Ten minutes later a panting man returned and said in a confused voice.
"Follow me... Mrs. has agreed to receive you."
His whole look said that he didn't even consider the possibility that she would agree. But with what I'd given her, I had no doubt she'd say yes.
Walking down the long corridors, I considered the surroundings. Gradually, the design became more and more gothic, and there was less and less light on our path.
When the intervals between the wall lamps became large enough that I could hardly see my hands, the man in front of me stopped and pointed in a certain direction.
"Mrs. is waiting for you over there."
Having said that, without looking back, he quickly walked backwards.
I went to the place where the man was pointing. After a while, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I saw before me a stately-looking door, inscribed with a large number of unknown signs. It didn't even have handles, so it looked more like a well-decorated wall than a door.
Before I could wonder how to get in, an enchanting voice came from behind the door.
"Come in."
I tried pushing the door with my hand and despite its bulky appearance, it swung open easily.
Unlike the completely dark corridor, the room was semi-dark due to a couple of faintly glowing crystals attached to the ceiling.
Because of this, I was able to get a glimpse of the interior of the room. And if I were to describe it in one way, I would say.
Extraordinary.
Everything in this room seemed to carry the unique taste of its owner.
I turned my attention away from assessing her room and looked ahead.
There, on something resembling a couch lay a woman with a glass in her hand.
A thin tulle separated us, so I could only see the intoxicating curves of her body, which matched perfectly with the faint odor of expensive alcohol in the air.
Unfortunately, to use the status, I had to see the target, so I couldn't do that.
"You have good taste, Mrs. Raven."
I declared, taking another look at the décor of her room. I wasn't trying to flatter her, because I was actually attracted to the atmosphere of this room, soaked in aesthetics and gloom.
"I am honored. Your taste has also… exceeded my expectations."
She said, looking at something in her hand with interest.
"I'm glad my humble gift was to your liking."
Because of the tulle between us, I couldn't see the features of her face, but I could swear she was looking at me, smiling broadly.
"Humble? If that's what you think... then so be it."
Bringing the glass to her mouth, she took a sip, savoring it slowly. Then, as if still savoring the taste of the wine, she said.
"What business did you have with me?"
I decided to go straight to the main reason I came here.
"First of all, I need information about one person."
"How much do you need?"
"Everything. I mean literally everything. Even if it's going to be insignificant information about the daily routine, I want to know it."
Twirling her wine glass thoughtfully, she replied in a more enthusiastic tone.
"Okay, that's within my power. You'll get all the information you need about the person you want. And since I'm in a great mood today, I'll do it for you for free."
A hint of surprise flashed across my face.
Even though she didn't even know who I was going to ask, her voice exuded an unwavering confidence that she could do it. I knew of her abilities, so I didn't doubt her, but I was surprised by her willingness to do it for free. Was she really that influenced by what I had given her?
"Give me a name."
I dismissed those thoughts, deciding it was only for the best.
And of course, the person I wanted to know the most about...
"Eden von Thunderheart."
...was myself.
Since I never got the memories of this body, I still felt very uncomfortable. The realization that sooner or later I'd be meeting someone who knew the real Eden will made it even worse. Because the next time, I might not be as lucky as I was with Kelly.
One of the reasons I'd managed to win her over so quickly, and she hadn't been suspicious of my identity, was that she remembered Eden as the proud and slightly lustful boy she'd spent her childhood with. But she only knew about Eden's new distorted personality, which had already appeared after their breakup, from rumors. So all I had to do was show her a better side of me, and she was happy to dismiss the dirt that had been thrown at me, thinking it was jealousy or something else.
However, I wasn't so naive and watching other people's reactions to me, I was one hundred percent sure that almost all the rumors were true.
What would happen then when I met someone who was close to the real Eden? For all my acting skills, without knowing anything about him, I would be doomed to discover my identity.
And that's not to mention that bastard sure made a lot of enemies I didn't even know about right now.
All of which gave me tons of reasons to look forward to Raven's response.
However, contrary to my expectations, after my words, she froze with the glass in her hand before she could take another sip.
The whole room fell into a long, suffocating silence. It was so quiet that I could hear the soft rustle of the faintly wavering tulle between us.
It wasn't so much the silence that made me tense, but the sudden change in her when she heard that name. When I wanted to end the silence and say something, I heard her emotionless voice.
"Denied."
I couldn't understand the sudden change in Raven at all and tried to find an adequate reason for her refusal.
"If it's about money, I'm willing to pay."
"It's not about the money."
Still confused by her refusal, I clarified.
"Name me any price and I'll meet it."
"Once again, No."
This time after her refusal, Raven added irritably.
"Do you really think I'm stupid for asking such a thing?"
Although I didn't understand what was going on with her, I decided to continue.
"I'm completely serious."
"Then I'm very disappointed that you have such a low opinion of me."
The next moment I felt a hand caressing the curves of my mask and hot breath brushing my ear.
"You don't have to test my loyalty in such foolish ways, Eden."
After she said that, the only thought going through my head was.
I'm fucked.