Chương 3: The Thief...

For Simon, pickpocketing was a talent, and a gift that the gods had given him for survival. Pickpocketing in the market was nice, but in a royal gathering, it was equal to finding diamonds. The only problem he had was enough room to hide his stolen goods. Robbing the rich was exceptionally easy, they had more gold on them that they could count, picking a few bracelets and rings off their hands wouldn't hurt, would it?

Slinking into a corner, Simon made a mental calculation of how much he would get by selling the things he had gotten so far. At least a hundred gold coins and fifty silver coins. It was a fortune, one that would last him more than a month even if he spent it lavishly. Yet, he wasn't satisfied. This money wasn't for him alone, there were kids on the streets depending on him, and he needed to make them proud. But first, he needed to refill his stomach.

Lifting his head high, he walked with elegance towards the reception table. He would have loved to take some food with him, but couldn't risk standing out. Rich people didn't stuff bread or scones in their pockets, he would be caught and punished the moment he tried that.

His mouth was salivating just from staring at all the food before him. He grabbed a small plate and began to fill it with a variety of delicacies. Simon tried to blend in, mimicking the refined manners of the nobility around him. He was a master of disguise, able to shift seamlessly from one persona to another.

As he munched on a particularly delicious pastry, he noticed a commotion at the other end of the table. Prince Lucian had arrived, and he didn't look pleased one bit. At first he ignored the prince and focused on his plate, however paused upon realization of the matter at hand.

"That man from earlier, he's the prince?" Simon questioned himself as she slowly dropped the plate down on the table. He had robbed the prince by accident, and it was obvious that he was looking for what he had lost, or who had robbed him.

He would have loved to stay, to increase his profit a little bit, but here wasn't safe anymore. The last thing he wanted was to be here when guards began to search everybody. On a regular day, he might be able to escape without getting caught, but today he had stolen too much to hide during a search party.

Silkily, Simon blended with the crowd and immediately made for the exit. But at the same time, the sharp eyes of prince Lucian had caught onto the cheapest fabric in the room. The stature, the height, it was the man who had robbed him.

Swiftly, he pursued after the culprit with enough speed and agility to not raise suspicions or draw too much attention to himself. If people learnt that there was a thief in their midst, they were going to lose their senses, and he didn't want to start a commotion over a common pendant.

Lucian had an advantage over the pickpocket, he knew the castle better than anyone. He had spent his entire childhood inside the building, and was aware of every nook and cranny of the building. He knew a shortcut that would let him catch up to the thief, but he knew he would have to dirty himself if he was going to use this path.

Making use of an old tunnel beside the kitchen, he was able to intercept the criminal just as he had expected.

"Leaving already?" Lucian asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Simon froze, his heart pounding in his chest. He had been so close to the exit, to freedom, but now the prince stood in his path, blocking any chance of escape. Simon quickly assessed his options, calculating the odds of slipping past Lucian or making a break for it. Neither seemed promising, so he immediately got into character.

"Family emergency, I'm needed at home right now." He lied, but his lie wasn't exactly convincing enough. He was the same age as the prince, possibly younger, and clearly didn't look like he had a family.

Lucian glared at the man before him, unsure if he should be impressed by his pickpocketing skills, or his sheer stupidity. He couldn't decide, however one thing he was certain of was that this little thief was a handsome one.

He had a lean, wiry build, a stark contrast to Prince Lucian's more robust and muscular frame. His face was angular, with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline that gave him a striking appearance. His hair was a tousled mess of dark curls, framing his face and occasionally falling into his deep blue eyes, which always seemed to be scanning his surroundings for opportunities or threats.

His skin was sun-kissed, probably because he spent too much time in the sun robbing innocent people of their money.

"Hand it over now, the entirety of what you've stolen tonight." Lucian demanded with a cold tone.

Simon, who knew that the gig was up, complied immediately. It was just the prince, he could beg his way out of this without getting his hands cut off.

"I'm sorry my prince—"

"So you do know how to say sorry, for a moment I thought you had no idea what an apology is." Lucian interjected before Simon had a chance to finish. Simon knew exactly what the prince meant, but he didn't say a word. He wasn't the one who bumped into the prince, it had been the other way round. In fact, he had actively tried to avoid colliding into him, but the proud man before him had been too focused on something else to watch his path.

"You're not going to say something? I could have you executed for infiltrating the castle, physically assaulting, and robbing the prince." Lucian threatened, even though he meant none of what he had just said. He just wanted to see this man beg and apologize for earlier.

"Assault the prince?" Simon returned out of sheer curiosity. He knew the crimes he had committed very well, and assault wasn't one of them.

"You bumped into me earlier, did you not?"

"No, the prince bumped into me!" Simon maintained, oblivious and adamant to accepting a crime he didn't commit.

Lucian wanted to be mad, he wanted to be angry at the little thief before him, but just couldn't no matter how much he tried, and he knew exactly why. For the first time he had met someone who didn't immediately bow to him at first sight. This man didn't treat him like he was a god or something beyond human understanding, he treated him like a regular human being!

"What's your name?" Lucian demanded, not letting his fascination show.

"Simon." Came a curt reply.

"Simon what?" Lucian asked once more, but got the same reply.

"Just Simon."

This thief was a bastard, and thankfully, not his father's bastard. Those who were born out of wedlock didn't have surnames. They only had their first name, and if you're lucky enough to be the bastard of a noble, you would receive the maiden name of the family.

Simon here clearly wasn't lucky. He was a bastard, an ordinary bastard who didn't know how to apologize to the prince.

"Mark!" Lucian yelled into the darkness, and from the darkness emerged the figure of man whom the prince was clearly aware of, the same couldn't be said for Simon who had immediately begun to tremble at the sight of a guard.

"You called me, my prince. Is something the matter?" Mark asked, his tone respectful and alert. He glanced between Lucian and Simon, sensing the tension in the air.

"This young man here was kind enough to return what he stole," Lucian said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I need you to ensure he understands the gravity of his actions."

Mark's eyes narrowed as he looked at Simon. "Of course, my prince. What would you have me do?"

"What's the usual punishment? Don't they get their hands amputated, or was it death by hanging?" Lucian toyed with the idea, watching Simon's face pale with each word.

"My prince, there are...less severe measures we could take," Mark suggested, clearly uncomfortable with the severity of the punishments mentioned. "Perhaps he could work for the worth of what he had stolen."

Lucian nodded to the idea. He would have let the thief go without any punishments, but Mark's idea seemed like a nice one. He wanted to know Simon a little better, and he wanted him around even if it would just be a little while. It would be nice to have someone he could argue with from time to time. Mark was good company, but his work often required him to act formally most of the time.

However, with this thief, he could choose whatever he wanted him to be. He was technically his slave at the moment.

"I have been looking for a new squire, maybe he can take care of the work until a proper replacement is found." Lucian suggested, and Mark nodded in support of the idea.

Simon didn't say a word, he remained still while the two finalized his fate. Squiring was a lot better than getting his arms cut off, or getting hanged, but that didn't bring him so much relief. He still had a family, one that was depending on whatever he managed to steal tonight.

"I have a request, my prince." Simon started, bold and fearless. "I'd work for twice the amount of whatever I've stolen, but in return, I want you to send these items to Beggar's Row."

"Know your place! You don't get to make requests—"

"It's fine, Mark. He's working for it anyway." Lucian intervened on Simon's behalf.

"I'll have the guards send two hundred gold pieces over to them tomorrow morning. But be prepared to work for every single coin that I've spent. You'll work until I've gotten every bit of my money from your sweat!"

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