***
Morning came and Lucy was entertaining Madame D'huile, as the woman reported her findings.
"My men did as told. They were even fast. Are you impressed? Eh? Eh?" Madame D'huile swung her legs playfully as she fished for Lucy's compliments.
"Tell me when you have completely uprooted the Tunsen wool factory," Lucy said and Madame D'huile pouted.
"I am already halfway there," she said and a shadow appeared.
"Has something happened?" Lucy frowned at the man on one knee with his head bowed, before her.
"You said to tell you when any of those from the Harnian Gate enter Juhntt. A man. We traced him to the palace. He is in the capital right this moment, should we move?" the man asked.
"Oh? They came here? Who would be stupid enough to work with them?" Lucy chuckled darkly.
"Oho! Someone made Lady Wickshire angry," Madame D'huile sang with puffed cheeks.
"This is quite good. They can serve as an added distraction. Return first," Lucy said. Her head remained lowered even after the man left.
"Shouldn't you be stopping them from entering This-side? Instead, you make a business of helping them enter. Almost all illegal hands that help Other-side cross over in Ekrom are your people, even those Mclears that escaped execution the other time. It's like you are the sincere and just government and the leader of the underground world too, Ehe, it must be fun," Madame D'huile said in a singsong manner. Only then did Lucy look up, her eyes clear and frosty as though she couldn't care less.
"They are going to enter anyway. It's better that way. At least I know who comes in," Lucy said.
"Who do you think they came to see? Oh, you probably already know who,"
"Only the prince will be desperate enough to fall for it. After all, he is trapped in the palace. Queen Raine has him under her thumb and the king has no objections towards this. He has been backed into a corner," Lucy said.
"Oh? How do you know this? I tried getting some tea time gossip from the palace, but nothing could be extracted from there. Ah! Why am I even asking? You always get all the juicy things," Madame D'huile looked wronged. Why would Lucy get all the palace gossip to fill her tea time and she could not?
"It matters not. Do not get distracted. You have work to do," Lucy scolded the woman before her, a viscous light flashing through her eyes.