_..._ [chapter 19 -flashback-]
"What do you have in mind…Your Highness," Elowen Grier looked at me, emphasising the word 'Highness' instead of lord.
"Do you want to play a game, Grier?" I asked.
"What're the stakes?" He asked.
"I'd say trust," I paused. "But life, too, if you're not careful,"
"My trust and my life…are already yours, Your Highness," He replied.
I smiled, "I knew I could count on you, Grier," and patted his back once.
_..._
I'm not really the sentimental type. Most of the time, I just try to observe the situation, and the political play might just be my first ever game.
I've never lost. Neither a match of chess, nor a game of cards. Even when I gamble, I'm confident enough to know the cards my opponent keeps based on their expressions, because that's how simple human beings are.
I've staked many things. I was a man with vices, too. I gambled, I loved women dominating me, I loved the thrill of heights, and anything that brought me joy.
