Chapter 174

Trekking back to the Guild with Lucinda at her side, Rosalie’s head was spinning.

She couldn’t even make concrete plans on how to handle the rest of the day: either Zoey or Delta could be back in their room by now, or neither, or both. Of course, Rosalie hoped for Zoey alone: that would be easiest. Work her way into explanations one by one, starting with the person she was most comfortable with. But she doubted she’d be so lucky.

While walking, Rosalie was forced to give Lucinda some details on what had happened the past few weeks. Of course, she couldn’t explain Zoey’s situation in full, but if she wanted Lucinda to permit even the smallest delay, then she had to give her something. After much insistence, Lucinda conceded she would have to trust Rosalie’s judgment. Especially because Rosalie emphasized that she had news—significant news—about Zoey, and other developing situations, that she intended to give only to her father.

Though, the idea of having that discussion nearly paralyzed Rosalie every time she thought about it. Even Lucinda finding her in a sex toy store might not compare to having to explain to Father just what Zoey’s class was, and what it meant for Rosalie. Enzo was a practical man, but even he might balk at the cost. Not that, to Rosalie, there was any real ‘cost’. But explaining to her father that she had a girlfriend who, as a means of progressing in advancement, had to fuck her into a brainless mess at least once a day—oh, gods, Rosalie didn’t even know where to begin with it. How she would explain it to him without dying on the spot?

Maybe she wouldn’t. Could she concoct some story that got the relevant details across, while hiding the mortifying ones?

Lucinda insisted on learning more about her team, even if Rosalie wouldn’t give the exact details on the ‘big secret’ of Zoey’s class. Because that Rosalie had found allies—permanent ones—that she intended to keep against her father’s wishes was a staggering announcement, especially because Rosalie wasn’t someone known for resisting her father’s will.

To excuse Zoey’s position on the team, Rosalie merely mentioned an unusual but powerful class, given that Zoey was untrained and would be, on first glance—especially to a woman like Lucinda—no hardened wayfarer of a caliber deserving to be called a colleague of Rosalie’s.

Delta’s placement was a trickier explanation, but not unjustifiable. The foxgirl was no prodigy of a generation, as Rosalie’s father might have arranged as her teammate normally, but that she was so competent with zero formal training suggested an immense talent to be cultivated. Rosalie was willing to admit that much about the woman, despite her misgivings. Delta was simply an excellent offensive addition to a party, perhaps acceptable even at the highest tier of competition. And, again, she came from no notable family; she was entirely self-taught. In a way, that spoke more to her potential than her actual skill and quick progression did.

Maddy was the easiest to explain. Rosalie had quickly sussed out, in one of their first conversations at a bar, that Maddy was a daughter of the Moonlight Weaver, a prominent officer, if not especially prominent, of the Sovereign. Even at a base level, Maddy wouldn’t be out of place on Rosalie’s team. Doubly so if the two of them worked well together, which, admittedly, was yet to be discovered. Of course, the secretive and more important factor of Maddy’s place on the team was that she seemed amenable to the requirements of Zoey’s class. But Rosalie could hardly explain that to Lucinda.

Finally, the last topic of conversation they broached during their short trip to the Guild was that Rosalie hadn’t told her teammates who she was, yet. Her surname. And that she intended to do so during the trip to Mantle. So, she asked Lucinda to not let anything slip.

Arriving at their destination, the sprawling hollowed-out tree that served as Treyhull’s largest Guild, Rosalie led her long-time mentor and weapons trainer up the towering staircase, headed for their team’s shared room.

So lost in thought, and busy with detailing her explanations to Lucinda, Rosalie had forgotten to plan for the obvious.

Both Zoey and Delta had returned for the day. And, from the noises emanating from the room she and Lucinda were approaching, they were both ‘relaxing’ from a hard day’s work. Through very intimate means of stress relief.

Why?

Couldn’t a single thing not go wrong?

Stiffly, she kept walking. It wasn’t like Lucinda, of all people, had missed the moans, grunts, and slaps coming from the room. She’d likely heard before Rosalie had. Her enhanced senses were far superior—and, likely, the older woman was simply more experienced at staying aware of what was happening around her.

Not that Rosalie was some unaware dullard, but Lucinda? A living legend and one of the highest-ranked wayfarers in the world? Rosalie might be a prodigy, but Lucinda was a prodigy who had long ago filled out her boots. A once-in-a-generation talent who had earned her stripes, and proven that her potential wasn’t just potential. There were mountains between the two of them.

Rosalie kept her gaze firmly ahead, ignoring Lucinda’s reaction as she headed, horrifyingly, to the door emanating lewd slapping noises. Despite that, she could feel the woman’s amusement growing with each step. She waited for whatever comment was brewing, but it never came. Rosalie didn’t know if that was better or worse than just having the snarky comment out in the air.