Two days had passed, a meeting was held inside the Sareid house at noon.

Attending the meeting was Kyrat, Peyna, the head maid and the guard from the last meeting.

Leila is nowhere to be found...

"Everyone... I believe that there's still a spy in this house..." Kyrat said that intimidatingly.

"But we weeded them out didn't we?" Peyna responded

"No, the spy was in our last meeting"

"What? Can you explain my lord?" The head maid said.

"When I interviewed one of the spies, they said something along the lines of 'They warned us about the checks, but we still get caught'"

"...And the only way to be warned about the background checks before getting caught is to attend our last meeting..." The guard ponders.

"Correct, and I believe I've found the spy..."

"Who is it dear?"

All eyes looked at Kyrat.

"The one not in this room..."

"...Leila..." Peyna said that worryingly.

"M-My Lord! There's no way it's Leila! I'm the head maid and I've been keeping up with the actions with all the maids and butlers in this house. And I don't see her informing the mysterious group in anyway!"

"Who's to say that the spies can't communicate using magic?"

"..."

The head maid was silenced.

"It makes sense too... She was the closest to Carine, their target, of course they controlled her..."

Peyna seems to agree with Kyrat.

The guard stood up from his seat.

"But My Lord! Are there any evidence of Leila being the spy?! I find it hard to believe!"

"I've found these in her room..."

Kyrat laid down several notes of what the spies should do in the house.

The guard read through it.

"...It's... True... She really is a spy for them..."

"I've told a few guards to capture her and chain her up in the basement cell. We shouldn't need to worry about her for now..."

"...I'm sorry My Lord... This is just too much for me... I can't believe it's Leila..."

The head maid holds her head with stress.

"Dear... I want to rest... I can't handle thinking about this... To think it's Leila..."

"Sure Peyna, but before you go, I want to address something with everyone here"

All eyes on the room locked on Kyrat.

"I gather you all here because you're the only ones I can trust..."

Kyrat straightened his back.

"Protect Carine and Feyt! Do not let them get captured no matter what!"

"Understood My Lord!"

The head maid and guard bowed towards Kyrat.

"I'll be resting in my room then dear..."

"Rest well Peyna..."

"Thanks, excuse me~"

She left the room, Kyrat and the others looked at her as she left.

"...I hope this works..."

 

---

 

Two days ago...

"Father, may we speak with you?"

Both Carine and Feyt were meeting up with Kyrat in his office.

Oh, are they going to reveal their relationship to me?! Young love sure is quick!

"Sure~ Come in!"

Kyrat's face is that of anticipation.

...

...

Kyrat's face is grave.

"So you're telling me... That your mother..."

"Yes Father..."

Both Carine and Feyt gave Kyrat their testimonies.

Carine told Kyrat about how her mother is sometimes mother, but sometimes not. She even asked Carine to enjoy her life in luxury, something her mother would never do.

Feyt told about the conversation he just heard, about how she's talking to someone using the same parchment that mysterious blonde man used and the name "Sato" was also mentioned by her.

"..."

Kyrat didn't want to believe it, but it sadly makes sense in his head...

He thinks back on how weird Peyna was acting these past few weeks, and she seems less "Peyna" as time went on. No longer does he see Peyna jokingly punch at him whenever he makes bad jokes, no longer does she pout every time he told her about Carine's young love and no longer does his wife tell him a bad joke before going to sleep... It's almost like she's being controlled by someone else...

"...Carine, Feyt. Thank you for sharing this information. For now, stick with your normal routines. Make sure to not tell anyone about this..."

"Understood father!"

"Understood Sir Sareid!"

She noticed her mother was acting suspicious... And the first person she talked about that to was Feyt... She trusts him even more than me or Leila huh?

Carine and Feyt left the room to go to sleep. Kyrat stayed up to formulate a plan to handle Peyna and the mysterious group.

 

---

 

In an empty hallway near the entrance to the mansion...

"Peyna here, the evidence I planted worked, Leila is being held at the basement cell..."

"Oh, did you clear any suspicions?"

"Yes, they trust me completely"

"Good good~ By the way..."

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me about Carine and Feyt's Unique Talents?"

"..."

"Hey? You there?"

"...Alright"

"Nice! The control really has grown complete! Go on! Tell me!"

"...Carine's Unique Talent is... !!"

Leila appeared in front of Peyna.

"Leila!! How are you here?!"

Peyna quickly hides the communication parchment behind her back.

"Forgive me My Lady... It's for your own sake..."

Leila pulled out a dagger and rushed towards Peyna. She managed to get behind Peyna in a blink of an eye. She immediately restrained both of her arms and aimed her dagger at Peyna's neck.

"Gh~ Let me go!"

Peyna struggled to break free, but Leila's grip was too strong. She knew that escaping Leila would be hard, she was the one who assigned her to be Carine's personal maid after all.

Kyrat appeared from the hallway, he was followed by a guy wearing goggles and a few armed guards.

"So... They really did control you..."

Kyrat is looking at Peyna furiously. He went and grabbed the parchment from Peyna's hands who is still restrained by Leila and gave it to the man with goggles.

"So? You've seen this kind of tool before?"

The man pulled out a magnifying glass and looked at the parchment. More specifically on the rune etched on it.

"No, this parchment is definitely made out of Alchemy, but I believe we haven't reached this kind of advancement yet..."

"Then... That group has better Alchemy than ours..."

"Kyrat dear! What's the meaning of this?"

Kyrat glares at Peyna.

"What this means, Peyna... Is that we're going to war..."

Kyrat looks at the parchment.

"Give me that parchment"

The man with goggles gave the parchment to Kyrat. He placed it on his ear.

"Hey! Why are you quiet all of a sudden? Tell me about their Unique Talents already!"

"Sato, I presume?"

"!! Who are you?!"

"I am the husband of your "Spy". I have a lot of questions for you right now..."

One of the guards arrived with a sprint.

"Lord Kyrat! We have confirmed the location of that blonde haired man! He's in an abandoned building inside the forest south of the city!"

"Good... Lock Peyna up with the strongest chains and handcuffs possible and lock her in the basement cell!"

"Understood!"

Two guards took Peyna away with Leila still restraining her.

"Dear~ Listen to me! I'm only doing this for the family!!"

Peyna screamed as she is dragged away by Leila and the two guards.

They controlled her with that lie huh... It's making me sick...

I focused back on the parchment.

"Sato, we have located your location, give us a warm welcome okay?"

"..."

Kyrat gave the parchment back to the man with goggles.

"I can research this all I want yes?"

"Yeah, do whatever you want"

The man leaves the mansion laughing along as he holds the parchment.

"Guards! Follow me! We are heading to the forest!"

"Understood!"

"...Thank the gods that Carine and Feyt warned me... If not, I would've captured Leila instead..."

"My Lord, allow me to accompany you"

Leila has returned from the basement cell.

"No, you must guard Carine and Feyt. That is your duty, do not let them get captured no matter what. I don't want the both of them to become mindless machines to be controlled by that organization"

"...Understood My Lord! I shall guard both Carine and Feyt! May you have a safe journey!"

"Yes, thank you Leila"

Kyrat and his guards left the mansions with weapons in tow. Leila went to the top most floor of the mansion, more specifically the dance hall meant for esteemed guests. There, Carine and Feyt are being guarded by dozens of knights.

 

---

 

"Dammit! Right as we're about to get the information!!"

The communication parchment was taken away. I can give commands to her with only my mind, but she cannot contact me with her mind, thus the need of the communication parchment.

"Calm down Sato, did you at least lead Kyrat and his guards to the forest?"

"...Yes, I've been walking in and out of there to bait the guards and I believe they're heading there right now"

"Good, how's your control over Peyna?"

"It's complete..."

"Good, give the command and head to the forest, I'll lend you the shield parchments and other things to kill them"