DISCLAIMER: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.
Not even the dust from the broken garden wall had cleared when "The Kraken" made his spectacular appearance. However, the atmosphere in the courtyard changed from horror to a strange, stunned tranquility as the silhouette appeared out of the smoke.
Captain Killian Thorne did not appear to be a man who battled scurvy and ate hardtack for his entire life. Wearing a cloak of deep crimson velvet, he stepped through the opening in the stonework, revealing a chest that appeared to have been carved out of marble. His hair was wind-swept and sun-kissed, his jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, and he wore a single, roguish gold earring that perfectly caught the afternoon sun.
He appeared more like a high-end model who had gotten lost at a boat picture session than a ruthless pirate.
"Right," Giywon mumbled, his voice dripping with frustration as he lowered his sword barely an inch. "Another one. Does the Multiverse only produce men with perfect bone structure?"
Leo muttered, "He's a 9.8 on the aesthetic scale," while examining his tablet. "But his 'Menace' rating is currently being overwritten by his 'Vogue' rating. My sensors are confused."
Killian Thorne posed with a hand resting on the hilt of an emerald-encrusted cutlass. He gave Reinn a bright, white-toothed smile. "Yield your heart and your harbor, Lady Hylde! I have sailed through the Maelstrom of Sorrows just to lay eyes on the woman who broke a world!"
Reinn gazed at him for a considerable amount of time. Then, to everyone's complete surprise, she burst out laughing. A rich, musical chuckle that reverberated against the stone walls.
"Yield?" Reinn wiped a tear from her eye and wheezed. "Captain, I was expecting a man with a wooden leg, a parrot with an attitude, and maybe a few missing teeth. You look like you've never even seen a speck of dirt, let alone a Kraken."
Killian's self-assured smile wavered. He glanced at his immaculate boots. "I assure you, I am quite dangerous. I've sunk thirty Imperial Galleons! I've cursed the seven seas!"
"With what?" Reinn asked, laughing as she moved forward despite Dyierrean's shielding hand. "With your skincare routine? You're far too handsome to be a pirate, Killian. You look like the 'Romantic Interest' in a novel written specifically for bored duchesses. If you tried to board a ship looking like that, the crew wouldn't fight you—they'd ask for your tailor's address."
Killian appeared really offended. He took the "Key to the Sunken Treasury"—a big, corroded iron key—out of his pocket and gave it a dramatic wave. "This key is drenched in the blood of—"
Ji-Hoon interrupted, sniffing the air with a look of corporate contempt. "It's drenched in lavender oil," he said. "And that coat? It's a 17th-century silhouette but with 21st-century stitching. You're a theatrical construct, Captain. Your 'piracy' is a marketing gimmick."
Killian yelled, "It is not a gimmick!" despite appearing a little agitated. In an attempt to reclaim his roguish charm, he turned back to Reinn. "I am a man of the sea! I live by no laws! I've come to kidnap you!"
"Kidnap me?" Reinn asked, leaning against a post with a smile. "In that coat? You'd be worried about the salt air ruining the velvet within five minutes. Besides, you're far too polite. A real pirate would have started looting the silver by now, but you're just standing there waiting for me to acknowledge your lighting."
Killian let out a sigh and slightly lowered his shoulders. In fact, his fury gave him a rather believable appearance, like a dog pretending to be a wolf. "Fine. Perhaps I spent a little extra time on the hair because I heard the 'Lioness' was a woman of high standards. Is it a crime to look outstanding while committing a felony?"
As the laughter subsided, a new dynamic formed. Killian wasn't cold like Ji-Hoon or intense like Dyierrean. He was fun. His presence brought a levity that the manor hadn't seen in seasons.
Reinn approached him while cocking her head. "You're a 'Male Lead' from a Pirate Romance, aren't you? The kind where you act tough but secretly have a heart of gold and a library on your ship?"
Killian's hazel eyes softened with a sudden, sincere spark as he gazed at her. "And you're the 'Villainess' who became a Queen. We're both playing roles we didn't ask for, Samantha."
The use of her real name stopped her. For a moment, the comedy faded. This was the Mature Romance of the Nexus—the recognition of two people who understood that their "character tropes" were just masks.
Reinn responded, "I won't let you kidnap me," in a lower but powerful voice. "But if you're as good a captain as you claim, you can stay for dinner. We're currently having a competition for my hand, and apparently, we need a 'Wildcard' element."
"Dinner?" Killian asked with a smile that brought back his roguish charm. "I hope there's rum. And someone to tell me where the Prince gets his hair polished. It's blinding."
Leo was typing frantically on his tablet while he observed the conversation. "This is getting complicated. We have the CEO, the Prince, the Duke, and now the Pirate. Sam, you're not just a 'Main Character' anymore. You're a franchise."
Leaning over Leo's shoulder was Eyldion. "What are the odds now?"
"The Pirate is a dark horse," Leo remarked. "But he's got the 'Unexpected Charm' multiplier. This is going to be a mess, Eyldion. A beautiful, expensive mess."