After Gild Tesoro left, Werther went over to Baccarat.
Baccarat sat slumped on the ground with her head bowed. When she noticed Werther approaching, she looked up at him.
Her eyes were like those of a wounded little beast, helpless and forlorn.
Even at her most desperate, Baccarat had believed Gild Tesoro would come to save her. She was too valuable to abandon.
Click. Werther unlocked her Seastone Handcuffs.
"Don't look at me like that. This is your fate. Since you won't follow me, you can stay a prisoner."
Drip, drip. Tears ran down Baccarat's cheeks.
"Can I choose to follow you now?"
Still sitting on the ground, Baccarat caught the hem of Werther's coat with slender fingers.
"Of course you—"
The despair left Baccarat's eyes. She gazed at him eagerly.
"Of course you can't. You already turned me down, so we'll never be companions on an adventure."
Despair flooded Baccarat's eyes again.
"Heh. So much for that protagonist aura. Why the hell can't I make people swear loyalty just by looking impressive?
"Forget it. You can go. Anywhere but the Ark Maxim."
Werther had only been teasing her when he said she would remain a prisoner.
The emotional whiplash was almost too much for Baccarat.
"You mean it? You're not keeping me prisoner? You don't care if you lose the power of the Lucky-Lucky Fruit?"
Baccarat could hardly believe Werther was letting her go.
"Yeah. I don't mind losing it. If you don't want to come willingly, I won't take you on an adventure."
Werther was brutal, but he wasn't about to kill a woman he had slept with.
He wasn't made of stone. Baccarat hadn't spent much time with him, but she had been willing in bed. Even when he put her in strange positions, she had only