12:30 PM
Avella Duchy.
The Duchy was already quite. Every household workers are busy doing their own jobs while the knight guards are patrolling every corner of the state from time to time. The Duke was strict when it comes for safety measures and trivial secresy that cannot be revealed outside, though because of this... Many assassins was always found dead every week outside or inside the Duchy without anyone knowing who killed them.
In a tree behind of the mansion which height was leveled to the second floor, five shadows of a human can be found on its branches. They stealthily jump through an open window while quietly checking the surroundings incase someone might saw them.
"Red, check the hallway."
"Yes."
Red immediately slipped in front of the door and open it slightly. No one was walking through the hallway. Only a small crystal light bulbs behind can be found in the wall that gives light every surroundings in each vacant rooms. Red sighed in relief and called the remaining other girls.
"Blue, lead the way to her room."
Violet commanded while paying attention to the surroundings, Incase some assassins, knights or whatnot is patrolling.
"Aye! I remember what the knight said earlier. Leona's room was in the second floor, second to the last!"
Blue exclaimed.
"Let's go."
Yellow.
——
"My lady, is there anything you need?"
The pretty maid asked while standing behind Leona's bed.
The maid was named Namina Rosal. She came from a fallen noble family. She choose to work as a maid in Avella Duchy in such a young age just to provide her family's needs and dept. She was blindly loyalty to Leona Rael Avella, the only lady in Avella Duchy. She's ready to give what the lady wants and needs. Sometimes, she would even endure the lady's tantrums whenever her older brothers and the Duke won't visit Leona. For her, the lady was kind and beautiful but sometimes immature and spoiled. There was even a time when Leona whip her back and slap her face twice when she accidentally spilled a tea on her new dress. Even so, that didn't make her give up to her ladyship. She will still support her whatever she does.
But lately, her ladyship was odd. The Leona she knows before can't be seen in the present. It's like she change abruptly or someone is possessing her ladyship's body, but of course, for her... That was impossible. From the moment she woke up earlier, to how she walked, talked, to order a food and gazes of eyes was different!
She started working in the Duchy when she was just 11 years old but when the late Duchess give birth to Leona, she was chosen as one of her servant to take care of the lady until she grows up. It was almost 14 years and she knows everything about Leona from head to toe. But now, she felt strangely foreign from the way Leona moves and act. The most astonishing was that, her etiquette was perfect with a glimpse of elegance. Before, Leona was tought etiquette but even so, she just stubbornly ignored everything of what the teacher tought to her and chose to walked like a child from a peasant household.
Leona was different today and she was worried. One must know that even if she's already twenty-five this year, she always thought Leona like her own daughter.
"Nami, thank you. You can leave now."
Leona warmly said while looking outside the balcony. Nami just slightly bowed her head with a worried eyes and turn around before leaving the room.
The room was silent. Only the huge clock was tickling nonstop behind the mirror. She was supposed to sleep but she can't. Her insomnia from her original body was being dragged here in Leona's body.
"Maybe, I should train this body to hold some swords, daggers or any other weapons."
She said while walking outside the balcony and lift her hands to see how delicate her fingers she have. It was astonishing to see how clean the nails are. Not even a scratched nor a single scar can be seen.
She immediately get the sharp flowery hairpin from her bright silver hair and look towards the door. She can sense someone else presence. Not from Namina but from the other person. She can even slightly hear their footsteps and movements. She is an assassin, so it's obvious that she can say that these people are assassins too.
"Who..."
Before she could say a word. The door burst open and Leona abruptly throw the hairpin through the door to hit the first person who would come in, in her room. The person who was hit by the sharp edge of the hairpin let out a 'Hump' sound and immediately dropped her body down to the floor Incase another hairpin might fly to her direction.
Leona's flexibility and senses are top notch even in the modern era, she take her right red sandal with a sharp heels and throw it out again on the door where the assassins was hiding, whom she have thought. When the sandal was thrown, it immediately create a loud bang and the sharp heel was pricked on the door's handle. While everyone is paying attention to door. Leona sneakily walked near to the assassins and grab her another sharp hairpin from the bed.
The five girls was shocked and tremble at the same time while seeing the heel of the red sandal stabbed on the door. They immediately thought of their heads instead if ever that red sandal was thrown to them. Cold sweat was formed on their foreheads while Blue was scared to death. She immediately began to think about the person who can make her feel fear. Their Leader!
Goodness gracious! First, a hairpin was thrown to her direction, now it was a heels?! She might die in the third time if the other person inside the room will throw something out again! She's the one leading the way, that was why if ever someone was stabbed first, it should be her, because she's the first one in the line.
She quickly regain her consciousness and lift the dagger from her pocket and decided to counterattack but before she could move, a sharp golden rose hairpin was point through her throat.
"Who the fuck are you? One wrong move and I will definitely slit her throat."
A cold female voice behind her back can be heard. A little blood from her throat was rushing down through her skin. She gulped speechlessly.
"L-leader?!"
Blue exclaimed. Her purple eyes widen while staring at Leona's appearance excitedly.
Everyone stopped moving and the atmosphere immediately change from tension to excitement. Even Leona was shocked when she heard what blue said. Her bluish eyes flickered in a sudden delight and she felt her heart soften when she immediately recognize the women in front of her.
"Y-you..."
Leona can't even utter a single word and tears suddenly flowed down through her cheeks. She lost her composure and subconsciously thrown down her hairpin to the floor. She suddenly felt warm in her body. This is the first time she feels these kind of feelings since she first arrived here in this oddly world.
All the girls surrounded Leona and hugged her tightly. Sniffles and cries can be heard in Leona's room.
——
"Father."
Callel greet his father who has a gloomy expression on his face.
"Where's the other one?"
Duke asked with a cold voice that anyone would shudder in coldness. Luckily, Callel was accustomed to these.
"He's busy preparing the knights who will guard Leona to Barony for tomorrow."
Callel nonchalantly answered and lean his back to a table while staring intently at his father.
"Call him and Leona."
The Duke said with an authoritive tone that makes Callel frown but still ordered a maid to call his siblings.
Several minutes later when Leona and Drazel arrived in front of the office of their father. The Duke. Drazel gently caress Leona's hair and smile softly. Leona was unaware of Drazel's thought and proceeded inside the office to see the Duke.
The office was wide and every walls and ceilings was carved in a blue snowflakes. The surrounding was filled with books and documents that makes anyone dizzy. Leona walked beside Callel and Drazel was beside her. Leona was the center between her brothers. All three of them have the same silver hair and beautiful features. Even the Duke who was gloomy earlier suddenly change his atmosphere with a calm demeanor when he sees his children lining up in front of him.
"Drazel."
"Yes, father?"
Drazel slightly bowed and straighten his back after.
"You will command one hundred knights to find the missing five young ladies in our territory. Two days from now, knights from another families will arrive here to help you. Make sure to supervise their every moves. If ever they do something funny, you already know what to do."
"I understand, father."
The Duke immediately look towards Callel who was busy playing Leona's hair. He suddenly felt goosebumps and stopped holding Leona's hair who was frowning by her brother's behavior.
"Callel, you were the one who will control our business. Make sure to check every time how much core we collect by buying it from the adventurers and merchants in our territory."
The Duke said and throw some documents in front of Callel.
The core came from the center of a demonize animals in which giving the demon a little bit of mana. Core has many different colors with different specialties. Light red core was just a basic core that can be found on a weak demonized animals such as rabbits, chickens, or any small kind of animals that was easy to kill. Red blood core who was redder like a color of blood was categorized as strong demon such as snakes, bears, tigers or any other dangerous wild animals. Dark core is the most strongest but the most important core for humans. Dark core can be found on a strongest demons, which was filled with so much hatred and fear from humanity. Dark core demons has a reddish skin with a ferocious red eyes. They eat human flesh and drank human blood. They're hard to deal with, the only thing that can kill them instantly is to cut their head off or break their core, but since their core was so important for making weapons, shields, potions and etc, humankind only choose to cut their head for money. Also, their skin was tough and demon's fangs and horns are hard, these is one of the ways on how the adventurers get their income to live everyday.
"I understand, Father."
Callel replied respectfully.
"And you, Leona."
His voice was cold as usual but without a slightest indifferent.
Leona didn't flinch nor flustered by his tone. She just stand proudly while facing down her face.
"Father..."
Her tone was cold as ice. Everyone around her was stunned and looked at her direction including the Duke. They thought that they were just hallucinating but after seeing Leona's expression. Her face was emotionless. Even her aura was different and profound like a person who hasn't any care around her surroundings.
Drazel and Callel immediately felt anxious and want to hug Leona. They thought that there was something abnormal from her behavior and they were worried sick about their only lovely and innocent sister.