"The thing is, I hardly think that you could have achieved all of this on your own…"
"What do you mean?" Din Mallory started. At the most ridiculous time, he felt hope.
"You are just a little cog in a system, after all. A small piece of nail, left to rust and break if anything went wrong."
"…"
"What a pathetic role you have been assigned. What you have taken from me, I will take back from you a hundredfold. If you've taken a dollar, I'll grab back one hundred bucks, if you've taken a hundred, I will drag out ten thousand from your house, if you take what you took over the past decade…what do you imagine I would do? I am not known for magnanimity, Mr. Mallory, although it is obvious you've never heard of me.
"It is good that you are able to take me first hand, Mr. Mallory, for I will be sure to give you the full experience".
He gulped, and Libitina giggled. But to Din Mallory it was the laughter of the devil mistress from hell.
"So won't you tell me who has been colluding with you? Perhaps I will let you go with a lighter sentence. I will send a pardon to the judge who will incarcerate you. Maybe you will be out in two-three years instead of decades. What do you think?"
Din Mallory hesitated, his beady eyes swirling around in his head.
"You do realise that I have the full power to find out who your collaborators are?" Libitina said, her smile stretching wider. She continued tempting him. "You are simply saving us time. For instance, Stevenson."
Din Mallory's eyes widened. Tudor immediately informed Libitina about his increased heart rate and cold sweat, and the signs of escalating fear in the older man's body. Encouraged, she continued with her attack.
Unbeknown to her, a trickle of blue leaked into her eyes as she got more excited during the interrogation. The shadows in her eyes leaped, and there were monsters and screams that resonated in Din Mallory's head, magnified hisses and condescending jabs that surrounded him in the nightmare, although all the young girl did was to whisper her curses.
Din Mallory finally shivered and broke down.
"Yes, yes…I will…tell you everything I know and did."
Din Mallory spilled everything he knew, as promised, including the information on the mastermind from the Aristocratic Party. Libitina was taken aback at the new information, and she wondered if her father Gregory knew about this mole.
On the outside, however, her smile remained perfect.
"You've made the right decision, Din Mallory. I will see that the most merciful pardon is written to the judge. Peter, send him out."
"Save me…save me…Thank you, Lady Merveille, thank you, Lady Merveille…" his incoherent cries slowly faded as he was dragged out by Peter by the arms. Libitina shut down the recording jewel she had received from Sperenza and sighed.
The list that Din Mallory had given her was long. Unlike what she claimed, Stevenson, his closest supporter, did not spill any secrets, so she had to resort to Din Mallory. Unexpectedly, she had a good haul.
The northern fief was in for a huge cleaning up. Libitina was excited to tell Sydney how she had made use of what he had taught her in the 'negotiation' with Din Mallory. What fun, what accomplishment! She would never have this opportunity in her previous world. What a state she had fallen to.
Din Mallory would soon find out that no pardon letter will save a man from the number of crimes he committed. She would take everything back from him. The power she felt made her tremble. Out of fear or out of excitement, she did not know.
Just as she was thinking about him, the man showed up, peeking his silver head into the room.
"Hello~!"
"You were there all the time?" Libitina quickly recollected herself.
"Yes, I was waiting outside. How could I miss the show?" Sydney yawned. "You can pass the recording jewel to me. Besides, it's about time to leave for the Shantire's and I arrived earlier so we can go together."
Libitina nodded and called out. "Sabrina, are you there?"
"Yes, My Lady!" the cheery brown-haired girl opened the door and hopped in with before bowing. "All hail Master Syder too." Syder was Sydney's alias this time round.