As she skipped through the garden, following the most optimal path she could find, Vivian observed the movements of the two guards and tracked them as they walked through a pathway away from the party and any of the attendees.
Vivian felt that the area they reached now was the most isolated and made her move. She got rid of her high heels and walked barefoot on the grass, using her techniques of infiltration to close in like a ghost on the guards and then from a spot where they couldn't see, she threw one of her shoes across them very fast it caused them to halt their steps and look at where it came from.
Matilda was between the two guards and she couldn't help but cower and put her guard up as this strange object flew by but as the three of them tried to check out what came through the darkness, they couldn't notice Vivian as she had already crossed from the other side and ran on the wet grass like a ghost in the night.
"Who's there?"
As the guards called, they were all looking in the wrong direction as Vivian charged them from behind. She was done hiding and ran in full stride, tearing her dress from the side but as they turned around to check who was behind them, Vivian leaped on the other guard holding his neck by her arms, and used him as leverage to kick with her two legs at the other guard using her Aura Star to reinforce the attack.
The attack came with the power of a cannonball and the poor innocent guard was launched toward a large tree trunk hitting it with his entire body and falling down groaning. The other guard whom Vivian used as leverage lost his footing and tripped by her sudden attack, taking her to the ground with him.
Vivian, however, was faster, and in her two hands, she held her pistols Romeo and Juliet in reverse, using their butts as blunt weapons. She was between the two guards and as they tried to recover, she went all…
Bonk!
Bonk!
Bonk!
Bonk!
Four simultaneous hits, two for each guard, and every single hit targeted their heads.
With such technique and ferocity, the two guards stood no chance against her, who used their heads to make a rhythm composed of short-term amnesia and blunt force trauma.
Lastly, it was Matilda who remained as she stood. Face to face with the black-dressing, pale-looking, barefoot-walking, gun-wielding Vivian Moore, the little courage she had against her bully crumbled like salt in water.
"What's up?" Vivian blew her disheveled hair off her eyes.
Instinctively, the Heroine backed a few steps against the villainess who walked towards her like the incarnation of a nightmare demoness. The situation got heated all of a sudden and the Heroine instinctively used her magic.
"Virtos Horti!"
Matilda aimed her ring at Vivian and shouted her only combat spell right away. Golden threads of magic formed around her and formed strange plant-like apparitions that looked like whips. They were made of light and they had thorns all over them. If anyone adept in botany sees them, they would recognize them as a thorny vine known as the Devil's Thorn vines.
Those vines grow in forests and are very annoying plants to deal with but Matilda just summoned three large ones in spectral shape and aimed them right at Vivian.
"Don't get any closer!" She spoke while stepping back.
"…" Vivian wasn't even in a good mood and kept stepping toward Matilda.
"I- I am warning you!" Matilda said and kept stepping back but in the heat of the moment…
Flash!
Flash!
Flash!
… she fired the three whip-like vines toward Vivian.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Vivian's eyes never blinked and she moved her right shoulder out of the way of the first attack, then moved her right arm away from the second, and moved her right leg faster than the third.
Vivian's superior speed still outclassed her opponent even if it was the Heroine. In her defense though, the Heroine was only giving warning shots.
But as Vivian got even closer to Matilda, a hand grabbed Matilda's arm from the side and pulled her away from Vivian.
"Run!"
Matilda wasn't even willing to face Vivian so once an opportunity of running away was open, she chose to follow whoever that was without hesitation. To her surprise though, her savior was a tall lady wearing a fabulous saffron dress whom she recognized from the Auction House as Isabella De Clare.
As for Vivian, she was baffled by Isabella's actions and attempted to chase them but Edith suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Woah! Woah! Calm down, Vivian. The sun is getting low." Edith said while trying to stop Vivian.
"How the F do you know that reference?" Vivian almost stumbled from bafflement.
"It just felt the right thing to say." Edith replied and dismissed it, "But you, did you just use Aura?"
"Yes, what of it?" Vivian replied and then looked at Isabella who was taking Matilda away, "Just what is she thinking, I need to get to them."
"We were just worried you'd harm her or she'd harm you." Edith said and then looked at how the guards were taken down, "That's some serious skillset you have."
"Thanks, love. Now, mind telling me where Isabella is taking her." Vivian asked.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Don't worry about it, you'll get her. That Isabella is so crafty, it terrifies me." Edith replied.
"That's a De Clare for you." Vivian said with a sigh.
"Alright. This way." Edith said and led the way.
As the two ran, Matilda couldn't understand why Isabella was helping her but she knew she needed to get away from this place as soon as possible. If she was found to be dealing with the Moore's subsidiaries, she'd be in trouble on so many fronts.
"That was dangerous! Why did Vivian attack you like that?"
As they were running, Isabella asked.
"I- I don't know. She isn't particularly happy with me." Matilda replied while trying to catch her breath, "Thank you for saving me."
"No, I'm only doing this for Valentine." Isabella said and looked backward, "I think we are safe here."
Matilda inhaled and exhaled from spending all that stamina running from Vivian and turned to Isabella.
"I must leave now." She said.
"Don't be stupid." Isabella said and looked at her fiercely, "Vivian may have lost us but do you know where she'll start looking?"
"N-No!" Matilda replied with hesitation.
"At the mansion's gate of course. She should have gotten there the moment she lost track of us." Isabella explained, "It was unwise coming here, Matilda Ambrose."
"I am so sorry. I was really… I know it is unwise." Matilda said and rested her back on a tree.
"Alright, listen well. The best course of action is to head towards my carriage, once the party is over, all carriages will start leaving the place in groups and the traffic will prevent Vivian from making a move against you." Isabella said and walked through the garden's path, "This way."
The two walked through the garden while keeping taps on their surroundings, they started conversing slowly and Isabella was all friendly with Matilda. The two have encountered each other before at the auction house on many occasions but they were barely acquaintances and Isabella sold Matilda many things in the past.
In her subconscious, Matilda recognized Isabella as friendly, not knowing the trap she was walking into.
"That was quite the distance. I suppose we are safe now." Isabella said.
"It was indeed. Are you alright, my Lady?" Matilda asked.
"I am, my dear. Something the matter?" Isabella was flattered by how Matilda was asking about her.
"It is just you ran in these high heels and could have hurt yourself." Matilda pointed.
"These heels?" Isabella looked at her feet and sighed, "If you knew how durable my feet are, you'd feel sorry for the heels instead. All those dancing lessons my mother forced upon me… sigh!"
Seeing Isabella put on such a face, Matilda was at a loss for what to say since it was her first time interacting this closely with Isabella. However, Isabella was no one if not the top social butterfly of Elgard. She switched topics almost right away.
"You have gotten too close to Vivian this time, you shouldn't let her catch alone like that ever again." Isabella said and assured Matilda by a kid pat on the back.
"But I never knew Lady Vivian would be so violent. It was as if she wasn't herself at all." Matilda said with a still worried face.
"I don't know either. Word among other ladies is that she started acting differently two months ago. Some say she started carrying guns and making tons of money. I don't know what has gotten into her." Isabella said with a worried face.
"It is saddening to see her this angry." Matilda said and looked down, "I know I offended her a few times and caused her pain but I swear on the name of all Saints I haven't done anything to directly bring harm to her."
"Tsk tsk tsk. That's unfortunate! Some people in the world, no matter what you do, will always have a bad affinity with you." Isabella displayed her "sincere" feelings to Matilda before asking, "You better be careful. Don't step too close to the Moore assets once again, who knows what will she do next time."
"Yes… of course… I know I shouldn't… it is just…" Matilda said and tried to explain herself to Isabella.
"Just?" Isabella looked at her then looked away with not much interest as she was checking the walkway they were walking in.
"I had to come to Lady Natasha. My life depends on what she has." Matilda said with a troubled face.
"Oh?" Isabella looked at her with bewilderment, "Then you could have gone for His Highness, I know you are close with him. Or maybe you could have asked Valentine, he'll do anything for you, that one."
"I am… I am sorry, I can't trouble you with this any further, Lady Isabella." Matilda said and tried to shake off the conversation.
"It's okay." Isabella said with a warm smile, "And please, drop Lady this and Lady that. You can call me Senior if you feel uncomfortable with informalities."
Seeing how humble and friendly Isabella was, Matilda couldn't believe she had run into such a "kind" person.
"Thank you, Senior." Matilda said.
"Oh, please. You are always welcome." Isabella said and patted Matilda's back as the two entered the area where the carriages were parked, "Also, you can come to me if you want something. Whatever you think Natasha Ivanov can provide, the De Clares can provide a ton more."
Hearing that, Matilda smiled but her smile was rather faint.
"It's okay, Senior. What Natasha has is something you have already provided and I am sure you have run out of." Matilda said trying to make Isabella look past it.
"Now you have made me curious." Isabella said and opened the carriage door for Matilda, urging her to walk inside.
Right away, Matilda walked inside the carriage and took a seat as Isabella started climbing behind her, but then…
"Senior, run!"
Matilda cried and tried to prevent Isabella from coming into the carriage but to her surprise, Isabella forced Matilda back.
"It is my Lady to you, commoner girl." Isabella said as she closed the carriage's door behind her.
Matilda was shocked to her core while looking at Isabella then looked at the other young woman who was already waiting for them in the dim carriage.
Vivian was already here waiting for them to arrive, sitting in the darkness all by herself, and only her pale face could be seen facing Matilda with a stone-cold expression.
"Hello, commoner girl," Vivian said as she stared coldly at Matilda.
Thinking fast, Matilda rushed to the other direction of the carriage and tried to open the other door that wasn't blocked by Isabella but as she opened it, she was pushed back in from outside.
"Sit back, commoner girl." Edith walked in after pushing Matilda inside.
Matilda was forced to sit facing Vivian and on her right and left sat both Edith and Isabella. Vivian simply tapped the carriage wall and the driver started moving immediately towards the outside of Natasha's mansion.
Matilda was frozen with fear as she was surrounded by three women of not just high peerage but some of the most dangerous backgrounds in the Empire. One holding her at gunpoint, another was a female knight with a strong physique, and the third was a cunning woman that fooled her into dropping her guard.
Most of all, Matilda was shocked by how Isabella played her and looked at her with disbelief.
"What? If you asked anyone, you'd know that Vivian and I are basically sisters." Isabella said implying that she never betrayed Matilda from the start and she was just acting.
"It's okay, Isabella. Our little commoner here is used to instigating betrayal wherever she goes." Vivian said while looking directly at Matilda's eyes.
"I haven't instigated anything, my Lady." Matilda replied with a shaky voice.
She even tried to hold her hands up to make her position clear but Vivian suddenly aimed her gun at Matilda's heart and Edith yanked her left hand away while holding Matilda's magic ring.
"You try to use it and I'll crush your finger like crackers." Edith said.
"Cracker biscuits?" Vivian asked.
"No, cracker sugar." Edith replied.
"I thought it would be cracker nuts." Isabella said.
"Now, I'm hungry." Vivian rolled her eyes then looked at them asking, "Tea and biscuits at my place?"
"A late-night tea party? I am game." Isabella said and turned to Edith, "What about you?"
"I still have some time left before curfew." Edith replied then looked at Matilda, "What about her?"
"Depends." Vivian said and a dangerous light flashed in her beautiful violet eyes, "Do you want a place on my table… or on my menu?"