So the Lady, Zinnia, wants me to be the catalyst for women’s rights. Didn’t think I’d ever see a movement for women’s rights considering my own world is far more advanced than this one. I’m almost sad to have to end Zinnia’s plans, but freedom comes first for me before all else.

After that conversation, Zinnia asked me quite a lot of questions. The princess and her lackeys apparently wanted to get to know me. They knew I was a soldier of sorts, but they didn’t know what kind. I suppose it was for the best they didn’t know. Being a type of super-assassin wouldn’t fit well with people, especially those with chivalric code of honor, like Captain Albert.

I saw that spark in the Princess’s eyes. They were brimming with curiosity and hope. I could tell that Zinnia wanted beyond these castle walls, to be beyond the pampering her father and his nobles give her. She wanted to be more than just her birthright.

In my own way, I respected that. She wanted wings and saw an opportunity to fly through me. Deciding to indulge her, I told Zinnia and the other noble girls about my world. I told them about the internet. I told them about interstellar travel, and how medicine had jumped leaps and bounds.

However, I didn’t tell her anything about the darker parts of my world. There were monsters born from my people’s science, nightmares and abominations I would rather run away from than confront. Fighting one of those creatures is borderline suicide.

I simply poured flower after flower describing the type of world I lived in. While I explained all the benefits though, I felt Zinnia realized I avoided telling her any of the evils of the planet. She asked me, “If it was such a beautiful world, why did you become a soldier?”

“That’s true, if it was a utopia, why was there an army in the first place?” Carmen asked.

“It’s simple. Even heaven has guards.”

Afterwards, I talked about my siblings. I told them how my father looked after me and my nine other siblings. We were all in the ‘military’ business, as I explained it. “Wow, your entire family are all warriors?” Debrett asked the obvious.

I nodded, then added, “My eldest sister is the strongest. If all of my siblings and I were to team up against her, we’d all di-lose.” Nearly said died there. I didn’t think these nobles would appreciate talking about death at a tea party.

“Is she really that skilled?” Zinnia cooed, interested in what I said.

“Well, something like that.” It was never a matter of skill. I always had this theory that Eldest Sister was an entirely different species of her own. Still do.

“What’s her name?” Morga-err Maria...no...Marilyn! Marilyn was the girl who addressed me just now. All these names were hard to remember. She was the daughter of the Marquiss, right?

“My siblings and I called her Eldest Sister.” Honestly, I didn’t know Eldest Sister’s name. She was more weapon than human, after all.

I remembered when I first met her in the cell. She just sort of stood there smiling at me. I had this odd feeling that she didn’t want me anywhere near her though. That feeling started to eat at my gut until I had to run out the room because of how queasy I felt. Never had I felt that sick before in my entire life.

Something interrupted me from my musings and I almost glared at the source.

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“Excuse my rudeness but...I noticed you hadn’t said anything about your mother. Is she...has she?” Zinnia stuttered. Ahhh, I knew why she was so hesitant in asking. It was because she lost her own mother.

Now that I didn’t really have an answer for. I shrugged and looked away from Zinnia’s eyes, simply staring down at my teacup. My mother was either dead at a ditch somewhere or rolling in dough after selling me to Father. Who knows, I didn’t.

Taking my silence as her answer, Zinnia clanked her teacup against the table, deep in thought. Her pondering expression turned into a slight scowl for a second. What was she thinking about?

“You and I have some things in common,” Zinnia smiled sadly.

“Indeed we do.” I grit my teeth, feeling miffed for some odd reason.

Zinnia really wanted to connect with me by saying all these nonsensical things. She desired my friendship and possibly something more, according to Neyla. If I stood back and analyzed the way she responded to me, I could probably tell she had a crush on me.

In a way, I felt honored she’d feel that way about me. Due to my line of work, I barely had any romantic experiences, apart from a certain her. She was my first everything, and reminiscing that now would only bring me pain. I couldn’t afford to remember her, not now.

I needed to be strong. Strong for survival. Cut everything else if it stood in my way.

After that political talk about a feminist movement and a talk about my family, the conversation moved toward more mundane things, such as Debrett’s fiancee. That was cute, really, but not important.

I mostly tuned out of the conversation as I pondered far more important things, such as Neyla and Bodhi’s location, why the sludge of a certain stalkerish monster found its way to the front of my balcony, and how I’m going to get Zinnia to lower her mental spellguard. If I could have touched the spell directly like I did with Captain Albert’s, I would have by now.

I felt like I kept repeating myself.

Once the tea party was over, I decided to search for either Neyla or Bodhi. I would’ve asked for the maid Bodhi was possessing, but frankly, that’d make the King think I favored Dana and probably try to win me over, at least partially by making her my specific caretaker.

Seriously, the thought of that revolted me. There was no way I ‘favored’ any of these people.

It seemed I was walking automatically as I was stuck musing to myself. My thinking was cut short when I felt a gush of wind startle me, similar to when I broke Captain Albert’s spell, or when Bodhi tried possessing me.

I found myself in front of a large elevator-esque door in a very secluded corridor. There were no doors apart from the large metallic one in front of me. The walls seemed very well-maintained, and appeared to be a type of steel. I raised my eyebrow.

Seeing the only way out is forward, I placed my fingers in-between the tiny space of the doors, and used my super strength to pry it open. I squeezed through the larger space I made and shut the door behind me once again. I didn’t want people to figure out I broke in, if there was anyone here.

Checking out the new room, I found myself surrounded by several chemistry flasks and scribbles on the walls that looked like plain gibberish to me. I came to the conclusion that it must’ve been this world’s language. Still looked like gibberish though.

On the board was a large map. Even though I was unable to read it, I noticed on the top was a single continent divided into three countries. If memory serves correctly, I was in the middle country, the Dahlia Kingdom. The King did say we were surrounded by Draconians and Majin. I doubt they shared the same country, so my theory must’ve been correct.

There was this one tiny little island on the bottom right that caught my attention though. It was singled out in a large red circle, with lots of scribbles around it. Oh how I wished I could read this. I never once thought I’d struggle with illiteracy.

I tore the map from the board and rolled it in one of my pockets. As I ventured deeper into the room, I noticed an exit door. Pushing the door open, I saw another corridor. Unlike the last one, it had several doors around it. Testing my luck, I decided to test out the closest left one. It clearly had some kind of security padlock on it, but I pried it open.

I felt that same gush of wind pushed at me when I entered the room. There were several test tubes near me, all holding human silhouettes. Males, females, and animalistic creatures were all in these…things.

A revolting feeling started to churn my stomach. This room had a distinct hospital smell to it. One that made me sick to my stomach. My feet started to wobble, and I had to hold myself steady against a test tube. It took all of my willpower not to stare at them.

Hardly steady on my feet, I made way towards a computer-looking device, one that I believed to be a control system.

But that wasn’t what caught my attention. Near it was a notebook from a school supply company from my world.

Opening it, I realized there were several papers not attached in it, all having this world’s language side-by-side to the Russian alphabet of my world.

Undoubtedly, Neyla must’ve been trying to decipher the Russian language, but that’s not what irked me. Throwing the comparison papers to the ground, I focused solely on the notebook in front of me.

The realization had my pupils dilating like dumbells. I couldn’t believe it. My teeth started to gnash against each other. My heart pounded like a hammer in my chest. Cold sweat dripped down from my neck to my spine.

Then a malicious smile dipped in poison twisted my normally neutral face.

Allyson.