Editing things out!
Chapter 16
Arche was currently setting some wards around the mansion, while Imina and Hekkeran were doing some planning if the worst happened. They always do that. She was used to it.
Is been around two days since they accepted this job, and she could honestly say that, this is by far the best one they ever had, if she works for another couple days, she would have enough money to leave the empire with her sisters and settle down on E-Rantel, where she heard it was one of the most secure and safest cities in the Re-Estize kingdom.
She could even find a decent job there as a healer or an enchanter of scrolls. She only needs a couple more days. Although there have been no problems so far, the only thing that they are worried about is the relentless stares of Miss Espinela.
She honestly didn't know what to do about it, it is like she was just trying to figure her out. Perhaps it was because of her talent, that made her a little more distrusting to unfamiliar people, that she just kept staring at all of them like she was waiting for something.
She didn't speak to any of them, only to her maid, the stunning woman was someone of great patience and love, Arche is sure she is a saint.
Arche noticed that both of them seemed to be close, Yuri is pretty much a mother to her, Arche could not help to feel a little jealous about it, thinking about her excuse of a mother.
She loves her mother, she truly does, she was just a weak, gullible woman who didn't have what it takes to live a life outside nobility. A life of wealth and outrageous lifestyle has left her completely at the mercy of what the real world is like.
She even debated for a time if she should bring her mother with them once she decided that enough was enough. Her father was getting more and more desperate to be a noble again, so much she is afraid that he would do something stupid along the way.
She knows he's dealing with dangerous people. It's because of that she is getting more worried about her sisters as days pass by. Arche sighed as she stood up and got back inside the mansion.
"Roberdyck, are Hekkeran and Imina not back yet?" she asks the gentleman before her.
"Ah, they are with Miss Yuri trying to set up an escape route, they will be back shortly," he said while he seems to count all right the scrolls and potions on his bag.
"It's everything all right?" she asks.
"Just counting my potions and scrolls that's all," he said a little nervous until Arche suddenly sniffs the air and could only laugh.
"Roberdyck, are you using a fragrance?!" Arche said while laughing.
"W-well, I a- am not!" he said blushing.
"You are using one, don't lie! You want to hit on Miss Yuri, don't you?" Arche said, trying to get back her breath.
"What if I do?! She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen! She is considerate, graceful, everything a man can ask for!" Roberdyck said with devotion.
"Yes, she is!" Arche said with a smile.
"Ah, I wish... Truly, I wish for it be more than a fantasy, but a man can dream right?" he mumbled.
"Roberdyck, you are one of the nicest men I know, and you're still young, Miss Yuri will see that," Arche said with a smile.
"But what if she doesn't?" Arche rolled her eyes at the depressed cleric at her side.
"She will. And if she doesn't, she will miss a beautiful gentleman, that would have made her happy," Roberdyck could only smile at the sincerity of her voice.
"Thank you, Arche," he said.
"It's nothing, Roberdyck."
After a few minutes, they noticed that their friends return with Miss Yuri with them.
"Well, everything seems to be in order, we have left a trail behind us and a route of escape if the worst happens," said Hekkeran.
"Yes, I left some nasty traps there as well, everything seems to be in order now we wait," said Imina smirking.
"Thanks to all of you, truly, I will bring some refreshments, all of you must be hungry," Yuri said as the group saw her leave. After a few minutes of them resting, Imina made faces, as if there was something in the air.
"Wait... Someone is using a fragrance?" said Imina sniffed the air the same way Arche did.
"You have Robedrcyk to blame," Arche said with a mischievous smile. Imina could only laugh at the sight of the embarrassed cleric.
"This is too good!" the half-elf said with an enormous smile.
"Are you serious?" Hekkeran said with a smile on his own.
"W-well... Yes," he said admitting defeat.
"We should wait what our dear Miss Yuri, think about it," Imina was smirking at the thought of her friend making a fool of himself.
"You are mean, Imina," said Arche with a smile.
"Guilty!"
"Please, guys don't be like that," said a very sad Roberdyck.
"Sorry, sorry, it just weirds seeing you all blushing," Imina reply.
"Yeah, I mean, Miss Yuri is beautiful and her bo-" before he could finish his sentence, Hekkeran's lover, Imina, threw him a nasty look that made him stop. "She is... Cute," he said nervously.
"Mmph, I will not deny she is attractive, but that's all," Imina said with a pout.
"Well, I wish you luck, Roberdyck," Hekkeran said honestly.
"Thank you."
"Luck with what?" they snapped when they saw Miss Espinola at the entrance of the room. Imina is quite surprised since she didn't hear any step at all. It was like she flashed out of thin air.
From what she could see, Hekkeran was thinking the same, but they quickly relaxed. As the confused face of the little miss didn't seem to realize that both of them had their hands on their weapons. Or that is what they believe.
"Miss Espinela, I thought you were resting," said Roberdyck.
"I can't... sleep well," she said, making Foresight look a little guilty by the question. "Wait... What is that smell?" she said, looking genuinely confused this time.
"That will be our friend here," Imina answers, pointing at the cleric who seems to be ready to jump out of the window.
"It's awful," she said holding her nose, making Imina snorts, while Roberdyck seems to have lost all will to live. "You seem to have used too much of it," she said, sitting a little close to them.
Action that was not lost to them, but they decided to not say anything, Foresight suddenly felt weird, feeling that they have the first day they arrive.
They saw the young girl looking at them intensely. Those golden eyes didn't even blink for a while.
"Stop it!" Imina exclaimed, not liking that someone is invading her mind. Miss Espinela seems to snap back to reality, as she looks a little embarrassed.
"Sorry... I can't help it" she said looking down, Arche saw how she seems to be almost crying. Her body was twitching, and she was hiding her face. Imina just let a sigh, knowing that it was true.
"Sorry, it's that... I don't like people... Getting into my mind," she said.
"Sorry, I can't turn it off, I wish I could, truly," Miss Espinela mumbled, still looking down.
"It's okay," Imina replied.
"Miss Espinela, if I may ask," Roberdyck brought the attention of the little miss.
"Yes?" she said finally looking at them.
"Do you truly see people, souls? How does it work?" Roberdyck asked, trying to figure out her special talent. For a couple of seconds, she seems to tense up, but then she let out an enormous sigh.
"It's... like hearing... their life, like whispers, I can feel when they lie, or what they truly mean, it's... hard to explain, like seeing their thoughts or a small part of their life in strong flashback," she drawled.
"That's... truly amazing, but terrifying," Hekkeran said.
"It is... I can control it better now, but before, when I was a kid, I could hear everyone's thoughts, I could feel everything they feel, I could see... All of it, it was driving me mad, like hundreds of voices in your mind getting louder and louder," Arche was completely horrified about it, such power was truly a curse, she couldn't even fathom to comprehend how did she not went insane as such an age.
"That's pretty extreme," Imina said, looking at the girl with pity.
"Sorry, for asking," said a very ashamed Roberdyck,
"It's okay... I understand," Miss Espinela replies softly. After a few minutes of awkwardness, the delicious smell that seems to appear in the room, destroying the other one, could calm them down.
"Sorry for making you all wait," Yur arrive with not only some refreshments but with some food.
Their mouths watered when they saw all of it. To say that they forgot about pretty much everything else while eating would be an understatement.
"This is so great!" said Imina, taking bigger bites of food.
"Indeed, I don't think I could forget such taste," said Hekkeran.
"This is delicious," said Arche, she has never eaten something like this before, not even when she was a noble, this is truly something out of this world.
"Please, Miss Yuri, marry me!"
Everyone was shocked to hear that, Imina seems to have some problems to breathe as the food was stuck in her throat.
"Sorry, you are not my type," said Miss Yuri without missing a beat.
Then they suddenly hear the laughs of Miss Espinela, like truly genuine laughs. She was almost on the floor, while poor Roberdyck seems to have died on the spot.
"Are you stupid or what, Roberdyck?!" said Hekkeran, while suddenly started to laugh, with Imina following suit.
It was a bizarre moment for the people of the room, but a welcomed one. After all, they will soon be tested.
At the high hours of the night, Rubedo was getting ready in her room for the test of what could be a very entertaining night.
She still couldn't believe what that human said, his proposal to Yuri was truly the funniest thing she had ever hear. To think that a low life form would even have an opportunity of marrying someone like Yuri, it's hysterical. It was a good laugh.
Especially after her embarrassment of trying to remember the key points of their history. As well to act accordingly. She remembers those classes that she had to take with Pandora's Actor, how she hated it, it was so cringe-worthy, but it works, it truly works. She would have to take more in the future.
But now, she must report and get ready.
"{Sister? Are you there?}" she asks.
"{Oh, my little sister, I am always here for you!}" Rubedo was a little surprised, since the last time she spoke to her, she was quite depressed.
"{You sound... Happier than a few days ago, something good must have happened}"
"{Indeed, but none of that now, the bait must be up then, that's why you call me right?}"
"{Yes, they are here and now is the best time for it, does that worthless human took the bait?}" Rubedo asks with a twisted smile.
"{Indeed, it was very easy to convince him to do something like that, after we get rid of him we would be able to get a hold in the empire nobility with more strength, all as our lady planned!" Rubedo only nods. Truly to think their lady was able to think so far head from them, was something to be in awe.
"{Indeed, that's our lady, but I must ask sister why can't I fight?}" Rubedo said with a whining voice.
"{Now, now, little sister, I know that you want to fight but you have an image to keep, we would have our time remember, you need to be patient, okay?}"
"{Yes, sister}" Rubedo said with a sigh.
"{Good, now get ready and don't forget about what you learn in Pandora's Actor classes}"
When the massage was over, she only sighs, as she got ready to do her part.
The fat pedophile noble was going to send people to kidnap her today, being one of the most powerful in the empire, they will get rid of him and put a Doppelgänger on his position so they would be able to start moving into the empire politics, putting the seeds of their lady's futures plans.
She felt a presence getting closer, so she got ready to play the part of a damsel in distress.
Meanwhile, the team of Foresight was in the living room getting ready to patrol the area again.
"Well, don't feel that bad Roberdyck, at least you could say that you did manage to impress her," said Imina, with a smile.
"Not funny," the poor cleric said.
"Still what made you say such a thing?"
"I-I don't know honestly, it was just... I don't know really, stop reminding me," Arche laughed like the rest until Imina suddenly went quiet.
"Shhh, wait, one of my trap went off," suddenly all of them heard a scream on the second floor.
"Miss Espinela!" they didn't waste time to move and the moment they arrive at the room, they saw the poor girl unconscious in the arms of the invaders.
"Leave her alone!" Hekkeran said.
"Tch, I thought this was going to be an easy job!" one of the black-hooded men said.
"Let's just leave now!" the other respond.
"No, you won't!" said Hekkeran while attacking one of them, the other one didn't waste time before throwing jar on the floor and disappearing the black smoke.
Yuri came running, and when she saw what happen, she could only cry in a very dramatic pose for her lady kidnapping.
"Milady!~" she cries dramatically.
"Please save her, please!~," Yuri said while changing her posture to dramatic pose number IV.
She pulls out a napkin and sniffed very hard on it, as the tears were visible on her cheeks. The members of Foresight were ridden with guilt since they failed to protect the youthful girl.
"We need to hurry, they are getting away!" said Imina.
"Let's go," said Hekkeran, being followed by a Roberdyck who looks furious, perhaps because he saw the stunning woman he was in love with crying her heart out for her lady.
"Yes! Miss Yuri, please remain here, we will bring her back!" said Arche with determination in her face.
"Really?~" Yuri said, changing posture to dramatic pose number V.
"Yes, stay here!"
Foresight left the room. Jumping out the window, Yuri waited for a few seconds and then finally stood up. She looks quite please with her performance as she was smiling happily about it.
"Truly, I am a good actress," she said adjusting her glasses.
"{Lady Albedo, they took the bait}" Yuri said.
"{Good, the shadow demons are with my sister, use the coat of invisibility, and follow them}"
"{Understood}"
"{By the way, Pandora's Actor was watching you, said he cried at your performance, congratulations are in order}"
"{Thank you, Lady Albedo, I need to get better, but this skill is proving to be useful}"
"{Indeed, now make sure that the plan goes accordingly}"
"{Yes!}"
Yuri quickly left the room, leaving behind her Oscar-worthy performance, as Pandora's Actor once said.
But for her, the most important step of their plan was beginning. There would not be failures.