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Chapter 71: Tea Party
🕑 Added 2024-05-10 05:50:38 +0000 UTCThe invitations finally arrived. Being freed from the royal princes was a relief. However, uncertain about what topics might interest young ladies—despite being one myself—I brought Ronya along. Although she isn't a mage, she is the Duke's granddaughter.
"Greetings, Lady Eli. May I ask who she is? I remember her attending my tea party once, but I must apologize. My memory has escaped me."
"Greetings, Princess Charlotte. I was invited by Lady Elidranthia to this party. My name is Ronya."
"Ah, yes. You must be Lady Ronya, right? I heard you are the granddaughter of the current Duke Bron? I apologize for my earlier forgetfulness. Please, have a seat." Charlotte finally recalled who the girl beside me was. I was surprised that Princess Charlotte had momentarily forgotten Ronya. It seems someone without a skill or magic is easily overlooked here. If Ronya were a commoner, Charlotte might not have remembered her at all.
We started off with idle chat. Ronya was excellent at steering such conversations, which I envied. She began by complimenting our clothes and then guessing who our tailors might be. She then admired how Sapphire demonstrated making ice cream—a rare delicacy that only a water mage could prepare. Ronya continued to discuss flowers and various garments inspired by them.
"Eli, do you agree with the peace treaty?" Claire casually broached the topic with me.
"Hm? Yes, it would be nice to have peace," I replied, tilting my head as I tried to discern her angle.
"Good! I was worried that you might harbor dissatisfaction. Your county was ravaged by the Elderans, after all. Well, this is currently a bit of a secret, but we're trying to push for Count Shadowstep to handle taxes for the Elderans. I hope your father can find it in his heart to forgive Elderan for their reckless behavior."
"We don't mind at all. We also tried to retaliate. Although some villages were ravaged, they didn't kill anyone."
"Good! Money and tools can be replaced, but not lives. I'm glad that you are willing to let that transgression slide. Thank you! Let's make this peace treaty a success, shall we?"
"You're welcome, Princess Claire. Would that be all?"
"Yes. Now, I shall take my leave. I still have plans for tomorrow. Meeting plans and some bridal training. I shall see you soon, Lady Elidranthia. GAH! HAFU!" Claire suddenly fell, dropping to the floor. Her eyes popped out in surprise. "Damn it!"
"Eh? Lady Claire?" We all looked at her as she cursed. She turned around, looking confused, before fixing her gaze on me. Her eyes widened.
"May I help you?" I offered her my hand, but she stood up and left, half running. Her face was in shock.
"That was impolite of her to neglect you like that," Alicia muttered, puzzled. Charlotte overheard her.
"Maybe she was ashamed of herself when she tripped. Let's pay her no mind."
"Ah, her sounds when she fell were quite amusing. Well, I happen to have quite some experience falling from a horse. A lapse in manners is to be expected in unexpected situations..." Ronya didn't mind Claire's antics and returned to her own world. She now talked about sports and some paintings. Despite being the granddaughter of a duke, she wasn't arrogant.
"Oh my, we certainly have talked late into the night, haven't we? While I enjoyed your conversation, Lady Ronya, we must not be tardy."
"You are correct, Princess Charlotte. How careless of me. I must learn to control myself next time."
"But this presents a conundrum. I think it would be inappropriate for royals to send you home at such a late hour. How about you stay the night here in our guestroom?"
"Would that be permissible, Princess Charlotte?" I asked her excitedly. This was the perfect opportunity. If I could stay here, I might be able to sneak around and spy on Dregorn.
"Yes, please. It would be poor manners to let you ladies go home so late. I will inform my brothers and butlers," Charlotte said.
"We thank you," Safira and Ronya bowed.
"Do we have rooms that can accommodate four people, Magdalene?" Charlotte inquired of her maid.
"I'm afraid we don't, but we could arrange for their rooms to be next to each other, Princess Charlotte."
"That will do."
"If I may, may I sleep with Lady Eli? I am her personal maid, after all."
"Sure."
With permission from Charlotte, our accommodations were arranged. I pondered Princess Claire's strange behavior earlier. That gesture reminded me of her powers from the novel I read back on Earth. I knew from the novel that she had the power to rewind time, but what timeline were we on right now? None of the events mentioned in the book seemed to have transpired lately. The differences between timelines were slight: Ludwin hadn't scolded Claire, no orders to kill Claire had come from the reapers, and no insults had been thrown at Claire by the nobles. Ludwin, while still arrogant, was not so obnoxious that he saw commoners as trash.
"Hm…" I mused, gazing at the white moon from the balcony of the castle. Alicia was making my bed, and, as usual, I slipped a sleeping pill into her glass and filled it with water. I then poured myself water into a different glass and took both of them.
"Thank you. You even poured water for me. Even though you are a noble, you always treat us the same way. I am honored to be your maid, Lady Eli." Alicia trustingly gulped down the water, unaware of its effects. I felt guilty for having to put her to sleep like this every time I needed to carry out my nightly activities, but the sleeping pills were not harmful in the slightest. R25B said it was even good for health.
She yawned and fell into a deep sleep shortly after. I then rummaged through my wardrobe and donned my black attire. After activating my magic to obscure my face, I headed out, using my glasses synchronized with my reaper card and cartographer to navigate the castle towards Dregorn's guestroom. However, I stopped a short distance away when my mana sight detected a wind magic-based alarm around its perimeter, likely set up by Samuel.
I was about to approach the window and climb into his room when I sensed a magical disturbance nearby. Realizing a mage was close, I quickly deactivated all my magic and hid behind a potted plant. My mana sense detected a distortion, motes of fading light in the hallway, but my eyes saw nothing. A wave of dread followed—it was Claire. She was using her light magic to bend light and render herself invisible.
A knock was heard on Dregorn's door. Samuel, who answered, appeared disturbed by the sight of seemingly empty space. However, barely a second later, he drew his knives. His survival instinct and mana sense won him over.
"Who's there?" he hissed, mana gathering on his blade. With a light swing, he could cleave whatever assassins came his way. However, he held himself back.
"It's me, Claire."
"Show yourself," he demanded. Claire then deactivated her light magic, revealing herself in a white cloak with her rapier sheathed.
"Where is Dregorn?" She asked.
"Oh my, Princess Claire, what a fortuitous meeting. Or was it? You came so armed and… discreet?" Samuel winked, finally lowering his guard. "Was it one of your dreams again?"
"Yes, I need to meet with Dregorn."
"As you wish," Samuel let him in.
"Ugh! Why does she always mess up my plans?" I whined. Claire was always there at the most inopportune moments. She was a mage, and so was Samuel. I couldn't beat them together.
"Let's just sneak a wiretap through the window. I hope it won't get noticed," I sighed. After scaling the wall like a superhero villain using my shadow tentacle, I found a crevice in the wall. I scraped it, and after making a hole, I placed a wiretap inside the room by turning my dark tentacle as small as the wiretap and the hole.
"So, Lady Claire, you said someone is after my life?"
"Yes."
"I see. Was the empire behind it? Do they want me dead, after all? why?"
"No. It was Shadowstep. It seems more personal. Have you made any enemies?" Claire's voice was bitter.
"Didn't you say earlier that the peace treaty was successful? You mentioned Shadowstep has no problem making peace with Elderan? Sure, we took some grains from their territory, but we didn't kill anyone!"
"Hm… I have no idea why Shadowstep would be after your life. Eli is such a sweet girl, too. I can't believe she would lie. But, her eyes. did you kill any of her family or friends during the war?"
I gasped. Claire was lying. Shadowstep hadn't planned anything against Elderan. I told Claire today that we were okay with the peace, and I didn't lie! What the heck? I never thought Claire could be such a conniving person! She was so different from the novels. In the novels, she never lied like this!
"I see. Well, thank you for the information, Princess Claire. Was there anything else?" Samuel placed a cup down with a clink. I only heard this through the wiretap; I didn't see what happened. I need to buy a mana-powered camera along with a listening device later. Not seeing their gesture made it hard to discern their motives.
"Hm… Now that you mention it. You don't intend to deviate from our plan, right?"
"Of course not. The economy of Elderan is stagnating. So, as you intended, Miss Claire, we lowered the taxes to support both the importation and exportation of goods. This should improve our economy. What an ingenious plan. As expected from the proprietress of Lustria. Your business acumen is second to none, Princess Claire."
"Good! If we can pacify the eastern frontier, we will be ready for the calamity to come. Thank you, I will visit again. In informal settings, 'Miss Claire' or just 'Claire' will do. I don't like royal titles."
"As you wish, Miss Claire. But, what is this disaster you spoke of?"
"I can't yet reveal it to you; I am not merely a proprietress, I am a prophetess too. In the near future, I will need an army and the support of everyone."
"I see. However, while our nation thanks you for sharing your vision and helping save Elderan from its downfall during the war, there are boundaries that we cannot cross. These meager taxes have drawn a lot of complaints from Elderan's nobility and conglomerates."
"In that case, I will stop giving you advice. Who knows when Althemer might resume their attacks?"
"Are you betraying the Western Front?"
"An alliance member who disobeys orders is not an ally, Mister Dregorn. I went through many hells and nightmares to share this information with you."
"I see. I apologize."
"Thank you. May peace be with us." She then stood up and left, the sound of her chair grating against the floor marking her departure. There was never a second clink from the cup, which means she never touched the drink. Then, she left the room, looking left and right before activating her invisibility skill.
"Can she really see the future?" Samuel asked, his voice hushed, unaware that my wiretap was still in the room. The unique clink of a saucer and a cup was heard.
"Well, I guess we can't do anything regarding this peace treaty. What a surprise. It was to be expected from her divine power. She seems omniscient, don't you think? That's all for today. Good night, Samuel. We shall now retire for the day; today was certainly busy."
"What a disaster. I hope someone gets rid of her. She has outlived her usefulness." Samuel voiced his exasperation.
Should I strike now? Samuel is still inside, so there might be some noise, but he is alone. Dregorn is also there—I could use him as a shield to beat Samuel swiftly. He's strong, but now that he's lost one of his eyes, he's much weaker than before. I could beat him. As long as Dregorn's corpse isn't too mangled, I could revive him using necromancy and question him about the monster tamer.
"Greetings, Miss Eli." Claire, who was supposed to have left the room a moment ago, greeted me from behind as I was approaching Dregorn's door. She wasn't smiling. She was glaring at me. "What might you be doing this late at night?"
"Hieek!" I screamed.
Comments
pelya
'scaling the wall like a superhero villain using my shadow tentacle' - love that passage
laulau20
Next week is finally the brawl between Claire and Eli. This is difficult because, after the brawl, I need to write from Claire's POV.
