"How much further, Lily?" Evelina groaned as she dragged her feet behind the hyperactive twenty year old maid.
"Just two blocks from here, Young Miss." Lily replied, enthusiastically.
While Lily had the stamina of a hardworking maid, Evelina has lost the stamina which she had as a hard working athlete. Breathlessness, fatigue, muscle pain, hip pain and all such weird things that came along with the package of a petite body was way too overwhelming for Evelina. At first when she suggested an outing, or more like a secret mission, she was super hyped up about going out for a nice stroll outside. Little did she know that she would end up being accompanied by a heavy dress and a thick cloak for the journey.
While regular walking seemed tiresome at times, these heavy accessories are tons of boulders trying to bury her into the ground.
"Do they even realise that I'm too skinny to carry this?"
Eve thought to herself as she closely followed her maid and secretly envied the maid's lighter form of skirt.
"We are here Miss!" Lily exclaimed in excitement, while stopping abruptly on her way and making Evelina crash against her back.
"Ah, Young Miss! Are you alright?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, I am fine." Eve said , rubbing her forehead, "you said we arrived?"
"Yes, My Lady." Lily replied and pointed at the store across the street, "That is Madam Rose's store."
It indeed was the infamous Rose store. A rose engraved at the header above the door while the store itself seemed more like some local's house rather than a store. A two storeyed building in the middle of the hustling streets of the Capital City of Sol, could easily be missed for its dull outlook. But those who sought it, could easily find it, for this was no ordinary store.
Eve headed up to the door and whispered,
"Roses are red, Violets are blue, Blood is Gold because I have you."
The doors opened and the duo were welcomed by five bulky men. Wearing tight black armour with more than a few straps holding their weapons for them, they seemed like mercenaries hired to be the doorkeepers of the store.
"State your business, young lady." A man spoke up, his voice was intimidating enough to make Lily shake from head to toe.
"I have business with the Crimson flower." Eve replied.
The men in front of her clearly flinched on hearing her words. They gave each other a confused look. The man who previously spoke to them, whispered something to a henchman and sent him off. He turned back to them and politely said, "Please have a seat. It may take a while."
Eve nodded and took a seat while Lily followed her feat.
"Young Miss," Lily whispered, "How did you know how to get in?"
Ofcourse, Evelina couldn't explain the entire world war two of how she transmigrated into a novel she read in her past life, so she simply said, "The walls have ears."
Meaning, she overhead it on passing.
The Rose store of the Roseville street, was a store which every commoner knew about, for if they ever needed a job, this store would bring to them such opportunities. Commoners need to tap the door thrice to be let in. But that wasn't the case for nobles. Nobles obviously had no need to search for any menial jobs as such. But what they truly needed was information. Eve read about those lines once, when the mystery villainess entered the Rose store for information. Precisely speaking, she was thus staying updated with every information about the Crown Prince.
As Evelina and Lily were served with tea and biscuits,
a door swung open to their right. A lean figure wearing a maroon suit and a black tie, walked out of the room. She seemed no more than fourteen. Her crimson hair was the symbol for the Ivy lineage while her emerald eyes carried the traits of the House of Hansons. Her pale skin was accompanied with sharp features, which gave her an overall bold outlook.
"Greetings, Ladies." The young girl spoke, "The Crimson Flower greets you."
"The Turquoise Flower greets you." Eve bowed respectfully as she introduced herself.
She didn't reveal her name, but currently the house of Turquoise had only one flower. Thus, on hearing those words, the Crimson flower was clearly surprised.
"What brings you here, my Lady?" She asked.
"I shall convey my wishes," Eve said and looked at the henchmen and Bumpers surrounding the girl, "In a private place, perhaps?"
The girl understood the signal and invited Eve to the room adjacent to the waiting room. As Eve entered into the seemingly office room, the young girl shut the door, thus preventing both her henchmen and Evelina's personal maid from entering the room.
"Do speak, my Lady." The girl said.
"Sure. But first," Eve said, "Proper introductions might ease this air."
Saying so she courteously introduced herself again,
"Evelina Riverton, daughter of the Duke of Riverton, greets you."
The girl paused for a while before returning the greetings, "Medina Ivy, Daughter of the Duchess of Ivy, greets you."
"Pleasure being your acquaintance, Miss Ivy." Eve said.
"Your business now, My Lady." Medina spoke, a tone of impatience lingering in her tongue.
"I wish to be updated about every movement of the Imperial Case." Eve said as she took a seat in front of what seemed like a work-desk, " Including a copy of every document they might or might not possess."
Medina looked at Eve suspiciously before she spoke, "And what makes you think that the House of Ivy shall open-handedly support you in a case where we are the prime suspects?"
"Ofcourse, you are not the real masterminds of this issue nevertheless." Eve replied, "I am just lending a hand in helping the House of Ivy come clean of all such rubbish accusations and find the real culprit for this event."
"Why are you so confident that we are not the real culprits?" Medina asked.
"That's because," Eve said with a smile, "House of Ivy never makes a poison without a cure."
Though House of Ivy could make every kind of poison out there, they never experimented with anything in regards to soul corruption.The poison Avalina was served with was an extremely lethal poison which left no trace behind. It would just detach the soul from the body and infect the soul in a way that it could never re-enter the body.
"And that's all the information Avalina replayed in her head during the last moments of her life." Eve thought to herself.
"So you are aware," Medina sighed, "I'll take it that you are as well aware that the poison you have taken truly has no cure. You might not have much time to live."
"You don't need to worry about that," Eve replied, "For, my body is free of that poison."
"Wha-what!" Medina stuttered in disbelief,
"That's impossible! How?"
"That is for another time," Eve said as she got up from her seat, "I hope I get updated well, Miss Ivy."
Saying so, Eve faced the door when Medina called from behind, "I hope your highness trades fair. An eye for an eye."
"And a tooth for a tooth." Eve smiled and took her leave.
"Now that one issue is taken care of," Eve thought to herself, "It's time to deal with the serpent himself."