The little thief was surprised when she did not find the hostage in Kyon's house. His explanation, "I kidnapped her just to talk," didn't sound convincing. She had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The boy was a total mystery. She should have spied on him...

She was also interested in the fast weapon that he had used to kidnap his sister. When she asked Kyon to take a look at it, he promised to teach her how to use it as soon as she became his protector. Well, she could wait a couple of days. The weapon that carried energy at an incredibly high speed would always come in handy.

Juno's return to the central part of the family territory without protection came as a great surprise. It turned out that the guards had run away, like the previous three, to avoid punishment for their incompetence.

Meanwhile, two hundred feathered Kyons had located Sauron's second brother. The cunning b.a.s.t.a.r.d had holed up somewhere far away! His lair was on a dead street three hundred kilometers from Boston. Traders hardly ever appeared there, scared of being robbed or killed. However, those daredevils who dared to take the risk usually had expensive goods and strong guardsmen.

Kyon was about to organize a military operation when he heard one of the robbers talking with the second brother named Hans.

Kyon called Byron and asked him how his integration into the family was going (he had to accomplish this task in Mike's village).

«I haven't located the b.a.s.t.a.r.d yet! They don't tell me anything… Everyone here is too suspicious and distrustful!»

«What does he look like?»

«Hans? Well… Blank eyes… Well-built like a gorilla…»

Byron's description coincided with Sauron's second brother. It was quite fortunate, on the one side. Kyon could kill two birds with one stone. However, it would only get him in trouble and jeopardize the military operation... If Hans went to prison, Byron wouldn't get his revenge. Therefore, he wouldn't fill Kyon's nucleus with bright emotions.

«Listen to me, Byron. If you want to take revenge…»

«I WANT IT!»

«Take it easy! If you want to get even with the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, have a nice talk over a gla.s.s or two with someone close to Hans. You have to find out the frequency of his sound transmitter. Then give it to me, and I will organize everything.»

«Will you find him for me?!»

«I will.»

«Kyon, you're a real brother for me… I'll do my best!»

«Good luck.» – Kyon ended the conversation and thought hard. How could he have his cake and eat it too? One thing was clear, one wrong step in organizing the capture of Sauron's second brother, and he would lose a great opportunity.

Three days had pa.s.sed.

Byron hadn't found out Hans's frequency, so the first kingdom's issue was going to drag. But tomorrow evening, the capture of the guild of thieves was planned! Thanks, Timoshka, for the information.

Kyon could hear through the bug Juno cry every night. She must be grieving Lovr, poor thing. How could she fall in love with an illusion? However, stranger things had happened.

Meanwhile, Kyon had reached the third stage of the advanced phase. His desire to get Dinah back was a strong motivation to exercise really hard.

He had been regularly cleaning the little thief's keys, brazenly caressing her soft snow-white skin. Anyone from her guild would envy him: their inaccessible, cold leader allowed the snot-nosed brat to touch her and even pays him an obscene amount of money for this! Alas, her reaction to his touch left much to be desired. Kyon suspected his fingers were related to slugs. The girl winced too naturally and convincingly.

This morning he had finally cleaned the key of darkness to 99% and received the promised 8th million.

The girl looked straight at him with her piercing eyes, trying to find the hints of l.u.s.t in Kyon's eyes, but she couldn't see even the slightest s.e.xual attraction. It struck her as strange and somehow annoying.

Her intuition kept whispering to her that the boy was hiding his true nature. She wanted to prove once and for all that he was nothing but a frothing maniac and vulgar liar and never take him seriously anymore. But all her efforts were in vain!

«Don't you find me attractive?» - This question had long been bothering her.

«Well...» – Kyon intoned. – «You're pretty but…»

«Pretty?!» – The girl was deeply hurt as if he had insulted her. She was used to the compliments on her beauty. Men usually considered her magnificently beautiful but inaccessible, like the distant moon.

Kyon hurried to calm the little thief down:

«Try to understand me. I just don't like slender, long-legged and strong girls with soft snow-white skin. You're just not my type.» - He was sure the bait would work.

The girl looked confused. Was it praise or insult? Her delicate facial features, gorgeous hair and seductive curves had never failed to delight everyone around her! Her pride had been hurt...

She had better ignore the stupid boy, but he was the first to evoke a large array of emotions in her and for a number of reasons: he read her like an open book, played her, touched her body and constantly surprised her with his unusual abilities and weird character! He was a complete and total mystery to her.

«Hm… What girls are your type then?» – She asked, casually, trying to make her voice sound disinterested.

«The girls who make feel good.»

Her eyebrows rose a fraction.

«You know, you make me feel nervous. Let's go to an elite restaurant tonight… Your treat…»

«My treat?» – The girl echoed, surprised. What a nerve! Who does he think he is?!

«Do all the girls pay for you in the restaurant?»

Kyon put his hands behind his head and gazed at the ceiling. – «I am rather old-fas.h.i.+oned: it takes flowers, sweets, presents… Nothing will happen until I get my gifts.»

The girl gasped. What was going on in his head? Where the h.e.l.l did he come from?! Was it really hard for him to be normal? The boy was a mess… He turned the whole notion upside down!

«I am not interested in a relations.h.i.+p, not with a greedy maniac like you!»

Kyon snorted. – «Ha! What are you talking about? I offered to have dinner together, and you already see a future with me? You're such a mess! That's why you're not my type.» – With the last word, he turned around and walked off with a straight face.

The girl was taken aback. The boy must have completely lost his mind! She wanted to give the cheeky boy a response he deserved, but she lacked communication experience, and the oath she had given stopped her from putting the rude a.s.shole in his place. This situation of absolute helplessness made her feel a total loser.

When Kyon left the house, he heard the loud stomping of feet that made the whole building tremble. He smiled victoriously: it felt nice to tease a dangerous panther in the strong iron cage.

…

In the evening, the little thief came again for the next dose of cleaning.

Something had changed in her appearance. She looked as always stunning: black tights with a diamond pattern that emphasized her slender legs, a short black skirt that attracted men like a magnet, and a black blouse that fit her like a second skin. And the icing on the cake, her hairstyle was a bit different.

When she got what she wanted, she said impa.s.sively:

«I am going to have dinner.»

Kyon guessed her intentions at once. – «Let's go to my favorite restaurant.»

The girl nodded and silently left the house.

Soon the couple took a corner table on the second floor of an expensive restaurant that was often visited by wealthy people and guests from other kingdoms.

They were immediately were served hot dishes just after making their order. The secret of this trick was simple: the food was prepared in advance and placed in the rings, where time had almost stopped. The dishes were served as soon as the order was placed! The instant and convenient service.

The beautiful girl was proudly sitting next to Kyon, who was idly turning an eye of the sea monkey on his fork. The girl was eating a salad with all her inherently n.o.ble manners.

A middle-aged man who looked like an overfed hog was having dinner at a nearby table with his fat wife. When he saw Kyon with the delightful nymph, he sensed "injustice." What was the pathetic loser doing with such a beauty?!

The fat man looked at his chubby wife, whose round face resembled a plump pancake, and then at the beautiful lady. He realized that it was pointless to compare a crocodile to a proud night pegasus and headed for his potential future wife. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when his soul felt icy cold and deadly gloom. He felt the cold sweat rolling down his back, all his confidence suddenly evaporated. He froze on the spot, too scared to even move.

His young wife was looking at him, her mouth agape. What the h.e.l.l was her dear husband doing?!

Kyon nodded to the man who looked like a shocked hippo. ��� «At least he finds you attractive.»

The girl fixed her eyes on the fat man. He shuddered and retreated to the restroom. When she turned her eyes to Kyon again, he spied a teasing glint in them.

«I don't care about someone's stupid quirks. You'd better worry about being attractive enough for me.» - She said, faking indifference.

«I think you are fascinated by me. You hide this from everyone, including yourself.» – Kyon said calmly, finis.h.i.+ng the rest of the sea monkey's eye.

«G.o.ds! He sounds like a blubbering fool…» – The girl had lost her appet.i.te. Things always went awry when she was next to Kyon. She couldn't think straight, losing her common sense.

They resumed their meal in silence.

Kyon made no attempt to revive the conversation or impress the girl. Being a funny clown wasn't his thing. He could always pick up the thread of a conversation to direct it into an interesting and profitable for him direction.

The little thief picked up her annoyingly buzzing sound transmitter with a message from her people. The snow queen's eyes turned icy again. The dagger flashed in her aristocratic hands. The whole restaurant was shrouded in the gloomy aura that made the visitors run out in fear.

Ten people entered the building and headed upstairs with their swords ready. They emanated a powerful fighting aura of the elite warriors of the kingdom.

Prince Charles himself had arrived with his people.

The prince glared at the girl with burning eyes, and she looked back at him, the northern chill in her gaze. Suddenly, the prince noticed the underdeveloped brat from the library!

During their unfortunate meeting in the library, Charles couldn't understand why the beautiful a.s.sa.s.sin had preferred the company of a loser to his highness. He remembered her words: "Only two people will stay here. And there will be no princes among them," and then she confirmed her words, treacherously poisoning him...

On that unlucky day, the prince's heart filled with hatred for the girl. He was even a little jealous of the ordinary boy from a commonplace family. The pip-squeak was no match for the second heir to the throne. Wasn't he the most talented person in the kingdom after Princess Kara, and also infinitely handsome and gallant to boot!

A swift hurricane of sudden and utterly inappropriate jealousy swept over Charles.

Heeding the voice of reason, he suppressed the unbecoming and smiled viciously at the killer of the king. – «What a surprise! The b.i.t.c.h who had killed my father and her underage f.u.c.kbuddy…»

Kyon s.h.i.+fted his gaze from the prince to the little thief.

«Watch your mouth, boy. Once I spared your life and let you enjoy a life full of brothels and cheap prost.i.tutes. But you don't seem to have enough brain to understand a simple truth: don't play with fire…» – She said coldly.

The prince was about to explode with anger. He was in terrible pain every day. It lacerated his groin, clouding his mind, making him yearn to be with a woman to let off steam. Regular visits to brothels kept him sane! People started calling him "prince the hot pants." What a shame... His reputation as a n.o.ble gentleman had slipped downhill.

However, Prince Charles quickly calmed down. He threw his head back and laughed loudly. – «Open your eyes! I have the best warriors of the kingdom! The restaurant is surrounded by a few dozens of powerful people! I am no fool! And I'm not afraid of you, b.i.t.c.h! You will pay for everything! One hundred million promised for your capture will come in very handy!»

«Are you sure, naive puppy?» – The girl asked and snapped her long fingers.

The restaurant was suddenly under pressure equal to hundreds of powerful people. Ordinary citizens had instantly become willing to fight for the Black Queen to death! The aura was so depressing that the top ten warriors had lost their fighting spirit. Did the prince bring them to slaughter?! They were not ready to die without honor and dignity for someone with a derogatory nickname!

The expression on Charles's face changed. His pupils narrowed, his face distorted, his forehead drenched in a cold sweat. – «You…»

«Choose your words carefully, boy.» – She warned him with an icy voice.

The prince felt like he was a hare in the claws of a hungry panther. Try as he might, the girl would blend with her people and finish him off, anyway. There was no way out, he had to grab any chance he got!

The prince pointed at Kyon with a trembling finger. – «If you attack me, this greenhorn will die at once!»

Her eyes sparkled dangerously. – «Are you afraid to die?»

The prince shuddered. The cunning, merciless a.s.sa.s.sin had ignored his threat! He lost his chance when his warriors saw his desperate reaction. Now they were not ready to fight to the death. He had zero chances to win!

He took a deep angry breath, making a decision. Then he clenched his fists and said nervously:

«I admit, I overreacted! You are one step ahead. Let's do without mutual slaughter. We don't need unnecessary losses, do we?»

«Believe me, you and your cowardly dogs will die without killing anyone.» - She said menacingly, resembling a cold-blooded maniac. – «But I will kindly give you another chance if you kneel and apologize for interrupting our dinner.» - She pointed at him with the tip of her dagger.

Charles's heart started beating faster. He wanted to live much more than to die.

The warriors looked imploringly at their master, wis.h.i.+ng he would submit to the sly "death in the skirt."

And the prince cracked. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth. – «Forgive me… I was a fool…»

The girl gave him a look of withering contempt. Then she grabbed Kyon by the sleeve, went to the window, knocked it out with a jet stream, and jumped out. She knew it was too big a risk. If the prince was a bigger idiot and decided to attack, the boy's life would be in danger. She took a risk and pressed on Charles's weak (against hers) spirit. She had won by crus.h.i.+ng him psychologically.

Kyon was delighted. She had tricked the prince! She did it again. He adored her cunning and selfish character, it was very close to his. The important thing was not to turn her against him. She did steal his ring with treasures once. She also imprisoned him to get her keys cleaned... On the other hand, any person in this world would do the same if they knew about his talent. As for the contents of the ring, he would soon have it all back. He held no grudge against the girl. He just had a perfectly normal urge to spank the little bottom till it turned red. She was like a dangerous poisonous rose for him, the thorns of which were directed in the opposite direction. The delightful girl was definitely his type. He loved them dangerous and inaccessible. He always loved to play with fire, and not only when it came to girls.