"Your Highness." Elijah started with a slight bow and stiff smile before her eyes turned sharp. "May I have a word with you...alone."
Prince Joaqin smirked darkly before he motioned his subordinates to move away from them, leaving the two alone to talk.
"So can you tell me now what your real intentions are, little girl?" He asked with a bewitching tone, staring straight into the young lady's eyes.
Elijah had a brooding look in her eyes as she met his gaze. She doesn't really wanna pay attention to this prince at the moment, for she had more pressing matters herself. But then the rascal was able to see through her plan and now she's left with no choice but to talk it out.
'How did Prince Joaqin know about the magical node?'
'Had I let it slip somehow?'
'As far as I know this magical node was supposed to be discovered later in the book. And not by Prince Joaqin but by someone else.'
'The book never mentioned anything about this prince knowing about it. Though it may have been implied in the latter parts of the story after it was taken over by his rival.'
'How could he have guessed it by now?'
'This guy is really terrifyingly smart! I need to be more careful.'
'He is really dangerous. Can I truly deal with the likes of him?'
"Will you just keep standing there and staring at me without giving me the answers I seek?" The prince voice broke Elijah from her deep thoughts and he kept his gaze on her like a predator to a prey. Seeing that the latter's mind had wandered off, Prince Joaqin's mood dropped again as he felt ignored. He wanted so badly to open up her brain to see what is on her mind. He somehow felt that all the schemes in the world will surely be formulated once this little girl starts thinking.
Hearing him, only then did Elijah come back to herself and look back at the young man with a frown on her face, "Is your patience only up to this much, Your Highness?"
"Tsk." The prince snorted. Her indifference only frustrated him further. "Little girl, I don't have all night. Stop trying to avoid my question! The longer you stall, the more guilty you look!"
"Are you sure you want to hear my real intention?" Elijah gave him a meaningful glance, not an ounce intimidated by his dangerous questioning. Ever since they started building trust for each other, her fear of him started to fade. Now she thinks only if she really did him dirty that he would truly be forced to kill her. Thus, she's more comfortable dealing with the prince now.
Prince Joaqin smirked. "I see. You're not answering my question because you have no excuse at all! You are really after the magical node."
Elijah said grimly, "And so what, Your Highness?You keep pressing as if I have the obligation to tell you every little thing about what I want to do. Why so? Do you like me that much, my prince?"
"Hahaha —" Prince Joaqin suddenly laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke. "My, my...Lady Melanie, you're the funniest little girl I've ever met! I simply found you interesting and that kept me away from boredom and so I do this to please myself. Liking you? That must be the funniest joke ever. Liking, like love, is also an illusion. It's not my thing. I am not the kind of man who stupidly falls into those kind of nonsense emotions. People fall for me. Women likes me. Not the other way around. So you can rest assured that will never happen. Once I found you back to being boring, then I won't care about your business anymore. So, please don't mind me. Just tell your story!"
"Tsk. What's there not to like about me? I'm pretty, rich and smart." Elijah rolled her eyes and sighed, summoning all of her patience. She then darted a casual look at the prince. "Besides, I just ask you a simple question that needed a simple answer. It's just a yes or a no. There's no need of that very long sermon, Your Highness."
"You..." The prince started but was interrupted by the little girl.
"If you wanna know, just listen." Elijah interjected firmly, her gaze sharp as she continued. "I wish to find magical nodes and make use of them. I needed enough power to open a portal. And the node here is one that is powerful, so I want to check it out. No, to be more precise, I must have it."
Prince Joaqin's expression remained undisturbed, but his stomach lurched. His gaze sharpened as well as he looked deeply into the girl's face. She looked determined and somehow, he believed that she could truly get what she aimed for. 'This little girl is deeper than I originally thought. How did I not notice her being like this before?'
"You may wonder what the portal is for...it is actually a way for me to live. This is all I could tell you for now." Elijah just dropped another bomb like that and expected more questionings from the prince but he was just silently observing her. "I promised not to tell you a lie and so I am telling you the truth in case you're wondering."
"A portal that will let you live?" Prince Joaqin blurted out and she nodded to confirm. Her eyes were clear and he knew instinctively that she wasn't lying. 'That was strange. Truly strange. Hadn't she lost her magical ability? It was a very big issue at that time when she returned empty handed after getting assessed at the Royal Academy and was even declared to be a non-magical being by the temple itself. That was around five years ago and everyone then referred to her as a trash, a fake genuis. But how then that her overbearing aura and casual glance feels like a dagger in the chest? Only those powerful individuals can give that kind of effect to me. And she wants to open a portal in order to live? Is she sick? Is she...dying?'
An unexplainable feeling of dread twisted within Prince Joaqin's gut as if his insides were all painfully twisted. For the very first time, he despised his thought. 'What the hell is this?`
"Your Highness?" Elijah asked because it was getting awkward with him staring at her intently. "Stop staring."
The prince was genuinely baffled. But then, coming to his senses, the pain he felt slowly faded with his hateful thought. He then decided that it must have been an illusion. There is more that meets the eye. Keeping his cold gaze on Lady Melanie, he said, "Little girl, this prince has finally decided."
"Huh?" Elijah blurted out, bewildered. "On what?"
"I will help you." Prince Joaqin declared.
Elijah felt like something snapped inside her upon hearing his resolute declaration. "W-wait...WHAT?!"
"Magical nodes? I will give them to you. As many as you needed to open up that portal." The prince said nonchalantly. "As long as you take me with you in every encounter and allow me to witness the portal that you will be summoning then I will lend you a hand. I do have magical nodes in my possession as well, and I can let you use them to your disposal. I can give them all to you."
Any other girl would be flustered by the generosity and attention from such a handsome prince, but Elijah wasn't just any girl.
'He is indeed dangerous but his offer is not to be taken lightly.'
'First of, I am only 15 years old and cannot really access a lot of things. I needed resources to grow quickly. Someone like him can be truly helpful if he truly wanted to help.'
'Fine. Making him an ally is better than making him my enemy, is it not?'
'And it's not as if he would stop bothering me and meddling in my business if I reject his offer.'
'And he said he would give me more nodes. Tsk. Let's get all the advantages for now.'
Crossing her hands behind her back, she stood there straight, her brows twitching slightly and her limpid eyes sparkling. "You are really the best person in this whole wide world, Your Highness!!!"
"That's...huh?" The prince looked at the young lady in bewilderment. He was astonished as to how quickly her expression changed the moment he declared that he will help her. All of her hostility was dismissed instantly. His eyes spat fire as he glared at her. "Why aren't you mad or throwing your tantrum? Why did you suddenly change when you were so mad earlier that I wasn't minding my own business? Are you planning something again?"
In contrast to the prince' exasperated tone, Elijah remained relaxed and unhurried. She smiled cheekily. It seemed that she had everything under control. "Well, of course I'd welcome your help. Firstly, I am just 15 years of age as we speak and it will be too hard for me to travel to places just to find magical nodes. Plus, I'm also a waste with no magical abilities so having you as my Patron helping me would be very beneficial. And you are a prince with high authority, which means, everything can go more smoothly if I have you around. Since you voluntarily said that wanna help me then I have no reason to refuse, Your Highness."
Elijah actually contemplated that quickly. She knew that the prince is dangerous to be hanging around with but she truly needed help with her current condition and state. She has no means to access some stuff and if the prince is there, everything would be easier. He will also most likely get in the way anyhow, so she decided to use him to her advantage.
"You —" The prince started but stopped and then smirked. "Fine. So this is a deal then. I'll help you find your magical nodes and you allow me to see you open the portal and what makes you say it will let you live."
"Yessur! Deal!" Elijah happily declared and offered her hand to close the deal.
Elijah knew it wouldn't be simple as long as it involves this prince. She knew he wanted more than the condition he presented but she could only agree for now and deal with that aftermath later.
However, instead of shaking her hand, the prince took it to his lips as he planted a soft kiss at the back of her hand. "Deal."
Flabbergasted, she immediately retrieved her hand with a frown. "You have yet to gain my trust, dear prince. So stop doing skinship and the likes."
Prince Joaqin laughed at her obvious rejection. This is truly the first time that a lady is outrightly disliking him. "Tsk. Fine. Fine. I thought we trust each other even just a little now. Tsk. By the way, how do you plan to get to the magical node now?"
"Well, what I planned on is a bit complicated. But since you'll be helping me, I had to make some changes." Elijah replied with a confident smile. "Firstly, I have to go speak to my father and then I'll get back to you shortly, Your Highness."
"Then I'll go with you." Prince Joaqin offered.
Elijah immediately shook her head. "My father doesn't like you so it will be a bother if you come with me. And there's so many eyes watching, I don't really want everyone to know that we are like buddies. Act passive towards me, Your Highness. That will make me feel more safe."
Without waiting for his response, Elijah turned towards her father and left.
"Hah. Truly interesting. I really think life will be more interesting from now on." He blurted out.
***
"Father, have you prepared that thing that I requested?" Elijah asked as soon as she reached the Duke.
"Of course. It is already laid out in the back as planned." Duke Orvin replied with concern. "Are you sure you can really make use of it? I am really worried."
"I can take care of it." Elijah replied confidently.
"But you don't have magical abilities. Your body might not be able to take it." The Duke expressed his concern. "Must we really do this?"
"Yes. I need it, Father. Help me." She replied solemnly.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Duke Orvin nodded in support. He has been missing out a lot for all these years and this is his chance to help his daughter. She looked confident and that somehow eased his worries. "Alright then. Do your best."
Nodding, she walked away and turned towards the back where they planned to place the item he acquired for her. Shifting his gaze, his eyes moved towards the grand chandelier.
"Your Grace, there is something that I wish to ask your help for." His daughter started as soon as she walked into his study. Ever since their conversation, their relationship have somehow eased but it would still be awkward from time to time. They are still not close enough as father and daughter but it was a lot better than before. The staff in the mansion have changed they've been busy revisiting all the financial discrepancies and everything that went downhill about the dukedom. Duke Orvin was actually astonished as to how capable and smart is his daughter in handling such affairs. For a girl of her age, she might not have magical ability, but she is a genius in all other ways.
"What is it?" He asked as he placed down the document he was reviewing.
"During the ball. I needed an invisibilty potion. Something that a Grade 5 mage cannot detect." She replied.
Duke Orvin was shocked to hear her request. It's not that the invisibility potion is hard to obtain, it's just that he didn't think his daughter would ever request of such potion. "Can I know why you needed it?"
"I discovered a magical node in the Viscount Colleen's manor. It is dormant and have yet to be discovered by others. I plan to take it myself, Your Grace." Elijah replied honestly. She thought that there's no point in not telling him about it if she wanted his help.
"A magical node?" Duke Orvin was once again taken aback. Magical nodes are powerful structures that contains huge amounts of mana. The Von Diovre Duchy owns a couple of huge magical nodes that makes them a bit more powerful than the others. This is why they can easily obtain potions and magical machines. "Why would you want to obtain the magical node from the Colleen Manor? We already have enough nodes of our own."
"It is yet to be discovered by others, Your Grace. So technically, no one owns it just yet. It is not stealing or anything. It is taking something that I discovered first." Elijah reasoned. "Besides it is different from what we have. It is not an earth node but a blackhole cube."
Earth nodes like the ones that the duchy have are like huge pools of mana that can be used to supply the mages of the Dukedom. It is limited depending on the size of earth node thus efficient management of the supply obtained from the earth nodes are much needed. Just like gold mines, once the mana on earth nodes are consumed, then the node will simple turn into a barren wasteland. On the otherhand, a blackhole cube is a special kind of magical node. It is movable and something that can be slowly absorbed by a mage. The mana contained inside is a concentrated force of magic depending on it's purity. Usually, it's mana is used by mages to open portals and enter different realms. However, this type of nodes are very rare to find. The chances of discovery is likely one in a million.
"A blackhole cube in the Colleen's Manor? How come no ones ever detected it if it's really there? How did you know?" Duke Orvin inquired, his gaze is a mixture of intrigue and concern.
"It is very well kept deep within a secret chamber." Elijah replied. "I saw it in a vision, Your Grace."
"A vision?" He asked, astonished once again.
"Yes. And it's really there, Your Grace. I can show it you once I get it." Elijah answered, not explaining further. How can she tell him that she read it from a book that's why she knew it was there in the first place? She crossed her fingers hoping he'd let it slide and believe her.
"You must know that a non-magical being cannot absorb magical nodes. Why must you take it?" The Duke asked further.
"I must have it, Your Grace. It is the only hope for someone like me." She replied without truly answering his question.
Duke Orvin knew that his daughter was evading his question and wasn't giving him a direct answer. He was worried about her intentions but seeing how determined she looked and that she specifically asked for his help, he couldn't reject it. "Alright. I will help you."
"Really?" Elijah blurted out, not able to contain her excitement.
"But I do have a favor." Duke Orvin said and Elijah looked at him with anticipation. "I know I don't deserve it but I can't help but feel greedy towards you. Can you please at least try to call me Father once again?"
"Huh?" She croaked instinctively. She didn't expect this kind of request from him.
"Ahem." Duke Orvin cleared his throat to make it less awkward.
"I will try. But I hope you don't expect too much from me." She nodded.
"Of course." The Duke replied cheerfully. "I... I will let you know once the potion is ready. You can use it accordingly."
"Al..alright. Thank you, Your...ehm...Thank you, Fa..father." Elijah spoke quickly before she hurriendly went out of the room.
Seeing her shy face, Duke Orvin shook his head and smiled. 'My daughter is really mysterious but adorable. I'm glad she can rely on me for such matters.'
A slight curve formed at the edge of the Duke's lips. Then his eyes darkened as he looked at the chandelier. Only after a few seconds, it began to shake, the screws started to get loose. As everyone was busy dancing and having fun with the music, no one noticed the changes except for a few who felt a surge of power through the ceiling.
"Look out!" Duke Orvin yelled as he dived into the ball room and saved everyone from the falling chandelier.
BANG! A loud crash echoed through the hall as pieces of shards scattered on the floor. The music automatically stopped and silence filled the room as everyone looked at the horror in front of them. A huge hole was carved from the floor due to the impact the fallen chandelier. The Duke was seated on the ground not too far away from it with a few scratches here and there.
"Oh my goodness!" Someone from the crowd yelled and the whole place turned noisy, everyone expressing their opinion.
"Your Grace!" Another one yelled and they came to the Duke's aid.
"Is everyone alright?" Duke Orvin expressed his concern and those whom he had just saved felt grateful.
It was a total chaos created and not many noticed a shadow hurriedly moving towards the back. Reaching the meeting point, another shadow appeared, giving her the potion she had requested. Without another word, the shadow disappeared a smile was formed in the little girl's face as she drank the potion, making herself invisible.
'It's time.' She thought.
***