Chapter 16

*** ( Changes in POV ) ***

Two days later, 1 hour before the trade, the Palladine estate was more quieter than normal. The reason was unknown. It was uncertain if all the servants of the Palladines already knew this illegal thing their master was doing. The mansion was darker as only a few lights was lit on. Outside the mansion, a carriage was waiting for its signal to go. On the 2nd floor of the mansion, Priscilla was staring down at the carriage with a straight expression.

"It's almost time ..." she softly mumbled.

She let out a deep sigh before leaving her room. Right after closing the door of her room, she began walking at the semi lighted hallway with light footsteps. In her hand was a small bottle with an unknown substance in it. Right after turning on a corner, the spy assigned at the Palladine estate, Beaker was on the other side of the hallway. The two stood still and exchanged a quick glance right before taking a step forward. As they met in the middle, Priscilla handed over the bottle to Beaker.

"Don't mess up. The General shows no mercy to those who mess up with her plans," she mumbled as she shifted a quick glance at Beaker.

Beaker just brushed a smirked and lowered his cap he's wearing as he received the bottle. They went their own ways soon after that hand over. Right after receiving the small bottle, he immediately grabbed a bottled fruit juice in his pocket and unhesitantly poured the unknown substance in it. He rushed his walking pace and as he went out of the mansion, he fixed his walking posture while holding the bottled fruit juice with a confident smile in his face.

"What are you doing here?" the Palladine coachman took notice of his presence and glanced down at him.

"Ah! The masters want you to not fail this important task so they wanted me to give you this," Beaker handed the bottled juice. Without any awareness of possible danger, the coachman took the bottled juice and unhesitantly emptied the whole bottle.

"Wow! This is good! What is this?!" the coachman's face brightened as he emptied the bottle.

"Ah ... That ..." With half of his face being covered by his cap, a vague evil grin was seen from his face despite the dim surrounding.

"Huh?!" the wide smile the coachman showed turned crook all of a sudden. He grabbed his chest in sudden pain and began chasing his breath. He strugglingly glanced a look on Beaker and the last thing he saw was a grin on his face right before he collapsed.

Right after the coachman collapsed, Beaker immediately carried and hid the body in the hill near the estate which was filled with tall grasses. Beaker took the carriage and set off while pretending like the original coachman. Right after the carriage left, Priscilla brushed off a smile while reading a book in the living room. The whole family was conversing with themselves and ignoring her presence as if she's not even present. Priscilla never bothered such things as she was deep in her thoughts.

[ The General mentioned to drug the coachman but never mentioned what drug we'll be giving. We can't let some loose mouth to roam around the estate so ... ]

"The best option is to silence him." she unintentionally spoke her mind.

Her sister whom was besides her glanced at her. As if she just heard what Priscilla said in passing, she unhesitantly asked.

"Huh? What did you just said, Priscilla?"

Priscilla closed the book she's reading and smiled altogether with her eyes as she looked back at her sister.

"It's nothing, sister!" she slightly tilted her head and gracefully covered her mouth with her hands as she softly giggled.

[ This is a chance given to me by the duchess. A chance to change my planned life. I can't accept such horrid life was waiting for me. If serving her is the only way to let me out of this prison, then I'm willing to dedicate my whole flesh to her. I'm willing to swallow my pride for me to retain my freedom of choosing my own future. ]

*** ( Changes in POV ) ***

With the carriage being drove by Beaker, it entered Helmer Street at exactly 21:55 in the evening. While driving the carriage towards the point of contact, Beaker looked around and smirked as he saw familiar faces lurking around that dark street. He continued driving and a familiar carriage was already waiting for his arrival. A man was standing still besides the carriage with the Armenia's crest in it. Stopping exactly in front of it, Beaker jumped off the carriage and smiled as they exchanged a few words.

"Are the goods safe? Are you confident you aren't being tailed?" Beaker said with his face still hidden behind his hat.

"Don't worry ... We've been doing this for years already. Hurry up and check the goods!" the Armenia coachman yelled restlessly as he opened the door of the Armenia carriage.

Beaker looked inside the carriage and can't contain a smile after seeing tons of golds. His expression straighten as he turned around. The two confirmed each other's goods and began exchanging carriage. Both of the carriage parted ways and Beaker immediately drove the carriage in the nearest alleyway. Waiting for him there was the duchess, the General herself. Beaker jumped down and hurriedly gave a salute as he introduced himself.

"Private Second Class, Beaker! Reporting!"

Roselia smiled as he gave him a pat in his shoulder.

"Good job, Beaker. For now let's focus in the task on hand and prepare your promotion at a later date"

"Thank you very much, General!" he eased up his posture and immediately did what everyone was doing.

Members of the Aztech was waiting for the carriage on that narrow alleyway. Right after the carriage Beaker was driving showed up, they instantly began transporting the goods towards their carriage parked on the other side of the alley and began swapping the gold with illegal drugs they've purchased on the underground black market. With Roselia pressuring them in the sides, the work was done remarkably in just 3 minutes. The carriage they prepared instantly took off after the switching and the members began dispersing and camouflaged through the crowd in Welrock Street.

"The carriage already left and operation "Steal the Cheese" is coming to an end. Everyone also dispersed silently. It's a little bit early but congratulations, General!" Ian approached Roselia to deliver the news about their operation.

"Thank you Merlin. For now let's also take our leave or else we'll end up getting caught by the first prince." Roselia began walking without looking back.

"Understood. Also, after getting back at the mansion, let's also finish our unfinished conversation, okay duchess?"

Without even looking back, Roselia shivered in instant right after hearing that from Ian. His words was soft like cotton yet they're heavy upon entering her ears. With Ian following her from behind, each loud step Ian take made her heart pounded fast. Addition with the suffocating silence, Roselia felt like being choked to death the entire time. The suffocating silence was broken by a sudden loud voice behind them. An unexpected guest abruptly showed up.

"Stop! Who are you guys?!" a man's loud voice made the two of them stopped their walking.

Roselia and Ian took a glance behind. The man's face was hidden behind the shadows. Despite them being agitated by the sudden encounter, they remained a calm expression in their faces.

"What should we do, General?" Ian whispered.

"Leave this one to me, Merlin. You can go ahead. I'll end this soon and follow you. No need to worry." Roselia turned around and slowly approached the unexpected guest with light footsteps.

"Then ... Enjoy the fight, General." Without turning around, Ian walked forward and left Roselia inside the dark alleyway.

As Roselia kept on shortening the distancr between them, she can't help but smile in excitement.

[ Let's do some warm up with this new body. I felt like I'm getting rusty these days. ]

"I said ... who are you?! Reveal yourself!" he unsheathed his sword and took a fighting stance.

Roselia never answered and maintained her silence as she brought out two knives hidden behind her back. She continued walking and with the gap between them totally shortened by around 25 meters, Roselia engaged and swung the knife in her left hand. The guy parried the swing with his sword leaving him open underneath. Roselia noticed this chance and swung her right hand from below. The man failed to notice her move and ended up having his arm scratched by her knife. The man instinctively retreated while stopping his bleeding arm.

"Who are you?!" he deliberately shouted amid of their fight.

Behind what she's wearing, Roselia smiled in satisfaction. Without further notice, she engaged one more and they began exchanging blade swings and slashes. In that dark alleyway, blade clanking and the man's exhausted panting was the only noise present. Minutes of fighting, the man's companions arrived.

"Prince El! Where are you?!" a loud shouting forced Roselia to retreat from their fight.

"Let's check out that alley!"

Afraid of being caught, Roselia retreated and maintained a long distance between them. El on the other side was panting heavily as he dropped his sword on the ground. He fell to his knees and his eyes widen as he froze from his spot. When the moonlight shone at that alley for a moment, he took a quick glance on the one he's fighting the whole time. The picture he saw was totally shocking to the point that he froze in an instant. A figure of a slender woman wearing a full tight black leathersuit with just her eyes shown made El felt shook in inferiority. As if she's looking down at him like a bug. Right after El's knights arrived at the alley, Roselia totally disappeared not leaving a single trace of her presence.

*** ( Changes in POV ) ***

At 21:50 that evening, an anonymous letter arrived at the Jade Palace making the whole palace acted in distress. It'll only take 10 minutes by carriage to the capital from the Jade Palace. With them gathering and preparing to set off in rush, they arrived at Helmer Street at roughly 22:05. Barricading the entrance of Helmer Street, the other knights rushed towards the exit and immediately caught the carriage in question. Upon arriving at Helmer Street at 22:05, Prince El left his troops and scouted the area alone.

[ Who?! ]

In a dark alleyway, two suspicious people made him took an attacking stance with his full awareness on. Despite him asking, they didn't respond instead the other person left while the other engaged at him with knives. They began exchanging blades and after suffering minor injuries, his knights rushed towards his direction. But before they arrived, El froze in astonishment towards what he saw. His eyes widen as he also can't utter a single word.

[ What am I scared for?! ]

He just watched her ran away. The look in Roselia's eyes made her slightly shiver in fear. Her eyes was smiling yet it was thirsty for blood. The eyes of a person whom was unhesitant to kill someone who blocked her path. Seeing that made him felt inferior in his knees. With the knights late arrival, they immediately helped El stood up and treated his wounds after going back in his palace. El was blankly staring in thin air as he tried recalling everything that happened. Drystan was in the same room as him yet it felt like he didn't even knew he was there the whole time. Drystan approached El whom was blankly sitting on the couch and repeatedly waved his hand in front of his face.

"Prince El ... Are you okay?" Drystan asked worriedly.

El snapped out and blinked rapidly as he sighed deeply in his seat.

"Is there anything wrong, Prince El?"

El looked at Drystan and swallowed as he tried maintaining an indifferent expression.

"Nothing ... It's just ... nothing ... really ..."

That night, El cannot sleep even though he wanted to as the picture of Roselia glaring down at her terrifyingly kept on appearing in his memories everytime he closed his eyes.