Within seconds, the entire dungeon was wiped out. Due to it being the first stage, there was no final boss, so Aefia was free from worries for as much as until the next day. The worst day for the time when the monsters were going to start representing a boss, would be in three days time. And this, remembering how it was just a check-up on the situation, now meant there was two more stressful works left to complete.
The most recent task that needed to be completed was the stalker situation. She exited the empty battlefield and walked out of the crack formed in the space between the wall and the buildings. As soon as she had completely come out, glass pieces seemed to recollect and seal it. Upon noticing the closure, she abruptly turned her head towards the familiar figure sitting on top of a bunch of crates stacked.
"So...it was fast." The person sat atop what seemed to be a false throne, spoke with arrogance lingering in her voice as if she had been beside her while clearing the dungeon in just two moves. "Which Phase are you in? You don't seem like a rookie who just got their magic, it's only been four weeks, and out of them, only three you were present."
"You know?" Aefia smiled while leaning against a wall with her hands crossed. "I thought only your sister was the one who would bully me, but turns out, that the mother may had been the reason behind both of your spoilt behaviors. There is actually a famous saying at our country that went, 'parents are the reasons behind a child's movements'. Then are your parents a greed and self-esteemed?"
Suddenly, she erased all aspects of her emotions and started speaking. "For some reasons, seeing your face kind of reminds me of that dumb spoilt brat who broke my phone the day I had left Earth, and that too was the reason I had unwillingly chosen to join this unknown competition. I used to know your sister as Miss Encyclopedia, who memorized the entire book overnight to get class attention, not even academics."
The person in front of her smiled, as she crossed her legs and placed her hand below her jaw. "You seem angry at my sister, but what might I have done to you? You don't seem to know why I am actually here, do you? Otherwise I can just go back and inform the duchess about your exit from the palace."
"Do you think you can do that?" Aefia stared down at the person who was supposed to be slightly younger then her. "Even if you do, I won't give a mind to it. That woman didn't give birth to me, so I don't care whether she punishes me or kicks me out, I already have another place to go to." Her eyes silently began glowing red, despite her not actually using her skills.
"As a person who doesn't appear to acknowledge their true position in this world, I see you a little...pathetic. Don't you think you are a little careless about this offer you were given?" The girl in front of her spoke as she played with the seams of her long dress. It was knee length and pink with yellow accents, a colour which was hated most often to their family. It seemed that after coming to this world, she had gotten a lot of her freedom back too.
"I don't have the entire night to blabber with you, so cut to the chase and I really need to return to the palace. It's already four in the night." A response was thrown as she glanced at the watch on her hand with its cover open and ticking that sounded like a cricket. "I had already expected this much that you were rather jealous about my position now, and wanted very bad to be in my place. But now...your parents can't buy you whatever you want, because they are not with you."
"Alright, you got me!" The girl opposite her lifted her hand. "You are right that my parents can't bribe money in exchange for your position. But I can do other alternative things, so don't judge me just yet. I know you are protective of that position, so I will let this fly-by for now." She got up and wanted to walk away as her wrist got strangled in the grasp of another person's.
"If you want...do you want to swap lives for a day? But if you succeed, I will leave my place as a royalty to you. Like I said, I don't need it and extremely hate it, so it would be a very beneficial plan if you were willing to help along." Aefia spoke with her head lowered and her both hands wrapped around her wrist. Shocked, the girl happily nodded and skipped away.
And she is in fact really dumb, but at least I can play fool with her for now. She ran behind the sister and held out a hand. "Wait! Aren't you going to listen to what the plan is?" She shouted a little too loud as a few citizens of the neighbourhood started to wake up and instantly, the person spun around while holding a hand in front of Aefia's mouth and rushed back into the abandoned alley where the dungeon was previously situated.
"Did you really had to shout?!" Her voice shoke with soft murmers as heavy breathing was felt. "Firstly, let's exchange names." She let go of her hand covering the person's mouth and sat back down on the stacked bunch of crates. "Wawa, isn't that your name?" The reply sent the sister aback as she stared at the girl with an irritating gaze.
"That's a nickname set by my sister, but you can call me that. And yours? What is it? I heard Aefia or something?" The girl smiled as she slowly realized that the other person was in fact dumb to the point where it was possible to outshine her. A nod, and an expressionless face, that's all it took to make the opponent believe such a thing.
Cutting to the chase, there were multiple different approaches that were planned and eventually, they decided the most easiest out of twelve others were best suitable. Mostly of which were by the sister and the most devious out of what the overall were. "Alright, now that it is settled, I would like to head back now." A change in topic erupted and steps were placed.
"Why are you so impatient to leave for the palace again?" Wawa asked with a curious and suspicious gaze. With a smile, Aefia glanced at her watch and spoke out a lie, "I want to sleep, I am tried from all this fighting and conversation, I feel like my brain might give up in any moment now." She faked itching her eyes and waved a bye while walking back towards the streets outside the castle.
All these had to take place immediately after I woke up, can't it just give me a break? Luckily I have found a way for my seat to be taken and one more thing, did I just happen to wake up exactly the time the dungeon crack had appeared? Isn't it an issue that needed to be put into consideration from earlier? Her gaze suddenly shifted to the ground below her. Nevermind, my mind is too blank to think properly.
***
Aefia stood in place in front of her table with almost sleepy eyes, although she wasn't actually tired to be able to sleep. Her footsteps slowed as she glanced at the watch, seven in the morning. A few bottles of eye drops were placed on the table which she used every three minutes to wipe off the exhaustion. Her mind was completely blank as she rubbed her eyes, knowing how using too much would cause severe damage.
Honestly, they were filled with water instead and it could do no harm, as she thought of it. Her bed seemed like a threatening thing to look at and she flopped down on the sofa right in front, while leaning back, her jacket rustled with lively sound that kept her mind from falling asleep. The maid had woken up just fifteen minutes ago and was rushing around the palace, carrying food items sneakily inside to see if she had eaten.
Breakfast was just a one more hour and she knew that if not eating, there had a genuine possibility that showed starvation at the end. Immediately, while getting up, her mind spun around and made her fall back towards the sofa as it suggested lack of iron. But based on the doctor's note, she was perfectly fine and lacked vitamins, so maybe, iron was one of them within the lists of 'vitamins'.
Hesitantly, she glared at her left hand that went unnoticed to most, they probably already knew the story behind it and decided to stay shut. Hold on just a few more days, I guess by then I will be free to leave from this palace walls. Funny how I managed to fool her like that, and planned my escape route just by meeting her. Princess huh? Well I will give her the opportunity to feel like it.
She used her left hand to cover her eyes and sloped down on the slippery sofa. Within seconds, she had fallen asleep and when her eyes abruptly pulled themselves, knocking sounds could be heard from the doorway. Thinking it was probably the maid servants, she replied with an informal 'The door is open' remark.
Creaking sounds echoed as small footsteps were heard, they were familiar from last night's short escape. She immediately jolted up and looked at Henry, who rushed towards her and hoped onto her lap. Before he fell backwards, a pair of hands grabbed his back and he properly sat with no other movements. His small fingers traced the blackend part of her wrist and he showed a face of concern towards her.
"Did you fall last night? Were you caught by mistake? Did they punish you?" He spoke with fright in his voice, but knowing that speaking about the catheter in front of a kid might scare him for the rest of his life, Aefia flashed a smile and responded calmly. "No, I had actually fallen while trying to run on my heels. I am not used to it, you know?"
Henry's face relaxed while she soon realized that her hunger and sleep all had been demolished and this kid was actually making her day much better. Even when he is only eight, the mental age is still three or four. My cousin's daughter and son are the only people that pops into my mind when he speaks. They were a very annoying bunch but honestly, their speech made anyone's day.
Using her fingers, she combed the disheveled hair and used her palm to settle them down. After a long while had passed, a curiousity hung high inside her mind that brought up a question. "By the way Henry, why did you suddenly decide to visit me? How did you know this was my room?" Her mouth moved as words fell out towards the child's ears.
"Because...last night, I was a little worried that something bad might happen to you." He played with the chains tied to her sleeve and got down. "Also, I was wondering about a certain thing that had happened after I had returned to my bed room. It got my mind thinking even during my sleep and appearing inside my dreams too. So to remove that matter permanently from my mind, I came to confirm this by myself."
"And what is it? That kept you wondering for a very long time that it even interrupted your sleeping flow?" Aefia asked with a little interest towards the kid's words. If it had also appeared inside his dreams, doesn't that mean it were something very important to give a mind to? Let alone have a trusted adult know about this?
"Right after I had gotten into bed, Lewis stormed out of the room with angry face. I wasn't certain why he was like that, but it took him long enough to come back and when he did, something was strange with the way he spoke." Henry's voice turned suspicious as the words seemed to grab a little bit of her attention. If it were related to the bullying and abusive brother, then it was worth paying hours of time listening to it.
"When he entered, he seemed slightly distressed and made a face as if recalling a few particular events. I was scrolling through my downloads on the tablet and he flopped right next to me and switched it off, which was never done before. And then he said 'lets have a small talk'." A mocking face and voice was used around the quoted words which made her slightly pleased to hear. But thinking how they were by born brothers, she disregarded the fact, but still internally laughed.
"And within the next second, he was asking me questions about your personality. What I saw you as a sister, as a person, and what you are good at doing, I don't know, I can't recall if that's what he asked, but it was a question related to you." He spoke as a confused expression illuminated and all senses stopped around Aefia's mind as her eyes widened at the sentences that were spat out.
Her brain slammed itself against the inner walls of her skull and it made difficult the task to investigate the question secretly inside her mind. Using one hand, she slowly held the side of her skull while not letting Henry know. Her fingers scraped her scalp as her headache seemed to slowly subside. It had been like this for a very long time, during extreme shock, it seemed her thoughts would be blocked from all angles.
"Do you want to know what I replied? I said she is a smart person, good at hiding things and definitely...uhh..." He scratched the back of his head as Aefia slowly lifted the kid and placed him on the ground while offering a hand. "Let's put that aside, want to walk around? I will head towards the library in a short while so you can speak about it on the way."
Henry took her hand as he sensed trembling fingers and walked alongside her towards the exit of her room. Her eyes seemed a little shocked and her mind was probably blank, but at the end, the results that he wanted to confirm were, she was indeed mysterious as a person too.