New World with Four Husbands

"Be back before dinner, okay?" Zaque said, his hand squeezing Coco's as he helped her get inside the carriage.

"Bring her back before dinner." Zaque then turned to Sinclair who was already sitting by the left side of the carriage, his eyebrows furrowing, "Heiren will be cooking a feast tonight so bring her back before supper."

"A feast?" Coco echoed, her free hand slipping inside of her pocket and in a flick of her wrist, she withdrew a hundred gold coins from her personal bank.

Thankfully, even if she didn't have a pouch that she could use to store the money, the personal bank had done a good job by giving her a pouch after withdrawing the money, the material a little rough to the touch.

"Here." Coco said as she pulled her hand out and placed the pouch on Zaque's hand, "Go and shop with Heiren today."

Zaque looked shocked as Coco placed a pouch filled with coins on his hand, his eyes widening in surprise the moment he felt the pouch's heavy weight on his palm.

The unexpected gesture caught him off guard, his gaze shifting from the pouch to Coco, feeling confused, but even if he was confused, he still opened the pouch and peered inside, his jaw dropping as he took in the amount.

"Coco, this is too much—" Zaque was stammering, face pale, but what Coco did next shut him up.

Coco had let go of his hand and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Zaque's forehead, her smile soft and her gaze playful.

The gesture was tender and intimate, silently expressing her reassurance, and deep down she knew that it would make Zaque keep his mouth shut from the shock, but she only did that because she didn't want him to scold her for giving him money.

As she pulled back, Coco's gaze shifted and lingered on Zaque's face for a moment, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

Then, quietly and wordlessly, she turned away from him and continued to climb into the carriage, disappearing into the wooden vehicle.

Sinclair leaned forward and immediately closed the carriage door, the heavy door shutting with a dull thud, the sound echoed in the open air, a final punctuation mark before they departed.

With the door closed, the coach man raised the reins and brought it down as hard as he could, making the carriage lurch into motion, the wheels grinding against the stones underneath.

The horses let out soft neighs, their hooves thudding against the ground as they picked up speed.

The carriage rattled slightly the moment it found its rhythm, its weight shifting from side to side as the horses pulled it forward.

Zaque was left standing there, his eyes wide and his lips parted in shock, a deep shade of red spread across his face, his cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and surprise.

He stood there for a moment, frozen in place, unable to move or speak.

Did.. Did she just kiss me? Zaque thought, his mind a jumbled mess as he stared at the distance, his heart pounding loudly against his ears.

Zaque felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, but at the same time, he couldn't stop himself from reveling in the fact that the woman he had been pining for had just kissed him.

His cheeks felt hot, the heat spreading down his neck and up to his ears, and he stood there, a mix of happiness and excitement coursing through his body.

On the carriage, Coco was humming to herself, staring at herself through her reflection on the window of the carriage.

"Master, once we arrive at the hunter guild, please stay behind me and don't let the guild master talk to you." Sinclair spoke up, his gaze glued on Coco's reflection.

"Hm? Why not?" Coco turned away from the window and looked at Sinclair.

"Believe it or not, but the guild master is someone who dislikes mercenaries.. Despite being a former mercenary himself." Sinclair stated, tearing his gaze away from Coco's intense ones.

"He never liked the mercenaries with lower ranking because they often do misdeeds under the guise of goodwill." Sinclair said, smiling softly as he recalled the good old days

"He knows that, but didn't stop them? The other guild master, I mean." Coco asked, sitting upright on her seat.

"Ah, that.." Sinclair hums as a look of pondering crossed his features, "Well, you could say that he knew, but Alithe was the boss of those mercenaries so the responsibility fell to his hands."

"Now that you mention it.. Why didn't Alithe stop them?" Coco raised an eyebrow.

".. It was mating season." Sinclair looked away.

Coco blinked, her brain slowly processing the information as she stared blankly at the hybrid before her.

"We were away to build a nest.. And mating seasons have been quite a busy ordeal for the two of us since I can't lay an egg as easily as female ravens." Sinclair continued to speak, his voice getting quieter from embarrassment.

"But with me being your familiar now, I can say with confidence that I'll be able to lay an egg this upcoming mating season." Sinclair mumbled.

"Oh.." Was all Coco could say, still processing what Sinclair was telling her.

Alithe had troublemakers in his guild when he went away to mate with Sinclair and the guild master of the hunter guild had hated his guts since then?

But why would the guild master hate Alithe? Coco wondered, her eyebrows furrowing.

Coco let all the information sink into her brain, the cogwheels in her mind turning and churning as every single thing Sinclair had said got processed.

Coco's eyes went wide. "Alithe is a guild master?!"

Sinclair blinked and nodded his head, eyeing Coco reluctantly. "That's what I said.."

"I helped the mercenary king rescue his mate?! And his mate became my fami—" Coco exclaimed, but Sinclair was quick to lunge at her and press his palm over her mouth, silencing her.

"Please, don't scream."