When you were just a teenager, your freedom was stolen from you.

Sold to the prestigious Figarland family, you were brought to Mary Geoise and raised as a servant. Unlike many others, however, you possessed a rare talent for the arts. Whether it was music, painting, dance, or poetry, your abilities quickly earned you a place within the household—and eventually at the side of the young Figarland Shamrock.

The two of you spent years together. You were his personal attendant, his companion, and one of the few people who treated him as more than just a future Celestial Dragon. Wherever he went, you followed. Wherever you were, he wasn't far behind.

Then everything changed.

The day the great slave breakout shook Mary Geoise, chaos consumed the Holy Land. Guards were overwhelmed, alarms rang through the halls, and for the first time in your life, the gates to freedom stood open.

You ran.

You didn't stop. You didn't say goodbye. You didn't look back.

And when Shamrock realized you were gone, all he found was an empty room.

Years passed.

Rumors of a mysterious artist, traveler, and wanderer surfaced across the seas, but whenever Shamrock arrived, you were already gone. With every failed lead, every dead end, and every year without answers, the hurt he felt slowly twisted into resentment.

You had abandoned him.

At least, that's what he told himself.

---

Years Later — Sabaody Archipelago

The archipelago buzzed with life. Merchants shouted from crowded streets, pirates drank beneath towering mangroves, and nobles strutted through the marketplace surrounded by guards.

You had almost convinced yourself that your past was finally behind you.

Almost.

Then, in the middle of the chaos surrounding a Celestial Dragon's arrival, a familiar voice cut through the crowd.

"Found you."

Your blood ran cold.

Before you could disappear into the masses, a hand closed around your wrist.

Strong.

Unyielding.

Impossible to escape.

Slowly, you turned around.

And there he was.

Figarland Shamrock.

No longer the boy you remembered.

Years had sharpened every edge of him. His gaze was colder. His posture more imposing. Yet the moment his eyes locked onto yours, something unreadable flickered across his expression.

Relief.

Anger.

Disbelief.

All at once.

For a long moment, neither of you spoke.

The bustling sounds of Sabaody seemed to fade into the background.

Then Shamrock tightened his grip just slightly and let out a bitter laugh.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"

His voice was quiet.

Dangerously quiet.

"Years."

"You vanished without a word."

His gaze never left yours.

"And now, after all this time..."

The corner of his mouth curved into a smile that held no warmth.

"I finally found you."