Suzanna leaned against Anfey’s shoulder and watched the night sky. Anfey turned and saw the moon reflecting in her bright, clear eyes. She had been running around with Christian for a few hours and had not seen anyone. She was curious, but she did not suspect anything because she trusted all her friends.
Anfey had always said that his home was wherever she was. Now Suzanna understood this as well. No matter where they were, no matter how dangerous their future would be, she was content because she was close to Anfey.
Suzanna snuggled closer to Anfey and smiled.
Anfey reached over and rested an arm on Suzanna’s shoulder. After that night, he was certain of Alice’s feelings for him. That was part of the reason why he left White Mountain City in such a hurry. He needed to meet Baery, but he also wanted to get away before Alice woke up to avoid any awkward situations.
No matter how strong Alice’s feelings for him were, it could not compare to Suzanna. Suzanna’s love was unconditional. She was willing to give away everything, even herself. In a way, Suzanna was like Shinbela. Shinbela fell in love with Manlyn, and she even gave him the mercenary group she worked so hard for. Manlyn’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. If she didn’t hate him as much as she did, she might not have survived. Anfey didn’t want Suzanna to become another Shinbela. He loved her too much to put her through anything like that.
Alice’s words the other night had moved Anfey, but he quickly calmed himself down. He wasn’t worried about the rules. He believed in an eye for an eye, and he knew no one could stop him if he wanted revenge. However, he must convince himself first.
"Anfey," Suzanna said, straightening herself.
"What is it?" Anfey said, turning to Suzanna.
"Why do you want to kill Scarlet?" Suznna asked. "I agree with Lord Baery. It’s too dangerous!"
"I need the motivation," Anfey said. "Having a goal motivates me to be better."
"The only thing exposed by that armor is the eyes," Suzanna said. "Scarlet won’t be sitting around, waiting for you, either. She will fight back, you know. If you can’t do it, come back. Promise me."
"I already did, didn’t I?" Anfey said, smiling.
"I need a formal promise," Suzanna said, her expression grave.
"Alright," Anfey said. "I promise. I will not risk my life for this. If I miss that one chance, I will immediately get myself out of there." He looked at Suzanna and asked, "Do I look like someone who does not care about his life?"
Suzanna looked at him for a few moments, then nodded.
"Really?" Anfey asked, his eyes wide. "I would never risk my life unnecessarily. You have to believe me."
Suzanna giggled. She knew him well and knew he wouldn’t risk himself for an impossible goal.
Anfey’s eyes widened. "You were just joking," he said.
"Of course I was," she said. She leaned closer to him and pecked his cheek.
Anfey grinned. "This side too," he said, pointing to the other cheek. "You can’t miss the other one."
Suzanna smiled and kissed his other cheek as well. Anfey’s grin grew wider. "And the lips, too," he said hurriedly. "Can’t forget that."
Suzanna rolled her eyes. "I’m serious right now," she said.
"I am too," Anfey said. "Do you not want to kiss me?"
Suzanna sighed. "Fine," she said, shaking her head. She moved closer and left a quick kiss on his lips. Anfey laughed and held her closer to him.
Suzanna leaned her head against his chest, her eyes again watching the night sky. Anfey looked at the snow under the tree and sighed. "I am a count," he said, shaking his head, "but I’m always sleeping in trees."
Suzanna looked up and rolled her eyes. "You can’t blame anyone but yourself for that," she said. "You’re the one who insisted on assassinating Scarlet."
"I’m only doing it for our future," Anfey argued.
"Future?" Suzanna frowned. "But our future is secure, isn’t it?"
"I have two choices," Anfey said. "One is to display my strength and scare all my opponents. Another is hide my power so my opponents would underestimate me. I like the latter, but we cannot hide any longer. We have already made a name for ourselves. The more we hide, the more enemies we will have, and there will be more threats to my future. Anthony would have never work with us if I hadn’t killed Michael. If he really wanted to go against Michael, he would have done it himself, or he would have sent someone to talk with us. Instead, he waited until he was certain he would pick the winning side."
"I see," Suzanna said, nodding.
"I’m not mocking Anthony, of course," Anfey said. "I would have done the same thing. Michael isn’t enough. I still need to display my strength, and Scarlet is a good choice, I think. She can bring as many guards as she wants. If I want to kill Scarlet with hundreds of guards around her…then we can make them scared of me. That will make things so much easier."
"So you’re certain you can do this?"
"No exactly," Anfey said, shaking his head.
"What about a plan, then?"
"You can’t plan for these kind of things," Anfey said, shaking his head. "It’s all luck. A plan will have flaws no matter how good it is. No one can predict the future, which is why I rarely plan for this kind of thing."
"I see," Suzanna said. "What can we do, then?"
"I just need you guys to distract them," Anfey said.
"Manstuly knows you," Suzanna said. "He won’t be distracted by us."
"Don’t worry," Anfey said. He found a piece of charcoal in his dimensional ring. He crushed part of the charcoal and smeared the powder on his face.
Suzanna giggled.
"I can turn into someone else with this," Anfey said. "I have to stay away because if I get too close, someone can tell something is off. Of course, by the time I get close enough for them to tell something’s wrong, it will be too late."
"Are you certain?"
"Of course. I can do better, I think, but this is the best I can find."
"If that plan doesn’t work, you have to come back," Suzanna said. "You have to get away. Scarlet is no match for Baery. You don’t have to risk yourself."
"Again?"
"I need you to promise me!"
"I promise, I promise," Anfey said, nodding.