“Gloria, did you set up the Ciamera?”

“Oui, milady.”

“Good! Let the Operation: Take down the sworn enemy of pranks begin!” Marina exclaimed after she and Gloria set up the Ciamera before the door at the end of the hallway.

They turned back and hid in the bent intersection where the door could be seen. Marina couldn’t hold back her there-is-no-tomorrow giggle.

“Milady, if you laughed unladylike, someone might spot us,” Gloria whispered.

“I know Gloria… B—But… I just can’t hold it!”

“Milady, are you sure I won’t get fired from my job?”

“I’ve thought of this plan for a year. We will sure take her down. The final laugh will be mine!”

“You’ve said that many times, milady. You’re more confident back then. Also, you didn’t answer my question yet.”

“S—Shut up, Gloria!” Marina exclaimed with a flushed face. She continued watching the door with a monologue in her mind.

It’s been so long until we settled our matter, my nemesis!

I’m the master jester of this place. No one dares to defy their fate being played by my hands. Even my sister hid under her heels when she saw a banana peel in her birthday cake… for which I put it. Tehe!

But you… You’re a tough opponent. You never even fell to my traps once. I, a genius, got my pride hurt being defeated by a brawn!

I will sure to catch you getting pranked… And if I do, I will sell your video to a hundred coins!

Marina continued giggling. Not knowing the reason what Marina’s malicious face means, Gloria ignored her.

The door that they’re watching from afar was a bomb impossible to detonate. A step away from that door, a mountain of upside-down drinking glass stood and blocked the pathway, leaving only two small holes beyond it.

When a person opens the door, he or she is supposed to collide with the obstacle, breaking every glass. Marina called this unavoidable prank…

“The Gates of Hell.”

“Did you said something, milady?”

“N—Nothing! Can you mind your own business, please?”

“But as you said, milady, that was a prank nearly impossible to avoid. I’m sure she’ll fall to it, but why did you set another trap after it?”

Even though Gloria knew the answer, she still asked. Gloria’s prediction skills were top-notch that she could even predict two seconds from the future like an oracle do.

Right after the mountain of glass, they set a wall of transparent tape blocking the whole hallway. No one, not even them, would notice where it was place.

That wall of tape should block the person, sticking her face flat. The Ciamera beyond that tape will record the front view of the person’s funny face. Marina called this…

“The face of a hundred gold coins.”

“Excuse me, milady?”

“Never mind me, please! I’m focusing. What time is it, Gloria?”

“Five seconds before 0700.”

“I’m excited… My hundred gold coins…” Marina slacked her mouth, drooling as she drown in her thoughts.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The sound resonated from the room throughout the hallways, for which Marina and Gloria could hear. After five seconds, the sound of an explosion followed.

“Oh my God! OH MY GOD! I’M LATE!” The voice repeated, accompanying random noises of scattered things flying throughout the room.

Marina thought with a smirk, continuing her monologue.

Just as I thought, she never wakes up on time. Even if her alarm rings her awake, one can’t wake her. It will take a church bell for her to start walking from sleep.

I’m a genius! I foresaw this happening already. Luckily, Gloria told me that this target worships sleep up to its last moment. This is all working to my advantage!

The moment she opens the door, she’ll collide with the drinking glasses while running. Just look, Gloria! I can show you that I can foresee the future as well.

As the noise continues, Marina smirked at Gloria.

“Milady, are you thinking ‘you can prove that you can see the future as well?’” Gloria asked.

“W—What makes you think so!?” Marina exclaimed with a flushed face. A dangerous monster possessed this woman!

Their attention diverted towards the click of the doorknob. The door banged open by a breathless maid in a hurry.

She had a long, chestnut brown hair that falls in loose waves down her back. Her bright blue eyes were framed by long lashes.

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She wore a simple yet untidy maid's uniform, complete with a white apron and a neat bun at the back of her head.

She ran out of the room, unaware of the obstacle she’s going to collide in, while screaming, “Miss Veniara, I’m coming!!”

The target, the sworn enemy of pranks, was the royal court maid… Elara.

From witnessing the mountain of glass inches away from her nose, Elara’s joyful eyes widened in an instant, and that instant was milliseconds in estimate. Her mouth also opened, sucking quick breaths.

After Elara got air, she pushed her right foot forward and below with maximum force. She jumped high while resisting her maximum velocity. Her breathing held when she’s on air.

She spun her body and leaned her back through the small hole above the obstacle. She continued spinning until her cloth contracted, for which not a part of it touched the grass. It wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t Elara or someone flexible like her… like Ellyn.

Her whole body passed straight through the hole, leaving the obstacle untouched. But it’s just the first part. Her head fell first before her body, in which she’d seen the reflection of a transparent screen from the morning sun ray.

She took one of her small blades from her thigh knife holster hidden under her skirt, threw it up, and caught it with her right foot. She forced bending her body until her left foot reached the floor, controlling her balance.

When she felt the ground, she swiped her right foot down, slicing the tape open. She threw the blade on the floor, which bounced back to her thigh knife holster, and stood straight like nothing happened.

The vibrations of giggling coming from the intersection stopped. When she saw the Ciamera, she turned it towards the direction of where the giggle was.

“For all the kids I’ve met, you’re the only one I can’t call cute,” Elara growled, stomping her feet towards Marina. She already knew who would overdo this kind of prank.

Behind the corner, Marina stuttered. “T—That’s—That’s for vlog! R—Right, Gloria—Wait, Gloria! Why are you running already! Wait me!”

“You’re not running away,” Elara shouted, pulling Marina’s collar in front of the Ciamera. “You could’ve made an accident! Did you thought that there might be possible person other than me? If it wasn’t me, the person who crossed here would’ve bathed in blood already!”

“B—But… I did it…” Marina muttered with pressed lips, fidgeting her fingers and looking down the ground.

“Even if you’re a princess, I still have the right to scold you. What you’re doing within the castle premise is danger—”

“I DID IT BECAUSE IT WAS YOU!” Marina ran with trails of tears in her path. “YOU REALLY ARE MY SWORN ENEMY! I HATE YOU!”

“Miss Marina…” Elara tried to reach her, but from what the Ciamera had caught, her body shrank until she completely vanished.

Without Marina in her sight, Elara broke the Ciamera’s lens.

***

“You’re gloomy today, Elara. Was this week your monthlies?” I asked, sitting on my chair and facing the mirror.

“Not even close, Miss Veniara! But when you’ve said it, it’s too obvious, huh?” Elara said with hunched shoulders, pacing while brushing my hair.

“What’s obvious? If you’re worried about something, you can tell it to me.”

“Well… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being late, milady… In the battlefield, every second matters. For me to be late, it feels like I’ve been contradicting my whole existence.”

“T—That’s not even my concern! We’re in my bedroom.”

But I’ll be lying if I’m not concerned about it. Every time I wake up, she was one call away. It somewhat made me uncomfortable when I waited for her.

Perhaps the royal blood was already spread out through my body? For some reason, I’m afraid to go back to my real world now.

“Why are you late by the way?” I asked.

“An accident nearly happened in the hallway. As the court maid, I only scolded the person in charge to avoid incidents in the future but… your sister ran away while crying.”

So, it’s about Marina, huh? “I understand your situation. What you’re doing is for everyone’s safety as well.”

“But, Miss Veniara… I might have overdid it. She screamed something like ‘I HATE YOU’ and ‘YOU’RE MY SWORN ENEMY’… like that.”

Elara even imitated her voice and expressions. After covering my mouth with my palm, I chuckled with sincerety.

“What’s so funny, Miss Veniara? It’s a serious matter, you know? I’m starting to worry for Miss Marina.”

A knock in my door caught our attention. “Excuse me, milady, senior, can I come inside?”

“You may,” I said.

Gloria entered the room, carrying a Ciamera. She placed it on my desk and faced it at the door. I thought Marina asked her to force us about her pranks, but Gloria approached us instead.

“Speaking of the devil’s attendant,” I muttered. “Was there any matters that need my attendance, Gloria?”

“Pardon, milady, but I humbly need to speak with the court maid.”

“You wouldn’t bother me listening, right?”

“Actually, Senior Elara…” She bowed her head towards us and begged with a tone caught us unguarded, “Please, get caught by milady’s pranks just once!”

“Huh?” We both asked, tilting our heads and squinting our eyes at her.

“Are you really Gloria?” I asked. “Gloria wouldn’t ask absurd things like that. Or perhaps, aren’t you possessed by Marina’s spirit? Everything you might have done so far might be a prank.”

“Please hear me out, princess,” Gloria begged. “Miss Marina spent a year in figuring out how she’ll be able to prank the court maid. She had never done it successfully once.

“She kept thinking of ways of how she’ll be able to prank you, and she even overdid it. If this matter turned longer, it might grow worse, and other people might have been involved too.

“Princess, Senior, this selfish request will benefit milady too. I, as the one who stood by her side every time, knew how invested she was in her goal. If she didn’t accomplish it… for some reason… I feel bad.”

Gloria couldn’t admit that she cared for Marina. She might have seen Marina as her own daughter already. She wouldn’t have gone here if this was all staged.

Just thinking of that calms me. It’s relieving how families are formed even without blood connections. Love was never restrictive anyway.

“Fine by me!” I exclaimed, smiling and leaning my back on my chair. “If it’s for my sister’s welfare, I have no right to object. How about you, Elara?”

“I won’t fall for her tricks.”

“Elara!”

“Yes, Miss Veniara!” Elara squealed. “But… her today’s prank will end in a draw.”

“Are you still competing?”

“Her prank was place on the floor, beyond the door, Senior,” Gloria said, leading her to the door. So, that was why the Ciamera was pointing towards it.

With chest in, shoulder out, Elara opened the door. Marina, carrying her Ciamera, and a banana peel welcomed her. Elara intentionally slid her foot onto the banana peel and sent it flying above.

“KYAAAAAAAA!!!!” I shouted, falling down my chair and crawling behind my bed. Banana peels are never my thing.

Elara’s fall was obviously staged, but since a kid was watching, it didn’t matter. The banana peel fell over Elara’s hair. When Marina saw it, her laugh deafened the whole hallway.

“BWAHAHA! You’re too dumb! Falling down from a banana peel… What an idiot! BWAHAHAHA!”

“I’ll forgive you just this day,” Elara hissed with nerves appearing on her forehead. She raised her clenched fist and gritted her teeth.

“I win! Finally! I won from my sworn nemesis! I’m the master jester of the entire universe! No one would dare avoid my invisible traps! My hundred gold coins are coming to me!”

Marina jumped from Euphoria, claiming her victory. That scene made Gloria smile too.

“Hundred gold coins?” Elara asked.

With slacked mouth of arrogance, Marina mocked. “Look, Sister Elara, I’m going to sell your reaction to the public, to the Lost Lantern Press to be exact! No one but the genius me could do this deadly mission. For this day, I finally won!”

“I never intended to let you win in the first place,” Elara smirked, pointing towards the lens of the Ciamera, signaling Marina to look at it.

When Marina saw the cracked transparent sphere, her wide grin and joyful turned upside down. She breathe shortly but hastily, then she shouted,

“M—MY HUNDRED GOLD!!!”