A Contractual Love

The nation of Faeast was in mourning, lamenting the death of Lord Nox.

Queenie Sanders sat on the beach of Riverton. She was in a bikini, revealing all her perfect curves, but her brows were furrowed as she stared at her phone.

"Mourning? In the morning? And the whole Internet does it? Who's the deceased? Why's everyone going so far for him?"

Queenie stared at the screen for five minutes before she clicked on the headlines. She was met with a big title in red, but all of them talked of the same thing across different news outlets.

"Today, we mourn the death of a god of war. The day before, our Lord fell into the ambush of ten nations' warriors, and he was felled in the Ocean of Death.

"So great was the battle it drenched the ocean crimson. So terrible was the battle that corpses decorated the ocean's surface.

"Even though Lord Nox has fallen, he took down a million soldiers from the enemies' nations all by himself."

Queenie's jaw dropped, her eyes still glued to the headlines. She thought, 'Lord Nox? That's a living legend. Grandpa always told me he was invincible. How did he die?' A moment later, she added, "That explains the Internet's mourning in silence. The god of war is dead."

She skimmed through the biggest news of the day before putting her phone down. Lord Nox was incredible, yes. He was the hero of Faeast, but he was not someone close to Queenie's life. He was out of her reach, not to mention she had her own troubles to tend to.

She lay on the chair, musing over her family's matter, and sadness flickered on her face.

Queenie's phone rang. It was from Lara Durant, her best friend, so she took the call. "Yes?"

A hurried voice asked, "Where have you been, Queenie? Why couldn't I get through to you?"

"What's wrong, Lara? I'm on vacation at the old home," said Queenie nonchalantly, sipping on her drink.

"You're getting married in two days, girl. How can you even have time for vacation?"

Queenie smirked. "Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I can't go on a vacation. Besides, they're using me as a chip for a marriage of convenience. Why can't I at least have a chance to go around to vent my frustration?"

Lara paused for a moment. "You don't want to marry Centersea's heir, do you?"

"He's an infamous playboy who gets accused of sexual assault every year for three years running. You think I'd marry that scum?"

Lara was silent, but then she asked, "If you didn't want to marry him, why didn't you tell your grandpa? You know he dotes on you."

"He's been in a coma for more than a year. My uncle, curse his soul, is now in charge of the family. I can't do anything about this."

Lara heaved a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Queenie. I never knew things were this complicated with your family."

"It's nothing. I've always been a chip for bargains anyway. I'm used to it." Resignation welled up in Queenie's eyes.

"So, when are you coming back?" Lara asked.

"After tomorrow."

"Tell me when you get back. Bye."

Queenie hung up and got up from the recliner. Sunlight shone on her glimmering skin, draping a sheen of gold over her perfect body, but she cared not for its glory. She raised her head, staring at the endless sea ahead of her.

"I'd rather be a fish. At least I would have freedom." She sighed again and tossed her towel away. Then, she leaped into the sea. The waves crashed on her, and Queenie swam into the deep end.

While Queenie was aimlessly swimming in the sea, she saw a silhouette floating in the distance.

"What's that?" Queenie took a closer look, her eyes wide. "Wait, that's a human. What's he doing in the deep sea?"

Without thinking, Queenie swam toward the silhouette, and it didn't take her long before she reached it. It was a man dressed in all black.