Lord of Charm

The next morning Gale ate breakfast along with Nina, as Lena didn't come this morning. He still had a few hours until she'd come in the afternoon to take him to jail, so he decided to go out and buy some things for Rachel. He finished eating, put on clothes, and left the mansion.

He walked in the streets, stopping from time to time to help someone lift something, or buy things he didn't need from shops that didn't have customers. He always did it to help the less successful people to earn money and bring food home, and at the end of his trip, he'd just let the guards in the mansion take whatever they want and instruct them to donate what was left to different institutions that needed those items.

Today, after finishing his trip to the market he went to the more expensive areas, as he didn't want to appear cheap in front of Rachel with his first gifts to her. He entered a jewelry shop with Nina and called the owners to come out and aid them.

"Hello, Sir. I'm Debbie Ocean, how may I help you?"

The jewelry shop owner was a woman who looked in her 40s. she was generally well-maintained and wore a beautiful short black dress and had a diamond ring on her left fourth finger, indicating her cat was already someone else's pet. That being said, the way she looked at Gale made her look more like a hungry cougar.

"I'm looking for a necklace to gift to a special someone. Can you recommend me something that would look good on her? She is short, around 150 cm tall, with big brown eyes and dark hair. Her skin color is white."

Gale said all information he thought could be relevant for picking a necklace. The woman nodded her head and led them to the necklaces area.

"That would be either a red gem like the Fire Opal gemstones for matching color or you could gift her a blue gem like Sky Blue Topaz for contrasting. What do you think?"

"I'll go with the red ones."

The shopkeeper presented to him a few necklaces with a high price tag on them.

"If you want to impress her, those are the best necklaces I have to offer. Of course, if it's beyond your budget…"

The shopkeeper said the last sentence with a questioning tone, making it sound like he wouldn't be able to impress his special someone if he can't even afford those high end gems.

"No problem, she is worth more than any of those gems. I'm willing to pay that much on my first gift to her."

Gale knew she was using marketing tactics and trying to make him buy it even if it was out of his budget, but as the son of an Earl, it was affordable. He chose a golden necklace with an embedded Fire Opal and left the shop after paying, with the necklace packed inside a fancy box suitable for an expensive present. He went home cheerful, thinking about the happy expression on Rachel's face when he tells her she is free and can live with him, and her excitement when he wore the necklace on her neck.

He found Lena waiting for him at the gate, so he quickly refreshed himself and went out.

"You seem awfully excited."

Lena remarked when she saw he could barely remove the smile from his face.

"That's right! I decided to invite Rachel to live with him. I will free her from jail today."

As the son of an Earl, he could easily get almost anyone out of jail. The citizens could complain about them for abusing their power to the king, but unless it happened often nobody would care about such a small matter, as long as he didn't free a serial killer or a high profile criminal. As for a small time robber like Rachel? Nobody would even bother submitting a complaint.

"How about waiting a few days to get to know her better?"

"Haha, we get along so well I forgot I've only known her for a day. I'd comply if she was anywhere else, but I don't agree to let her remain in jail anymore."

They arrived together at the jail and went to Rachel's room as usual. Gale expected to enter alone as always, but this time Lena had other plans.

"I thought we talked about it, I can't do it with you watching us."

"You don't even absorb her affinity, are you really stupid enough to think I'd wait outside just so you can fuck her?"

Gale's jaw immediately dropped; It utterly escaped his memory! The reason Lena accompanied him in the first place was to watch over him as he grew stronger. It would be extremely weird if his big sister had to stay guard outside jail just so he can have his fun with his woman.

"Umm, so why did you come with me?"

"How are you going to release her? We were keeping your identity a secret from the jail employees all this time, so you can't just ruin it and tell them it was you. If you release a woman who was prisoned here for robbing after spending some quality time with her, you'd get a bad name."

"Oh, that makes sense. I'm surprised you're willing to help me set her free, I appreciate it."

"Of course, I'll always help you when you need me, brother."

They entered Rachel's room together and found her laying on the bed, in her usual outfit; only wearing a prison shirt.

"Hello Gale, Hello Lady Lena."

She got up and curtsied in front of them. She wondered what Lena came into her room for.

"I'm here because Gale wants to set you free, and it would be simpler if I requested your discharge. However, before I do that, Gale, ask her if she has any hidden motive or agenda for flirting with you and whether she truly loves you."

The instruction surprised both Gale and Rachel. Rachel thought it was a stupid demand since nobody with a hidden motive would reveal them only because they were asked; that's the meaning of the word 'hidden' in the term. Gale, on the other hand, simply thought it was unnecessary, he didn't want to use his charm on Rachel and take her privacy and free will from her.

"He doesn't have to ask. Something between us just clicked from the first moment. I only act on my true feeling; my love for Gale."

Gale felt moved by the romantic words, while Lena cringed from the cheesy sentence.

"Oh, trust me. Nobody can lie to Gale when he uses his puppy face."

Gale rolled his eyes in response to Lena's sarcasm and approached Rachel to do his magic.

"Rachel, I love you. Do you know that?"

His eyes shone with green, and Rachel nodded slowly. He already learned it was best to activate his charm in steps rather than jump straight to the point.

"I will do my best to help you and save you."

Rachel nodded again, this time with more confidence. It made sense; he loved her, and therefore he will help her.

"You can trust me with all your feelings and secrets, I will never turn my back on your nor betray your trust."

Everything made so much sense to Rachel. This man, who looked like a god, cared about her and loved her. In her mind, she was the luckiest woman alive, and she felt like she can just tell him all her problems and they will crumble instantly. This time, she nodded without hesitancy at all.

"Tell me, all the love you've been showering me with, is it real?"

"No."