After a few moments, Xzavier finally broke the silence.

"You know, I am beginning to wonder if you have any vices at all."

Quaid chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"I have never seen you smoke, neither have I seen you with a drop of liquor. And now, even in a glamorous place like this that is filled with beautiful women, here you are- alone."

"That is a pretty astute observation Xzavier. But I assure you, we all have our vices. I trust you had a nice time with the girl?"

Xzavier made no attempt to mask his fascination with Janae. In fact he wanted Quaid to see that he was truly enamored with her.

"That girl was sublime. A true work of art really."

Quaid nodded. Xzavier wasn't a man of too many words. So, he knew that from his reply, he had definitely enjoyed himself. "I told you this place was special didn't I?"

"Indeed you did. I can get why you spent a lot of time here in your youth."

"Trust me Xzavier, getting old sucks. Be glad you still have time on your side my dear baron."

Xzavier saw an opening and took his shot; "Speaking of time, I can see myself spending more time here in the near future..." Testing the waters in a bid to gauge Quaid's reaction, he inserted the last part subtly; "...I am considering spending the next few days here. I feel like I am just getting started."

Quaid couldn't believe his ears. Could it be that he had finally found Xzavier's weakness? So after all this while, Xzavier's blood actually ran hot just like every other man on the planet? There was no telling the governor's joy. He was positively delighted. But of course, on the surface, he maintained a look of indifference, not hinting in any way that he was in fact joyous. He had just found Xzavier's weakness. There was no stopping him now.

Quaid thought he had just heard good news. But Xzavier's next words gave him even better news;

"That girl Janae, she was an extreme delight. I think I am already obsessed with her..."

Quaid couldn't believe his ears. He knew where this was going. So, he waited for Xzavier to land with his proposal. The words finally came;"... I want her."

Quaid pretended as if he didn't understand what Xzavier was saying. So, he answered him ambiguously; "Of course Xzavier, you don't need to ask me for that, you can engage her services whenever you want."

Xzavier shook his head. "That's not what I mean Quaid. I am saying I want her all to myself- as my own."

Quaid made a great display of showing how surprised he was. "That is a heavy request Xzavier. You know you're not the only one here. There are other high places socialites who frequent this establishment as well. The girl is high-quality. Hotties like her are not all too easy to come by..."

Quaid himself was also pushing Xzavier's buttons, testing to see just how far he was willing to go to satisfy his whim.

Xzavier wasn't fooled, he knew that this was all a bluff. He had been with Quaid long enough to know that with the governor, everything was a transaction. It was only a matter of playing the right cards. And right now, he had exactly what Quaid wanted. Though he had hidden his true feelings like a pro, Quaid had expressed his delight with their previous deal. And Xzavier knew this. It was only a matter of pulling the same string again.

"Quaid, you're the governor, you can give away whoever you want. I truly enjoyed that girl. She is truly one of kind..." Xzavier wasn't lying. He was quickly starting to realize that the best lies had an element of truth in them. And of a truth, in this particular case, he wasn't lying about Janae's exquisiteness. He wasn't lying about wanting her for himself either. It was all too clear, and he wasn't even trying to hide it.

So, Xzavier spoke the magic words;

"In lieu of this, I suggest we propose a deal like the last time to make it worth your while."

Quaid was trying his possible best not to show just how excited he was about this new development. With his face totally expressionless, he simply mouthed two words.

"Go on..."

Xzavier dove right in and went straight to point; "I propose that in exchange for the girl release to me, I give you ten of the same weapons I gave you like the last time. Deal?"

Oh it was very much a done deal. But Quaid had to appear like he was simply doing this as a favor to Xzavier. He couldn't afford to show his eagerness at this point. So, he stood up and began to pace up and down as if he was deliberating on the subject matter. Dramatically, he took long strides with his hands behind his back and his head bowed. Occasionally, he sighed aloud. Not too much, but just enough for Xzavier to hear him.

Finally, after pretending to give it much thought, he turned to Xzavier and addressed him;

"You are still very much my guest Xzavier, I cannot deny you anything. We have a deal."

Having completed the deal, Xzavier retuned back to the room and found Janae had woken up. She was seated up right in bed in her robe, with her full hair draped across her shoulders. As soon as Xzavier opened the door, her worrying eyes flared up instantly. A wave of anticipation rippled through her. She hadn't been completely sure that Xzavier would return, but now that he did, her expectations seemed like they were attainable.

As soon as Xzavier laid eyes on her, he knew that she had been expecting him. Looking at her as he closed the door behind him, Xzavier was glad that he had good news for her. It would have been a terrible thing if he had actually returned her with disappointing news. Especially since he had raised her hopes. It would have been really cruel of him.

Xzavier broke the news to her plainly, without any theatrics or suspense.

"It is done. You're free to go."

Janae would remember that moment for years to come. Xzavier's words repeated themselves over and over again in her mind.

'It is done. You're free to go. It is done. You're free to go. It is done. You're free to go...'

He had said them so casually, so freely like it was nothing. Janae didn't dare to believe it. Surely it couldn't be so simple. Maybe this was some kind of joke. She swallowed hard, and looked at Xzavier, searching for any signs of foul play. There wasn't any, not from her perspective anyway.

Still, it was not so easy to believe.

"You mean I am free to go? Like I can actually leave this place?" Even the word 'free' sounded heavy in her mouth. Like it was something unattainable, or impossible.

Xzavier nodded. "Yes. You can leave."

Tears bubbled up in her eyes, blurring her vision, flowing down her cheeks in single stream. Her voice heavy with emotion, she choked on a sob as she asked Xzavier;

"How?"

Xzavier wasn't offended by her doubts. To her, it must have seemed like a dream or something. Twenty four hours ago, she had been living her life as usual as a prisoner in this castle. And all of a sudden, not only had she received the news of her sister being alive, she was also being offered her release from a lifetime of bondage and captivity. It was all too much for Janae.

"Yes. It's just as I said. You are now free. You can now leave or do as you wish."

Slowly, very slowly but surely, it all began to sink in to Janae. The reality of her freedom being handed to her was no small thing. To think that after years of being held against her will, after years of her hopes being crushed, right before her eyes, her freedom had materialized in an instant. The flood of emotions were just too much.

She didn't know where the energy came from, but she jumped out of bed and rushed towards Xzavier to squeze him in a tight embrace. Weeping with tears of joy, she kept telling him how grateful she was;

"Oh thank you sir! Thank you so much my lord Baron! You're an angel! Thank you!!!"

She kept showering him with words of appreciation and gratitude. Xzavier had to pull out of her embrace so he wouldn't suffocate.

"It's okay Janae, it's okay. Go get your things right away and meet me here when you're done. I will personally escort you out of this place myself."

She let go off him and rushed towards the door with alacrity. Within ten minutes, she was standing behind Xzavier as the guards opened the gates that led out of Princy Castle. It looked like a dream. She followed sheepishly behind Xzavier as she finally left the castle behind her. As soon as the gates closed behind her for good, she opened her mouth and let out a loud scream.

It had been ten long years of incarceration. It had been ten long years since she had been last seen outside the walls of the castle. All those years had been filled with moments of yearning to be set free. And now, here she was- A free woman! She had gotten so used to living in a cold castle that she had already resigned to the fact that she would eventually die there. There had been no hope whatsoever of a better future.