266 Unfinished Product

Olpi's eyes went wide, shattering her practiced poker face. She knelt down in order to obscure her face once again with her hair. There she remained, staring into her own horrified expression, and taking deep breaths. 'H-hello?' Even in her mind, her thoughts stuttered. 'W-what kind of magic is this? No, I probably imagined it.'

'I have no idea,' Cerlius continued, mercilessly shattering her sense of denial. 'I was just following instructions.'

'Whose instructions? What is this? What do you want from me?' Her head began to ache, a condition that even the ointment couldn't fix.

'Calm down.' Cerlius's plain tone only made her headache worse.

'Calm down?' She got to her feet and took up the mask of a proper servant. 'How can I calm down when there is a voice in my head!? We can't be seen talking or I'll get beaten again and you'll be thrown in the Dimmer. Whatever this is, please stop it.'