Eliz actually finally had a chance to see all the main characters up close.
She saw a scowling Gray, who looked like he was about to pounce on her and tear her to pieces.
It was no wonder. Gray was someone who had a sense of justice, and if he was convinced Elizabeth was evil, he might be inclined to beat her and throw her in the dungeon. He was not the kind of man who would stop just because the opponent was a woman.
On the other hand, Eliz had very different tastes in men than Elizabeth, and if she had to choose, she would like Donovan better. She considered the refined-looking man who rarely showed few violent tendencies. On the other hand, he could easily win a debate; even at this age, older men invited him to debates. Eliz touched her lips to hide an amused smile. But Eliz also knew about his little hobby that he kept secret from everyone. She wondered if she should use it against him. Donovan looked at Elizabeth when he felt her gaze. For some reason, it sent an icy chill down his spine.
Finally, she glanced at Chad, who was the least attractive to Eliz. It was not that he was not handsome, but his fiery manner seemed somewhat intimidating. Eliz understood that Chad was having problems at home, but he should not take it out on everyone around him. Eliz could only blame it on the fiery blood of youth when it was too early for some young men to learn how to manage their feelings. Chad snorted snidely, and Eliz resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she glanced at Selene.
Selene rolled her eyes again so that her expression could not be seen, but Eliz did not doubt that the way she clenched the fabric of her skirt and her clenched fists trembled a little was not from fear. She could understand, however, that the young men in the room might have seen it differently. Selene was truly beautiful, and with her golden hair, she looked like an angel missing only a few wings.
Eliz would love to send her to heaven... not that she really wanted to kill her. She always thought she was a really pathetic main heroine. But it turns out she's probably just playing that? How much fun is it to play such a loser?
Eliz let out a long sigh that drew everyone's attention. "I think it is no longer necessary for you to linger here. I will escort you to the exit."
Selene looked at her, regained her composure, and gave her an innocent look. She turned to Gray. "Gray... but Eren..." She almost whispered.
Gray looked at the sad Selene, then glanced at Elizabeth, who was watching them disdainfully. He gritted his teeth.
"Please, can we talk to him for a moment?" He asked.
Eliz raised an eyebrow at this request. "I think I have made myself clear enough. I am not the one punishing him. Then you want me to bring the Duke here to make the request? Let us see how happy he is that I am taking him off his work for a bunch of young people who can not understand clear instructions."
Gray clenched his teeth tighter until his gums ached. Donovan put a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do about that. Elizabeth is right. We cannot bother him if these are the duke's orders; it's against etiquette."
"But Donovan, we can not just leave Eren behind. He's in trouble because of us!" Protested Selene even more forcefully. To Eliz's surprise, Donovan shook his head. "I know, Selene, but we will not get anywhere if we insist."
Eliz stared at Donovan again; this was interesting. Neither of them seemed to be entirely under Selene's control, no matter how she did it. She had toyed with the idea of influencing Donovan a moment ago, but now she was actually considering it.
Selene suddenly looked at Eliz with pouty lips. "I know it's because of you, Elizabeth. I do not know what you have done, but Eren suffers because of you. We are not going to let it happen."
Eliz stared at her for a moment, noting that all pairs of eyes were also staring at her with disapproving intensity.
"Pffff...." She did not hold back and burst out laughing.
"Hoy! What are you laughing at, you witch!" demanded Chad angrily.
Eliz had to laugh even louder. "Hahaha... aaaahhh... you guys are hilarious." She tapped her palm on her chest to calm her breathing.
"What was I laughing about, my dear Chad?" She repeated his question, and Chad winced uncomfortably as she addressed him as 'dear.'
"Laughing at you, of course. You came here the next day after trying to humiliate me in public. You make demands, you threaten, you slander me again. How pathetic do you want to be?" Eliz shook her head and folded her hands on her chest before fixing them with a cold stare.
"Get the fuck out of here already!"
Everyone gasped in shock at hearing such harsh words from Elizabeth.
Eliz, however, did not care; she walked to the door and opened it wide before turning her head toward them to give them a clear sign to leave.
Tears rose in Selene's bright green eyes, and with her head down, she made her way to the door. "Huuu... huuuu..." She let out a soft whimper that caused Eliz to roll her eyes pleadingly, begging an unseen force for patience.
Gray and Chad followed Selene, and Donovan was the last to leave. Eliz followed them to the exit to ensure they were leaving and not trying to get to Eren somehow. From the way Selene glanced back once, Eliz could tell that Selene was considering it.
So she stabbed with her purple daggers, and Selene quickly turned away.
Eliz walked to the front door, which she opened herself, and waited impatiently for them to leave. To her surprise, Donovan stayed behind and bowed slightly to Elizabeth.
"I apologize for the manner in which we entered your home. I also apologize for our behavior, which was more than inappropriate." He straightened up and prepared to leave.
Eliz thought about it, she had considered grabbing Donovan before, but that was before she got pissed off. Now the apology helped, and she sent the thought into play again.
"Donovan." She addressed him, and he stopped. He looked at Elizabeth in confusion. Elizabeth stepped closer to him. "Because you apologized, I forgive you. If you want to see Eren, I can arrange it only for you." Eliz tempted him.
Donovan pushed his glasses up his nose, his expression suspicious. "Just for me? For an apology? What are you up to?"
Eliz frowned, stepped back again, and crossed her arms before her chest. "Are you suspecting me of something again? Watch yourself, Donovan. I do not forgive twice. You were the one who insisted on meeting Eren. I am giving you the opportunity. Take it or leave it. It's not like I care."
Donovan watched Eliz and thought. He suspected it was not just that, but she was right; they were the ones pushing the whole Eren thing. Elizabeth did not need to do anything.
"All right, then. Is tomorrow morning okay with you, Elizabeth?" Eren agreed, even though he had his doubts.
Eliz showed no emotion and just nodded as if she did not care. "Of course."
"In that case, I wish you a good rest of the day, Elizabeth." Donovan bowed slightly like a gentleman and followed his friends, who had not noticed his absence and were arguing about something between Gray and Chad.
Eliz closed her eyes and turned away from the door. She allowed herself a smile and waved her hands contentedly like a villain.
A single pair of green eyes stared at her from the shadows.
*****
Donovan stopped and looked back at the estate. The Von Roseblood family estate was huge. Of course, it was to be expected of someone like Duke to own a large estate where he lived with his family.
The mansion had several floors with large windows that let in enough light to not require mana for lighting during the day. He noticed, however, that the Duke was a bit backward, as he saw several old oil lamps that were obviously still in use. Donovan did not condemn this; he liked the old ways, and a house lit by a simple fire had its charms.
The building was painted shades of blue and gray on the outside and had been well cared for. It had only recently had to be repainted, as the colors were still strong and bright.
He looked around at the blooming garden full of roses, tended by many gardeners. He had never understood the obsession with flowers, even if they were pretty to look at, so he just saw it as a waste of money that could be put to good use elsewhere. Donovan lacked the romantic spirit.
As he walked to his friends, he thought of Elizabeth. He had never thought of her as particularly intelligent, and although she was pleasing to the eye, he could never befriend someone he could not talk to. He had been friends with Gray before they met Selene, and they had never really spoken. Elizabeth had a different effect on him today. She spoke reasonably, and despite her outburst when she used indiscriminate words, he could see the logic behind her actions. He had no idea what she was up to when she invited him to visit Eren without the others, but it was an unexpected concession on her part.
"What's wrong?" He asked when he reached Chad, Gray, and Selene.
"We are figuring out how to get to Eren." Replied Chad.
"Selene suggested we sneak in at night." Said Gray hesitantly, and Donovan raised his eyebrows in surprise, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"That's impossible. They'd catch any of us right away. Duke has his estate guarded. Our attempt to break in there would be beyond ridiculous." He replied, then quickly let his gaze drift to Selene.
"That's not to say your ideas are ridiculous, Selene. But it is doomed to failure." He quickly assured her.
Selene bit her lip and looked sad. Donovan was sorry he had used such strong words for her idea.
"But Eren is out there alone. What's going to happen to him?" She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her eyes.
Donovan sighed. "Eren's not in jail or anything. He's under house arrest, ordered by his father. Nothing will happen to him, and eventually, he will be released; he can not stay locked up forever. Besides, Eren has military duties that he can not put off for long." He explained, trying to encourage Selene. It would not be long before Eren would be with them again.
"But it may take too long." Selene looked at him with her beautiful eyes.
Donovan was dreamy for a moment before breaking out of his enchantment. "Elizabeth has offered to let me visit Eren tomorrow. But just me."
Gray frowned furiously. "She offered it to you?" Gray felt irritated for some reason.
Donovan nodded. "Yes."
Chad scrunched his chin. "Is not that a little strange? Maybe she's up to something?" He was incredulous. He was not alone; everyone was suspicious of Elizabeth.
Donovan sighed again. "True. I do not think she's doing this out of the goodness of her heart. On the other hand, at least this way, I can find out how Eren is doing. And we'll be at the Roseblood estate. There's not much she can do. There are servants everywhere, and I am an Enhanced Defender. Elizabeth is just an ordinary person. She can not do anything against me."
Selene mused before suddenly lighting up. "That's great, Donovan! Maybe Elizabeth has a thing for you; we can take advantage of that! Can you give Eren something of mine then?" She excitedly walked over to him and took his hand in hers.
Donovan got a dreamy look on his face and nodded devotedly. Gray frowned, and Chad snorted before crossing his arms jealously in front of his chest.
"I do not know if you are lucky or unlucky. Being in the crosshairs of that wicked witch is not a good thing."
*****
Eliz took her first tea before returning to the library. She had not expected their visit, and she had not expected to be so upset. But she was not leaving empty-handed. She would get Donovan away from Selena and the others. Eren goes through the first phase of detox and keeps his sanity. Donovan might not listen to Eliz, but he might listen to Eren.
In the end, she did not need to convince Donovan, but even a tiny seed of doubt was enough. Donovan was supposed to be intelligent, and if Eren could sense that something was wrong with Selene, so could Donovan.
Eliz settled back down and picked up the book with the information about intelligent races.
She began to read.
A few hours passed as Eliz read through the information about the races. Some things were cliché; others were more interesting. It was almost as if the author had a moment of enthusiastic inspiration during burnout. It was like being on a see-saw.
Eliz rubbed her eyes, which began to burn, and closed her book. It was an interesting read, but it was getting late, and she was pretty worn out from lying down so much. It was time to call it a day. She had a lot to do tomorrow.