Wending his way down the hallways, Philip noticed that something was off with his mansion. He couldn't quite pinpoint it but he felt something odd was going on.
He sighed, realization dawning in his pale blue eyes. Ever since this mansion became his, it was oddly quiet and he never bothered about it until now. He couldn't point out why this bothered him now, maybe, it had to do with the new emotion arising in him or it could be the attention he was getting from his sister now. He didn't know but it bothered him.
With a tired sigh, he pushed the golden door and entered the large parlour. With no screams disturbing the atmosphere, it was awfully quiet and clean and it also smelled...good.
The smell of cinnamon and freshly brewed tea wafted through his nose as he took his seat somewhere on the couch.
Just as he was in contemplation, he was served tea by a hand covered thoroughly in black clothing. Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, he smiled and raised his head a bit to stare at the figure before him. A prized possession of his which he got from his sister
His smile extended, well not technically since she did not know he had it, nevertheless, it all helped for him to reach his goal.
But it was quite a shame that till this day, he still did not know anything about her, not even her face much less her name. He was quite intrigued about her, where she was from and who she was. It was nothing new.
"Come sit with me." He patted the space near him. The figure clothed in bluish-black clothing hesitated for a second before moving decisively to sit at the farthest.
Philip smirked and took a sip of his tea, it may look stupid and unwise of him to let an unknown girl into proximity with him. For example, she could be a double agent and he didn't know. Wasn't she already a double agent? Their relationship was quite complex.
He did not trust her but he trusted himself to be able to flee if things go haywire.
"Forgive me for my lack of manners. I never bothered to ask you your name."
Philip's lips twisted into a gentle smile on his countenance. By this time, his deposition had changed into that of a young man wanting to court a lady.
The figure shifted uncomfortably in her seat and then, staring straight into his eyes, she replied.
''I can not give out my name, My Lord."
Philip shrugged, sniffing the aroma of the tea." Fair enough considering our start. However, you have to tell me how you met my sister." He questioned once more.
The figure knew how obsessed he was with his sister and knew for certain that he wouldn't take a no for an answer but what could she do, she wished not to give him any intel. Forcing her to work under him was already torturous enough.
"I cannot disclose that, My Lord."
Her voice was low but resolute, stunning Philip but he recovered from it soon and a smirk found its way to his lips.
He extended his hand and within a second, he had pulled the figure to him. Narrowing his eyes into slits and with that smirk still on his face, he looked evil. He traced his hand on the veil of the figure which was thick enough to prevent him from seeing, his hand then reached the figure's hair and he jerked on it making the latter tense up in pain.
"I can kill, maim and destroy for my sister so next time when I ask you a question about her, answer me. Hmm."
Even though his voice was incomparably calm, the threat underneath was not something to be joked with. A rose-scented aroma wafted through to his nose and he frowned, leaving her, with the sudden removal of his hand, the momentum allowed him to momentarily make out the outline of the face of the figure and his scowl deepened.
"Go and bring the map." He ordered without a change to his tone. The figure didn't hesitate and flew out of there. His pale eyes followed the figure and once they were out of reach, the scowl on his face deepened.
She was a female.
Realization finally dawned on him, Ely could hire a man but the most probable choice of hers would be a woman so even though he speculated, he could not confirm it but, this helped him.
"Ms Ninja, you can drop the scrolls on the table." The figure did as told before it suddenly clicked. She was called a 'she'. A light shiver ran through her body but being who she was, she made sure to conceal it but it did not escape the sharp eyes of Philip, he suddenly nodded in acknowledgement and dismissed her.
He opened up the scrolls and looked through them. These were the political and geographical illustrations of the kingdom.
If he wanted to cease power, then the better it was for him to learn about and start plotting.
According to the political structuring of the kingdom, the royal family came first and Ministers were last. There were some exceptions though, like the ancient families that helped build the kingdom. They had power merely below the King and even the Princes had to show them respect. At the moment, they all supported Ely so if he wanted to seize it, then he had to make those hidden hegemons become his loyal ally.
They all came out during vital and significant events and I mean significant ones, not any important ones since they hated the limelight. This has led people to forget about them but the higher-ups in the upper echelon knew better than to do that. He knew that by now, they were all aware of the situation in the kingdom.
Well, that could rest now because whether they wished it or not, he would take the throne.
Ely would have made a good Queen but considering the amount of attention she would be getting from those men made his blood boil.
"I am sorry Ely but I have to do this." He muttered with a resolute expression.
''Call for a faction meeting now." He said walking out." They have been idle for too long, they need time to warm up for the incoming changes."
The parlour was once again empty with only the steam arising from the hot tea serving as evidence that someone was there.
Meanwhile, in the royal chambers of the palace, Ely was seated in one and slowly combed her raven black hair. A stoic face was reflected in the mirror. Her mind bounced from one memory to another and then abruptly, with a little disturbance in the air, an individual clad in a bluish-black dress from head to toe knelt before her.
Ely's expression softened and she smiled gently at the figure.
"What's wrong? Why do you look so down?" Ely asked patting the hair of the clothed figure and moving with her to sit on the couch.
The silence was broken with a feminine voice. "He is getting closer to unveiling who I am."
"Oh really? That was fast." Ely muttered with a look of shock. The figure stared at her for a moment and sighed.
" Ever since you saved me, my life has been yours for the taking. I have never questioned you nor will I want to because your judgement has been great all along." The figure rubbed her hand which had been pulled out of the cloth on Ely's own.
"You know what he is going through, you can stop him before it is too late or you can probably wait till he kills everyone. I leave that choice to you because I know that you would do the right thing."
The figure picked herself up from the bed and vanished soon after, leaving Ely with a barrage of thoughts and emotions.
"I know but I can't. My guilty conscience is killing me. He would have had a mother had it not been me." Teardrops slid down Ely's pale face.