. Lucian, we are so close to realizing our dreams now. I'll fucking glue their eyes to force them to watch me taking away everything from them. We'll reclaim what they've owed us. I need your help, Lucian. Are you with me?"
"Why do you ask me this?" He looked at me and asked.
"Because sometimes I get the feeling that what you want doesn't align with what I want," I said.
My Gamma Kylo had mentioned this to me several times. I had never found a proper time to confront Lucian.
The expression on his face was still calm, but I could tell that he started to get a bit upset.
"Lucas," he said, "I don't know who had put that thought in your mind, but I want you to know that I'll always be on your side. Yes, I have never had a desperate need for revenge. Those dignitaries in the South refused to help my parents when they took the wrong side in the war, which directly caused their death. Do I hate them? Yes. But do I want to kill them? No. I mean, if my parents were alive, I don't think they would want me to spend the rest of my life killing all the people who I think are responsible for their death."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I started to get grumpy again.
"Well, I talked to Vincent the vampire the other day. He remembered my parents when they were alive. He told me that they were very nice people, but they made very bad decisions. So, I can't help but wonder if they were responsible for their own death after all?"
"They took away your parents' lives!" I shouted at him while holding his shoulders. "They've stolen your life! Your fucking royalty life! You used to be a fucking prince of fucking Crescent Prowlers. Your ancestors were the most loyal members of the King Czar the Great's Cabinet! Now, look at you! You have to take care of my horses while I'm hunting! You have to walk through the back door to get into the fucking Ragnar's Hall! You have to dress me up like a fucking servant! I can't believe that you're blaming your own parents for their death! I mean, why do you always have to be so nice and gentle?! Why haven't I ever seen any resentment or sadness in your fucking eyes?! Why aren't you angry, Lucian?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Lucian looked at me and said, "I dropped out of the Royal Academy before my parents were exiled. I dropped out because I disagree with Guillaume's Principles and everything else that was written in the textbooks. I believe we were born equal, to be sons and daughters of our parents. I believe that our destinies shouldn't be determined by the blood in our veins, but by the deeds we do in our daily lives. That's why I walk through the back door to get into Ragnar's Hall, just like everybody else. I don't have to hold your horse or dress you up, Luke. But I do it anyway because I take you as my friend."
Then, he pushed me away and walked off the tent.