(Completed) Seraphina [The Lost Queen Series: Book #1]

Chapter 26

"Learning with Death, Could this be the End?"
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Though I don't know what a bounty is I can assume that it has something to do with killing me... Who knows it could be some sort of reward for capturing me as well. The odds don't bode well for that but I don't see a weapon on or near him. I guess there is only one way to figure out what's going to happen...

Taking a deep breath I calmed my nerves before staring at him calmly. "...Bounty..? What is that?" Baffled by his words I tilled my head slightly to question him. "Is it something you wear on your head? No... Maybe it's something that goes in one's hair, right?"

For a moment I watched his black eyes flicker red before an amused smile played on his lips. His slight smile alone made my heart race! What is this familiar feeling? Despite how weary I should be off him, something made me want to trust him. It couldn't be from that slight smile...could it? No... This feeling is as if we've met before and he smiled just like this... Why can't I recall my memory of him? It must have been a long time ago.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise when he finally realized that I was being serious. "Are you serious...? Oh my gods above! How do you not know what a bounty is?!" I shrugged my shoulders as Jack stood up with a look of disbelief. "Do you know the currency all the kingdoms use?" I shook my head and Jack sighed heavily. I watched him close his eyes and speak softly to himself.

He is an odd man... Could he have really killed Caspian's mother 5 years ago? Yes he looks intimidating at a first glance but once he settles down it's as if you're looking at a different person... I took this time to actually study his face. To me he looked familiar to Caspian in some way yet it eludes me as to how. Maybe it was his eyes? No no... They are two different colors. Hmm... Now that I have the chance to actually look at him it does appear that their faces are similar. Jack has a strong jawline while Caspian has a softer one. They both have the same skin complexion, nose, and lips... Jack looks intimidating and ready to kill, Caspian looks gentle and kind... Complete opposites to be honest. They could be distant relatives of some sort. So why do I feel as if they are-

Jack startled me when he cleared his throat and began to talk rapidly. "...Ok... As you know there are 3 main coins in all the kingdoms. Bronze coins, silver coins, and gold coins. There are more coins than this but they are higher tier coins. Diamond, crystal, and quart coins are the highest tier coins. Now the conversion or exchange of them follows as so... 1,000 bronze gives you 1 silver coin. 500 silver gives you 1 gold coin. 100 gold gives you 1 diamond coin. 50 diamonds gives you 1 crystal coin. And 25 crystals get you 1 quarts coin... You have 1 diamond bounty on your head which means you're worth 50,000,000 bronze coins..." I was at a loss as his words hit me after a few moments of silence.

Fear petrified me as I tried to make sense of this large number. It can't be possible that such a number exists! No one can hold that much money, especially Quin- Wait... Quincy is a king... He can demand and seize all the money he wants. His knights also bring back large quantities of treasures though a majority is gold... To him this must not be a lot at all!!! Every time me and papa sold our crops we only earned 3 bronze coins for every year! If this man is telling me the truth then we are selling our food for nothing! It is essentially free for him!!!

"Tell me something... Despite you being here to kill me you've yet to get the job done... Why is that?" He isn't acting hesitant about it but it's as if he doesn't want to do it right now...

"...I don't make it a habit to kill someone before judging them. Right now I'm deciding if you're worthy of this bounty. You don't seem to know anything about this world and how things work. Essentially you're just a child who has been thrown into a den full of wolves. Not only that but this crown..." Jack held up the small golden crown before him with a smile. "It belongs to you and you alone. It has shown me all that it has seen over these years and that you are innocent. I would advise you to never leave it out in the open. Your luck that I was the one who claimed the bounty or that crown would be gone and you would be dead."