When Corvina opened her eyes, it was already dawn, the room was quiet and neat, and she laid in the bed with the duvet over her waist, in the clothes she returned with last night.
She wondered who had tucked her in, secretly praying that it wasn't Floria, if not she had a lot of questions to answer.
A knock resounded at the door as a servant asked if she was awake and ready for breakfast, to which she replied
"Yes"
That she would be out in 30 minutes.
Thirty minutes later,
Corvina stepped out of her room in a beautifully sewn green dress and to her surprise, both Cythera and Cynthiana where at the dinner table.
Floria sat at the front seat and Cythera sat at her left, followed by Cynthiana who was giving Corvina a judging gaze. Whereas Corvina sat at the right.
The food was served, freshly baked bread, streaming hot soup, and side dishes cutted fruits. Everyone was surprised by the extravagant breakfast as no one touched their food, waiting for Floria to explain.
"Well…I guess there is no helping it…Yesterday, I happened to meet someone that offered to sponsor the Merchandise in Sedona under his name, and this is a celebratory breakfast, hopefully with his help we can promote our business."
Everyone clicked their wine glass as they praised Floria for her success, but Corvina though also praising, felt conflicted.
'Is this the real Floria…? Why did she change so much…?' She thought deep down.
Though her smile, the disappointment is her eyes were obvious, not going unnoticed to everyone in the room, as she excused herself back to her room after taking only a few spoons of her food.
Slowly days passed by in a flash, days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months to years, before anyone realized, two years passed in a blink of an eye.
Corvina who was now proudly eighteen which long surpassed the marriageable age of the Empire which was fifteen. Was a woman of beauty, who was conveyed by men and envied by women of all status.
Cynthiana who after two years, became Corvina's right hand was at the age of nineteen same as Cythera who was twenty-one, together they controlled the merchant business across the Empire while hiding their identities.
On special occasions, they all go on missions which most times have a twenty percent chance of success. Of course Floria supervises everything from the least expected brothel in Mazin, where beautiful women secretly collect information in exchange for services.
Thanks to their secret sponsor, even the most guarded place could still be infiltrated, Corvina still had her suspicion on who this sponsor was and what he/she wanted, but that was her own secret mission, without intervention from anyone.
Both Cynthiana and Corvina grew closer in a matter of two years. They shared secrets and owned a mutual respect for each other, but Corvina still had her own plans and decided to keep Cynthiana in the dark for a while longer.
Meanwhile Cythera who was most loyal to Floria reported everything that happened at the same time still trying to get on Corvina's good books which was not as easy as she thought.
Floria got more and more busy that she could no longer monitor Corvina's actions which gave Corvina a sense of relief.
"Tiana…you ready…?"
Corvina asked, stepping out of the corner in an all black bodysuit covering her face with a black mask, her tall figure towering over Cynthiana who was putting on her shoes.
"Yeah…but you didn't tell me where we're going…?" Cynthiana asked, puzzled.
"Tiana this is between both of us, no one most knows, not my Aunty or Cythera…" Corvina made Cynthiana swear as they both sneaked out in the dead of night.
Two figures ran through the alleyway leaping from rooftop to rooftop all without making a sound.
"I guess all your training is now showing off…at least it wasn't in vain…? Cynthiana mocked as she took the lead, both going on their way.
"Hey…Tiana" Corvina called
"Yes…"
"How do you see the idea of taking the brothel to the capital…" she paused as she asked surprising Cynthiana.
"Why…did you say that…?" Cynthiana stammered a little.
"I just thought of it, you can forget it, it's not important…"
She said moving forward ahead of Cynthiana, as the latter grabbed her arm, turning her around looking in her direction.
"Corvina, we have been together for two years. Though it's not enough to understand everything you think. But you are an ambitious person by nature and also difficult to read, If you have anything in mind, you can trust me…you know that"
"I want to employ people from the house of slaves, but I don't want my Aunty or Cythera to find out so…"
"So we are going to steal a seal from a noble…" Cynthiana completed Corvina's words, not surprising the former as they understood each other after the ups and downs they went through.
"Yes and the closest noble to us is Count Michael…" Corvina said confidently.
"Well he is known for being quite greedy, yet resourceful…" Cynthiana concluded as the both reached the count's house which was heavily guarded but they still went in and out undetected.
They both stopped by an Inn, ordering drinks as they celebrated their success, and a few minutes later, a young man in a gray coat walked in.
"Jacob…" Corvina yelled as she noticed the young man avoiding her gaze.
"Did you get it…?" Cynthiana asked as the young man came and took a seat beside them.
"Cynthiana, Corvina please never ask me to do something like this again…"
He begged, taking an envelope from his pocket and placing it before Corvina, who took it, opened it and was reading its content.
"You did a great job, Jacob, your acting is impeccable, I really didn't expect you to get it this soon, well lucky for us…" Cynthiana praised.
"What next…?" The young man asked as Corvina smirked with malicious intent in her eyes.