Queen vs. Mission: Defrsot (The Thaw That Wasn't)
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Theo, with his predictable chivalry and soft spot for damsels in distress (or those pretending to be), was far easier to manipulate than the ever-calculating Athena.
Well, that was the theory, anyway. The irony was not lost on her. The Queen of Shadows, outsmarted by her own assumptions. How utterly delightful.
"Sounds good on paper, doesn't it?" Eydis muttered under her breath, her gaze tracing the rows of 'bestseller' paranormal romances on the library counter, their cover promising steamy tales of fangs, fur, and forbidden love. Who knew Cerberus had a fan club in this realm?
A throat-clearing sound snapped Eydis's attention back to the wide-eyed, freckled-faced boy, practically bouncing with barely contained excitement as he waited patiently for her to scan his carefully curated stack of romantic escapism.
This one, a nervous twitch personified with a shock of red hair, had been privately christened "Jeremiah," after the biblical harbinger of doom and gloom. Quite fitting, she thought, considering his affinity for tales of tragically doomed unrequited love.
"I-It's Joseph," he squeaked, his eyes darting between the scandalous novels and the librarian, whose aura screamed, "Her Royal Grumpiness."
Eydis arched an eyebrow, a slow smile curling her lips that seemed to promise a fate worse than a thousand paper cuts. "How fascinating,” she purred. “Did my internal monologue accidentally take a detour through my vocal cords?"
“Internal... monologue?" Joseph stammered, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. "I...uh...you kinda called me Jeremiah... on the bus. And just now, again."
The Queen stifled a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was a conversation with the budget version of Athena. While the Student President was the only confirmed mind reader in this academy, the possibility of others with hidden abilities, like Natalia, couldn't be completely dismissed. That, and also…
Her eyes flicked to the shiny pin on his shirt, noting he was one of the Gifted students, the black pin signifying D-Class. Natalia, on the other hand, had recently reclaimed her place in C-Class, now proudly displaying her well-earned green pin of honour.
"Well, my apologies, J," Eydis said, scanning the last book with a beep. "Enjoy your bodice-ripping adventures. And do grab some complimentary wet wipes on your way out.”
“Complimentary w-wet-what? But these books are PG-13!” Joseph's blush exploded across his face.
She glanced up once more, swerving slightly on her chair. “Is personal hygiene now considered scandalous? It's flu season. Sanity wipes are essential,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Joseph's freckles vanished as his blush deepened. He opened his mouth to protest, but a single raised eyebrow from Her Majesty sent him scurrying away, muttering something about the apparent link between hot and crazy.
As Jeremiah fled the scene, Eydis took a moment to reflect on her recent string of failures.
She had "accidentally" (or so she hoped Theo believed) collided with him in the library more times than she cared to admit, each encounter a meticulously orchestrated ‘chance’ meeting peppered with not-so-subtle hints about his weekend plans.
But the infuriatingly dense vice president remained stubbornly fixated on the nuances of arcane art, his eyes glowing with the fervour of a cult leader trying to convert her to the Church of Chills. She had to tune out his rambling about the profound interconnectedness of all things frozen.
One might think he was planning to build a life-sized ice castle and belt out ‘Let it Go,’ not attend a black-tie gala where the only ice would be in the champagne flutes. And who was to blame for this obsession?
Eydis sighed. Yours truly. It was all her.
Her own attempt to ’borrow’ an ancient tome from Theo had backfired spectacularly, igniting a frosty passion in the vice president. A passion that rivalled her own love for power and, well, herself.
Which, unfortunately, brought her back to this forsaken counter, drowning in a sea of overdue notices, misplaced Dewey decimals, and a mountain of trashy romances.
Trashy, of course, because true love was as real as a good-natured Primal Sin. Except for that one time with the enigmatic Saintess and her Charming-Lite sidekick... but that was a tale for another day, one best forgotten along with her dignity.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Because now, the aforementioned frost fanatic had locked onto her. Theo's silver eyes practically glowing like high beams. Seriously? Again? As he clutched yet another heavy tome (this one titled "The Thermodynamics of Permafrost") and began his approach.
Uh oh.
Eydis quickly averted her gaze and hammered away at her keyboard, pretending to do actual work.
Ignoring Theo's puppy-dog eyes, (which, admittedly, were quite adorable), she mentally shifted gears. Plan A had imploded. There was no point in engaging with him further. She had already endured enough of Theo's enthralling (to him) tales of heroism from his Silverkeep lore, a never-ending saga of frost giants, magical blizzards, sentient snowmen, and noble sacrifices.
Operation Defrost Defrsot was officially on ice. Theo's mule-headedness was proving to be a challenge worthy of a mythical quest. Clearly, he was deliberately avoiding the topic.
And with the gala looming just five days away, time was not on her side. A tactical adjustment was in order.
Eydis exhaled a frustrated breath, channelling her irritation into a furious typing spree, her fingers dancing across the keyboard with a speed that belied her initial disdain for the device. She had memorised a QWERTY layout with the same ruthless efficiency she applied to mastering arcane spells.
(And yes, she was very, very good with her fingers. Now, get your mind out of the gutter.)
A well-timed flutter of her eyelashes at the tech-savvy Birgit had secured her a crash course in the digital realm. Computers were essentially giant phones with the added bonus of a keyboard that didn't require microscopic precision. Who knew?
After all, a Queen was nothing if not adaptable. She had to admit, her stint as a librarian had been unexpectedly educational. Namely, she'd mastered the art of digital espionage (strictly limited to publicly available information, of course).
“Um, Eydis…”
The Alchymia City Hall website appeared on the screen, and within moments, Eydis had accessed the gallery page, her eyes scanning the information and layout. The individual maps of each section clicked into place like puzzle pieces in her mind, forming a virtual blueprint of the building before her eyes.
“Eydis!”
A soft voice intruded upon her mental machinations. Another devotee of the bodice-ripper genre, it seemed. Was this truly the extent of intellectual curiosity in this realm?
She looked up, her eyes locking with a pair of startlingly clear blue eyes. "Adam?” she asked, clearly surprised.
Adam offered a warm smile, placing his stack of books on the table. "You remember me, Eydis?"
"How could I not?" Eydis said. "One doesn't forget the enigmatic stranger who makes a cryptic pronouncement about one's identity, then promptly vanishes for a month. It tends to leave an impression, wouldn't you agree?"
The boy stood speechless, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' of astonishment. Eydis took this opportunity to discreetly assess his reading material. As before, it appeared he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge on artificial intelligence and Python.
Last time, she hadn't understood the significance, mistaking it for a bizarre fascination with reptilian linguistics. But now, she recognized its potential.
It was a glimpse into the future, a language of innovation and power. A keen mind indeed. Intriguing.
‘Perhaps,’ Envy slithered in her mind, ‘acquiring reptilian linguistic isn't such a bad idea either, Your Majesty. Remember how you dismissed this serpent's sage advice last time? Just saying... EEK!’
Eydis promptly unleashed a mental zap, cutting off the smug familiar's gloating with a surge of annoyance.
Adam cleared his throat, but before he could speak, a high-pitched voice pierced the air. "Chop-chop! This isn't a social club, some of us have actual reading to do."
Expecting the return of the towering, green-haired harpy who had so rudely interrupted them last time, Eydis was pleasantly surprised to find a petite, raven-haired girl tapping her foot impatiently behind Adam.
Eydis's gaze fell on the book cover clutched under the girl's arm, depicting a couple locked in a passionate embrace.
"Ah, Julia," she said sweetly. "Please accept my apologies for delaying your reunion with your fictional fanged lover. I'm sure he's positively thirsting for your return."
Eydis rose to her full height as Julia sputtered incoherently. With effortless royal grace, she scanned the book and returned it along with Julia's student ID card, her eyes never leaving Adam's.
Julia huffed, disappearing in a flurry of indignant footsteps. Adam chuckled nervously, his gaze following her before turning back to Eydis. "Do you have a photographic memory for names, Eydis?"
Eydis reclined in her chair, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to, Adam Sapphire."
Adam's eyes widened. He looked around, as if to confirm no one was watching, then turned back to Eydis.
"About my...um, absence... I have a habit of, shall we say, binge-reading. I borrow whatever I need, then take it to my dorm. That's why I haven't been around much," he whispered, his eyes darting nervously between Eydis's face and his fidgeting hands.
"Is that so...?" Eydis drawled, letting the silence rest uncomfortably on his shoulders. She could practically smell the lie on him, his every microexpression betraying his unease. She had been searching for him, however sporadically, but he had been nowhere to be found.
Truth be told, her focus had been a tad...scattered. Between dodging Envy's lethal advances, fending off a stomach that could probably devour a whole underworld, and, well, Astra… her to-do list had taken on a life (and appetite) of its own.
Deciding not to pry further into Adam's personal life, Eydis leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. “Tell me, Adam,” she purred, her gaze shifting from the gleaming green pin on his blazer to his ocean-blue eyes. “What exactly did you mean by knowing who I am?
A sharp click of heels announced another interruption, but this time Eydis's smile didn't waver. A mischievous glint entered her eyes as she subtly unleashed a wave of dark energy, yanking the rug out from under the approaching figure. The victim yelped, landing on the timber with a thump, the book they were holding serving as a makeshift airbag for their face.
Oblivious to the chaos behind him, Adam swallowed hard. He leaned down, closer to her, whispering, "You are the Queen of Shadows, aren't you?"
Eydis's amusement vanished as if it had never been. Her amber eyes narrowed, pinning Adam in place with their intensity. "You have my attention. Care to elaborate?”