When I entered the guest room, "Anna" was sitting at the table, radiating that fragile elegance she always seemed to possess.
Her face was hidden, which stirred a faint irritation in me. I had to exert tremendous effort to suppress those inappropriate emotions and keep my composure.
Any oddity on my part might alert her, and I couldn't allow that.
— Greetings, Anna, — I said confidently, extending my hand with the grace expected of the lady of the house. — You may already know my name, but I shall introduce myself anyway. I am Irina Nix.
— Hard not to know. Your reputation in the city is… quite loud, — she replied calmly, rising to shake my hand.
— Haha, I hope you don't mean "Forest Witch." Honestly, they're understating it. It's much worse! — I laughed, covering my mouth with my palm, and dropped into the chair opposite her with an elegant plop, inviting her to do the same.
Anna returned to her seat and, without delay, got straight to the point:
— As I told Mr. Sila, I have a way to increase the efficiency of the alchemy room.
But I had my own plans for how this meeting should go.
— Business, business, business… Why such haste, Anna? How about some tea? — I didn't give her a chance to object and gestured for Sila to fill our cups.
When the tea was served, a sweet aroma filled the room. With a brief glance, I let Sila know he could leave us, and once the door closed behind him, I turned to Anna:
— Until you try the tea, I refuse to discuss any deals.
The wait didn't last long. She immediately recognized the tea and, with her usual composure, took a small sip without revealing her face. A subtle shift in her gaze told me she was pleased.
— A pleasant choice, — she said evenly, still staring into her cup.
— Rubellite tea, — I clarified, pointing at the teapot. — Its fragrance is so delicate it's hard not to fall under its charm.
— The chess set isn't here by accident, is it? — she nodded gently toward the nearby board.
I put on an innocent expression:
— Honestly, I rarely come into this room. I've no idea who left it here. But since it's here… shall we play?
— Very well, — her response was brief, but in that one word I sensed a hint of amusement.
The game began without further conversation: Anna chose black, leaving white to me.
I opened with a sharp e4, preparing the ground for an aggressive offensive. Anna, true to her nature, countered with e5, as if erecting an invisible wall before my ambitions.
Her style became clear from the start: she built a dense, protective formation, shielding her pieces with almost maternal care.
Her pawns advanced slowly but firmly, forming a foundation for her stronger pieces. Bishops and knights guarded the flanks, while her rooks lingered in reserve, ready to reinforce at any moment.
I, however, immediately challenged her positions. My pawns surged forward, clearing paths for heavy pieces. I understood: to win, I had to attack, even if it meant making sacrifices.
Midgame brought tension flooding the board. My queen and bishops controlled the center, pressuring her king, yet Anna remained unshaken.
Her pieces clung to their defensive arrangements, as though she intended to play the long game.
I sacrificed a rook to lure her queen into a trap. For a moment Anna paused, analyzing the position, but she couldn't resist the bait.
Claiming the rook, she reinforced her defense — but exposed a weakness on the flank.
— You're too cautious, — I remarked as I made my next aggressive move.
— And you're too reckless, — she replied with a faint smile, moving her knight into position.
My attacks intensified, but Anna, like a seasoned strategist, countered each one. Her knights and rooks operated in perfect unison, blocking every path toward her king.
Yet her caution backfired. I exploited her hesitation, sacrificing another piece — a bishop this time — to break a hole in her defense.
— You're willing to lose everything for a single goal? — she asked, saving her king at the cost of one of her rooks.
— If the goal is worth it, yes, — I replied, pushing my pawn toward the final rank.
Anna remained calm, but her hand hovered over her piece just a moment longer than before.
She knew every move she made grew more dangerous.
My pawn reached the end, and a new queen emerged. Anna made a final defensive move, but her formation had cracked.
— Checkmate, — I said, placing my queen in the decisive position.
Her gaze froze on the board. She had lost, but I could tell the defeat didn't surprise her. Rather, it felt like a deliberate part of her plan — another test, not of me, but of her own intentions.
— You're too merciless, — she said quietly, pushing her chair back.
— And you're too cautious, — I replied with a smile, leaning back. — Not that it's a flaw. Your caution is strength. You're willing to sacrifice the small things to preserve everything.
She looked at me, a faint question glimmering in her dark eyes.
— And you? — her voice was calm, but held a shadow of doubt.
— I'm willing to sacrifice everything, — my voice grew firm, nearly unyielding, — to protect what matters most.
She frowned slightly, pondering my words.
— Is victory so important to you?
I laughed softly and shook my head.
— No. Chess doesn't reflect everything. It's just a game — an echo of ideas and strategies. But… — I paused, meeting her gaze — if in place of the king was someone dear to me, and the only way to protect them was to destroy the enemy's king, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd use everything to achieve it.
Her eyes flickered, and I noticed her fingers tighten against the edge of the table.
— Even if it costs you everything? — she asked quietly.
— Even if it costs me everything, — I answered without looking away.
A small silence settled between us as we finished our tea, each lost in thought. I thought about how much I enjoyed playing with her, while she — most likely — thought of her past.
As pleasant as her company was, I remembered she had work to do, as did I. So I returned to the matter at hand.
Setting the cup down with a soft clink, I drew Anna's attention and spoke:
— Twenty percent, right?
— Correct.
— How exactly?
— I'm not very talented in refinement techniques, so I turned to alchemy and array studies. A few days ago, I visited one of your alchemy rooms. And by using the arrays there, I noticed places that could be improved.
As much as I wanted to simply hand her the money, I had to stay in character and ask the question any businessperson would ask:
— Suppose this is true. Then why not use this knowledge yourself? Why sell it to us?
— I don't have the time, and I need resources, — she replied. — Is that answer acceptable?
— Quite. Then what is your price?
— Fifty kilograms of spirit stones and one hundred portions of herbs from this list.
She handed me a sheet, and I read the herb names aloud:
— Mortal Blossom, Alchemist's Love, Hidden Bindweed, Teargrass, Bone Lotus, Aralia of Strength, and Valerian Root. One hundred portions and fifty kilograms — a hefty price, but insignificant in the long run. Very well, if you truly increase efficiency by twenty percent, I will pay it.