...

Outside of Wolfsteeth

A luxurious carriage, sky-blue in color, drove through the Leonandra territory toward a port in the South as the sun stood high in the sky. It was beautifully adorned with a crest that was divided into four compartments, two of which showed thorny roses and a feather with a red-filled bottle of ink. Inside the other two were written words in the olden beast-kin dialect, which would be impossible to translate rightfully into this era, but basically said that care and punishment go hand in hand.

Inside said carriage, Ilusia sat nervously before one of her estate's knights, who was continuously emitting an oppressive aura toward her. It was not so strong that she would shudder in fear but just enough that she would feel on edge the whole time, which, in combination with the demonic miasma in the air, made her use all her skills so she could endure it.

The Knight looked at her stoically, "I am disappointed."

She flinched the moment he said it. It was only now that he started to talk for the first time after entering the carriage and driving for hours, "I am very sorry. I promise to pay everything back."

"Do you think I am disappointed because of the gold?"

Illusia shook her head, not daring to look up, "No, Sire."

The aura lessened slightly, "What do you think the reason is then?"

Ilusia clenched her dress, "The humiliation."

The Knight nodded, withdrawing his aura entirely, "Ms. Illusia, what you did was beyond inappropriate. You know this, right?"

She nodded, looking slowly up, seeing Patrick, their family's Knight, whose eyes showed pity toward her, which felt terrible. It wasn't enough that Ilusia was tortured and humiliated inside the prison by lower beings. Even her Mother's Knight saw her misery, thus stopping his punishment only after a few hours, probably thinking she couldn't endure it. It was degrading to be treated as if she couldn't handle it.

"I know this, Sire. It was juvenile and brought a lot of problems to my household."

Patrick sighed, "It's fine. The Viscountess is happy that you made it out alive at all."

She looked deep into Patrick's brown eyes, hoping to hear something else, but it didn't come, so she asked, bringing out all her courage, "What about the Viscount? Did he say anything?"

Patrick shook his head, "Ms. Illusia, don't misunderstand the Viscount's intentions, but you are fortunate that he didn't let you stew in..." His upper lip rose in disgust, "...Moorgrel."

She could relate to his feelings too well. Moorgrel, and especially the east, was dastardly. The temperatures reached what felt like boiling points, which was beyond anything she had ever felt before, while the air felt like a knife held at her throat, which made her more irritated the longer she stayed here. Besides that, the subjects differed significantly from her household's territory, as they were primarily vermins led by fake nobility.

She saw a lot of insect- and avian-kin, who probably migrated to Moorgrel. While it annoyed her somewhat that the vermin tried to avoid their proper place by going to the mutts, it was much better than them staying in their territory and becoming parasites to their society.

She came out of her thoughts when he started to talk about an unpleasant topic, "The other households are not happy, too."

Ilusia raised an eyebrow, "So?"

While she worried at first that the households of her colleagues could cause problems, after contemplating a lot about it, she decided to ignore them as they were of far lower status than her.

It didn't seem that Patrick agreed, as the aura was back, pressuring her, making her gasp slightly, "Ms. Ilusia, while I understand your sentiment that the youth of the other households are far below ours in status, you should also consider that all of us are under Marquise Lopon."

Even though she wanted to argue back, she somehow understood what he meant. After what they tried, she was the lone survivor, so she would be scrutinized by the other households heavily, which would probably put pressure on the Marquise, who would, in turn, make them pay compensation either in monetary value or political power.

While the Marquise could shut them up easily, she also knew that a peaceful lower nobility was essential for the stability of the fief of the higher nobility, which would only happen once debts were paid. Even though her colleagues were, at best, average when it came to talent, they were nonetheless assets that could be married away or sent to higher nobility as servants. Dying here like dogs was not only a disgrace but also an economic loss.

"I understand, Sir Patrick...." She nodded and understood their sentiments too well, but nonetheless, her anger rose even at the thought that some local bumpkin Lords were trying to undermine their household.

He dissipated his aura again, lifting the pressure, "Are you angry, Ms. Ilusia?"

She glared at him and tried to smile so she could come over as amiably as possible, "Of course not, S..." He interrupted her, "...you should be."

She raised an eyebrow, becoming slightly confused, "Why?"

"Use the anger and get revenge on those who deserve it. Never let it dissipate, and look forward. However, you should also know if they truly deserve your hate."

She tilted her head in confusion, "Pardón?"

"If someone is trying to use the death of their child out of pure greed, thinking they could extort our household, remember their name, and at some point, when you have enough power, pay them back..."

He leaned slightly back and looked at her with a tint of sadness, "However, if someone is truly showing grief and wants revenge by any means necessary, don't do anything to them."

She became more confused, "Why? Isn't it unbecoming of nobility to act like that?"

He shook his head, "No, the grief they are showing are not the emotions of a noble but that of a parent. Never forget that, even though we are nobles, we also have other roles to fulfill, and someone who acts not out of malice but emotionally is dangerous."

She continued for him, understanding it slightly, "If they only want revenge and I escalate the situation, they would do everything in their means to try and take me down, even if it brings their downfall. Is that what you mean, Sir Patrick?"

He nodded, showing a rare smile, "Yes, and this is especially true for the lowest nobility, who have barely anything to their name in the first place. Never escalate something you were at fault for in the first place with someone who is ready to sacrifice themselves just to scratch you."

Ilusia smiled and nodded. Patrick, even though only a Knight, was always like a mentor. He advised her through many problems in her life, but it all sadly ended when she went to a boarding school, where she wouldn't have anyone she could ask for help as even the teacher were of noble descent and had their own agenda in mind at all times.

He was basically the Father she had never had, which brought her thoughts in a dangerous direction again. She clenched her fists and wanted to risk asking about him again, now wanting a more thorough answer, "Thank you, but can you tell me how the Viscount feels? Please don't change the topic again."

Patrick sighed, "Ms. Illusia, I don't think it is a good idea..." She interrupted him, becoming more emotional as the stress over the last months came out, "...no, please tell me! What did my Father say?"

Patrick looked at her for some time, only to nod, "Fine. He was wrathful and was ready to let you die for your misconduct."

Illusia's eyes became watery, "But why then..." Patrick continued for her, "...why did he not do it? Honor and pride, Ms. Ilusia. Letting you die in such a place would be disgraceful to our household's name."

"I understand..."

Her Father was cold-blooded—someone who didn't care about his children but the most talented. Everyone else was to become a puppet for his political machinations. However, she wanted nothing more than his acknowledgment. It was pathetic and the reason she started this whole ordeal in the first place. Yet, she couldn't blame him as he never encouraged her to do anything or even talked to her after her legacy.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Why put too much resources into someone who wouldn't become the heir? Why even waste his time on her? It was at this moment that she didn't want to go back. It was a cold and ruthless estate where everyone would spread rumors about her when she returned, as she was indeed a failure.

Like that, they drove together with their entourage for the following hours till the sun was about to set. Fortunately, they arrived at a small town and booked themself an inn.

Her thoughts didn't lessen the whole time, and as she was lying in bed, hugging a cheap pillow, all she hoped for was that her whimpers and cries would not be heard outside the room. However, something inside of her wanted to be heard. She wanted to be comforted and said that it wasn't her fault.

'Pathetic.'

She wanted to be like all the other nobles who ruled over their fiefs with an iron fist, yet she also wanted nothing more than support from someone to whom she could open herself. A notion which was impossible as there was nobody to trust for her.

Everything she would say, in her honesty, would be used against her. It was cruel, and she did things like that herself when trusted friends came to her and confined their deepest emotions, only for her to think about how to use them later on.

Did she deserve what happened to her? Did her desire for recognition go too far? Even though her rationale screamed a resounding yes, for some reason, she didn't think so. Ultimately, she was born as something better. Some simple commoners from a cursed territory dared to go against her, and now some lowly nobility wanted compensation, which made her enraged and helpless since she had no real power to speak.

After contemplating for hours while lying in bed, feeling powerless, exhaustion slowly overwhelmed her, and she fell asleep. However, a sound woke her up and made her quickly sit up to see who it was. Yet, as she looked around in the darkness, straining her racial trait, which made her see almost perfectly at night, she only saw the window, which opened as the wind became stronger.

She sighed, rubbing her temple, "Can't believe I am this agitated..."

Yet, as she said it and was about to lay down again, she sensed a familiar feeling of cold steel on her neck and a whisper that sounded like poisonous honey, "Oh, my little girl, please don't scream. Otherwise, one could lose a head easily."

There was no killing intent or blood lust, and she wasn't also immediately killed, which meant that someone wanted her to know when she was about to die by whom or something worse, like blackmail.

She became still, not moving, and her emotions tucked away as she had more than enough such encounters, "What do you want? Coin? There is a pouch with enough gold that even your grandchildren could live in luxury in the commode. Take it and leave."

"Oh my, if I wanted gold, I would just get your head and present it to some people who would be ready to pay me much more than whatever you have in your little pouch."

She clenched her teeth, not liking the situation, but her pride overwhelmed her rationality as she said something stupid, "You know if I would scream you..." She suddenly felt how energy invaded her body, a horrid one that paralyzed her. It forced itself inside her, and she immediately felt disgusted, like the time her older sister raped her.

The next moment, Ilusia fell down on the bed as her body became fully numb. She couldn't even say anything anymore. She was paralyzed but conscious, 'Is it rape again? Urgh, I hope that the bastard is at least fast.'

However, nothing of the sort happened, and the person walked around the room toward the commode and her pouch, which she could barely see as she lay in a weird position on the bed.

While lying down, she could not do anything, but her senses were still working; she could identify that it was a djinn through his smell, but, as if a fog was in her mind, she couldn't hold onto the scent and remember for later.

When he suddenly found and took her pouch, the following words made her panic, "You know, I really dislike puppets with faulty strings..." He took out a pamphlet, glued together of parchments which she was allowed to write on as a diary to kill her time while in prison.

He looked through it while she contemplated her worst scenario, "You see, a puppet has no emotions, no will. All a puppet does is to do what the puppeteer wants..." He walked to her, squatting down and glaring at her through his dirty fox mask, '...he looks beautiful.'

When he smiled, she blushed suddenly, her mind becoming overly chaotic, "...you, my dear noblewoman, have two choices..." He showed two fingers up, "...either you help me bring death and chaos to the east or..."

Ilusia became more agitated than usual when she heard something she thought she needed to forget and live in disgrace. Her ambitions flared up, and hate surged from her core, 'I want Aurum dead...' He humiliated her and brought her into a position worse than death, one with which she would need to live for the rest of her life.

Yet, she got another chance out of nowhere. A chance to redeem herself and become important to Marquise Lopon, and with it, she could decide her fate herself. All the thoughts she had before and the desperation she felt were blown away.

As long as they were people ready to work with her to crush the Moorgrelian East and humiliate them, she could get merits and escape her destiny. Something inside her surged, and she didn't care if it was a skill or anything of the sort that brought it forward since they were genuine emotions she always felt. She must cling to even the slightest of chances to not end in the Outer Circle.

Should she care that he called her a puppet? No. She was already one, and when she didn't change anything, she would be married off to some scumbag for political power as a concubine, where she would live the rest of her life as nothing more than some sex toy.

She could see the djinn's smile under his fox mask widen, "Oh my..." he closed the booklet, "...no need for the second choice..." His glare intensified, almost looking into her soul, "...I need chaos and death, but you only want death, isn't that right?"

Her eyes almost pierced him, saying yes. She wanted not only Aurum dead but especially his Master, the so-called Archmage Puppy. She wanted to see him suffer. She wanted to see him kneel and cry in agony.

Something inside of her flared up, becoming stronger and stronger. Her mind became less clouded, and she suddenly had only one goal in mind: Killing the Moorgrelian mutt.

He chuckled while putting a letter into her diary, "Here is all the information you need, my dear Ms. Ilusia. Without much persuasion, I see that you even want more from life. Just read it after you have recovered from the skill and write me a name and put it under the matrice..." He stood up and put her diary on the desk, "...read first the letter, and you will see that we have similar goals and that with me, you will have whatever you realistically want."

After saying it, he almost instantly disappeared, with Ilusia lying there for the next minutes, staring at her diary and trying first to conclude who it was exactly. She didn't care about his standing since he wasn't even of her race, but all that was important was that he could grant her wish.

However, Patrick's words suddenly appeared in her mind, and she felt them now. She was the one with nothing to lose. Even though he didn't mean it like that, she knew better that he only accommodated her, 'I want to scratch Moorgrel.'

Ilusia's eyes glared at the diary, and her will suddenly returned like a fire that almost went out. She could have everything by risking all. It was crazy, but so what? She must do it to avoid her fate.

However, she also felt unimaginable hatred, making her feelings for revenge flare up more by the second, 'Alexander and Aurum. Both will die...'

When she could barely move, she crawled toward the desk, taking the letter out of the diary and reading it. She barely supported herself to sit on the chair and started reading it. She became elated, as it wasn't just some thug but someone with connections and a coherent plan.

Though, the more she read it, the more confused she became, 'Louis J. Rosé? The Rosé household? Aren't they under the Duchess Zarmanas?'

The Zarmanas household was an ancient and prestigious family that focused on military might. However, they also chose hundreds of smaller baron families to increase their reach, so being under them wasn't that noticeable.

However, the Rosé household resided in Moorgrel, which meant that they had at least some importance, as getting a foothold in this region for the central nobility was tremendously hard. Their staying here and being somewhat okay meant they had enough support while showing their worth. It could even be said that their household could be considered much more important than Ilusia's.

Since it was also a Duchess, compared to their lower-ranked Marquise Lopon, it meant that Ilusia was now much lower in status inside this new group than inside the group she gathered before.

While Ilusia didn't like that she would be obligated to follow their calls if she decided to join them, what was important was that she could reach her goals much easier than just through the trash she had assembled before.

Reading further, the djinn's group had another young noble in their midst, who was, again, far above her in status, 'Hm... oh? A dragon-kin?'

Next was someone she didn't expect. It was the heir of the Irim household, Lizko the second. It was a sizeable household under Marquess Kalpoma, who was a zealot. She worships the Temple's teachings fanatically, thus having a great relationship with them. Therefore, many tried to become her followers as her support toward her vassals' fiefs was always excellent, as she followed certain doctrines that dictated one should support their subordinates.

So, reading that the somewhat sizeable Viscount household Irim under Kalpoma would support such a venture was quite strange. Fortunately, after rereading the letter multiple times, she deduced Lizko's motivation: Revenge, which confused Ilusia even more, 'Why would he even care?'

Lizko was already someone with a bright future ahead, so it didn't make sense to her why he would go against a Guard Household in the first place. It was a clear-cut case for Louis: He wanted merits like she wanted to become an heir.

She sat there for an hour, coming to different conclusions that were not satisfying, but before she contacted them, she needed to know their rationale. Without such crucial information, she would fear that it was only some fleeting emotion, and in the end, Lizko would let them alone, 'Hm...'

She knew that the Leonandra Lord was a druid, which would explain a probable conflict. Sadly, she had little to no theological knowledge, and her household also cared little about religion besides the typical formalities, 'So, why want revenge on his son?'

She suddenly remembered the words of the djinn, 'Chaos, huh.'

While she didn't know much, killing the children of a beast-kin druid or shaman affiliated with the Temple was a sure way to destroy their household. The Temple was especially protective of their beast-kin since they built a bridge toward their race and could propagate their religion much easier. It also showed that they genuinely didn't care about race, giving commoners a better state of mind.

As she reread the plan, it was stated that their role was primarily supportive because of their status. So, even if the druid's son died, it would not fall back on them, 'How intriguing? Didn't know the Temple had such feuds? Well, that's enough for me.'

While it was not really satisfactory, she could identify his motivation somehow. As such, she knew that he was someone who joined them for ideological reasons, which made him a trustworthy partner.

Ilusia sighed while destroying the letter with her energy, 'I need to write them and find out if they truly work together, and if they are...' Her smile widened, '...I will have everything I want.'