All relationships have problems. Elysia cracked a grin and held up a black dress with silver stitching.
An envelope popped through the mail slot, whizzing forcefully through the air and smacking against the ground. Elysia dropped the dress she had been considering and picked up the envelope.
She peered curiously at the seal.
It was an exact replica of the coin that hid in her flat. She immediately lurched forward, ripping open the door to the castle halls, looking back and forth for whoever had delivered the envelope. The halls were empty, though. Not a servant or stranger in sight.
Padding over to her vanity, she pulled out a fresh blade from the bottom drawer. Her small stockpile gleamed back at her and she smiled, a little rush flitting through her at the sight.
Lipstick and daggers. Every lady’s favorite.
Elysia cracked the knife through the wax and tossed the weapon aside.
Her eyebrows rose higher and higher the further she read.
We would like to welcome you, Ms. Parker.
But first, we will need something in return.
Three evenings from now you will deliver:
A distraction of grand proportions.
A guarantee your royal attachments will be occupied.
A promise you are not compromised by false love.
Give us this and you will be welcomed kindly.
Your response shall be collected soon.
She shredded the letter and all its stupid demands without a thought. Bit by bit, she fed the pieces to the fire, watching them turn to ash.A distraction?What did they expect her to do, set the godsdamn castle on fire?
Fuck.
She collapsed onto her dressing chair in front of the fireplace. In the next three days, she must confirm diplomat Scarzan’s actions against his daughter, find a suitable distraction for Rollie’s rebel network, and attend her mother’s party.
Good thing she hadn't been sleeping anyway.
Her thoughts stopped.The party. The party was in three days' time.
What a blessed coincidence from the undead gods.
The wheels of her mind began to spin. Perhaps, this would not be so difficult after all.
Elysia walkedat a brisk pace through the castle halls. The heightened tension of the servants as they all but bolted from errand to errand was an echo of her own. Normally, she would have been plotting for weeks how to make the most of the diplomats’ brief time in Kava. She’d have scouted their schedules and made herself invisible amongst their vices with no agenda really, other than to collect information for whenever a deal was truly needed.
But now, her priorities had narrowed. Pin down Scarzan. Create a distraction of royal measure. And figure out how to save her own life.Easy.
She turned the corner, mind focused on the first steps of her insane plan.There are so many ways for this all to go wrong.Elysia arrived at her destination, and after knocking soundly upon the closed door, she stepped back to wait.
The young maid, Hannah, opened the door just a crack, peering through with her watery blue eyes.
She whispered, “Yes, Ms. Parker?”
Elysia smiled and looked on curiously, dropping her voice low in good humor. “Why are we whispering, Hannah?”
The girl’s cheeks tinged with pink. “Mrs. Parker is hosting our foreign guests. She does not wish to be disturbed.”
