The Thief, The Trickster, and The Stolen Kiss

Kain wasn't in chains, but he might as well have been.

Standing in the center of the royal court, surrounded by ornate marble pillars, high-ranking nobles, and a dozen heavily armed knights, he felt very, very out of place.

And very, very screwed.

---

Princess Lysara sat on an elevated throne, her sapphire eyes locked onto him like a hawk watching prey.

Varian stood to her side, arms crossed, looking mildly annoyed that Kain was still alive.

The Trickster Goddess?

She was lounging on a pillar like this was her personal drama show, nibbling on a fruit she had stolen from the royal banquet table.

Kain hated her so much.

"Let's get to the point," Lysara said, her voice crisp. "You're in possession of a dangerous artifact, you appeared inside my chambers without explanation, and you—"

She paused, lips pressing together.

"...Stole my first kiss."

The entire court murmured.

Kain sighed. "Are we really bringing that up again?"

Lysara's cheeks flushed, but she straightened her posture. "You will answer my questions."

Kain muttered something under his breath. "Fine. Ask away, Your Highness."

---

Lysara's gaze flicked to the gauntlet still clamped around his wrist.

"Where did you find it?"

Kain exhaled. "Duskwind Ruins. Was doing my usual business—you know, acquiring valuable things before actual adventurers get them—and I figured, hey, why not grab the ancient artifact of unknown origins?"

"You mean steal," Varian interjected.

Kain shrugged. "Tomato, tomahto."

Lysara ignored them both. "That gauntlet—do you understand what it is?"

Kain frowned, glancing at the glowing runes. "Not a clue. Except that it **won't come off, it boosts my speed, and it apparently lets me steal magic from people who try to kill me."

The court gasped.

Lysara's expression darkened.

"That isn't just any relic," she said. "That gauntlet is the Arcane Bind, an artifact from an era long before our kingdom. It was created to bind itself to a chosen wielder and—"

She hesitated.

Kain narrowed his eyes. "And what?"

Lysara's fingers curled against the armrest. "...And it was designed to be wielded by a warlord."

Kain's stomach dropped.

The court broke into whispers.

Varian's hand drifted to his sword.

And the Trickster Goddess finally decided to chime in.

"Ooooh~," she sang, flipping onto her feet. "So that's why it reacted so well to you!"

Kain shot her a deadly glare. "You knew?!"

The goddess grinned. "I had suspicions~."

Lysara's jaw tightened. "The Arcane Bind is said to have chosen wielders in times of great conflict. The last time it appeared, it belonged to a conqueror who—"

She stopped, then sighed.

"...Who nearly burned the world to the ground."

---

Silence fell over the court.

Kain took a slow breath. "So what you're telling me… is that I'm wearing a weapon meant for a world-ending warlord."

Lysara nodded.

Kain rubbed his temples. "Great. Fantastic."

"Which is why," Lysara said firmly, "I cannot allow you to roam free."

Kain stiffened. "Wait, hold on—"

"You don't seem to fully grasp the gravity of this situation," Lysara cut in. "You're walking around with an artifact that could—"

She hesitated again. "...That could bring war to the kingdom."

Kain felt a headache forming.

"Look, I get it," he said. "I didn't ask for this stupid thing, okay? If you have a way to remove it, I'll gladly hand it over and walk away!"

Lysara grimaced. "...There is no way to remove it."

Kain froze.

"What?"

"The Arcane Bind only releases its wielder upon death," she said softly.

A cold chill ran down Kain's spine.

He couldn't take it off.

Ever.

Lysara watched him carefully. "Which means, as long as you're alive, you are bound to it. And that means—"

Kain groaned. "Let me guess. You're gonna arrest me?"

Lysara shook her head.

"I'm going to hire you."

---

Kain blinked.

"...What?"

Lysara leaned forward. "You said you steal artifacts, correct?"

Kain narrowed his eyes. "It's a fine-tuned skillset, but yes."

The princess nodded. "Then I have a proposition for you. In exchange for not executing you—"

Kain coughed. "Love that that's an option."

Lysara ignored him.

"You will work under me, using your skills to retrieve and secure dangerous artifacts before they fall into the wrong hands."

Kain stared at her.

"Are you seriously asking a career thief to help protect royal artifacts?"

Lysara's lips curled. "You are uniquely qualified."

Kain sighed, running a hand through his messy orange hair. "Right. And what happens if I say no?"

Varian's saber glinted in the torchlight.

Kain sighed again. "Yeah, thought so."

The Trickster Goddess cackled. "Oh, this just keeps getting better!"

Kain shot her a glare. "You could HELP, you know."

The goddess grinned. "But then it wouldn't be fun~."

---

Lysara folded her hands. "So? Do we have a deal?"

Kain exhaled. This was insane.

Then again… so was his entire life up to this point.

And really, what was the worst that could happen?

"...Fine," he said, grinning despite himself. "Guess I'm a royal thief now."

Lysara's eyes narrowed. "Official artifact retriever."

Kain shrugged. "Same thing."

The princess sighed. "I already regret this."

---

The Trickster Goddess leaned closer, smirking.

"Oh, my dear thief~."

Her golden eyes sparkled with mischief.

"You have no idea what you've just signed up for."

---