Aefia stepped out of her room, wearing the clothes that were supposed to be for the banquet. "Aefia! Just how rich do you think yourself to be!" Ms. Avry spoke as she shook her like a toy mannequin. "And what is this on your forehead! A bruise! When did that happen! Get Helio!" She shouted to the others as she fixed her top hat on her head.
"Ms. Avry, don't hype me up. I don't know what the Duchess has planned for me. A trial, an execution or a battle with a gigantic monster...I am not getting a good feeling that it is worth what I am going for...But if I don't go, it will have my throat slit. Ugh! This life isn't worth it!" Aefia spoke as she stopped her and took the top hat off while sitting down in the couch.
"I don't know that too. But the Duchess only treats someone like that if she likes that person, you might just be chosen for a very important role that she thought it best you are smart enough. You heard her say that you were smart, didn't you?" Ms. Avry spoke trying to calm her down.
Helio came rushing in the last minute. "I am here, what's the mat-ter?" He looked at Aefia as she flashed a red eyes at him. "She seemed to have gotten a bruise in the middle of her forehead, and she is going to meet with the Duchess." Ms. Avry spoke as she pointed to the redened part.
For some reasons, Ms. Avry thought it best to have her hair in a split banged style, saying that the reason was because it managed the top hat part well. And that just added more tension to Aefia as she just stared at her with gritted teeth.
"I mean...it was supposed to happen because she smacked into a pole three times yesterday." Helio laughed as a paper plane suddenly flew with fast speed, a few centimeters away from his right ear. The plane slammed into the wall, while removing a little bit of the paint along.
Aefia sat with her legs crossed. "What can I say? As expected from a human who is just delaying the work." She flipped open her pocket watch with a click and checked the time written on it. "It's ten already. The castle is...fifty five minutes away from here, am I right?" She said as she stood up and removed the shealth tied next to her belt. "I am leaving this. There isn't a necessaity for it." She said while setting it down and picking up the top hat.
Helio slammed his palm onto Aefia's forehead and let her go after a few seconds. "Done. Now you may leave." He said while seeming proud of himself. Aefia slammed a fist into the side of his face as Ms. Avry grabbed her other arm. "Just what do you think you are?!" Aefia shouted as her top hat toppled off her head. "You were the one who slammed me into the first pole yesterday! Elder brother!"
Ms. Avry looked with a shocked expression at the two of them. Then, a smile popped on her face, "You two are almost like blood related siblings honestly, which is most representable by the way you two are fighting." She laughed.
"Yeah, I don't have the time to deal with dumb people like him. Anyway, I need to get going. Wait...I have skills now, I can just freeze time and walk there, not caring about anything in this world. I will unfreeze it back when I am a short distance away from the castle." Aefia said as she snapped her finger and picked up her top hat. "Then I will stay for a while...maybe even have breakfast before I leave."
As soon as she tried to walk away, Ms. Avry stood grabbing her arm. "What are you doing? I am escorting you, now let's go." She said as Aefia realized how she was wearing a gown, a very pretty navy blue one. "I have hired a carriage already, so it wouldn't be a problem too."
"Thanks, I guess?" Aefia said she looked at Ms. Avry with another angle. She left behind her as she turned around to flash another warning sign at Helio, and noticing how Cindy was waving her hand too. Bye Cindy, hopefully you can look after the things for me while I am gone, Aefia waved back with a smile.
***
Aefia jumped down from the carriage first, as her heels clattered against the ground. She held out a hand out to help Ms. Avry out next, while bowing and using one hand to hold her top hat from falling. "Allow me." She spoke jokingly. The guards around laughed. "Aefia, your jokes are completely out of topic, aren't they?" Ms. Avry smiled while getting out, but without her help.
They stood outside the carriage with their heads bowed, as Aefia brought down her hat while holding it, the way Ms. Avry had taught her. The duchess was already outside the palace's gigantic gates, with three others behind her. Aefia didn't give a mind to any of them as fear made her forget all sorts of fun.
The Duchess approached them herself, with a smile as they were asked to lift their heads. Aefia glanced at her as she saw the bright blue dress, making her question if the dress code for the day was supposed to be blue and she glanced at her own uniform, a crimson colour. I mean, it's my only formal attire.
"That crimson colour completely matches your dark hair and dark eyes, it's an amazing choice of colours." The duchess spoke as she played with Aefia's tie, which was fixed by Ms. Avry just a few seconds away. What was wrong with it! It was just fine until you just made it worse!
"Anyway, let's get inside. It's pretty cold outside, am I right?" She smiled as Aefia shared a glance with Ms. Avry and continued walking. The inside of the palace was massive, the room which was supposed to be for the banquet, was at the other side of the palace.
"I thought, all families of the three states are coming?" Aefia asked as she whispered to Ms. Avry. "No, only middle and high classes are allowed. We are nearly middle, I hope you can already tell." She replied back.
"Yeah...I can already tell...making children buy their own expenses." Aefia whispered back while folding her hands and making an annoyed face which slightly maddened Ms. Avry. She smacked her hands down like she was a eight year old trying to touch a glass object. Woman! Just let me live! I am basically trying to survive in a whole different universe and trying to go back to Earth as soon as possible.
They walked towards the other side of the palace, which felt like a twenty five minutes journey by car itself. They twisted and turned multiple times, and they reached the place they were supposed to be, a blank room. "We are here." The duchess spoke while looking at a Guard who was lowering a switch in the wall. The curtain raised, showcasing a battlefield in the castle itself.
Definitely got ideas from fantasy novels. These are where someone might get tortured, have to fight someone, or...yeah I don't know what else. Aefia stared with multiple thoughts rushing in. It's hard to believe, that someone like her would just see me outside the library as a coincidence, and just think I should be offered a position at her castle. Brilliant thinking you majesty, is that how you have elected dumb politicians as you have said yourself?
"Aefia, what if..." The duchess was handed a sword and as she unshealded it, a shiny line went across the smooth and polished blade. "What if I killed your relative? Would you kill me in return?" She finished the sentence with a grin.
"And what if I killed your mother? Would you kill me? Of course you would. But would you try to avoid it, yes if you get report before hand." Aefia replied with confidence as she slowly toppled on her feet. "While also, my mind is curious why you would ask it? Let me guess your majesty, that's the test isn't it?" She smiled.
"Very smooth thinking. You had all of them right, now answer this, what if someone were to plan a surprise attack? But left you signs of course." The duchess spoke as she sliced air with her sword. Aefia glanced back behind Ms. Avry and she pulled her out of the sword's trajectory and held the blade with her hand.
Ms. Avry stared with horror as she stood back up on her feet. "Your majesty, is this the test? The rest of loyalty?" She asked by glancing at her direction. Aefia stared at the shocked mentor. "What the heck? Does your survival instincts tell you that you should speak like that during times like this?" She spoke as she kicked the guard at his ribs and twisted the blade as she caught it mid-air by the hilt.
Aefia used her hand to wipe the blade clean as blood covered the hilt of the sword. "It isn't a loyalty test, its not a trap, its...trying to deduce how we might be useful." She said as she twisted the blade around her wrist and pointed it in front.
"Off with the two of them, they are smarter than we think." The duchess spun around as the guards all sent their blades into the air and threatened to slam them down. Aefia grabbed Ms. Avry's hand and ran towards an open space in between the circle formed. She pushed her mentor towards the exit as she stopped running. "You should go along, I think I have something left to finish."
Ms. Avry nodded and ran towards the balcony from the back. "You know Duchess Smod, you promised to give me one thing in return for my presence in this castle. Did you forget that?" She spun around and smirked at her.
"I did say that, but did you expect that I would really give you that?" The duchess replied back as more armed guards held out shot guns. Aefia held out her hand in a surrendering position, while also saying. "You may cut the act your highness. I know what this is about, its the library thing, isn't it?"
A few guards shot at her as she stayed still and just kept smiling. Suddenly, she crouched and pouched at one of the guard with her sword slicing through the gap in his armour. The sword came out of the other side, and she instantly took it out as she immediately dissapeared out of view and appeared behind another guard. Sling! And the body fell on the ground.
"To answer our questions, yes, I am the one who killed him. Yes, he was an outer world being and yes, I am too an outer world being." She spoke as she sliced air and the excess blood fell off the smooth surface. "And what planet I am from? That's a terrifying truth, but I am from Earth." She smiled.
A few guards shot arrows at her and most missed, except one which flew towards her head. She caught it, and snapped in half with her bare hand while letting it fall. "And one more thing, I can use magic." She smiled while stabbing another guard coming towards her from her right side. "But was it worth losing your soldiers for it?"
The Duchess, now terrified of the young girl, stared with shock. "I have nothing else to say, but I do have one more question. Why are you here if you aren't from around?" She spoke as a few medics came in to pick up the injured guards away.
"I have a very specific reason. The Torture Cell is coming here next, and you must have known why, am I right? And I know you are aware about this too. The man I had killed at the library, he was a trusted employee of the Torture Cell's leader." Aefia replied while sighing and lifting her hair with her hand to itch her eye. The colour contrast of this palace is blinding, honestly.
"So you are here to stop this world from the destruction?" The duchess looked with shocked eyes at the girl standing in front of her. "Is that why you need the Pandora's closet? But that is a two part thing that can only be used with another unidentified object-"
"The Sacred key, yes I have it." Aefia spoke as a bright golden key appeared at her fingertips, and in the next second it dissolved into the air. "Now, am I getting the Pandora's closet?" She asked with anticipation.
"Given how you fight, and you are an extraordinary person yourself, I guess I should say..." The duchess spoke while cracking her knuckles. "Not yet!" She said as she sprinted towards Aefia with her fist towards her face. But she stood still with an unbreakable smile lingering on her face.
Her top hat fell on the ground with a thud and a click as the ornament part of the hat collided with the concrete ground and broke. The side of her face didn't swell, but a drop of blood fell across her chin, she still smiled. I knew you were going to do that, dear Duchess.
"You didn't dogde nor fight back." She asked while confusedly looking at the girl's face. "And you are still smiling like nothing happened. Do you feel like challenging me?" She spoke while holding up another fist and grabbing Aefia's face by the chin.
"You highness, why would I try to attack or defend a royal's punishment? Am I not just a human who is low in status compared to you?" She spoke as she glanced on the ground where her hat had fallen. She spoke out, "nevermind, I guess I could have actually protected my hat. Ms. Avry will be sure to scold me for being reckless."
"I thought you were worried about your injuries more. But you really are a very interesting human, maybe just one more thing and I will let you go." The duchess spoke as she let her go and stepped back.
Suddenly, a bullet punctured through Aefia's back and she stumbled forward while holding her shoulder. Right, this crazy woman!
"Sleep well, Aefia." The duchess lifted her sword one more time into the air, and heavily brought it down.