Lucian ripped the gag out of his mouth, spitting the cloth out. He rubbed his mouth and then his wrist. "Lucian Arclight," he spewed out the words, causing one of the guards to halt. 'You just had to say my name,' he glanced at the shopkeepers, who acted as if they had only just realized what they were supposed to do.
"Hey, isn't that Lord Arclight?" one of them quickly said, pointing at the jail cell.
The guards that remained behind, the ones that weren't chasing the imaginary thief, turned their heads to look at Lucian.
"Let me out," Lucian said after he gained some proof of who he was, "I have some business to take care of. I'm not a criminal, but I will treat you like one if you keep accusing me wrongly like this."
"Lord Arclight?!" The guards widened their eyes and scrambled to the back of the cart. "O-open the doors! Open the doors! It's Lord Arclight!" They quickly unlocked the door, "S-sorry, My Lord! We didn't realize it was you! We just saw the horse go too fast, and we had to stop you."
They opened the door, and Lucian jumped out, letting them unlock the cuffs he had put back on his wrists. His name, despite it being a very common one, was famous; his face not as much. There were many blond men with brown eyes, his were a bit on a golden hue, but nothing that couldn't be passed off as the trick of the light.
Compared to Celine's midnight blue hair or the royals' signature black hair, he didn't have a distinguished feature that would make most wary of him. To be fair, his name wouldn't strike fear in the heart of most, either. They just didn't want to get on his bad side, because he was a business owner with a lot of money. And when someone had a lot of money, that meant they could buy their justice and get people in a lot of trouble.
After knowing his identity and his connection to the Rochefort house, Lucian thought they would take his words more seriously, but instead of returning his boots and belt, they kept them.
"Um, we still have to charge you for disturbing the peace, Lord Arclight," the guards stated, "But if you pay your fine, we will let you go. We hope you understand. It is our job, and we have to do it. We're just trying to protect the city. We didn't mean to accuse you of anything."
Lucian wrapped his hand into a tight fist and then flung his hand forward, stopping an inch in front of a guard's nose, "Are you trying to extort me?"
"O-of course not! We're just doing our job!"
"I understand," Lucian said, dropping his hand. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a few coins before his fist shot forward again. He punched the guard in the chin and then dropped the coins.
"...?!" The guard held up his chin in reflex and fell back, letting the coins drop on the ground.
"Thank you for your hard work," Lucian said, shaking his hand. He ordered his shopekeepers to get him more money, "I hope you don't mind getting the coins off the ground?"
The guard stumbled. The rest took a step back, "U-um Lord Arclight-"
"Is that not enough?" Lucian reached toward another guard, his palm fisted. "Shall I give you more reasons to fill your pocket? A hospital bill is a good excuse, right?"
The guard closed his eyes, waiting for a hit to land, "Ugh!" He grunted when Lucian's fist landed on his stomach. He fell down, holding his gut, "This will not go unnoticed!" He wheezed, "Lord Arclight!"
"I expect it won't," Lucian said, "Until when, I am not sure."
'Goddamn idiots.'
'It's always money.'
'There's no loyalty to anything but money.'
The guards groaned in pain more dramatically as a pouch of coins fell next to him. Bought over by one of the shopkeepers.
"My fine," Lucian said, kicking the pouch closer, "For disturbing the peace."
He snatched back his shoes and belt, then walked toward his horse that was tied to a wooden post, and climbed up. Great, he thought, another group of pests to deal with.
They would probably come up with new excuses to get money from him and new ways to waste his time. Whatever. The more they wanted to drain him, the more they would have to sacrifice their lives to do so. That's what he made sure of: that they understood every time they called on him.
The bystanders who witnessed his arrest, then his assault on the guards, whispered to themselves.
"Lady Rochefort is in danger!" Lucian announced to those who were watching him, "And these guards are accomplices to her kidnapping! They tried to get me arrested to prevent me from saving her! Shame on them! They have disgraced the Rochefort family!"
"W-what?!" The guards asked. "What are you talking about? We were just doing our job! We didn't even know the Lady was in danger! He's lying! He's lying!"
Lucian paused and looked at them from above his horse, "Truce? Or would you rather make an enemy of me?"
The guards gulped. They had thought to scare a rich Lord to earn a quick buck. Instead, he made them fear the thought of becoming his enemy instead. Not only was he not afraid to pick a fight with them, but he was also willing to look down on them from his horse!
Their pride was hurt, their stomach and chin were bruised, and he still dared to make a truce offering with them!? This was not how you ask for a truce! They wanted to refuse and make him pay even more!
They were used to people sucking up to them in the face of their uniform and their power to throw people in jail. This man was treating them like garbage and still expecting their alliance? How could they accept such a humiliating offer?!
Lucian pulled the horse's rein. "Well?"
The guards looked at the crowd, and then at the pouches of money in their hands, feeling like they gained a lot of weight. They looked like a bribe. He made them look like villains.