The curfew had been lifted and the capital started buzzing with activity. The headmistress sat in her carriage, approaching a store in the lower town. She was angry and in haste to deal with that little Wickshire girl. How dare she disrespect her in that manner? The maid, Taylor, had gone to bed and disappeared the next morning. The half-written letter on her bed was a spit on the headmistress' face. She knew this was the work of Lady Wickshire; a lazily done work at that. It was as though the lady wanted her to know that she had done it. She sneered at the thought. A warning? For her? She had no intention of taking such an insult sitting down.
The last time, the little lady's nanny insulted her so publicly. Mothers started to tell their husbands who had power in court, to close down school; as it was unnecessary. There was nothing they could not teach their daughters at home, they had always known that, but the way that Nanny Han had spoken made them wonder if it was worth it. She was just a rich matchmaker and she favoured those she found appealing. Why waste their time if they don't get the marriage match they want? Isn't it better for the school to close down?
The carriage stopped and she stepped down and entered a store by the side of the street; her face veiled, as she did not wish to be recognised. The store was closed, so there were no customers. She entered to meet a wealthy dressed man. She recognised him; he was one of the followers of the dethroned queen.
"Lord Rhog, it is good to see you," she said.
"You said you wanted to meet me?" the old man asked impatiently.
"How is the queen? Is she alright?" the headmistress asked.
"How is that even a relevant question? Did you call me here for this?" the man asked.
"No, I wanted to know, if the plan to handle Lady Wickshire is still in place," she said and Lord Rhog laughed.
"You are still thinking of your interest at a time like this? Let me tell you, the queen is doomed. I received information that her brother, the king of Northern Lan is in the capital. Still, he has refused to go see the king and try to negotiate for the release of the queen. Even if she is released, she could never be queen; as The Religion see her as an abomination. You have no backing anymore; don't you care for your life?" he asked.
"My life? I only want to know if you are still working on the plan. Handling Lady Wickshire is not only in my interest, but yours too," she said.
"This is why women should stay home and have children than deal in matters of men. Are you stupid? Lady Wickshire must have been the one that set up the queen to that state. You were not there in court. It was a plot with no holes. I will not involve myself in this anymore. What if she decides to handle me next?" Lord Rhog asked.
"You expect me to believe that little girl could set up and bring down the queen? Have you lost your mind?" The headmistress snorted.
"You have always been a stupid woman. You feel yourself smarter than all. You have no idea why the entire kingdom, even The Religion don't dare to handle Lady Wickshire. Stay and feel proud. When you die, remember my words. You will know it is her handwork when all things start to crumble around you," Lord Rhog said and left.
"Coward..." The headmistress sneered. Though she was curious why people feared that girl, it was nothing more than curiosity.
"True... you don't need him," a voice said, startling the lady stiff.
She turned to see a man come out from the back room.
"Who are you?" she asked
"Who I am, does not matter. I just know that the queen had already made plans. You just need to finish it," the man said.
"What do you mean?" The headmistress frowned. From the beginning, the man had not stepped into the light. He remained by the door of the back room, in the shadows, so she could not see his face.
"The queen had invited some assassins to handle Lord Torgenn. Are you interested?" the man asked.
"Tell me more,"
"She had invited assassins to wait in the capital. Lord Torgenn is as good as handled the moment he steps into the capital," the man said.
"Why would I want to harm Lord Torgenn? He is not my target," she asked.
"You may really be stupid like Lord Rhog had said," the man said and the headmistress frowned.
"Lord Torgenn is the key to Lady Wickshire's fall. A girl that young cannot hold a title without her father," the man said and the headmistress's eyes lit up.
"The queen had already made a motion in court to have titles return to the crown if a lady loses her guardian. Though the king did not accept the motion, he promised if that situation ever came up, he would look into it," he said, "The assassins only need your word to make it happen. Are you interested in this deal?"
"A deal needs both parties to benefit from it. What do you get out of this?" she asked.
"You need not know this. You only need to go there and use the password; 'fallen trees', to order the assassins to move," he said.
"Fallen trees... How do I know to trust you, if you don't tell me who you are and what you could want from all of this?" she asked.
"It matters not. You can decide for yourself whether to go or not," the man said then started to turn away.
"Wait!" she said and he paused.
"What?" he asked.
"Where is this place and how do I get there?" she asked. Even though she was suspicious, this was a chance she could not miss.