"Siracusa's a country run by the Mafia. You know that much, right?"
Texas had her gorgeous legs resting across Lucian's lap as she started talking about home.
She'd always been that cool, quiet beauty who barely spoke, let alone talked about her past. So hearing this was new—even a little surreal—for Lucian.
But honestly, most of his attention was on Texas's legs.
Grinning to himself, he kept massaging them, savoring the feel and the warmth as he said, "Yeah, I heard the Mafia there's pretty famous. And Siracusian movies too."
The movie Yuxia took her dad to see had also been about Siracusa's Mafia—sharp suit, cigar in hand, that kind of iconic old-school tough guy.
Texas crunched a Pocky stick and nodded. "In Siracusa, anyone with any influence is tied to the Mafia. Or put another way, anyone in the upper ranks who tries to cut ties ends up a corpse."
Wow. Terrifying. Very terrifying.
Lucian had zero interest in politics. Laterano was a complete Theocracy, and he'd grown up as the Holy Son—he really couldn't imagine living in a country controlled by the Mafia.
Texas stretched her legs a bit, signaling him to move his hands higher.
Lucian immediately got the message. He slid his hands up past her well-shaped knees and started kneading the thighs every man in Terra dreamed of touching.
Texas went on, "Siracusa's Mafia isn't like the Mafia in other countries. They're all structured as families. They believe blood ties run deeper than anything. Even when they take outsiders in, it's usually through marriage or sworn bonds."
The main race in Siracusa was Lupo like her—wolves.
Just like real wolves out in the Wilderness, Lupo had an intense obsession with family. Only their own pack was truly trustworthy.
Depending on family rank, Siracusa had countless Mafia groups of all sizes, tangled together in influence and territory. The entire country, from top to bottom, couldn't separate from the Mafia.
They were way past being a simple criminal force—they were practically part of the national system.
Lucian let out a low whistle. "Sounds kind of wild. I guess that's more stable than a normal gang?"
"No." Texas narrowed her eyes. "It only means the odds of killing your own blood are higher."
She delivered the most chilling line in the calmest voice.
Then she added that Siracusa's Mafia had rotted away.
"Blood, loyalty, family. None of it means anything against profit."
Texas closed her eyes, like replaying memories. "If the stakes are high enough, even the most protected cub will stab the alpha in the back. The rules we used to treat as Faith got trampled into the dirt, soaked in filth. The old Siracusa wolf packs are gone. What's left is a bunch of scavenging hyenas chasing profit."
Lucian said nothing for a moment, just watched Texas—this rare, long-winded Texas.
Someone who normally used as few words as possible was suddenly this poetic. It left him sort of stunned.
Texas assumed he was scared.
She dropped her gaze, voice barely above a whisper. "I ran from that rotten place. I've killed people. Even people related to me by blood. If you look down on me, I can't do anything about it. I'm a butcher who can't wash herself clean. If you hate it, I'll move out right now. I won't show up in front of Exusiai or the others again."
Lucian: "…"
Texas rubbed her legs together nervously. "Say… something? Or do you hate it so much you don't even want to talk to me?"
"No—no. I'm just… a little shocked."
Lucian snapped out of it and looked at her in amazement. "Texas, I didn't know you actually cared about what people think. That's what scared me."
"…I don't care about people. I care about you all."
Her cheeks tinted pink as she clarified.
She really emphasized "you all," meaning she'd already opened her heart to Penguin Logistics, treated them as family.
And she'd said this only to Lucian—which meant she might actually see him as family among family.
Crap. That was stupidly cute.
Lucian suddenly felt overwhelmed by how shy she looked, like he wanted to hug her and scruff her ears.
He clicked his tongue and stroked her thigh. "You're kind of dumb, you know that? Anyone who's ever seen you swing that sword could figure out what you used to do. Even Croissant could. We never said anything because we didn't care. And since arriving in Lungmen, you haven't cut down a single person, right? You're way more well-behaved than you think."
Texas's face reddened, brow furrowing. "That's just because you're annoying—you keep telling me to use the back of my blade… If I had to, I'd kill for real."
"Yeah, and when it comes to that, I'll count on you." Lucian was perfectly relaxed. "I'm not gonna say some stupid 'no killing allowed' crap. If we need to kill someone, I'll do it with you."
Terra could be dangerous as hell. Lucian wasn't naive enough to think living in Lungmen meant they'd never face killing again.
If anyone ever threatened Exusiai, Texas, or even extended to Hoshiguma and Swire, Lucian would happily pull out a gun and fire as many rounds as needed.
So no—none of this was what shocked him.
What surprised him was Texas's confession, leaving him with this dumb grin:
"Let me guess, Texas—you were born a wealthy young lady? Siracusa's big on art and theater, and those dramatic lines you just said were pretty good. You should try the Lungmen entertainment scene. You'd definitely be a hit."
"…Are you mocking me?"
Texas scrunched her nose and kicked his leg.
For Lucian, that was basically a blessing.
Laughing, he continued, "I'm not teasing you. I'm saying—this letter with the elegant handwriting that looks way too refined for me to read—was it from someone related to you?"
"…"
Texas went quiet.
She'd nearly forgotten—Lucian might act dumb, but when it came to the important things, he never missed a beat.
This was something she should've talked about earlier, but she'd been too worried about whether he'd fear her past and ended up forgetting.
She sighed. "She's not my family. We were born into different clans. But she… the woman who wrote that letter—she's my past. If I hadn't come to Lungmen, if I hadn't met you all, I'd still be like her."
Texas locked her sharp eyes on Lucian. "She'll come for me. She'll do anything to drag me back. Anything. But I don't want to go back… So Lucian, if that day ever comes, I want you to look away. If I have to kill her, I don't want you to see me become that version of myself again."
This was what her confession was building to.
The letter didn't sway the Texas of now—she'd completely cut ties with her past. The Texas standing here was Penguin Logistics' Texas.
But someone still wanted to drag her back. And from the way Texas described her, that person was capable of anything.
If she threatened the life Texas had now, Texas would have no choice but to end it with her own hands.
That was what terrified her.
She could tell Lucian everything—but she never wanted him to witness what she looked like as a killer.
This was Texas's only request. Her eyes were almost pleading.
Lucian sat there, genuinely thinking it through.
Then he said, very seriously:
"Texas… this person you're talking about—"
"Is she pretty?"