A light throbbing prodded the back of Alice’s mind, a somewhat sore dryness stinging at the back of her mouth and throat. The uncomfortable sensations made her eyes slowly slide open, a somewhat sticky and crusty sensation marring the corners of her eyes as she forced them open.

At first, everything in front of her was blurry and blinding, she couldn’t even make out any shapes. But after blinking a few times to get her eyes accustomed to light again, she could take in her surroundings.

She was actually in a surprisingly neat room, one that was even larger than her own room back in the Vritara mansion. She was lying on a large and soft bed covered by a blue silken canopy, a large basin of water placed next to it for washing purposes. A desk and mirror were positioned against the wall on the other end of the room, the usual types of make-up and perfumes neatly lined up. Bookshelves, a door that probably led to a bathroom, one that probably led to a walk-in closet, a table and two couches, potted plants and fine paintings. It was the spitting image of a guest room one would find in larger noble mansions.

But well, a quick check of her own condition made it clear that she couldn’t expect to be treated as a guest. Her hands were shackled, a long chain going between them. At first glance, it didn’t look like the chain would interfere much in how she moved, but she knew what kind of shackle it was.

Cursed Crack Chain, it was a type of magic item one would use to seal down mages before execution or during interrogation. The magic within the chains would detect when the wearer tried to draw a magic circle containing one or more of the words imprinted into it, those words usually being all the main words used in a spell, and would then proceed to draw a long crack through the magic circle, rendering the spell harmless.

But the chains entrapping her didn’t stop there, something was also attached to her feet. Each foot was adorned with a plain silver anklet, an obsidian orb covered in a myriad of scarlet runes melded into the anklet.

It was very similar to an item Gabriel had used in the past, a Spirit Sealing Bead. But while such a bead had to be broken to be effective, an anklet like this was of a much higher grade so it only required contact with someone to prevent their spirits from materializing or otherwise exerting their power.

These particular anklets, at least from what she could feel from them, were definitely above even the high-grade. They were probably something close to national treasures, able to seal even Calamity-grade Spirits. It sounded simple, but when one thought that just one grade higher, the Cataclysm grade, contained the likes of living dragons, it was abundantly clear that her captor was being extremely wary when it came to her twin spirits.

“You ca… Kgh… Mhrmm… You can tell your boss that I’ve woken up.”

Alice coughed almost instantly when she opened her mouth to speak, quickly clearing her throat a few times before she continued talking. There was no response from beyond the closed door that should be the entrance, but she could pick up the soft sound of someone shuffling away.

Alice stretched across the bed to get her blood pumping, using the basin next to the bed to wash her face after she got up. She did a few more stretches, her body was rather stiff so she guessed that she had been out for over a day at the very least. And judging by the slight aches scattered across her body, she had been brought here rather hurriedly in a pretty shabby carriage.

Click.

The sound of the door drew her attention as someone entered. Really, they didn’t even knock first despite her being a lady, they were certainly skipping out on their manners. When she turned, she saw an entourage of what looked to be one young maid, hardly older than eight or nine, six knights who had clearly seen their fair share of battles, and an aged gentleman who probably served as the butler.

“I hope the dress you’ve picked out for me is red or black, otherwise I’ll have to protest.”

Alice took the lead in talking, looking directly at the butler, whose pale green eyes were looking straight at her from behind a pair off glasses. Seeing her attitude, how could the people in the entourage not raise an eyebrow.

She had just woken up as the victim of a kidnapping, but she didn’t even seem to bat an eye at the situation, she didn’t even ask where she was. No, she was even going ahead and making demands as she pleased.

“Our Lord wish…”

One of the knights opened his mouth to respond, but Alice raised a finger to her lips and silenced him with an askance glance.

“Shhh. I wasn’t talking to you. Good little pet doggies should keep their mouths shut while the grown ups are talking, otherwise they’re liable to get shaved like the disobedient pups they are.”

She didn’t spare the knight’s feelings in the slightest, his expression naturally darkening somewhat. He didn’t show any great outburst of emotions, but his hand found its way to the sword at his side, his thumb pushing against the hand-guard to reveal the sharp blade. A nice and quiet threat.

“Congratulations, you have a sharp and shiny blade. I guess a little puppy like you doesn’t get to use it often enough to get it chipped or scratched. But oh well, take pride in whatever little thing you want.”

Alice didn’t even seem to register the threat, scoffing at the knight as she turned her eyes away. She’d gotten a good look at the blade, the metalwork evident along the edge wasn’t something found in the Earhart Empire, and the sharpness meant that it most likely didn’t belong to some random bandit or mercenary.

The knight looked like he wanted to say something, but the butler raised his hand before he could.

“If red and black is what you wish for then please give us a bit of time to prepare it. Captain, can I entrust it to you?”

The butler gave the knight that Alice had antagonized a quick look, the man giving an almost emotionless nod before he turned and left the room. He returned shortly after, carrying a package that was handed over to the butler, who then handed it over to the young maid.

“Maraya, please help the Young Lady get washed and dressed. And Young Lady, we shall wait outside until you’ve finished.”

The butler gave Alice a polite smile before he stepped out of the room with the knights, closing the door behind them. Once it was just the two of them, the young girl, Maraya, carried the box over to the bed and struggled ever so slightly with removing the lid.

Inside was a folded up black dress adorned with red silk lace. It seemed to be rather tight around the chest and tors, widening just below the hips as it furled out into several layers of lace. A somewhat more modest version of the salsa dress, definitely not something common in the Earhart Empire.

“Puhleaas let m… Please allow me to help you, Young Lady.”

The little girl started to speak but quickly caught herself, changing her tone while lowering her head politely. Alice took a moment to quietly inspect the room, making sure there weren’t any people spying on her before she started to remove her clothes. The smell of old sweat hit her for a moment, causing her nose to wrinkle before she spoke.

“You can talk comfortably.”

Alice dragged over a chair as she spoke, taking a seat by the basin that stood next to the bed. She wasn’t so uptight that she’d want a little kid like this to speak politely and respectfully to her.

“Ah, than… You have my gratitude, Youngi Lady.”

Maraya responded quickly, swiftly catching herself again, but not noticing the little slip of the tongue she had at the end. She grabbed the washcloth she had been carrying since she arrived and dipped it in the water, using it to slowly wipe Alice’s body.

“Have you worked here for long?”

Alice looked down at the little girl, her auburn hair already reaching her shoulders while her light blue eyes held a small twinkle. Coupled with the dimples at the side of her mouth whenever she smiled, she was certainly a very cute little child who would grow up well.

The little girl stopped up momentarily as Alice started her random chit-chat. Her eyes rolled about, and judging by the way her fingers tapped against Alice’s skin, she was probably doing some rushed calculations in her mind.

“Mhmm… Mhm… Mhmm… About eight of the brightest moo… Months, about eight months!”

She lit up for a moment when she remembered the word she had been taught recently, the dimples on her cheeks deepening. Alice wore an almost soft expression as she glanced at the small child, it would be preferable if she could be spared when they started to act.

“That’s not a long time for someone so young, does someone in your family know the people of this manor?”

Alice kept talking as the little girl hurriedly started to wash her again, wiping away what felt like at least a few days worth of sweat. She dug a little with her question, but she found it unlikely that her captors would be so foolish as to leave her with someone she could get some information from. And indeed, Maraya wouldn’t be of help when it came to gathering that little bit of extra information.

“No, I was bought from an orphanage. I’m going to receive training here before I get sent to help someone else when I’m older and smarter!”

The girl puffed out her chest slightly, emulating pride as she spoke. She had been chosen. Out of all the other kids at the orphanage, she was the one who had been chosen by these nobles, she was the one who had been given a home.

“I see, you must be quite awesome then.”

Alice still wore her subdued soft expression, but if Gabriel was here then he’d be able to recognize the small twinkle of violence in her eyes. It wasn’t an uncommon tale, many nobles often went to orphanages to pick up children that they could train.

But when you were picked up and trained to be sent to someone else, it was generally only for one of two reasons. Men would become faithful knights or assassins, women would become obedient servants who would not mind warming their master’s bed at night. It wasn’t quite slavery, but the people were in essence handed out as presents to build favor. It was… Disgusting.

“Yup, they said I’ll be very popular!”

But of course, a child as young as this would not know any of this, so Maraya simply smiled joyfully as she kept working on getting Alice clean and proper.

She eventually finished the cleaning process, the two chatting all the while as the girl started to help Alice get into her dress. As they approached the end of the process, Maraya seemed to have built up her courage, or perhaps her curiosity simply got the better of her.

“…Are you not scared?”

She spoke in an almost hushed tone, like a child would speak to their dog when they wanted to ask it about a secret that their parents didn’t want them to know.

“Why would I be?”

Alice, unlike Maraya, did not lower her voice. The corners of her mouth were pulled up with confidence, the slight gleam in her eyes enough to inspire faith in all those who saw it. But naturally, she alone knew the source of her confidence so how could a little child possibly believe it?

“I heard you were taken here against your will, and you’re going to have a meeting with the Lord after this. she’s a very powerful person who can do almost anything!”

When she was younger, she thought that the overseers at the orphanage were like kings, ruling over everything in their day to day lives. But then the people of this mansion came, and even those ‘kings’ had to bow their heads and obey without question. In that case, what did that make the lord of this manor? But in response to that little child’s belief, what did Alice do? She gave a light giggle.

“I see. But little Mara, let me tell you a little secret, one just between the two of us.”

The girl couldn’t help but tilt her head at the sudden nickname, but she leaned in all the same when Alice gestured with her finger. Alice placed her lips right next to the girl’s ear, her breath tickling her as she spoke a truth she had long since engraved into her being.

“My husband said that I’m unparalleled, so not even people who can do almost anything are able to hold a candle to me.”

When Alice pulled back her head, Maraya looked at her with very understandable suspicion, but she simply maintained her smile and winked at her.

Before long, the dressing procedure was finished so Maraya closed up the package again and hurried over to the door. As they had said, the butler and the knights were waiting outside, Alice striding past them with a leisurely gait.

“Well then, shall we go to the dining room? Or is your lord such an inhospitable man that he would not even provide a meal for his precious captives?”

The eyebrows of the knight ticked up at her shameless mannerism, but the butler simply gave a polite bow and gestured with his arm before taking the lead. Alice followed them through the mansion, taking in the architecture and decorations. She wasn’t too familiar with most of them, she’d been slacking in her studies of this place in favor for focusing on her own empire, but she recognized enough of them to form a guess as to her current location.

After a short while, they reached a pair of closed double doors that seemed to be their target. The knights positioned themselves on the sides of the two doors, the butler pushing open the doors as the captain placed a hand on Alice’s head. Once the doors were fully opened, he pushed her head down a little to force her into a greeting.

“We greet the esteemed Duchess. We have brought the prisoner!”

Alice gave the captain a glare as he pushed down her head, huffing out a puff of air before she shook her head to slip out from his grasp. The captain frowned as a result, eyebrows furrowing sharply as he looked at his own hand. He could have sworn that he grasped her so tightly that she shouldn’t be able to slip out. Yet he was unable to stop her from escaping his grasp.

Alice ignored him and started to walk forward. A surprisingly small dining room spread out beyond the doors, a single long table surrounded by 13 chairs serving as the center piece of the room. Several large paintings depicting various battles adorned the walls, delicately carved statues placed at various points along the walls.

“Looking at the sloppy job done by the ‘escorts’ I figured that I would have woken up in the custody of Duke Quinterius. You may consider me slightly surprised.”

Alice’s gaze was on the slightly aged woman sitting at the head of the dining table. Her face held a few wrinkles, some stretching all the way down to her neck, and her brown hair had started to grey heavily. But her black eyes were still powerful, a bright light swimming in their depths as she was resting her elbows on the table.

“Alice De Vritara, welcome. Since you speak so ill of the escort, may I take it as a sign that you consented to come here? Or is it an attempt to reclaim some pride?”

The woman’s voice was heavy with age, each word slow and deliberate as she looked at Alice with a calm, slightly curious gaze.

Duchess Giselle, one of the two ducal families of the Kasarias Kingdom. Alice had some expectations that she would wake up in the Kasarias Kingdom, but she would have expected to be caught by the Duke working with the Sorin family’s third son, not the seemingly unrelated Giselle. But oh well, the more unexpected the situation was, the better.

“Abigail never asks me to meet her out in public like that, and I happened to meet her earlier in the day so there’s no way she’d send a request like that. Did the third prince not tell you that in advance?”

Alice almost smirked as she plopped down on one of the seats. Really, the escorts that came for her had done such a terrible job that you would have to be an idiot not to notice it. And the way they poisoned her tea? Alice worked extensively with Teresa, who focused almost entirely on poisons. Were they trying to make it too obvious?

Duchess Giselle’s eyebrows crinkled for a short moment as Alice sat down, it was a movement so small that one could barely even notice it if they weren’t observing her carefully. But what a shame that Alice was doing just that.

“Ah, so it really is the third prince. Thank you for the information.”

Alice flashed the duchess a bright smile, Giselle’s expression only fluctuating for a moment as she furrowed her brows momentarily. Alice’s demeanor was throwing her off, she wasn’t expecting her to be so calm and confident so she had accidentally let her expression falter for a moment, giving away information as a result.

But if this was how Alice De Vritara was, then the duchess could see why the third prince was so wary of her. Still they needed to work together with her for a bit so she could only concede this first exchange to the young countess. But just as the duchess was going to speak, Alice acted first again.

“So, how long have I been out? Feels like more than a day or two, you must have given me a high dose because you were nervous that I might wake up halfway.”

Alice was leaning back in her seat as she spoke, she looked as if she was about to kick her feet with how relaxed she was. Her attitude was clearly starting to grate the knights, especially the captain who had been loyal to the duchess for the better part of 40 years. But they could not do anything if the duchess did not give them an order so they remained silent as the aged woman answered.

“It has not been too long, nary more than seven days. For the moment, information regarding you is kept quiet so you need not worry about the people in the empire searching far and wide for you yet.”

With the third prince acting, it wouldn’t be too hard to hide some information. It wouldn’t last forever, and those looking a bit deeper than normal would learn it, but just hiding it for a while would be good enough. The thing they needed her for wouldn’t take terribly long, so they should be able to send her back to the empire before the news reached the public. But little did she expect that her words would be met with a slightly subdued giggle, almost as if Alice was amused.

“A week huh, that’s longer than I thought. Guess that means that its too late for the Kasarias Kingdom.”