Every night, Roselia had been waiting. Waiting that she would finally wake up from this surreal dream. At first she thought that dying twice wouldn't matter but ... as she slit her neck with a sharp blade, the pain was still as horrid as back then. The unpleasant feeling of blade being grazed into her skin. Thinking about that made her tremble. Those nights of waiting ended up being weeks and those weeks became a year. A year had already passed and as she opened her eyes one morning,
"What am I hoping for ..." she sighed in an instant as soon as she opened her eyes.
She arose from the bed and scratched her head as she yawned widely. She barely dragged her feet towards the couch and laid comfortably. She fixed her bedhair and scratched her buttocks. She totally forgot that she's now living as a duchess for the past year. This fact didn't hit her yet as she kept on hoping for her to wake up from this reality.
Acting like a duchess was very tough for her at first. Acting dignified and elegant while maintaining supremacy, it was close to impossible for a such a normal person to achieve. But Roselia was different. She's not a normal person to begin with. For her this impossibility was easy as cake - walking.
Right now, there's barely a little time for her to spend on herself. Although she wanted to roam around the capital and ran above house roofs, Ian's scary presence kept her from leaving the mansion. Roselia can feel his horrifying aura whenever she tried to escape work. Roselia ended up stucked in her work for the past year with just early morning and late night as her free time.
As she began lazing on the couch, a loud knock interrupted her blissful morning. She flinched as she sat elegantly on the couch. Her expresion instantly went sour as she clicked her tongue.
[ Ugh! Let me enjoy my morning at least! ]
Expecting it to be Ian, she immediately changed and transformed as a duchess. If she won't act proper, Ian will ended up nagging on her until her ears bled.
"This is Grace, duchess. Can I enter?"
[ So, it's only Grace. That took a year of my life. ]
She sighed in relief as she eased up her posture.
"You can enter, Grace!" she yelled.
As soon as the big door opened, Roselia looked back and Grace's bubbly personality greeted her first thing in the morning.
"Good morning, Her Excellency!" she energetically greeted Roselia with her eyes smiling.
[ Ah ... Grace is really cute! ]
Roselia greeted her with a sincere smile as a response. "Good morning too, Grace!"
As Grace closed the door, her expression turned a complete 180°.
[ Oh ... Scary ... ]
Roselia's eyes dropped and her face lost its glamour upon seeing Grace's instant transformation. Grace approached her with a coordinated cadence walk and as she stood up and faced her standing still, Roselia can't help but gave a pent - up laugh in silence.
[ I taught them just like what I saw back then but to think that they changed drastically like this. This is too much ... ]
Grace gave me a salute and as soon as she dropped her hand, she immediately stated her business.
"With the Faques Family's sudden withdrawal from the third prince's faction, they were busy filling in the missing slot. And with the sudden shifting of power balance, the two factions ended up snatching each other's allies by bribing and blackmailing. We can safe to assume that the war between two factions already started, General," with an unsmiling look, she immediately went silent after.
Roselia approached her potted roses located in the balcony while Grace followed her every movement. Roselia reached out her hand and grabbed the scissor lying around.
"Then let's just watch them for a while. We just can't barged in when they're busy fighting theirselves. About those remaining servants, did you completely replaced them with our members?"
"Only two remaining servants were hesitant to leave, General. They've been also pestering me for the past days to grant them a private audience with you. What should I do with them, General?" she asked with a monotonous tone as she stood still like a statue behind Roselia.
"What do you think, Sergeant?" Roselia began removing thorns of her potted roses. "Do you think they've already noticed what was happening in the mansion?" Roselia added.
"I don't think they've yet noticed, General. Those two were stationed at the right wing mansion so ... there's no one who barely goes in the main mansion aside from Private Devil and Private Angel."
Roselia looked back at Grace as she momentarily stopped what she's doing. "Let's not underestimate them, Sergeant. Those two were children of nobles. If they already found out everything then they already have the reason to threaten us. Isn't that the reason why they wanted to have an audience with me? In order to negotiate?" Roselia raised one side of her eyebrows and grinned as she looked at Grace.
"Then should we eliminate them, General? Private Second Class Bambi and Casper were already ready to have their promotion so leaving this issue to them would impose no issue." she look back unfazed and boldly suggested.
"For now let's hear their demand. After that, let's decide wheither they're a threat to us. We can eliminate them easily so why not hear them out first?" Roselia continued what she's doing.
"Then, I'll grant them an audience, General." Grace bowed down and stiffly walked away. Right before she opened the door, she halted as Roselia called her from afar.
"Ah! By the way Sergeant Liza. Don't forget to change your expression before leaving the room," Roselia looked back and gently smiled as she concernedly said.
"Of course, General. Managing facial expressions was the first lesson we learned from you after all," she smiled and her broad smile reached her cheeks. "Then, I'll take my leave now, Her Excellency!" she opened the door and left.
As soon as she left, Roselia continued plucking the thorns of her potted roses. As she was concentrating in what she's doing, she unintentionally smiled as she completely plucked out the rose itself.
"As expected ... This is really not my style," she mumbled and let out a pent - out laugh.
During the past year, Roselia secretly established her secret organization called the Aztech. Just like modern day yakuzas, gangs and black organizations, she also created her own organization in this world. Aztech mostly consists of commoners and trusted aid of hers disguised as servants working in the mansion. After that maid firing incident, she started hiring orphan commoners and also began firing the remaining servants one by one. Those newly hired servants were trained under her sovereign and instantly became a member of the organization. For the past year, Aztech accumulated thirty - five members.
Aztech is a rank - based organization where higher ranking equals to more power. Aztech totally ignores people current status. Nobles or commoners, as long you're under the Aztech; your organization rank matters the most. Climbing through ranks is based on contributions given towards the organization. Highly classified information gathering, succesful secret missions and etc. As long as you passed them with flying colors, promotion will be assured. They can also shorten their promotion time by winning mock battles prepared by the organization. The Aztech ranking was based on modern day military that Roselia was mostly familiar of.
Back when she was still living in modern Earth, as a professional hired mercenary; most of her targets were highly ranked military officials. Planning to assassinate them perfectly and swiftly, browsing the rank chart of the military was for her; a common sense. That's the reason why she ended up learning about this naturally. She never thought that she'd also implement this system here in this world.
The Aztech is divided into three squads. The Action Squad who handles on site missions and are used in seeing blood as they are the one who do the killing. The Intel Squad who gathers information and are the one who mostly participates in stakeouts. The Recon Squad who infilitrates and disguise as servants on every noble houses not only to gather insider information but also to carry out sudden missions.
The members of the Aztech are mixed of fallen nobles and commoners. In this organization, Roselia's words is the law. In the past year, Roselia taught them everything she'd also learn back in the modern world. Basically everything that she always do and knew. Basic door picklocking, maneuvering on trees and roofs, basic wall climbing and gliding techniques, mastery of hiding one's presence, proficiency in stalking, different uses of cable wires and lastly, the most important, the basic human system.
Studying the body is the most important. An expert mercenary's skill lies on its proficiency to kill its target in one strike. Being knowledgeable in this matter really helps as they can easily locate where their knife should be place.
That morning, Roselia begged Ian to give her a one - day break. Ian was really reluctant yet Roselia persevered and succeeded. For the past year, she was stucked inside that room alone and did nothing but have a conversation with paperworks all day. Meticulously checking all the mansion's account for the past year, she clearly noticed that some money flowing inside were pocketed. The monthly expenses and servants wages were too strange. The numbers doesn't match and the numbers missing were too large. It's too hard not to notice such difference. Speculating from all of that, Ian worked with her to eliminate every servants and replaced them with a new one that they trusted.
Even though Roselia was a hired mercenary, she still dreamed and tried pursuing college. She majored in fashion designing but ended up dropping out on the second semester of her third year as she was tasked to kill foreigners living abroad. Even though her course was unrelated to numbers, she still knew how to compare and calculate. She took some math related subjects when she was a first year and she was really glad that it was really useful.
[ That time I thought that minor subjects were just pointless add on subjects that the school required in order to pocket money from students but thank goodness I was proven wrong. ]
Later that afternoon, Roselia was reading a history book on the couch very seriously and upon hearing a loud knock on the door; she flinched in surprise.
"Her Excellency, Lady Palladine and Lady Armenia wished to enter," Grace shouted behind that large door.
Roselia walked towards her vanity desk and pondered as she looked herself in the mirror.
"What face should I wear today?" Roselia mumbled as she caressed her face.
"This should do it!" her brows were relaxed that not a single bit of frow lines exist. She smiled broadly and her eyes sparkled in excitement.
"Let them in," Roselia stood in front of the door.
The door opened and Lady Palladine's determined expression made Roselia wonder.
[ Hmm? She looks serious about this. How should I play this one? ]
Behind Roselia's broad smile, she was already planning and thinking the overall possible outcome of their conversation.
"Priscilla Palladine is grateful for accepting our audience request, Her Excellency," she bowed down gracefully befitting to be called as a noble's daughter.
"Alice Armenia is grateful for accepting our audience request," Lady Armenia also did the same.
Grace felt that her presence was a hindrance. She bowed down hurriedly and closed the door from the outside. As soon as Grace left the room, they lifted their head in unison and looked at Roselia with determination.
"Please ... please let us join your boat, Her Excellency!" Lady Palladine's eyes widen as she placed her hand in her chest and let out what she greatly desired.
"Hmm?" Roselia was taken aback. She just scratched her chin and slightly tilted her head sideways. She was flustered yet it doesn't show in her face.
[ What in the world is she planning? Did she already forgot what am I to her? What are you up to, Lady Palladine ... ]