Chapter 27: Taking the Bait
The lady in the mirror owned a wonderful set of gem-like blue eyes. Her black hair cascading freely. It was as black as the night. She had an oval-shaped face. Sharp brows, lovely, and provocative lips added a twist of mystery to her facade. She wore a beautiful gold-rimmed glasses, earning her a mysterious intellectual look. She wore pride like clothes, not one bit overpowering as if it was her natural state.
The lady in the mirror's eyes was like beads, costly sparkling gems. Astonishment and disbelief showing on the lady’s face as she gaped in front of the mirror. She opened her mouth, uttering some narcissistic words. “Who in the world is this calamity-level beauty?”
Well, it’s me, it seemed.
I turned and met Saria’s blinding beam. Her deep pair of dimples appeared briefly. "You like my gift, Victoria?"
The gift was wonderful. There was no need for other words as I bobbed my head up and down. This was the first magical gift I’ve ever received in both of my lives. So of course, I loved it!
"H-how did you make this?" Curiosity gushed out of me. It was like a miracle. I transformed and gained another face like a shapeshifter. I felt nothing at all. No feeling of reconstruction on my face or even a little pain.
Saria grinned and raised her chin. She was as proud as she could get. "It was easy. I chose a rare magic stone called Galgamite. I found it in one of my adventures. A special stone capable of carrying a mixture of magic spells of various kinds. With my alchemy skills, I turned it into a frame though not before adding some magic circles. As for the lens, I picked the sky whale’s cornea from my magic storehouse. I retrofitted it with my crystal magic to match it with the frames. It was easy."
"Easy?" I almost choked at her words. According to a book I’ve read in this magical library, Galgamite couldn't even be bought with any amount of currency. It was invaluable due to its capability to store spells freely as well as rarity. As for the sky whale's cornea, what the hell is that?
"Easy!" She puffed her chest, her face speaking for herself, ‘Come on, praise me! Praise me!’
All I could do was show a wry smile at Saria. I took the glasses off my hands shaking. The black threads returned to their original lilac colors. The cost of Saria’s gift could even be worth more than a few castles. Trembling, I could feel the heftiness of the gold bars as I put the glasses on my lap. "But why did you give me this valuable gift?"
You want to travel right? Saria looked at me as if I was a dumb thing. She pointed at the beautiful glasses sitting on my lap. “You can hide your true identity with that.”
Stunned, confused, and then my eyes lit up in realization. Excitement dawned and followed. I leaped at Saria giving him a tight hug. A grappling one enough to show her the love she deserved. Okay, squeeze!
"Don't choke me. Calm down Victoria." Saria tapped my bulging muscles, giving in to my love.
Oh, I added a bit more strength due to sheer happiness. A big smile bloomed over my face. I took Saria's hand and shook it. Yes, the business man's handshake.
Saria gave me a weird look but I don't care anymore. It took at least half an hour to calm me down. Ah, the bliss! I could finally explore this world without worrying about my identity. Anyway, it's time to get back to the topic. "Kuhumm, thanks Saria, appreciate your gift."
The rising edges of my mouth represented how happy I was. Alas, the possibility to start my escapades had opened up. My striking violet hair was like a curse tied to the word witch of Carmandy. After all, the color of my hair was as rare as it could get. According to some records, the lilac color shows the magical potential of a person.
And here’s Victoria - a lilac haired beauty. It was a color exclusive to the old royals of Carmandy.
I better finish the paperwork as well as solve the kingdom's political issues. The earlier the better. I walked back to the table and pulled out the letter, giving it to Saria. "Here's our next step."
Saria opened the folded letter. She took a read. With every letter she read, her lips rose slowly upward. “To the Empire?”
I nodded before giving her another bunch of papers containing our next big step. For the other part of the plan, it was perfect for her after all. Saria raised her head, curiosity showing in her eyes." So when will we attack?"
It’s high time to wipe them all up.
Thus, I smiled back. “In five days. Please follow all preparation. Based on the information you gave me, they won’t let everything slide. Those fools will try to kill you or the princess. The place where they would attack will be in the castle. Go back in five days after preparing. After all, they don’t know that I am the one who foiled their plans so they’ll go to you.”
“Oh, don’t forget to announce that you’ll return after five days. The news must be silently spread so that the fools in the shadows will take the bait. Anyway, will you be fine?”
Saria giggled a little, her canines showing. “I’ll be fine. After all, I’d be prepared. And as long as I’m prepared, even armies are not a problem.”
After answering, she flipped her cape, striding towards her laboratory, cackling. She was like an evil demon lord ready to face the hopeful heroes.
But...not before sneaking another load of documents which she hid beside my table.
I stood stunned for a moment. So that’s why she decided to give a gift.
I watched her move back into the shadows, leaving the grand library’s door wide open. I was tongue-tied for the documents in front of me were truly mountain-like. In a blink of an eye, she vanished.
“...”
***
Today was the day that we would finally execute our plan. My sister and Saria had already invited the prime minister to the capital. The Lord Knight’s men along with a few royalists would be the ones to do the cleansing while Saria guarded my sister to quell possible assassination attempts. Her death would not only cause political instability but the downfall of the kingdom. After all, she’s the only well and living heir to the throne right now.
For the past five days, I’ve been monitoring everything that was happening throughout the capital through Saria’s help. I also knew the movements of the enemies hiding in the shadows. They were all converging towards the capital in silence. Scrambling to get out of the Ariowell, the merchants sold their goods dirt cheap, the news had reached them about the upcoming chaos.
“My guess was spot on. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”
I had asked Saria to build a snitch to spy on the Prime Minister’s mansion. She made tiny magical spiders crafted with unknown materials for information gathering purposes. It’s really handy to have a powerful archmage at your side. “The prime minister is indeed the man behind everything. No doubt. But who’s the other two?”
I never thought that asking Saria to put the skittering magical spider nearby the prime minister’s would at last bear fruit. Out of all the servants in the mansion, I could tell that the two butlers were the weirdest. Despite their position, pride and power were oozing from them. What’s more? The prime minister doesn’t even act despite his butlers' show of power.
Judging from their movement, the burly butler was a powerful warrior. An intimidating aura flowed around him. Through the lenses of the magical spider, I could sense his mountain crushing presence. For some reason, he was also having difficulty hiding his contempt for others. As if he was born as a higher being as compared to others. A sense of superiority seeping out from him.
On the other hand, the emaciated old butler who appears like he was already near death’s door was a mage. Wizened through old age and an old sneaky snake. He got the same vibe as Saria though weaker. Aside from that, as a half-assed mage, I could sense the lingering mana around him. And damn, he's at least around 5th or 6th Rank.
I reached out my hand and let my mana flow to the magical spider that just arrived. Watching what it had in store. The recordings from the magical spider had only arrived just now. It took the spider quite long to return. Did Saria's miniature teleport spell suffer a spell glitch? It was supposed to return earlier. At least, two days earlier.
It was unusual and suspicious. I continued to watch, ignoring the thin and bulky butlers. But I had not seen this elusive butler until now even after spying for days. The man was loved by the shadows. He was hiding in the tips of the shades. Every time, I see him, worry just starts to creep into my nerves.
I frowned deeper as I gazed at the extraordinarily ordinary man.
Judging from his ability, he was more of an assassin. A predator hiding in the guise of a sheep. He was like the shadow itself. Is he the current leader of the assassin guild? Based on the information I received, the prime minister hired the whole assassin’s guild with gold and a promise. Or is he just one of the pawns?
I continued to watch, a puckered brow falling deeper every time the magical spider catches a glimpse of him. My instincts screamed of danger every time the magic spider flashes the image of the plain butler. This is bad. I hope I’m only imagining things. I never included that man in my calculations. My senses couldn’t help tingle.
I continued watching for an hour. At the last part of the magical recording, he even smiled directly to the lenses. No, a mocking grin locked straight at me. I could feel the threat rising from the man’s grin. My heart skipped, not because of attraction but disgust. Then, the screen blocked out.
I froze, stunned silly. I better warn Saria about this butler. This seemingly inconspicuous man was nothing but bad news. I sweated bullets after realizing my blunder. I had not taken many safeguards against the man. I never knew that they were also watching us. I’ve fallen into a trap!
“What should I do? What should I do?” Pacing back in forth, all thoughts focus on my next step. My hands turned clammy, a cold sweat fell from my back. I closed my eyes, breathing a bit faster than usual. “The prime minister will definitely not come. I must also tell Saria to be a bit more careful.”
But how could I contact her? I immediately ran into my room, pulling out the long-distance message stone. The emergency magic stone for I let my mana flowed freely, making the stone shine. “Come on. Come on! Pick it up Saria.”
I thought hard for a moment. If she doesn’t pick this call, she might be in a bit of trouble. One minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes passed. Saria didn’t answer.
“Eyad.” Perhaps, he could offer some help. He might know some spells to contact Saria.
I ran into the praying mage’s room. The moment I arrived, I immediately kicked the door, sending it flying away. Aside from training magic, I also decided to train my body to keep it flexible and healthy. Aside from that, I knew a lot about self-defense in my past life after all.
The eyes of Eyad grew three sizes after seeing my grand entrance. I arrived at the perfect time when he was changing. It was small. I clicked my tongue, shaking my head at the dastardly sight. Sighing, I whispered, enough only for me to hear, “Perfect for a sissy.”
Meanwhile, Eyad looked at me as if I was some kind of monster. He covered his sensitive body parts like a lady. But oh well, let’s ignore it for now. I’m short of time, so let’s go straight to the point.
Deep lines were sculpted on Eyad's brows. He was caught unprepared, and I, the princess had seen it all.
How can he still be married?
“Eyad, I need your help! We’re in big trouble! Do you have any way to contact Saria?”
I took a deep breath, trusting a 3rd rank magus’ expertise.
Realizing that it was not some prank, Eyad immediately wore what must be worn. “I-I have none.”
I walked back on forth, thinking of any solution. Only one thing came to my mind, I must go to the capital to tell her.
I knew I was being lured out of my cave. Yet, this was a choice I had to make. Someone among the three knew that I exist. Everything flowed so easily, that I had let my guards down. One man came to my mind, “The prime minister.”
Anxiety drowned my emotions again. Was he was waiting for this? When did they discover my existence? Or is this merely my paranoia? I wished it was the latter.
Then, I remembered the elusiveness of the grinning man. The instincts I owned screamed of danger. He might not be a match against Saria, but if planned out properly. They could… still kill her.
I took a deep breath and looked at Eyad. “Bring me to the capital.”
Eyad was about to reject but stopped upon hearing my next words. He also knew that I was the one handling and planning everything for Saria and my sister. “Don’t ask any questions. Saria might be in trouble. We’re also not safe here.”
He gulped and nodded, “I’ll get the carriage and the horses.” Then, he ran out to the stables like a gust of wind.
As for me, I returned to my table and opened the drawer. I picked up the glasses Saria had gifted. I gaze at it while forming the next steps that I have to take. “I have to take some chances.”
I leaped at Saria giving him a tight hug