CHAPTER VII

The Governor's palace was heavily guarded. Celestine smiled brightly as she thought of what seems another brilliant idea; trying to put into good use the years of studying that she has been making towards being a courtesan.

Despite not being given the chance to serve the House of Amora, with only a day of experience, she has no doubt about the knowledge that she has acquired throughout the years. She knew how to coax men.

She hid the items that she has been holding; the scroll and her sword at the foot of a nearby tree, looking around to observe before smiling seductively. She approached the seemingly head of the guards, considering that he was the one who was ordering the other guards to take their posts.

"Good day, handsome." Celestine greeted flirtatiously. Oh, how she wanted to laugh inwardly. Never did she thought that she will be using the most common pick-up line of her sisters, considering that even she was bewildered, and somehow stupefied on how easy men almost always immediately lower their defenses just by a little compliment.

The guard looked at her briefly before gasping, his eyes widening as he recognized who she was. "Young Mistress, good day to you as well." He said, slightly bowing his head. The other guards looked at her, mimicking their leader's action. She smiled at all of them before focusing herself on the Chief Guard.

Keeping up with her act, she held the guard's chin up from him looking down, her deep brown eyes meeting with his. She smiled, "You don't need to call me that fancy name." She said before inching forward. "We'll know each other very well... soon." She whispered in his right ear, making sure to let her breath fan over it, causing an involuntary shudder to run towards the man's spine. "Just call me Celestine." She said casually, winking.

With a slight blush spreading across the man's face, Celestine knew that her first step has been completed, the man has been hooked.

Smirking inwardly, Celestine continued with her advances. She let her hand travel from the man's chin towards his torso, her touch, seemingly burning the pleated armor that the man is wearing, spreading an uncontrollable heat within his body.

Swallowing heavily, the man tried to express his concern. "Wha-What are you doing, Young Mistress?" He asked, stuttering, but Celestine was quick to place her index finger to the man's lips, shutting him up. "Hush. I told you earlier, right? We'll be knowing each other... Personally." She said, her voice becoming huskier, seemingly trying to hook the man in her trap.

The man thought quite deeply, his brows furrowing. He knew who the Young Mistress was, she was engaged to his Young Master, yet why was she trying to flirt with her? He knew that he will be facing a severe punishment when he gets caught with the Young Mistress however, seeing the seductive face that she has been showing him, her sexy aura, and adding to that the nightwear attire that has been highlighting her beautiful figure, he cannot help but give in to her advances.

After all, she wouldn't approach him if he had nothing to offer, right? He was quite confident of his facial features and considering that the beautiful lady has complimented him about that too just boasted his confidence.

Without thinking twice, the man returned Celestine's advances. He slowly snaked his arm by her waist, pulling her closer to his body.

This action made Celestine smile victoriously.

Some men are just weak creatures. A little coaxing and they're ready to give up everything, just for short term happiness.

Celestine returned the man's advances, she too snaked her arms around the man's nape, further closing their bodies together. Angling her head, she placed her lips near the ma's right ear, blowing softly before talking, "Let's go somewhere else." She said suggestively in which the man answered quickly with a repeated nod.

The other guards were looking at them uncomfortably. Everyone knew who she was, yet here she is, coming and making contact with their Chief Guard, like a single woman, the opposite of who she really is.

But other than being uncomfortable, they were envious of their leader. All of them looked at their Chief, 'Why him? It could have been me.' They all thought in unison. Imagining how good he must have been feeling, being able to mingle with their beautiful Young Mistress.

She was the first one to move away from their close contact. Maintaining her seductive aura, she held the man's hand, she acted like she was about to pull him with her before suddenly gasping.

She frantically removed her hand from his, looking around with wide eyes, seemingly scared. "Oh, no!" She gasped before lying her eyes towards the Chief Guard who was looking at her with pure confusion.

She pointed towards the other guards, biting her lips, she acted like she was afraid. "They saw us... What are we going to do if they talked about us to Roux? Or worse, the Governor?" She asked, slightly shaking.

She inwardly smiled when the man made the reaction that she has been expecting.

The Chief Guard widened his eyes too, understanding Celestine's frantic fear. Indeed, they were seen, for they have acted all flirtatious in the midst of the eyes of his soldiers. It seems like they have been carried away, acting like they were in their own little world.

Because of the panic, the Chief Guard, not being able to think of any more possible solutions, said the first thing that came into his mind.

"Guards, I order all of you to disperse from your posts, now." He said, with authority in his voice.

The other guards were shocked by his order, quite concerned, one spoke out, "But Chief, who will be guarding the Head Master's palace?" In which he immediately shut down. "I did not give you permission to speak." He said, with a venomous tone. And with that, because of fear, all of the other guards immediately dispersed, just like he ordered.

Celestine plastered a triumphant smile on her face but immediately wore the one that she has been showing earlier when the Chief Guard turned back at her.

"They're gone." He said with a relieved smile on his face.

However, Celestine chose to persist the topic brought upon by one of the guards. "But that guard is right, who will be guarding the Governor's palace? Will it be alright to leave him alone?" She asked with a look of concern over her face, which was of course, fake.

The man only shook his head. "It's going to be okay. Nothing has ever happened in the last decade so it's safe to assume that today will be the same." He answered, smiling.

Celestine almost rolled her eyes hearing the man's explanation. If not for her being angry with the Governor, she would've smacked the Chief Guard right on his head. It was his work, and yet, he has quickly decided to abandon his Master?

Well, in the end, all have been playing towards her plans. She was quite lucky that this man right here was quick to give in to temptation. If he was the kind of man who was righteous, she would definitely have a harder time and may even fail.

"But what about the guards earlier? How sure are you that they will not be talking about what they have witnessed?" Celestine further pressed, her face still showing concern.

However, the man saw this as a time to boast about his position. "Don't worry, alright? I am the Chief Guard of the Maynard Family. I can dispose of those guards earlier and assign new ones, it's not that hard of a task." He said, with a prideful smirk on his face.

With that, Celestine nodded before smiling brightly. It was time to execute her plan.

"Well then, now that everything has been taken care of... Why don't we proceed to our plan earlier?" She said, once again giving off a seductive aura. She glided her fingers over the man's arm, giving him an amorous look.

"Y-Yeah, let's go." The man said, once again being affected by Celestine's coaxing.

Smiling, Celestine tugged at the man's arm, bringing him over to the trees behind the Governor's official palace.

"Hmm? You like it here?" The man asked, looking around. Celestine smiled and pushed him over a tree. It was the tree where she has left the items that she has earlier.

"Close your eyes." Celestine whispered, before looking directly at the man's eyes. The man, who was seemingly intoxicated by the beauty in front of his eyes could only meekly agree. "A-Alright." He said, stuttering as he closed his eyes.

Celestine smiled wickedly as he saw the man's adam's apple wave through his neck as he swallowed in anticipation.

Slowly, Celestine made sure that as she kneeled in front of him, her presence would continue to occupy him to ensure that he won't be opening his eyes until the end.

As she glided her fingers over the man's thighs, on the other hand, she carefully picked up her sword, before slowly standing up once again.

He hugged the man, who gasped in shock. Once again, Celestine whispered, "Close your eyes." Reminding him of her order earlier, nodding, the man did as she told.

Giving the man a light peck on his cheek, Celestine held on to both of his shoulders before gathering all of her strength to knee the man at his most treasured body part.

"Hurts!" The man quickly crouched down, holding his most valuable asset in between his legs. At his most vulnerable state, Celestine decided to do what she wanted earlier. Using the hilt of her sword, she pommeled him at the back of his head, resulting in him losing consciousness.

Sighing, Celestine ruffled the man's hair. "I'm thankful that I have easily deceived you but I am sincerely hoping for you to find a balance between temptation and righteousness." She said, shaking her head.

Shaking off her concern, she was reminded of her real objectives.

She looked around, smiling victoriously as she saw that the area around the old man's residence was clear of any guards.

"Thank you, Chief Guard. If it weren't for your earthly desires, I wouldn't be able to make it this far." She said, looking once more at the poor guard at the ground.

Picking up the scroll, she strutted her way into the front door of the Governor's palace. Opening the door has caused a light creak to resound all over the open hall, which has welcomed her as she entered.

The inside of the palace was quite similar to her room but was decorated with the same color as the overall theme of the Maynard's Residence which was colored green and white, with an accent of gold.

Having no time to be amazed by the stunning hall of the palace, she continued to make her way inside. Despite the palace being big, she was quick to find the old man's chambers because of the loud sound that was resonating throughout the wide hall.

"Ohhh! Yes! There! Ohhh!" A woman was moaning, which was echoing throughout the palace.

'What the?' Celestine thought in disgust, cringing. She knew that the man was lusty but still, it was only morning, and apart from that, he's actually quite old already. Possibly in his fifty's, yet, he has a vigor that is comparable to that of a young man. She did not know what to react, she was quite amazed, wanting to clap but at the same time, the thought of him doing the deed is just too much, considering what he has done towards Meira.

'Why would he even do that to her? If he has a lot of women by his palm, why pick those who are innocent and unwilling to accept his demands? The girl that he is with now surely enjoys his company, considering her loud moans, and I am not blaming her for that. But why? Why would he do that to others? Why would he do that to Meira?' Celestine thought to herself, asking a series of questions, frowning upon Ronald's actions.

She continued to follow the woman's moans which were getting louder as she neared what she guessed to be Ronald's chamber.

As she arrived just by the room that was only separated by a translucent paper-like divider. She tried to be as quiet as possible, deeply inhaling as she tried to devise a plan, but was stopped abruptly due to the realization that the air in the room heavily smelled of sex—it smelled quite fishy.

She immediately knotted her forehead. She was disgusted to be using all of her five senses during the time that this despicable man is doing his deed with his woman.

Shaking her head, she exhaled. Thinking deeply, she only wanted to scare the man, and possibly bring him to cancel the decree that he has signed, the reason why she has brought the scroll instead of tearing it to pieces despite that being what she really wants to do.

It was her only chance after all. She needed to stay patient but not for long.

Finally coming up with a decision, she unsheathed her sword and presented herself towards the couple on the bed.

"Who-Who are you?!" The woman screamed in alarm, being the first one to notice her. The woman pushed the old man aside, gathering the quilt of the bed to cover her body, her head bowed down with her face red in shame.

"Well, old man? Why don't you tell her who I am?" Celestine said, trying to act smug, but was still affected by their naked body, thus, looking at the side instead of the people on the bed.

Seeing through her façade, Ronald knew that Celestine was embarrassed, thus, releasing a mocking laugh that resonated throughout the palace.

"My dear Celestine. May I know of the reason on why you have visited at such time?" He said, gazing throughout her body, from her feet to her head. Spreading his legs, he gave Celestine a look, "Care to join us?" He said before hugging the woman in one of his arms as he held out the other to Celestine.

Celestine gave him a look full of pure disgust. Annoyed by his way of talking, she decided to just look on straight ahead to get rid of the mocking smirk that was plastered over the scoundrel's face.

"As if I would join a man like you." Celestine replied, a smirk floating through her lips. She acted as if peeking at the old man's private part before laughing out loud. "I mean, look at that poor thing! The house has had guests that are bigger in terms of size. Why would I resolve myself to join you?" She said mockingly, insulting the man's pride.

Ronald knotted his forehead, clearly offended by her comment.

Seeing his reaction made Celestine smile even more. 'I can't believe that was the one statement that made him mad.' She thought to herself, remembering all of her words against him. Nevertheless, she was feeling proud.

"And apart from that, your body is not even that of a hunk, look at yourself!" She said, smirking. She looked at the woman beside Ronald. She sighed, acting sad. "It must have been hard for you to pretend." She said, shaking her head, her insults making the woman snort from holding her laughter.

Seeing the two seemingly having a mutual understanding, Ronald immediately interrupted their talk by clearing his throat.

However, Celestine only saw this as a chance to further infuriate the old man. "What, are you thirsty?" She asked, faking a look of concern. "Well, I'll have to admit. You're always looking thirsty whenever we meet. How sad. It seems like even with all of your wealth, you can't even afford to buy and be able to drink water." Celestine said with a smirk, shaking her head.

Celestine rolled her eyes, "You know what? I think you're simply just a scoundrel, no more, no less." She said, rephrasing all of her previous statements. "What an irony." She continued with a smirk, looking around at all of the luxurious items in the room.

"What do you need?" Ronald asked, not wanting to hear any more of Celestine's insults, looking at her seriously.

Seeing this look from Ronald, Celestine knew that it was already time to stop her childish acts, thus, facing his line of sight, she too turned serious.

She waved the scroll in her left hand. "This. I want this decree to be dissolved." She said seriously.

Ronald saw this as his chance to infuriate Celestine. "Oh, really? But then again, you don't have the power to order me, is that right?" He said, bringing forward the differences between their social standing.

Celestine smirked, determined to not give in to Ronald's words. "I don't have the power, that's right but maybe this will be able to help you make the right choice?" She said before showing her unsheathed sword. "I'm sure that you know about my hobbies?" She continued, raising her eyebrow for added intimidation.

Ronald, however, only laughed at her attempt to scare him. "Do you honestly think that you have a chance against my guards?" He said.

Hearing this, it was Celestine's turn to laugh. "Do you honestly think that I would be able to go this far if I haven't defeated your so-called guards?" She countered.

The both of them fought a silent battle. Their eyes piercing through each other. Seeing the building up tension between the two, the woman decided to leave the room quietly, making sure that she was not noticed by the two.

Celestine was the first one to speak up. "I'm not a very patient person, you know? And that goes the same with my hand that is holding this sword. So you better hurry up and decide." She said, smiling while swinging her sword on her front.

Swallowing, Ronald looked around the room. Indeed, Celestine wouldn't have been able to enter his palace if his guards were around. A small hint of fear built up inside him, yet, holding on to his pride, he refused to accept Celestine's offer.

Seeing that the man was really holding on to his power and pride, Celestine sighed. If this was how he was going to act, then what she was gonna do was just bound to happen.

She walked towards Ronald who was still on the bed, with his legs spread open.

"If that's your decision, then I guess you leave me with no other choice."