Grace shot me another glare, her expression tense, but she remained silent. Quinn, on the other hand, seemed a bit confused.
Feeling the need to clarify, I spoke up,
"You both may already be aware that I've been wanting to recruit the two of you for quite some time." I shifted my gaze to Quinn.
He gave a slight, hesitant nod, prompting me to continue with a sigh.
"Quinn, you're already on board to work with me. However, I did push you into this role without giving you a choice."
Quinn fidgeted on the sofa, seemingly showing a hint of discomfort as he sensed where I was heading with this topic.
Adjusting my posture too, I leaned forward slightly.
"But I'm willing to do that now. I'm offering you a choice right here. You can either work with me, or you're free to leave right now. If you do decide to walk out right now, I will leave you alone and there won't be any repercussions. The decision is yours."
Quinn met my gaze for a moment, his expression furrowed. "You mean–"
I interjected, "Yes, I won't expose your secret."
As soon as I mentioned a secret, Grace's ears perked up but I paid it no mind and allowed Quinn to continue.
After a bit of thought, Quinn opened his mouth to speak:
"I was thrown into the battlefield as a child by my own father. I've witnessed enough war and bloodshed for several lifetimes. I've seen things that no one should ever be put through."
Quinn lifted his head, locking eyes with me. His gaze contained hidden traces of contempt, but it was not directed at me or anyone else in the room.
The contempt in his eyes was directed at this messed-up world. For some reason, I thought that in a sense, I guess, Nero and Quinn are very similar.
After a brief silence, he inquired, "You once gave me your word that you'll end this war and bring peace. Tell me, are you still going to stay true to your promise?"
In a heartbeat, I responded firmly, "Yes. I won't ever go back on my word."
"In that case, the decision is clear for me," Quinn leaned back on the sofa, half of his face obscured by the shadows.
The room seemed to grow darker as he spoke further, "As long as you remain true to your word as you claim, I will be your shadow. I'll support whatever actions you take, as long as they're in pursuit of ending the war and bringing peace."
Suppressing a smug smile from appearing on my face, I nodded and settled back onto the couch myself.
My attention shifted to the striking blonde figure standing right next to Quinn, her arms crossed over her chest.
"And what about you, Grace? Before the start of the King's Tournament, I warned you to pick your side carefully. Given what happened the last time you fought me, I doubt you needed much time to decide. But now, you must. So, have you thought about my proposal?"
Grace narrowed her eyes at me, her fists clenched. After a moment of thought, she uttered, "I have."
Before she could respond, I took the opportunity to speak again.
"Before you tell me about your decision, know this… I can grant you whatever you want. If a secure position within the army is your wish, it's yours," I offered, my arm extended toward her as if I were offering her the world.
Right then, I extended my other arm too, my palm closing into a fist. Locking eyes with her, I declared:
"However, will that truly be enough for you? No matter what your rank or position is, you will never truly be safe. Why, you might ask? Because safety comes from individual strength. Connections can only keep you safe for so long, but without personal strength, you'll always remain weak and vulnerable. There's no middle ground. So, if strength is your true desire, I can bestow upon you an unimaginable amount of it."
Grace held her silence for a few minutes, presumably mulling over my words. In her mind, she must have thought all of this over already.
The past months had undoubtedly been rough for her.
First, Kai had pushed her to her limits. Then, I arrived and messed up her plans. And then, even her friendship with her closest friend was ruined.
Okay, I was to blame for the last part but that's not the point.
What was the cause of all this? Why did she suffer so much?
Why else? She lacked conviction. All this time, she wanted safety, not strength.
However, that's impossible. Without strength, safety is unattainable. And without diving into danger head-first, you can't achieve strength.
It's a paradox, really. But it's a paradox that she must face.
She already knew that being someone else's pawn in their grand scheme of things would never guarantee her own safety.
Kai must've already made her see that point pretty clearly.
That's why I offered her something in return. Something that she couldn't ever hope of achieving alone.
Finally, after an unusually long moment of stressful silence, Grace spoke up.
"What's your end goal here? Oh, and please spare me the crap about saving the world. I know you're not that kind of person. What game are you playing? And what role do I play in your schemes?"
A soft smile formed on my lips before I began to answer her paranoid queries.
"There's no game and no role for you to play, Grace. As for my end goal… I just want to survive. In a few years, our world will be plunged into unimaginable chaos. The balance between our army and the vampire forces will be tipped. Kalis won't remain a threat but something far more dangerous will emerge."
After a brief pause, I continued:
"I can't survive that chaos alone, and nor can anyone else. To counter that dreadful future, I want to assemble an elite unit that follows my direct commands. I won't force you to put your life on the line for my goals, I give you my word on that. But should you choose to place yourself in danger for my cause, I will reward you generously."
Letting out a short sigh, I paused for a second, gathering my thoughts before resuming.
"You have a knack for politics and vile schemings. It will be a valuable asset in the future. Not only that, but you also have the potential to become one of the most formidable warriors of our generation. But you already know all this, right? Let me cut to the chase then. For the final time, Grace, what do you choose? Security or strength?"
I didn't ask for her opinion on joining me since her previous question had already hinted at her decision. Yes, she had already made up her mind.
And a few minutes later, I was proven right.
Grace was lost in her thoughts for some time, an unreadable emotion present on her face. Eventually, she broke the silence.
"I… don't want to lose anymore. I want to grow much, much stronger than what I am currently capable of."
A grin tugged at my lips the instant her answer reached my ears.
A brief chuckle escaped me as I responded, "Very well, then, welcome aboard."
