"What? But that isn't fair to us. She just decided that we will be let free and then just send us back when we struggle to find a job?" One of the prisoners spoke while breaking a liquor bottle on the table. "What is wrong with her? She lost her mind of something? This must be put up as a crime in the law books. A royalty can't do that!"
"It's Imperial for truth. And yes, she meant it seriously." Cedric replied with his hands clasped at his back, holding a knife up his sleeve in case they attacked. "It's either you can do that as a job, or you may remain homeless. As you remember, we all have bad reputation on our names. You need to bring it up." He diverted his eyes at the broken pieces of glass that had droplets of intoxicating liquid.
"Honestly, if I were in your position, I would stop spending my last life savings on these sort of things. Remember you live between an alley." He bowed while turning around to walk away. "I am afraid I won't be able to meet you all after this. Have a good life trying to get back up in the buildings." He waved without looking back.
A small and lightweight ball hit him on the head as he held that area of his skull. "Are you being forced to do things by that young girl who thinks she is really going to make it to the throne? She is truly delusional." Another prisoner added while laughing and popped open another bottle. With anger and irritation, he spun around with wide blue eyes and smiled. "Isn't her delusion why you are all being allowed a second chance at all?"
They all turned silent, including the prisoner who once wielded a chainsaw. Then, one found the confidence to speak again. "Is she forcing you to do this? There is no way you are the person we had seen a few days ago. Did you forget how she had killed our boss and burned our estate? And without us knowing, she had hired you to become a butler? Do you even know her intentions? She could be trying to lay a trap for another person. Do you want to be entangled into that mess too?"
"Maybe yes, because she always has proper reasons for it." He spoke while walking away from the place and leaving the others in wonder. This was what seemed to be the end for the case at his perspective. For the prisoners, it was the beginning of a revenge they were about to play their cards in.
His last footsteps went away and the prisoners each glanced at each other as it they all shared the same thought. Slowly, a smile woke on their faces, as they poured their glasses to the fullest with the liquor bottle they had popped open. "Do we have a choice? They expect us to work hard. What are we? Can't just let our names turn lower, we have a group of people who fear us already, I would like to continue that way until I die." One laughed while accidentally breaking the glass when slamming it back down on the table.
Although it had been poured, no one drank. It was just a showcase as they planned for the next night and which array of people they were going to attack next. It seemed that if they used their foggy minds into this matter, they might fail. At least that's what their boss had said before they were sent on a mission, to use their minds properly and not leave any traces behind.
"Do we really want to attack her? Or the other person?" One prisoner threw away their cup to the other side as it left spilt liquid on the already dirty ground. A rat ran through that area, and left muddy footprints along the way, as it bit off a piece of bread from the intake packet. A hand reached at it and was brought onto the table as five people gathered around it.
"Whoever we go for, both of them have the advantages of being able to use magic. It would be a suicide type of thing to go for either one of them. Added to this, they are all part of the royal family so if we fail our mission to avenge our boss's death, we are the ones who are going to get murdered." One picked up a knife and held the tail of the scammering rat. He struck the table in front of the rat's face as it got scared and rolled to its stomach, acting dead.
"Then we go tomorrow morning. They are both going to be present at the dining area where servants have a free will to come and go." They all stood up and headed into their torn tents while the rat got up and fell from the table while running somewhere else.
It ran out of the alley and jumped onto the palm of a person with a hooded face. The mouse ran up his sleeve and sat on his shoulder while he walked away from the area and dissapeared into the crowd of people, disguised as a homeless person. He walked over to the back of the palace gardens, thinking whether to cross it over, yet hesitated for the heavily guarded area.
"If what they say was true, should I alert them? Regardless, I don't know who the people are." He stared at the iron gates from the far distance and glanced towards the building on the inside. Someone strolled outside, while the entire estate seemed to be lively and glowing brightly. With the formal appearance, Aefia was strolling around while mumbling things which no one could hear and playing with a piece of leaf.
"Maybe they will have to face the reality." The hooded person walked away from his usual direction as she felt a pair of gaze dissapear from the far side of the palace, and immediately ran back inside the building. Not concerned, but only to confirm her suspicion. Strange, who was that? That didn't feel familiar. But I still need to be precausious.
It had been some time since she had sent Cedric towards their location with the information, but for him to reach back to the palace this fast would be unexpected. Around nine, the bell rang and within that time, she had returned towards the hall where everyone seemed to be chatting and the duchess could be seen walking around. The tables were being removed, as she suddenly remembered her hat was missing and it would be a mannerless act to not wear it in front of formal speeches if there were one.
The table on the farthest right of the corner. That must be it. But that is exactly where the tables are arranged! Why does it have to be this hectic an event at the palace! I thought it would be much less conmensed then this, but who knows if every leader of every state had decided to come or a few fraud tickets too! Anyway, why do I need to worry about this, I need my hat this instant!
She still headed towards the table where they had previously sat. It looked like the dirty dish they had eaten that last piece of chicken from, was removed as she immediately found an empty space through which she could go through and under the large circular table. But despite desperate attempts, the hat was still not found. Maybe the servants had checked it, before the tables were moved.
I am never making a formal appearance in any events ever again. Now I wonder where the others are at. I feel like it's better to return to my room, the duchess will know the rest. It's not my fault my hat is now gone. Actually, it's my servant's fault for not pinning it. But at the end, who pins a hat? That would be absurd. Can't I just go and fetch another one?
While walking back, a hand stopped her while placing something on her head. "You left this. Should know that you can't just dispose your hat like that." George spoke while putting the hat which covered up her vision. Frustrated, she used her own fingers to position it, which stayed hanging at a sharp inclining angle. "If you put it like that, it is more likely to topple off." Her elder brother position it more at the front.
"But it obscures my vision." Aefia held the edge of the black hat while lifting her head to glance up. "But if that's the rule, I will have to do this. Maybe I am not used to such a thing yet. Isn't that why I am sturggling to maintain it?" She fully turned around to face him. "How did you find it? Did a servant hand it over?" The speech fell out as she recalled how the girl who had been around her, could have been conscious about her bare head.
"A dog can sniff out an odd smell. And a guest had decided to bring their pets along with them." George spoke while glancing halfway around to allow for her to see the havoc that was brought in by three bulldog. "They happen to be your classmate in the school you had been enrolled to. Just so you know, you will be attending from tomorrow. I know it's a tight schedule, but you will get used to it." But before he finished explaining, he glanced at his younger sister who was checking her shoe soles.
"What are you doing?" He asked with shocked eyes as he glanced at the way she had backed up a few steps and a bright red wave of magic turned the slight dark soles back to their bright red. "You know, they are dogs. They won't know manners unlike cats." Aefia returned while not moving from her standing position.
George slammed his palm onto his eyes and forehead while taking off his glasses. "I guess you are right about that. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go to the hall again, they could be trained. Anyway, have you thought about the offer that I had asked you?"
Silence fell heavily in the air as her mind wrecked through it. I do want to leave this palace, but I also have a few benefits from here where I could use it to clear myself a way to face the Torture Cell. Also, he might find it a little irritating and suspicious if I said no. So which is the better decision? I am not associated with the competition anymore, and that does throws me off a cliff at this point.
Her mouth moved many times, nothing could be heard. Just when she was finally about to say, "I think I will-". A small figure threw over her as every inch of breathe left her lungs, she stumbled backwards dye to the pain. Aefia couldn't speak for what felt like a long moment while crouching and holding her stomach.
"Henry! You can't just pounch onto anyone you see!" Lewis came running behind as he carried the now aggressive kid hanging in his arms. He kicked and punched his elbow while speaking. "Let me go! Or else I will bite you!" He shouted while punching his brother's hand until beet red. George, noticing his hyper activeness, placed his hand on the kid's head as he slowly turned quiet.
Henry fell asleep in a under a second as Lewis had a hard time keeping him from falling with his hurting hand. While carrying him a little higher, he glanced down at Aefia as she staggered up with her hand adjusting the hat. "You weren't here for a straight four hours. Within that time, he had been looking for you up and down." He spoke while pointing at the sleeping child and with an angry face.
"It's not my fault the prisoners are lazy." She answered back while crossing her arms. "Also, there had been someone watching from outside the palace boundaries. How do you know I wasn't investigating that?" She quieted down as her eyes widened with a realization. "Nevermind, I guess it really is my fault."
"I don't know whether it is, but you know best how to handle a child. Good luck." He passed Henry over to her and she carried her sleeping brother, who was the same weight as her own brother back at Earth, and nodded. "Alright. I don't mind. That is an easy task." She replied as the head rested on her left shoulder.
George let out a breathe as he looked down at Lewis. "You might as well have thought about having him sent directly to bed. Isn't it around this time he falls asleep?" Glancing midway through the conversation, Aefia didn't seem to have a clue of what was being told and stayed silent. "But since you are not comfortable being around crowds, why not you go along to his room and tuck him in. I will let mom know if she is looking for you."
Seeing that she was being spoken to, "Yes, I can do that. But I don't know his room." She was still new around the palace, it was an obvious clause that there was no way for her to be able to correctly identify the place with just her instincts. There was a necessasity for doing things directly and at one move.
"I will go. The dogs are annoying, so I would like to get out of here." Lewis walked forward while looking once at their oddly quiet younger brother. "Then Aefia, remember to return as soon as you are done, back to this hall. I can't back up for too many people at once." George added just before she turned around and started walking.
"Understood." She nodded while bowing her head slowly and holding her hat with the free hand. Then, resuming her steps, she was immediately able to notice how there was a slight change in the way he was behaving earlier when she had approached him. A smile settled onto her face as she soon realized his true nature and when they were far from the commotions, she stopped her steps.
Lewis was forced to turn around mid-track and glanced at her with a questioned face, but before he could speak about anything, her mouth moved and formed words which scared him to the edge of his nerves.
"Is playing with the vulnerability in humans, a thing you find amusing?" Aefia spoke with her expression straight and her eyes shadowed.