"Look here, Lord Magnolia, we did what we did out of our own accord. Not for some reward or repayment. You acting like your obnoxiously polite self when you seem to have half a foot in the grave is extremely irritating," Lord Smythe stated, raising an eyebrow at Lysander.
"Didn't you say you quit? You don't need to act so poised now, do you? If it's your excuse for wanting to treat someone of higher station with more respect now, spare me the effort. I don't care. Before, you were a noble, and people would talk. It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" he continued.
Lysander stared at him with deep thoughts before chuckling harshly, taking the other two by surprise. They had never seen the man laugh. It wasn't a happy laughter, though; it was almost jarring.
"I want to always maintain decorum. That is the basic requirement, not only for nobility but for everyone. But, well... If you do not appreciate it, then I'll happily oblige. It would make my words easier to phrase."
Having let go of much of the tested poise required of him, Lysander moved closer towards the somewhat surprised Lord Smythe. He stood on his tiptoes, placing both hands over the other's shoulders, lips close to the other's ear. His voice, though mellow, on the sudden quiet, was almost too sharp, even reaching Lord Wetherby still sitting on the sofa. Sharper were his words as he bemusedly spoke with a dull smile,
"I hope I do not see either of your faces ever again. Let this be our final, even if slightly personal, conversation. Let us not bother with each other ever again."
His eyes fell on Lord Wetherby as he finished his words decisively,
"Though I may not be strong or influential, and I may not have anything to my name in the future, I will still not make it easy for either of you if you find me. Trust me on that."
He then tapped the shoulders lightly, stepped back with a smile, his eyes incredibly indifferent. His fingers reached his lips, and his eyes widened in a slight change of expression that seemed more mocking than apologetic,
"Pardon me. I hope it wasn't too rude. I was so conceited too. Why would you even think of finding me again? This is why I really don't want to let go of my decorum."
He felt that they would definitely think to find him from time to time. After all, there were still many things that he had an upper hand with, and much information they would want to exploit. They did in the previous timelines. They would still want to in this one.
But he had enough of these complicated politics and did not want to be implicated in this again. Even if they did not, it was still safe to warn them. If they did not heed it, well then, he had long lost the fear of death anyways. Fighting a fearless person unafraid of even death, it was troublesome indeed, right?
He then turned around and left, leaving the other two still surprised and somewhat stumped. They looked at each other to find the same turmoil in the other's expression.
"Was he always this way?"
They did not have the answer to that question as it fell into silence and vanished without a trace. When did they ever try to know him anyway?
They felt it unnecessary. They were just work partners. Despite working together for so long, it did not change anything. However, at this very moment, they felt some regret in their hearts anyway.