"I do apologise for Julius' behaviour," Lady Cyllenium remarked, giving a courteous wave to one Elyza recognised as a painter, whose self-portrait she had helped steal back a month or two ago, but her full attention was on the woman guiding them, "I would've stationed a butler to look after him, but his involvement was... a last-minute decision."
Elyza simply nodded, following her example, her eyes still locked to her figure, unable to pierce the visage she had constructed, replying, "No need, Lady Cyllenium, if anybody is to blame, it is Joanne, she should've warned me that someone of his character would be present on this day."
Her partner sighed at her accusation, a part of him mixing in with his character as he did, "I expected that Princess Annabeth would be attending the event, she is far more trusted by the Emperor to handle diplomatic procedure."
"Are you deflecting blame, Ms. House?" She remarked with a smirk, relishing her position for the day.
"Of course not, Lady Adler, I shall strive to be better."
"Nevertheless," Their guide's voice snapped both their focus onto her, for the first time her words sounded the way Elyza had expected them to do, perfectly crafted, "While I have never heard of you, or what you represent, it appears that establishing a relationship would be beneficial for both parties. So, in failing to predict this indiscretion, I have given you an advantage, and for that I do apologise."
The crowd around them had dwindled the longer they walked and as the last words left her lips, they were standing in front of a tent set up in the corner of the room. It was draped with purple fabric, tassels hanging from the edges, with a door made with beads. A woman dashed out from within, hitting the man running after with beads in his eyes, forcing him to shout blindly, "Linda, he's lying! You have to believe me!"
"Is this..." Elyza began, scanning the candles on pedestals, the stars woven into the fabric and the crescent dotting the bead ropes, "A fortune-teller's tent?"
Lady Cyllenium snapped her fingers, and a squadron of maids appeared around her, their steps almost silent, and a simple instruction was made, "Ensure nobody interrupts us."
"My retainer will accompany us, she can be trusted," She added, earning a nod from the Lady as she swiped the door aside, an unspoken command put forward.
As she followed her inside, her mind scanning for any information she had in the dossier Alex had made that could hint to the Lady being spiritual, she spotted a bald man holding his head in his hands, slumped over the table with a crystal ball in the centre. "Look alive, Mr. Smith, I've brought guests." Lady Cyellenium remarked, and immediately the man shot to his feet, the orb glimmering with coloured smoke as he did.
Their gaze met, and she stared into an endless void, a deep blue ocean, but unlike when Elyza had staring matches with her partner, it wasn't all consuming. There was no glimmer behind it, the spark of curiosity, they just looked tired of it all. Something reached into her mind, but before she could put up all her walls and catch the presence, it took her thoughts with her, the man responding, "I... I've been telling futures all day, I'm just a bit sick of it."
They both reached the same conclusion immediately, but her partner was quicker, "You're a... psychic." He was able to voice his frustration with the development perfectly for them both, something Lady Cyllenium swiftly noticed.
"The ace in my hand, I personally hired him on the day itself, just a minor precaution." She remarked, smugness dripping from her words, yet Elyza did not feel offended, even as she knew that the tides had shifted completely in the Lady's favour.
Alex pulled back a seat for her, a soft cushioned armchair, no doubt in her mind that it had been selected specifically to lull whoever sat down into a false sense of security, to let their mind wander. She adjusted her dress so that it would not crease under her weight, waiting for the Lady to take her seat first, which the psychic adjusted for her comfort. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts, thinking of alternative ways to approach the task in hand, her eyes trailing towards the psychic at the ire of her plans. He was grimacing.
YOU ARE READING
NEMO: Into The Depths
Fantasy"After you achieved your revenge, after that brief moment of ecstasy at finally doing it, killing the person who caused you so much harm, you felt empty inside. It's as if all the actions you took, all the sacrifices you made, all the people you cut...
