17.0

“Are you sure you want me attending this death trap ball?” Eve said, her tone containing a barely noticeable hint of desperation. It wasn’t every day she got ambushed right after waking up from meditation.

She’d taken her meditation rest in Charlotte’s room after finishing Taylor Zienfer, the Vampire Lord, off earlier. That had been a small but critical mistake. The younger woman had quietly prepared the traditional welcome ball invitation. She had then closed every avenue of escape before Eve awoke. It was a diabolical trap of torture arranged by a vindictive psychopath with as much empathy as a dead rat.

“What if I accidentally snap and wipe out everyone in a mad rage? You wouldn’t want that, right?” Eve said, playing her final card. She was backing away towards the door, but the sound of a bolt sliding home from air manipulation met her ears.

“It would be a terrible loss, but others will carry the Zienfer name. Now, fix your clothing into a stylish dress. I’ve seen you shift it enough to know you can!” Charlotte said without mercy. The cruel girl had only ruthlessness when fashion among her peers was at stake.

Eve grumbled and altered her clothing under Charlotte’s supervision. She could have fled, but she had been distracted and agreed to attend when asked right after waking up from meditation. Since she valued her word, Eve had to attend. She also wasn’t allowed to kill anyone without permission.

I’ll attend, but mark my words, I’ll have my revenge! Eve thought with an accompanying mental cackle. I should have never revealed I could shapeshift to this evil minion.

Charlotte had cajoled Eve into taking a less adult shape. She now matched the younger girl in height. There had been a short, swift dispute over asset size but it had ended in victory for Eve. The heir to the duchy had sighed and admitted defeat.

“At least with those melons on display, it will be hard for any of the boys to bother me.” Did the soon-to-ascend Zienfer Duchess speak the words?

Charlotte looked up from scrutinizing Eve’s clothing and said, “Father wouldn’t give me the real reason for the ball, but I’ve heard whispers the royal brats are attending.”

Eve smiled brightly and said, “Goodness, how wonderful!”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Charlotte asked with narrow eyes. Cast against the plush luxury backdrop of her room. It had a little sting.

“I told you; it took me so long to finish up that I forgot the time. When would I have a chance to zip over to the royal gardens and terrify two shorties?” Eve said glibly. She had no intention of admitting to terrorizing royalty.

“Oh? Since when did someone who barely knew about the elemental bloodlines learn about the Royal Gardens?” Charlotte said with a heated gaze.

Eve froze before she had an answer supplied by her beloved Tome, “I read it in a book.” Then pulled a history book out of the air. She was betting on the fact that Charlotte wouldn’t check too profoundly. If she grabbed the book and opened it, things could get dicey.

“What a convenient alibi,” Charlotte said, rolling her eyes as Eve put the book back into Storage. It took incredible willpower not to sigh with relief at dodging the metaphorical bullet.

“Truth is the best alibi,” Eve said, nodding sagely. Since she’d won the bet, she had to rub it in!

“You wouldn’t know the truth if it ambushed you while you were sleeping,” Charlotte said while adjusting Eve’s clothing to best display her pale skin, silver hair, and enchanting silver eyes.

“Truth is flexible. Like me.” Eve said, smirking. If she hadn’t been able to shapeshift, this death trap dress would already have strangled her twice over.

“Remember, we need to be polite to everyone,” Charlotte said, stepping back with a critical eye. “Please don’t murder anyone unless they assault us first. I will keep repeating this until it breaks through your thick skull.”

“A show of force would make them fear,” Eve said with a hopeful expression. She could probably take everyone in the room, bodyguards included. It would be a glorious slaughter the bards could sing songs of in the future!

They’d fear you right until you leave. At that point, the Zienfer house would become extinct. Who knows if that tree you want to plant will survive? Charlotte sent mentally.

Fine, I’ll be polite. But I'm taking steps if one noble boor bores me a bit too much. Eve said.

What kind of steps? Charlotte said.

I'll dose them with itching powder and warts. Eve replied with a sniff. Maybe something more exotic. It depends on my mood.

The mental conversation had finished in a flash, undetected to the eyes watching them. The various spells that were currently targeting Charlotte were a wide variety of scry spells. At first, Eve had wanted to wipe them all out, but Charlotte had convinced her otherwise.

In the younger woman’s words, it was better to know the watchers and learn their mana signals. From there, they could identify who was watching at the ball and selectively leak information. Eve agreed but drew a firm line at anyone attempting to scry them in the bathroom.

“You never did mention what happened to your previous clothes,” Charlotte said as she called in the maids to place the finishing touches on their outfits.

“I forgot,” Eve said with aplomb.

You forgot what caused you to be completely naked when you sprinted into my room before stealing the bathroom for two straight hours just after midnight? Charlotte said with a dead expression.

Yes? Eve said, looking innocent.

There was a moment of silence before Charlotte sighed and raised her hands in defeat. Eve gave her universe’s sign for victory before asking, “What should I expect at this ball? Fights? Intrigue? Assassinations? Diabolic Summonings? Oh! Perhaps you have ritual cultist meetings, and the ball is a masked one where svelte yet muscular men….” Eve noted how the maids blushed as she mentioned the last item. The women were like ninja maids, vanishing if you took your eyes off them for a moment. Then they would strike with lethal intent, tightening a bodice or adding more frills to the dress.

The fact that the maids knew what she had been about to say was telling. It wasn’t unexpected that the maids would dally with affluent, wealthy young men of nobility. After all, it was an easy path off the road paved with the crushing grind of commoner status. Eve would have taken it if she’d been lowborn. It was only a tiny dose of poison from that position to a wealthy widow, after all.

“No. None of that. Well, intrigue, maybe a fight, but seriously, what kind of nobility existed in your home?” Charlotte said with a curious tone. “Mostly, everyone will drink, eat a little, and either try to get in my good graces or have me try to get in theirs. This isn’t a royal party after all.”

The nobility had pretty much extinguished themselves out of existence back home. Eve said with a shrug before replying mentally and loudly, “Sounds boring. I can’t believe you want me to accompany you.” There’re only so many times you can marry your second cousins before hereditary diseases occur.

Charlotte blinked and paled as her composure slipped, “What?”

Eve looked long at the younger woman before saying, “Mistress, you are looking rather pale. Is everything alright?” If two closely related people have children, that’s bad. You have blood mages. Haven’t any of them told you this?

Charlotte’s face had a shell-shocked expression which told Eve rather succinctly that no, this wasn’t well-known information.

Well, go figure. It is admittedly hard to believe they wouldn’t know this. However, back home, people drank from lead cups and used mercury to shine hats. Eve thought with a shudder. I can’t expect everyone to ask the right questions, can I?

“I am doing fine. I’d love a nice long chat about the ramifications later.” Charlotte said with a deft recovery of expression.

“Sure thing,” Eve said with a sad smile.

The maids finished their final touches before bowing and exiting. Charlotte gave Eve a final once over before saying, “Make sure you have a staff with something sparkly and a big pointed hat. If you don’t have things like that, no one will believe you came from the College of Warlocks.”

“You don’t have those!” Eve said accusingly as her eyes narrowed.

“Of course not. I’m a noble Heir to the Duchy of Zienfen.” Charlotte said with a disdainful sneer. “Only commoners and lesser nobbles need such trappings.” The young woman headed to the bathroom to double-check her attire.

“Just you wait till I get my hands on eye of newt and fresh toads.” Eve muttered as she crafted a nice black pointy hat with silver runes, “I hope you all live interesting lives and catch lice.” It was written in the language of Tzandow’th that she’d learned from the College of Warlock’s Library raid.

No one would notice; even if they did, they couldn’t translate a dead tongue.

Probably.

Eve bound some salt into a large sparkling crystal before dying it with iron and titanium. It was the work of a moment to steal one of Charlotte’s bed posts and repurpose it into a mystical wooden staff.

A few minutes later, Eve had attired herself to impress as a professional spell slinger. Behind where she was standing, the canopy of Charlotte’s bed showed a marked disaster.

Charlotte exited the bathroom, looked at the murdered bedpost, and decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting. “Are you ready? Remember, don’t kill anyone. At least, not without consulting me first.”

“What do you think I am, some sort of murderous vagrant that wanders the world killing for food and drink?” Eve said, following the younger girl as they exited the room.

“Strange how that would be what leaps first to your mind,” Charlotte said as they moved into the community room.

Eve muttered dark things about the wind elemental bloodline. She barely spared a glance at the men who were attired in relatively crisp suites. Ralph had picked out Justin’s clothing. The two College professors, Swift and Bloodwood, had also pulled suites from some dark hidden location.

Charlotte gave a bright smile at Justin that stunned the younger male before immediately gravitating to his side.

Make sure you run interference on any girls that try to approach Justin. Charlotte sent.

Yes, of course. I’ll just stand in front of them and smile. That usually works. Eve replied in a comical tone.

Charlotte slipped her hand into Justin’s arm, leading him away without speaking. Ralph looked deeply troubled but followed with impeccable manners. Eve gave a charming grin at the two professors before she said, “Hell will freeze over before I let either of you idiots chaperone me.”

Swift and Bloodwood both gave startled expressions as they realized who Eve’s shapeshifted younger form belonged. She didn’t bother saying anything else as she quickly sped after Charlotte. She was cheating by floating a few centimeters off the ground to avoid tripping in the dress Charlotte had chosen. It was an entirely fair and logical use of mana.

I can’t embarrass Charlotte by tripping into this death trap. Eve thought using rational logic. How would it look if the personal servant of the Heir couldn’t defeat the Dress Raid Boss?

The trip through the castle was quiet, although it was pretty obvious when they got closer to the banquet hall. Before, the corridors had been sparse with servants. Now, they were practically streaming in two directions. It was a pleasant experience to have people part the way, almost as an unconscious reflex.

Charlotte reached the central doorway into the banquet hall and looked at the man at the door. The well-dressed doorman moved as if electrocuted, opening the door and stepping ahead of Charlotte.

A moment later, Eve realized what was going on when the announcement, “Heir to the Duchy, Charlotte Zienfer, Lord Ralph, Handmaiden Eve, and Warlock Justin.”

When the doorman returned, he gave a sharp bow to Charlotte as she strode through. Eve was pleased to see the man intercept both of the professors who attempted to follow. Her ears informed her that the guards had joined the altercation right before the door closed behind her.

Glancing at the banquet hall, Eve was impressed. The party was currently perched on the left side of a double-funnel descent spiral staircase. It looked like someone had stolen it directly from a French castle. The banquet hall was practically carpeted with people dressed to the nines in all fancy clothing—everything from Victorian suites to Roman togas.

What can I say? There are only so many ways to wear clothes, even with magic. Eve thought with a mental shrug. At least there are only two with kilts here. It could have been worse.

Descending the staircase, Charlotte took command of the center of the room with exquisite showmanship. It didn’t hurt that she was accompanied by Justin, either. The young man’s looks had continued to improve as the talent of Blood awoke within his body.

Eve snagged a glass from a patrolling waiter holding a tray of sparkling drinks. Drink in hand, she cast a minor spell on the liquid to ensure it didn’t run out. Once that critical function was done, Eve took a position on Charlotte’s left. She passed a vacant smile and sipped her drink to look harmless.

At the same time, Witch’s Dust spread out through the room, quietly bringing private conversations public. She couldn’t reach every corner of the room, but she didn’t want to. It was enough to cover eighty percent. Nota handled the information overload feeding it back through the mental link to Charlotte.

Tier Six power, and I’ve been turned into a spy satellite. Eve thought morosely as she took a deep draught of her wineglass. I refuse to communicate until I am fully awake in all future mornings!

The conversations were mainly about either gaining Charlotte's support, allying against her ascension, or staying neutral. Eve had no doubt those neutral parties would be dealt with relatively quickly by the charming young heiress.

Eve resigned to a dull evening when a loud slap broke through the chatter to silence the room.

Turning her full attention to the developing situation Eve watched as Charlotte moved to intervene.