《Villainess, Retry!》


 [V1] Red Pill [0]: Clones, Secrets

    Villainess [1]: Arnold Gives a Warning


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    Red Pill [0]: Clones, Secrets


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    This Friday evening saw two men in three-piece dinner suits in the dining hall, both in their late thirties, chatting in a way that might have been confused for levity if one of them hadn¡¯t bent the silverware after the meal. When his Majesty¡¯s maids and manservants finished clearing the table of plates and glassware and silverware, they rushed out with the cart past the double doors. On one side of the table was King Conner Blaise of the Kaden Kingdom, and on the other was Marquess Arnold Fleming. Once rivals during their Academy days and brief enemies after graduation, they were now old friends groaning under yet another incident at school involving Conner¡¯s son and Arnold¡¯s daughter over a commoner girl.


    Then the butler strode in moments afterward, approaching and bending over Conner¡¯s shoulder and whispering something into his ear that made the King lean back in his chair, saying, ¡°Make sure that boy stays in his room, Jeremy. I don¡¯t want him causing another scene.¡±


    ¡°Will do, your Majesty,¡± he said.


    After the butler left, Conner leaned over the table, resting an elbow over it and his forehead against his palm, and ran his hand through his black hair and said, ¡°Arnold, did you get a chance to talk with Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Arnold said, eyes gleaming red.


    ¡°What did she say about my son?¡± Conner said.


    ¡°She denied everything he said about her,¡± he said.


    ¡°And what else?¡±


    ¡°Excluding the expletives,¡± Arnold said, ¡°she said that your son called her a ¡®witch¡¯ by using my wife as an example. That¡¯s putting it lightly, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Conner said.


    ¡°Did he tell you?¡± Arnold said.


    Conner shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve found out through different means.¡±


    ¡°And those are?¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± he said, ¡°and I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Both men stood up from the table, and the Marquess said, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°To my study, and expect company, too,¡± the King said and led the way past the double doors and down the main hallway towards the end of the corridor, where it turned into a side hall leading towards another set of double doors on the right-hand side. And at the last of them, he was just about to push the double doors open when his butler rounded the corner and hailed him. ¡°What is it, Jeremy?¡±


    Jeremy said, ¡°He¡¯s calm but seething.¡±


    ¡°If you can lead me to his Highness,¡± Arnold said, ¡°I can straighten him out for you.¡±


    Jeremy raised his hands in a placating gesture, saying, ¡°There¡¯s no need for violence, my Lord Marquess.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about that?¡± Arnold said. ¡°A good chat would suffice.¡±


    Yet before he could respond, the King said to his butler, ¡°Stand by while we¡¯re here. And if Donny comes asking for us, don¡¯t let him in.¡±


    ¡°Will do, your Majesty,¡± Jeremy said.


    The King then opened the doors into a private study, where Captain Rory Sydney of the Royal Guard sat on the solan sofa reading a copy of the Memory Times, still in his day uniform with the scabbard of his longsword pressed against the cushions. The Captain, still in his early forties, was their upperclassman in their Academy days and was now looking up from the Memory Times as the King¡¯s butler closed the doors. And behind the sofa, thirty-one ghost girls looked up from their newspaper-reading over the Captain¡¯s shoulder, all of them with the same face and sharing the same red eyes as the blond Marquess, all of them now talking amongst themselves in unheard whispers.


    Captain Rory said, ¡°Did you know that Viscountess Durham has received another marriage proposal?¡± Then he turned to another page and added, ¡°And did you know that there has been another sighting of one of Count Kessler¡¯s imaginary incognitos last night? Things must be slow if his paper is resorting to tabloid stories again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure today¡¯s incident at school will spice up next week¡¯s issue,¡± Arnold said.


    The King smiled and said, ¡°I know.¡±


    And the Marquess and the King breathed out a sigh.


    The Captain folded the newspaper and set it down on the coffee table and stood up, bowing his head to King Blaise and Marquess Fleming, then said, ¡°Where¡¯s his Grace?¡±


    ¡°I sent a messenger bird to Duke Woodberry earlier this afternoon,¡± the King said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard, Captain, about this afternoon¡¯s incident?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough,¡± Captain Sydney said, ¡°to know that his Highness has made a complete fool of himself and doesn¡¯t know it yet, but he will soon.¡±


    ¡°More like an ass of himself,¡± the King added.


    ¡°Add a hole in it,¡± the Marquess added, ¡°and you¡¯ve got the whole picture.¡±


    The three men laughed (as did the ghost clones), but it was a brief and mirthless one, and when the laughter went away, so too did their smiles. As such, the King looked up at his friends and said, ¡°Gentlemen, what I¡¯m about to show you must stay in this room, till this whole matter is resolved. Do you both understand what that means?¡±


    Marquess Fleming and Captain Sydney nodded that they did, and Marquess Fleming added, ¡°Does it have anything to do with the incident this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± the King said and approached a bookcase beside the fireplace and counted a row of books at eye-level before placing his hand on one and pulling it out. Then something metallic clicked behind the bookshelf, and he shifted the whole case away from the wall on a hidden track and turned it like a hidden door from the wall face. Beyond it was a large picture frame surrounding the edges of an enchanted mirror, so he turned to his friends and said, ¡°I was going to show my son this mirror later this year, but as it is now, I don¡¯t want him to know about this.¡±


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    ¡°You saw what happened?¡± Captain Sydney said.


    ¡°Only the aftermath,¡± the King said and put his finger on the reflection, rippling the reflected image of the private study, then said, ¡°Dear mirror, show me what happened this afternoon at the courtyard fountain in Lassen Academy.¡±


    At once, the mirror flashed, revealing Marquess Fleming¡¯s daughter, Lady Janet Fleming, arguing with the commoner girl, Miss Rosalie Edgeworth, at the fountain for a time. The thirty-one ghost girls all crowded around the mirror showing Marquess Fleming¡¯s daughter, their spitting image, confronting their mutual nemesis.


    (¡°That¡¯s her,¡± one clone said.


    ¡°She¡¯s rather lively, isn¡¯t she?¡± another clone said.


    And the other clones said their own responses, while they watched on with pitiful gazes.)


    Then the King said, still with his finger against the reflection, ¡°Both of you, put your fingers on the mirror, and you¡¯ll hear what they¡¯re saying.¡±


    They did so, and they heard Janet rebuking Rosalie for setting her up over and over for the past month, saying that she was sick of her bullshit. Then Rosalie grinned and was about to say something . . .


    When the mirror went blank, obscuring what was said and done during the interval, before the image and sound came back on with Janet holding Rosalie¡¯s wrists and cussing Rosalie out in front of three female students watching in shock behind the fountain. And all at once, the three men zeroed in on the tear in the skirt of Rosalie¡¯s uniform dress, as Rosalie screamed for help, saying that Janet had gone crazy and was hurting her. But that¡¯s when they all heard Prince Blaise yelling for Janet to let go of her, and a moment later the idiot Prince came running over and grabbed at Janet¡¯s wrists, making her wince and making Marquess Fleming grit his teeth in a murderous glare.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard,¡± the King said, ¡°but try to bear with it a little longer.¡±


    And the scene continued with a lovers¡¯ quarrel between the idiot Prince and Janet Fleming, in which Janet accused Rosalie of setting her up time and time again, yet the Prince defended Rosalie against her accusations and denounced Janet¡¯s honor in connection with her own mother. His words, cruel as a knife getting twisted in an already-bleeding stab wound, left Janet in tears and Marquess Fleming in a rage. He tore himself away from the damning mirror and clenched his hands into knuckle-white fists and kicked the edge of the coffee table, then paced around like a madman seeking revenge.


    ¡°I¡¯ll throttle him!¡± Marquess Fleming said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything hasty, my Lord Marquess,¡± Captain Sydney said, coming over to him. ¡°He¡¯s still a minor.¡±


    ¡°I know, but damn it all!¡± Marquess Fleming said. ¡°Had I known he¡¯d turn out like that, I never would have allowed an engagement between my daughter and that stupid boy!¡± Then he paused and looked at King Conner Blaise bowing to him and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Lord Marquess Fleming,¡± the King said. ¡°I apologize to you on behalf of my son.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Majesty,¡± he said, ¡°but apologies aren¡¯t enough. What will you tell him?¡±


    ¡°My son?¡± the King said.


    Marquess Fleming nodded and said, ¡°About the engagement, yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not be too hasty,¡± the King said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to make things worse for Lady Fleming.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good enough,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°I won¡¯t bring it up, unless my daughter brings it up first, but you need to do something about his Highness¡¯ conduct.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him,¡± the King said, ¡°but in the meantime, don¡¯t let a word of what I¡¯ve shown you out of this room.¡±


    The Marquess and the Captain both nodded.


    With that, King Conner Blaise added, ¡°Captain, investigate Miss Rosalie Edgeworth¡¯s upbringing. I want to know who her parents or foster parents are or were and whether or not someone is backing her.¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s political?¡± Captain Sydney said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± the King said, ¡°but Miss Edgeworth wields far too much influence as a mere commoner.¡±


    ¡°What about the mirror going blank?¡± Marquess Fleming added. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s connected with all this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the King said, ¡°but that mirror is a family heirloom. I¡¯ve never seen it go blank while touching it, till I looked into what happened this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Marquess Fleming said, ¡°do you think my daughter¡¯s in danger?¡±


    Yet the King said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°If she is, my Lord,¡± Captain Sydney said, ¡°then I¡¯ll have one of my sons look after her during school hours.¡±


    Marquess Fleming said, ¡°Do you mean Sir Kevin Sydney?¡±


    ¡°I do, my Lord,¡± the Captain said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they in different classes?¡± he said, then to the King: ¡°Will you have her transferred to another classroom?¡±


    The King nodded and said, ¡°Duke Woodberry and I will talk to the school board this Saturday and have Lady Fleming transferred to the class Sir Kevin Sydney¡¯s in. I¡¯ll also have Duke Woodberry get his son to keep an eye on Donavan and see what¡¯s going on with him.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Marquess Fleming said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how things go from there,¡± the King said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good enough, your Majesty,¡± Marquess Fleming said. ¡°Not good enough for my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me,¡± the King said. ¡°What is good enough? Putting my son under house arrest? Having him expelled?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about your son,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m talking about my daughter! What will you do to protect Lady Fleming while she¡¯s at school?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, my Lord,¡± the King said.


    ¡°Then what will you do?¡± Marquess Fleming said.


    ¡°Duke Woodberry and I will discuss it with the school board¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be there with you and Duke Woodberry,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°and I hope you¡¯ll have answers for me then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty now,¡± the King said.


    ¡°Have you any idea,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°of the rumors going around about her? Or have you forgotten that unchecked slander can kill?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an old wound,¡± the King said.


    ¡°Your son still has a mother!¡± Marquess Fleming said. ¡°I won¡¯t just stand by and let my daughter get subjected to the same ¡®slander¡¯ that killed my wife!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, Arnold,¡± the King said. ¡°It weighs as heavily on myself and her Majesty as it does¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then do something about it!¡± the Marquess said.


    ¡°Then what would you have me do, Arnold?¡± the King said. ¡°You tell me!¡±


    ¡°For one,¡± he said, ¡°you could have one of the school guards accompany my daughter at school. There!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s against the school¡¯s policy,¡± the King said, ¡°of having no preferential treatment for any student.¡±


    ¡°Then make an exception,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, for God¡¯s sake, do something, or I will!¡± the Marquess said, then stalked towards the double doors and pulled them open and left the room.


    Moments passed in silence.


    ¡°It could have been worse,¡± Captain Sydney said.


    ¡°I know,¡± the King said and plopped onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. ¡°My God, tomorrow¡¯s going to be heavy. Thank you for suggesting a repast before we came here, anyway. We tried, at least.¡±


    ¡°Look at the bright side, your Majesty,¡± the Captain said. ¡°At least he came unarmed.¡±


    Which got the King chuckling.


    Then the King got back up, and he and the Captain pushed the bookcase back in its place over the mirror, till a hidden latch clicked it back against the wall. Then the King pushed the book back into the neat row of books on the shelf when the butler knocked and peaked his head in the doorway.


    ¡°All done?¡± the butler said.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re done here, Jeremy,¡± King Blaise said.


    The two men then exited the room, and the butler shut the double doors behind them. Then the King and the Captain and the butler walked back down the hallway in silence for a time, till King Blaise brought up a different subject to quell the heavy mood, which centered on . . .


    Meanwhile, the thirty-one spectral clones of Marquess Fleming¡¯s daughter walked through the double doors, lagging behind the trio as the clones discussed their next plan of action. One clone in particular, the most outspoken clone of the group, suggested they try to gain access to Janet Fleming¡¯s dream again, but her doppelg?ngers said that they were tired of chasing their living avatar around Lassen Academy in her dreams. Then another clone observed that this current incarnation of Janet Fleming likes to run a lot, as if she was good at playing tag, but the outspoken clone just smiled.


    ¡°So what?¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to catch her and make her understand.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± another clone said.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be worth it,¡± the clone said.


    Yet another clone said, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s alive,¡± the outspoken clone said. ¡°As long as she stays alive, she¡¯ll be worth it.¡±


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    End of Villainess [1]

 (V1) Red Pill 1: Dreams, Vixens

    Villainess 1: Janet¡¯s First Retry


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    Red Pill 1: Dreams, Toilettes


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    Janet Fleming¡¯s dream rolled and tossed her across her bedsheets in the wee hours of the morning, chasing her up three flights of stairs and down a hallway of Lassen Academy with shadowy footfalls at night. Weird voices were calling for her to stop as she opened a side door into a gabled classroom and pushed a nearby table up against it, barricading herself in the room. As several shadowy hands started banging on the door and voices called out her name, telling her to stop already, Janet ran to the only window looking outside and opened it, then perched her foot on the sill and climbed up and jumped from the window, where she saw Prince Blaise waiting three stories below her. Yet instead of falling, she was floating like flower petals through the air, floating into the arms of her Prince under a moonlit night. In his arms, she embraced his neck and thanked him with winded breath and started kissing his lips, wanting to drink him up like a glass of wine, till she looked back on her savior and gasped.


    A clone of herself was carrying her in her arms, so she pushed herself away and looked for Prince Blaise, calling out his name within the moonlit courtyard in front of the Academy, then proceeded down the boulevard and through the gates into the Student Commons Town of various eateries and shops and entertainment venues calling out his name. Yet her gallant Prince was nowhere in the dark and empty streets, nor at any of the venues, nor within shouting range of Prince Blaise¡¯s name echoing through the silence.


    Breathing hard, Janet looked back down the main boulevard towards the Academy¡¯s courtyard, but the anomalous clone was gone. For almost a week now, she had been encountering clones of herself in her dreams, but why they were there or what they wanted from her, she could only guess.


    ¡°Is anybody there?¡± she yelled.


    Yet before she took another breath to shout, the street lamps fluttered to life under a spectral green glow, and several schoolgirls walked in from various thoroughfares carrying lamps in their hands. All of them were glowing a phosphorescent green, all of them bearing the same ghostly appearance as the doppelg?nger she¡¯d pushed away, all of them with expectant smiles on their faces, all of them beckoning her to follow them with their lamps.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she said.


    But none of them said anything in return.


    So Janet found herself backing away from this lugubrious night parade, but when they approached her en masse, she said, ¡°Are you the ones chasing after me?¡±


    Again, no response.


    Then the clone that had caught her in the Academy courtyard manifested behind her and grabbed her wrist and said, ¡°Stop this nonsense! You have to¡ª¡±


    Yet Janet screamed as she fell back through the abyss of her dreams . . .


    Till Janet fell from her bed amidst a tangle of bedsheets and bed curtains and the hems of her nightgown and hit her shower-capped head on the floor. Stars flashed across her eyes, and she winced and blinked, gritting her teeth and groaning. She cradled her head in her hands, saying, ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡±


    Then the double doors to her dorm room shoved open, and her personal maid rushed in and said, ¡°My Lady, what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±


    Janet rolled herself onto all fours, and with the help of her maid giving her a hand, she got to her feet and brushed the folds out of her nightgown, trying to hide the fact that her head was killing her right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sue,¡± Janet said. ¡°I just fell off the bed again, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Was it another nightmare?¡± Susan said, combing her shaky fingers through her long gray locks.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s okay,¡± she said and grabbed Susan¡¯s shaking hands to soothe her qualms, because at the very least, Prince Blaise in Janet¡¯s dream was there to catch her, though she puzzled over the clone part of it. Then her thoughts shifted to the way the real Prince Blaise had treated her in her waking life, ever suspicious of her intentions and hostile to everything she did and said, ready to pick a fight with her when it came to the whims of a certain commoner. She pushed those thoughts away, and with Susan¡¯s help, Janet sat at her vanity desk and felt the back of her head again¡ª


    And winced.


    Susan bit her lower lip and ventured to touch the sore spot on her mistress¡¯s head, but Janet grabbed her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sue,¡± she said.


    ¡°Should I call for a doctor?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°No,¡± Janet said and resumed her composure and attempted a smile. ¡°I¡¯m all right, Sue. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    Yet Susan put two fingers in front of Janet¡¯s face, anyway, and said, ¡°How many fingers am I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± she said and looked at Susan¡¯s face, thankful that Susan and Marin had been so kind to her since she had returned to her dorm room in tears. Last week on that Friday afternoon, Prince Blaise had defended Rosalie and had denounced Janet in the courtyard of the Academy in front of the other students for ripping Rosalie¡¯s dress, and as far as Janet knew, none of the witnesses present had challenged the Prince¡¯s slur against her honor. His slur, the culmination of a month¡¯s worth of mishaps orchestrated by Rosalie, had shaken her faith in the Prince and had solidified her contempt for the woman that had ruined her school life.


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    The only consolation was her father visiting her dorm that evening and listening to her side of what happened in the courtyard before he went to the King¡¯s palace to air out her grievances that night. During the weekend, she had also inquired through messenger birds about what her father and the King had discussed, and her father¡¯s responses were that she was going to be transferred to another classroom and that she should focus on her studies. But on Sunday afternoon, she received one more messenger bird from her father along with a packet, so she opened it and found an amulet necklace and then read the contents of his letter, which told her to wear the amulet whenever she went to school. In fact, she was wearing it now underneath her gown when she put her hand to it, feeling it there between her breasts.


    ¡°My Lady, are you okay?¡± Susan said.


    Pushing those thoughts away, Janet smiled at her confidant and said, ¡°Really, Sue. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°All right, I believe you,¡± Susan said and got up and walked out of the room, leaving the double doors ajar.


    After she left, Janet did another quick search of the premises, starting with her vanity desk. She pulled open all the drawer boxes, looking for her missing engagement ring, and wondered where it could have gone after she had placed it inside the upper left drawer box before going to sleep that Friday evening. Afterwards she stalked over to the other side of her four-poster bed and opened and inspected all the cabinet drawers of her study desk and even rummaged through the contents of her book bag without finding her ring. Then she went back over to the other side and opened the armoire full of hanging nightgowns and tea gowns and ball gowns, running her hands along the floor of the armoire beneath the hems of her dresses, but found no ring whatsoever. Failing the four most obvious places, she once again crouched and scanned the floor of her dorm room from one wall to the other, then got on her hands and knees and checked underneath the vanity table, underneath the tea table and chairs, underneath the dressing bench, underneath the frame of her four-poster bed on both sides after moving the curtains out of the way, and underneath the study desk and chair on the other side of it. Then Janet repeated the search again and looked underneath everything just to make doubly sure nothing was overlooked and was almost done.


    Then Susan came back through the double doors with a cart holding a water basin full of water, a towel, and various beauty products on a tray for Janet¡¯s morning toilette, accompanied by a bosomy brunette maid named Marin who came in with Janet¡¯s Academy uniform folded over her forearm.


    Janet looked up at her maids gaping at her compromising position on her hands and knees, so she let go of the curtains and said, ¡°Any message yet from the Lost and Found?¡±


    Both maids traded looks and shook their heads, making Janet heave a long sigh, so Susan said, ¡°Marin and I will go to the Lost and Found today. Hopefully someone found it over the weekend and took it there.¡±


    ¡°If you find it there,¡± Janet said, getting up with Susan¡¯s help, ¡°let me know through a messenger bird.¡±


    ¡°Will do, my Lady,¡± Susan said.


    Then Susan pushed the cart past the tea table and chairs towards the single chair in front of the vanity table, where Janet took a seat, while Marin waited by the dressing bench for Janet to complete her morning toilette. Before the vanity mirror, Janet splashed some water onto her face and toweled it dry, then removed her shower cap, revealing three snail-like buns of twisted hair on her head. Susan helped her unroll the buns and untwist the tresses from the rolled-up towels used to curl Janet¡¯s hair, letting them fall past Janet¡¯s shoulders in dirty blonde drills.


    After rearranging her drills the way she liked them, Janet winked at her reflection and smiled at herself and said, ¡°Now be honest, Sue. How do I look?¡±


    Susan smiled, saying, ¡°Beautiful enough to kill.¡±


    Janet smiled again and giggled, then thought of Prince Donavan Blaise in her dream and pouted once again. The gallant Prince of her dream had once been the real Prince, had once been hers to monopolize as much as she wanted before the start of the school year, till a certain commoner changed it with her beaming smile, her innocent glances, her coquettish manners, and her blatant disregard of proper etiquette in the company of someone else¡¯s fianc¨¦. How could the Prince fall for someone like that?


    In contemplating an answer to that question, Janet glared at the mirror, her red eyes flashing in the reflection and making her personal maid flinch and gulp behind her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sue,¡± she said, turning back to her confidant and friend and attempting another smile. ¡°Is this better?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    At her words, Janet reverted back to her gloomy disposition over the Prince¡¯s actions and Rosalie¡¯s ruses and nodded. Then she stood up from her chair and patted her cheeks and said, ¡°No need for makeup today.¡±


    ¡°Why so, my Lady?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°If I come back crying later, at least I won¡¯t have soiled makeup stinging my eyes,¡± Janet said and left the vanity table for her dressing bench at the foot of her bed, where her other maid waited with her uniform in hand. ¡°All right, Marin. Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Marin said.


    Susan helped Janet out of her nightgown, and Marin helped her into her school uniform, and both maids fussed over the creases on her long dress, around the collar of her undershirt, and on the sleeves of her bolero. They even fussed over the position of the beret on Janet¡¯s head, keeping it at the back of her head, so it won¡¯t mess up her bangs, while Janet kept slanting it over her left eye like an avant-garde detective.


    Both maids had their hands on their hips, arms akimbo, looking at her like observers staring at a portraiture. Susan slanted her head to match the angle of Janet¡¯s beret and said, ¡°Playing the detective, are you?¡±


    And Janet simulated putting a smoking pipe at the corner of her mouth with her hands like a pantomime, puffing on a make-believe pipe and blowing out make-believe smoke rings, and touched the bill of her beret over her left eye. She said, ¡°Not without a pipe, my darling.¡±


    All three girls sniggered and giggled.


    Yet after her mirth subsided, Janet breathed in and exhaled and said, ¡°Get my book bag.¡±


    So Susan went over and retrieved her book bag from the chair at Janet¡¯s study desk and handed it to her, saying, ¡°Here you go, my Lady.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose it now,¡± Marin added.


    ¡°Thank you, and I won¡¯t,¡± Janet said, smiling, then stood up from the dressing bench and slung it over her shoulder and headed for the double doors. She looked back on her two loyal maids and gave them one more smile as they wished her good luck out there, then paused and looked at her left hand, where there was the indentation of a missing ring at the base of her ring finger. She had her suspicions, but she kept them to herself and said, ¡°When you two go to the Lost and Found, please don¡¯t make too much of a fuss.¡±


    Susan said, ¡°We won¡¯t, my Lady¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªunless that vixen shows up,¡± Marin added, fisting her hands with an icy glare in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, believe me,¡± Janet said, fixing their gazes with a demonic flash of her eyes and her devilish grin. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but don¡¯t make accusations before finding out the truth.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Susan said, crossing her arms and deadpanning, ¡°but his Highness is a dunce.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°God, I¡¯ve had it up to here with his nonsense!¡± Marin added, leveling her hand up to her raised chin, which meant that Prince Blaise had fallen so far from her graces that he was up to his neck in her vitriol.


    Which brought a smile to Janet¡¯s face again, so she said, ¡°Thanks, you two,¡± and she passed the threshold into the hallway beyond and entered a cruel world of whispered rumors and furtive glances and God knows what else.


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    To Be Continued

 (V1) Red Pill 2: Rumors, Mirrors

    Villainess 1: Janet¡¯s First Retry


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    Red Pill 2: Rumors, Mirrors


    <hr>


    The walk down the central hallway of Mariana House felt like a convict¡¯s path to the gallows as Janet passed by several former acquaintances and friends, all of them giving her a wide berth and whispering amongst their bevy of cliques. Some even threw Janet furtive glances in her wake and giggled their heads off in churlish humor. When Janet reached the entrance doors at the foyer, she ignored the steely gazes of the two guardsmen at the doors and passed without a word. After that, she breathed another sigh and left Mariana House beneath its shadow in the cool morning air.


    Outside, Janet beheld the Classical facade of Lassen Academy, a massive three-story building with its seven gabled roofs, its pilastered windows, and its double-door entrance dominating the view and glaring back at her like a biased student body council deciding her punishment in a disciplinary hearing. And from the central gable above the pilastered entrance, gleaming in the tangential sunlight like an evil eye, was the massive dial face of a clock showing the time: 7:29 a.m. Then, as the minute hand reached the bottom of the hour, the bells rang through the morning like death knells tolling for Janet¡¯s declining influence amongst her peers.


    Fisting her hands, Janet ignored more of her peers talking about her behind her back as they headed for the Student Commons Town past the gates in the outskirts of the campus grounds for a quick bite to eat. She entered the wide boulevard, teeming with more of her male and female peers hanging out with each other before heading to their homeroom classes, all of them glancing her way and whispering about her. She even passed a few couples sweet-talking each other into blushes and giggles and smiles on benches behind the juniper trees dotting both sides of the boulevard, reminding Janet of the ghost stories she had shared with the bold-faced Donny from her childhood, her pet name for Prince Blaise when they were grade-schoolers.


    And so, gritting her teeth, Janet passed groups of knight students near the Garrison Quarters talking it up on which girls they met in the Student Commons Town last night, till they spotted Janet and passed her by without acknowledging her. But afterwards, they dared each other to ask Janet out on a date since the Prince had jilted her, but none of them said they would, unless it was a one-night stand. Hell, even in the courtyard, the scene of last week¡¯s infamous denouncement, she passed more cliques of girl gossips eyeing her behind her back at the fountain, giggling about Prince Blaise humiliating her as he defended that poor commoner girl, one adding that Janet deserved it, and another adding that she¡¯ll be expelled soon enough. She even passed more male students leering at her as she ascended the entrance steps, all of them whispering that they had free dibs on her since the Prince had jilted her, daring each other to ask her out to a one-night stand if they had the guts to face her father in a duel. And when she walked past the open double doors of Lassen Academy into the foyer of the central hallway, which teemed with more girl gossips trading in more hearsay about her broken engagement with the Prince, she heard a pair of girls in particular mentioning Janet¡¯s dead mother, calling her a witch and a bitch and a whore and a cunt and a cum-bucket . . .


    Janet fisted her hands and glared at her enemy¡¯s two closest followers (Lady Jenna Childeron and Lady Vesper Felton), saying, ¡°Take that back!¡±


    ¡°Take what back?¡± Lady Childeron said.


    ¡°We said nothing about you,¡± Lady Felton said, adding under her breath, ¡°bitch!¡±


    Then both ladies bolted for the double doors, and Janet ran after them, saying, ¡°Get back here!¡±


    Yet when she reached the entrance steps, she saw both girls already talking with Prince Blaise and Rosalie, poisoning his mind with lies. And when Lady Childeron pointed in Janet¡¯s direction, the Prince locked eyes with her, and Janet cursed and hightailed it out of there but then second-guessed herself. If she ran away now, then that would be admitting that she did whatever they said she did, so she stood her ground in the foyer and prepared herself for a battle of words, knowing she was going against her father¡¯s advice.


    When the Prince entered and stalked over to her, hands clenched into fists, the collective hubbub of the students died down, and Janet and the damnable Prince became the observed of the observers.


    So Janet charged into the fray and said, ¡°Whatever they told you, they¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who accused Rosy of ripping her own dress,¡± the Prince said. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to be a villainess, then at least be honest and own up to it.¡±


    Janet grimaced and bristled at his remark, then changed the subject and said, ¡°You¡¯re both on a nickname basis already? How quaint, Donny!¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re on formal terms, Lady Fleming,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Until your behavior around Miss Edgeworth improves, you¡¯re nothing but a stranger to me.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    And right on cue, the vixen named Rosalie Edgeworth came up to the Prince, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on her, please. She¡¯s still engaged to you.¡±


    ¡°Rosy, just let me handle¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then is it true, your Highness?¡± Janet said and glared at the gossip-spreading nincompoops gathered around the foyer of the Academy. ¡°Everyone¡¯s saying you¡¯ve annulled our engagement. Is that true?¡±


    And for the first time this morning, Prince Blaise was silent and stayed so for a few moments, while the other students loitered in the hallway, waiting for him to confirm or deny Janet¡¯s question. In the end, the Prince said, ¡°I¡¯ve talked about it with his Majesty, and his Majesty has talked about it with Lord Marquess Fleming. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Janet fisted her hands again to fight back tears and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t our engagement mean anything to you?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± the Prince said.


    Janet clenched her jaw at his words and said, ¡°Then are you planning on eloping with her behind my back?¡±


    Then Rosalie feigned shock, cupping her hands over her gaping mouth and saying, ¡°Lady Fleming, whatever you think of me, I¡¯m not that kind of woman.¡±


    Which made Prince Blaise approach Janet, fisting his hands as if to hit her, so Janet took a deep breath, closing her eyes, but the slap never came.


    When she opened them, Janet saw Rosalie looking adorable with her doll-like face, her trembling lips, and her blue-eyed gaze that beheld Janet and looked away. Coupled with her blonde flowing locks reaching halfway down her uniform dress and her grasp of Prince Blaise¡¯s arm close to her body, she belied the image of a damsel restraining her dashing prince from slaying the monster with a sword¡ª


    Which pissed Janet off, but instead of going off on Rosalie, she kept her eyes on Prince Blaise and said, ¡°Is that what¡¯s going on, your Highness?¡±


    So the Prince told Rosalie to stay clear of Janet, then said to Janet herself, ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t go around spouting off nonsense, but starting tomorrow, you¡¯ll be transferred to another homeroom class. Until then, I¡¯ll be watching you like a hawk, so don¡¯t do anything else between now and then, or I¡¯ll have you expelled,¡± and he left Rosalie¡¯s side and stalked up to Janet like an enemy combatant, and Janet faltered back a step and raised her forearm to shield her face. She was expecting to get slapped or even punched in the face, yet he leaned over her shoulder to whisper something into her ear, so that nobody else but Janet could hear him, saying, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for our fathers, I¡¯d have had you banished by tonight. As it is now, you¡¯re dead to me.¡±


    The Prince went back to Rosalie¡¯s side and escorted her towards the lower grand staircase in the parlor area on the way to her homeroom classroom on the third floor, passing Janet by without another word or glance. All the while, Rosalie was asking Prince Blaise what he had just said, but he told her that it was between Janet and himself and that Rosalie need not concern herself with that. But Rosalie, followed by her acolytes, glanced back at Janet with a smirk on her face before turning back to the Prince with her innocent persona.


    And just like that, one by one, the other students broke up their loitering groups and headed to their classrooms in the upper floors, while Janet just stood there in the foyer, stunned, the Prince¡¯s words filtering through her ears, and Rosalie¡¯s smirk filtering through her eyes. Janet Fleming¡¯s face was scrunched up into an agony of disbelief over the Prince¡¯s words, over her childhood friend tearing her memories of him asunder with such cruel words, matched only by what he¡¯d said about her mother last Friday. She had known Prince Blaise for ten years from age five to her current age of fifteen, yet his words filled her chest with an unfamiliar tightness as if she had just finished burying a childhood friend.


    She looked back outside through the open double doors as the rest of the students passed her, paying her no heed as if she was a ghost, giving her a wide berth as if she was a plague. She cast her gaze past the fountain and down the boulevard lined with juniper trees and focused on the gates leading to the Student Commons Town and thought of catching a carriage back to her home, where she would cry over her father¡¯s shoulder and tell him what Prince Blaise had said to her, but her steps betrayed her. Instead of going outside, she followed the foot traffic into the open-plan parlor area that bisected the Academy building into two major sections, where a lower grand staircase led most of the students into the second floor and an upper grand staircase led the remainder into the third floor.


    Then she cut across the foot traffic into the main corridor just off the left side of the lower grand staircase where the first-floor bathrooms were on the Western half of the Academy and opened a heavy door into the women¡¯s bathroom. Once inside, she dashed towards a nearby sink and turned on the faucet, letting the water run and fill the bathroom with a soothing static sound, then cried out her miseries over the sink bowl in rivulets of tears from her eyes and runny mucus from her nose, crying into the rippling puddle growing inside the bowl. She cried through gritted teeth and squinting eyes, squeezing her hands into knuckle-white fists over the countertop, yet despite the raging fire burning black and unseen inside her, she refrained from screaming herself hoarse, from letting it out, lest someone from somewhere should hear it and spread another rumor about her, that Janet had gone insane and should be confined to an insane asylum. So she just concentrated on breathing in and breathing out, letting the running water fill her mind with soothing static, letting her bad juju run off of her like water off a duck¡¯s back, waiting for the storm to pass as the nighttime passes into the daytime.


    All the while, in the reflection of her pitiful self in the mirror, copies of Janet appeared around her, one by one. And whilst Janet was just beginning to assuage the pain lingering in her chest, just beginning to lighten the load over her shoulders, her spectral doubles all put their hands on her back and rubbed circles between her shoulder blades.


    And little by little, as Janet regained her composure, she looked up and said, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    Nobody else was there.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V1) Red Pill 3: Homerooms, Instigators

    Villainess 1: Janet¡¯s First Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 3: Homerooms, Instigators


    <hr>


    After washing her face and drying it with the side flap of her bolero, Janet exited the women¡¯s bathroom and stalked through the empty parlor area by herself, save for some truant students talking amongst themselves and glancing her way. She ignored them and ascended the first flight of stairs into the second floor and a second flight into the third floor, where her homeroom class awaited her beyond the staircase landing, the first classroom on the Western half of the third floor facing the South through its windows: Classroom 1-3C.


    Yet just as she stalked up to the double doors, expecting the familiar hubbub of talking students ten minutes before class, she paused at the threshold when she noticed the silence. Janet wondered what was going on. So she pushed the doors open and entered a large homeroom with a coffered ceiling and tall windows letting in the daylight and floating lanterns illuminating the rest of the classroom. She looked at her fellow peers and saw them looking back at her as if she was a criminal, including Rosalie sitting at her usual spot at the back of the class next to the last window, yet Prince Blaise was absent from her side.


    ¡°Where did his Highness go?¡± Janet said, yet none of the students answered her and kept on staring at her. ¡°Won¡¯t any of you say anything?¡±


    None of them answered her.


    ¡°Fine! Be that way!¡± Janet said, fed up with their insolence. So she gritted her teeth and approached the last column of tables next to the windows to ask her nemesis where Prince Blaise had gone off to, till several of her male and female peers rose from their seats and blocked her path. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why are you all acting so strange?¡±


    Yet none of them answered her.


    Janet looked at the stern faces of her peers surrounding her, and she began to suspect that Rosalie had something to do with it. She glared at her and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°I told them the truth,¡± Rosalie said.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± she said.


    So Rosalie got up from her seat and approached Janet, yet the students blocking her path to Janet said that she shouldn¡¯t tempt fate, since they all knew that Janet had it in for her. But Rosalie was adamant, saying, ¡°I have to get this off my chest. Otherwise, I can¡¯t live with myself.¡±


    Her words moved them, so they stood aside and let her pass, letting her walk right up to Janet.


    Rosalie leaned close to her ear and whispered, ¡°I told them you¡¯re born out of wedlock, bitch!¡±


    Janet grabbed a hold of Rosalie¡¯s bolero in both hands, ready to throttle her, but she let go just as two male students grabbed her wrists, a male student hooked his arms under her shoulders, and a female student wrapped her arms around her waist. Yet through it all, Janet kept struggling against them and yelled, ¡°Take that back! Take that back, or I¡¯ll have you imprisoned!¡±


    So Rosalie backed away on tenuous legs, as more students got up from their seats and shielded her from Janet struggling against her peers.


    ¡°But, my Lady,¡± Rosalie said, looking at her with tear-filled eyes, ¡°I only wanted to apologize to you for catching his Highness¡¯s attention. I never meant you any harm by it, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Stop lying, damn you! You said no such thing!¡± Janet said, struggling to free herself from the four students holding her, while two of the student witnesses, a daughter of a count and a son of an earl, left their seats at the front of the classroom and ran out into the hallway. ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Yet the one holding her left wrist said, ¡°For God¡¯s sake, calm yourself, my lady!¡±


    While the one holding her right wrist added, ¡°This is unbecoming, even for you, my lady!¡±


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    ¡°I said, let go of me!¡± Janet said, struggling against their hold on her, as more students approached and helped her restrainers drag her, kicking and screaming, out of the classroom and into the hallway. She kept struggling against them even as they restrained her against the wall, leaning into her so that she would stay put. All the while, she kept saying, ¡°Let go of me, you fiends! LET GO!¡±


    Her restrainers kept telling her to calm down, but she wouldn¡¯t in the slightest.


    Janet kept saying that she wanted an apology from Rosalie for insulting her mother and lying to everyone else in the classroom, saying that Rosalie had slandered her father and lied about apologizing, adding, ¡°That bitch said I was born out of wedlock!¡±


    As such, the double doors of the nearby classrooms opened up, disgorging some students and professors coming out and asking what was going on, just as the daughter of a count and the son of an earl ran up the stairs, bringing with them Prince Blaise and their homeroom professor, Baron Andrew Palmer, who came running up (¡°What are you doing? Stop it, right now!¡±) and wrestling his students away from Janet.


    And to his credit, Prince Blaise kept himself between Janet¡¯s seven restrainers and Janet herself. So Janet put her hand on the sleeve of Prince Blaise¡¯s blazer, but he shook it off, dashing her hopes.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Baron Palmer said.


    So one by one, they said that Rosalie had tried to apologize to Janet for catching Prince Blaise¡¯s interest, which had gotten Janet angry enough to attack Rosalie in front of all the students in the classroom. They said they had no choice but to restrain Janet and bring her out into the hallway, so she wouldn¡¯t hurt Rosalie or herself.


    ¡°But why would she do that?¡± the baron said.


    So they said that after Prince Blaise left the classroom, Rosalie had warned the rest of the class that he had gone to Baron Palmer¡¯s office to have Janet transferred to another homeroom. When her classmates asked her why, they added, Rosalie had said that she wanted to apologize to Janet before she got transferred but also warned them that she might get angry at her for doing so.


    ¡°She lied!¡± Janet said. ¡°She never apologized to me!¡±


    ¡°Can you prove that?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    Janet just stared at the Prince and gaped in wide-eyed shock, stunned at his words. Thus, for the second time this morning, she found herself wondering just how far she had fallen from Prince Blaise¡¯s favor, wondering if the truth even mattered to him when it concerned Rosalie. And so, fed up with Prince Blaise, fed up with Rosalie¡¯s lies, fed up with everything, Janet said, ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t believe me, your Highness. You¡¯re free to think of me however you want!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Oh, whatever,¡± Janet said and started walking away from him. ¡°Maybe instead of having me transferred to another class, you can just have me banished to another country.¡±


    ¡°Janet, that¡¯s not¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on formal terms, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m a stranger to you,¡± and she continued walking.


    So the Prince went after her, saying, ¡°Janet, listen to me. Will you just stop for a minute?¡±


    But she wouldn¡¯t, so he grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Janet said, yanking herself away, and winced at his grip strength.


    So he let go and said, ¡°I was angry at you, because you were placing me in a bad spot in front of everybody in the hallway. But, damn it, I never meant for you to take it that way.¡±


    ¡°Then did you threaten to banish me just to screw with me? Did you say I was better off dead just to put me down? Am I nothing but a fucking bitch to you?¡±


    Prince Blaise was silent and for a few moments, staring at her, at a loss for words. At first, he opened his mouth to say something, then paused for a moment longer as he thought of his words, which irritated Janet to no end.


    ¡°Answer me, your Highness,¡± she said. ¡°Were you toying with me just to mess with me?¡±


    ¡°Janet, that¡¯s not what¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or did Rosalie put you up to it?¡± Janet added.


    All at once, Prince Blaise glared at her like an enemy combatant, his eyes flashing like a lion¡¯s as it was about to pounce on its prey. He said, ¡°That¡¯s just like you, isn¡¯t it? Always blaming others for your own selfishness. This was never about you and me in the first place, wasn¡¯t it? You¡¯re always going on and on about Miss Edgeworth doing this and Miss Edgeworth doing that, when I should¡¯ve known you¡¯ve had it out for her from the start! I¡¯m telling you now, if you dare harm Miss Edgeworth again, I¡¯ll have you banished! No, I¡¯ll have you executed! Now fuck off!¡±


    And the Prince walked off back towards his peers and homeroom professor, who had witnessed the lovers¡¯ quarrel in silent amazement, while Janet stood there crying. For as long as she had known him, Janet had never known Prince Blaise to have ever yelled at her like that. Now brimming with tears and stinging from his threat, Janet yelled after him at the top of her lungs, saying, ¡°Do you really want me gone, Donny? Then goodbye! When I see you again, it¡¯ll be in HELL!¡±


    And in front of horrified students and a panicked Baron Palmer, Janet dashed towards the upper staircase and climbed the balustrade and steadied herself on the top railing overlooking the gap between the upper and lower staircases. Even Prince Blaise turned around when Baron Palmer dashed past him, screaming for Janet to get down from there, as more students were yelling in the hallway for her to stop. Yet before Baron Palmer or Prince Blaise or anyone else got to her, Janet glanced over at Prince Blaise bolting for her¡ª


    And jumped.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V1) Red Pill 4: Visions, Deaths

    Villainess 1: Janet¡¯s First Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 4: Visions, Deaths


    <hr>


    Janet covered her gaping mouth with her hands as the vision in the mirror dissipated from view, replaced with spectral clones of herself all standing around her in the reflection, all of them with expectant looks on their faces, all of them looking at their one living example in this life. So Janet walked along the bathroom stalls pushing doors open and found no magician there, then turned the other way and checked under the countertop sinks and saw no magic seals there. Then she turned back to the mirror, where she saw all of her clones, and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? That vision, what was that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I died,¡± one clone said and waved her hand towards the rest of the clones. ¡°And that¡¯s just one of the deaths suffered under the epithet of Janet Fleming.¡±


    So another clone in an Academy uniform, ¡°I was poisoned at school during the midterm exams,¡± and she pulled down the collar of her bolero, showing the blue veins in her neck full of poisoned blood.


    Then another clone wearing a ball gown with bloodstains on her bodice said, ¡°And I was stabbed to death after attending the graduation party at Prince Blaise¡¯s mansion.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll change my name and flee,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± another clone said, wearing a soiled linen gown draped over her emaciated body. ¡°I escaped incognito before the graduation party with the help of my father, but I was captured and imprisoned days later. I heard my father petitioned the High Court for my release, but when the authorities found out he helped in my escape, he was tried and imprisoned, while I died of starvation in prison.¡±


    Yet another clone in similar attire but with a noose around her neck and rope burns under the nape of her neck also added, ¡°I escaped the kingdom incognito with my father¡¯s help but was later mistaken for another criminal who looked just like me and was hanged in another country.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the Prince banish me,¡± she said.


    And yet another clone in commoner dress with a gunshot wound to her chest said, ¡°Prince Blaise banished me at the graduation party, so I left the kingdom and lived as a commoner for a year, till a group of bandits killed me in a robbery.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll fake my own death,¡± she said.


    And still another clone in a soiled linen gown said, ¡°I tried doing that during the midterm exams with my father¡¯s help, but my ploy was found out, and the Prince accused me of treason and had me imprisoned. My father petitioned the High Court, but the King denied his petition and allowed Prince Blaise to question me. I heard rumors that my father died in an accident soon afterwards, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true or not. All I know was that Prince Blaise had me executed a week later,¡± and she took off her head from her shoulders in both hands and showed it to Janet in the mirror. ¡°See?¡±


    Janet¡¯s stomach retched at the sight, and she dashed into one of the toilet stalls and threw up in the toilet bowl, where the stench of last night¡¯s dinner made her hurl once more. After that, she wiped away the remainder of the bile on the sleeve of her bolero and got up on wobbly knees. She leaned against the jamb of the stall with one hand and looked back at the mirror and saw all of her clones crowding around herself in the reflection, till one by one, they manifested bodily around her in their astral forms.


    ¡°My God, how many times have I died?¡± she said.


    ¡°None of us know,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide clone said. ¡°We can¡¯t even make a guess out of the headcount with us right now.¡±


    ¡°Then how did the rest of you die?¡± Janet said.


    And with that, more of Janet¡¯s clones told her how they had come to their demise, each one dying of different causes, each dying under the auspices of some ungodly fate. Yet the more Janet listened to their stories, and the more she inquired into the causes of their deaths, the more Janet came to realize that they all had one thing in common: all of their deaths came under the influence of Rosalie Edgeworth.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°My God, this can¡¯t be happening,¡± Janet said under her breath, looking at all of her clones in the mirror and peering at her own living and breathing self like a lamb headed for the slaughterhouse. ¡°I¡¯ll break off my engagement. That vixen can have his Highness all to herself. I don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯ll be gone from this kingdom by tonight and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you think running away will keep you alive?¡± her suicide clone said.


    ¡°What do you expect me to do then?¡± Janet shot back. ¡°Prepare for my own death? If that vixen has everything (Prince Blaise, everyone¡¯s love, the queenship of this kingdom), then why do I always have to die? It¡¯s not fair!¡± And she cried again, heading towards another bathroom sink and leaning against the countertop.


    So, one by one, all of Janet¡¯s clones crowded around her and hugged her, commiserating with her under the collective fate of the Grim Reaper looming over them all.


    And little by little, Janet regained her composure once again, taking deep breaths and exhaling them through her mouth and looked up from the countertop, leaving the drops of her tears there. To all of her doubles, she said, ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°Rely on us,¡± Janet¡¯s hanged and emaciated clone said. ¡°We all died alone during each of our own deaths¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbut you won¡¯t be alone this time around,¡± Janet¡¯s executed clone added. ¡°For you have us with you now¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand we¡¯ll do what we can to help you,¡± Janet¡¯s poisoned clone added. ¡°You can count on it!¡±


    ¡°But in order for us to help you,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide clone added, ¡°we need you to trust us, because there¡¯s something connecting each of us besides Miss Edgeworth causing our deaths, but we don¡¯t know what that is yet.¡±


    Janet stared at her suicide self, wondering about the import of her words, and said, ¡°Did you gather everyone here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Out of everyone here, I was the only one who took my own life. Somehow that allowed me to traverse the lives of the other Janets here who have died under circumstances outside of their control, and I¡¯ve been gathering them since my own passing. But all of the ones you see now are the ones who have died after me. God knows how many went before me.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there more of you?¡± Janet said, remembering last night¡¯s dream in the Student Commons Town. ¡°I remember seeing hundreds of you in my dream.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you come in,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°Unlike me, you are alive, and when I looked into your dream last night, I saw the rest of them, as well. I know this is asking a lot from you, but will you help us find the rest?¡±


    ¡°But what can I do?¡± Janet said.


    Then all of her clones smiled mischievous smiles, and one of them said, ¡°You love ghost stories, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll spread them around,¡± her decapitated clone said. ¡°We¡¯ll use your infamy to our advantage and make everyone fear you, including that damn vixen!¡±


    ¡°Oh, hell yes,¡± said the poisoned clone. ¡°She¡¯ll be wetting herself in her bed with nightmares of you!¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Janet said, ¡°won¡¯t that make her want to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Not if she thinks killing you,¡± another clone said, ¡°will make your ghost haunt her for the rest of her life.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s my life!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, everyone,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°Taking my own life is one thing, but I won¡¯t have someone else¡¯s blood on my hands. Is that clear?¡±


    The rest of the clones traded glances with one another, and one by one, they all nodded their heads.


    ¡°Then how will we do this?¡± another clone said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start off with you, Janet,¡± the suicide clone said, looking at her living avatar. ¡°Is there anything about you that we should know?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Besides being alive,¡± her clone said, ¡°is there anything else that distinguishes you from us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Janet said, looking at all of her clones in turn around her, but then she had a brainwave and put her hand to her chest and felt the amulet there, so she fished it out and showed it to her spectral doubles. ¡°Do you have this?¡±


    Janet¡¯s clones looked at it and shook their heads, and her suicide clone said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A good luck charm,¡± Janet said. ¡°Father gave it to me yesterday and told me to wear it whenever I come to school. So I¡¯m wearing it now.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it works?¡± her clone said.


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then has anything bad happened to you today?¡±


    Janet remembered Lady Childeron and Lady Felton setting her up this morning, as well as Prince telling her she was dead to him, but compared to her companions, she got off scot-free. So she said, ¡°Yeah, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. I mean, I didn¡¯t jump to my death or get shot or poisoned or stabbed.¡±


    Her clones all traded knowing glances, and her suicide clone said, ¡°Then keep it with you, and don¡¯t lose it. Okay, Janet, this is how it¡¯ll go. . . .¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V1) Red Pill 5: Homerooms, Retry!

    Villainess 1: Janet¡¯s First Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 5: Homerooms, Retry!


    <hr>


    After her spectral clones advised her on how to proceed, Janet exited the women¡¯s bathroom and stalked through the empty parlor area with her clones leading the way, passing by some truant students glancing her way as they talked about her. She ignored them and ascended the first flight of stairs into the second floor and a second flight into the third floor, thinking about her childhood recollections of the bashful Prince Blaise she had known, of the way he used to play hide and seek with her during their parents¡¯ garden party visits at each other¡¯s estates, of the way he leaped out of corners to scare her, and of the way he used to share ghost stories with her. In fact, Janet had developed her taste of ghost stories and gothic romances and mysteries because of Prince Blaise¡¯s childhood ghost stories, so when did he begin to change? But on second thought, she already knew the answer.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, Janet,¡± her suicide double said.


    Janet snapped out of her reveries and found herself in the hallway where her homeroom class awaited her to the right of the staircase landing, the first classroom on the Western half of the third-floor hallway facing South through its windows: Classroom 1-3C. And crowding around her were the rest of her doubles looking at her as if Janet was about to break down and cry. She took a few steps towards the gap between the upper and lower staircases and lingered by the balustrade where her suicide double had stood atop the railing and looked down into the parlor area. And for a split second, Janet reeled at the thought of her double¡¯s broken body there on the floor, a bloody halo spreading from a shattered skull. She gripped the railing, tears trailing her cheeks, and wiped them away as a question ached inside her chest.


    ¡°What is it?¡± her double said.


    ¡°Was Donny always so cruel?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the way he is,¡± her poisoned double said, ¡°though he was very good at hiding it.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Janet said, turning to all of her clones in the hallway, ¡°was he complicit in your deaths?¡±


    Without saying a word, all of her clones confirmed her suspicions with nods of their heads, and Janet¡¯s beheaded double said, ¡°We were just too blind to see for ourselves, till it was too late for us to do anything about it.¡±


    Then Janet looked at her suicide double, the only one amongst them who died by her own will, and said, ¡°Just before you jumped, did you think he still cared for you?¡±


    Janet¡¯s question left her double silent for a moment, till she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that¡¯s all in the past. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it now,¡± and she took Janet¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s the reality of our part in this godless world where all of us are fated to die, but we won¡¯t let that happen this time around. Not with you,¡± and she guided Janet to the classroom. Yet just as she stalked up to the double doors, her clones stopped her, and her suicide clone grabbed her hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ll check out what¡¯s happening inside first,¡± and she stalked through the double doors.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Janet said.


    And another clone put her finger to her lips, saying, ¡°Shhhh, just wait on her lead.¡±


    So she waited for her doppelg?nger on the other side of the doors, which rumbled with the hubbub of students talking. She found herself wondering if Prince Blaise had already left for Baron Palmer¡¯s office and if Rosalie was now turning the class against her. She gulped at the prospect of experiencing what her suicide double had endured, but her wait was short-lived.


    Her double said in her mind, ¡°Are you there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here,¡± Janet said, looking at her clones in the hallway and turning her attention to the classroom past the double doors. ¡°How are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doppelg?ngers, Janet,¡± her suicide double said. ¡°Now close your eyes and concentrate on my voice as I¡¯m counting. One . . . Two . . . Three . . .¡±


    So Janet did just that, closing her eyes and focusing on her double¡¯s voice counting up to ten, then to twenty, and then to thirty and so on. In this state, Janet waited for something to happen, yet she hadn¡¯t a clue what that was.


    (Then, once two minutes of counting had elapsed, her double said, ¡°Open your eyes, Janet.¡±


    She opened them and beheld rows of tables lined up in columns, all filled with aristocratic students talking amongst themselves. She then turned around when she heard Prince Blaise talking in whispers with a bespectacled Lord Ridley Woodberry, the son of Duke Woodberry, near the professor¡¯s lectern in front of the classroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Janet said to her double.


    ¡°Just listen,¡± her double said.)


    After he was finished talking with Lord Woodberry, Prince Blaise addressed the class, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve talked about this with Baron Palmer in his office before the start of class, so he¡¯s out right now. He¡¯ll be back once he gets the papers ready, but I¡¯ll just give you all fair warning. After his Majesty and his Grace, Duke Woodberry, and his Lordship, Marquess Fleming, all talked with the school board over the weekend about Lady Fleming¡¯s actions towards Miss Edgeworth last Friday, they¡¯ve decided to transfer Lady Fleming to another homeroom starting tomorrow.¡±


    At those words, the students all broke out into a hubbub of speculation about Janet¡¯s troubled engagement with the prince, so Lord Woodberry added, ¡°This isn¡¯t about an engagement, everyone. It¡¯s just a transfer.¡±


    ¡°Why not just have her expelled?¡± one student said.


    ¡°They¡¯ve talked about it,¡± the Prince said, ¡°but they feel that having a student expelled without direct eyewitness testimony is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, your Highness,¡± a viscount¡¯s daughter said, ¡°but didn¡¯t you witness it yourself?¡±


    And for the second time that morning, Prince Blaise fell silent as if he was unsure how to respond, till he said, ¡°No, but Lady Fleming¡¯s actions against Miss Edgeworth have disinclined me to believe anything she says.¡±


    (At his words, Janet squeezed her hands into fists and gritted her teeth, saying, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just break off our engagement, you bastard?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry,¡± her double said. ¡°We¡¯ll do just that in a little bit.¡±


    Janet gaped and said, ¡°Wait, really?¡± And when her double nodded and smiled, she added, ¡°Then do you know where my engagement ring went?¡±


    ¡°You have it on you right now,¡± her double said.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Look at your left hand,¡± she said.


    Janet did, and lo and behold! It was there on her left ring finger as if she had never taken it off, as if she had never lost it over the weekend. She just stared at her double and said, ¡°Where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°It was my engagement ring,¡± her double said. ¡°When you enter this room, I want you to give that ring to Miss Edgeworth after she ¡®apologizes¡¯ to you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going to insult me,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Oh, I know she will,¡± her double said. ¡°Just bear with it, okay? But if there¡¯s anyone you should be angry at, it¡¯s him,¡± and she pointed to Prince Blaise talking in whispers with Lord Woodberry again about whether or not the school board would allow spies on Janet, should she attempt something else on Miss Edgeworth.


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    ¡°I know,¡± Janet said.)


    Then, as Prince Blaise finished talking with Lord Woodberry, Rosalie Edgeworth stood up from her seat at the back table near the last of the windows in the classroom and said, ¡°Wait, your Highness. If today is Lady Fleming¡¯s last day here, then I want to apologize to her.¡±


    (¡°Yeah, right, you bitch,¡± Janet said.)


    ¡°Why should you apologize?¡± he said. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s Lady Fleming who should apologize to you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, ¡°but I feel responsible for attracting your favor. She is still your fianc¨¦e, after all.¡±


    (¡°Not anymore,¡± Janet said.)


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind for your own good, Rosy,¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°That¡¯s why I worry about you.¡±


    (¡°Fuck you, you bastard,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± her double said, putting her hand over Janet¡¯s. ¡°Save it for your entrance.¡±)


    So Rosalie got up from her chair and stalked towards Prince Blaise, saying, ¡°Please, your Highness. Allow me to apologize to Lady Fleming before she goes.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Rosalie said, ¡°but I need to do it for myself. Even if I can¡¯t patch things up with her, I can at least get that off of my chest. Otherwise, I can¡¯t live with myself.¡±


    Prince Blaise sighed at her request.


    ¡°Please, your Highness,¡± she repeated.


    ¡°All right,¡± Prince Blaise said, ¡°but be careful around her.¡±


    ¡°I will, your Highness,¡± Rosalie said.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, then to Lord Woodberry: ¡°Go find Lady Fleming and bring her here at once.¡±


    ¡°Will do, your Highness,¡± Lord Woodberry said and headed for the double doors.


    (¡°That¡¯s your cue,¡± her doppelg?nger said, then grabbed Janet¡¯s shoulders and pushed her off of her feet into a free fall through a darkness more than night, falling through an eternity of silent screams and grasping hands, of tossing and turning on countless beds at night to hideous dreams, and of being trapped inside a villainous role she was doomed to play over and over like a broken record.


    Yet through all that stirring chaos, Janet found herself counting in her mind again in ascending order: One . . . Two . . . Three . . .)


    When she reached the count of thirty, Janet opened her eyes and lifted her hand to her sweaty forehead, feeling light-headed and tipsy on her feet as if she had been drinking, even though she had never downed a pint in her life. She kept blinking her eyes and taking deep breaths, till she had settled herself, just as Ridley Woodberry pulled open the double doors and started at the sight of her.


    ¡°Lady Fleming,¡± he said, ¡°were you listening?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was,¡± Janet said, wiping the sweat from her brow, and waited for her vision to refocus on a handsome young man with black hair parted over his right eye. She blinked a few times as her vision settled, then touched the ring on her left ring finger before looking at Prince Blaise¡¯s glaring eyes fixed on her. ¡°May I come in, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you may,¡± Prince Blaise said, ¡°but I¡¯m warning you, Lady Fleming. If you do anything to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, and I won¡¯t,¡± Janet said and entered the classroom under the silent stares of her classmates, all of whom sat up from their seats at her ignominious entrance without seeing Janet¡¯s clones following behind her and crowding around the little gathering at the front of the classroom. Ignoring them all, Janet stalked right up to Rosalie as Prince Blaise shielded her nemesis with his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you,¡± Prince Blaise said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard you, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to repeat it like I¡¯m an idiot.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± he said.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Janet said and looked past him at her nemesis. ¡°My business is with Miss Edgeworth, not you.¡±


    But he wouldn¡¯t budge.


    So Rosalie grabbed the Prince¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Please, your Highness. Let me talk to her.¡± At her insistence, he let Rosalie go and crossed his arms, glaring at Lady Fleming like a hawk. With that, Rosalie grabbed a hold of Janet¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Lady Fleming, I¡¯m so sorry for catching his Highness¡¯s attention,¡± and she leaned forward and whispered something else into her ear: ¡°And I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re born out of wedlock.¡±


    Janet bit down on her lower lip and closed her eyes, thinking back on the vision of her double getting angry at her nemesis and getting dragged out of the classroom and having Prince Blaise chew her out for insinuating anything against Rosalie, and forced a smile on her face. She even giggled like a grade-schooler, then said, ¡°Thank you, Miss Edgeworth. You truly are too kind for your own good. I know that nobody will believe me, but I really am sorry for ripping your dress last time. I was just angry at the wrong person.¡±


    ¡°What are you implying?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    (¡°She¡¯s saying you¡¯re the problem, bastard,¡± her suicide clone said with her arms akimbo, and the rest of Janet¡¯s clones kept saying he was an idiot in various colorful expressions.)


    ¡°I¡¯m angry at you, your Highness,¡± Janet said, ¡°but I¡¯m not finished talking with Miss Edgeworth just yet.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re just trying to spite me¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can think whatever you like. I don¡¯t care,¡± Janet said, looking at the approving nods of her doubles, and faced Rosalie head-on. ¡°I want to make it up to you, Miss Edgeworth.¡±


    Rosalie just stared at her, her blue eyes wide and sparkling, her mouth gaping just enough for her to match the image of a flustered girl not expecting such kindness, yet Janet saw through her mask and found traces of fear written all over her face. As such, Rosalie let go of her hands and said, ¡°Thank you, Lady Fleming. You¡¯ve no idea how much that means to me, but how are you going to do that?¡±


    Yet Janet was praying that Rosalie would slip on the stairs and break her neck, but she kept up appearances and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a parting gift.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°I insist,¡± Janet said, taking off her double¡¯s engagement ring amidst a collective gasp from the students.


    (¡°Take that, bitch!¡± her double said.)


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Prince Blaise said, coming forward and grabbing Janet¡¯s wrist before she gave it away.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing what¡¯s right and just,¡± Janet said and pulled her hand from Prince Blaise¡¯s grasp, then winced when he held on too tight, making her clones crowd around him and threaten him to let her go, even though he heard none of their threats.


    Still, he let go and said, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    (¡°Are you okay, Janet?¡± her double said.)


    Janet gave her clone the barest of nods before the unwitting eyes of Prince Blaise and Rosalie and Lord Woodberry and the rest of the class. Then she nursed her hand, clenching and opening it, and continued with her charade, giving her clones a performance to remember.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so coy, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°You and I both know who you truly love, so make sure to give this ring to Miss Edgeworth after I leave.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°Janet, what¡¯s gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only making things easier for Miss Edgeworth, so there won¡¯t be any conflict of interest later on,¡± she said and placed the ring atop the lectern as her clones all cheered her on and whistled. ¡°Just make sure to give that ring to her, for I won¡¯t have it anymore.¡± And she turned on her heel and walked towards the double doors, her clones following her in tow, then paused on the threshold and added, ¡°Oh, and we¡¯re on formal terms, your Highness. You don¡¯t have my permission to call me by my first name.¡± Then she added, ¡°And one more thing, Miss Edgeworth, before I leave for good.¡±


    ¡°Lady Fleming,¡± Rosalie said, looking paler and paler by the second. ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this just for your sake, Miss Edgeworth,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m also doing it for my sake. God knows I¡¯ll be miserable with a man like his Highness by my side, but maybe he¡¯ll turn out better with you. With that said,¡± she added, turning around with a smile and curtseying on the threshold, ¡°may you both be happy with each other for the rest of your lives. Goodbye.¡±


    Janet stalked off into the hallway in an ecstasy of tears, feeling better than she had been since the start of the fall semester, while her clones celebrated her first comeback against Rosalie and the Prince. But that was only for a moment, because after a few steps into the hallway, Janet wobbled on her feet as her head reeled and her vision blurred in and out of focus, so her doubles propped her up and helped her lean against the wall. Janet¡¯s temples were wet with sweat, and her head ached with the pounding insistence of a drum, and her stomach rolled and lurched like a vessel on a tempestuous sea.


    So her suicide double said, ¡°Are you all right?¡± When Janet shook her head, her suicide double put her hand on Janet¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°You¡¯re burning up. Maybe you should sit down for a bit.¡±


    And with the help of the other doubles, Janet sat on the floor with her back against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, her elbows resting on her knees, and her forearms cradling the sides of her head.


    That¡¯s when Lord Woodberry stuck his head out into the hallway and ran up to her, saying, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Are you all right?¡±


    Yet Janet said nothing, only closing her eyes to keep her head from spinning like a top, so Lord Woodberry crouched next to her and put his hand on her forehead.


    ¡°You should go to the infirmary,¡± he said and took her hands in his. ¡°Can you stand, Lady Fleming?¡±


    Janet nodded, and with Lord Woodberry¡¯s help, she stood back up on wobbly knees and leaned against the wall. Thereafter Prince Blaise came out into the hallway upon Lord Woodberry¡¯s outburst and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s sick, your Highness,¡± Lord Woodberry said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourselves with me,¡± Janet said, propping herself from the wall. ¡°I¡¯ll go there myself.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t let you go downstairs in your condition.¡±


    ¡°Just leave me be,¡± she said.


    ¡°What is this farce?¡± Prince Blaise said and glared at Janet like a lion ready to pounce. ¡°First, you spite me, then you embarrass me and Miss Edgeworth, and now you¡¯re playing the sympathy card? Are you really that desperate?¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m already dead to you.¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t mean it like that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Just let me alone,¡± she said and pulled herself away from Lord Woodberry¡¯s grasp and moved her steps along the hallway, keeping her hand up against the wall to balance herself. All the while, Prince Blaise and Lord Woodberry stared after her, while Janet kept trudging forwards towards the staircase landing, where her double had climbed the balustrade and jumped to her death two stories below, and where the rest of her doubles crowded around the landing and begged her to stop. Yet by the time she neared the landing, her body gave out, and Janet fell face down onto the floor with a thud like the thud of a casket shutting over the face of the dead, while Janet¡¯s spirit fell down through the endless free fall of eternity, down into the belly of another dream.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess 1

 [V1] Red Pill [0]: Rebuffs, Infirmaries

    Villainess [1]: Ridley Becomes a Gentleman


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Rebuffs, Infirmaries


    <hr>


    On seeing Janet¡¯s fainting spell, Lord Ridley Woodberry ran up to her near the landing and crouched and rolled the girl onto her back before taking a knee and noticing a trickle of blood running from her nose.


    (And along with Lord Woodberry were Janet¡¯s clones running to their fallen avatar from the balustrade, half of them crowding around Janet¡¯s prone body on the floor and calling out her name, and the other half stomping towards the the Prince in the hallway and cursing at his unwitting head. And amongst them was Janet¡¯s suicide clone, kneeling at Janet¡¯s head and saying, ¡°Janet! Janet, can you hear me?¡±)


    Then Lord Ridley pulled a handkerchief from his blazer pocket and wiped the blood from her nose, then pocketed it and patted her cheek, saying, ¡°Janet? Janet, are you okay?¡±


    Yet Janet was unresponsive to the words of her clones or the words of Lord Woodberry.


    ¡°She¡¯s faking it, Riddle,¡± the Prince said.


    (Which roused the clones into a frenzy, the rest of Janet¡¯s clones save for her suicide double storming at the Prince and crowding around him and cursing him out, saying that he doesn¡¯t deserve to be with Janet anymore, that he¡¯s a disgrace of a prince and a human being, that there¡¯s a place waiting for him in hell when he kicks the proverbial bucket, that he¡¯s an idiot and a miser and a bastard and a dickhead and an ass-wipe and the like, adding other expletives too numerous and vulgar to recount in these pages.)


    Heedless of the clones, Ridley turned back to Prince Blaise, saying, ¡°How can you say that, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± the Prince said.


    (Which made Janet¡¯s suicide clone look up from Janet and glare at the Prince and say, ¡°And you¡¯re a piece of shit!¡± Which compelled more expletive-filled remarks from the other clones surrounding him like a school of piranha.)


    ¡°Would you think the same thing if it was Rosalie who fainted?¡± Ridley said, making the Prince glare back at him, but Ridley ignored him and shook Janet by her shoulders, saying, ¡°Janet, wake up! Wake UP!¡±


    And Janet still remained unresponsive, yet the disbelieving Prince approached with a scowl on his face, saying, ¡°Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s playing you for a fool?¡±


    (Which roused yet another round of expletive-filled remarks from Janet¡¯s clones, crowding around the Prince and saying that he¡¯s an inhuman bastard, that they hope his parents would disown him, that somebody from somewhere would steal into the Prince¡¯s bed chambers and slit his throat or brain him with the butt of a pistol or string him up by his neck with his underwear or pour mercury into his ear, among other atrocities.)


    As for Ridley, he just stared back at his friend for a time, wondering if the person before him was really the same Prince Blaise he and Kevin had known before the entrance ceremony of Lassen Academy, then said, ¡°My God, your Highness, where is your humanity? Do you hate Lady Fleming so much that you would rather see her harmed than help her?¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you check on her?¡± he said.


    With that, Ridley reached out and lifted Janet¡¯s eyelids and saw the full whites of her eyes, meaning that her eyes had rolled back in their sockets.


    ¡°Am I right or wrong?¡± the Prince said.


    Lord Ridley looked back at the Prince, who now had his arms crossed over his chest.


    ¡°Well, which is it?¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Ridley said. ¡°She fainted.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you waiting for, Riddle?¡± the Prince said, turning around and heading back to Classroom 1-3C when Rosalie¡¯s crying and the hubbub of students consoling her issued from the open double doors. ¡°Take her to the infirmary.¡±


    Ridley just gaped at the Prince¡¯s aloof conduct of Janet¡¯s well-being, so he called after him, saying, ¡°Wait a bit, your Highness.¡± But when the Prince kept on walking towards the double doors, Ridley fisted his hands and yelled, ¡°Damn it, Donny, I¡¯m talking to you!¡±


    The Prince turned, saying, ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°My God, is that really you talking?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Janet¡¯s on the ground, and yet there you are¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have my hands full already!¡± the Prince said. ¡°You take care of Janet, while I take care of Rosy! End of discussion,¡± and he entered the classroom calling out to Rosalie, saying that it was going to be okay.


    (All of Janet¡¯s clones just stared at the double doors through which the Prince had entered, shaking their heads.


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    The suicide clone said, ¡°He¡¯s hopeless.¡±


    Another said, ¡°He¡¯s an asshole.¡±


    And the rest of Janet¡¯s clones added their own expletive-filled descriptions of the Prince in turn, till there were thirty-one vulgar remarks about him, each getting more and more colorful. Then they returned to Janet, while the suicide clone stepped away as Ridley took Janet up in his arms.)


    But when he carried Janet to the top landing of the stairs, Ridley knew that he couldn¡¯t safely descend, because Janet¡¯s body would hinder his view of the steps. And since he didn¡¯t want to risk missing a step and having Janet suffer another indignity on the stairs, he placed her on the landing and thought back to his knight training with Kevin last week for Sir Parlon¡¯s extracurricular class last Friday afternoon at the Knights¡¯ Training Grounds behind the Western Annex. At the time, Ridley needed a partner to perform the ranger-roll technique, but since the Prince was a no-show that day, he teamed up with Kevin and practiced with him that afternoon and even over the weekend to perfect it. So he took a knee and grabbed Janet¡¯s leg, hooking his arm under her thigh and grabbing the skirt of her dress, then rolled Janet¡¯s body nice and easy over his shoulders, then held her leg and arm over his chest with both hands and got back up to his feet.


    (All the while, Janet¡¯s clones stared at Ridley with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks, saying that he was a true gentleman, far better than the Prince.)


    With Janet held thus, Ridley now had a full view of where he was going, so he descended the steps down two flights (as the clones followed). On the way down, he met Baron Palmer asking him what had happened to Lady Fleming, so Ridley said that she fainted in the hallway. Then Ridley (and the clones) continued down the stairs and entered the open-plan parlor area, Ridley garnering looks from late students heading for the stairs to get to their homeroom classes on the second and third floors, then headed into the Western side of the campus building, then passing the restrooms and afternoon clubrooms, till he (and the clones) reached the infirmary and entered.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°She fainted,¡± he said and followed the nurse to an available bed beside a window, where she pulled aside the curtain and Ridley placed Janet on the bedside and then swung her legs over and positioned her flat on her back (as Janet¡¯s clone all gathered around her bedside). ¡°Will you watch over her? I need to let her maids know.¡±


    ¡°I will, don¡¯t worry,¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ridley said and headed for the door out of the infirmary (while the suicide clone ordered three of her doppelg?ngers to follow him). Unaware of being tailed, Ridley passed the clubrooms and restrooms and exited the double-door entrance of the school, then cut a bee-line across the courtyard and the lawns and walkways of two dorm houses, till he reached the entrance of Mariana House. He asked the two guards to let him enter, saying that he needed to let Janet¡¯s maids know that their mistress is in the infirmary.


    So they let him pass.


    Ridley then passed the double doors and entered the central hallway, walking up to the side door next to Janet¡¯s dorm and knocking three times. Marin and Susan opened up, and Ridley told them what had happened and where Janet was and accompanied the maids on their way to the infirmary (while Janet¡¯s three clones followed after them). While on the way there, passing by the fountain in the courtyard and entering the double doors and passing by the restrooms and clubrooms towards the infirmary, the maids asked questions, and Ridley answered them and asked them to watch over Janet. Then he thought back to what his father Duke Woodberry had said about Prince Blaise¡¯s peculiar bias against Janet in connection to Rosalie, and the Prince¡¯s demeanor this morning had confirmed his father¡¯s words in the worst possible fashion.


    So Ridley said, ¡°If his Highness asks to see Janet in the infirmary, don¡¯t let him in.¡±


    Marin and Susan stopped and stared.


    ¡°Are you saying,¡± Susan said, ¡°that his Highness is a danger to Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a danger, per se,¡± Ridley said, ¡°but he¡¯s not in his right mind right now. So don¡¯t allow him near her, unless Janet says it¡¯s fine, and keep an eye on him in her presence. Just to make sure, okay?¡±


    Janet¡¯s maids looked at him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Susan said.


    As such, Ridley parted from Susan and Marin, both maids heading down the Western half of the hallway past the restrooms and clubrooms towards the infirmary (followed by the three clones). With that finally done, Ridley headed back into the open-plan parlor and stomped up two flights of stairs to the third floor and went down the Western half of the central hallway before the restrooms towards Classroom 1-3E in the middle of the hall for Homeroom 1. He had hoped to find Countess Julia Davidson alone, wanting to talk to her about some folklore about graveyards after reading yesterday¡¯s assigned readings, but on passing the double doors, he found a gathering of boys and girls already standing at the professor¡¯s lectern and talking with the black-haired countess about an urban legend of a haunted bridge in the outskirts of the Student Commons Town, which he¡¯d heard before and had even gone there legend-tripping with Kevin once after curfew.


    He mentally cursed when he saw them all talking with his homeroom professor like a bunch of fanboys and fangirls, hanging on her every word. If Prince Blaise hadn¡¯t caught up to him on his way up the stairs, if he hadn¡¯t insisted that he go with him to Classroom 1-3C to hear his explanation about Janet¡¯s transfer to another class, Ridley might have arrived before his pseudo-scholarly rivals and talked with Professor Davidson a bit, but that was not to be, at least not today.


    So Ridley bided his time, nodding to his rival colleagues and his gorgeous professor, and sat by his table near the front of the class, his mind now wandering towards the Prince¡¯s conduct in the halls. He leaned back on his chair next to an empty one and thought back to the Prince¡¯s disregard of Janet¡¯s well-being, wondering if the rumors and the accusations against her were really true.


    Then, when the fanboys and fangirls finished talking with Countess Davidson, they all went back to their tables and sat behind Ridley, and one of them (a count¡¯s son) sat next to him and said, ¡°All right, Riddle, your turn next.¡±


    Ridley said, ¡°My interest in Professor Davidson lies purely in the academic sphere, unlike you three.¡±


    His three classmates, a count¡¯s son and a viscount¡¯s son and a viscount¡¯s daughter, sniggered like a bunch of fools.


    ¡°Sure, mate, sure,¡± his desk mate said.


    Ridley shook his head and stood up from his chair and approached one of his favorite professors, wanting to ask about revenants and vampires, if only to get his mind off the incident between Prince Blaise and Janet in the hallway.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [1]

 (V2) Red Pill 6: Daydreams, Curiosities

    Villainess 2: DeeDee¡¯s Curiosity Shop


    <hr>


    Red Pill 6: Daydreams, Curiosities


    <hr>


    Janet Fleming¡¯s dream was a continuation of last night¡¯s in the thoroughfares of the Student Commons Town, where the street lamps fluttered to life with a spectral green glow, and where several clones of herself appeared from various thoroughfares carrying lighted lamps in their hands. They all looked at her with expectant smiles on their faces as if they were letting an outsider in on one of their deepest secrets, all of them beckoning Janet to follow them with their lamps through the thoroughfares of the Town.


    ¡°They¡¯re your clones,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide double said behind her, and when Janet turned around, she saw the rest of her doubles behind her, all of them carrying lamps of their own. ¡°Let¡¯s follow them, shall we?¡±


    Janet looked back on her silent clones, all of them still beckoning her forward with their lamps. ¡°Are you sure?¡± she said, wondering if they¡¯re just figments of her imagination. ¡°What if they¡¯re not really my clones?¡±


    ¡°This is your dream, Janet,¡± her suicide double said. ¡°Whether they¡¯re real or not, they have something for you.¡±


    Well, Janet couldn¡¯t argue with that, so she looked back over at her other clones waving for her to follow them and said, ¡°I sure hope you¡¯re right about this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re with you,¡± her suicide double said, and the rest of her doubles nodded their heads and said similar assurances.


    Janet smiled and joined the lugubrious procession of her silent doubles leading the way down the brick-paved boulevard bisecting the Town, followed in tow by her own clones bringing up the rear. As the procession passed the boutiques and restaurants and saloons, their shadows dancing along the walls from the glow of their lamps, Janet looked at the darkened windows that were empty of customers, empty of their chattering voices and clinking tableware and glassware and tapping footfalls. They then took a collective detour to their left into a narrow side street of antiquarian shops, one of which caught Janet¡¯s eye, for it was the only shop with a light still flickering inside its windows next to a dead end wall closing off the street. When they closed in on the shop, Janet read the signage above the door:


    <blockquote>


    DeeDee¡¯s Shop of Curiosities.


    </blockquote>


    Just as they reached the shop, the shop door swung open on its own, and one of Janet¡¯s silent clones entered, while the rest stayed outside and gave Janet and her own clones a wide berth, beckoning them to enter with their lamps. Janet looked through the shop windows at her silent double waiting for her at a glass display case full of compasses and telescopes and astrolabes and globes by the entrance, standing there and looking back at her with her lamp on the countertop.


    She looked back on her own clones, and her suicide clone said, ¡°It¡¯s all right, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Janet wasn¡¯t so sure, but she trusted her and stepped through the doorway into a room of musty smells from old leather bookbindings and other odors she couldn¡¯t identify, and her clones followed behind her, while the rest of her silent clones stayed outside.


    Janet peered at her surroundings: a low bookshelf by the windows full of leather-bound old tomes and grimoires; another bookshelf of small crosses and amulets and pendants and other small curios; another glass display case full of jars with monstrous bodies preserved in amniotic fluids; another bookshelf full of elixirs in bottles and flasks on the back wall; and yet another bookshelf full of sculptures and figurines and busts by the entrance. In the center of the shop stood two display cases: one a large display case in the center of the shop full of fossils and bones and full-length human skeletons; and the other a smaller display case full of artifacts and swords and knives, where a life-sized bisque doll in a black maid outfit sat atop its glass countertop with its legs dangling over the edge and its face staring at nothing from its glassy eyes. In addition to the display cases and the doll, in one corner of the shop stood a full suit of armor holding a long claymore in the gauntlets of its hands, and in another corner stood a full-length mirror on a mirror stand, and from the rafters of the ceiling hung giant tortoise shells and a large lamp lighting the interior.


    After looking around, Janet headed towards her silent doppelg?nger and said, ¡°What is this place?¡±


    Her spectral double pointed towards the bisque doll sitting atop the smaller display case, where all of Janet¡¯s clones were crowding around and poking its cheek and inspecting its clothes and saying how cute it was.


    Janet turned back to her silent double: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Her double pointed towards the bisque doll again, then put her hands together and put them to her cheek and closed her eyes like a pantomime.


    ¡°You want me to wake her up?¡± she said.


    Her double nodded.


    With that, Janet walked towards the crowd of her talking clones, who all gave her a wide berth and let her get near the bisque doll. She once again turned back to her silent double, and when that double nodded her head, Janet grabbed the doll¡¯s shoulders and gave it a good shaking, yet it remained limp on the countertop.


    Janet turned to her silent double: ¡°She won¡¯t wake up.¡±


    Her double pointed at the bisque doll, then pinched her own cheek.


    Janet nodded at the gesture and pinched the doll¡¯s cheek, and it felt like an actual human girl, yet she wouldn¡¯t wake up. She then leaned in and inspected the doll¡¯s face up close, where the imprint of her pinch left a slight reddish hue, and lifted its bangs from its forehead to see if there was a name there.


    There wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± her suicide clone said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Janet said, wondering who the shop owner was, then turned to her silent doppelg?nger once again. ¡°Do you know the owner of this shop? Maybe the owner knows how to wake her.¡±


    Again her silent double pointed at the bisque doll.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± she said. ¡°This doll?¡±


    Her double nodded, then raised her arm and pointed to the large lamp above their heads.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Janet blanked out on the gesture, looking up at the lamp lighting the interior of the shop, then stared at her silent double and said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    So her double pointed at her own lamp on the display case next to the entrance, then pointed at herself as a reference.


    ¡°That lamp belongs to you?¡± Janet said.


    Her double nodded again, then pointed up at the large lamp hanging above their heads and then at the bisque doll on the other display case.


    ¡°You mean this big lamp,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide double said, pointing up at the large lamp and then to the bisque doll, ¡°belongs to this doll?¡±


    Her double nodded again and knocked on her lamp atop the display case as if it was a door, blinking its glowing light with each knock, then put her hands together and put them to her cheek and closed her eyes as if she was sleeping, then opened her eyes.


    Then it clicked in Janet¡¯s head: ¡°Knock on the big lamp to wake her up?¡±


    Her double nodded again.


    Janet looked up at the big lantern above her, a good three feet above her head, then down at the countertop of the display case just below the level of her hips. She peered around the room, looking for a chair or a step stool, but when she saw none available, she did the next best thing: she turned around and pushed herself up into a sitting position on the glass countertop and swung her legs around, then got up to her feet.


    ¡°Careful now,¡± her suicide clone said.


    ¡°I will, don¡¯t worry,¡± Janet said and looked up at the big lantern that was now a few inches above her head. She raised her hand and knocked on it, blinking its glowing light with each knock. She waited for a few moments, then knocked on it again, blinking its light over and over . . .


    Until a voice blinked the light of the big lantern with its words, flooding the shop with its voice as it said, ¡°All right, all right, you can stop now, ugh! Seriously, I need a better way to wake up,¡± and the voice burped. ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯m still a bit sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Do you really live in this lamp?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s my living quarters, you know,¡± the voice said. ¡°Just wait a little bit while I transfer,¡± and the light of the lamp blinked on and off in rapid succession, till the bisque doll twitched to life at Janet¡¯s feet, and its glassy eyes flashed with a green spectral glow, and it stretched its arms and yawned and said, ¡°All right, I¡¯m fully awake now,¡± and the doll looked up at Janet. ¡°Who are you, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lady Janet Fleming,¡± she said.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m DeeDee Marionette, by the way,¡± the doll said, though she seemed more human to Janet than she had a moment ago, and she got off the display case. ¡°Welcome to DeeDee¡¯s Shop of Curiosities. Get down from there before you fall.¡±


    So Janet sat herself back on the countertop and swung her legs over the edge and got off without much hassle.


    ¡°You came here alone?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°No,¡± she said, looking at her own clones crowding around the small display case inside the shop. ¡°Don¡¯t you see the other clones?¡±


    DeeDee looked over at Janet¡¯s silent clone standing beside her lamp at the other display case next to the entrance, then turned towards the shop windows where the rest of her silent clones waited outside the shop. ¡°There¡¯s one clone here, while the rest are outside.¡±


    Janet looked at her own clones in the shop and said, ¡°There are other clones of me in the shop.¡±


    DeeDee surveyed her surroundings inside the shop but said, ¡°I don¡¯t see any other clones here. How many are there?¡±


    Janet¡¯s suicide clones counted heads and said, ¡°There¡¯s thirty-one of us here.¡±


    ¡°Thirty-one,¡± Janet said.


    So DeeDee walked through the crowd of clones towards her full-length mirror in the corner of her shop, then turned its reflection towards the Janet and¡ª


    ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It¡¯s just as you say, Lady Fleming. The rest of you, just stay where you are, so I can see you in this mirror,¡± and she ordered Janet¡¯s silent double waiting by the entrance to bring her lamp over and place it on the glass countertop, which she did, placing it atop the display case in front of Janet and her clones.


    ¡°Yes, right there,¡± DeeDee said.


    And the double left it there and stood sentry close by it, while DeeDee walked through Janet¡¯s clones again towards the bookshelf on the back wall that held elixirs in bottles and flasks, then gave three hard knocks on the left side of the shelf and waited for a time.


    ¡°What¡¯s she waiting for?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Beats me,¡± her suicide clone said.


    Then there came a small click and a heavy clank somewhere behind the bookshelf, and the shelf swung open, and DeeDee said, ¡°No peeking now,¡± and she stepped inside.


    Moments passed.


    Then, when she came back out, DeeDee headed back to the display case carrying a small tome in her hands and plopped it on the glass countertop before Janet and her clones. She flipped through pages of redacted text and said, ¡°All of the other pages have been redacted, meaning I can¡¯t read them,¡± but when she found the one page with readable text, she added, ¡°Except for this last page.


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Janet Fleming,¡¯¡± (she read aloud.) ¡°¡®Status: Alive. Most recent event: After getting framed by Miss Rosalie Edgeworth for ripping her dress and then losing her engagement ring over the weekend, Lady Fleming got set up by Lady Childeron and Lady Felton at school that morning and confronted Prince Donavan Blaise and then went to the women¡¯s restroom, where she had a vision in the bathroom mirror. She found deleted copies of herself, who advised her on how to proceed, and accompanied them to her homeroom class to confront Miss Rosalie Edgeworth and Prince Donavan Blaise. Afterwards she became dizzy and collapsed in the hallway.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    Then DeeDee turned to Janet and said, ¡°Is this your entry?¡±


    Janet nodded.


    Then DeeDee flipped back through the redacted pages, one by one, counting each one-page entry till she reached the thirty-first entry and said, ¡°All of the previous pages have been redacted, so I can¡¯t read them,¡± and she indicated the thirty-first page away from Janet¡¯s with a tap of her finger and added, ¡°but maybe the rest of you can read some of them. If one of you can read the page, then come up and put your hand on the lamp and then read it aloud,¡± and she stood aside.


    Janet¡¯s suicide double came forward and placed her hand on the lamp and said, blinking the lamp with her words and flooding the room with her voice,


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Janet Fleming. Status: Dead. Final event: After getting framed by Miss Rosalie Edgeworth for ripping her dress and crying over the weekend, Lady Fleming confronted Prince Donavan Blaise about it at school and then went to the women¡¯s restroom, where she cried. Then she went to her homeroom class to confront Miss Rosalie Edgeworth and got restrained by her classmates, till Prince Donavan Blaise confronted her. Afterwards she climbed the balustrade and leaped to her death.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    ¡°That¡¯s a very sad story,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide double said, ¡°you can see me?¡±


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°This lamp brings to light many secrets, both truths and lies. That¡¯s why they all carry lamps when I send them out,¡± and she pointed out Janet¡¯s silent clone next to her, as well as the other clones all holding their own lamps outside the shop windows. After that, she tapped on the next page over and said, ¡°Next!¡±


    Another clone came forward, the one in a soiled linen gown who had been beheaded in her execution, and placed her hand on the lamp and read aloud,


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Janet Fleming. Status: Dead. Final event: After getting blamed for writing and leaving death threats against Miss Rosalie Edgeworth in the halls of the Academy, Lady Fleming tried to fake her own death with Marquess Arnold Fleming¡¯s help, yet Prince Donavan Blaise¡¯s spies found out and reported it to him. Afterwards she was apprehended and questioned for hours but wouldn¡¯t admit to writing those death threats, so she was imprisoned on charges of treason, fomented by Miss Rosalie Edgeworth. As such, Marquess Arnold Fleming petitioned the High Court to set Lady Fleming free, but King [Conner] Blaise denied his bail and granted Prince Blaise full recourse to prosecute Lady Fleming and behead her one week later.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    ¡°Ouch!¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I can just imagine.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Janet¡¯s beheaded clone said. ¡°Damn that two-faced bitch!¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± DeeDee said, turning the page over to the next, and tapped it with her finger. ¡°Next!¡±


    Yet another clone came forward, the one wearing a ball gown with bloodstains on her bodice, and placed her hand on the lamp and read out her own harrowing experience of getting poisoned. Then another clone followed, and then another, and then another, all of them coming forward and reading out their gruesome ends from DeeDee¡¯s tome. Throughout these hideous retellings, Janet felt a wave of nausea flooding through her, leaving her senses clouded as she began to nod off in a delirium of words. Even when she propped herself up on the display case next to her silent doppelg?nger, she couldn¡¯t take anymore and fell down through the endless free fall of eternity, only to emerge on the other side where she heard other voices.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V2) Red Pill 7: Standoffs, Tamperings

    Villainess 2: DeeDee¡¯s Curiosity Shop


    <hr>


    Red Pill 7: Standoffs, Tamperings


    <hr>


    Janet listened to the voices in the darkness for a time, still reeling from her dream, but on opening her eyes, she awoke to a cacophony of words flooding through the curtained surroundings of an infirmary bed. She listened for a moment and recognized the voices at the door, where her maids Susan and Marin were saying that Prince Blaise can¡¯t see Janet right now, but Prince Blaise kept insisting that he at least come in to see her before leaving. Janet sat up and stretched her arms, yawning, then removed the sheets and swung her legs over the bedside as her maids kept insisting the Prince leave her be for today.


    So Janet got up and pulled the curtains aside, revealing all the other beds in the infirmary empty except for hers.


    ¡°Ah, see?¡± Prince Blaise said, looking past Susan and Marin. ¡°Let me speak to her.¡±


    But Susan said, ¡°Your Highness¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sue, Marin,¡± Janet said, ¡°just let him in.¡±


    ¡°But, my Lady,¡± Susan said, ¡°you¡¯re in no condition to¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. I¡¯m already up,¡± she said and sat back on the bedside. ¡°Just let him in.¡±


    Susan gave out a long sigh, and Marin was pouting, but they let Prince Blaise through the doorway and followed him to Janet¡¯s bed near a curtained window. They stood guard by the curtain, eyeing him with their hands fisted at their sides, and Janet saw their glares. And right before their sightless eyes, Janet¡¯s clones manifested in the infirmary on either side of Susan and Marin, all of them surrounding Janet¡¯s bed with scowls etched onto their faces and glares of hellfire aimed at the Prince¡¯s back.


    The Prince dragged a seat over and sat in it, so that he faced Janet just below her eye level on the bed and sat there looking at her for a time. To Janet, his face seemed ashen in appearance and his amber eyes somewhat lackluster, but that could have been a trick of the light flooding through the curtained window behind her.


    ¡°What is it, your Highness?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± he said.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± she said, then looked back over her shoulder at the light streaming through the window behind her, the sun glaring through a corner of the curtains on the window pane, before turning back to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost four o¡¯clock,¡± he said. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling all right, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°If me in an infirmary is ¡®all right¡¯ to you,¡± she said, ¡°then I guess I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°I meant that you scared us this morning: me, Lord Woodberry, Miss Edgeworth, and the rest of the class,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on harming yourself, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m upset, your Highness,¡± she said, ¡°but I¡¯m not that desperate for your attention.¡±


    ¡°Then when you said, ¡®I¡¯m already dead to you,¡¯¡± he said, ¡°does that mean you took something beforehand?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or were you just playing me?¡± he said.


    Janet gaped at his assertion, mostly because it was true that she was trying to guilt-trip him at the time, but not to the extent of fainting in the hallway, which she couldn¡¯t have foreseen, let alone think of offing herself. So she stood up from the bedside again and glared at him, saying, ¡°My God, what kind of woman do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said it yourself, Lady Fleming,¡± he said, standing up from his seat and meeting her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re desperate for my attention. You¡¯re so desperate, in fact, that you¡¯ve caused a scene in class just to spite me and humiliate Miss Edgeworth, and you even played the sympathy card in the hallway! Even for you, that was low.¡±


    So Janet changed tactics and said, ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have said what you said this morning, and you shouldn¡¯t have said what you said about my mother last Friday. As much as you hate me, I can¡¯t understand why you used her of all people to spite me. Even for you, that was low.¡±


    ¡°Stop making up excuses,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s unbecoming even for someone like you.¡±


    At those words, Janet saw a glowing green aura emanating from her clones, plunging the temperature of the surroundings enough to raise goosebumps on her forearms and make her maids shift their footing where they stood, though the Prince seemed to take no notice. Her clones all had Janet¡¯s back in this, all with an axe to grind, and her suicide clone in particular lunged forward and swung at the Prince¡¯s head, yet her hand passed through.


    (So Janet¡¯s clone broke into a tirade of curses neither the Prince nor the maids could hear, yelling, ¡°You¡¯re the one who should be ashamed! I should¡¯ve never jumped off that railing without taking you with me, you BASTARD!¡±)


    Which made Janet form a derisive smile at the Prince, taking him aback, so she said, ¡°Don¡¯t mistake my words for jest, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± he said, turning to go.


    But before he got too far, passing through the crowd of Janet¡¯s doubles, she saw her suicide double fixing an evil-eyed glare on the back of the Prince¡¯s head as if she was boring holes through his skull with her eyes.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Then answer me this, your Highness,¡± Janet said.


    He stopped, turned, and said, ¡°What is it now? I don¡¯t have all day to spend with you.¡±


    ¡°This is hypothetical, but answer me nonetheless,¡± Janet said. ¡°If I¡¯d have attempted to jump to my death from the third floor,¡± and she stole a glance at her double¡¯s shocked face, ¡°would you have gone after me?¡±


    Janet¡¯s maids covered their mouths, looking on with wide and horrified eyes, while the Prince gaped and looked at her maids before looking back at Janet and saying, ¡°Why are you even asking me that question?¡±


    ¡°Answer me,¡± she said. ¡°Would you or wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would!¡± he said. ¡°What do you take me for? I¡¯m not a monster!¡±


    ¡°A ¡®monster¡¯ already used my mother to spite me last week,¡± Janet said. ¡°Whatever else you¡¯ve said about me, God help you for what you¡¯ve said about the dead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me your sophistry, Lady Fleming,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Your words mean nothing to me.¡±


    Janet winced, cut to the quick like a blade over an exposed nerve, so she wiped the tears from her cheeks, even as her knees were beginning to buckle under the strain of another overwhelming question, and said, ¡°Then why did you come here, your Highness? Was it because I didn¡¯t jump to my death? Were you expecting me to die today?¡±


    And the Prince gaped and stared, wide-eyed, and said, ¡°Were you actually planning to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just answer me, your Highness!¡± Janet said, and her maids ran to her side, begging her to say no more hurtful words, even as the awful memory surfaced through Janet¡¯s thoughts of those slow and sludgy steps she had taken along that godless hallway towards the staircase landing and the balustrade, and she found herself wondering what had moved her steps that way. Even in her dazed condition, in which her thoughts were clouded and her body seemed to move on autopilot, what would have driven her towards the place where one of her doubles had ended her life? What could have . . .


    She looked up when Prince Blaise shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re too much, Lady Fleming. Get some more rest,¡± and he walked away and exited the infirmary.


    After he left, Janet¡¯s knees gave out, and she sat back on the bedside between her maids and doubled over and buried her face in her hands. Her maids wrapped their arms around her, and her clones came up to her and put their hands on her head and shoulders, and Janet¡¯s suicide clone (brought to tears at Janet¡¯s words) kneeled before her and hugged her.


    (¡°I know you meant well, Janet,¡± she said, ¡°but don¡¯t ever say that again! I¡¯ve already done it once, so don¡¯t do the same! Please, promise me you won¡¯t!¡±)


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Janet said in her hands. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Susan said.


    Janet uncovered her face and wiped away her remaining tears with the sleeve of her bolero, breathing in deep gulps and breathing out, then said, ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Marin said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± she said and changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°You wanna eat out?¡± Marin said.


    ¡°No,¡± Janet said. ¡°Just the usual at the dorm.¡±


    So she got up to her feet with Marin¡¯s help, while Susan snatched Janet¡¯s beret and book bag from the side table next to the bed and followed them out of the infirmary.


    All the while, Janet¡¯s clones brought up the rear as they all exited behind them with a number of clones (including Janet¡¯s suicide double) moving ahead of them down the main corridor past the afternoon clubrooms and the restrooms and into the open-plan parlor area, keeping a lookout up the steps towards the bannisters of the lower grand staircase and along the opposite Eastern corridor and even around the corner.


    (Then her suicide clone doubled back towards Janet before they reached the restrooms and said, ¡°Can you come to the bathroom, so we can talk? It¡¯s important.¡±)


    Janet stared at her spectral clone, wondering if it had anything to do with her dream of that haunted bisque doll, DeeDee Marionette, and slowed to a halt before the women¡¯s bathroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my Lady?¡± Marin said.


    ¡°Wait for me here,¡± Janet said and followed her suicide clone into the women¡¯s restroom, where she entered the bathroom stall furthest away from the door and closed the stall door.


    When her clone entered her stall, Janet sat on the lid of the toilet and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad,¡± her clone said. ¡°After we all finished reading out our entries in her shop, we told DeeDee of our suspicions about Rosalie and Prince Blaise. So DeeDee took out the rest of her books from her private library and inspected them, one by one, including the one with our profiles in it. Out of all the books she checked, she found five of them tampered with (including ours) and one missing. Guess whose profile book is missing.¡±


    ¡°But how would I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just guess,¡± her clone said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know whose it is.¡±


    That¡¯s when it clicked in Janet¡¯s head, for she knew it in the marrow of her bones and said, ¡°Dear God, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that vixen¡¯s book!¡±


    ¡°It is, unfortunately,¡± her clone said.


    ¡°Damn that scheming two-face!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s her for sure,¡± her clone said, ¡°but DeeDee has bigger problems right now.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Janet said.


    Her suicide clone was about to speak when the bathroom door opened, and Susan came walking in and saying, ¡°What¡¯s keeping you, my Lady? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a bit,¡± Janet said and flushed the toilet, then opened the stall door and went over to the sink and washed her hands and splashed water on her face. After that, she grabbed a paper towel from a dispenser and dried herself before dropping it into the waste bin.


    (¡°We¡¯ll continue this later,¡± her clone said and walked out ahead of her, passing through Susan and the bathroom wall and into the hallway beyond it.)


    ¡°I was getting worried,¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Sorry. I was just preoccupied with my thoughts,¡± Janet said and followed Susan out into the hallway, where continued on her way with her maids into the open-plan parlor area. She glanced around at her clones staking out the deserted parlor area.


    ¡°My Lady,¡± Marin said, ¡°who were you talking to?¡±


    ¡°Nobody, really,¡± she said, looking at her clones all searching the parlor area like constables, so she changed the subject. ¡°Did you find the engagement ring?¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t, my Lady,¡± Susan said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll check the Lost and Found tomorrow,¡± Marin said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Janet said. ¡°It may as well stay lost. I don¡¯t want to live the rest of my life with that man.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his problem, anyway?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°You know who that is.¡±


    Susan grimaced.


    ¡°Yeah. That vixen,¡± Janet said, watching her suicide double lead her clones through the double-door entrance of the Academy, and she imaged herself going outside and cursing out the name of Rosalie Edgeworth with absolute impunity, her voice echoing through the courtyard and up in the sky.


    (After that, Janet¡¯s suicide clone came back through the entrance and stared at Janet¡¯s maids, then came over and said to her, ¡°Do you think we can trust your maids?¡±)


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Janet whispered.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Marin added, looking around the parlor area and passing insensibly through one of Janet¡¯s clones as they passed through the double-door entrance into the outside courtyard. ¡°Sue and I could¡¯ve sworn you were talking to someone in the bathroom, and now you¡¯re whispering to the air.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I assure you,¡± she said.


    (¡°Oh, before I forget,¡± her suicide clone added. ¡°Expect two packages from DeeDee later tonight,¡± and before Janet could ask anything about them, her clone put her finger to her lips, then walked on ahead of Janet and her maids.)


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V2) Red Pill 8: Curfews, Incognitos

    Villainess 2: DeeDee¡¯s Curiosity Shop


    <hr>


    Red Pill 8: Curfews, Incognitos


    <hr>


    Late afternoon elapsed into sunset and darkened into deepening shades of twilight, till a starry night blanketed the sky above Mariana House, accompanied with the glow of a full moon rising in the East. During that interval, Janet expected and received two packages (a small one and a large oblong one that the postman carried into her dorm) from ¡®D.D.¡¯ and signed for them. After the postman left, Janet opened the big package, revealing a full-length mirror on a mirror stand, the same one she had seen in her dream of DeeDee¡¯s shop. Janet directed her maids to position it by the wall between the armoire closet and the vanity table. She then went to open the smaller package, but her suicide double told her not to, so Janet left it by the mirror and told her maids not to touch it. Afterwards Janet supped in her dorm, stress-eating three plates of pasta to compensate for missing lunch and for confronting Rosalie in the morning and Prince Blaise in the afternoon.


    As such, after finishing her meal, Janet chatted with her maids about the usual complaints about Prince Blaise and Rosalie, though she avoided touching on her discussion with her suicide clone in the bathroom or on her dream in the infirmary. All the while, half of Janet¡¯s clones were flitting about around the room, checking inside the armoire and beneath the four-poster bed, while the other half were stalking through the corridors and even taking quick peeks through the doors of other people¡¯s dorms. What they were looking for or what they were doing was a complete mystery to Janet, but she kept up her charade with her maids, pretending none of her clones were there doing God knows what.


    Eventually, as the 10:00 p.m. curfew approached, Janet changed into her nightgown, and Marin took her Academy uniform to the hamper in the designated servants¡¯ room next to Janet¡¯s, while Susan bade her goodnight and closed the double doors.


    Instead of going to bed, though, Janet sat by her study desk and said, ¡°Out with it. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    All of Janet¡¯s clones then gathered around, and her suicide clone said, ¡°Because her books were tampered with in her private library, DeeDee¡¯s shop has been compromised, so she wants to move her things to a more secure location.¡±


    ¡°Does she have a place in mind?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s Elba House,¡± her clone said.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± she said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that dorm haunted?¡±


    Her clone nodded, saying, ¡°That¡¯s why she wants to move her business there.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s haunted?¡± Janet said.


    Her clone nodded again.


    ¡°But if nobody goes there because it¡¯s haunted,¡± Janet said, ¡°then won¡¯t her business suffer?¡±


    ¡°From the look of her shop,¡± her clone said, ¡°I¡¯d say her business caters to some interesting customers.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Janet said. ¡°Will we help her move her stuff?¡±


    And her clone nodded again and said, ¡°DeeDee wants us to move everything to Elba House, and by ¡®us,¡¯ she means you.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Janet said, ¡°why only me?¡±


    Her suicide clone then passed her hand through the armrest of the dressing bench in front of her and said, ¡°We¡¯re ghosts, remember? You¡¯re the only living person we can physically interact with, and you¡¯ve also been to DeeDee¡¯s shop in your dream. As far as she knows, you¡¯re her best chance of pulling this off for her.¡±


    ¡°When is it?¡± she said.


    ¡°It starts tonight,¡± her clone said.


    Then Janet¡¯s mind flashed on her clone¡¯s question about her maids at the Academy, and she said, ¡°Is that why you asked if you can trust my maids?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re finally getting it,¡± her clone said. ¡°Do you think they can help cover for you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe they can, but I don¡¯t want to get them into trouble if things go south.¡±


    ¡°All right then,¡± her clone said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go with plan B for now. Are you up for it?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s plan B?¡±


    ¡°Open the small package,¡± her clone said, ¡°and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    So Janet went over to it, crouching and tearing it open, and found a maid¡¯s uniform, complete with an apron and a mob cap and a pair of brogue shoes, the same set that DeeDee wore, as well as a smaller parcel included in the contents. She looked up and stared at all of her doppelg?ngers smirking and giggling their heads off, saying, ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not up to it,¡± her suicide double said, ¡°then we can always go back to plan A.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do that, at least not yet,¡± Janet said and pulled her nightgown over her shoulders and put on the outfit, fastening the buttons and putting on the apron and tying it behind her back, then tying back her hair and fitting on the mob cap, then slipping into the brogues and checking herself in the full-length mirror. ¡°Sue and Marin would faint if they saw me like this.¡±


    ¡°It looks good,¡± her suicide clone said, ¡°but the guards might still recognize your face and hair. Open the parcel.¡±


    She then picked up the parcel and opened it, finding an emerald pendant necklace and a case containing a pair of glasses.


    ¡°Put them on,¡± her double said.


    So Janet put on the new necklace and tucked it under her collar beneath her bodice right over her amulet necklace, then placed the glasses over her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror and was startled at her reflection. She took them off and saw her own red eyes again, while her hair reverted to their customary dirty blonde drills, but on putting the glasses back on, she saw her eyes turn green and her hair turn black and straight like DeeDee¡¯s: the only difference was that Janet¡¯s hair ended past her hips.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit much for me,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I guess it takes some getting used to,¡± her double said. ¡°Those glasses are enchanted, by the way, and so is that necklace she gave you. Shall we go now?¡±


    Janet nodded and pulled open the double doors of her dorm and pulled them shut again, taking pains not to awaken her maids or anyone else in the other dorms, till the latch caught in the slip plate. With her clones leading the way and acting as lookouts, she crept through the darkness of the central hallway on the balls of her feet, picking up the skirt of her dress, so the hems won¡¯t rustle against her footfalls. When she reached the foyer and the double doors, she heard the voice of a girl talking to the guards, saying that she was expecting to meet her big sister any minute now, so she pushed open the doors and saw DeeDee smile at her.


    ¡°That¡¯s her, ZiZi Marionette,¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet just played along: ¡°Have I kept you waiting?¡±


    And DeeDee shook her head and fluttered her doll-like eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re right on time, big sis.¡±


    ¡°How old are you, Mademoiselle?¡± one of the guardsmen said, looking at Janet¡¯s green-eyed and bespectacled face and then at DeeDee¡¯s green-eyed and doll-like face.


    ¡°I¡¯m eighteen,¡± Janet lied.


    The guardsman nodded and let her accompany the DeeDee on their errand, but his fellow guardsman said, ¡°Be mindful of the curfew and be careful, mademoiselles.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Janet said and smiled, and both pseudo-sisters smiled and joined hands and bowed and left.


    ¡°Good evening, mademoiselles,¡± they said and waved them off, while Janet¡¯s clones followed them in girly giggles busting out of the mouths in idiot hysterics, commenting on yet another great performance from ZiZi Marionette, a.k.a., ¡®big sis,¡¯ a.k.a., Janet Fleming the Maid.


    It was all Janet could do to ignore them, gritting her teeth and squeezing her hands into fists, reminding herself that even though they were acting really bratty right now, they were still her clones. Thus, as the pair made their way down the brick-paved boulevard and through the campus gates into the Student Commons Town, garnering glances from loitering adults and passing townsmen and women, the bespectacled Janet stole a glance at her companion. Now that Janet got a good look at her, she noticed DeeDee was half a head shorter than her and sported short black hair framing her doll-like face, so DeeDee seemed a year or two younger than herself.


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said, keeping her eyes forward.


    ¡°You fit the little sister type,¡± Janet said, ¡°but why call me ZiZi? There are better names, you know.¡±


    ¡°It was their idea,¡± DeeDee said, jerking a thumb back at Janet¡¯s clones bringing up the rear and laughing again with the beheaded clone laughing so hard that her head would have fallen to the ground, had not her fellow clone caught it in her hands and replaced it on her shoulders.


    Janet looked over her shoulder, glaring at them and saying, ¡°Oh, hardy har har!¡±


    More laughter from her sniggering clones.


    ¡°Just bear it,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°till we reach the shop.¡±


    So Janet humphed and pouted, ignoring her merciless doubles all giggling and commenting on how precious the pair of pseudo-sister maids looked under the lamplit evening. They then passed the same boutiques and restaurants and saloons disgorging their last customers before closing for the night, most of them local loiterers or out-of-town visitors. Janet caught a sidelong glance at some of these stragglers looking their way, so her clones strayed back and kept a lookout as the pair took a different detour to their left into another narrow side street of closed delicatessens half a block from the antiquarian shops. They then entered an alleyway to the other side and doubled back along another side street of discount stores and hurried along the main boulevard, still holding each other¡¯s hands, till they took their original detour into the same side street of antiquarian shops that were all closed, except for DeeDee¡¯s Shop of Curiosities by the dead end wall, where Janet sighted the green flickering glow through its windows.


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    They entered the shop as several clones came running into the side street, where Janet¡¯s suicide double filed through the entrance and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we were followed, but we¡¯ll keep a lookout for any unwanted visitors.¡±


    ¡°Good. Do that,¡± DeeDee said.


    The suicide clone nodded and headed back out.


    Little did they know that one of those ¡®unwanted visitors¡¯ came fluttering overhead, perching itself atop the overhanging eave of a closed storefront right next door to DeeDee¡¯s shop, keeping watch over the entry the pair of maids had entered. After several failed attempts at flying closer to DeeDee¡¯s shop, for the bird seemed to avoid perching there, this overhanging eave was the best it could manage. From Mariana House to DeeDee¡¯s shop, the nighthawk had caught the anomalous exchanges between the sister maids through its eyes and ears, yet Lady Jenna Childeron couldn¡¯t make out anything else after the maids entered the shop.


    ¡°Can you get any closer?¡± Rosalie said.


    Lady Childeron blinked out the avian vision, turning her eyes from black to light blue, then shook her head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t hear what they¡¯re saying in the shop.¡±


    Inside Rosalie¡¯s dorm room were three students, all of them in their nightgowns. Lady Childeron was sitting at a tea table massaging away a headache after using her taming skill on a nighthawk, and Lady Felton was busy at a study desk using her magic to forge Prince Blaise¡¯s signature onto three blank notice forms using a genuine example from a scrap sheet of paper the Prince had used to test a faulty fountain pen, and Rosalie herself was combing her long blonde hair at her vanity desk like a fairytale princess.


    ¡°What about before they entered?¡± Rosalie said.


    Lady Childeron tried making sense of the weird exchanges between the two maids but shook her head again and said, ¡°It¡¯s strange. They¡¯re talking as if other people were there, but I could only see the two maids.¡±


    Rosalie stopped combing her hair and held onto it over her vanity desk and said, ¡°Did you get a good look at the maid that came out of Mariana House?¡±


    ¡°I got the bird to fly as close as I could without alerting the guards,¡± Lady Childeron said, ¡°but I didn¡¯t see any resemblance to Janet at all.¡±


    Lady Felton turned from her forgery work and said, ¡°Maybe she¡¯s using a disguise.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Rosalie said, ¡°then where did she get the disguise from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lady Felton said.


    ¡°Maybe her father¡¯s helping her?¡± Lady Childeron said.


    Rosalie paused, then said, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. When did he go to the shop again? Was it Saturday or Sunday?¡±


    ¡°Sunday,¡± Lady Childeron said.


    ¡°Then something must have happened that day,¡± Rosalie said, then pulled open a side drawer and took out the ring she¡¯d stolen from Janet¡¯s dorm and showed it to her partners-in-crime. ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the engagement ring Lady Fleming gave you?¡± Lady Childeron said, making Lady Felton look back at them from the study desk.


    Rosalie shook her head: ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s the ring you stole?¡± Lady Felton said.


    ¡°Yep, you¡¯re right,¡± Rosalie said, inspecting the item in the light of her vanity lamp in one hand while gripping her comb tight in her other hand. ¡°I was gonna use this to get a reaction out of her in front of his Highness, but she somehow turned the tables on me with a duplicate ring! Who do you think got her that ring, huh?¡±


    Neither Lady Childeron nor Lady Felton said anything, yet the answer to her question sucked the air from the room: if Marquess Fleming had indeed obtained a duplicate ring for Janet, then it might mean he was privy to their tricks. Then there were the two packages the postman had given to Janet at the double doors of her dorm after sunset: Lady Childeron remembered vaporizing herself out of the first-floor hallway in Mariana House and into the central boulevard behind the juniper trees, hiding herself from the guards. From there she ran under the cloak of her air affinity to Rosalie¡¯s dorm in Guinevere House and told her about the packages, yet neither she nor Rosalie could vaporize themselves back into the dorm house afterwards. As such, neither girl could sneak into Janet¡¯s dorm nor eavesdrop on her from outside. If these setbacks were the result of Janet¡¯s father, then they were in big trouble. Of all the nobles in the Kingdom, Marquess Fleming was most feared and respected for his ballsy defense of the Bartleby ducal family against the Blaise royal family that ended in a duel with the Captain of the Royal Guards. If such a man knew Lady Childeron and Lady Felton were bullying his only daughter at the Academy, God knows how much damage he could inflict on the reputations of their fathers, Count Childeron and Count Felton.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna risk it,¡± Lady Childeron said.


    ¡°Maybe we should lay low for a while,¡± Lady Felton added. ¡°We could always get back at her next week.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rosalie said.


    Then Lady Childeron said, ¡°But what if¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said, NO!¡± Rosalie said, flinging her comb against her vanity desk, where it ricocheted off the desktop and the wall and landed on the floor in two pieces.


    Lady Childeron and Lady Felton clammed up, for Rosalie was at her most dangerous when she was pissed. The look on her face was nothing short of demonic, a pair of glaring eyes the color of blue fire, a scowl like that of a gargoyle¡¯s, and a temper as sharp as a guillotine¡¯s blade. Lady Childeron found it odd that someone so angelic in front of the Prince and her admirers could also be so scary in front of her closest friends. Four weeks into the school year, Lady Childeron and Lady Felton had ditched Janet after Rosalie told them and his Highness that Janet had been dating Lady Felton¡¯s fianc¨¦ behind her back. His Highness and Lady Felton were both livid, and Lady Childeron was sorry for her friend and his Highness but still wanted proof before changing sides. So Rosalie led them into the Student Commons Town to the Sweet Dream dessert shop where they saw Janet commiserating with Lord Woodberry, stress-eating ice cream and (seemingly) putting the moves on him. That¡¯s when Lady Childeron and Lady Felton sided with Rosalie, and that¡¯s when Rosalie took Janet¡¯s place as his Highness¡¯s next fianc¨¦e to make Lady Felton feel better, but that¡¯s also when the Prince¡¯s friendship with Lord Woodberry crumbled, making Lord Woodberry suspect that Lady Felton had something to do with it. After that, she and Lady Felton found out Rosalie was doing it with the Prince, making a spiteful Lady Felton grin and even congratulate her for it, but afterward Lady Childeron noticed Lady Felton spending the hours in her dorm crying herself to sleep. Even when Lady Childeron admired Rosalie for her efforts, was all this cloak-and-dagger backstabbing really worth it?


    She wasn¡¯t sure about Lady Felton, but Lady Childeron was having second thoughts, till Rosalie glared at her, saying, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, Jenna?¡±


    Lady Childeron averted her eyes and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, you weren¡¯t,¡± Rosalie said, then glared at Lady Felton: ¡°What about you, Vessy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it your way, Rosy,¡± Lady Felton said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Rosalie said, smiling. ¡°Are you finished with those?¡±


    Lady Felton nodded from the study desk, saying, ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for the ink to dry.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rosalie said, smiling a slasher¡¯s smile that sent a chill down Lady Childeron¡¯s back. ¡°You two give those notices to Lady Kessler and her friends tomorrow. That¡¯ll get their panties in a wad for a while.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it will work?¡± Lady Felton said.


    ¡°It will,¡± Rosalie said, putting the ring back in the drawer and pushing it closed before getting up from her vanity desk. ¡°His Highness has already created an opening for me, so we may as well put it to good use.¡±


    ¡°And if they try something?¡± Lady Childeron said.


    ¡°Then put them back in their place,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you do it. Just make sure that you scare them enough, so they¡¯ll stop snooping in my business. But make sure to get yourselves out of there as fast as you can.¡±


    Lady Childeron and Lady Felton nodded their heads.


    So Rosalie got up from her vanity table and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out. Make sure to lock up after me.¡±


    Lady Childeron traded a glance with Lady Felton, and she knew what was on her friend¡¯s mind: since Lady Fleming had humiliated Rosalie in front of the Prince and her sympathizers in Classroom 1-3C this morning, she¡¯ll be bonking with the Prince good and hard tonight.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Lady Felton said.


    ¡°Enjoy yourself,¡± Lady Childeron added.


    ¡°Will do. Tootles,¡± Rosalie said, then vaporized herself out of the room in a gust of wind for another tryst with the Prince. In the wake of her departure, Lady Childeron wondered if Rosalie¡¯s complaints about him were true: Was Prince Blaise really having a hard time keeping up with her? Or was Rosalie just a nymphomaniac? Or was it both?


    Back in the shop, Janet noticed one of the bookshelves missing from the back wall and the suit of armor holding its claymore missing from its corner of the shop when DeeDee caught her glance with a beckoning hand, so she came over and said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Take off your glasses,¡± she said.


    Janet took them off, changing her eyes to her original red hue and her hair back to dirty blonde drills, and hung it over the collar of her apron and said, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°You tell me,¡± DeeDee said, looking into her eyes. ¡°Your clones told me you fainted at school. Is that true?¡±


    Janet nodded and said, ¡°When I woke up in the infirmary, I¡¯d missed all of my classes and my lunch period.¡±


    ¡°Any dizziness or nausea or vomiting?¡±


    ¡°Dizziness, yeah,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Accompanied with blurry vision and sweating?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said.


    DeeDee went silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I noticed you fainting in my shop in your dream, but I refrained from telling your clones so as not to alarm them. After I had them finish reading out their profiles in that book,¡± and she pointed out one of the tomes lying on the display case beneath the big lantern lighting the shop, ¡°I pointed out that you weren¡¯t with us and asked your clones what they did to you. They said they had you spy on your classmates by performing astral projection through a hypnotic counting technique, and I scolded them. Do you remember what happened just before you fainted?¡±


    Janet took a deep breath and remembered the sluggish moments in the hallway, saying, ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain, but it felt like my body was moving on its own.¡±


    ¡°Where were you going?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°To the staircase landing and the rail,¡± she said, closing her eyes and seeing it replay in her mind, ¡°where one of my doubles leaped to her death.¡±


    DeeDee then took up a tome from the stack of tomes from the display case and flipped through its pages, till she stopped on one page and skimmed its contents.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee looked up at her and said, ¡°Did you have any thoughts of suicide at the time?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°I was puzzled over it when I got back to my dorm, but I never had those thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± DeeDee said and closed the book. ¡°There are many kinds of hauntings, Janet, two of which are most common: the intelligent haunting that interacts with the living, and the residual haunting that doesn¡¯t. Your clones are intelligent hauntings, but what you experienced just before you fainted was a residual haunting from one of your clones.¡±


    ¡°The one that jumped off the rail?¡±


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°You were under the influence of her last living moments, because you were subjected to the same emotional environment as she was before she died. The imprint of her emotions at the time of her death was so strong that it clouded your thoughts and overrode your bodily movements and almost made you reenact her suicide. Thank your lucky stars you fainted before that happened.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God,¡± Janet said, lighting on her suicide double¡¯s reaction when she made her promise to never do the same thing she did. She had to talk to her, if only to relieve herself of guilt, and added, ¡°How did she take it?¡±


    ¡°She took it hard,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°as she should. Out of all of your clones, I scolded her the most.¡±


    ¡°No wonder she¡¯s been so proactive,¡± she said, ¡°but I¡¯m sure she had no ill intentions.¡±


    ¡°Of course, she didn¡¯t,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but she is still a ghost, and so are the rest of your clones. Ghosts are just one of many types of hauntings, and hauntings are inherently dangerous to those susceptible to emotional influences, especially to ones holding onto grudges.¡±


    At her words, Janet grimaced and then bit down on her lower lip, knowing full well the truth of her observation.


    ¡°Do you suppress your emotions, Janet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it sucks!¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t suppress them anymore,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say!¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯ve had to do that for ten years, only to get jilted by a two-timing bastard because of a two-faced bitch! I can¡¯t keep dealing with those two anymore! I¡¯m fucking SICK OF IT!¡±


    DeeDee stared into Janet¡¯s eyes, saying, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being angry, okay? They just teach you to check that anger, because anger leads to action, and actions lead to results. But if you want results, you¡¯ve got to control it, because I can¡¯t help you otherwise.¡±


    Janet avoided her gaze and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to go off on you like that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°What you¡¯ve said was the truth, no matter what others say or think.¡±


    For the first time in a while, Janet smiled and said, ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ve no idea how much that means to me.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re all good?¡±


    Janet nodded.


    ¡°Then put your glasses back on,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to move here, so we¡¯ll start with the shelves,¡± and she pointed out the mirror in the corner between two bookshelves. ¡°Do you see that mirror over there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Janet said after putting them on, changing her eyes and hair again.


    ¡°That¡¯s connected to a pair of mirrors,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°One I had delivered to your dorm, and the other I¡¯ve carried into Elba House myself. I¡¯ve already moved a bookshelf and its contents there with the help of Sir Abram this evening, but his hands were a bit clunky for the job.¡±


    ¡°Sir Abram?¡± she said.


    So DeeDee pointed to the empty corner where Janet had seen a suit of armor holding a claymore in her daydream and said, ¡°He¡¯s a suit of armor, but don¡¯t tell him I said that. He¡¯s a bit sensitive.¡±


    Then she remembered her double¡¯s words back at Mariana House and said, ¡°Is that why you asked for me?¡±


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°And I was hoping you¡¯d find more helping hands, but that¡¯s okay. Since there¡¯s only two of us here, we¡¯ll just spread out the workload into the next day, till everything has been moved. As such, treat this time as an introductory night class, for it will help you build up your spiritual awareness. Got it?¡±


    Janet nodded and helped DeeDee empty out a bookshelf by the back wall full of elixir bottles and flasks, taking care to avoid dropping them as she carried them in her apron and arranged them on the display case beside the stack of tomes.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V2) Red Pill 9: Nights, Introductions

    Villainess 2: DeeDee¡¯s Curiosity Shop


    <hr>


    Red Pill 9: Nights, Introductions


    <hr>


    On that first night, after Janet helped DeeDee empty out two other bookshelves, one full of amulets and crosses and pendants and other curios and another full of sculptures and figurines and busts, she and DeeDee placed them in their separate groups atop two other display cases. Then Janet helped DeeDee tip the empty bookshelves over onto their sides and carry them through the mirror into the dark interior of one of Elba House¡¯s dorms, where Janet found a group of her silent clones lighting their way with their lamps. After helping DeeDee carry the last bookshelf into the room, she helped her move them towards the back wall that faced the double-door entrance and the low bookshelf of leather-bound tomes and grimoires on the opposite wall.


    Janet then looked over at the double-door entrance and found a suit of armor standing sentinel there and holding its claymore with its gauntlets over the pommel of the handle and the point of its blade standing on end.


    Then the suit of armor turned its helmet and opened its visor with a salute, making Janet jump at the pair of glowing green eyes, and said, ¡°Ah, Sorry for startling you, my Lady. I¡¯m Sir Abram of the Gate, former knight of the Old Guard of the Kaden Kingdom and now a lowly guard for Miss Marionette.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Abram of the Gate,¡± she said and curtseyed. ¡°I¡¯m Lady Janet Fleming, daughter of Marquess Arnold Fleming.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the Flemings,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve had the honor to serve with your ancestor, Captain Jude Fleming, when I was a young lad. Just call me Abram, by the way.¡±


    Janet was about to ask something about her esteemed ancestor when DeeDee said, ¡°I¡¯d hate to interrupt your little heart-to-heart chat, Abram, but Janet and I have more work to do at the shop.¡±


    ¡°All right, Miss Marionette. I¡¯ll leave you both to it,¡± Sir Abram said and nodded at Janet before shutting his visor and resuming his guard duty at the double doors.


    So Janet followed DeeDee through the mirror reflection back into the shop and said, ¡°Who was that guy?¡±


    ¡°He was an honorable knight born from a line of evil knights,¡± DeeDee said as she went to a display case and gathered the elixirs in her apron. ¡°Thus, he was feared and hated throughout his life, but he proved his worth in the end. That¡¯s all you need to know for now.¡±


    ¡°What about my ancestor, Sir Jude Fleming?¡± Janet said. ¡°Do you know anything about him?¡±


    ¡°Only that he was an honorable knight,¡± she said. ¡°He was the first to see past Abram¡¯s ignoble lineage and accept him as his brother in arms. Come now, don¡¯t dawdle.¡±


    Janet got to work taking up the rest of the elixirs in her apron and followed DeeDee through the mirror into the dorm in Elba House, where she helped her set up the elixirs on a bookshelf along the back wall.


    All the while, as Janet occupied her body, she also occupied her mind with thoughts of learning swordsmanship, which led to thoughts of using her clones to spy on Rosalie on her way to her own dorm in Guinevere House, which then led to thoughts of a vengeful Janet in full regalia galloping behind on horseback and beheading her enemy with one slash of her sword. Then she went on thinking of Prince Blaise and having him strung up against a wall with his pants pulled down to his knees in an isolated dungeon, where she¡¯d order Sir Abram to raise his claymore high above the Prince¡¯s most precious body part as the the bastard was begging for mercy and saying that he was wrong about Rosalie and that he would do anything Janet wanted if she would just stop this madness. But in the sadistic theater of her mind, Janet had no mercy for the two-timer and ordered Sir Abram to swing his claymore, while she gloated like a she-devil at the Prince¡¯s screams . . .


    Janet smiled as she followed DeeDee through the mirror into the shop and helped her gather the group of crosses and amulets and pendants and other small curios in her apron, till she recognized a duplicate of the emerald pendant necklace that she had received from DeeDee¡¯s parcel delivery.


    ¡°That pendant you gave me,¡± Janet said, pointing to the object on the glass display case. ¡°Why did you give it to me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an amulet,¡± DeeDee said in Janet¡¯s mind, ¡°that allows me to communicate with you via telepathy. It¡¯s good for clandestine conversations, but please don¡¯t abuse that privilege. I need my sleep, too, you know.¡±


    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t,¡± she said, putting her hand over her bosom and feeling both amulets there, ¡°but how do you use it?¡±


    ¡°Just use your thoughts to speak,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and they¡¯ll be relayed to me and vice versa. But be aware,¡± she added, ¡°that amulets cannot filter your intentions or desires. So please keep them appropriate when communicating to me!¡±


    Janet threw away her thoughts of killing her rival and maiming her unfaithful Highness, blushing in embarrassment and saying, ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of girl, I swear!¡±


    ¡°Just be more mindful next time,¡± DeeDee said, using her actual voice. ¡°Come now, don¡¯t dawdle.¡±


    Janet nodded and followed her back through the mirror into the room at Elba house, where she helped DeeDee arrange the trinkets and curios on a second bookshelf by the back wall. She then followed DeeDee through the mirror again, keeping her thoughts clear of anything heinous or scandalous or otherwise unbecoming of a lady, and helped carry the group of figurines in her apron, while DeeDee handled a life-sized bust of some bald and bearded personage unknown to Janet. Both girls passed back through the mirror into Elba House and arranged the items on a third bookshelf by the back wall, till the bust yawned and started blinking its eyes.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been moved in decades,¡± the bust said, making Janet turn and stare at the talking bust. ¡°What¡¯s the occasion, Miss Marionette? And who is this young lass here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a recent acquaintance of mine,¡± DeeDee said, then to Janet: ¡°Introduce yourself.¡±


    So Janet curtseyed and said, ¡°I¡¯m Lady Janet Fleming. Pleased to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, an aspiring gentlewoman, eh?¡± the bust said.


    ¡°No,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m incognito.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, I see,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m Christopher Malory, famed merchant and part-time mapmaker and explorer.¡±


    ¡°And full-time madman,¡± said Sir Abram from the double doors, his helmet turned in their direction. ¡°Try not to fall into his imaginative rabbit holes, my Lady. He¡¯s a bit on the crazy side when it comes to pseudo-cartography.¡±


    ¡°Only because you¡¯ve never seen the vast stretches of this wonderful world with your fickle eyes, my boy,¡± the bust of Christopher said, then turned to Janet: ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, my Lady. He¡¯s just a cranky suit of armor.¡±


    The ¡®suit of armor¡¯ turned around on the threshold of the entrance with his weapon gripped in his gauntlets, saying, ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll see who¡¯s the ¡®crank¡¯ after I drive my claymore up your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now, now, calm down, boys,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Not in front of our guest here.¡± Then to Janet: ¡°Go get the others, while I talk it over with these two.¡±


    But Janet had not finished arranging the rest of the figurines and said, ¡°I¡¯m not finished with this yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯ll do it after I talk to these two. Now get going.¡±


    ¡°O-okay, sure,¡± Janet said and headed back through the mirror into the shop, where she found four other busts of bearded men still snoring in their sleep on their pedestals and three toga-clad female statuettes stretching their limbs and arching their backs on their pedestals, all of them atop the display case. And for a few moments, Janet just stared at the snoring busts and the three statuettes yawning and asking each other what time it was, till the trio spotted her and covered themselves with their forearms.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± said the first.


    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± said the second.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Marionette gone off to?¡± said the third.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, wait a minute,¡± Janet said, raising her hands in a placating gesture. ¡°I¡¯m harmless, I promise.¡±


    Yet the first said, ¡°You say that now¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbut you¡¯ll snatch us away,¡± the second said.


    ¡°And then you¡¯ll do weird things to us!¡± the third added.


    Which made Janet deadpan at their words, wondering how they¡¯d even reached that conclusion, but she shook her head of those thoughts and said, ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like that. Miss Marionette just invited me here to help her move the items in her shop, but it¡¯s just going to be for a few nights, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make promises you can¡¯t keep,¡± the first statuette said, ¡°especially if you plan on stealing us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on stealing you, okay?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll just move you and the rest to another location.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing as stealing us?¡± the second statuette said, her arms akimbo.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that at all, geez!¡± Janet said.


    Yet the third statuette added, ¡°You expect us to believe a thief who snuck in after hours?¡± And she pointed out all the missing bookshelves and added, ¡°We can see all the bookshelves and all the inventory missing, you liar!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll move you later, geez!¡± Janet said and went over to the four sleeping busts right next to the trio of statuettes.


    Yet just before she laid her hands on the busts, the statuettes all started yelling and calling out for help, launching the four snorers into dreamy fits and starts on their pedestals, all of them complaining in their sleep about being too loud when they were trying to catch some shut-eye. Fed up with the inconvenience of three meddlesome statuettes, who kept yelling for the four sleepers to wake up their stupid noggins, Janet took off her mob cap and let her curly locks flow down her shoulders and stalked over to the trio¡ª


    ¡°Wait, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°Someone, HELP!¡±


    ¡ªand shoved her cap over their heads as they all struggled in its folds, feeling their wriggling bodies and flailing limbs beneath the cloth and listening to their muffled cries for help, till they each stopped moving after a time.


    ¡°There! Now be quiet, you three,¡± Janet said and proceeded to the still-snoring busts and poked them with her finger, then again, and then again, till they woke up.


    And the first bust said, ¡°What in blazes is going on here?¡±


    Then the second bust: ¡°What¡¯s all the poking about?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    And then the third bust: ¡°Who¡¯s been poking me?¡±


    Yet out of the four busts, the last one looked up at Janet and said, ¡°Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a helper here,¡± Janet said.


    The four busts then started looking for their fellow bust, the fifth of their number that was no longer with them.


    So the first bust said, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Then the second bust: ¡°Where did Mr. Malory go?¡±


    Then the third bust: ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn he was here.¡±


    And then fourth bust: ¡°Miss, do you know where he went?¡±


    Now that all four busts were staring up at her, Janet raised her hands up in a placating gesture, trying to remain calm, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s in another location, and I¡¯m going to move you all there in a jiffy.¡±


    ¡°Move us where?¡± all four busts said.


    Yet before Janet spoke, the three statuettes had regained consciousness and had removed the mob cap from their heads, so that the first statuette said, ¡°Don¡¯t believe her!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a thief!¡± said the second.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her take you!¡± said the third.


    Janet was beside herself at this point, on the edge of throwing an object at the three meddlesome statuettes on the display case, had there been any object near at hand that wasn¡¯t one of the four busts. As all such objects were behind the glass display cases, she just went to the mirror muttering to herself and saying, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being told off by a bunch of stupid objects.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not ¡®stupid objects,¡¯ missy!¡± one statuette said.


    Then the second statuette had a go, saying, ¡°We¡¯ll have you know we¡¯re all enchanted in this shop.¡±


    ¡°And that means,¡± added the third statuette, ¡°that we¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll be . . . Hey, get back here, I say!¡±


    But Janet passed through the reflection into the dorm at Elba House, saying to herself, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s come to this. First it¡¯s that vixen, then it¡¯s the Prince, and then it¡¯s my friends, and now it¡¯s these things? Really?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Lady Fleming?¡± DeeDee said as she finished up arranging the figurines on the lower shelves of the third bookshelf on the back wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s those damn statuettes!¡± she said.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°April and May and June are giving you a hard time, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Those are their names?¡±


    DeeDee nodded, then stalked back towards the mirror and said, ¡°I swear, if it¡¯s not one thing, it¡¯s another. Let¡¯s go back and straighten things out with them.¡±


    And Janet followed DeeDee back through the mirror and into the shop, where the three meddlesome statuettes were now waving their hands and saying that Janet was a thief who tried to suffocate them earlier. Yet one look at the demonic flash of DeeDee¡¯s green glowing eyes shut them up faster than a heart attack, and the various objects rattled in their display cases when she said, ¡°April, May, June, please don¡¯t harass Lady Fleming, or else!¡±


    So all three statuettes bowed to her, saying in unison, ¡°We¡¯re deeply sorry, Miss Marionette.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me,¡± she said. ¡°Apologize to Lady Fleming here. I invited her to help me move my shop.¡±


    That¡¯s when all three statuettes looked up at Janet with shock etched onto their faces, then bowed once again and said in unison, ¡°We¡¯re really sorry, Lady Fleming. Just please don¡¯t have us destroyed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that cruel, you know,¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee put her fingers to the bridge of her nose, then leveled a glare directed at the three troublemakers and said, ¡°Even though I told you earlier to keep an eye on things, you three are too paranoid,¡± which made the trio of female statuettes flinch on their pedestals and look away from their owner. ¡°Well, at least you four are now awake,¡± she added, indicating the four bearded busts, ¡°which should make things a little easier on Lady Fleming here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good,¡± one bust said.


    ¡°Not like April and May and June,¡± another bust added.


    And the three statuettes crossed their arms over their breasts and stuck their tongues out at them.


    ¡°I know,¡± DeeDee said, then to the three statuettes: ¡°I¡¯ll have a chat with you later.¡± And when the trio lowered their heads and bowed their shoulders, DeeDee dug through a side pocket of her apron and pulled out a pocket watch and said, ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s almost three in the morning already. We¡¯ll be finishing up in a bit, Lady Fleming. Just carry the busts, and I¡¯ll carry the statuettes.¡±


    And with that, Janet carried one of the busts, while DeeDee carried all three statuettes in her apron, and both girls walked back through the mirror into the dorm in Elba House and placed them on the third bookshelf.


    ¡°Ah, there you are, Mr. Malory,¡± the bust said. ¡°We were wondering where you were.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know me,¡± he said and nodded at the suit of armor. ¡°I was just chatting with old ¡®cranky¡¯ bones over there.¡±


    Sir Abram turned his head around, his eyes flashing green through the visor of his helmet, but said nothing and just resumed his guarding duties at the threshold.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Don¡¯t start.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I promise,¡± he said.


    Afterwards Janet and DeeDee headed back through the mirror into the shop once more and came back carrying two more busts and placing them on a shelf beside their comrades, and DeeDee headed back through the mirror and returned with the last bust and placed it on the shelf next to his comrades. All the while, there grew a hubbub of voices in the dorm of Elba House as the busts and statuettes began to loosen up in their new environment and talk about the place, which also made Sir Abram at the threshold rather talkative and share his own thoughts on the place.


    When everyone had settled in, DeeDee introduced Janet to the rest of the enchanted objects, starting with the four other bearded busts. Besides Christopher Malory, there was John Day and Daniel Van Weever and Martin Keystone and Thomas O¡¯Reilly, all four of whom had been explorers and adventurers in their day, just like Christopher Malory. Then DeeDee introduced her to the three meddlesome statuettes, April and May and June, all three of whom were nymphs that DeeDee had sealed in their current statuette forms over a century ago.


    Janet was about to ask something about that when DeeDee asked her to come back into the shop with her, so Janet waved good night to her new friends and followed DeeDee through the mirror again. While there, Janet was informed that she¡¯ll have to wait a full day for DeeDee¡¯s magic to reach the mirror in her dorm at Mariana House, because the living auras of the other occupants there were interfering with its exact location. That meant that DeeDee would have to wait for the occupants to leave their dorms for their classes in order for her magic to fully coalesce within Janet¡¯s mirror. But when that happened, that also meant that Janet won¡¯t have to go through the trouble of going out incognito through the Student Commons Town and attracting unwanted attention.


    Thus informed, Janet helped DeeDee clean up around the premises before leaving the shop at around 3:30 a.m. with her clones, who had kept watch for stragglers all night. But on their way back, Janet heard the sound of footsteps running down the empty boulevard, so she turned around and saw DeeDee closing the distance behind them.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Janet said. ¡°Are we being followed?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You just forgot your cap, is all,¡± and she handed it over.


    ¡°Shoot, I forgot about it,¡± Janet said, then rearranged her hair and fitted the cap over her head, then put her fingers to the frame of her glasses to make sure she had them.


    ¡°It¡¯s there, don¡¯t worry,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± she said and waved her off.


    With that, Janet followed her clones and traded some small talk with them about her prospects for the rest of the school week, let alone the rest of the semester, till she passed the campus gates and came within sight of Mariana House. She jogged the rest of the way down the boulevard and then walked down the entrance path towards Mariana House, where she greeted the guardsmen still on their graveyard shifts, who opened the double doors for her. With her clones going ahead and keeping a lookout along the central hallway to her dorm, Janet entered and picked up the skirts of her dress and crept on the balls of her feet to her dorm. After listening for her maids¡¯ quiet breathing in the adjoining room, she pushed open the double doors and nudged them shut behind her, till the latch caught in the slip plate.


    Janet slipped off her mob cap and apron and maid uniform, then bent over and scooped up her nightgown and slipped it on, then crouched and shoved her disguise underneath her four-poster bed. She then headed to her vanity table and turned on a table lamp and took off her enchanted glasses, changing her eyes back to red and her hair back to dirty blonde drills, and placed them inside one of the drawers and turned on her vanity lamp and saw three pre-rolled towels and a shower cap that Susan had put there. After such a long day, her drills started losing their shape, so Janet grabbed the towels and wrapped her hair around them. Then her clones helped her roll them into three snail-like hair rollers, and her suicide clone helped her fit the shower cap over the whole thing.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone,¡± Janet said.


    Her clones smiled at her in the reflection of the vanity mirror, and her suicide clone said, ¡°It¡¯s the one thing in this world we know we can fix. It¡¯s the least we can do.¡±


    Janet smiled and said, ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    After that, Janet turned off the lamp and headed straight to bed and climbed into the sheets and yawned.


    After getting herself tucked in, she looked up at her clones and said, ¡°DeeDee said she scolded you all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, especially me,¡± her suicide double said, ¡°but I think it¡¯s for the best. I¡¯m really sorry about yesterday. I never thought something like that would happen to you. I guess we¡¯ll have to be more careful from now on.¡±


    Janet smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± then yawned again.


    ¡°Good night, Janet,¡± her clone said.


    ¡°Good night,¡± she said and yawned again, then turned onto her side and closed her eyes.


    Time passed, and her breathing slowed, and her mind eased into the cool embrace of soft pillows and clean sheets, slipping into a world of darkness. In the blooming darkness of her thoughts, as slumber overtook her senses, Janet experienced a series of visions tossing and turning her body over and over in bed. She was rumpling the sheets in a reverie of calling out to anyone who could hear her voice, trying to make sense of the nonsensical, as if her world had vanished from underneath her, and she was falling down and down and down . . .


    When Janet realized she was no longer falling, she opened her eyes to a top-down view above the contents of the dorm room in Elba House. DeeDee was in the room explaining the current situation to the five bearded busts and the three troublesome statuettes in the third bookshelf along the wall, saying that her current shop had been compromised. That¡¯s why, DeeDee said, she had invited Janet over to help her move her inventory into a dorm of the abandoned Elba House. Then she invited Janet¡¯s own clones into the dorm and informed them of the anomalies she¡¯s found in the five tampered profile books in her possession, but before she gleaned any details, she blinked¡ª


    And opened her eyes to another top-down view of the first-floor corridor in Elba House, where Janet¡¯s silent clones patrolled the corridor, lamps in their hands, knocking on the closed double doors they passed. She wondered why they were knocking, when she blinked again¡ª


    And opened her eyes to another top-down view of the second-floor corridor, where more of Janet¡¯s silent clones patrolled the corridor, lamps in their hands, knocking on the closed double doors they passed. The only pair of double doors they didn¡¯t knock on were the open ones guarded by Sir Abram of the Gate standing at the dorm¡¯s entrance, where she heard DeeDee still talking with Janet¡¯s talking clones. Meanwhile, Janet¡¯s silent clones acted under Sir Abram¡¯s orders as if they were his sentinels, knocking on doors along the hallway. Janet wondered at this, till she blinked yet again¡ª


    And opened her eyes to yet another top-down view of the third-floor corridor, where more of Janet¡¯s silent clones patrolled the corridor, lamps in their hands, knocking on the closed double doors they passed. But when they knocked on the last set of double doors at the end of the hall, the double doors opened, and a giant hitodama of blue flickering flame appeared, and the silent clones all sprinted down the corridor, lamps swinging like pi?atas in their hands, stomping down the half-turn stairs back into the floor below.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this racket?¡± a woman yelled.


    Yet before Janet heard the woman say anything more, her words drifted away like whispers as she found herself falling again, going down and down and down . . .


    When Janet opened her eyes again, she found herself in a place other than Elba House. Maybe she was inside a refectory hall, for Janet stood before two rows of long tables and four rows of benches set end-to-end along the hall. Tall lancet windows on the wall reaching towards the ceiling threw hideous slants of moonlight along these tables and benches from outside, for the wrought-iron chandeliers hanging from the rafters gave no light from their snuffed-out candles. All was silent here, except whenever Janet crept along the perimeter of the wall while surveying the eerie emptiness of the room.


    Wondering where this place was, Janet headed for the double doors and opened them into a cloister surrounding a courtyard full of overgrown grass and shrubbery, then noticed a mission church looming over the roofline of the cloister behind it, then gazed up at the full moon looming high above its lofty parapets. She then stepped across the cloister into the courtyard and glanced at the dim outline of a fountain no longer in use, before scanning the rest of her surroundings. To her right was a warehouse beyond the cloister, and to her left was a chapter house and maybe a small library right next to it, yet when Janet scanned the fountain again, she noticed someone else sitting on its ledge and staring back at her.


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Janet said, halting halfway. ¡°You weren¡¯t there a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°I should be asking you that,¡± the woman said, dressed in the solemn veil and habit and bib collar and dress of a nun, her veil obscuring much of her gray hair and her face hidden beneath a dark opera mask. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were there, either, till you walked into the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were ready,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Ready for what?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Not yet ready, I see.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Only the truth,¡± the woman said. ¡°Our world is built on lies, because we were all taken off guard and died as a result. None of us saw it coming, not me, not you, not your peers, not even your clones while they were still alive.¡±


    ¡°How do you know about them?¡±


    ¡°I know many things in this world,¡± the woman said, ¡°but only in retrospect after all was said and done. You of all people should know what that means, but you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me?¡± she said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t see it, do you?¡± the woman said.


    ¡°See what?¡± Janet said. ¡°What am I supposed to see?¡±


    Yet the nun shook her head and smiled a rueful smile as if Janet was speaking nonsense. And before she could ask why the nun wore a mask, Janet felt her feet rooted to the ground, unable to move where she stood. That¡¯s when the stranger got up from the fountain¡¯s ledge and walked up to Janet, saying, ¡°You haven¡¯t awakened yet, child.¡±


    ¡°Is this some kind of a test?¡± Janet said.


    The woman nodded her head and said, ¡°When you¡¯ve awakened your true powers, only then will you be ready, and I¡¯ll come straight to you,¡± and she passed her hand across Janet¡¯s eyes, obscuring her vision and making her fall backwards into another falling dream that kept going down and down and down through the cycle of a tumultuous sleep . . .


    <hr>


    End of Villainess 2

 [V3] Red Pill [0]: Evictions, Beatings

    Villainess [3]: Rosalie¡¯s Followers


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Evictions, Beatings


    <hr>


    Before this tale continues with Janet Fleming, it must take a detour to the fortunes of three other ladies attending Lassen Academy, so let the mind¡¯s eye shift from Mariana House to Guinevere House, where the scene of another outrage was about to begin. Just before 7:00 a.m., while Janet was still asleep, another lady named Mindy Kessler was already up and dressed in her school uniform and combing her green shoulder-length hair before the mirror at her vanity table. And right beside her was her silver-haired maid waiting for Mindy to finish and holding Mindy¡¯s book bag in the meantime.


    When Mindy Kessler put her comb down, she reached out for her book bag, and her maid obliged her with it, and Mindy slung it over her shoulder and stood up, thinking of the events of last Friday for the umpteenth time. Mindy Kessler had a lot of things on her mind as she stretched out her arms and yawned, ready to greet another day, yet what she had witnessed on that fateful Friday afternoon last week still haunted her, still left her mulling over the details of it.


    ¡°My Lady, are you okay?¡± her maid said.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Mindy said, smiling. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Her maid was about to explain¡ª


    When there came a knock on the door, accompanied by a voice that said, ¡°Lady Kessler, there¡¯s a message for you that you need to see at once.¡±


    Mindy¡¯s maid was about to utter something abrasive, but Mindy stopped her with a grab of her forearm and a shake of her head, then said, ¡°Is that you, Lady Felton?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lady Felton said. ¡°May I come inside?¡±


    Mindy and her maid traded glances, and her maid said, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ellie,¡± Mindy Kessler said, then to Lady Felton: ¡°Yes, you may.¡±


    The double doors opened, revealing a gray-haired lady dressed in her school uniform with a ribbon in her hair and a piece of paper in her hand. Lady Felton was looking at Mindy Kessler with a flash of her steely velvet eyes and said, ¡°This is for you, Lady Kessler,¡± and she handed it over to her.


    Mindy Kessler took it and read it through to the end, where she noticed Prince Blaise¡¯s signature on the underline and said, ¡°What the hell is this? This is a joke, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke,¡± Lady Felton said.


    ¡°What did I even do?¡± Mindy Kessler said.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve done something to anger his Highness,¡± Lady Felton said. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have received that notice. Goodbye, Lady Kessler,¡± and she exited the room.


    Mindy Kessler just stood there.


    ¡°My Lady?¡± Ellen said.


    Mindy Kessler said, ¡°Keep an eye on this room for me. I need to talk to Jean and Saraya about this.¡±


    Exiting her dorm without listening to her mind¡¯s response, Mindy Kessler headed down the central hallway of Guinevere House. On the way, she passed by Lady Felton talking with Rosalie Edgeworth still in her nightgown at her own dorm and felt their gazes on her back as she reached the back of the dorm house. Then Mindy Kessler ascended one set of half-turn stairs and passed by another student named Lady Childeron descending the stairs and paused on the steps.


    Mindy Kessler turned and looked back down the stairs at Lady Childeron, her long brown locks swaying after her in her descent, and realized what was going on. She ran up the rest of the stairs and cleared the top step and ran down the second-floor hallway towards two sets of opposing double doors open at the end of the hall, where she heard Jean and Saraya complaining about the same eviction notice.


    She peeked into the doorway of Saraya¡¯s room but found it empty to her left. So she walked to the other doorway and saw Jean and Saraya still in their nightgowns, Jean sitting on her dressing bench and readjusting her glasses and Saraya pacing around before their two maids, Diana and Niana, standing by the doorway looking flustered.


    When Mindy Kessler saw both sisters holding their eviction notices in their hands, she said, ¡°You got ones, too?¡±


    Both sisters looked up at her.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jean said, standing up, ¡°you also received one?¡±


    Mindy Kessler held hers up and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± Jean said.


    ¡°Why would they do that?¡± Saraya said.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Mindy Kessler said, ¡°but tell me what happened first.¡±


    So Jean and Saraya approached Mindy Kessler and complained about the way Lady Childeron just banged on their doors, waking them up and making them open up for her, only to be handed an eviction notice. When they asked Lady Childeron what the heck was going on, Jean said, they were brushed off and told that they must have done something to Miss Edgeworth for his Highness, Prince Blaise, to issue both of them an eviction notice before Lady Childeron left a few minutes ago.


    Moments passed.


    Then Mindy Kessler said, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone else know about this, till I talk to Professor Palmer.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s gonna help?¡± Jean said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out,¡± Mindy said, stuffing her eviction notice into her book bag, and walked out through the double doors and back down the second-floor hallway and down the half-turn stairs and down the first-floor hallway. And along the way, she passed by the closed double doors of Miss Edgeworth¡¯s dorm and figured she was getting dressed for school and exited through the foyer with her book bag beneath the shadow of Guinevere House in the cool morning air.


    Mindy Kessler ran down the walkway towards the fountain in the courtyard and headed up the entrance steps through the open double doors of Lassen Academy and into the Eastern side of the campus building past the restrooms and entered the double doors of the Professor Commons Office, where she spotted Viscountess Durham arranging things on her desk.


    For a moment, Mindy just looked around the shared office space for Baron Andrew Palmer, till Viscountess Durham said, ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that,¡± Mindy Kessler said. ¡°I was just wondering if you saw Professor Palmer just now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him yet. Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    She thought of the eviction notice in her book bag, but since she didn¡¯t have Viscountess Durham in any of her classes, she refrained from telling her anything about it. Instead, she shifted her thoughts onto a safer topic and said, ¡°Yeah, there is. Jean and Saraya Drevis and I are looking for a clubroom right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a little late for that,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you join one at the start of the semester?¡±


    ¡°None of the available clubs interested me then,¡± Mindy Kessler said, ¡°so we decided to make our own.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°but three members aren¡¯t enough to make a club. You need at least one more member before I can approve of it.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Mindy said. ¡°Thanks for letting me know.¡±


    The Viscountess nodded and said, ¡°Let me know if you¡¯ve found another member, and I¡¯ll approve your club.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mindy said and left the Professor Commons Office, wondering if she had just dodged a bullet or overlooked an opportunity, then walked up the first flight of stairs into the second floor and then up the second flight of stairs into the third and last floor.


    By the time she had cleared the last step on the stairs, Mindy Kessler felt the urge to take a number two. So she hurried down the Western half of the hallway towards the restrooms at the end just before the hallway turned into a side hall with more classrooms. She opened a heavy door into the women¡¯s bathroom and rushed towards the nearest stall and hung her book bag on the door hook of her stall door, then raised her dress skirt and pulled down her panties and plunked herself on the toilet, where she relieved herself of last night¡¯s dinner. Then she pulled out some toilet paper and wiped herself and pulled up her panties and lowered her dress and flushed the toilet and took up her book bag and washed her hands in the sink.


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    With that done, Mindy Kessler exited the women¡¯s restroom and headed for her homeroom class past the auxiliary room. She figured that during Homeroom 1, she could ask her homeroom professor, Count Archibald Wilhelm, for permission to visit Baron Andrew Palmer, but she knew the count was the nosy type that would want to know why. Instead of risking that, she doubled back around the corner into the main hallway, deciding to wait for Baron Palmer at her former homeroom, Classroom 1-3C, and ask him if she could talk to Lady Fleming about the club, and perhaps, maybe let Baron Palmer know about this latest predicament about the eviction notices she and¡ª


    She got shoved from behind, and she fell to the floor, and stars flew across Mindy¡¯s eyes on impact. Then she heard running footsteps, and she thought she saw Lady Childeron coming up and kicking her in the stomach, where she felt pain shooting up her diaphragm. Mindy covered her face with her forearms, and when her assailants started kicking her legs, she gritted her teeth and stole a glance and recognized Lady Felton and Lady Childeron with the former kicking her legs and stomping on her knees and the latter kicking her forearms and stomping on her hands. They were cursing at her, too, saying that Mindy and her friends were wrong about Rosalie, that they were just jealous of her, that if she or either of those Drevis sisters disparaged Rosalie again, they¡¯d kill them.


    ¡°Hey, get off of her!¡± someone said.


    It was Saraya, and she and Jean came running.


    Mindy Kessler¡¯s assailants backed off, and Mindy heard running footsteps and Jean and Saraya cursing at the assailants going down the stairs. When Mindy raised herself up into a sitting position with her butt on the floor and her legs extended, she winced at the pain in her knees and shins and ankles, fisted and opened her aching hands, and noticed her friends ascending the stairs again.


    Both sisters came running up to her and crouched on either side of her, asking her if she could stand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Mindy said.


    So the Drevis sisters took both of Mindy¡¯s arms across their shoulders and raised Mindy to her feet.


    ¡°Can you walk if we carry you?¡± Jean said.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Mindy said, and step for agonizing step, her friends guided her down the hallway and down both flights of stairs into the open-plan parlor area, where Saraya and Jean looked out for Mindy¡¯s assailants. When there was no sign of either one nearby, they trio of girls passed the restrooms into the Western side of the campus building and passed the clubrooms, but they paused at the sight of Miss Edgeworth exiting the infirmary where the main hallway turned into a side hall full of more clubrooms.


    The trio waited for the two-faced Rosalie Edgeworth to pass by, the same girl they had seen tearing her own dress at the fountain in the courtyard and blaming it on Lady Fleming, the one that had Prince Blaise publicly denounce Lady Fleming in front of unsuspecting bystanders, the one that was now walking past them as if today was just another school day. They looked back at Rosalie and wondered amongst themselves if she had her lackeys attack her beforehand, then headed for the double doors of the infirmary, where the school nurse rose from her desk chair at the sight of them.


    ¡°She got beaten up,¡± Jaen said.


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡± the nurse said, leading them to an available bed beside a window.


    ¡°Two girls beat me up in the hallways,¡± Mindy said, ¡°but my friends chased them off and helped me get here.¡±


    The nurse paused, midstride, and said, ¡°Making things up will get you into a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not making it up,¡± Jean said.


    ¡°We saw everything that happened,¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°Nurse, I can¡¯t even stand right now,¡± Mindy said. ¡°Can we just get there already?¡±


    The nurse let out a sigh and led them to the bed and pulled the curtain aside, revealing a clean mattress with pristine sheets and a fluffed-up pillow. With Jean and Saraya¡¯s help, Mindy Kessler managed to perch herself onto the bedside, and the nurse helped her swing her legs up onto the mattress and lay herself flat on her back, still aching in her legs and knees and forearms and hands, but she toughed it out.


    When the nurse looked over the bruises on her limbs and hands, applying slight pressure to them with her fingers and making Mindy wince, she went back to her desk, pulled open a few drawers, and came back with bandage wraps doused in red mana that colored it in a pinkish glow. She wrapped Mindy¡¯s hands and calves and knees with them, leaving her forearms that had only sustained minor bruising throughout. Of course, when the healing energy of the red mana took effect and seeped into her bruises, Mind grimaced and gritted her teeth as a surge of pain flared through her, till it settled into an ache.


    When the nurse went back to her desk to fetch her clipboard with a sign-in sheet, Mindy whispered to her friends, saying, ¡°Should we trust her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on the fence with her,¡± Jean said.


    Saraya adjusted her scarf around her neck, looking back at the nurse taking the sign-in sheet and a pen and approaching them again, so she turned and said, ¡°Do you think Miss Edgeworth bribed her or something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know for sure, do you?¡± Jean said.


    Mindy nodded, saying, ¡°Wanna find out?¡±


    Saraya and Jean nodded their heads, and the game was on with Mindy taking a deep breath and breathing it out. When the nurse came back with furrowed brows holding clipboard and pen in hand, Mindy took the initiative and said, ¡°Nurse, what do you mean by ¡®making things up?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Just what I said,¡± the nurse said, reviewing the contents of a previous entry page before slipping it underneath the other pages in the clipboard.


    ¡°Which is what, exactly?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°You fell down the stairs, right?¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Mindy said. ¡°If that had happened, I wouldn¡¯t be conscious right now.¡±


    The nurse put down her clipboard and had Mindy prop herself up on her forearms with the Drevis sisters helping her, then had Mindy and her friends sign the sign-in sheet. With that done, the nurse took up the pen and clipboard, leaned over Mindy, and looked into her eyes, saying, ¡°Keep your eyes open for me and don¡¯t blink, okay?¡±


    So Mindy nodded and refrained from blinking.


    ¡°Okay, good: no concussion,¡± the Nurse said, replacing the old entry page with a new sheet and writing notes. ¡°I want you to answer my questions with a ¡®yes¡¯ or a ¡®no,¡¯ got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°Do you feel any dizziness right now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Any need to vomit?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Just bodily pain?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Any tightness in your chest?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Any tingling sensation anywhere in your body?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    And so, the back-and-forth questioning and answering continued between the nurse and Mindy, till they had exhausted everything in the check-list of her chipboard sheet. After that, the nurse informed Mindy that she needed to rest in bed till after lunch period. After that, the nurse said, Mindy was free to go, but before she let them off, she asked the three girls about the details of what had happened, and they all said that Lady Childeron and Lady Felton had ambushed Mindy in the third-floor hallway after she came out of the restroom.


    The nurse furrowed her brows.


    That¡¯s when Mindy said, ¡°Did Miss Edgeworth tell you that I fell down the stairs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she did,¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°Then Miss Edgeworth lied to you,¡± Mindy said.


    Yet the nurse just stood up and shook her head, mumbling something about not being able to believe it, and said, ¡°But why would she do that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me,¡± Mindy said and added a half-truth: ¡°I don¡¯t know why I got attacked, either, so there.¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve met Miss Edgeworth on your way here,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Did she say anything to you three?¡±


    The girls said she hadn¡¯t.


    Then Jean was about to say something, but Mindy caught her glance and shook her head, which the nurse caught and said, ¡°What happened before the assault?¡±


    Still unsure how far she should trust the nurse, Mindy gave an abbreviated version of what happened this morning, omitting the details about the eviction notices. Yet for the nurse¡¯s benefit, Mindy emphasized Miss Edgeworth talking with her attackers at her dorm room in Guinevere House just as she was going to school, and that tipped the scales in her favor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find that girl,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Just stay put, till I come back, okay?¡±


    They all said they would.


    Then, after the nurse exited the infirmary, Mindy seized on the clipboard the nurse had left behind and slipped the old entry page free from the other sheets. They saw the notes that listed out the phony details of Miss Edgeworth¡¯s lies on the page in the nurse¡¯s scraggly handwriting, then turned the sheet over and noticed what looked like a three-sided pyramid still shimmering on the page for just a moment, just long enough for it to register without grabbing them completely unawares like it did with the nurse after she had fallen for Miss Edgeworth¡¯s ruse before their arrival.


    When the nurse¡¯s footfalls reached them, they put the old sheet back in place on the clipboard, and Mindy said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell the nurse what we saw.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jean said, looking back at the clipboard.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t, okay?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°Was that symbol a curse?¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure,¡± Mindy whispered, ¡°but let¡¯s not take any chances. Okay?¡±


    Saraya and Jean traded knowing looks, then nodded that they understood, so Mindy breathed out a sigh on the hospital bed and waited. After a time, the nurse came back in and informed the girls that she couldn¡¯t find Miss Edgeworth anywhere, so they asked if she had informed anyone else about this, and she said she did. She said she found Baron Palmer and asked him if she could help her find Miss Edgeworth, so the both of them searched for the next several minutes for her whereabouts, till the nurse said she had to go back to the infirmary. The baron said he¡¯d keep looking for her, the nurse said, so he was still out there looking for Miss Edgeworth at the moment.


    Then the nurse added that the Drevis sisters were free to stay till the start of Homeroom 1. So for the time being, Mindy chatted with her friends in conspiratorial whispers about Miss Edgeworth¡¯s possible whereabouts and motives, till the symbol slipped from her mind like a forgotten dream. And before she knew it, Jean and Saraya Drevis had to go to their homeroom class, Classroom 1-3J, on the third floor right next to Mindy¡¯s homeroom class, Classroom 1-3K.


    Mindy bid her friends goodbye for now and then lay there on her bed with a lot of things on her mind. First were those eviction notices they¡¯d received from Lady Felton and Lady Childeron; second was the tussle with those same bitches; third was finding another member for their club; and fourth was the problem of that two-faced Rosalie Edgeworth and her Prince Donavan Blaise. Mindy thought hard on that damning Friday afternoon, recalling the sequence of events: turning around and listening to Miss Edgeworth arguing with Lady Fleming, then seeing Rosalie rip her own dress, then seeing Prince Blaise exit the double-door entrance of the school building and confront Lady Fleming over what Rosalie had done, then seeing a lovers¡¯ quarrel in which the Prince defended Miss Edgeworth against Lady Fleming¡¯s accusations and denounced Lady Fleming with a few unforgivable words against her honor. She tried calling up what Prince Blaise had said to Lady Fleming in front of Mindy and her friends, remembering his exact words:


    ¡°¡®Only a witch can give birth to someone like you.¡¯¡±


    After repeating his words in her mind, Mindy remembered seeing Lady Fleming in tears, but what surprised her the most was Lady Fleming¡¯s response when she said, ¡°My mother is dead, your Highness. Don¡¯t make light of the dead.¡±


    Lady Fleming left after that, leaving the Prince and Miss Edgeworth and Mindy and her friends speechless by the fountain, till the Prince came up to them and asked what they had seen and heard. So they told him the truth, but the Prince shook his head, saying, ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why,¡± Mindy said under her breath, recalling the Prince¡¯s signature on her eviction notice and wondering why the Prince was so damn protective of Miss Edgeworth, wondering if giving them the eviction notices was Rosalie¡¯s idea, and wondering if Prince Blaise was complicit in it. She then looked over at the nurse organizing her desk as another thought came to her, which she articulated only in her mind: ¡°What are you hiding, your Highness?¡±


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [3]

 (V3) Red Pill 10: Days, Updates

    Villainess 3: Rosalie Strikes Back


    <hr>


    Red Pill 10: Days, Updates


    <hr>


    That same morning, Janet woke up with an aching wrist, so she pulled the sleeve of her gown aside and saw a bruise there. She wondered for a moment how that got there, till she remembered Prince Blaise grabbing her wrist during homeroom yesterday morning when she tried to give Rosalie her engagement ring. She thought of telling her maids about it, but she chose not to as she prepared her toilette and dressed for school in the presence of her suicide clone and three other clones. But when her maids gave her a note from her history professor requesting her presence at the Professor Commons Office, Janet exited the dorm and ignored her gossiping peers in the central hallway, then left Mariana House and ran the rest of the way.


    When a winded Janet strode through the double-door entrance, she headed to the Eastern side of the campus building past the restrooms to the Professor Commons Office, where she strode through the double doors and spotted Viscountess Kelly Durham waving her over to her desk. Janet¡¯s history professor was a bombshell, whose beauty rivaled Rosalie¡¯s and caught the eye of professors and students alike: long golden-blonde hair, violet eyes, a doll-like face, and a lithe figure beneath a long red dress, all of which belied her true age. And along with the viscountess¡¯s looks, she also had brains: a Philosopher of History and author of two textbooks, A History of the Old Guard of the Kaden Kingdom and A History: His Story, and a memoir, A Mystery: My Story.


    Janet took a seat beside her history professor¡¯s desk and waited for her to say something, while Janet¡¯s four clones entered the Professor Commons Office and stood behind her like bodyguards.


    ¡°Are you okay, Lady Fleming?¡± Viscountess Durham said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Janet said. ¡°Thanks for asking.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± she said. ¡°I heard you fainted. So I tried seeing you at the infirmary during Homeroom 2, but your maids and the nurse wouldn¡¯t let me see you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for worrying you, Professor,¡± Janet said. ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡±


    ¡°Lord Woodberry,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°He came to my office during lunch asking about you, but I couldn¡¯t tell him much,¡± and she smiled and added, ¡°He said he carried you to the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather nice of him,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you can say?¡±


    Janet looked at the viscountess smiling from ear to ear, then deadpanned and said, ¡°I¡¯m not that desperate to get back at his Highness. What did Lord Woodberry say, anyway?¡±


    ¡°He said you seemed exhausted when he brought you in,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°So I went back during Homeroom 3 and checked with the nurse on duty, but she said there was nothing unusual in your system, save for high adrenaline levels in your blood and emotional exhaustion.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said, thinking back on DeeDee¡¯s observation that she was susceptible to emotional influences.


    ¡°All right, back to business,¡± Viscountess Durham said and passed Janet her new schedule. ¡°I¡¯ll be your new homeroom professor from now on, and you¡¯ll have me for Period 1 this semester. I also checked with your other professors to make sure you won¡¯t fall behind, and they said you could make up missed reading assignments during your Homeroom periods, so no worries there. What I am worried about is your Magical Studies class with Father Robinson.¡±


    Janet winced at the mention of Father Robinson, her Professor of Magical Studies, and said, ¡°My magic aptitude test was yesterday. I completely forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he mentioned a test on that day,¡± the viscountess said, nodding, ¡°but he said you can make it up today after lunch during Homeroom 3. All you have to do is go to his homeroom at Classroom 3-2A to take it. Do you know where that is?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said, knowing that the west wing of the second floor of the campus was reserved for third-year students.


    So Viscountess Durham wrote up a hall pass and gave it to Janet and said, ¡°Show this to Father Robinson when you get there. Now, shall we get going?¡±


    Janet nodded and followed her new homeroom professor out of the Professor Commons Office, followed close behind by her four clones.


    On the way to her new homeroom, Janet endured more stares and whispers as she ascended both flights of stairs, where she also endured the footfalls of her former homeroom professor Baron Palmer and former classmate Prince Blaise following in tow to her former homeroom in Classroom 1-3C. And on passing her old homeroom on her way to her new one in Classroom 1-3G, Janet couldn¡¯t help but feel the Prince¡¯s eyes following her, till she turned the corner of the West Wing side corridor of the campus towards her homeroom.


    Janet followed Viscountess Durham through another pair of double doors and found herself in front of another class, where she found three other clones of herself waving at her. Then, as the viscountess explained her situation to her new homeroom, recapping Janet¡¯s last four days of hell due to Rosalie¡¯s latest ruse in just a few words, Janet looked at the faces of her new acquaintances, some of them whispering about her latest attempt to humiliate Rosalie, others wondering if she really had faked an illness in the hallway, and some still speculating about her broken engagement with the Prince.


    When Viscountess Durham asked Janet to introduce herself, she said, ¡°Pleased to meet you. I¡¯m Lady Janet Fleming, ex-fianc¨¦e of his Highness who did this to me,¡± and she pulled back the sleeve of her bolero and showed them the bruise on her wrist.


    Which had its intended effect: a collective gasp issued from the throats of her peers, and an uproar of rumors and outright questions arose from her audience¡ª


    Which also had an effect on her new homeroom professor: Viscountess Durham bit down on her lower lip and said, ¡°Settle down, everyone.¡± Then she leveled a glare at Janet and said, ¡°Come with me, Lady Fleming.¡±


    She followed her out through the double doors into the hallway and said, ¡°What is it, Professor?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be coy with me,¡± the viscountess said with her arms akimbo. ¡°Why are you antagonizing his Highness?¡±


    ¡°Because he actually did this to me,¡± Janet said, showing Lady Durham the bruise on her wrist before looking from side to side and looking at the approval of her four clones that had followed her out of the classroom. All the while, she also gave her new homeroom professor the impression that she was looking out for eavesdroppers in the hallway.


    Which made the viscountess follow her gaze and say, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me at the Office?¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t there to witness it, Professor,¡± Janet said and pulled the sleeve of her bolero back over the bruise. ¡°During yesterday¡¯s homeroom, I was giving Miss Edgeworth my engagement ring, because I thought she deserved it more than me, but his Highness grabbed me so hard I almost yelped. He wouldn¡¯t have done that if Professor Palmer was there.¡±


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    Lady Durham gaped, then shut her mouth and looked around again and said, ¡°Did you report this to him?¡±


    Janet shook her head. ¡°He wasn¡¯t in the class when it happened, so I doubt he¡¯d believe me, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then did his class see this happen?¡±


    Again Janet shook her head and said, ¡°They did, but they either never noticed or ignored it.¡±


    Viscountess Durham said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk with Baron Palmer during the next homeroom.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°And why not?¡± Viscountess Durham said.


    ¡°It will only anger his Highness,¡± she said. ¡°He already has it out for me, and I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°His Highness may be the crown prince,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°but he¡¯s still a student of this Academy. Janet, I can¡¯t overlook this.¡±


    Janet looked up at her professor for a moment, then said, ¡°Do what you must, but don¡¯t let him near me.¡±


    Viscountess Durham nodded.


    With that, Janet and her clones walked back inside the classroom amidst whispers from her classmates, who all eyed her but turned away before meeting her gaze. She just ignored the whispers as Viscountess Durham pointed out her designated seat next to her fellow student sleeping at a two-person table in the third column of tables from the classroom¡¯s double-door entrance.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s Sir Kevin Sydney,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°He¡¯s a bit rough around the edges, but try to get along with him. Also,¡± she added, ¡°please wake him up when class starts, and don¡¯t let him dawdle.¡±


    Janet nodded and approached her designated table, where she slung the shoulder strap of her book bag on the backrest of her chair and sat beside her sleeping classmate. Along with her, three of Janet¡¯s clones approached her table and inspected the young man up close, while Janet¡¯s suicide clone stalked over to the corner of the classroom and talked with the three other clones she had assigned to watch over Kevin Sydney. As such, back at the table, one of the three clones (Janet¡¯s poisoned clone) passed her hand through Kevin Sydney¡¯s head, while another clone bent over the table and looked in between the man¡¯s arms at his face and smiled.


    ¡°Oooh, he¡¯s roguishly handsome,¡± her clone said.


    ¡°And strong, too, I bet,¡± her poisoned clone added. ¡°If I¡¯d have known there was someone like this here, I would¡¯ve dumped his Highness before I entered this school.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Janet whispered.


    ¡°You have DeeDee pendant crystal with you,¡± her poisoned clone said. ¡°Use your thoughts to talk to us.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t look at us,¡± her other clone said, ¡°lest people might think you¡¯ve gone daft.¡±


    Janet turned away and said, ¡°Who is this man, anyway?¡±


    ¡°We looked through DeeDee¡¯s profile books last night,¡± her poisoned clone said. ¡°Sir Kevin Sydney¡¯s profile book is one of the five books that have been tampered with. Out of those five books, it seems that his profile book in particular had been burned. DeeDee said he was supposed to be energetic and romantic, but now he¡¯s a sluggard.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said. ¡°What about the others?¡±


    Janet¡¯s suicide double came up to the table, saying, ¡°DeeDee had a hard time opening his Highness¡¯s profile book, so she doesn¡¯t know the extent of the tampering. Yet from her memories of that book before it was tampered with, DeeDee remembered the Prince to be an upright young man with a love of ghost stories. Now he¡¯s just a possessive and overprotective bully.


    ¡°As for the others,¡± she added, ¡°Lord Woodberry¡¯s profile book had also suffered from tampering. In fact, it seems that his Highness¡¯s love of ghost stories has been transferred over to Lord Woodberry, whom DeeDee remembered as a skeptic. Yet compared to the others, Lord Woodberry¡¯s book shows nowhere near as much tampering or damage. Then there¡¯s the profile book of another man named Joseph Reeves, which had several pages torn out. DeeDee remembered him as a morally upright and taciturn man, but now . . .¡±


    ¡°Now what?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Now he¡¯s gone insane,¡± her suicide clone said.


    Janet looked up at her clone, eyes wide at the implication that whoever tampered with these books might have damaged her own, then looked back down and said, ¡°What about our book? How bad is the damage there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the strange part,¡± her suicide double said. ¡°Out of the five affected books in her possession, DeeDee said that ours had the least amount of tampering. In fact, she said that whoever infiltrated her private library must¡¯ve had a difficult time making any direct changes to our profiles, because there¡¯s too many of us to keep track of.¡±


    ¡°Because of all those silent clones?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± her clone said. ¡°All of those clones with lamps in their hands are DeeDee¡¯s proxies. Because of this, she said that our personalities have remained the same throughout all of our incarnations, including yours. The only changes DeeDee noticed were the variations and degrees of severity in our punishments.¡±


    ¡°You mean all of your deaths?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± her clone said, nodding her head. ¡°DeeDee said that none of us were supposed to die. When we asked her what she meant, she said that we tended to follow a banishment route after the Prince reveals our wrongdoings against Miss Edgeworth at the graduation party. So far, she¡¯s said that our deaths are anomalies and added that, besides the thirty-one of us with you now, there are eighty-five others just like us whose whereabouts are still unknown.¡±


    Janet bit down on her lower lip, wondering what had become of that missing tome containing Rosalie¡¯s profiles, and said, ¡°What about that vixen? Did you find her book yet?¡±


    Her clones shook their heads, and her suicide double said, ¡°None of us knows the whereabouts of Miss Edgeworth¡¯s book. As such, DeeDee reviewed the entries of all of our profiles, including yours, and discovered a major anomaly in Miss Edgeworth¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°So she wasn¡¯t always a bitch?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Nope. Not even close,¡± her clone said. ¡°In fact, DeeDee said she was almost the exact opposite of how she is now: kind-hearted, smart, determined, and hard-working. DeeDee suspects that whoever¡¯s stolen Miss Edgeworth¡¯s book must have either changed her personality or taken her place.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying she could be someone else?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± her clone said, nodding her head once again, ¡°but we won¡¯t know for sure, till we find her missing book. Till then, DeeDee wants you to avoid all contact with Miss Edgeworth, and we¡¯ll keep an eye on her and the Prince and the others in the meantime. That¡¯s it for now.¡±


    Then her clones doubled back through the desks and seated students like holograms towards a corner of the classroom, joining the three other clones watching over Kevin, where they all stood sentinel by the entrance discussing something amongst themselves that was out of Janet¡¯s hearing.


    Only then did Viscountess Durham¡¯s voice reach Janet, who looked up and said, ¡°What is it, Professor?¡±


    ¡°Class is starting, Lady Fleming,¡± and she pointed at Janet¡¯s classmate sitting next to her.


    Janet looked over at her sleeping classmate, till it clicked in her mind. So she nudged Kevin Sydney¡¯s shoulder a few times, till the man woke up as if he¡¯d been jolted with an electric shock. Needless to say, Janet jumped in her seat, wondering if the man had had a nightmare or something, then saw the loosened tie under his open collar and his unkempt hair.


    ¡°Um,¡± Janet said, ¡°are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± he said as he slumped in his seat, ¡°till some prude just decided to wake me up.¡±


    Janet gaped and was about to scold him¡ª


    When Viscountess Durham said, ¡°Good morning, Sir Sydney. It¡¯s good to have you with us, for a change.¡±


    Sniggers erupted from her surrounding classmates.


    For his part, Kevin stared at Viscountess Durham, then stole a glance at Janet and said, ¡°Who¡¯s Miss Wake-Up-Call?¡±


    More sniggers from her classmates.


    ¡°That¡¯s Lady Fleming to you,¡± Janet said through gritted teeth, ¡°not Miss Wake-Up-Call!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a touchy one,¡± Kevin said.


    Janet shoved his shoulder amidst more sniggers.


    ¡°Oh, I like forceful girls like you,¡± he said, then got out his books and notebook and pen from his book bag and sat there grinning like a male parody of a Goodie Two-Shoes. But then he sneezed into his hand and wiped it on the flap of his blazer, then touched the sleeve of Janet¡¯s bolero.


    Which caused Janet to slap his hand away and say, ¡°Keep your germs to yourself!¡±


    Sir Sydney raised his hands, saying, ¡°Whatever you say, Miss Wake-Up-Call,¡± then ran that same germ-filled hand through his auburn hair in a flash of dewy sparkles.


    Janet just stared at him, wondering how in God¡¯s name she was going to survive the next three accursed school years with someone like him sitting next to her. Then she looked back at Viscountess Durham, who winked at her as if she was expecting Janet to keep this sluggard out of trouble without getting into trouble herself. Then she looked over at her clones by the corner, all seven of them grinning like maniacs and laughing as though they were watching a comedy of errors.


    And that¡¯s how Period 1 began.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V3) Red Pill 11: Setups, Witnesses

    Villainess 3: Rosalie Strikes Back


    <hr>


    Red Pill 11: Setups, Witnesses


    <hr>


    Despite Janet¡¯s initial impressions, Periods 1 and 2 had come and gone without much trouble, save for her new classmate nodding off every fifteen to twenty minutes during lectures in both classes. In each case, Janet kept shoving Sir Sydney awake with one hand while continuing to listen to her professors¡¯ lectures and taking notes with the other. While her seven clones in the corner parodied Janet¡¯s movements to comedic levels, Janet herself faced no comment from Viscountess Durham as she went on about King Bartholomew Kaden¡¯s efforts to resist a trade embargo from an enemy kingdom.


    Yet her Period 2 Government Studies professor, Count Drake Cosgrove, a middle-aged man with a receding widow¡¯s peak and sharp boring eyes, cleared his throat in the middle of his lecture and said, ¡°Excuse me, Lady Fleming.¡±


    Janet looked up from her note-taking after her latest jab at Sir Sydney¡¯s shoulder jolted him awake again and said, ¡°What is it, Professor?¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from pestering your neighbor,¡± he said, nodding at Sir Sydney who was now yawning.


    ¡°But Professor Durham,¡± Janet said, ¡°asked me to keep Sir Sydney awake during class.¡±


    ¡°I realize that,¡± he said, ¡°but there¡¯s a difference between keeping him awake and pestering him and distracting the rest of the students in class.¡±


    Janet looked around her at the faces of several of her classmates looking her way, then said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all right,¡± he said. ¡°Just don¡¯t overdo it,¡± and with that, he went on with his lecture about the functions and duties of a bicameral legislature of nobles.


    So for the rest of Period 2, Janet stopped ¡®pestering¡¯ Sir Sydney with shoves to his shoulder every fifteen to twenty minutes and started poking his sides only when his snoring became too loud. As such, after Count Cosgrove concluded his lecture and assigned textbook readings for tomorrow¡¯s class, he approached Janet¡¯s table with his apologies for putting Janet on the spot during class, and Janet readily accepted. As for Sir Sydney, he just shook him by the shoulder, till he woke up with another start.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t sleep in class, Sirrah,¡± Count Cosgrove said. ¡°It¡¯s unbecoming, even for a knight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do better, Professor,¡± Sir Sydney said.


    The count nodded and went on his way out of the class, greeting Viscountess Durham at the double doors and allowing her to pass first, before going out himself to his own Homeroom in another part of the campus building.


    Meanwhile, there came six of Janet¡¯s clones, all of them passing through Count Cosgrove and Viscountess Durham without their noticing, all of them talking with Janet¡¯s suicide clone amongst the other clones keeping a lookout in the corner of Janet¡¯s current classroom. All six clones were huffing and puffing and complaining, all of them saying something about Janet¡¯s old homeroom class causing another stink involving her, but when her suicide double asked them to calm down and be more specific, one clone cleared her throat. She said that Rosalie entered the classroom crying and saying that Janet had hit her earlier this morning, so Prince Blaise went out to tell their homeroom teacher Baron Palmer about it.


    (¡°She hasn¡¯t crossed paths with her all morning,¡± her suicide double said. ¡°We made sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, she¡¯s making shit up,¡± one clone said, ¡°and they¡¯re buying into it, including the professor.¡±


    ¡°Damn that bitch!¡± another clone said.


    ¡°Fucking liar!¡± said a third.)


    Then all thirteen of Janet¡¯s clones passed through tables and seated students alike and gathered around Janet¡¯s table, followed by Viscountess Durham walking through her clones and saying, ¡°Lady Fleming, come out with me for a moment.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± she said, getting up and following the viscountess through the double doors back into the hallway, where she found Baron Palmer and Prince Blaise around the corner consoling a crying Rosalie Edgeworth near one of the classrooms in the main corridor several feet away, while the rest of her clones followed in silence and waited their turn. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Professor?¡±


    ¡°I talked with Baron Palmer about the Prince¡¯s misconduct yesterday,¡± the viscountess said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to take it out on Miss Edgeworth like that.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You tell me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Look, all I did was give my engagement ring to her,¡± Janet said, ¡°but his Highness grabbed my wrist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about yesterday,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°I¡¯m talking about this morning.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Janet said, wondering what she was going on about when all she did this morning was talk to her about what happened yesterday and discuss her new schedule with her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Professor.¡±


    (Then Janet looked towards her thirteen clones in the hallway and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a setup,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°That bitch has been running her mouth.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± she said.


    ¡°We are,¡± her clone said and looked over her shoulder at the Prince, then turned back to Janet. ¡°You need to get back inside the before the Prince sees you.¡±)


    So Janet went back towards the double doors of the classroom, but Viscountess Durham grabbed her wrist and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t make this worse, Lady Fleming. Just tell me the truth. Did you come across Miss Edgeworth before you came to me?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Janet said. ¡°I just went straight to the Office when I received your letter at my dorm.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what happened?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure,¡± Janet said, yanking herself free of her professor¡¯s grasp, and looked back over at the crying Rosalie wiping tears from her cheeks and looking oh-so-innocent and pitiful, till she caught Prince Blaise¡¯s eyes flashing at her with a basilisk fury. Icy adrenaline exploded through her chest at that momentary flash, in which Janet bore witness to the Prince grabbing her wrist and wrenching down on her forearm, till she was on her knees screaming for him to let go, yet he refused to let go. And when she looked around for Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham for help, neither of them were there to stop what he was doing. In fact, she wasn¡¯t even in the hallway: she was back inside Classroom 1-3C . . .


    ¡°Stay right there, Lady Fleming!¡± he said, snapping Janet out of her vision. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about running away!¡±


    So Janet stood behind Viscountess Durham and said, ¡°Keep him away from me.¡±


    The viscountess looked back at her, gaping, then said to Prince Blaise twenty paces away, ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer, your Highness.¡±


    Yet the Prince kept walking, and Baron Palmer ran to catch up to him and said, ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking of doing, don¡¯t do it, unless you want to get suspended.¡±


    Prince Blaise halted ten paces away, turning around and saying, ¡°Then punish the one who hurt Rosalie, or I will!¡± And he pointed at Janet for emphasis and added, ¡°One way or another, her tyranny ends today, and I mean today, Baron! I¡¯m tired of having Rosalie come to me in tears.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    That¡¯s when Janet looked past Viscountess Durham¡¯s arm and saw that fucking Rosalie looking right at her with a smirk on her face before resuming the tearful expression the moment Prince Blaise turned her way.


    Then he turned back to Janet and said, ¡°Listen here, Lady Fleming, and you better listen up. I¡¯ve had it up to here with your bullying,¡± and he motioned his finger across his neck like a guillotine.


    Which brought back the lugubrious details of Janet¡¯s beheaded clone after she had been convicted of treason, which then set her off wondering how she could turn this whole thing around on that two-faced vixen standing in the hallway.


    ¡°Stay away from Rosalie,¡± he said, ¡°or by God I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have me killed, is that it?¡± Janet said, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. ¡°What¡¯s going on, your Highness? Is this a setup?¡±


    Both Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer stared at Janet as if she had just gone insane.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± the Prince said.


    Then Janet clamped her mouth shut, wondering why she even said those words, and waited for her clones for guidance.


    (Yet her thirteen clones egged her on with her suicide clone saying, ¡°Go for it. Just go for it.¡±


    Then her poisoned clone said, ¡°Say what¡¯s on your mind.¡±


    And then another clone: ¡°Put him off balance.¡±)


    Janet gulped down her qualms, stepping out from behind Viscountess Durham, and said, ¡°Is this your doing?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he said, folding his arms over his chest. ¡°This was your doing, not mine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been over a month, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°You were never there during any of the altercations between me and Miss Edgeworth, yet you¡¯ve gone out of your way to defend her every time at my expense!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you refuse to believe me even now,¡± Janet said, stealing a glance at Rosalie, ¡°then I¡¯ll submit myself to a test from Father Giles Robinson during Homeroom 3 and take a truth potion,¡± and she noticed Rosalie drop her act and stare. ¡°If I¡¯m telling the truth, then you¡¯ll know for yourself, and if I¡¯m not, then you can just banish me or confine me to my dorm or whatever you like. I don¡¯t care anymore!¡±


    The Prince gaped at her, saying, ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said it yourself, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°One way or another, this madness ends today,¡± and she dashed to her new homeroom through the swinging double doors¡ª


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not finished with you!¡± Prince Blaise said, storming after her when Baron Palmer hooked his arms around his shoulders, restraining the Prince and dragging him out of the room. ¡°Unhand men, Baron! I swear I¡¯ll have your job for this! Unhand me, I say! This is an . . .¡±


    ¡ªamidst a silent classroom full of gaping and thunder-stricken classmates standing up from their seats and staring back at the open double doors still echoing with the Prince¡¯s threats against the baron, while six of Janet¡¯s clones tailed after them. Then Viscountess Durham entered and shut the doors and headed towards a sweating Janet walking to her table and said to her, ¡°Are you okay, Lady Fleming?¡±


    Janet nodded, even as her tears told otherwise.


    ¡°My goodness,¡± Viscountess Durham said, putting her hand on Janet¡¯s back and rubbing circles as Janet herself was trying her best to regain her composure. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen his Highness act like that. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay when this accursed day is over,¡± Janet said and put her head down in her arms on the table, trying to shut out the evil basilisk flash in Prince Blaise¡¯s eyes from her mind, trying to quell the icy pulses thumping in her chest, and wondering to herself if she should have revealed her hand to her nemesis like that.


    Then the viscountess asked Sir Kevin Sydney to look after Janet, and the knight promised that he would. After that, Viscountess Durham headed back out of the classroom into the hallway to go and talk to Baron Palmer, while the seven remaining clones passed through the viscountess on their way to where Janet sat resting her head in her arms.


    (Janet¡¯s suicide clone put her hand on her shoulder and said, ¡°How are you holding up, dear?¡±


    ¡°God, I hate that fucking vixen,¡± Janet said in her mind.


    Then another clone said, ¡°We know she¡¯s a menace¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand her classmates are a bunch of lemmings,¡± said a third.


    ¡°Then keep me updated, okay?¡± she said.


    ¡°We will,¡± her clones said.)


    Then the seven clones headed back to the corner of the classroom, and Janet¡¯s suicide clone ordered one clone to go out and monitor the situation in Classroom 1-3C and come back with an update in fifteen minutes. That clone nodded and exited the class, passing through the double doors into the hallway on her way to that nefarious classroom. When fifteen minutes passed, the clone came back and gave an update on Rosalie¡¯s doings with the classroom, saying that Baron Palmer was absent from the class as he was reprimanding the Prince on the way back to their classroom. When the suicide clone asked what Viscountess Durham was doing, her clone said that the viscountess had pulled the Baron aside and said she wanted one of his exemplary students to accompany Janet wherever she went.


    (¡°Not from that class, I hope,¡± the suicide clone said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± her clone said.


    ¡°Then who is it?¡±


    The clone whispered it into her ear.


    The suicide clone looked at Janet still resting her head on the table besides Sir Kevin Sydney and said, ¡°That makes two viable witnesses. Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s enough to keep Janet out of trouble for now.¡±


    ¡°Knowing Rosalie,¡± her clone said, ¡°she¡¯ll stir up something else for us to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Then keep a close eye on her,¡± the suicide clone said, ¡°and keep me updated.¡± So the clone nodded and went out of the room again, while the suicide clone spoke with Janet¡¯s other clones, discussing more things related to Rosalie and that damn classroom full of lemmings.)


    Time passed.


    And near the end of Homeroom 2, Janet felt someone shaking her right shoulder, so she raised her head at Sir Kevin Sydney sitting next to her and said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s awake, Professor,¡± he said.


    Janet turned her head and saw Viscountess Durham leaning over her shoulder, so she straightened herself in her chair and said, ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Lady Fleming,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°but I¡¯ve got good news and some bad news. Follow me,¡± and she led the way towards the corner of the classroom, where Janet¡¯s six remaining clones were standing.


    So Janet followed and said, ¡°Please tell me it has nothing to do with whatever that vixen said this morning.¡±


    All the while, Janet¡¯s six clones came out of the classroom and eavesdropped on the conversation.


    ¡°It does, and I¡¯m inclined to believe you,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°After Baron Palmer and I questioned his homeroom class if any of them had seen the altercation between you and Miss Edgeworth, none of them said they did. In fact, all they said was that Miss Edgeworth came into the classroom saying you hit her, so I told Baron Palmer that you were with me at the Professor Commons Office before Homeroom 1 to discuss your new schedule, but the Prince said you must have done something to Miss Edgeworth beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Of course, he¡¯d say that,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I asked the Prince if he¡¯d seen what had happened,¡± the viscountess said, ¡°but he said he didn¡¯t. So I had Baron Palmer and Prince Blaise and Miss Edgeworth follow me out into the courtyard towards the dorms, where we entered Guinevere House. I questioned the maids and servants there, asking them if any of them had seen you looking for Miss Edgeworth this morning, but none of them said they did. In fact, the only maid who saw you this morning said that you were running towards the school just before Miss Edgeworth exited Guinevere House.¡±


    At her words, Janet wondered if Prince Blaise had noticed or even cared about such a contradiction, then said, ¡°What did Miss Edgeworth say to that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the weird part,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°She wanted to drop the whole thing before we even reached her dorm, but Prince Blaise was hell-bent on finding out.¡±


    ¡°And what did his Highness say?¡±


    ¡°He wanted to make doubly sure,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°so we went to Mariana House, and I questioned the maids and servants there. They all repeated the same thing, that they saw you going out of the dorm to meet someone, and your own maids said you went out when you received a note from me requesting your presence at the Professor Commons Office. His Highness wanted to see the note, so I showed him what I had sent to your dorm earlier this morning, and guess what he said.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°He wanted to make triply sure,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°and asked permission to witness the test you¡¯ve mentioned you would take in Father Giles Robinson¡¯s homeroom during Homeroom 3. I was shocked, and so was Baron Palmer, and Miss Edgeworth seemed mortified. I¡¯ve never seen the Prince so hell-bent on disbelieving, but that¡¯s not the weird part.¡±


    ¡°Was it Miss Edgeworth?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°She was begging the Prince to stop all this, but Prince Blaise wanted to get to the bottom of it. That¡¯s when Miss Edgeworth started crying, and the Prince became so lovey-dovey, it¡¯s disgusting. I¡¯ve never seen the Prince act like that. It¡¯s almost as if . . .¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s charmed him?¡± Janet said.


    The viscountess stared at her and shook her head, then bent over Janet¡¯s shoulder and whispered into her ear, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s to that extent, but she¡¯s got the Prince too wrapped up around her finger to make him trustworthy, especially when it comes to you and Miss Edgeworth.¡±


    ¡°So what happens now?¡±


    ¡°Prince Blaise compromised,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°and said he won¡¯t pursue the matter any further for Miss Edgeworth¡¯s sake, but he wants someone to accompany you wherever you go, while the Prince will accompany Miss Edgeworth. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a bit inconvenient for you, but I think it¡¯s for the best.¡±


    Janet then glanced at her six clones, who had been listening to their conversation (unseen) the whole time.


    (¡°It¡¯s as she said,¡± one clone said.


    ¡°This is in our favor, Janet,¡± another clone said.


    ¡°With someone accompanying you and that vixen,¡± her suicide double said, ¡°you¡¯d have someone else to back you up, and that vixen won¡¯t be able to do much, at least for now.¡±)


    ¡°Lady Fleming?¡± Viscountess Durham said.


    And to both her clones and to Viscountess Durham, Janet smiled with a demonic flash of her red eyes and said, ¡°Then that¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it? At least his Highness won¡¯t have much reason to accuse me of anything he¡¯s never seen.¡±


    The viscountess sighed.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V3) Red Pill 12: Luncheons, Tests

    Villainess 3: Rosalie Strikes Back


    <hr>


    Red Pill 12: Luncheons, Tests


    <hr>


    Homeroom 2 ended with Viscountess Durham saying, ¡°Behave yourselves while I¡¯m away,¡± and the class replied that they would as she headed through the double doors to another classroom somewhere in the campus building. Janet was back in her seat next to Sir Kevin Sydney, yet when the viscountess left, Janet¡¯s classmates asked questions about what had transpired in the hallway during Homeroom 2. First, a daughter of a count asked if Janet and the Prince had fallen out with each other, and the daughter of a margrave asked if the Prince tried to hurt her, and a son of a knight asked if Janet had done anything to provoke the Prince, and the daughter of another count asked if she had bullied Rosalie again, and still more questions continued from other students.


    Under the onslaught of questions, Janet couldn¡¯t put in an answer, so Sir Kevin Sydney slammed the table with his fist and said, ¡°Hey, stop harassing her!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not ¡®harassing her,¡¯¡± the son of a knight said in the next seat before Janet¡¯s table. ¡°We just wanna know what happened, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Then ask one by one,¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he said.


    And one by one, they asked, and Janet answered them in as straight a face as she could maintain in front of her classmates, which was wearing thin by the time she was defending herself against the Prince¡¯s conduct in connection to that vixen. Yet she couldn¡¯t afford to antagonize Rosalie in her new class, so she did the next best thing: she antagonized the Prince, pulling back her sleeve and showing them the bruise he had left yesterday morning in Classroom 1-3C.


    ¡°Did his Highness really do that?¡± said a skeptical count¡¯s daughter. ¡°Or did you do it to spite him?¡±


    ¡°He grabbed me in front of the whole class,¡± she said, ¡°but none of them said anything. They¡¯re all lemmings, and they¡¯re under the Prince¡¯s thumb.¡±


    Then Sir Kevin Sydney said, ¡°You were talking with Viscountess Durham earlier. What did she say?¡±


    Janet was about to speak¡ª


    When a bespectacled Baron Simeon Underwood, the young professor of Classics Studies, entered through the double doors with books in his hands and plopped them on a side table near the lectern. Baron Underwood was the lanky book-hoarding graduate teaching assistant in Lassen Academy, now in his last year of study and seeking partial tenure as an adjunct professor under the guidance of Viscountess Kelly Durham.


    He said, ¡°All right, settle down. It¡¯s time for the wonderful world of literature and poetry!¡±


    The class groaned.


    And for the next forty-five minutes, Janet endured the driest literature class she had ever sat through, fighting to stay awake. In fact, the only thing keeping her awake was the copious amount of notes she took like a secretary, while the rest of her classmates vacationed in their sleep (including Janet¡¯s six clones sleeping while standing in their corner of the classroom, while the seventh clone had come in to inform the suicide clone of the goings-on in Classroom 1-3C, only to fall asleep herself). That whole time, Janet took notes under hypnosis, till their collective sleep uplifted from the class when Baron Underwood¡¯s lecture ended, and everyone awoke as if from an enchanted slumber. Hell, even Janet¡¯s clones opened their eyes and stretched their limbs and started yawning in their corner, and only then did the seventh clone start informing her suicide captain of the goings-on in the classroom full of lemmings before heading back out again.


    Janet looked up from her notes and saw Baron Andrew Palmer consoling the graduate student on his inexplicable misfortune of putting students to sleep during his lectures. Baron Underwood nodded at something Baron Palmer said, then picked up his books and left the classroom with his shoulders stooped and his head hung low like a man heading to the stocks.


    Then Baron Palmer approached Janet¡¯s table and said, ¡°How are you feeling, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing better,¡± she said.


    The man nodded and said, ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. By the way, Lady Durham has assigned Sir Sydney here and Lord Woodberry to accompany you during school hours while on campus. I hope that¡¯s to your satisfaction?¡±


    Janet looked over at Kevin and said, ¡°It is, thank you. By the way,¡± she added, ¡°what happened to the Prince?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been reprimanded,¡± Baron Palmer said and bowed to her at the waist. ¡°Viscountess Durham told me everything, and after grilling my students for what happened yesterday, I regret not being there to stop it. Lady Fleming, I apologize for his Highness¡¯s actions against you today and yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Professor,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Did he hurt you?¡± he said.


    ¡°He left a few bruises on my wrist,¡± she said, showing him the bruises she had shown to her new class.


    Baron Palmer winced and said, ¡°I¡¯ll report this to his Majesty after classes end.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    He nodded and returned to the lectern in front of the class, where he summoned an old leather-bound book there with a snap of his fingers and opened it to a designated page and said, ¡°All right, everyone. Open your books to page one thirty-five. . . .¡±


    And for the next forty-five minutes, Janet took notes on Baron Palmer¡¯s lesson on the mirror-like nature of the mind, writing down his observations in her own words and noticing a parallel with DeeDee¡¯s observations on residual hauntings in her shop. In fact, the Baron¡¯s observations got Janet thinking of her suicide double¡¯s last moments alive through the bathroom mirror and the residual effects of her double¡¯s memories controlling her body and making her reenact that godless walk towards the staircase railing three stories above the ground floor, where her double had jumped to her death. Something in that parallel touched her like fingers strumming a harp, so when the professor ended the lesson and assigned readings and asked if anyone had last-minute questions or comments, she raised her hand.


    ¡°What about hauntings?¡± she said.


    ¡°Can you be more specific, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°If the mind is a mirror of our experiences and dreams,¡± Janet said, ¡°then what are hauntings a reflection of?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting way to put it,¡± the Baron said. ¡°Viscountess Durham and I have talked about hauntings a few times. We may differ on some minor aspects, but we both agree that we live in a haunted world of psychic and emotional disturbances. I tend to think of it in nautical terms. We¡¯re all boats on the same sea creating our own wakes as we pass from one point to another, and more often than not, we cross the wakes of others and feel the residual dip and swell of their impressions on the water. That¡¯s what hauntings are.¡±


    ¡°Because the sea is a mirror,¡± Janet said as the connections revealed themselves to her.


    ¡°Ah, yes, exactly,¡± he said. ¡°Seen from an omnipotent vantage point, the sea or any other large body of water can become a mirror. I¡¯m curious, Lady Fleming. What made you think about hauntings?¡±


    Janet looked into Baron Palmer¡¯s eyes before averting them and saying, ¡°I had a lot to think about over the last few days, and hauntings are just one of them.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± he said, then to the rest of the class: ¡°Any other questions before I go?¡±


    Some students asked more questions, and Baron Palmer answered them. And when nobody else had any more questions, the professor bowed to his class and reminded them to read the assigned chapters for tomorrow and exited through the double doors for lunch at the Professor Commons Office.


    With that, the students rose from their seats and exited the double doors on their way to the cafeteria for their Lunch Period, but Kevin Sydney stayed put with Janet. And along with the pair, Janet¡¯s suicide clone stayed behind at the corner, while the other five clones went ahead around the corner and through the halls to act as lookouts, and the seventh clone came back into the classroom once again and informed the suicide double of the goings-on at Classroom 1-3C.


    Taking up her book bag, Janet rose from her seat and turned to her table mate, saying, ¡°Will you accompany me to lunch?¡±


    ¡°Only if you answer my question,¡± he said.


    ¡°What question?¡± she said.


    ¡°You were talking with Viscountess Durham earlier,¡± Kevin said. ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± she said, recollecting her thoughts on the conversation she and the viscountess had shared in Homeroom 2. ¡°All the brouhaha this morning has been resolved, but I need someone to accompany me through the halls. I don¡¯t want to wait for his Highness to send someone to come and fetch me, so would you accompany me? It would only be for today.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± he said and got up, ¡°but what exactly did Viscountess Durham say about it?¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to concern yourself with that,¡± she said and headed for the double doors.


    ¡°But I want to know,¡± he said, following her.


    Janet paused before the threshold of the double doors, wondering why he was so interested in that all of the sudden, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Is there something troubling you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re nosy,¡± she said.


    ¡°And you¡¯re delaying,¡± Sir Kevin Sydney said. ¡°Don¡¯t be coy now. You can trust me. We share the same table, right?¡±


    Janet paused and waited for her suicide clone.


    (¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± her clone said.


    ¡°Can I really trust him?¡± she said.


    ¡°We need to start somewhere, you know,¡± her clone said.)


    ¡°Lady Fleming?¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°All right,¡± Janet said and exited the classroom and turned the corner down the main hallway. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but promise me not to tell anyone else.¡±


    He followed her, saying, ¡°I promise.¡±


    And so, with her seven clones now acting as lookouts along the way, she talked about Viscountess Durham¡¯s investigation and the way Miss Edgeworth seems to have the Prince wrapped up around her finger to the point of being ¡°lovey-dovey¡± and ¡°disgusting¡± (Viscountess Durham¡¯s words) whenever she started crying. To that, Sir Keven Sydney said he had also noticed the change in the Prince¡¯s demeanor whenever Kevin asked the Prince about Miss Edgeworth, becoming suspicious and guarded like a jealous husband. When Janet asked him what he meant by that, Kevin said that he had been friends with Prince Blaise since their boyhood days of ghost stories and scare pranks, but only on entering this Academy did he notice the change in the Prince¡¯s behavior. On their way past Janet¡¯s old homeroom towards the top of the stairs, they met up with Lord Ridley Woodberry waiting for them beside the balustrade, who said that Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham had asked him to accompany Janet in the hallways in between classes and even during lunch and that Prince Blaise had ordered him to keep Janet from going anywhere near Rosalie while at school.


    (And with Lord Woodberry were three more of Janet¡¯s clones tailing him, one of which approached Janet¡¯s suicide clone and whispered something into her ear. Her suicide clone nodded and faced Janet, saying, ¡°Prepare yourself.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°For what?¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±


    ¡°Go to the cafeteria,¡± her clone said, ¡°and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be cryptic,¡± Janet said. ¡°If it has anything to do with that scheming two-face, just tell me!¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t look authentic,¡± she said, ¡°if you go in knowing beforehand, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Janet said. ¡°Is there something I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just trust us, okay? We¡¯re with you. DeeDee¡¯s with you,¡± her suicide double said before descending the stairs without giving Janet a chance to say anything.)


    So two young men and one young woman and ten ghost clones descended both flights of stairs, her clones leading the way with two clones moving ahead to the double doors leading into the Student Commons Cafeteria. All the while, Janet wondered what her suicide double meant, whether it had anything to do with Rosalie or DeeDee or both. They walked through the open-plan parlor area and the open double doors of the Cafeteria, where Janet saw a great hall encompassing the space and a rib-vaulted ceiling looming above and more floating lanterns illuminating the buffet area and the columns of long tables occupying the surrounding area.


    Clusters of students with food trays were taking food from the buffet trays and finding available seats at the long tables, while the rest were already eating and chatting where they sat. Yet the moment Janet entered, the hubbub died down, and all heads turned towards her. And at the far right corner of the great hall close to the tall windows, where a cluster of people sat around one of the long tables, Janet spied Prince Blaise sitting with Rosalie playing two-face again when she whispered something into the Prince¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Janet said and turned to go¡ª


    Till Prince Blaise stood up and said, ¡°Ah, Lady Fleming, why don¡¯t you join us for lunch?¡±


    She looked back over her shoulder, saying, ¡°No, your Highness. If you¡¯re here to pester me, then I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    (Yet her clones crowded around her, and her suicide clone said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Janet,¡± and she pointed out three more clones keeping watch over Rosalie at the long table and another three clones watching the Prince from the buffet area, then pointed out a dozen other clones watching the commotion in clusters of three around the cafeteria, which meant that twenty-eight out of the thirty-one clones were now here. ¡°We¡¯re watching everything, and DeeDee¡¯s watching, too.¡±


    So Janet scanned the great hall, saying, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the cafeteria,¡± DeeDee said in her mind. ¡°Pray, don¡¯t start, Janet.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m inside my lamp,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Now just observe what¡¯s happening, and tell me how you feel. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Janet said.)


    All the while, Janet¡¯s reply aroused a hubbub of murmurs from those seated at the long tables, most of them saying something about Janet being angry at the Prince¡¯s actions this morning, though some of them defended the Prince, saying that he could never have shown such discourtesy to any lady, even to a lady like Janet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be that way, Lady Fleming,¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°I know I¡¯ve acted uncouth towards you this morning, but that¡¯s because of what you did to Rosy,¡± and he placed his hand on Rosalie¡¯s shoulder and bent over her and whispered something into her ear.


    Rosalie smiled and nodded her head.


    ¡°Honestly, she¡¯s too kind for her own good,¡± he said, leaving the long table and approaching Janet as everybody gave him a wide berth, ¡°but I¡¯m not so merciful, especially to those trying to slander me with baseless accusations. They say you showed your class a bruise on your wrist. Is that really true, Lady Fleming? Or did you do it yourself?¡±


    Janet gaped at the Prince¡¯s callousness as her head replayed the very scene of yesterday¡¯s Homeroom 1 at that accursed Classroom 1-3C. So much so, in fact, that Janet was on the verge of saying something awful, like ¡®Go screw yourself¡¯ or ¡®Fuck off, you two-timing son of a¡ª¡¯


    (¡°Are you angry?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Of course, I am,¡± Janet said. ¡°He¡¯s being such a prick!¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Keep watching.¡±


    And somewhere inside her mind, Janet heard a rustling of pages and a distinct feeling of fingers flipping the pages of her memories and said, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for intrusive thoughts,¡± DeeDee said, and then the pages stopped turning. ¡°Ah, there it is! Do you remember having a vision in the hallway this morning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s really faint,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but Prince Blaise grabbed your hand and brought you to your knees.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Do you know what it means?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a clue,¡± DeeDee said.)


    Before Janet could ask DeeDee what she meant by that, she saw Lord Woodberry step forward and say, ¡°With all due respect, your Highness, I was there. When Lady Fleming was about to give her engagement ring to Miss Edgeworth, you grabbed her wrist, and she winced.¡±


    ¡°And she used that to play the sympathy card on you,¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°You¡¯re too gullible.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re conceited,¡± Lord Woodberry said.


    ¡°Says the guy who falls for sympathy cards,¡± he said, ¡°but let¡¯s not dwell on that. Let me pass.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said.


    (¡°Better intervene,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°By why?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Just do it.¡±)


    So Janet swallowed her qualms, walking up to the two men and facing the Prince and saying, ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Since you wanted to prove your innocence,¡± the Prince said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you take a truth potion, but it¡¯ll be under my observation.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning to poison me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a cutthroat, Lady Fleming,¡± the Prince said.


    (¡°Not yet,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide clone said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Janet said.)


    ¡°I just want to make sure there are no variables,¡± the Prince added, then checked his pocket watch before looking at Lord Woodberry and Sir Sydney and saying, ¡°We have fifty minutes, plenty of time. You two will act as impartial witnesses, so follow me and Lady Fleming to the table,¡± and he led the way to the long table near the tall windows where Rosalie sat.


    Janet looked back on her two companions, then followed the odious Prince towards the long table, where lo and behold! Father Giles Robinson was there, seated at the other end of the long table from Rosalie. Father Giles Robinson, an old man with a bald pate and bushy brows and a small gray mustache, waved Janet over to his side of the table, so Janet came over and noticed a reddish stain on the hem of his black ankle-length cassock and his trembling bony hands on his lap.


    ¡°Are you all right, Father?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I am, dear. Thank you,¡± he said.


    (¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide double said.


    ¡°Janet,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°what are you feeling from him?¡±


    ¡°I think,¡± Janet said, ¡°he¡¯s conflicted.¡±


    ¡°Like he doesn¡¯t want to do this?¡±


    ¡°I think so, yeah,¡± Janet said.


    There came a pause before DeeDee said, ¡°Go on with it and pay attention to what happens next.¡±)


    Janet sat by the old man and said, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Father Robinson nodded and smiled a weak smile, then dug into a large pocket in his cassock and took out a vial and a small crystal ball, which he wiped over his cassock to remove dust, and set both items on the table.


    Father Giles Robinson then pointed to the vial and said, ¡°This contains a truth serum,¡± and he pointed to the small crystal ball and added, ¡°and that¡¯s a crystal ball for your magic aptitude test. At his Highness¡¯s prompting, I¡¯ve decided to kill two birds with one stone and do your magic aptitude test and truth test at the same time. In both, you need witnesses, and since there are plenty here, we can begin. Do you want to continue, Lady Fleming?¡±


    (¡°Say yes, Janet,¡± DeeDee said.)


    Janet nodded her head.


    ¡°Good,¡± Father Robinson said and pointed towards the crystal ball. ¡°Put your hand on that and curl your fingers over it,¡± and when Janet did just that, the man put his bony hand over hers and said, ¡°Now repeat after me: Earth, air, fire, water.¡±


    ¡°¡®Earth, air, fire, water,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    And one by one, four holograms appeared behind them, the first hologram showing a tree growing in the ground, the second showing clouds in the sky, the third showing a blazing fire, and the fourth showing a placid sea or lake.


    ¡°Light, darkness, aether,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡®Light, darkness, aether,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    And one by one, three more holograms appeared behind them, the first showing a brilliant sun, the second showing a night sky, and the third showing a smoky luminescence with a greenish tint.


    ¡°Reveal your secrets to me. Selah,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡®Reveal your secrets to me. Selah,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    And the crystal flashed in Janet¡¯s grasp, filling half of the great hall with light, till it became too hot, and Janet let go of it. Then the light began dissipating like the drowsiness from a sleeper¡¯s eyes, and in the afterimage of those seven holograms, one manifested in the crystal ball and threw up its image from the table as its own hologram. The green and smoky luminescence swirled above Janet¡¯s head, then came into focus and solidified into the form of DeeDee¡¯s large lamp.


    (¡°DeeDee, is that your lamp?¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee breathed out a sigh and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, anyway?¡± she said.


    ¡°If you must know,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°then I¡¯ll tell you, but don¡¯t tell anyone else about me, except for those you trust. I¡¯m the Guardian of the Aether, one of the overseers of the astral realm, and one of the deities of this world.¡±


    ¡°Is that why it¡¯s green?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Now pay attention. He¡¯s calling you.¡±)


    That¡¯s when Janet was brought back to reality amidst a jumble of words she couldn¡¯t make out, so Janet said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. What were you saying?¡±


    ¡°I said you have the aether as your element,¡± Father Robinson said, ¡°and judging from the color of that lamp, you seem to have the protection of its guardian deity. Do you know her name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s DeeDee, right?¡± Janet said.


    Father Giles Robinson smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t see spirits like you can, but I can read your thoughts through the spell I¡¯ve made you repeat. Is DeeDee watching over us?¡±


    (¡°Say yes, Janet,¡± DeeDee said.)


    ¡°Yes,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Ah, I can even hear her voice,¡± the cleric said and looked into Janet¡¯s eyes. ¡°And what a lovely voice she has, too. And is she speaking with you right now?¡±


    (¡°Say yes,¡± DeeDee said.)


    Janet nodded and said, ¡°Yes, she is.¡±


    ¡°And did she give you a pendant?¡± the cleric said.


    Again, Janet said yes under his gaze.


    ¡°What is she saying now?¡± Father Robinson said.


    (¡°Don¡¯t test me, old man,¡± DeeDee said.)


    Right then, the cleric averted his eyes and grimaced and said, ¡°Sorry, that was forward of me. Anyway,¡± he added with a sigh as if he wasn¡¯t looking forward to this one bit, ¡°now comes the part I find unpleasant,¡± and he took up the vial and opened the lid and gave it to Janet. ¡°Drink it and place your hand on the crystal like before.¡±


    So Janet did just that, enclosing her fingers over its glassy surface and dissipating the hologram of DeeDee¡¯s lamp above the table and severing Father Robinson¡¯s telepathic connection to her, and said, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it,¡± he said and placed his hand over hers like before. ¡°Now repeat after me: I solemnly swear.¡±


    ¡°¡®I solemnly swear,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    ¡°That I will tell the truth,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡®That I will tell the truth,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    ¡°The whole truth,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡®The whole truth,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    ¡°And nothing but the truth. Selah,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡¯And nothing but the truth. Selah,¡¯¡± she repeated.


    ¡°Now, your Highness,¡± Father Robinson said to the Prince, ¡°you may question her at will,¡± and he stood up and stepped aside and said to Janet, ¡°Meanwhile, Lady Fleming, keep your hand on that crystal as he questions you, and don¡¯t let go, lest you perjure yourself in front of witnesses and the very goddess under whose protection you claim. Do you understand?¡±


    (¡°Okay, Janet,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°From what I¡¯ve found out in the profiles of your clones, the ¡®Rosalie Edgeworth¡¯ sitting at the table is a fake. I know this, because in all the profile entries involving Rosalie¡¯s involvement against your clones, I¡¯ve seen four of the seven elements (earth, air, fire, and water) used in their deaths or in false incriminations that led to their deaths.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Whoever this fake Rosalie is used water magic to mix poison into the glass that killed one of your clones during midterms, and she used fire magic to implicate another clone of arson in Guinevere House, and she used earth magic to harass another clone during school hours that led to escalating confrontations with her and the Prince and resulted in your clone¡¯s false imprisonment, and she even used air magic to hobble herself in order to implicate yet another clone of assault, which was later trumped up to attempted murder. Do you see what I¡¯m getting at?¡±


    ¡°My God,¡± Janet said to herself. ¡°If she could use all those elements, then what about the original?¡±


    ¡°The Rosalie I know could only use light magic,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but from what I¡¯ve researched so far, I¡¯m betting that this fake Rosalie got away with all of those crimes, because she¡¯s still listed as a light-affinity user in her school records. That means all of the magic she had used to frame you in those cases couldn¡¯t be traced back to her.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s impossible,¡± Janet said. ¡°How can she forge a magic aptitude test?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°if you¡¯ve got the original results in your possession.¡±


    ¡°From the original Rosalie?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but I can¡¯t know for sure till I obtain the original Rosalie¡¯s profile book. Now pay attention to your own predicament, Janet. I think Rosalie¡¯s gonna use fire magic to manipulate that crystal and make you look like you¡¯ve perjured yourself if you tell the truth. To prevent that, I want you to lie.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡± Janet said, nearly taking off her hand from the crystal. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because the Prince won¡¯t believe you, and Rosalie¡¯s going to manipulate it, anyway,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°If you tell him the truth, if you tell him what he doesn''t want to hear, he¡¯ll order yet another interrogation, and you¡¯ll have a much tougher time of it the second time around, and you¡¯ll be implicated.¡±


    ¡°So I should lie about everything?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Your world is built on lies, Janet. It¡¯s not about what you did or didn¡¯t do, because your circumstances are manipulated against you in the eyes of your peers. So it¡¯s better to play her game, because I¡¯m betting Rosalie will make it appear so. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°But if I lie, won¡¯t it go off by itself?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Not if you play her game,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand,¡± Janet said. ¡°What¡¯s there to gain from lying?¡±


    ¡°Janet, listen to me,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Did you get a good look at Father Robinson¡¯s appearance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± she said.


    ¡°Then did you notice anything unusual about his clothes?¡±


    Janet glanced at the stain on the hem of the father¡¯s cassock, saying, ¡°There¡¯s a red stain on his clothes. Wait¡ª . . .¡± Father Robinson¡¯s own subterfuge flashed through her thoughts, so she said, ¡°DeeDee, that truth potion I took¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªis a placebo,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°He poured the REAL truth potion over the crystal in his pocket to detect interference from the Prince, then wiped it over his clothes to dry it, so you won¡¯t catch onto his ploy. Now go play Rosalie¡¯s game and entrap her with her own ruse!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Because you must exercise your own observational skills,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Now pay attention!¡±)


    Janet closed her eyes and breathed in and out, resigning herself to stooping in order to overcome, and answered Father Robinson¡¯s question: ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    With that, Prince Blaise approached and looked down on Janet seated at the table like a judge looking over a convict seated at the witness stand and said, ¡°Lady Fleming, what you say will determine what happens to you. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Highness,¡± Janet said.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V3) Red Pill 13: Perjuries, Infirmaries

    Villainess 3: Rosalie Strikes Back


    <hr>


    Red Pill 13: Perjuries, Infirmaries


    <hr>


    At first, Prince Blaise started with simple questions as a baseline for the more complex questions later on. Thus, keeping the crystal ball under her grasp, Janet answered the preliminary questions. When asked if Janet Fleming was her name, Janet answered, Yes, that is her name. When asked about her age and occupation, she answered that she is fifteen and that she is a student at Lassen Academy. When asked who her parents are, she answered that she is the daughter of Marquess Arnold Fleming and Marchioness Rowena Fleming. When asked if she had said or done anything hurtful to anyone else in her life, she answered, Yes, she had said and done such things.


    With the baseline established, Prince Blaise said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then did you do anything to hurt Miss Edgeworth during this fall semester?¡±


    Janet looked over at the oh-so-innocent vixen sitting on the other end of the table, looking back at her and curling up her lips into an evil smirk, so Janet turned back and said, ¡°Yes, I have, your Highness.¡±


    Which stirred the great hall with whispers.


    ¡°Then what did you do to Miss Edgeworth?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    (¡°Okay, here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do,¡± DeeDee said, flipping through the pages of Janet¡¯s memories with a pencil in her hand. ¡°While I¡¯m looking through your memories, I¡¯ll check-mark all the ones involving Rosalie getting you into trouble, and you¡¯ll confess to every one of them as your own doing.¡± Then DeeDee paused and added, ¡°Look, I know it¡¯s difficult for you, but please try to bear with it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I hate this,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Okayyy?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Janet said. ¡°I get it already.¡±)


    So Janet closed her eyes and prepared herself to take all of the blame for Rosalie¡¯s damnable ruses against her since Lassen Academy¡¯s entrance ceremony and opened her eyes. When she felt DeeDee turn the first page of her mind and check-mark the first entry, Janet took a deep breath and said, ¡°Before the entrance ceremony, I cornered Miss Edgeworth at the courtyard and told her that she didn¡¯t belong here at the Academy.¡±


    Which stirred another round of whispers, but the crystal did not heat up in Janet¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What else?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    (¡°Did anything happen?¡± DeeDee said in her mind.


    ¡°No, nothing,¡± Janet said, mindful of the crystal¡¯s unchanged coolness in her grasp.


    ¡°Then Rosalie¡¯s manipulating the crystal beyond the range of Father Robinson¡¯s detection spell,¡± DeeDee said, turning a page and check-marking another entry in Janet¡¯s memories. ¡°Now keep it going.¡±)


    ¡°On the first day of class,¡± Janet added, ¡°I cornered Miss Edgeworth during lunch and repeated what I said.¡±


    Another round of whispers in the cafeteria.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I said,¡± Janet said, eying that damnable vixen again, ¡°that she didn¡¯t belong here.¡±


    Yet another round of whispers.


    ¡°What else?¡± he said.


    (So DeeDee flipped through more pages and check-marked several entries and said, ¡°Let¡¯s speed things up, shall we? I don¡¯t have all day, but just one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Rosalie might heat up that crystal,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°if she feels threatened by your words. Bait her into doing it and use that to entrap her.¡±


    ¡°How do I do that?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Figure it out,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±)


    Pondering on DeeDee¡¯s suggestion, Janet took another deep breath and said, ¡°Every day during the first week of class, I cornered Miss Edgeworth and told her that she didn¡¯t belong here, and on the last day of class that week, when I saw Miss Edgeworth talking to your Highness, I told her to stop, or I¡¯d take further actions against her. That was the first week, your Highness, yet when Miss Edgeworth came after you again, I took it to the next level. I started the second week by pushing her in the halls whenever you weren¡¯t there, and later that week, I stole her book bag and hid it. Miss Edgeworth must¡¯ve told you about it, because by the third week, your Highness rebuked me in front of Classroom 1-3C while Professor Palmer wasn¡¯t there and demanded that I apologize to Miss Edgeworth, but I refused and escalated my actions against her, staining her dress with ink and splashing water on her face and threatening her to stay away from you or else.


    ¡°Yet by the fourth week,¡± she continued as an idea formed in her mind, ¡°when Miss Edgeworth still clung to you, I had Lady Felton and Lady Childeron bully Miss Edgeworth on my behalf, yet your Highness caught them and had them spy on me instead. Even so, by the fifth week, I continued harassing Miss Edgeworth and called her names in the hallways, yet when Lady Felton and Lady Childeron stood up for her, I lost my temper and called them traitors and Miss Edgeworth a two-faced vixen,¡± and she glanced over at Rosalie giving her an icy glare, then turned back to the Prince giving her a glare of hellfire. ¡°Those tattletales must have told you, because by the sixth week, your Highness rebuked me in front of Classroom 1-3C at the start of that week, then rebuked me again near the end of the week in the courtyard after I ripped Miss Edgeworth¡¯s dress, and so we had an argument about all that stuff. But do you remember what you said after all that, your Highness?¡±


    At her question, murmurs arose from some of the students about the Prince saying something awful to Janet in the courtyard last week, though the witnesses there refused to say anything about it at all as if they were scared. Perhaps, some whispered, the Prince had silenced them?


    The Prince just stood there, beginning to sweat under the whispered speculations about him, so he fisted his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m asking the questions, not you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be kind,¡± Janet said. ¡°Stop acting like you give a damn, your Highness, because I know full well you don¡¯t. Tell everyone here what you said back then. Tell them, or I¡¯ll tell them myself!¡±


    Yet Prince Blaise remained silent.


    Janet turned to Rosalie one more time to bait her into it, then turned back to the Prince and said, ¡°Then you leave me no choice, your Highness: due to your reluctance, I¡¯ll have Miss Edgeworth tell everyone here what you refuse to say, because she had been there with me!¡±


    And as DeeDee had predicted, the crystal heated up in Janet¡¯s hand, making her wince and drop it on the table with a thud like the thud of a guillotine echoing through the great hall, yet it was now Janet¡¯s win. Their collective silence revealed a shared hypocrisy amongst them, who had witnessed last Friday¡¯s quarrel between Janet and the Prince at the courtyard fountain, because what had happened between Janet and Rosalie that day had been on the lips of so many students this morning.


    And in its echoing wake, the trap had sprung at the crux of a collective inconsistency, showing what a farce all of this had been, so Janet looked over at a glaring Rosalie and smirked at her reaction, saying, ¡°Miss Edgeworth, catch,¡± and she tossed it to her nemesis¡ª


    Who caught it in her hands.


    Then the whole cafeteria went silent, and Father Robinson was left staring and gaping at the turn of events.


    ¡°Miss Edgeworth,¡± Janet continued, ¡°you were there with me, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said.


    ¡°What did his Highness say?¡±


    ¡°Rosy, don¡¯t say anything!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, your Highness, not even for you,¡± Rosalie said, putting on a good show. ¡°His Highness said truly unforgivable words against your mother, which I feel don¡¯t bear repeating at this late date. For that, I apologize to you in his Highness¡¯s stead. Is this enough, Lady Fleming?¡±


    Nothing happened outside of the area-of-effect of the father¡¯s spell, but it confirmed DeeDee¡¯s reasoning that Rosalie had been tampering with the crystal.


    ¡°Thanks, but answer one more question.¡±


    Rosalie let out a sigh and said, ¡°Fine, what is it?¡±


    ¡°You and his Highness were here before I arrived,¡± Janet said, switching it up on her nemesis. ¡°Did you have his Highness set all this up to ruin my reputation?¡±


    Rosalie stared at Janet, eyes wide and mouth agape at how she had turned the tables on her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Miss Edgeworth?¡± Janet said, knowing she had caught her nemesis between a confirmed lie and a confession of guilt. ¡°It¡¯s a yes-or-no question.¡±


    Rosalie opened her mouth¡ª


    But the Prince said, ¡°Rosy, don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t interfere!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn this around, you fucking bitch!¡± the Prince said, then paused as if he just realized what he had said in front of everyone in the Student Commons Cafeteria and gritted his teeth. And in a rage, he stormed over to Rosalie¡¯s location and grabbed the crystal from her hands and flung it on the floor at Janet¡¯s feet, breaking it into scattering pieces and making Janet wince and collapse to one knee on the floor.


    Then Farther Robinson and Kevin and Ridley stalked over to Janet, all three crouching and asking her if she was okay, but Janet shook her head.


    And so, while the father and Ridley guided a hobbling Janet to a bench, Kevin Sydney stood up and got in the Prince¡¯s face and shoved him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace!¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re a third-rate knight!¡± the Prince said and shoved Kevin back and spat in his face.


    Kevin swung a right fist at his jaw, yet the Prince countered him with a shoulder toss and threw Kevin onto his back with a heavy thud on the floor.


    With Kevin groaning, Father Robinson stood up, yelling, ¡°YOUR HIGHNESS, WHAT¡¯S THE MATTER WITH YOU?¡±


    That outburst stopped the Prince on the spot.


    ¡°You not only broke school property,¡± Father Robinson said, ¡°you assaulted one student and injured another. Don¡¯t push it, your Highness!¡±


    ¡°I know already! Just lay off!¡± the Prince said, huffing and puffing, and wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over at Janet and approached her. Yet the Prince stopped in his tracks at the sight of Janet bending over and putting her hand over a line of blood trickling down her sock, and only then did he seem to gain a full picture of what he had done.


    But before the Prince could say anything when he approached again, Ridley blocked his way, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t, your Highness. You¡¯ve already done enough.¡±


    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, man, I won¡¯t hit her!¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°I promise you, I won¡¯t.¡±


    Lord Woodberry gave him a long and hard stare, then let the Prince approach, but he stood by a grimacing Janet and placed his hand over her shoulder, while Father Robinson had gone over and helped Kevin back to his feet.


    So the Prince approached and crouched before Janet, meeting her eyes, and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Lady Fleming; I shouldn¡¯t have said such words about Marchioness Fleming last Friday, so I¡¯m sorry for that. And make sure to get that checked out,¡± he added, ¡°but stay away from Miss Edgeworth, or I¡¯ll have you expelled.¡± After that, he stood back up and went over to an ashen-faced Rosalie and hooked his arm around hers and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, Rosy.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    (Then Janet¡¯s suicide clone ordered two teams of three clones each¡ªone team watching Rosalie and another team watching Prince Blaise¡ªto follow the pair and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let them out of your sight. I want you to cover them at all times.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t lose them,¡± the clones said, ¡°and we will.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± the suicide clone added, ¡°keep me informed of what they say in two shifts every thirty minutes, got it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got it,¡± the clones said.


    And off they went out of the great hall, three pairs of eyes on the vixen and three other pairs of eyes on the Prince, while Janet¡¯s suicide clone and the rest of her clones crowded around Janet at the long table, and her suicide clone crouched down and bit her lip at the sight of Janet¡¯s injury.)


    With the Prince escorting Rosalie through the crowd of silent students giving them a wide berth (and Janet¡¯s clones following behind), everyone stared after them for a moment or two, till their footfalls echoed past the double doors and dissipated through the open-plan parlor area. Then all eyes turned to Janet wincing and crying over the pain in her ankle as Ridley told her to keep her foot still.


    (¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Janet,¡± her suicide clone said.


    Janet looked up at her clone, tears in her eyes, and wiped them away and said, ¡°Please, don¡¯t¡ª¡±)


    ¡°Ow!¡± Janet said when she moved her foot.


    ¡°Keep still, Lady Fleming,¡± Ridley said and crouched before her. ¡°Can you move it?¡±


    Janet nodded yes.


    ¡°Ridley, how is it?¡± Kevin said, coming over alongside Father Robinson.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful for her,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Does it hurt when you move it?¡± Father Robinson said.


    Again Janet nodded yes.


    Then a pale-faced Father Giles Robinson crouched and pulled down Janet¡¯s right sock and applied two fingers gently over the wound, making the girl fidget and wince in a grimace.


    ¡°Ow, owwww!¡± she said, crying again.


    ¡°Do you feel a tingling sensation?¡± Father Robinson said.


    Janet nodded her head.


    ¡°Almost like it¡¯s burning?¡± he added.


    Janet nodded again and wiped the tears from her eyes.


    With that, Father Robinson closed his eyes, still keeping his fingers over the cut, and said, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why. The nerves are nicked, and it¡¯s on the tendon, too. All right, Lady Fleming,¡± he added, ¡°this is gonna hurt, but try to bear with it the best you can for me, okay?¡± And when Janet nodded, Father Robinson whispered a foreign incantation, and a soft light glowed beneath his fingers¡ª


    ¡°Ow!¡± Janet yelped.


    ¡ªthat made Janet wince and grit her teeth. When he finished, Father Robinson said, ¡°All right, that should do it, but you should keep off of that foot in order to give your nerves a chance to rest,¡± and he stood up and looked over at the double doors where Prince Blaise and Rosalie had gone off and shook his head in disgust. ¡°I never thought his Highness would act like that if I hadn¡¯t seen it myself,¡± then added, ¡°I¡¯ll report this to his Majesty after classes end, Lady Fleming.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Father,¡± Janet said.


    Father Robinson nodded and said to the two young men, ¡°One of you should carry her to the infirmary. And don¡¯t let her stand, mind you, till after four o¡¯clock this afternoon, five o¡¯clock to be safe. That should be enough time for the nerves on her tendon to settle down.¡±


    Kevin and Ridley both nodded.


    Then Father Robinson walked out of the great hall, passing the doors and through the open-plan parlor on his way up the stairs towards his homeroom or to the Professor Commons Office. Either way, despite Janet¡¯s public confession to her so-called crimes, Father Robinson¡¯s words set the students in the great hall murmuring about Prince Blaise¡¯s outrageous conduct during lunch, going as far as breaking ¡°school property¡± and disrespecting and thrashing one student and hurting another student, even if that student was the infamous Janet Fleming. And the Prince had done all of this in front of everyone, students and cooking staff and even a professor and clergyman. Prince Blaise¡¯s actions were unbecoming of a prince, and if the Prince wasn¡¯t a minor, Marquess Fleming would have challenged him to a duel for hurting his daughter like that. So went the murmurs that turned into rumors that turned into a hard-fought win for Janet, but only at the cost of her tears and a bit of her blood.


    Meanwhile, Kevin and Ridley played ¡®Rock, Paper, Scissors¡¯ to decide who should take Janet to the infirmary. When Ridley¡¯s ¡®rock¡¯ beat Kevin¡¯s ¡®scissors,¡¯ he took up Janet in a bridal carry and said, ¡°See you at the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get lunch,¡± Kevin said. ¡°Janet, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s there,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not picky.¡±


    With that, Kevin stalked towards the buffet area and grabbed a tray and picked out assortments of food from the serving trays, while Ridley carried Janet out.


    And for the second time this week, but for the first time in person, Janet found herself in the arms of this gallant son of a duke and felt her cheeks burning, so she covered her face in her hands. And her clones, following close by and commenting on how good of a catch Lord Woodberry would make for Janet, were making it worse for her, like impressionable kids talking about the doings of their parents at night when their folks thought the coast was clear and everyone else had gone to bed and the night was theirs for some funny business, though Janet had never experienced walking in on her parents doing it. Yet when such doings surfaced through her thoughts in connection with the man carrying her¡ª


    (to the nuptial bed)


    ¡ªto the infirmary, Janet blushed and prayed that he wouldn¡¯t notice her embarrassment along the way. But then Janet¡¯s blasted clones started singing a naughty nursery rhyme about Janet and Ridley sitting on some stupid tree and K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then there¡¯s a baby in a Goddamned carriage! And in between the marriage part and the carriage part was the very action that left Janet¡¯s cheeks rosy and her heart beating and her breath coming in short and fast like the rhythmic motions of a good . . .


    (¡°Janet,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°stop thinking about it!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then tell me who¡¯s doing it,¡± she said, ¡°so I can stop it at once, dear God!¡±


    And Janet squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of anything else besides the naughty connotation of the phrase, ¡®doing it,¡¯ and said, ¡°It¡¯s my clones!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± DeeDee said.


    Then Janet heard her clones complaining (¡°Ow!¡±), one after another till they were all complaining, and she opened her eyes to Ridley carrying her into the infirmary and saw her grimacing and wincing clones with their heads tilted to one side and the tops of their left ears getting pulled from an invisible presence (unseen) by either nurse or Ridley.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m punishing them like the naughty brats they are,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Honestly, such things shouldn¡¯t cross impressionable minds like theirs. Or yours, for that matter.¡±


    And Janet felt a tug at her own left ear, yanking upward with a sharp, almost motherly, jerk.)


    ¡°Ow!¡± Janet yelped.


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that,¡± Ridley said as he placed her on the infirmary bed, and the nurse on duty holding the curtain aside told him to be more mindful of her ankle. And that¡¯s when Janet found herself back on the same bed she had woken up from yesterday afternoon after school hours had ended.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lord Woodberry,¡± Janet said. ¡°It¡¯s just a little sore, is all.¡±


    When Janet¡¯s clones stopped complaining, she glanced past Ridley¡¯s arm and saw them with their hands against their left ears, and only then did she put her hand against her ear, where DeeDee had tugged it.


    ¡°Are you all right, Lady Fleming?¡± he said.


    She nodded and placed her beret at the side table, but then looked for her book bag that had gone missing from her shoulder somehow and said, ¡°Where¡¯s my bag?¡±


    ¡°I have it, don¡¯t worry,¡± Lord Woodberry said, placing it on the side table next to her beret. ¡°Kevin should be coming here any minute now.¡± And when the door creaked open, he said, ¡°Ah, speak of the devil,¡± and he waved the knight to Janet¡¯s bed past two brunette girls sitting by the bedside of a green-haired girl with bandaged hands and calves, all three whispering amongst themselves and giving Janet momentary glances.


    Janet sat up in bed and pulled the down pillow up against her lower back, while Kevin placed the tray of food on the bedside table and slid it in front of her and Janet¡¯s clones crowded around her beside.


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re hungry,¡± Kevin said.


    The tray had a good selection: three egg rolls, a side of penne carbonara, a side of fried rice, a side of tilapia, a few mocha squares, and a sparkling glass of pink lemonade.


    ¡°Starving,¡± Janet said and grabbed an egg roll and bit off half of it and bolted it down in a few chews, then ate the other half and bolted it down.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, slow down,¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll choke, Lady Fleming,¡± Ridley added.


    Janet looked over at the clock on the far wall above the entrance door, still chewing, and spied the nurse in her apron and nurse¡¯s cap at the desk, writing down information in a log (date, time, patient¡¯s name, ailment(s), duration of stay, etc.) that she knew pertained to her second ignominious stay at the Academy¡¯s infirmary.


    Kevin looked over his shoulder and said, ¡°You have half an hour, Janet. Take your time,¡± and he headed back out of the infirmary. ¡°Riddle, what do you want me to get?¡±


    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll share.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Kevin said and left, followed by three of Janet¡¯s clones tailing him through the door.


    As she continued eating, Janet thought of those logs and attendance sheets and incident reports and wondered if the Prince had them suppressed or changed at Rosalie¡¯s behest, because a month had gone by without any witnesses showing up to challenge or even question any of Rosalie¡¯s claims against Janet all this time. If she wanted to survive this godforsaken life, if she was to help DeeDee¡¯s investigation into whoever broke into her private library and compromised her books, Janet needed access to information, and that meant that she needed allies she could trust besides her clones and DeeDee and the enchanted inventory of her quaint shop of curiosities.


    ¡°Lady Fleming,¡± Lord Woodberry said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, ¡°did you really do all those things to Miss Edgeworth?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only committed a few of them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do any of the crimes I¡¯ve said,¡± Janet said under her breath, putting her finger on Ridley¡¯s lips before he said anything else. ¡°In other words, Lord Woodberry, I lied under oath in front of everyone in the Cafeteria.¡±


    Lord Woodberry gaped, eyes wide as if he had just witnessed a murder or another guy screwing around with his non-existent girlfriend, and said, ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°You were there, Lord Woodberry,¡± Janet said. ¡°You and Sir Sydney and Father Robinson and everyone else in the great hall saw how the Prince reacted. He threw a crystal at me and hurt my leg, for God¡¯s sake! I told him exactly what he wanted to hear, so he won¡¯t have an excuse to have me expelled or banished or murdered or God knows what!¡±


    ¡°I . . .¡± Ridley said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady Fleming, but I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°The Prince called my fainting spell in the hallway yesterday a ¡®sympathy card,¡¯¡± Janet said. ¡°A fucking ¡®sympathy card,¡¯ can you believe that? Can¡¯t you see how he¡¯s changed? His Highness never used to be like that! Also,¡± she added, ¡°did you notice I only got burned when I came dangerously close to telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°Geez, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s a truth and what¡¯s a lie,¡± he said. ¡°Out of all of those lies you told, in what part of all that did you tell the truth?¡±


    ¡°When I used Miss Edgeworth against his Highness,¡± Janet said, ¡°only then did I get burned.¡±


    ¡°Because you were telling the truth?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Ridley Woodberry paused for a spell, then said, ¡°Janet, who were you trying to get a reaction out of? Was it his Highness or Miss Edgeworth?¡±


    ¡°Miss Edgeworth,¡± Janet said, ¡°and his Highness was telling her to keep her mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°You really think Miss Edgeworth is like that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°On what evidence?¡±


    ¡°On my experiences with her!¡± Janet said. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, but mark my words: she¡¯s a two-face!¡±


    Ridley was silent now.


    Moments passed at a snail¡¯s pace, so Janet was stress-eating the rest of her egg rolls and digging into her penne carbonara with ravenous abandon.


    Then Ridley said, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    When Janet finished eating her penne carbonara, she looked at him and put her fork down and said, ¡°Can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Fleming,¡± he said.


    ¡°And can I trust Sir Sydney?¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course you can,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve known him for almost as long as his Highness. What are you getting at?¡±


    Janet was silent for a moment, wondering if she could let her friend in on her thoughts.


    ¡°Janet,¡± Ridley said, ¡°do you suspect his Highness and Miss Edgeworth of anything unsavory between them?¡±


    Janet was about to answer¡ª


    When the door opened to bring in Kevin Sydney carrying a stacked tray with a mound of finger food on it, followed by the trio of clones. ¡°Hope you¡¯re hungry, Riddle,¡± he said, ¡°because I¡¯ve got a lot.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave a mess,¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°We won¡¯t, ma¡¯am,¡± he said.


    Ridley stood up and gaped at the amount of food on the stacked tray, saying, ¡°Letting your stomach decide, eh?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a knight, remember?¡± Kevin said. ¡°I need to eat more to keep up with my training.¡±


    ¡°Only to get thrashed,¡± he said.


    ¡°Come on, I was thrown, not thrashed,¡± Kevin said. ¡°There¡¯s a difference, you know. Janet,¡± he added, ¡°do you want some more? I¡¯ve got a bit too much here.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± Janet said, feeling her stomach lurch at the amount of finger food on their stacked tray, and looked on her own tray missing the three egg rolls, the sides of penne carbonara and most of the rice, two thirds of the tilapia, half of the pink lemonade, while the mocha squares were untouched. ¡°I¡¯m already getting full,¡± and she looked over at the three female students salivating at the mound of finger food and added, ¡°Ladies, are you hungry?¡±


    The trio of girls looked at Janet, and the pair of burettes (one wearing a scarf and one wearing glasses) asked the bedridden green-haired girl if she was hungry, and the bedridden green-haired girl said that she was starving. So the pair of brunettes stood up from their chairs, and the one wearing glasses and a braided pigtail said, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Kevin said and lifted the stacked tray, revealing another beneath it. ¡°In fact, we have an extra tray.¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s too much,¡± Ridley said, ¡°he and I can share one tray between us. You can use the other tray and pick out what you want from ours. What do you say?¡±


    With that, the pair of brunettes circled around the bedridden girl¡¯s bed and approached the side table, and the bespectacled one took up the extra tray, while the one with the scarf clumped her hands around the top third of the mound of food, then lifted and shifted the mass over to the tray.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± both brunettes said, bowing their heads, and headed back to the adjacent bed where the bedridden green-haired girl sat up in bed.


    The bespectacled girl pulled over another bedside table between the bed and the chairs, and once they were seated, the three girls started eating and whispering amongst themselves again. And as Janet finished off her tilapia and downed it with another gulp of lemonade, she thought she caught them stealing glances at Janet¡¯s clones crowded around her bed, so she turned to look at them and thought they seemed familiar without knowing where to place them.


    (With her clones all eyeing the trio, Janet¡¯s suicide clone leaned over her shoulder and said, ¡°They can see us.¡±


    ¡°You really think so?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it,¡± her clone said, pointing out one of the brunettes and the bedridden girl. ¡°The one in bed and the one with the scarf can see us just like you can.¡±


    ¡°What about the other girl?¡±


    ¡°Her glasses are enchanted,¡± her clone said. ¡°I think she can only see us when she¡¯s wearing them.¡±


    ¡°Can we trust them?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± her clone said.


    So Janet said, ¡°Are you still there, DeeDee?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still here,¡± DeeDee said and yawned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can you access these girls¡¯ books?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I have them lying around,¡± DeeDee said and yawned again, ¡°but I¡¯ll find them later.¡±


    ¡°But can¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I need to sleep, Janet,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Janet said. ¡°Go to sleep then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have nine clones spy on them,¡± her suicide clone said.


    ¡°No need,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them.¡±)


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V3) Red Pill 14: Evictions, Clubs

    Villainess 3: Rosalie Strikes Back


    <hr>


    Red Pill 14: Evictions, Clubs


    <hr>


    After finishing off the mocha squares, Janet washed it down with the last gulps of lemonade and chatted with Ridley and Kevin for a time as they bolted down piece after piece of the heaping mound of finger food from their tray. Meanwhile, Janet peered over at the nurse organizing her desk, then glanced over at the three female students on the next bed over still whispering amongst themselves as they ate, then said, ¡°Lord Woodberry, Sir Sydney, I¡¯ve got lots of enemies in this school, but your actions speak for themselves.¡±


    Ridley and Kevin looked back at Janet, and Ridley shook his head, saying, ¡°Anyone would have stepped in.¡±


    ¡°But only you two did,¡± she said, ¡°while everyone else stood by and let it happen.¡±


    ¡°What about Father Robinson?¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°Father Robinson was compelled to help,¡± Janet said, ¡°and he only did so after his Highness left with that vixen. I know he¡¯s loyal to this school, and I know it¡¯s the same with Viscountess Durham and the other professors here, but the Prince can throw his weight around.¡±


    ¡°Conflict of interest?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said, then to Kevin: ¡°Do you remember his threat against Baron Palmer this morning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember,¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°What threat?¡± Ridley said. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°That vixen stirred up another ruckus this morning,¡± Janet said, ¡°and had the Prince go after me on bogus claims of me hitting her before class.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Janet said. ¡°God knows what the Prince would have done if Viscountess Durham wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°And I saw Baron Palmer restraining him from going after you in front of the class,¡± Kevin said. ¡°Hell, if it wasn¡¯t for Baron Palmer, I would¡¯ve done it myself.¡±


    ¡°And you would¡¯ve been thrashed,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m stronger than him,¡± Kevin said. ¡°I¡¯m just not as coordinated!¡±


    ¡°Guys,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What is it, Janet?¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Ridley added.


    ¡°Will you two meet me in the courtyard after school?¡± Janet said, glancing over at the three other girls helping themselves to the food on their tray, knowing full well that these girls had been eavesdropping on their conversation. ¡°There¡¯s something I have to say but not right now. It¡¯s important.¡±


    Kevin and Ridley both traded glances.


    ¡°Why not now?¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Janet said, ¡°it¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Then came a pause from both men, both silent for a moment, till Ridley said, ¡°Lady Fleming, is this about his Highness¡¯s relationship with Miss Edgeworth?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Janet said, ¡°but it¡¯s something else, too.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s too complicated to explain right now,¡± she said. ¡°I just want to be sure you¡¯ll be there this afternoon. Will you?¡±


    ¡°Count us there, Lady Fleming,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Janet said.


    She handed her empty tray and glass to Kevin, who finished the last few bites of finger food before stacking it on the empty tray. Then Kevin handed Ridley the trays and said, ¡°Bring these to the great hall. I¡¯ll carry her to her homeroom.¡±


    Ridley nodded, standing up and turning his steps towards the only door out of the infirmary¡ª


    ¡°Wait a moment, please,¡± the green-haired girl said from her infirmary bed, swinging her bandaged legs over the bedside and standing up and approaching Janet¡¯s bed with a slight limp. ¡°Lady Fleming, can I speak with you before you go?¡±


    Yet Janet¡¯s clones crowded Janet¡¯s bed, preventing this stranger from getting closer to her, while Ridley turned and doubled back towards them.


    So the bespectacled brunette with the braided pigtail walked over to Lord Woodberry with the other empty tray and placed it over the stack in his hands.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    Lord Woodberry said, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Lady . . .¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lady Jean Drevis,¡± the girl said and curtsied, then pointed out the other brunette sitting up from her chair, ¡°and that is my sister, Lady Saraya Drevis.¡±


    Lady Saraya Drevis also curtsied.


    ¡°Oh, I remember now,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You¡¯re the daughters of Viscount Abel Drevis of the Drevis Times.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s our father,¡± Jean Drevis said. ¡°Anyway, our friend here wants to talk to Lady Fleming for a bit.¡±


    ¡°What is it then?¡± Janet said and stared at this girl with shoulder-length green hair and a flowered headband, wondering what her name was, though her face seemed familiar enough with an inkling of sweets for some reason.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t remember me,¡± the green-haired girl said, ¡°because I transferred from Classroom 1-3C after the first week of school, so I¡¯ll just introduce myself again. I¡¯m Lady Mindy Kessler,¡± and she attempted a brief curtsey. ¡°I talked to you that Friday before I got transferred on the second week.¡±


    That¡¯s when it hit her, and Janet said, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one with the sweet tooth.¡±


    Mindy laughed and said, ¡°Yeah, Lady Sweet Tooth, that¡¯s me. Anyway, we all wanted to talk to you, but Miss Edgeworth and her two lackeys kept preventing us in the hallways.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, but here we are,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is that what you want to talk about?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of it.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the other part?¡±


    Mindy Kessler looked over at the two brunettes, who both nodded that it was okay, so she leaned over and said under her breath, ¡°Do you see them, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°See what?¡± Janet said, trying her best to avoid looking at her clones. ¡°What should I see?¡±


    (Janet¡¯s clones traded glances with each other, then gave Mindy Kessler a wide birth, and Janet¡¯s suicide clone said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel any malice from her or the others.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± her clone said. ¡°You can trust them.¡±)


    Mindy Kessler stepped forward and said under her breath, ¡°Ghosts, Lady Fleming. Can you see them?¡±


    Janet paused and looked at her clones, and when her clones nodded their heads, she said, ¡°Yeah, I can see them.¡±


    Her response brought the sisters Jean and Saraya Drevis towards Janet¡¯s bed, while Kevin and Ridley just stood there staring at this impromptu meeting.


    Then Jean Drevis stepped forward and said, ¡°Can you talk to them?¡±


    Again Janet looked up at her clones, who all nodded their heads again, then looked over at Kevin and Ridley, both men sweating and pale, and said, ¡°Yes, I can. What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Lady Fleming,¡± Mindy Kessler said, ¡°we need four members in our afternoon club for us to get approved, but we only have three so far. Will you join us?¡±


    ¡°What club are you talking about?¡± Janet said, even though she had an inkling of it from their questions and from the nods of her clones.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Ghost Hunting Club,¡± Mindy said.


    (Janet¡¯s suicide clone said, ¡°This is a golden opportunity, Janet. We need all the help we can get.¡±


    And the rest of her clone said likewise.)


    ¡°Please, Lady Fleming, will you join us?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°Please, please, join us!¡± Jean said.


    ¡°Please!¡± Saraya added.


    To all of their words, Janet looked at Kevin and Ridley and said, ¡°I¡¯ll join, but only if Sir Sydney and Lord Woodberry join with me. What do you say, you two?¡±


    The two young men traded glances again, and Ridley said, ¡°What the hell, I¡¯ll join. I love ghost stories, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then count me in,¡± Kevin added.


    ¡°There you have it,¡± Janet said, smiling at her newfound allies, ¡°but I must ask first. Are you sure you want to have the most reviled woman on campus in your club?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not like that, Lady Fleming,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Miss Edgeworth,¡± Jean added. ¡°She makes my skin crawl whenever I walk past her.¡±


    ¡°His Highness, too,¡± Saraya added. ¡°He¡¯s a bully.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°We were there in the courtyard last Friday,¡± Mindy said, ¡°and we saw Miss Edgeworth rip her own dress.¡±


    That¡¯s when it hit her, and Janet smiled and said, ¡°Thank you for sticking up for me back then.¡±


    Mindy and the Drevis sisters beamed back at her with Mindy adding, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Lady Fleming, but damn, that fianc¨¦ of yours is a real piece of work.¡±


    ¡°When his Highness asked us what we saw,¡± Jean added, ¡°we all told him what Miss Edgeworth did to her own dress, but he wouldn¡¯t believe us.¡±


    ¡°Sounds just like him,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Saraya added. ¡°A complete idiot.¡±


    ¡°Did you report it?¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°We did,¡± Saraya said, ¡°and we thought that was that, you know. But earlier this morning, Mindy, my sister, and I each received an eviction notice at our dorm rooms in Guinevere House, each one signed by the Prince.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, seriously?¡± Janet said. ¡°With all the things his Highness thinks I¡¯ve done to Miss Edgeworth, I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t gotten one yet.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Mindy added and raised the hem of her dress, revealing bandages covering the bruises on her knees and shins. ¡°I got attacked in the hallways this morning, and I¡¯ve been here all day. I can walk now, but it¡¯s still painful.¡±


    ¡°Who did that to you?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Just guess,¡± Mindy said. ¡°You might be right.¡±


    ¡°Dear God, that vixen?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯s the one who planned it,¡± Mindy said, lowering her dress and dropping her voice to a whisper, ¡°but it was her lackeys, Lady Felton and Lady Childeron. Lady Felton pushed me from behind, and Lady Childeron kicked me in the stomach, and they both kicked me and stomped on me all over, then ran off when they saw my friends,¡± and she indicated the Drevis sisters with a nod of her head.


    ¡°We took her to the infirmary but saw Miss Edgeworth exit from there,¡± Jean Drevis said. ¡°So when we walked in and told the nurse about it, she thought we were lying.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s seriously messed up,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°When we asked her what she meant,¡± Saraya Drevis said, ¡°the nurse said she thought that Mindy had fallen down the stairs on the upper staircase this morning.¡±


    ¡°So we asked her if Miss Edgeworth had told her that, and she said she had,¡± Jean said, then in a whisper: ¡°The bitch poisoned the well before we got here!¡±


    ¡°What did you tell the nurse?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°We told the nurse Miss Edgeworth had lied to her, so she went out looking for her,¡± Saraya whispered. ¡°But when the nurse came back and informed us she couldn¡¯t find her, we asked her if she had informed anyone else, and she said she¡¯d informed Professor Palmer about it.¡±


    Janet¡¯s mind flashed upon the memory of Baron Palmer and the Prince walking up the stairs behind her as she headed for her new homeroom class, and it all connected: The Prince must have been looking for Miss Edgeworth already when the nurse told Baron Palmer about it, so if the Prince asked the baron if he had seen her, then the two must have joined up to look for her. And given the Prince¡¯s bias against her when it came to Miss Edgeworth, Janet grimaced at the sadistic genius of her ruse playing out in her mind¡¯s eye.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°She set both of us up,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah, we all heard what you were saying earlier,¡± Mindy said. ¡°Ugh, this week is the worst! I swear, when I get out of here, I¡¯ll report everything to my father, and he¡¯ll raise hell when he finds out. He owns the Memory Times, and I¡¯d love to see the look on their faces when he drags their names through the dirt, those bitches!¡±


    ¡°And I thought I was the only one,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Trust me, you¡¯re not alone,¡± Saraya said. ¡°There are others who think the same way.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just not speaking up,¡± Jean added.


    ¡°For obvious reasons,¡± Mindy added, then gave Janet a piercing stare. ¡°Will you join us, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the Drevis sisters said.


    And Mindy counted each person and said, ¡°That makes six members in the Ghost Hunting Club. Now all we have to do is find a professor to approve our club, and we¡¯re golden.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Kevin said, ¡°you said you¡¯ve been evicted.¡±


    ¡°So where will you stay?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°They can stay at my dorm in Mariana House,¡± Janet said, ¡°and we¡¯ll try to get things straightened out by tomorrow,¡± and she turned towards the beaming smiles of her new sisters-in-arms. ¡°How does that sound?¡±


    And the girls had covered their gaping mouths, all three with heart-shaped pupils in their eyes, and Jean said, ¡°Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Godsend!¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°Screw what they all say about you,¡± Mindy said and hooked her arms around Janet¡¯s neck in a sorority kind of way. ¡°You¡¯re all right in my book. Welcome to the club, sister!¡±


    ¡°And your boyfriends, too,¡± Jean added.


    At Jean¡¯s words, Janet blushed, and Ridley choked, and Kevin laughed, and Janet¡¯s spectral clones doubled over sniggering like a bunch of bratty sisters, bringing a smile on the faces of Janet¡¯s three newest allies. And for the next few moments, Janet forgot all about the foregoing events of the great hall and the Prince¡¯s atrocious behavior and wondered about the prospects of introducing DeeDee Marionette to her companions, but she perished the thought. She wanted to take things slow with her newfound friends and . . .


    Then Janet heard running footsteps, and before she knew it, the door opened and revealed a winded Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer rushing in and asking what had happened in the Student Commons Cafeteria, asking if what the Prince had done was true or not, asking if Janet was all right, and asking other questions too jumbled for Janet to understand.


    Then they paused and took Janet in.


    The nurse came up to them and said, ¡°Lady Fleming should keep off of her foot till after school just to be safe.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Baron Palmer said. ¡°After Father Robinson informed me of what happened, I ran to get Viscountess Durham as quick as I could and came over here.¡±


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Viscountess Durham added.


    ¡°Not really,¡± she said. ¡°Just a bit of discomfort.¡±


    Viscountess Durham deflated somewhat and whispered into Baron Palmer¡¯s ear, and he nodded and exited the infirmary.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°He¡¯ll talk to the Prince during Homeroom 3,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get you out of here.¡±


    But when Janet swung her legs over the bedside, Sir Sydney picked her up in a bridal carry and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take her to the classroom, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, Professor Durham,¡± Mindy Kessler said. ¡°May I have some of your time, please?¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve found more members for our club,¡± she said, ¡°so can you approve it?¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± the viscountess said.


    ¡°Three,¡± Mindy said, ¡°which makes six in all.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°Follow me to my homeroom, and I¡¯ll have you all approved there. Sir Sydney, watch your step on the stairs. I don¡¯t want Lady Fleming to suffer yet another outrage today, by God.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Professor,¡± Kevin said.


    And with that, while Ridley hurried back to the open-plan parlor and the great hall to deposit the trays, followed by three of Janet¡¯s clones, the others followed Viscountess Durham up both flights of stairs to the 3rd floor, and the rest of Janet¡¯s clones brought up the rear. And on her way to Viscountess Durham¡¯s homeroom in Kevin¡¯s arms, Janet heard Baron Palmer unleashing a tirade against Prince Blaise in the hallway outside of Classroom 1-3C, while three more clones gloated around him with evil smirks and giggles.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, your Highness!¡± Baron Palmer said. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s ¡®justified¡¯ to hurt one student and attack another just because of what you thought would happen to Miss Edgeworth? Are you that dim-witted?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I was just . . . I just wasn''t in my right mind.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight you weren¡¯t,¡± Baron Palmer said. ¡°Do you have any idea how this will look when his Majesty finds out? First yesterday morning, then this morning, and now this? Are you kidding?¡±


    ¡°Look, I know!¡± the Prince said. ¡°Just let me¡ª¡±


    Then he stopped when Janet caught his eye, so the Prince went over to her, but Baron Palmer kept him from approaching.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, your Highness,¡± Baron Palmer said.


    ¡°But I just have to talk to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Until this is resolved,¡± he said, ¡°I won¡¯t let you anywhere near Lady Fleming. Do you understand?¡±


    Prince Blaise opened his mouth to say something, but he nodded that he did.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Get back to class.¡±


    Prince Blaise gave Janet a brief glance, then trudged through the double doors back into the ignominious Classroom 1-3C, followed by Janet¡¯s clones heckling him unawares.


    Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer exchanged brief words, and then the viscountess led the group around the corner into Classroom 1-3G. While there, amidst audible gasps and questions about what had happened to Janet this time, the viscountess only mentioned Prince Blaise¡¯s outrageous conduct in the great hall of the cafeteria in connection to Janet¡¯s injury. For the time being, she said, nobody is to talk about it during class or homeroom, till the faculty gets the matter resolved as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Janet¡¯s suicide clone was talking with nine out of the dozen other clones present in the classroom, asking them to follow the Drevis sisters and Mindy Kessler to their homerooms and keep watch.


    Afterwards, Viscountess Durham got out a stack of forms from her bag and had Janet and the rest of her allies sign them. Then Lord Woodberry came in later, followed by three of Janet¡¯s clones, who witnessed him signing a form as well, thereby establishing the Ghost Hunting Club.


    ¡°Will you be our advisor?¡± Mindy Kessler said.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°I¡¯ve got other duties to attend to, but I¡¯ll find someone who can.¡±


    Mindy and the Drevis sisters thanked her, then said to Janet and Kevin, ¡°See you this afternoon,¡± and left, and the three teams of clones followed after them.


    Then Ridley said his own goodbye and left the room, and his three watchers tailed after him, leaving Janet seated at the table beside Kevin, while Janet¡¯s ten remaining clones resumed their places by the corner of Classroom 1-3G and began talking amongst themselves.


    After that, Janet rested her head in her arms and drifted off to a pleasant nap, in which she dreamed about eating more mocha cakes and downing them with pink lemonade.


    The rest was all a blur for Janet after Kevin woke her up to see off Viscountess Durham and to get ready for Period 5 and Period 6. In Period 5, Janet could barely pay attention to the lecture half of Countess Clio Valentine¡¯s Etiquette Studies class and couldn¡¯t participate in the practice half of her class, because she couldn¡¯t stand up to demonstrate how to balance a book on her head to show the proper way ladies walk and sit and stand, so Countess Valentine had someone else do it. Thus, Janet struggled to keep from nodding off throughout much of the rest of the class.


    As for Period 6, Janet told a remorseful Father Giles Robinson that she was doing better and tried her best to pay attention to his lecture on the properties of mana and its affinities to the four physical attributes of earth, wind, fire, and water. By this time, Janet had gotten over her afternoon slump, taking notes in her notebook and keeping an eye on Kevin whenever he began nodding off in his own afternoon slump. When her sixth and last lecture class concluded for the day, Father Robinson approached her again and said he and Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham would all seek an audience with his Majesty this afternoon to talk about Prince Blaise¡¯s conduct during school hours.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Janet said.


    Again Father Robinson nodded and went on his way, and Janet stretched her limbs, arching her back from a day¡¯s worth of sitting and listening and taking notes, on top of the three enormities of yesterday morning and this morning and the atrocity during lunch. Meanwhile, Viscountess Durham stayed absent for much of Homeroom 4, the last homeroom for the school day, so Janet spent the last thirty minutes speed-reading the reading assignments from Viscountess Durham¡¯s class, Count Cosgrove¡¯s class, Baron Underwood¡¯s class, Baron Palmer¡¯s class, and Father Robinson¡¯s class. When the viscountess arrived, Homeroom 4 was at an end, and everyone was giddy to go to their clubs or dorms, and Janet had finished the assigned readings from Viscountess Durham and Count Cosgrove and Baron Underwood and was about to begin Baron Palmer¡¯s readings.


    Viscountess Durham approached Janet and Kevin¡¯s table, bringing along Lord Woodberry and Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters through the double doors, followed by their trio of clones each. Then Janet looked and found Baron Simeon Underwood coming in last, loitering behind like a bashful schoolboy with his hands in his pockets and looking onto the floor to avoid stares. Then the chiming of the clock¡¯s bell sounded, and Janet¡¯s classmates got up and said their good afternoons to Viscountess Durham before leaving through the double doors like a school of fish.


    When everyone else had left, the viscountess said, ¡°I¡¯ve found your club advisor.¡±


    Janet and Kevin traded looks, and the others looked away. Just one look at her companions¡¯ dour faces told Janet that they were not looking forward to having a club advisor with a penchant for putting students to sleep, not one bit. As such, Janet¡¯s suicide clone talked to three more of Janet¡¯s clones, asking them to follow and keep watch over Baron Underwood, to which they nodded and said that they¡¯ll do so.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°but hear me out first. As you know, Baron Underwood¡¯s classes are a bit . . . one-sided, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Baron Underwood said.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Viscountess Durham said, then to Janet and Kevin and Ridley and Mindy and the Drevis sisters: ¡°Having Baron Underwood interact with students outside of teaching hours will go a long way in getting him out of his shell. Also, you can think of Baron Underwood less as a professor and more as one of your upperclassmen. What do you say?¡±


    Janet sat there remembering the abysmal snooze-fest that was Period 3 and said, ¡°Well, if it¡¯s to help him out, I guess we could play along.¡±


    Then the viscountess looked to the others and said, ¡°Okay, what about the rest of you?¡±


    They all groaned, but Kevin said, ¡°I¡¯m down for it.¡±


    Then Mindy Kessler and the two Drevis sisters traded whispers amongst themselves, the three of them debating whether it was worth their time accepting Baron Underwood as their advisor. And after a bit of back and forth between Mindy Kessler and Jean Drevis, Mindy said, ¡°If helping Professor Underwood involves something paranormal or supernatural or anything weird, really, then we¡¯ll help.¡±


    Viscountess Durham smiled, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t involve anything too spectacular. Lady Fleming is still recovering, you know.¡±


    ¡°Then count me in, too,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Someone¡¯s gotta look after her while we go ghost hunting.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°Now, in addition to finding an advisor for your club, I¡¯ve also been looking for a place for your clubroom, and I¡¯ve managed to find you one, but since it was on such short notice, it¡¯s the best I could do. You¡¯ll just have to make do with it.¡±


    ¡°Is it in the Western Annex?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said.


    ¡°The Eastern Annex?¡± Kevin added.


    ¡°Not even close,¡± she said. ¡°All the first-floor clubrooms were taken in the first two weeks of class.¡±


    ¡°Where is it then?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°I figured you could use Elba House as your base.¡±


    Janet just stared, pale-faced, and said, ¡°Elba House?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± the Drevis sisters said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go legend-tripping there,¡± Mindy Kessler said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°But, Professor,¡± Ridley said, ¡°that place has been abandoned for decades. Is it even safe to go there?¡±


    ¡°We need to consider Janet¡¯s injury,¡± Kevin added. ¡°Her footing might not be stable on the floorboards.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°I checked that place already, and there were some workers renovating it.¡±


    ¡°Workers?¡± Janet said, starting to think of those talking busts and statuettes on the bookshelves, not to mention that big suit of armor holding a claymore in its gauntlets. ¡°Did they see anything strange there?¡±


    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t see any ghosts,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Janet said. ¡°Did they mention any weird objects or enchanted items or anything of that sort while working there?¡±


    ¡°Actually, they did,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°There was a young maid there ordering around the workers. I think her name is DeeDee-something or other. I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°DeeDee Marionette?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± she said. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    And Janet froze, cursing herself for blurting out her name.


    (¡°It¡¯s okay, Janet,¡± Deedee said. ¡°Just don¡¯t mention anything about my shop, all right?¡±)


    Janet gave an almost imperceptible nod and said, ¡°Last night, I helped Miss Marionette move some furniture.¡±


    The viscountess narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°After curfew?¡±


    Janet felt a stab of panic pulsing through her chest, and she added, ¡°It wasn¡¯t after curfew, I swear!¡±


    ¡°Lady Fleming,¡± the viscountess said, ¡°after Baron Palmer and I talked with Father Robinson and Lord Woodberry about what happened during lunch, I know you don¡¯t lie without a reason. Judging from his Highness¡¯s conduct, I can see him forcing you to confess to crimes you haven¡¯t done. With that said, is there a reason for you to be out after curfew even if it¡¯s to help bring in furniture into Elba House?¡±


    (Janet paused, thinking of a way to get out of this, till DeeDee came to the rescue and said, ¡°Just say whatever is on your mind right now.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You decide, Janet,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It¡¯s your life, not mine.¡±)


    So Janet took a deep breath and said, ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me,¡± she said.


    ¡°DeeDee Marionette is one of my maids,¡± Janet said, ¡°and I sent her to move some of my old furniture into Elba House a few weeks ago. I didn¡¯t want to cause a scene, so I went out incognito last night to help her.¡±


    ¡°Then why not send your other maids?¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°And why not do it during waking hours?¡±


    ¡°It was supposed to be a surprise for Lady Kessler,¡± Janet said, looking at Mindy Kessler and thinking back to her conversation with her during their first week of school. ¡°Before she got transferred to another class, Lady Kessler and I were talking about Elba House, and we wanted to refurbish the place as our own little hideaway on campus.¡±


    ¡°After I got transferred,¡± Mindy said, going along with it, ¡°I had no other chance to talk to Lady Fleming, so our plans fell through. At least, I thought so.¡± Then she smiled at Janet and added, ¡°That¡¯s really sweet of you. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll believe you,¡± Viscountess Durham said, ¡°but if you plan on going out after curfew, at least take Baron Underwood along. He¡¯s a teacher at this school, too, so he can look after you while you¡¯re there getting things set up. Do I make myself clear, Lady Fleming?¡±


    Janet nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, then turned to Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that you¡¯ve been evicted from Guinevere House this morning. Do you still have those eviction notices with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we do,¡± Mindy said.


    All three girls dug into their book bags and pulled out three dog-eared eviction notices and handed them to Viscountess Durham, who took and inspected them in turn. She looked at the three girls and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. His Highness actually signed these?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡± Mindy Kessler said. ¡°I received this notice from Lady Felton at my dorm room.¡±


    ¡°And Jean and I received ours from Lady Childeron,¡± Saraya Drevis added, ¡°and later that morning, we found Lady Felton and Lady Childeron beating up Lady Kessler in the hallway.¡±


    ¡°Baron Palmer and I will look into it,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°Was there anything else that you noticed?¡±


    Mindy Kessler traded glances with the Drevis sisters, and Jean said, ¡°My sister and I took Lady Kessler to the infirmary and saw Miss Edgeworth coming from there before we came there. We informed the nurse on duty what had happened, but the nurse said that Miss Edgeworth told her she had seen her fall down the stairs instead.¡±


    The viscountess remained silent for a time, then said, ¡°Did you try to correct her?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jean said, ¡°and she never brought it up again, so we didn¡¯t feel like telling her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring all this up to his Majesty later today,¡± the viscountess said.


    ¡°Thank you, Professor,¡± Mindy Kessler said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have them stay at my dorm in the meantime,¡± Janet added.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good enough,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°You¡¯ll also need to make room for their maids.¡±


    ¡°Then for tonight,¡± Janet said, ¡°why don''t our maids stay at my dorm, while we stay at Elba House?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t do anything weird,¡± the viscountess said and checked her watch. ¡°Just one more thing before I go.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Think of your club as a specialized literary club that focuses on ghost stories, the paranormal, the supernatural, etc.,¡± she said. ¡°Besides ¡®hunting¡¯ ghosts, you¡¯ll need to think about how you¡¯ll share your findings. You know, personal anecdotes, legends, made-up stories. You get what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± Kevin said. ¡°No slacking off.¡±


    And for the first time today, Viscountess Durham smiled and said, ¡°Exactly. See you tomorrow,¡± and she walked out of the classroom, leaving behind the six members of the Ghost Hunting Club and their world-weary advisor and Janet¡¯s twenty-two clones in her wake.


    Moments passed at a snail¡¯s pace.


    Ridley was the first to speak, saying, ¡°Lady Fleming, you¡¯ve got some serious explaining to do.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said.


    ¡°Out with it,¡± he said and crossed his arms.


    (¡°DeeDee,¡± Janet said, ¡°do you want me to tell them?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Everything?¡±


    ¡°Use discretion,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Where did you get those workers?¡± she said.


    ¡°Your silent clones helped with that,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I turned them into maids with illusion magic, but don¡¯t tell your friends or that woman about it.¡±


    ¡°Use discretion?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Glad you¡¯re starting to get it,¡± DeeDee said.)


    So Janet put her fingers between her eyes, knowing full well the headache she was about to undergo, then smiled up at him and said, ¡°These walls have ears, Lord Woodberry,¡± and she grasped the edge of the table and stood up from her chair on her good foot, then moved her other foot around the ankle joint and attempted to place a little weight on it.


    ¡°Now, now, Lady Fleming,¡± Kevin said and picked her up in a bridal carry. ¡°Remember what Father Robinson said?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as earlier,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not four o¡¯clock yet,¡± Ridley said, ¡°and we¡¯re not letting you walk on your own until five o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Just to be safe?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea, my Lady,¡± Ridley said.


    She smiled at their concern for her well-being and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you everything on the way to Elba House.¡±


    <hr>


    End of Villainess 3

 (V4) Red Pill 15: Afternoons, Allies

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


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    Red Pill 15: Afternoons, Allies


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    Of course, when they reached the top of the stairs, Ridley and Baron Underwood advised Kevin to carry Janet on his back, so she could hold onto him with her forearms. That way, Baron Underwood said, Kevin could see where he was stepping in his descent with Janet. And in the unlikely event that Kevin somehow missed a step on the way down and fell on his face, Ridley added, he¡¯d at least break Janet¡¯s fall with his body like a gallant knight and maybe win a medal for it, which coaxed giggles from Mindy Kessler and the Drevis sisters going ahead of them and put a smile on Janet¡¯s face¡ª


    Which got Kevin saying, ¡°Oh, hardy har har!¡±


    Which got the girls laughing now, including Janet¡¯s clones walking through her like holograms and commenting on how strong Kevin was and asking her what it feels like to have such a hunk like him carrying her around like his wife-to-be.


    (¡°Really?¡± Janet said in her mind, deadpanning at her twenty-two laughing clones as if they were a bunch of bratty sisters. ¡°You¡¯re actually going there?¡±


    ¡°Only because it¡¯s cute,¡± her suicide clone said.


    Janet slumped over Kevin¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Ugh, why are you all being impossible right now?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s fun,¡± her clone said, and her clones laughed again, but Janet let it go. For now, at least.)


    All things considered, though, Janet¡¯s clones weren¡¯t as ¡®impossible¡¯ as the godawful Prince. After thinking of today¡¯s events during Homeroom 2 and lunch and yesterday¡¯s events during Homeroom 1 and after school inside the infirmary and last Friday¡¯s outrage in the courtyard by the fountain that afternoon, Janet decided that the Prince had forfeited any modicum of humanity she owed him. And that was on top of all the other incidents that have occurred between herself and Rosalie that Janet had divulged during Prince Blaise¡¯s impromptu interrogation, all of them caused by that bitch, all of them misconstrued as Janet¡¯s fault in the Prince¡¯s love-blinded eyes. As far as Janet was concerned, the Prince had become a disgrace to his Majesty the King and a blemish on her memories for entertaining the notion that she liked him at all even in her childhood. In fact, so far down had the Prince fallen from Janet¡¯s esteem that if he were to come crawling back to her on hands and knees and beg her for forgiveness, she¡¯d drop-kick him over the third-floor railing and into oblivion below, but even that was too nice for him. Hell, if Janet had her way, she¡¯d have him stretched out on a rack, till both of his shoulders popped loose, and she¡¯d be gloating at his screams and . . .


    (¡°Janet,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°what did I say?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± she said without being sorry at all.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a grotesque imagination,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Have you considered becoming a writer?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± she said, ¡°but I¡¯m not that good.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to start somewhere, you know,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°All writers start somewhere, Janet, even the best of them.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I can do it?¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re already infamous enough as it is,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°so you might as well leverage your infamy and become someone you¡¯ve always wanted to be.¡±


    She paused for a moment and said, ¡°You looked through my childhood memories, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and you¡¯ve got wonderful potential. Consider it your first step to independence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m talking with your father at the moment.¡±


    ¡°My father?¡± Janet said. ¡°He¡¯s with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Why¡¯s he with you?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± she said. ¡°Do you still have the amulet he gave you?¡±


    So Janet put her hand to her chest, where her amulet necklace clinked behind her emerald pendant, and said, ¡°Yeah, I have it. What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you get over here,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to tell your friends about what you¡¯ve seen. I don¡¯t want them running off screaming when they see us. Just don¡¯t mention my shop, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Janet said.)


    To take her mind off of the unexpected development, Janet told her friends everything (save for DeeDee¡¯s shop) on their way down the stairs, including the bit about going incognito last night to help her maid DeeDee Marionette with moving the furniture into Elba House. When they asked her if that was really true, Janet said it was and added that she¡¯d met several oddities last night, including three talking statuettes and five talking busts and one talking suit of armor that moved around and welded a claymore. This got Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters all wound up and giddy and asking several questions at once, till Janet saw Marquess Fleming entering the open-plan parlor area and running up to the group.


    Are you okay, Janet?¡± he said. ¡°Are you in pain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, really,¡± Janet said. ¡°I just can¡¯t walk until after four o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Five o¡¯clock to be safe,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°But it feels better now, I promise,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± the Marquess said, then had Kevin give Janet over, which he did, letting the Marquess take Janet into his arms in a bridal carry¡ª


    Which made her blush and say, ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being treated like a princess every now and then.¡±


    Janet covered her blushing face in her hands, which got Janet¡¯s newfound friends smiling and her clones reminiscing about their own Marquess Flemings carrying them everywhere when they were children.


    But on passing the double doors of the front entrance, Janet found DeeDee in her maid outfit waving at her by the fountain in the courtyard. Then DeeDee put her hand to her mouth at the sight of Janet in Marquess Fleming¡¯s arms, looking all worried with big mo¨¦-like eyes, which had its effect: Janet¡¯s newfound girlfriends gaped at the cute thing by the fountain, looking adorably picturesque before the splash of its sparkling waters framing her dainty and doll-like appearance beneath the brilliant blue of the afternoon sky. So great was this sight upon them that the Drevis sisters rushed in at DeeDee and glomped her, fangirling over her cuteness in a suffocating two-person hug¡ª


    While DeeDee struggled in between them, saying, ¡°Unhand me, you fiends!¡±


    So Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood ran over and pulled the maniacs away from the poor girl, who now doubled over with her hands on her knees and wheezed on her feet.


    Lady Kessler ran up to her and said, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Miss Marionette. My friends can get carried away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hell of an understatement,¡± DeeDee said and stood up when she finally caught her breath.


    At her words, the Drevis sisters bowed, and Jean said, ¡°We¡¯re so sorry, Miss Marionette!¡±


    ¡°Please forgive us!¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    The sisters looked up and nodded, promising her they wouldn¡¯t, though Jean qualified their statement by saying, ¡°At least, we¡¯ll try to reign it in.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jean said, blushing, ¡°my sister and I have a thing for cute things in addition to creepy things¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand since you¡¯re both,¡± Saraya added, ¡°we¡¯ll do our best not to glomp you every time we see you.¡±


    And both sisters smiled at her like fangirls.


    DeeDee just stared at them, then said, ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re both honest, so that¡¯s good.¡± Then she walked over to Janet, still in Marquess Fleming¡¯s arms, and said, ¡°My Goodness, what happened to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Janet said.


    Then the Marquess deadpanned and said, ¡°Does it have anything to do with that doofus of a Prince?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± she said.


    That¡¯s when the Marquess blinked, and in that one blink of his eyes, a pair of red flames flickered there for just a moment, just long enough to register in the photoreceptors of Janet¡¯s eyeballs, but that was enough. For the warmth of the afternoon grew dense with cold within a ten foot radius where Marquess Fleming stood, till he continued towards the fountain and set her down on the ledge and took a knee before her and said, ¡°Janet, do you have that amulet?¡±


    So Janet reached into her collar and pulled out the amulet that gleamed in the sun, saying, ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°Give it here,¡± he said.


    She unfastened the silver chain behind her neck and handed it to him, wondering about the surprise present from last Sunday, saying, ¡°Is there a reason you gave me this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is,¡± Marquess Fleming said, pocketing it inside his waistcoat.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Janet said as she looked at her father, then at a smiling DeeDee, and then back at her father. ¡°Did you two meet over the weekend?¡±


    ¡°Last Saturday, yes,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°After attending the meeting with the school board alongside his Majesty and his Grace about your transfer to another classroom, I came to DeeDee¡¯s shop to buy this.¡±


    That¡¯s when it hit her, and that¡¯s when Janet said, ¡°So you spied on me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Janet,¡± he said, ¡°but it¡¯s a necessary evil. I¡¯ll be using this as evidence during his Highness¡¯s summons. The school board wouldn¡¯t allow me to hire a guard to accompany you, but they did allow this much as a compromise.¡±


    With that, he was about to stand back up, but Janet grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Father, listen to me.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± the Marquess said.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Donny,¡± she said, looking down at the brick paving between her feet. ¡°I thought I knew him, but I never really knew him at all.¡±


    ¡°Then does that mean . . .¡±


    There was a pregnant pause, and Janet nodded her head and said, ¡°Tell his Majesty I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The Marquess said, ¡°This will be tough for his Majesty to take, but I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Yet the thought of putting ten years of her life into being the future wife of the Prince, only to get jilted in the end, was too much for Janet to take, so she blinked back the tears welling up in her eyes and wiped away the ones streaking down her face, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve failed you.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± the Marquess said, hugging Janet close and rubbing circles over her back. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. If anything, it¡¯s that bastard¡¯s fault.¡±


    So Janet cried away all of her childhood thoughts of the bold-faced Donny and buried him in her mind, for the Prince was now dead to her.


    After a time, once she had had her fill of tears and wiped away the last ones, the Marquess said, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to skin him alive when I see him, I promise.¡±


    Janet smiled and chuckled and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Marquess Fleming stood up and said to her newfound friends, ¡°Watch over her for me.¡±


    ¡°We will, my Lord,¡± DeeDee said.


    So the Marquess nodded and headed back to his two-horse coach waiting for him on the edge of the boulevard, where the coachman opened the passenger door for him. Just before entering, he looked back and waved at Janet, and Janet waved back, and he climbed inside, and the coachman climbed aboard the front seat and urged the horses into a canter, turning around and heading back through the gates of the Academy and out into the Student Commons Town, where it turned into detour towards the direction of the Royal Palace.


    All the while, Mindy Kessler and the Drevis sisters and Kevin and Ridley and even Baron Underwood were consoling Janet, saying that it¡¯s going to be all right in their own ways. For Kevin, in particular, he said that he¡¯ll beat the Prince¡¯s ass for her, to which Ridley said that he¡¯ll only get thrashed again, so Kevin said that he¡¯ll get the better of him one of these days, even if it takes him till graduation.


    Janet laughed and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Kevin said with a smile.


    Then Kevin and Ridley played ¡®Rock, Paper, Scissors¡¯ to decide who should carry Janet to Elba House. When Kevin¡¯s ¡®paper¡¯ beat Ridley¡¯s ¡®rock,¡¯ he had Janet lean over his back and hooked his arms under Janet¡¯s knees and lifted her up.


    Then Janet looked at DeeDee and said, ¡°Did my Father¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did,¡± she said. ¡°He came in just after sunset asking for a voice-capture amulet. He explained to me what he was going to use it for, so I sold it to him at a discount.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said. ¡°So you knew?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Sorry for keeping it from you,¡± and turned on her heel and said to the rest, ¡°Come along, everyone. We have much to discuss.¡±


    The five members of the Ghost Hunting Club (sans Janet in Kevin¡¯s arms) and their advisor Baron Underwood followed behind, asking Janet about DeeDee and the Marquess, but Janet said she didn¡¯t want to discuss it. So they asked about DeeDee and the rumors surrounding Elba House, and Janet answered their questions, while Janet¡¯s clones stalked ahead of them. As they followed DeeDee and the clones, an afternoon breeze rustled through the leaves of the junipers lining the boulevard, and some of the other students were either visiting the Student Commons Town or hanging out in their dorms. All the while, Janet got asked more questions, including ones from Kevin about whether or not the talking suit of armor could help him improve his swordsmanship, ones from Ridley and Saraya about good legend-tripping locations, ones from Mindy Kessler about rare grimoires specializing in magic sweets, and ones from Jean about topics on psychical research and local folklore.


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    To none of their questions did Janet have any definite answer, so she hedged it with a noncommittal one:


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Yet amidst her questioners, Janet noticed one walking alongside the group in silence, her club advisor Baron Underwood. She wondered what was on his mind as they rounded the sun-drenched Mariana House and entered the side street, where the lonely Elba House stood facing the perimeter wall in the shadow of its own facade. Its three-story facade and its double-door entrance and the walkway leading up to it were all grimy with soot, and the latticed casement windows stared back at them like the eyes of the dead, till DeeDee put fingers to her mouth and whistled, and a pair of casements opened on the second floor, turning everyone¡¯s eyes up to it.


    There stood one of Janet¡¯s silent clones, waving at them below, so DeeDee said, ¡°I¡¯ve brought along visitors. Open the doors, will you?¡±


    The silent clone nodded and closed the casements, and a moment later, the same clone opened the entrance doors, making the males of the group hesitate on the threshold at the sight of the double doors opening on their own. DeeDee entered first, nodding at Janet¡¯s silent clone and taking up her lamp, which manifested physically in her hand with a green glow, and the silent clone led the way through the central hallway, followed by DeeDee and Janet¡¯s talking clones and the females of the ghost-hunting group, save for Janet herself.


    Yet the three males of the group hesitated on the threshold as Mindy and the Drevis sisters followed DeeDee ahead of them, till Janet said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Are there ghosts here?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Janet said. ¡°This place is haunted, remember?¡± Then she looked through the central hallway ahead of them when she heard her talking clones calling to her (¡°Over here, Janet!¡±) and said, ¡°Can you see them?¡±


    Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood shook their heads, and Ridley said, ¡°I wish I could, though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind now,¡± DeeDee called to them from the end of the unlit central hallway, where Janet¡¯s talking clones and her female friends all waited for them.


    They then filed through the foyer with its flickering chandelier clinking above their heads, the floorboards creaking beneath their steps, and on the way there past unlit wall sconces and silent double doors to empty dorm rooms, Janet heard footfalls echoing on the floor above them and wondered what her nighttime friends have been up to since last night. Then, when they caught up to DeeDee and the rest at the back of the building by the stairs, they all followed DeeDee and her guide up one set of half-turn stairs in silence, their footsteps echoing ahead of them.


    Then Janet heard the voices of Sir Abram and Christopher Malory bickering on and on about who¡¯s more useless: the suit of armor without a brain? Or the chatterbox of a bust without a body? And more voices got into the fray, and Janet recognized the three statuettes and the other busts jaw-jacking along like a bunch of cranky neighbors by the time they reached the middle landing. And when they reached the top landing, Janet saw several of her silent clones crowding around one of the double doors and heard the stamping of feet and some colorful words thrown about that made the men gape and the women blush, because somehow the argument had changed to a raunchier topic about who was the better man, which turned into who had slept with more women, and the like.


    DeeDee deadpanned, saying, ¡°Of all days, why now?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Ugh, just boys being boys,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°All of you, wait here, while I go and straighten them out,¡± and she walked on ahead of them as the one-upmanship got bolder and bolder.


    Then the clones parted before DeeDee, revealing two combatants in a war of sexual conquests, one a suit of armor and the other a man dressed in a jerkin and a doublet and breeches, both belligerents one-upping each other in a who¡¯s who of rakish prowess. In fact, just then, just as Janet thought she wouldn¡¯t hear more enormities assailing her ears, Sir Abram unleashed a shocker about fucking a duke¡¯s daughter before her wedding night in the next room while her future husband was talking with her parents.


    ¡°Oh, you son of a bitch,¡± Christopher Morley said. ¡°You think you¡¯ve got me there? You think you¡¯re hot stuff?¡±


    ¡°Try me, old boy!¡± Sir Abram said. ¡°You can¡¯t do better than that, I guarantee it!¡±


    ¡°Then you haven¡¯t lived,¡± Christopher Morley said, ¡°till you fucked a¡ª¡±


    And before their eyes, before the man revealed yet another conquest of another nobleman¡¯s daughter or even a royal princess, DeeDee shoulder-tossed Christopher Morley, then shoulder-tossed Sir Abram, both men flying head over heels onto the floorboards. One landed with a thud like a sack of potatoes hitting the ground, and the other landed with a metallic crash like a knight knocked off his horse in a joust.


    And while both men were groaning, DeeDee stamped her foot, shaking the floorboards beneath everyone¡¯s feet and rattling the old paneling on the walls, and laid down the law, saying, ¡°You imbeciles, didn¡¯t I tell you we¡¯re expecting guests? Yet here you are jaw-jacking like you¡¯re in a pub with a bunch of wenches on your laps!¡±


    ¡°He started it,¡± Sir Abram said.


    ¡°No, he started it,¡± Christopher Morley said.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll end it by throwing both of you out the window,¡± DeeDee yelled, ¡°if you don¡¯t get your act together RIGHT THIS INSTANT!¡±


    Those last three words, uttered like a commandment from God, rattled the paneling in the walls and the floorboards beneath their feet in a stir of echoes. And there to witness it all, Janet and Ridley and Kevin and Mindy Kessler and the Drevis sisters and Baron Underwood and even Janet¡¯s talking clones just stared, all of them with their mouths agape and their eyes wide, all of them stunned at DeeDee¡¯s actions and words.


    Time passed, and both belligerents got to their feet.


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed,¡± DeeDee said, pointing out Janet¡¯s group, ¡°we have guests. While they¡¯re here, I expect you two to behave, or else I''ll take further actions. Understood?¡±


    And both men stood ramrod straight and saluted her, saying, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said, then to the group: ¡±Come on over, all of you. We¡¯ve got some business to take care of,¡± and she entered the double doors of a dorm.


    The Ghost Hunting Club and their advisor walked through the corridor past even more of Janet¡¯s silent clones with lamps in their hands, unseen by the three males. They all ignored the former belligerents as they entered the double doors of a dorm room full of bookshelves stuffed with curios of all kinds. Here Janet saw that the four glass display cases, one large one and three small ones, had been moved from their former places in DeeDee¡¯s shop and arranged inside the room, along with their contents. All four display cases lay in pairs from end to end, forming a main aisle before the double doors and two side aisles along the walls on either side. And just like in the shop, Janet found a full-length mirror on its mirror stand in one back corner of the room but found the other back corner empty where she presumed was Sir Abram¡¯s spot. Then she looked up at the ceiling and saw a single large lamp hanging over everyone¡¯s heads and illuminating the room around it.


    Janet then asked Kevin to set her down on one of the smaller display cases near the bookshelves, the case housing jars of monstrous bodies preserved in amniotic fluids.


    He did so and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be over there,¡± and he pointed out one of the smaller display cases near the entrance doors that housed the swords and knives. ¡°If you need anything, just holler.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Janet said.


    While Kevin went over and ogled at the blades, Janet looked at her other peers. To her far right, Ridley and Saraya and Mindy were at the low bookshelf by the entrance doors perusing the spines of old leather-bound tomes with Ridley and Saraya talking about ghost stories and Mindy talking about sweets. Meanwhile, to Janet¡¯s far left, one shelf over from DeeDee looking through the second bookshelf, Jean was at the third bookshelf on the back wall inspecting the busts and statuettes and figurines on the shelves. And right in front of her, Baron Underwood was at the big display case looking at the fossils and human skeletons. And around the room stalked Janet¡¯s talking clones, peeking at the contents of various shelves and display cases as they walked by in pairs and threes and fours and other clusters. All of them were observers, and Janet had become the observer of these observers, till she looked up at the ceiling again and noticed something missing.


    ¡°DeeDee,¡± Janet said, ¡°where are the tortoise shells?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ve noticed,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Since there aren¡¯t any rafters to hang them from, they¡¯re all in my lamp right now. I¡¯ll find a place for them later,¡± and she then looked through the second bookshelf on the back wall again. ¡°Janet, have you seen a third pair of glasses last night? It¡¯s not in the bookshelves, and I¡¯ve already searched this dorm and the shop a dozen times.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Janet said. ¡°I only saw two last night.¡±


    DeeDee stared back at Janet, then looked through the shelves of the first bookshelf full of elixirs in bottles and flashes, saying, ¡°You know, Janet, I¡¯ve been thinking.¡±


    ¡°Thinking of what?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°This is just my guess,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but whoever tampered with the profile books might have taken the third pair of glasses as well.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas where they went?¡±


    ¡°Nope, but that can wait,¡± DeeDee said and left the bookshelf alone, approaching Janet where she sat on the display case. ¡°There¡¯s something else we need to discuss.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the Prince¡¯s conduct,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°He¡¯s been absolutely atrocious today,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Not today,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Last Friday.¡±


    Then Janet thought about last week¡¯s shenanigans at the fountain again when the vixen tore her own dress and blamed it on her and the Prince insulted her dead mother that afternoon, which apparently got covered up, according to Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters. Janet bit down on her lower lip and said, ¡°Why would he say something like that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know,¡± DeeDee said, then turned around and addressed the others aloud. ¡°Everyone, can you please vacate the room for now? I need to talk to Lady Fleming in private for a bit, but it¡¯ll be quick.¡±


    And everyone else (Ridley and Saraya and Mindy at the low bookshelf full of leather-bound tomes by the entrance, Kevin at the small display case full of swords and knives, Baron Underwood at the big display case full of bones and skeletons, and Jean at the third bookshelf full of busts and figurines) acquiesced with nods of their heads and filed through the double doors.


    Then Baron Underwood paused at the threshold and said, ¡°Let us know when you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°I will, thank you,¡± DeeDee said.


    The baron nodded and closed the doors behind him.


    After that, DeeDee said to Janet¡¯s talking clones, ¡°The rest of you, stay and listen. This concerns you all, too.¡±


    Thus, all of Janet¡¯s clones gathered around the display case Janet was sitting on.


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°Lady Fleming, do you know anything about your mother?¡±


    Janet shook her head and said, ¡°Nothing besides her name. My father doesn¡¯t talk about her.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s odd for the Prince to insult your own mother like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve checked that memory, too?¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°While looking through that particular memory, I was surprised at the Prince¡¯s words against Marchioness Rowena Fleming, so I found her profile book in my private library. Guess what I found.¡±


    ¡°No clue,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She was a former saintess candidate,¡± DeeDee said.


    (There came a collective gasp from Janet¡¯s clones, some with hands over their mouths, some of them gaping in shock, and still others saying, ¡°Oh my God!¡±


    And: ¡°No way!¡±


    And: ¡°I can¡¯t believe this!¡±


    And the like.)


    Likewise, Janet covered her gaping mouth with her hands, her eyes wide, and said, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Believe it, for my profile books don¡¯t lie,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°That¡¯s why you were all engaged to Prince Blaise, till Miss Edgeworth appeared.¡±


    ¡°Damn that bitch!¡± Janet said, followed by more curses from her clones.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean the current Miss Edgeworth,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the original one. From what I remember, Lady Fleming and the original Miss Edgeworth were both saintess candidates, just like your mother.¡±


    Then Janet thought for a time about her father¡¯s reticence about anything to do with her mother, who only gave out her name and made Janet promise him not to mention Rowena¡¯s name during the Academy¡¯s entrance ceremony at the beginning of the school year. She remembered asking her father why that was, but he said that the less Janet knew about it, the better.


    With these thoughts rolling through her head, Janet said, ¡°Oh my God! If that¡¯s true, if my mother really was a saintess candidate, then that would mean . . .¡±


    Tears now trailed Janet¡¯s cheeks when it came together in her mind, because it meant that her Majesty, Queen Blaise, and Janet¡¯s own mother, Marchioness Fleming, were rivals. And if the Queen had told Prince Blaise about Janet¡¯s mother, then what did she say to her only son about Janet herself? Did it have anything to do with Janet¡¯s father making her promise not to mention her mother¡¯s name in public? And last but not least, was that why Prince Blaise said those hurtful words about her mother last week? And if so, what did he mean by insulting her and mother in front of everyone by the fountain on that day?


    ¡°Tell me what the Prince said,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But you already know,¡± she said.


    ¡°Take ownership of other people¡¯s words, Janet,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It¡¯ll do you good.¡±


    And Janet wiped away her tears and said, ¡°He said, ¡¯Only a witch can give birth to someone like you.¡¯¡±


    As Janet¡¯s clones cursed the Prince in various graphic expressions, DeeDee eyed Janet and her suicide clone and said, ¡°And what did Miss Edgeworth say about her?¡±


    And thinking about Miss Edgeworth¡¯s whispered insult to her yesterday morning in her former homeroom, Classroom 1-3C, the same insult Rosalie had whispered to her suicide clone before she jumped to her death from the top railing, Janet felt her clone holding her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± her suicide clone said.


    Janet said, ¡°That bitch said I was born out of wedlock.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also looked through the Queen¡¯s profile book,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and the details in both books match. Do you want to know about those details?¡±


    Janet gulped down her qualms and nodded.


    With that, DeeDee turned to the bookshelf full of elixir bottles and flasks and gave three hard knocks on the left side of the shelf and waited. Then there came a small click and a heavy clank somewhere behind the bookshelf, and the shelf slid forward on invisible tracks and slid to the side in front of the second bookshelf with a push of DeeDee¡¯s hand.


    ¡°No peeking now,¡± she said and stepped inside.


    Moments passed.


    Then, when she came back out, DeeDee headed back to Janet carrying a small tome in her hands and opened it to the last quarter of the book before handing it to Janet.


    ¡°This is your mother¡¯s profile book,¡± DeeDee said and pointed to a long entry before her eyes. ¡°Read all of it.¡±


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Rowena Bartleby,¡¯¡± (she read aloud.) ¡°¡®Status: Alive (at the time). Past event: After Prince [Conner] Blaise told her that he was going with Lady Weaver to the graduation ceremony, Lady Bartleby told both her father Duke Bartleby and her friend Lord [Arnold] Fleming and accompanied both of them to the graduation party the next evening. Rumors of Lady Bartleby¡¯s infidelity erupted the moment Lady Bartleby and Lord Fleming entered the graduation ball together, while Duke Bartleby talked with King Sebastian Blaise and Marquis Weaver, till Prince [Conner] Blaise entered the ball with Lady Weaver to a collective gasp from the attendees.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    Janet gaped at what she had read, saying, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! Are all Blaise men like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Read on.¡±


    So she turned to the next page and read the rest of the entry:


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®There Lady Bartleby and Lord Fleming and Lady Weaver and Prince [Conner] Blaise sorted things out with King and Queen Blaise and Duke Bartleby and Marquis Weaver. Since Lady Bartleby and Lady Weaver were both saintess candidates, and since the matter concerned the Prince between them, they all agreed to resolve the dispute that night via a magic duel between Lady Bartleby and Lady Weaver with the rest of the guests as witnesses. Lady Bartleby bested Lady Weaver in the duel, but Prince [Conner] Blaise sympathized with Lady Weaver and broke off his engagement with Lady Bartleby. Since that duel, Lady Bartleby became known and feared as the Wicked Witch of Bartleby.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    ¡°Oh my God,¡± Janet said under her breath after she finished reading the entry. ¡°Does his Highness know about this?¡±


    DeeDee nodded.


    ¡°How long has he known?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t know for sure,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°until I can figure out a way to open the Prince¡¯s profile book without destroying its contents.¡±


    ¡°What about the other rumor,¡± Janet said, ¡°that I was born out of wedlock?¡±


    DeeDee turned to another page close to the end of the book and pointed to another entry, saying, ¡°Read it.¡±


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Rowena Bartleby,¡¯¡± (she read aloud.) ¡°¡®Status: Alive (at the time). Past event: Lady Bartleby and Lord [Arnold] Fleming traveled in secret to an old church in the southern outskirts of the Kaden kingdom, where they got married and spent a week there together with her parents Duke and Duchess Bartleby. While there, they looked for an orphan and managed to find him at the end of their stay. Meanwhile, though, the political enemies of the Bartleby house spread rumors of Marchioness Fleming acquainting herself with a coven of witches, becoming one of their sisters without her husband knowing. As such, when Marchioness Fleming returned with her husband and the lost grandchild back to his house in secret, she became the topic of several objectionable rumors and innuendos about Lord Marquess Fleming marrying Lady Bartleby to cover for her pregnancy at the time, which soured their friendship with their Highnesses, Princess Rubella Blaise and Prince [Conner] Blaise, despite King Sebastian Blaise forbidding such topics.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    After she finished, Janet closed her mother¡¯s profile book, then placed it on the countertop of the display case and said, ¡°Are you telling me that my mother had to deal with the same crap I¡¯ve been dealing with?¡±


    DeeDee nodded.


    So Janet hunched over and buried her face in her hands, saying, ¡°God, my life sucks!¡±


    ¡°Some are born to bliss,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°while others are born to misery,¡± and she took up the profile book and returned to her private library to replace it on the shelves.


    ¡°What about this orphan?¡± Janet said. ¡°Who was he?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say without permission,¡± she said, ¡°for what happened to him was outside of my purview.¡±


    ¡°Whose permission?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Just know that his circumstances were similar to yours, though you seem to have gotten the shorter end of it.¡±


    ¡°My God, what did I do to deserve this?¡± Janet said, while her clones all put their hands on her shoulder and said that they¡¯ll do everything they can to help her.


    That¡¯s when DeeDee came back out and slid the bookshelf back in its place, then approached Janet on the display case and took her hands in her own, making the girl look up at her. ¡°That¡¯s just the way it is,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but just because you¡¯re born with the wrong cards doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t use them. You just have to improve the way you play with what you¡¯ve been given, and you¡¯ve got me and your clones and your friends and everyone in this room to help you,¡± and she pointed out the four busts and the three statuettes in the third bookshelf by the back wall. ¡°John, Daniel, Martin, Thomas, will you help her?¡±


    The busts came to life and said as one, ¡°We will!¡±


    ¡°April, May, June,¡± DeeDee added, ¡°you¡¯ve been listening, as well. Despite last night¡¯s mixup, will you help her?¡±


    And the statuettes came to life.


    ¡°All right,¡± April said, ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡± May added.


    ¡°Me, three!¡± June added.


    ¡°Ah, there you go!¡± DeeDee said, smiling up at the three termagant statuettes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too hard, was it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push it now,¡± April said.


    Janet smiled.


    Then DeeDee stalked over to the double doors and opened them, and lo and behold! Ridley Woodberry, Kevin Sydney, Mindy Kessler, Jean and Saraya Drevis, and even Baron Underwood had been eavesdropping with their hands cupped around their ears. Now they just stared at DeeDee like fallow deers about to get shot as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared.


    ¡°How much have you heard?¡± she said.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°Poppycock!¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Tell me the truth.¡±


    That¡¯s when Baron Underwood bowed and said, ¡°I deeply apologize on their behalf, Miss Marionette and Lady Fleming. As this club¡¯s advisor, I take full responsibility for their actions. I know I should have prevented them from doing so, but I just couldn''t bring myself to¡ª¡±


    ¡°How much did you hear?¡± DeeDee said.


    The baron clammed up.


    ¡°Out with it,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°How much?¡±


    He deflated and said, ¡°Everything. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Janet peered at their sullen faces by the doorway and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, guys. I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Fleming,¡± the baron said, bowling once again.


    And the rest followed suit, bowing with him.


    ¡°Ah well, it can¡¯t be helped,¡± DeeDee said, turning back around and letting them in. ¡°At least this saves us from informing you of everything we¡¯ve said.¡± Then she turned and added, ¡°But for Lady Fleming¡¯s safety, don¡¯t leak a word of this to anyone outside of this room. Got it?¡±


    They all nodded.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V4) Red Pill 16: Precautions, Agreements

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 16: Precautions, Agreements


    <hr>


    After making them promise not to tell anyone what they¡¯d just heard, Janet and DeeDee answered their questions about the profile books and the shop mentioned in their conversation and the various objects on display for the next half hour. Amongst other questions, Ridley and the Drevis sisters asked if Elba House was really haunted, and DeeDee said that it was, though she observed that the resident ghosts were shy and had scurried off even after she and her friends tried contacting them last night. Then Kevin and Baron Underwood asked if any of the objects on display were enchanted or jinxed, and DeeDee said that the ones in the display cases had enchantments on them or had come from places rumored to be cursed and advised everyone not to touch those objects without her supervision. Then Jean and Mindy asked about her shop and the profile books, but DeeDee said that was privileged information and asked them in the interest of their safety to keep their existence a secret, which they promised they would.


    With that, DeeDee introduced the newcomers to the four busts and the three statuettes on the third bookshelf by the back wall, and Mindy and the Drevis sisters ogled at them, and Saraya Drevis ventured to poke at the statuette named May, but May wouldn¡¯t have it.


    May slapped her finger away and said, ¡°No poking!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Saraya said, wiping her finger on her scarf. ¡°It¡¯s just I¡¯ve never seen talking statues before.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you have,¡± May said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t like being poked, missy,¡± April said.


    So Jean said, ¡°Sorry about that,¡± and she bowed. ¡°My sister can get a bit too curious, is all.¡±


    Saraya punched her shoulder and said, ¡°So do you.¡±


    Before they started arguing, DeeDee also reintroduced the newcomers to the former belligerents, Christopher Morley and Sir Abram walking through the door and bowing before them as if their war of words was just a stage performance and apologizing for their conduct.


    After that, Christopher Morley approached the third bookshelf on the back wall and detached his head from his shoulders, then placed it on the shelf beside his peers and said, ¡°John, old boy, it¡¯s your shift now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, finally,¡± he said. ¡°Time for some exercise.¡±


    And the headless body took John Day¡¯s head in its hands and positioned it over its shoulders, till John was able to move his head from side to side and up and down like a normal person. He then moved his arms and legs and shifted from side to side, and on finding his limbs in working order, he bowed to the newcomers and said, ¡°Nice to meet you all.¡±


    Then he accompanied his friend, Sir Abram of the Gate, outside in the hallway to resume their guard duties at the double doors and their discussion of old troop tactics.


    DeeDee turned back to her audience and said, ¡°All right, was that all of your questions?¡±


    They said that was all, but the crestfallen Mindy and the Drevis sisters added that they must return to their dorms in Guinevere House and inform their maids to move their belongings to Janet¡¯s dorm in Mariana House. In addition, Kevin said that he had swordsmanship practice tomorrow morning before school started, and Ridley said he had a test to study for in the morning, as well. So Baron Underwood volunteered to stay behind and look after Janet, and Janet¡¯s suicide clone ordered five teams of three clones to shadow each of her friends.


    Janet¡¯s friends bid her and DeeDee good evening and filed through the doors on their way towards the stairs at the end of the hall, while fifteen clones followed their footfalls, till the entrance doors opened and closed.


    Meanwhile, Janet said, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    So the baron pulled back his sleeve and said, ¡°It¡¯s five minutes past four o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s okay if I stand?¡± Janet said as she pushed herself off the display case onto her good foot and kept her weight off of her injured one. ¡°It¡¯s not as uncomfortable as before,¡± and she eased her weight onto it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Just be careful,¡± Baron Underwood added.


    ¡°I will,¡± she said, ¡°don¡¯t worry,¡± and she looked around the contents of the room again. ¡°We need a sofa and some chairs if we¡¯re making this our clubroom.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have those,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Then what do you use to sit on?¡± she said, but then it hit her when she remembered DeeDee¡¯s inanimate doll-like body sitting atop a display case before she woke her up yesterday afternoon in the infirmary. ¡°You don¡¯t need them, do you?¡±


    DeeDee shook her head and sat in the middle of the room like she was sitting on an invisible chair and said, ¡°I can sit anywhere without a seat, but now that I have guests, I must provide for their comfort,¡± and she got back up. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a sofa and some chairs left over in the other dorms, so I¡¯ll go get them, but make yourselves at home.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I want to help you,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is necessary,¡± she said. ¡°There are a lot of rooms in this house, so I want to make myself useful. I don¡¯t wanna sit around like I¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    DeeDee put her hands to her hips and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have homework? And I¡¯m sure you have make-up work, as well, because you missed your classes yesterday.¡±


    Janet looked down at her book bag beside her on the display case and deflated, saying, ¡°Fine, have it your way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Now, if you will excuse me,¡± and she exited the room and had a little chat with Sir Abram and John Day before walking off down the hallway in search of old furniture, her footfalls echoing away.


    After DeeDee left, Janet opened her book bag and got out her textbooks and began reading the assigned readings for Baron Palmer¡¯s class, which she had left off after the end of Homeroom 4. And for the next half hour, Janet speed-read through Baron Palmer¡¯s readings, one by one and was about to start the readings for Father Robinson¡¯s class when she looked over at her club advisor at the big display case staring at the fossils and human skeletons. She thought it peculiar that Baron Underwood occupied his time in staring at human remains, but she chalked it up to a romantic bearing and continued with the assigned reading from Father Robinson¡¯s class.


    (Meanwhile, Janet¡¯s suicide clone and her remaining clones crowded around Janet on the display case, and her suicide clone said, ¡°There¡¯s a quicker way of doing that, you know.¡±


    Janet looked up and said, ¡°Is there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± her clone said. ¡°DeeDee taught us how to do it this morning before you woke up. Wanna try it out?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± she said, nodding.


    So her suicide clone bade her to close her eyes, and when Janet did, all of her clones put their hands on Janet¡¯s head and whispered an incantation she couldn¡¯t discern, their voices like many streams merging into one river into her mind. A flood of memories filled her up like a bathtub to its brim, making Janet jerk and flinch on the display case, till the drain was pulled away, and all the information went into the private library that was her subconscious mind.


    Janet sat gripping the edges of the display case, breathing hard and looking up at her clones and saying, ¡°What was that? What the hell did you do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve made your school life easier,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°At least the studies portion of it.¡±


    ¡°You gave me all the answers?¡± Janet said.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll thank us later, I¡¯m sure of it,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°You¡¯ve got more important things to focus on.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that cheating? Wait a minute,¡± she said as other extracurricular studies flashed through her mind. ¡°Horsemanship, swordsmanship, spy craft, self defense, dagger arts, marksmanship¡ª . . . W-what is all of this? I don¡¯t remember signing up for any of these classes!¡±


    ¡°DeeDee added all those this afternoon,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°After what happened today, she wants you prepared for anything, and I mean, anything.¡±


    ¡°But where did she get those from?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°From the memories of Sir Abram of the Gate and John Day,¡± her clone said. ¡°They both have military training, and they¡¯ll be your self defense instructors from now on.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°We¡¯re not kidding, Janet,¡± her suicide clone said.


    Janet breathed out a sigh, knowing that she¡¯d have to kiss whatever free time she thought she had goodbye and said, ¡°Then when does it start?¡±


    ¡°As soon as DeeDee clears you for practice,¡± her clone said, ¡°but that won¡¯t happen till this weekend to give you more time to recuperate from what that Prince did to you.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said. ¡°Good.¡±)


    So Janet put her books back in her book bag and pushed herself off the display case onto her feet, leaving her bag, and stalked towards Baron Underwood still peering at the fossils and skeleton in the big display case. Janet¡¯s approach caught Baron Underwood¡¯s gaze through the glass panes, so he stood up and said, ¡°What is it, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering on our way here,¡± Janet said. ¡°Why were you so quiet earlier?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± he said, then looked at the four busts and three statuettes on the third bookshelf by the back wall before turning back to Janet. ¡°Can you keep a secret?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Janet said.


    But then the busts and statuettes roused on the bookshelf, and April said, ¡°Oh, a ¡¯secret,¡¯ eh?¡±


    ¡°This is going to be fun,¡± May added.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious, boyo,¡± Thomas O¡¯Reilly said.


    ¡°That goes for me, too,¡± June added.


    ¡°Whatever it is,¡± Martin Keystone said, ¡°do tell us.¡±


    ¡°Tell us all the juicy details,¡± Daniel Van Weaver added.


    Which got Christopher Morley saying, ¡°And if it¡¯s dirty¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Baron Underwood said.


    Then John Day and Sir Abram peeked in from the doorway entrance, and John Day said, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what it is,¡± Sir Abram added.


    Then Janet got to thinking about a forbidden romance between a young and ambitious professor and a timid but curious female student, then shook her head of such thoughts and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got everyone wondering what it is, so please tell us. We can all keep secrets, right?¡±


    And all the busts and statuettes and the two door guards nodded their heads.


    ¡°See?¡± Janet said. ¡°Now go on.¡±


    So Baron Underwood said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but it¡¯s not scandalous, I assure you,¡± and he turned to Christopher Morley, then back to Janet: ¡°When I was teaching your Classics Studies class this morning, did you notice that everyone was sleeping?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, ¡°but I tried to stay awake.¡±


    Baron Underwood smiled, saying, ¡°Ah, yes, thank you for staying awake, but believe me when I tell you this: when I started teaching over the summer term, I never once had any of my students sleep during my class, but when I started teaching classes in the fall semester, I¡¯ve noticed all of my students sleeping in my classes. I¡¯ve even asked the help of my mentor Lady Durham for help, but no matter what I did, I couldn¡¯t keep my students from falling asleep. That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t very talkative on our way to this dorm.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much of a secret then,¡± May said.


    Baron Underwood winced and turned to the offending statuette and said, ¡°I mean, I know my lectures are rather dry, but I¡¯m still getting the hang of teaching, you know. You can¡¯t expect me to be perfect when I¡¯m still learning the ropes.¡±


    ¡°Whether your lectures are boring or not,¡± May said, ¡°students don¡¯t usually fall asleep during class.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he said.


    ¡°What my sister¡¯s saying,¡± April said, ¡°is that somebody might have placed a spell on you, so that your students go to sleep in your classes.¡±


    ¡°W-why would anyone do that?¡± he said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± April said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in your class.¡±


    So Baron Underwood turned to Janet and said, ¡°You were awake, Lady Fleming, yes?¡± When she nodded that she was, he said, ¡°What did it feel like when I was teaching class today?¡±


    ¡°Like I was being put to sleep,¡± Janet said, ¡°and it was wholly against my will, too. I¡¯ll admit that your lecture was pretty dry, but it was staying awake that was the hard part. I had to focus really hard and keep taking notes to keep myself from falling asleep.¡±


    ¡°Can I take a look at those notes?¡± he said.


    So Janet went back to the display case and opened her book bag and rummaged through its contents before pulling out her notebook, saying, ¡°Found it,¡± and she went back and opened it to the 3rd period entry and handed it to him. ¡°The handwriting is a bit messy.¡±


    ¡°I can read it,¡± he said.


    Janet waited for him to read through it as he turned the pages, then said, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Baron Underwood remained silent for a few moments longer, then said, ¡°Lady Fleming, do you remember nodding off while I was teaching?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering,¡± he said, turning to another page, ¡°because this entry contains automatic writing,¡± and he circled around the big display case and laid it atop the small display case containing swords and knives and artifacts and pointed to the page before Janet¡¯s eyes. ¡°Read it for yourself.¡±


    So Janet read the part he pointed out, reading to herself the notes she had taken, till she came upon an anomaly that read, ¡®Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep,¡¯ and she noticed it continuing that way towards the bottom of the page. As such, Janet looked up at her club advisor and said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember writing this down at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean by automatic writing,¡± he said and turned to the next page, which showed Janet¡¯s normal note-taking again. ¡°From what¡¯s written here, I¡¯m guessing the act of turning the page must have snapped you out of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask DeeDee about it when she gets back,¡± Janet said, then wondered how long DeeDee had been gone. ¡°Professor, do you know what time it is?¡±


    So Baron Underwood pulled up his sleeve and read the time on his wrist watch, saying, ¡°It¡¯s fifteen minutes to five o¡¯clock. She¡¯s been gone for forty minutes now.¡±


    Hearing that, she turned towards Sir Abram and John Day and said, ¡°Does it usually take her this long to get back?¡±


    ¡°Not that long, no,¡± John Day said.


    ¡°Do you want us to go fetch her?¡± Sir Abram said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said.


    As such, Sir Abram and John Day volunteered to go look for DeeDee, while Janet¡¯s suicide clone said, ¡°I¡¯ll have the clones look for her,¡± and she ordered her six remaining clones to fan out and check every room for DeeDee¡¯s whereabouts. But just as Sir Abram and John Day and Janet¡¯s clones started on their way, DeeDee¡¯s large lamp blinked with her voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Where have you been all this time?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m in an office,¡± DeeDee said, blinking the light, ¡°talking with the resident landlady of Elba House. I¡¯ve been negotiating with her for over half an hour, but she¡¯s being really stubborn right now. Lady Fleming, can you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stubborn!¡± another woman said.


    ¡°Then why are you being so difficult?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯ve already stated why I came here with my inventory, and I¡¯ve already explained the circumstances, and I¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about a workplace, Miss Marionette,¡± the woman said. ¡°I¡¯m talking about a residency. You can¡¯t expect me to allow a retailer to take up shop in this house. If I do that, the next thing I know, a hundred other retailers like you will come in asking to set up shop in this house, and I¡¯ve got enough issues with the tenants I have already! And that¡¯s on top of all of your clones of this girl named Janet Fleming: we can¡¯t possibly house all of them here! And then you¡¯re asking for living people to stay here?¡±


    ¡°Only for a fixed period of time,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°like working hours, you know.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± the landlady said. ¡°Are you trying to cause an uproar amongst my tenants?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to upset your tenants,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I just want to settle this matter as soon as possible.¡±


    Silence reigned for a time.


    Then the landlady said, ¡°Your business will attract unwanted attention. Heaven knows we already have enough legend-trippers disturbing the peace in this house, let alone the actions of all of these mute clones of yours!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, okay?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the woman said.


    ¡°It is,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I promise our presence here will benefit you and your tenants if you accept my terms as is. I can compromise elsewhere if you like, but I assure you that I can¡¯t compromise here, lest you mean to put my crew and your tenants in danger of something far worse than me.¡±


    Silence reigned yet again.


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± the woman said.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯ve outlined my circumstances surrounding my shop and my move into this place, as well as the involvement of others concerned in it. All I ask for in return is access to your network to continue my investigation and a place to stay for my crew.¡±


    Then there came a pause, as if the landlady was weighing the pros and cons of a stranger¡¯s words, till she said, ¡°If it¡¯s as you say, then in return for providing information and housing, I ask that you provide security on these premises.¡±


    ¡°Besides myself and my crew,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°are there other visitors you¡¯re worried about?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± she said. ¡°There are two others, a maid and a butler, snooping around these premises as I speak. They¡¯re disturbing my tenants.¡±


    ¡°If I shoo them away,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°will you provide what I¡¯ve asked for?¡±


    ¡°Only if you agree to my terms,¡± the landlady said.


    Silence reigned.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s agreed,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll draw up a contract tonight,¡± the woman said. ¡°For those involved in your investigation, have them sign it by midnight tonight, and we¡¯ll go from there.¡±


    ¡°I will, don¡¯t worry,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°And before I forget, I need a dozen chairs and a table large enough to seat at least eight people. Can you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the woman said. ¡°I just need to check my inventory for anything that¡¯s available.¡±


    Then the light of the large lamp flickered overhead.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening, DeeDee?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She¡¯s just checking her inventory,¡± DeeDee said, then to Janet: ¡°In the meantime, Lady Fleming, prepare yourself by midnight, for it¡¯s important that you be there at the signing. And the same goes for your clones and your friends and your club advisor.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Janet said, looking at the sweating face of her club advisor, ¡°why include Baron Underwood? He¡¯s not involved in any of this.¡±


    ¡°That makes him a perfect impartial witness to the signing,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°so I expect his presence at the signing, along with yourself and your clones and your friends and my crew. Don¡¯t be late now.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°What exactly did you tell her?¡± she said.


    ¡°Everything concerning Miss Edgeworth and yourself,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°as well as the break-in at my shop and the tampered profile books and your friends¡¯ involvement.¡±


    ¡°Can you trust her?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°This is the spirit world, Lady Fleming,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Unlike your world of half truths and white lies, the spirit world doesn¡¯t operate by human standards.¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 [V4] Red Pill [0]: Paybacks, Backfires

    Villainess [4]: Donavan¡¯s Summons


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Paybacks, Backfires


    <hr>


    Meanwhile, the six clones that Janet¡¯s suicide clone had sent to watch Prince Blaise and Rosalie Edgeworth had been tailing their movements since noon and had been informing their suicide captain every half hour in three shifts. During that time, they''ve tailed the Prince and the vixen back to Classroom 1-3C and witnessed the homeroom professor Baron Palmer berating the Prince for his conduct at the start of Homeroom 3 in the hallway, which brought smiles on their faces on seeing the Prince in distress. They especially liked it when Janet (carried in Kevin¡¯s arms along the hallway) ignored the Prince trying to get her attention as her group passed by towards her new homeroom just around the corner.


    For the rest of that afternoon, watching their designated targets went like clockwork from Periods 5 and 6 to the end of Homeroom 4, all six clones taking turns going from Classroom 1-3C to Classroom 1-3G and informing their suicide captain of any particulars between the Prince and Rosalie. They did this for the past five shifts by the time Baron Palmer dismissed his last homeroom class at 3:00 p.m.


    Then, as the Prince stood up with Rosalie from their desk, Baron Palmer added, ¡°Stay, your Highness. I still need to talk to you before you go.¡±


    The Prince then told Rosalie to wait for him in the hallway while he talked with the professor. Rosalie nodded at his request and went outside, where three of her watchers had stationed themselves beforehand and glowered at her.


    The Prince approached the baron by the lectern and said, ¡°What is it, Professor?¡±


    ¡°It''s just a fair warning, your Highness,¡± the baron said, taking out a document from his vest pocket. ¡°Viscountess Durham, Father Robinson, Count Cosgrove, and I will have a private audience together with his Majesty, his Lordship Marquess Fleming, and Captain Sydney later this afternoon concerning your conduct against Lady Fleming and Sir Sydney earlier today, as well as the authenticity of three eviction notices with your signature on them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve never signed any eviction notices at all!¡±


    ¡°Save your answers for the summons,¡± the baron said. ¡°I¡¯m sure that his Majesty, his Lordship, and the Captain will want you present at the Palace to answer their questions,¡± and he gave him the summons document.


    The Prince took it and said, ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, you Highness,¡± the baron said. ¡°Count Cosgrove has even picked me out as the Process Server.¡±


    The Prince sighed and read the address and the attendance date and time (Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.), then said, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Professor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very serious, your Highness,¡± the baron said. ¡°Bring that with you when your coach arrives, and don¡¯t be late.¡±


    Putting the summons document in his book bag, the Prince said he won¡¯t miss it and excused himself from the classroom and accompanied Rosalie, while four of the clones tailed them through the hallway towards the stairs and the other two sped down the main hallway into the side hall and entered Classroom 1-3G, where Janet was talking to her homeroom professor amongst a small crowd of other students around her table discussing their clubroom and club activities.


    While everyone else was talking about their ghost-hunting club, the two clones sought out their suicide captain with six other clones in their corner of the classroom and informed her of the Prince and Rosalie together in the hallway getting ready to head out. After divulging their information, they stalked back down the hallway and the stairs and through the double-door entrance of the school building and caught up with the rest of their clones at the fountain, where the Prince and the vixen were talking.


    Rosalie wanted to know why Baron Palmer had detained him, and Prince Blaise told her that he was expected to attend a private summons with his Majesty and Marquess Fleming and Captain Sydney, as well as Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham and Father Robinson and even Count Cosgrove to discuss today¡¯s events and must, therefore, wait at the Royals House for the coach ride to the Palace. That meant, the Prince said, that he couldn¡¯t go to the Student Commons Town with her this afternoon and apologized for it, adding that he¡¯ll make time for it after today boils over, hopefully sooner than later. To this, Rosalie pouted but let out a sigh and said that if it can¡¯t be helped, it can¡¯t be helped.


    Then the lovebirds parted with a wave of their hands and flowers blooming around them like a bucolic painting, making their unseen observers sick of their lovey-dovey moment. And with that, the six clones also parted and followed their targets, one trio tailing the vixen to Guinevere House and the other trio tailing the Prince to the Royals House on the opposite side of the boulevard.


    The trio followed the Prince down a walkway into a portico entrance and up the steps towards the double doors, where a pair of guards greeted him with salutations and a formal bow. The Prince just returned their greetings with a nonchalant wave of his hand as they opened the doors for him. He passed through the foyer into a central hallway full of unused dorms meant for the royals of this kingdom and for those lesser royals coming in from abroad, all of them unoccupied except for his own dorm located on his immediate right just off the entrance. He had just stepped in the direction of those double doors when they opened before him, revealing a white-haired and blue-eyed brother-sister duo, a butler and a personal maid, greeting him at the doorstep with a formal bow.


    The Prince returned their greeting in a nonchalant manner and said to the butler, ¡°Rick, I¡¯m expecting a summons from his Majesty later this afternoon, so let me know when the message and carriage arrives.¡±


    ¡°Will do, your Highness,¡± Rick said and stepped out of the dorm to talk to the guards outside about it, while the three clones stepped inside ahead of the Prince.


    Then the Prince crossed the threshold and walked towards the desk and hung his book bag over the back of his chair, then stalked towards his bed and plopped himself on top of it without so much as taking off his own shoes.


    ¡°Are you thirsty, your Highness?¡± the maid said.


    ¡°No, thank you, Erica,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I¡¯m just tired, that¡¯s all. Today¡¯s been really exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Erica said in a deadpan. ¡°Does it have anything to do with that villainess, Lady Fleming?¡±


    (Which got the three clones crowding around the maid and glaring at her, in which the first clone said, ¡°Watch your mouth, miss!¡±


    Then the second clone: ¡°She¡¯s not a villainess!¡±


    Then the third: ¡°We¡¯re all saints compared to that two-timing Prince you¡¯re serving!¡±)


    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± the Prince said, putting his hands over his face, ¡°but I¡¯m in the wrong this time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Erica said. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve hurt her,¡± the Prince said, taking his hands away from his face and staring up at the ceiling of his four-poster bed, ¡°and I mean physically hurt her.¡±


    So Erica the maid approached Prince Blaise on the bed and said, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®physically,¡¯ your Highness? Surely it wasn¡¯t that bad, was it?¡±


    Prince Blaise sat up on the edge of his bed without answering and clamped his hands over his knees, looking down at the parquet flooring between his feet, then looked up at his butler, Rick, returning to the room and saying, ¡°Is something the matter, your Highness?¡±


    Then Erica whispered into his ear.


    ¡°Really?¡± Rick said.


    Erica nodded.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Rick said, ¡°was hurting Lady Fleming the reason why you¡¯ve received a summons from his Majesty?¡±


    The Prince nodded and said, ¡°Baron Palmer let me know before I came here.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Rick said.


    ¡°I . . . It¡¯s hard to explain,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Just tell us,¡± Rick said. ¡°Nobody¡¯s judging you here.¡±


    (¡°Except for us three,¡± one clone said, speaking for all three of them present in the room: one dressed in a bloodstained ball gown, one dressed in a bloodstained commoner¡¯s dress, and the emaciated speaker dressed in a soiled linen gown.)


    ¡°I was questioning Lady Fleming during lunch,¡± Prince Blaise said, ¡°but then she turned the questioning on me and tried to use Miss Edgeworth against me,¡± and he fisted his hands over his knees. ¡°That¡¯s when I . . . hurt her.¡±


    ¡°How bad was it?¡± Erica said.


    ¡°Very bad,¡± the Prince said. ¡°She couldn¡¯t walk. The last time I saw her, she was carried.¡±


    ¡°Surely, you never meant it?¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± the Prince said. ¡°No matter how much I despise her, I would never do anything to hurt her like that! I just don¡¯t know what came over me,¡± and he plopped back onto the bed and put his hands over his face again.


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    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Rick said, ¡°are you okay?¡±


    The Prince remained silent for a time, then said, ¡°Rick, Erica, answer me. And be honest.¡±


    ¡°What is it, your Highness?¡± Erica said.


    The Prince took a deep breath and said, ¡°Am I a good man?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are,¡± Erica said.


    The Prince took his hands away from his face again and looked up at the canopy of his bed, saying, ¡°How do you know for sure, Erica? Do you even know what I¡¯m thinking right now?¡±


    Erica clammed up on his questions, so Rick said, ¡°We¡¯re all human, your Highness. We all make mistakes.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t afford mistakes,¡± the Prince said. ¡°The stakes are just too high.¡±


    ¡°Be kind to yourself,¡± Erica said.


    ¡°We¡¯re not just worried about your status,¡± Rick said. ¡°We¡¯re worried about you, your Highness.¡±


    And for the first time in a while, and for the first time before the three unseen clones looking down at the bed-ridden Prince, Prince Blaise cupped his hands beneath his head and smiled, saying, ¡°Thanks, you two.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it, your Highness,¡± Erica said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll always be here for you,¡± Rick said, then whispered in Erica¡¯s ear again, at which she nodded, then to the Prince: ¡°Call us if you need us.¡±


    ¡°Just let me know when the coach arrives,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Will do, your Highness,¡± Rick said.


    Erica and Rick left the room afterwards, shutting the double doors behind them and leaving the Prince alone with the three unseen clones. Then the Prince sat back up and yawned, then removed his shoes and swung his legs up onto the sheets and lay there on his back for a time staring up at the ceiling of his four-poster bed. Then he rolled onto his side, cradling his head on the pillow, and dozed off in a few minutes with the soft expression of a sleeping child on his face.


    All the while, the three clones were speechless on seeing a vulnerable side to the Prince. In fact, it was the first time since the Prince¡¯s childhood visits to the Fleming mansion that the three clones felt anything besides contempt for the man who had played a part in ending their lives. Yet the three clones still had misgivings about the Prince¡¯s intentions, and the one in the soiled linen gown glowered at the sleeping embodiment of her death.


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve them,¡± she said.


    Her two compatriots, the one in a bloodstained commoner dress and the one in a bloodstained ball gown, both added that the Prince deserved far worse. In fact, the one in commoner dress said he deserved to get shot, and the one in the ball gown said he deserved to get stabbed, but the original speaker of the trio one-upped both of them by pulling her head off her shoulders and saying that he deserved to get beheaded¡ª


    Which gave the one in the bloodstained ball gown an idea, so she said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we give his Highness a taste of his own medicine?¡±


    The headless clone reattached her head over her shoulders and said, ¡°How are we gonna do that?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t exactly touch him, you know,¡± the one in the bloodstained ball gown said, putting her hand through the Prince¡¯s head.


    ¡°But we can give him nightmares,¡± the beheaded clone said. ¡°Let¡¯s make him squirm. What do you say?¡±


    Her compatriots agreed with slasher smiles and nods of their sick-twisted heads.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it,¡± the beheaded clone said and put her hand over the Prince¡¯s forehead and counted, while her two companions placed their hands over his shoulder and over his arm and counted with her. ¡°One . . . Two . . . Three . . .¡±


    And at the count of thirty, the Prince¡¯s breathing changed into the huffing and puffing and incoherent mumblings of a sleeper in the initial throes of realizing that something was wrong. Then, as his breathing hitched in his throat and sweat glistened on his brow, his three tormentors pulled away their hands and watched the sleeper begin to toss and turn and mumble out the first coherent fragments of his plight. His eyes were shut amidst his stirrings, but the fragments of his words made it clear enough. Whatever was going on behind the Prince¡¯s fluttering eyelids, they could see its effect in his gaping mouth and the look of horror on his face as he fought against the sleep paralysis of a lucid dream.


    ¡°W-what am I . . . seeing?¡± he slurred. ¡°Why is . . . this happening?¡±


    To the Prince¡¯s questions, the three clones said, ¡°This is your punishment, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°F-f-for what?¡± he said in his sleep.


    ¡°For killing me,¡± they said in unison like three gloating witches with wide slasher¡¯s smiles and red basilisk eyes, ¡°over . . . and over . . . and over . . .¡±


    Their words continued echoing through the Prince¡¯s dream, till his dreams leaked from his head into the room, turning the beige paneling of the walls black, blinking the lamplights on and off atop the nightstands and study desk and vanity desk, swinging the two hanging chandeliers above the room over the four-poster bed, and imprinting the enclosed room with the emotional tumult of their final living moments. Those moments echoed through the Prince¡¯s head, till they manifested in the room itself with the residual hauntings reenacting those last cruel moments. One haunting depicted a clone in a soiled linen gown getting beheaded at the behest of the Prince nodding his head; another depicted a clone in commoner dress getting gunned down by accident in a botched robbery; and yet another depicted a clone in a ball gown getting stabbed to death after attending the graduation party at the Prince¡¯s mansion.


    All of this had their effect. The Prince began tossing and turning over the bed, wrinkling the sheets and mumbling fragments about stopping the visions, yet their gloating wouldn¡¯t stop.


    In fact, the clones continued teasing him, approaching him on three sides of the bed and saying as one, ¡°You can¡¯t run away from your crimes, your Highness.¡±


    Then the Prince opened his eyes and started swinging at them in his sleep and saying, ¡°Stay away from me!¡±


    Yet his words just emboldened the three clones, who had evil slasher¡¯s smiles on their faces and red basilisk glares burning in their eyes and cruel intentions of their own. Those three clones, along with everyone in the Student Commons Cafeteria, had witnessed the Prince¡¯s actions against their living avatar during lunch. They had seen Janet¡¯s face scrunching up in pain and resented the Prince for refusing to apologize for hurting her, so they upped the ante.


    One clone produced a bloodstained dagger, and another clone produced a pistol, but the third clone one-upped her peers by taking off her own head and holding it up towards the Prince¡¯s face and saying, ¡°We won¡¯t let you forget!¡±


    Which had its intended effect.


    The Prince scrambled away from the headless clone, screaming, till he fell off the bedside and hit his head on the floor, releasing the room from the influence of three vengeful ghost girls. The paneled walls reverted to their beige hue, and the lamplights stopped blinking, while the clones struggled to hold in their glee at the Prince¡¯s overreaction. So they ran off, holding onto their sides in hysterics and passing through the closed double doors and letting out their laughter in the central hallway.


    Just then, Erica the maid and Rick the butler ran through them and opened the doors, calling out for the Prince.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, your Highness?¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Erica said.


    The two rushed towards the Prince on the floor, flat on his back with his legs still elevated over the bedside. Rick and Erica tried waking up their master, but then Rick ordered Erica to get him smelling salts.


    Erica came rushing back out of the room again, passing the three clones still recovering from their hysterics, and entered the servants¡¯ quarters room beside the Prince¡¯s to get the items. Several drawers were pulled open, and Erica ran back through the clones with a vial in her hand and entered the Prince¡¯s dorm, where she crouched with Rick over the Prince¡¯s prostrate body.


    When the three clones had fully recovered themselves and the headless clone reattached her head over her shoulders, they peered through the doorway at the Prince, jolting awake and asking his servants if they¡¯d seen Janet in the hallway.


    ¡°But Lady Fleming¡¯s not here,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°I saw three of them!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, your Highness?¡± Erica said.


    ¡°I swear I saw three of them,¡± Prince Blaise said, getting up to his feet and looking around his dorm room. ¡°They were surrounding the bed!¡±


    ¡°If they were,¡± Rick said, getting up and staying close to the Prince, ¡°they¡¯re not here anymore.¡±


    ¡°That damn witch!¡± Erica said, squeezing her fists as she got up. ¡°If it¡¯s not one thing, it¡¯s always another!¡±


    Rick glared at Erica, then said to the Prince, ¡°Maybe it was just a nightmare, you Highness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± the Prince said. ¡°I saw them!¡±


    ¡°Do you really think Lady Fleming¡¯s behind it?¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Of course, I do!¡± Erica said. ¡°Only someone like her could do this to his Highness!¡±


    ¡°I was asking his Highness, not you,¡± Rick said and asked the Prince his opinion on the matter.


    (That got the three clones trading glances and biting on their lower lips, because what Erica had said was the truth, and when they overheard Rick and Erica talking with Prince Blaise, they paled at the direction of their topic. Along with scaring the Prince out of his wits, they¡¯ve given him yet another reason to suspect their living avatar of doing something. It was the perfect motive, too: since the Prince had hurt Janet during lunch, he¡¯ll just assume that Janet entered his dream.


    ¡°God, damn it!¡± the first clone said.


    Then the second said, ¡°I think we went too far.¡±


    And then the third: ¡°We totally fucked up, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    They did.)


    Especially when the Prince said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring this up to his Majesty during the summons, but in the meantime,¡± he added, looking to his two servants, ¡°I want you to keep track of Janet¡¯s¡ª . . . Lady Fleming¡¯s whereabouts while I¡¯m away. You know where her dorm is, right?¡±


    ¡°We know the building,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°What about the dorm room?¡± Prince Blaise added.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just ask around,¡± Erica said.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Do that now and report to me after I come back from his Majesty¡¯s summons.¡±


    Both Rick and Erica bowed, saying that they would, and exited the room and passed through Janet¡¯s three unseen clones on their way through the foyer to the double-door entrance, where they questioned the guards standing outside about Janet¡¯s current whereabouts. The guards said that they saw Lady Fleming carried off along with a group of students towards the back of Mariana House, possibly even to Elba House, one of them said, though he wasn¡¯t sure.


    As such, one clone decided to stay behind with the Prince, opting to see off her two compatriots as they both followed Rick and Erica outside, where they tailed their new targets across the juniper-lined boulevard towards the hidden Elba House behind the sun-splashed facade of Mariana House.


    Now alone with the odious Prince, the beheaded clone looked at the man beginning to pace around the room, his eyes directed at the floor, yet he seemed occupied on something else. For all she knew, the Prince might have been thinking of his oh-so-precious Rosalie or might have been cursing out Janet¡¯s guts or . . . Heaven knows what else.


    She shook her head and stomped up to the unwitting Prince, clenching her hands into knuckle-white fists and saying through gritted teeth, ¡°I wish I could hit you, your Highness, but your skull¡¯s too thick for it.¡±


    So she did the next best thing.


    She backed up towards the threshold of the doorway in the Prince¡¯s dorm and settled for just a whooshing punch through that ¡®thick¡¯ skull of his to let off some steam. So she ran up to the Prince with a swing at his jaw, but before she connected, she felt a heatwave enveloping her fist and spreading up her forearm, yet she pulled herself away just before it became uncomfortable. That¡¯s when the Prince stopped in his tracks and looked in her direction, and that¡¯s when the clone froze for a moment, thinking he had spotted her with his bodily eyes.


    Yet as the Prince scanned across the front of his room, passing her over in his scrutiny, she waved at him and said, ¡°You can¡¯t see me, can you?¡±


    The Prince failed to acknowledge her gesture and question and went to his tea table and sat there, scanning the room from side to side again without pinpointing her location.


    So she stepped over to the Prince¡¯s table and said, ¡°Can you even hear me, your Highness?¡±


    Again the Prince failed to acknowledge her and said, ¡°If you¡¯re here, tell me who you are and what you want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your worst nightmare,¡± she said, ¡°and I want you to suffer. It¡¯s only fair, you bastard.¡±


    Again he failed to acknowledge her slight and just said, ¡°Whether you¡¯re Lady Fleming or her proxy, just know that we¡¯re even today. Her blood absolves her of her crimes, but that¡¯s as far as my mercy goes.¡±


    She looked at the man who had ordered her beheading in front of a hostile crowd and smiled, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way, your Highness.¡±


    But heedless of her words, the man just pointed at the double doors and said, ¡°Now be gone, foul spirit!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect the dead,¡± she said. ¡°What comes around goes around,¡± and she left the room on her own volition. ¡°We¡¯ll all make sure of it.¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 [V4] Red Pill [0]: Questions, Answers

    Villainess [4]: Donavan¡¯s Summons


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Questions, Answers


    <hr>


    Janet¡¯s beheaded double needed some fresh air, so she left the room and took a cursory peek through the closed double-door entrance at the two guards chatting it up: half of their conversation concerned Lady Fleming, while the other half concerned the ghost stories surrounding Elba House. Then she thought of her two compatriots tailing the Prince¡¯s maid and butler there and wondered what those spies were up to, where they were, when her compatriots will come back, and what they¡¯ll say when they do. And adding the guards¡¯ conversation to her thoughts, she occupied herself for the next forty-five minutes, till something caught her eye.


    She spied Kevin Sydney and Ridley Woodberry and the three female students she recognized from Janet¡¯s classroom that afternoon all returning to their dorms: Kevin to Jeremy House in the Garrison Quarters by the perimeter wall, Ridley to Leeds House in between the Garrison Quarters and the Royals House, and the three girls to Guinevere House on the other side of the boulevard. Then, after a few moments, she spied the butler returning without the maid.


    The guards nodded at Rick and opened the doors for him, so the clone followed the butler past the threshold into the foyer, where he knocked and opened the doors to Prince Blaise¡¯s dorm and said, ¡°I have news, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± the Prince said.


    The clone followed Rick inside and stood like a wallflower beside the doorway, while Rick said, ¡°It¡¯s the group Lady Fleming¡¯s with. Sir Sydney and Lord Woodberry and three female students have returned to their dorms.¡±


    ¡°What about Lady Fleming?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Erica and I haven¡¯t seen her exit the building,¡± he said, ¡°so we think she¡¯s still inside, but we don¡¯t know how long she¡¯ll be staying there. Erica¡¯s keeping watch as I speak.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else so far,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Then go back out there and keep watch,¡± the Prince said. ¡°There¡¯s no telling what she¡¯s planning in that Godforsaken house, so stay on your guard.¡±


    ¡°Will do, your Highness,¡± he said and ambled back out of the room as the clapping of horses¡¯ hooves against the brick-paved ground resounded outside the front entrance. ¡°Ah, it sounds like your coach is here.¡±


    So the Prince put on his shoes and took up his book bag and followed his butler through the foyer to the outside, and Janet¡¯s clone followed on their heels. Then, while the butler headed back over to Elba House, the coachman got off the front seat of a two-horse coach and opened the passenger door for the Prince at the end of the walkway. When the Prince climbed aboard, Janet¡¯s clone got on the front seat, then shifted to the side after the coachman shut the door and got on the front seat beside her and urged the horses into a canter with the reins.


    Unseen by the Prince or the coachman, the beheaded clone spent the next several minutes on an impromptu sight-seeing tour of the venues in the Student Commons Town as the coachman took various detours towards the Royal Palace to the west of the Town. Then, as the trees and foliage grew thicker on either side of a widening boulevard, the clone spotted an enormous fountain dead ahead before a perimeter curtain of defensive wall and a guarded gate, manned by a pair of guards on both sides, and the four-story facade of the Palace beyond it. Then, as the coachman rounded the fountain and passed the opening gates and nodded at the guards, the clone marveled at the balcony above the main entrance into the quad of the Royal Palace.


    Once inside, the coachman took a detour towards the eastern side of the quad behind a row of six other coaches parked there, where he stopped his coach before the entrance into the King¡¯s main antechamber and got off, and the clone followed after him. Then the clone waited for the Prince to get out of the coach and followed her odious target through the double doors, accompanied by Jeremy, the King¡¯s butler.


    ¡°Am I late, Jeremy?¡± The Prince said.


    ¡°No, your Highness,¡± Jeremy said. ¡°You¡¯re right on time. His Majesty is expecting you.¡±


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± the Prince said.


    Jeremy grimaced and said, ¡°They¡¯re all upset, especially Count Cosgrove.¡±


    The Prince just stared at him for a moment, then said, ¡°I wonder what he has to say.¡±


    Jeremy remained silent as he opened the double doors and led his charge through the stillness of the main antechamber, till they reached another set of double doors that led into a larger antechamber used as a private audience room to receive uninvited guests. This set of double doors had the royal family crest of a firebird and a shield emblazoned over its body, over which were two longswords crossed over it and a motto spread underneath the whole design. It read,


    <blockquote>


    ¡®Truth is my sword, wisdom my shield.¡¯


    </blockquote>


    ¡°Good luck, your Highness,¡± Jeremy said. ¡°Godspeed.¡±


    The Prince smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Then the butler opened the doors into a circular room that had seen Janet¡¯s clone enter its hallowed confines as an exhausted shell of herself after eighteen hours of repetitive questioning, a room that had borne the stains of her blood after the guards beat her for upholding the truth under the duress of answering the charge, a room full of Prince Blaise¡¯s informants and Rosalie¡¯s supporters and the Prince himself with Rosalie smirking beside him, a room that had witnessed her sentenced to execution on a false charge of treason, a room of iniquity that had forsaken its motto that night. Even when the Prince entered the antechamber, the clone paused at its threshold and wondered how she was even accused of writing death threats when she already had an alibi with her maids at her dorm on that night. Moreover, she wondered how leaving death threats against a mere commoner in the halls of the Academy could be construed into an act of treason, because there was no l¨¨se-majest¨¦ involved. But then again, she figured that even the rumor of an act against Prince Blaise¡¯s beloved was an act against the Prince and Rosalie as a future king and queen.


    She shook her head of such thoughts and entered the chamber and looked at the current ensemble awaiting the Prince¡¯s arrival outside the Judgment Circle: his Majesty King Blaise and Marquess Fleming and Captain Sydney standing on one side of the circle, and Father Robinson and Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer standing on the other side, and Count Cosgrove entering the Circle with the Prince.


    Then Jeremy the butler closed the double doors of the antechamber.


    Standing by these doors like a wallflower, the clone eyed the other set of double doors across from her in the antechamber, through which the Prince and his Rosalie had passed to oversee her condemnation event.


    She turned to Count Cosgrove as he said, ¡°Your Highness, even though you are not under oath, I must warn you that what you say will affect your standing as a student of Lassen Academy and as a prince of this Kingdom. Do you understand?¡±


    The Prince nodded and said, ¡°I do, your Lordship.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Count Cosgrove said. ¡°Now do you have your summons with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have it here,¡± the Prince said, opening his book bag and pulling out the summons.


    ¡°Have you read the charges on it?¡± the count said.


    ¡°Yes, I have,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Do you acknowledge them?¡± the count said.


    For a time, the Prince remained silent, till he said, ¡°I acknowledge the first four charges, those of harassing Lady Fleming during Homeroom 2 and breaking school property and thrashing Sir Sydney and harming Lady Fleming during lunch, but I don¡¯t acknowledge the fifth charge of sending the eviction notices to the three students mentioned in it.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± the count went on. ¡°Then we¡¯ll start with the first four charges,¡± and turned to the Captain and said, ¡°My Lord Margrave, you may speak.¡±


    So Margrave Sydney, captain of the King¡¯s Royal Guard, stepped forward and said, ¡°Your Highness, in addition to thrashing my son, Sir Kevin Sydney, you¡¯ve also insulted him and spat in his face. Why did you?¡±


    ¡°I was angry, my Lord,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Angry at my son,¡± the Captain said, ¡°whom you called a ¡®third-rate knight?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°but it wasn¡¯t because I looked down on him. I was just angry at the time.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± the Captain said, catching the Prince¡¯s gaze, ¡°if my son had come from humble origins, would you have looked down on him?¡±


    ¡°No, my Lord,¡± the Prince said, averting his gaze to the floor, ¡°I would not. Like I said, I was angry.¡±


    ¡°Anger is a double-edged sword, your Highness,¡± the Captain said. ¡°If left unchecked, it could lead to misunderstandings and animosities that could dog your future prospects as king from political enemies to an uprising amongst our people and even to a war with another kingdom.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect,¡± the Prince said, ¡°aren¡¯t you making too big a deal out of a small thing?¡±


    ¡°A thousand miles across any terrain won¡¯t stop a well-trained knight under marching orders,¡± the Captain said. ¡°What will stop him is the little grain of sand in his shoe.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It means,¡± the Captain said, ¡°that in order to accomplish the big things, you must first resolve the small things. And in your case, you have many small things to resolve before they get blown out of proportion. Hence, this summons.¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just that there are things outside of my control.¡±


    ¡°Then focus on things you can control,¡± the Captain said, ¡°such as your conduct and your choices.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not perfect,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to be perfect,¡± the Captain said. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to try your best,¡± and then he paused to catch his breath. ¡°Your Highness, I know we all make mistakes, but you should know better than to act the way you did, not only to my son, but also to Lady Fleming. To think that you not only spat in my son¡¯s face, but you also hurt a lady: that¡¯s not the kind of king I want to serve.¡±


    ¡°God, if you really feel that way,¡± the Prince said, ¡°then why don¡¯t you just f¡ª¡±


    ¡°Donavan, watch your language!¡± the King said.


    The Prince winced and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Majesty.¡±


    Silence reigned for a time.


    Then the Captain said, ¡°Your Highness, next to their Majesties the King and Queen, you have the most power to affect the lives of everyone around you. As such, you bear a responsibility to uphold this kingdom in your conduct, in your words, and in your choices. Is that too much to ask of you, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I sure hope not,¡± the Captain said, ¡°because I did not pledge my loyalty to this kingdom, nor did I bleed for this kingdom, only to have you spit on it!¡±


    The Prince winced and grimaced.


    Without another word, the Captain stepped aside, and Count Cosgrove said, ¡°My Lord Marquess, you may speak.¡±


    So Marquess Fleming stepped forward and glared at the Prince, sinking the temperature in the antechamber down by several degrees, and said, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m aware of your problems with Lady Fleming and have talked with his Majesty about them before, but as her father, I expect you to treat my daughter with the courtesy befitting a noble lady. But after hearing about your involvement in the charges concerning her, I¡¯m concerned for my daughter¡¯s safety. What do you have to say for yourself, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, my Lord,¡± Prince Blaise said, ¡°I don¡¯t harbor any ill will against Lady Fleming.¡±


    ¡°So when you threw that crystal at Lady Fleming¡¯s feet,¡± Marquess Fleming said, ¡°you threw it on impulse without intending to hurt her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Because you were angry at that moment?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Prince said.


    The Marquess paused for a spell, then said, ¡°When you saw that my daughter was hurt, according to Father Robinson, you didn¡¯t apologize to her for that. Instead, you only apologized to her for what you said about my wife, Marchioness Fleming, last week. Were you not concerned for my daughter¡¯s well being at the time?¡±


    The Prince glanced at the Captain before looking back at the Marquess and saying, ¡°I was . . . I¡¯m not . . .¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll rephrase the question,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Why did you apologize to my daughter for what you said last week when you should have apologized for what you did today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know why?¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Or you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°Look, with all due respect, my Lord,¡± he said, ¡°I was angry at the time.¡±


    ¡°Too angry to think straight?¡±


    Prince Blaise winced at his question and grimaced, then nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re too angry to think straight when it comes to my daughter,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°then that leaves me little confidence in you as a suitable partner, let alone as the next ruler of this kingdom.¡±


    That¡¯s when Prince Blaise clenched his hands into knuckle-white fists and said, ¡°That¡¯s because your daughter¡¯s been bullying another classmate!¡±


    ¡°Can you really say that, your Highness,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°when you¡¯ve never witnessed my daughter in the act of bullying Miss Edgeworth with your own eyes?¡±


    ¡°When I questioned Lady Fleming during lunch,¡± the Prince said, ¡°she confessed in front of witnesses!¡±


    ¡°Then does that mean, your Highness,¡± the Marquess added, ¡°that you forced her to confess to crimes you yourself have not witnessed?¡±


    ¡°You keep twisting my words!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I¡¯m only going off of your own words,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°in light of what you have done to my daughter today.¡± Then he pointed at the circle on which the Prince stood and said, ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re standing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Judgment Circle,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°It¡¯s also called the Dueling Circle,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re far more fortunate than you realize, because you are a minor. If it wasn¡¯t for that technicality, I would have stepped inside that Circle to defend Lady Fleming¡¯s reputation with my own sword against yours, man to man, in a trial by combat!¡± Then he pointed at the royal family crest emblazoned on the double doors of the antechamber and said, ¡°Your Highness, look over there. What do you see?¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The Prince looked at his family crest on the double doors, on which was a firebird and a shield emblazoned over its body and two longswords crossed over it. He said, ¡°It¡¯s my family seal and the official seal of this kingdom.¡±


    ¡°There are two crossed swords over the shield of that crest,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Look at the motto underneath that crest and read it. What does it say?¡±


    The Prince did so and said, ¡°It says, ¡®Truth is my sword, wisdom my shield.¡¯¡±


    ¡°When this kingdom was founded,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°we used to settle disputes through trials by combat,¡± and he turned back to the Prince. ¡°Look at everyone around you, your Highness. None of us are carrying swords, not even Lord Margrave Sydney, the captain of the King¡¯s Royal Guard. But just because I¡¯m unarmed does not mean I will overlook what you did to my daughter, not now, not ever! As such,¡± he added, ¡°I¡¯ve talked with Lady Fleming about her engagement to you, and she has agreed to annul it, and I¡¯ve also talked it over with their Majesties the King and Queen before your arrival. As the father of the injured party in this summons, I have received permission to have the last say from their Majesties.¡±


    With that, Marquess Fleming stepped aside.


    Yet the antechamber remained silent, everyone (including Janet¡¯s decapitated clone) left staring with pale faces and open mouths and wide disbelieving eyes.


    Count Cosgrove broke that silence, turning to the father and saying, ¡°Father Robinson, you may speak now.¡±


    So Father Robinson stepped forward to the edge of the Judgment Circle and said, ¡°Your Highness, I couldn¡¯t trust your motives when I allowed you to interrogate Lady Fleming during lunch. So instead of having Lady Fleming take a truth potion, I poured it over the crystal I had her hold onto with the express intent to detect any form of interference on your end.¡±


    ¡°So you set me up?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± the father said, ¡°but the way Lady Fleming went about it intrigued me, so I let her have her way just to see what she would do. Really, I thought she was going after you, but she went after Miss Edgeworth instead, and that¡¯s not even the most intriguing part of it: Do you have any idea what I¡¯m talking about, your Highness?¡°


    ¡°And what¡¯s your point?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Your tendency to overreact, your Highness,¡± the father said. ¡°Do you remember what you told Miss Edgeworth?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t,¡± the father said. ¡°Then will you tell us what you said about Marchioness Fleming?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Why so?¡±


    ¡°Why should I tell you, old man?¡±


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been pretty harsh then,¡± the father said, ¡°because you told Miss Edgeworth not to say it in front of your peers in the great hall, so Miss Edgeworth apologized to Lady Fleming for what you said about her mother without saying what it was. Now I know I¡¯m long-winded here, but all this verbal meandering led to a result nobody expected, especially Lady Fleming, who suffered at your hands. I hope you can acknowledge what I¡¯m referring to, right, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°I know! Get on with it,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°So on top of all the other things you did,¡± the father said, ¡°you broke my crystal ball that you used in your interrogation of Lady Fleming, which you had me set up at lunch.¡± Then he paused a bit, as if choosing his words from forbidden Scripture, and added, ¡°With all of that as context, are you aware that you almost destroyed evidence of tampering when you flung my crystal onto the ground?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again,¡± the father said. ¡°Were you aware of any kind of tampering with my crystal when you flung it onto the ground? Yes or no?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Your Highness, stop with all this bullishness,¡± the father said, glaring at the Prince¡¯s insolence. ¡°You and I were both there when Lady Fleming dropped that crystal from her hand. When that happened, I detected a slight but noticeable influx of fire magic infused into the crystal within its radius of effect: that was my first clue.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, your Highness!¡± the father said. ¡°When I asked Lady Fleming if she felt a burning sensation, she nodded that she did: that was my second clue. Since the crystal you threw shattered and one of its shards struck her ankle, I used a detection spell before I healed her wound and detected trace amounts of fire magic: that was my third clue. From all these observations, your Highness, I¡¯ve concluded that the crystal had been tampered with using fire magic and that you had tried to dispose of it¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is nonsense!¡±


    ¡°¡ªby flinging it onto the ground. Your Highness,¡± the father continued, ¡°since you and Lady Fleming and I were the only ones within the crystal¡¯s radius of effect, and since you have the fire affinity, tell me the truth: Did you attempt to falsely incriminate Lady Fleming in your interrogation?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Are you sure, your Highness?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m warning you now to fess up and tell the truth while you still can.¡±


    ¡°I am telling the truth!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I sincerely hope so,¡± the father said, ¡°because tomorrow during Homeroom 1 Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham and Count Cosgrove and I are all going to question the witnesses that saw what happened today, and we¡¯ll also ask the other professors to question the witnesses in their classes, too.¡±


    ¡°My God, I would never do that!¡± Prince Blaise yelled. ¡°I know I¡¯ve had problems with Lady Fleming, but I would never stoop to that level! Never!¡±


    (The solitary clone smiled where she stood by the wall, thinking back to the bullshit charges leveled against her in this room in her previous life, and said, ¡°Getting accused for something you haven¡¯t done, how does it feel, your Highness? It tastes bitter, doesn¡¯t it?¡±)


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Father Robinson said, ¡°this is a private affair amongst your peers in this room. Fess up right here and now, and this will stay private.¡±


    ¡°Damn your persistence!¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then that¡¯s your problem!¡±


    The father shook his head and said, ¡°I tried to give you a chance to settle this, your Highness,¡± and he stepped away from the edge of the Judgment Circle.


    Then Count Cosgrove turned to Baron Palmer and said, ¡°My Lord Baron, you may speak.¡±


    So Baron Palmer stepped forward and said, ¡°Your Highness, you and I both looked for Miss Edgeworth this morning, but she didn¡¯t turn up until the start of Homeroom 2. Did you see where Miss Edgeworth was at the time?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Did you see where Lady Fleming was at the time?¡±


    The Prince paused for a time, then said, ¡°Yes, I did. You and I saw her this morning as we followed her up the stairs to your homeroom on the third floor of the Academy.¡±


    ¡°Then did you notice,¡± he went on, ¡°that Lady Fleming was accompanying Viscountess Durham?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Then,¡± the baron added, ¡°did you witness Lady Fleming hitting Miss Edgeworth at any time this morning?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± the Prince said, ¡°but she could¡¯ve done it earlier this morning before you and I arrived.¡±


    ¡°Your supposition was contradicted this morning,¡± the baron said, ¡°when Viscountess Durham questioned the maids in both Guinevere House and Mariana House. Their eye-witness accounts all corroborate Lady Fleming¡¯s innocence. How can you not see that, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about ¡®innocence,¡¯ Baron!¡± the Prince said. ¡°For all I know, for all anyone knows, Lady Fleming could¡¯ve threatened them to keep quiet!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡± the baron said.


    ¡°And you refuse to punish the culprit!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Lady Fleming is not a ¡®culprit,¡¯¡± the baron said.


    ¡°Yes, she is!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Then how would you ¡®punish¡¯ her then, your Highness?¡± the baron continued. ¡°Would you go as far as having Father Robinson set up an interrogation during lunch and falsely implicating her in front of everyone?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Donavan!¡± the King yelled. ¡°You¡¯re out of line.¡±


    The Prince winced and grimaced, and only then did he cool down enough to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Majesty.¡±


    That¡¯s when Baron Palmer looked over at the King and the Marquess and said, ¡°Now do you see what I mean, your Majesty, your Lordship? When it comes to Lady Fleming, there¡¯s no talking sense in him.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the King said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame,¡± the Marquess said.


    ¡°Oh my God, not this again,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Then apologize to Lord Baron Palmer,¡± the King said, ¡°for cursing at him.¡±


    The Prince looked at the baron and sighed, then said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Lord Baron. I didn¡¯t mean to react like that.¡±


    Baron Palmer just looked at the Prince for a time, then said, ¡°I have no more questions,¡± and he stepped aside.


    Then Count Cosgrove turned to Viscountess Durham and said, ¡°My Lady Viscountess, you may speak.¡±


    Viscountess Durham stepped forward and said, ¡°Your Highness, before I turn this over to Count Cosgrove, I must talk about your conduct this morning. I never would have thought you capable of going after Lady Fleming like that if I hadn¡¯t seen it myself, and it¡¯s not just me, either. My entire homeroom class all saw you go after her, and if it wasn¡¯t for Baron Palmer restraining you then and there, I can only guess what you would have done. My question is this: what were you planning to do to Lady Fleming if you had caught her?¡±


    Prince Blaise stared at the viscountess with gaping mouth and wide eyes and said, ¡°My God, what are you implying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking the questions, not you,¡± the viscountess said. ¡°What were you going to do to her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking,¡± he said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what I¡¯m thinking,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll rephrase the question: did you know what Lady Fleming was thinking when you went after her in my homeroom class?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to hit her!¡±


    ¡°Do you think Lady Fleming would know that after you berated her outside of my classroom?¡± Viscountess Durham said. ¡°Do you think Baron Palmer would know that when he had to restrain you from going after her? Do you think Lady Fleming would know that after you called her a ¡®fucking bitch¡¯ during lunch? Do you think she would know that after you thrashed Sir Kevin Sydney? Actions speak louder than words, your Highness! I can just imagine what Lady Fleming was thinking, let alone feeling! Do you have anything to say to that?¡±


    ¡°I would never hit her, period,¡± the Prince said. ¡°No matter what you think, no matter what any of you think, I would never do anything like that! Ever!¡±


    (¡°I agree, your Highness,¡± the clone said from the wall. ¡°You¡¯re too high and mighty to do it yourself. Instead, you¡¯d have someone else beat up Lady Fleming for you and have her executed on your orders. Case in point, me.¡±)


    Viscountess Durham shook her head and said, ¡°I find that hard to believe, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Damn your persistence!¡± the Prince said. ¡°Why do you keep making this so difficult for me?¡±


    ¡°Really, your Highness?¡± the viscountess said. ¡°You think this is difficult? I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s difficult,¡± she added and pointed at Marquess Fleming. ¡°Explaining to Lord Marquess Fleming what had happened to his daughter without him storming off in a rage to find you himself before your arrival. That¡¯s difficult!¡±


    The Prince winced and grimaced and stole a glance at Marquess Fleming, only to be met with his flaring basilisk glare, so he said, ¡°Okay, okay, I get it!¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so, your Highness,¡± the viscountess said, ¡°because there¡¯s something else I brought up to his Majesty¡¯s attention and his Lordship Count Cosgrove¡¯s attention, but it¡¯s outside of my purview to explain,¡± and she looked at the count as she stepped aside.


    ¡°My God, what else is there?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    Now it was Count Drake Cosgrove¡¯s time to speak, so he said, ¡°Trust me, your Highness, Viscountess Durham is not joking. What she was referring to is the fifth charge on your summons.¡±


    ¡°I already told you,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I don¡¯t acknowledge that charge. I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Count Cosgrove said, ¡°the first four charges are misdemeanors compared to this fifth charge. That¡¯s why you were summoned here,¡± and he took out from his inner vest pocket three folded pieces of paper and unfolded them, one by one, and held them up before the Prince. ¡°Do you know what these are?¡±


    ¡°They look like eviction notices,¡± he said, ¡°but I¡¯ve never seen them before at all.¡±


    ¡°On each of these notices,¡± the count said, ¡°can you read the names of the three students mentioned in the body of the text, as well as the signature signed below?¡±


    The Prince did so and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, your Highness,¡± Count Cosgrove said. ¡°You tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect me to tell you?¡± the Prince said. ¡°How can I tell you anything if I have no knowledge of it?¡±


    ¡°That makes it even worse,¡± Count Cosgrove said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some context, your Highness, so you¡¯ll understand the severity of this charge. Lady Mindy Kessler and Lady Jean Drevis and Lady Saraya Drevis were given these notices this morning at their dorms, and when Viscountess Durham brought them into my Homeroom 4 class with these notices in hand, I dismissed my homeroom and brought the girls into my office at the Professor Commons Office. There I questioned them and found out that two other students had given them these notices and that these same students had attacked Lady Kessler in the hallway earlier this morning. With this in mind, I went to the infirmary and asked the nurse on duty what she knew about it, but the nurse said that Miss Edgeworth visited the infirmary and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± the Prince said, ¡°why was she there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the count said, ¡°but the nurse said that Miss Edgeworth went there to inform her that Lady Kessler had fallen down the stairs. In other words, she contradicted what Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis told the nurse afterwards.¡±


    The Prince shook his head, saying, ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you and Baron Palmer looking for her this morning?¡± Count Cosgrove said. ¡°The nurse¡¯s account places Miss Edgeworth at the infirmary at 7:16 a.m. before you and Baron Palmer were there looking for her, and Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis all said they saw Miss Edgeworth exiting the infirmary on their way there.¡±


    ¡°Miss Edgeworth wouldn¡¯t lie like that!¡± the Prince said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. I won¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Viscountess Durham added, ¡°I can confirm Lady Kessler¡¯s time, as well. She was looking for Baron Palmer at 7:09 a.m. just as I was settling into my office at the Professor Commons Office, so that places her well within the timeframe in which she said she was attacked.¡±


    ¡°What about the two others?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°The ones that attacked Lady Kessler?¡± the count said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Silence reigned for a time.


    Count Cosgrove looked again at King Blaise and said, ¡°Your Majesty, should I tell him about the development?¡±


    ¡°What development?¡± the Prince said.


    Another moment of silence.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Answer him,¡± the King said.


    ¡°Are you sure, your Majesty?¡± the count said.


    ¡°Someone forged my son¡¯s signature,¡± the King said, ¡°onto three phony documents under your nose, Count. Since he¡¯s here because of these circumstances, he needs to know.¡±


    Count Cosgrove deflated somewhat and said, ¡°All right, your Majesty.¡± Then to the Prince: ¡°The two girls that attacked Lady Kessler are Lady Jenna Childeron and Lady Vesper Felton. I¡¯m sure you know who they are, right?¡±


    The Prince looked at the count hard and said, ¡°Yes, I do. What ¡®development¡¯ are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re missing,¡± he said.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°Missing how?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just what I¡¯ve said, your Highness,¡± the count said. ¡°After I talked with Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis, I went to Viscount Arthur Newton¡¯s homeroom and asked for Lady Childeron and Lady Felton, but he said that he hasn¡¯t seen them all day today. So I asked where their dorm house was and went to Guinevere House and asked for the two ladies, but none of the maids or students there had seen them since this morning. I afterwards went to the High Court to see Judge Kendrick Mathews and almost got into an argument with him after inquiring if he had authorized a court order for the evictions of Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis without notifying me.


    ¡°Long story short,¡± he continued, ¡°when I found out Judge Matthews issued no such court order, I had him issue a search warrant for me to search the dorm rooms of Lady Childeron and Lady Felton before I came here. In addition, I submitted these notices under the review of three forgery experts, and they concluded that someone had used water manipulation magic to forge your signature. I also wrote letters to the Childeron and Felton counties, notifying their families that their daughters have left the Academy and asking them to send me word of their arrival if they turn up at their estates. That¡¯s why I came here and told everyone what I knew, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re here on such short notice.¡±


    ¡°My God,¡± the Prince said under his breath. ¡°How serious do you think this is?¡±


    ¡°Serious enough to cause a panic,¡± the count said, ¡°if this were to leak out.¡± Then the count looked over at King Conner Blaise standing by the Marquess and the Captain, and when the King nodded his head, the count said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on yet, but it seems that you¡¯ve become a pawn in someone else¡¯s intrigue. As such, as the Dean of Lassen Academy and the Sheriff of the Student Commons Town, I will get to the bottom of this, and I hope you¡¯re not involved in any of it.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even aware of this at all!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean,¡± the count said.


    ¡°Because those notices have my signature,¡± the Prince continued, ¡°you think I¡¯m somehow involved in this?¡±


    ¡°Only as a pawn in someone else¡¯s intrigue,¡± the count said. ¡°I won¡¯t assume you intended to go along with any of this, but I also won¡¯t assume that your actions bore no consequence in this matter, not for the missing Lady Childeron and Lady Felton and certainly not for Lady Kessler and Lady Fleming. All we know is that somebody¡¯s been playing you for a fool, your Highness, but we just don¡¯t know who that is yet.¡±


    Prince Blaise remained silent for several moments, as if he was turning the events of this afternoon through his head, and stared at the count, saying, ¡°Barring absolute certainty, who do you think has been playing me for a fool then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to guess,¡± he said.


    ¡°Come on,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I know you have at least some idea who that is, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Count Cosgrove glared at the Prince and said, ¡°If you¡¯re planning to bribe me or threaten me or otherwise coerce me into playing your game¡ª¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking that!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I won¡¯t listen to you,¡± the count said. ¡°Your actions against Lady Fleming today and your insolence during this summons has proven to me, at least, that you are much too incompetent.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°As such,¡± the count said, ¡°I motion to his Majesty that your so-called interrogation during lunch become null and void. You may be a prince, your Highness, but you don¡¯t have the authority to put someone to death or banishment or expulsion or suspension or any other kind of formal ruling during school hours or on your free time, because you¡¯re still a minor and you¡¯re still naive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s l¨¨se-majest¨¦!¡± the Prince yelled.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, whether you like it or not,¡± the count said and turned to King Conner Blaise standing rigid outside of the Judgment Circle. ¡°Your Majesty, you may speak.¡±


    So the King stepped forward towards the Judgment Circle and said, ¡°I agree with his Lordship, Count Cosgrove.¡±


    ¡°But, Father!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°This is a summons, and I am your king,¡± the King said. ¡°You will address me, accordingly.¡±


    The Prince bowed his head. ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Also, along with what¡¯s already been said,¡± the King added, ¡°Father Robinson and Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham have brought up to me yet another facet of your misconduct today. Though it wasn¡¯t detailed in your summons, it still bears consideration. Do you know what that is?¡±


    ¡°No, your Majesty,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°You used your status to threaten two Lassen Academy faculty members with getting fired from their positions,¡± the King said. ¡°Once this morning against Baron Palmer when he had to restrain you from going after Lady Fleming in Viscountess Durham¡¯s homeroom class in front of her students, and again during lunch when you cajoled a reluctant Father Robinson into setting up your interrogation of Lady Fleming. In each case, why did you threaten them like that?¡±


    ¡°I was angry,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°As I¡¯ve heard from Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham,¡± the King said, ¡°you were angry about what you thought Lady Fleming did to Miss Edgeworth before you arrived at school, but I thought that Viscountess Durham¡¯s questioning of the maids in Guinevere House and Mariana House had cleared that up. It hadn¡¯t in the least cleared it up for you, did it?¡±


    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I still had my doubts at the time.¡±


    ¡°So in order to clear up your doubts,¡± the King said, ¡°you cajoled Father Robinson into setting up Lady Fleming with an impromptu interrogation before the students as witnesses. What were you aiming to achieve?¡±


    Now the Prince paused for a bit, then said, ¡°I wanted to find out the truth from Lady Fleming herself.¡±


    ¡°And if she didn¡¯t say what you wanted to hear?¡± the King said. ¡°Or to put it another way, if what she said did not conform to what you already think is true¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant to do!¡± the Prince said. ¡°I would never resort to false incrimination!¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 [V4] Red Pill [0]: Burdens, Reversals

    Villainess [4]: Donavan''s Summons


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Burdens, Reversals


    <hr>


    An awkward silence followed in the wake of the Prince¡¯s interruption, and it was the king who broke it.


    ¡°I see a lot of myself in you at your age,¡± the King said, ¡°more than I care to admit. Like you, I was proud and stubborn to a fault, just like the other Blaise heirs in our lineage. And like the firebird on our crest, we burn with passion and fury, turning our lives and the lives of our loved ones into a living hell, and I¡¯m no exception, and it looks like you¡¯re not either.¡± Then he put his fingers over his eyes as if he was massaging away a headache before looking at his son and saying, ¡°In my time, I¡¯ve paid dearly for the little wisdom I now have, paid for in blood and animosities that will never heal so long as I¡¯m alive. I just pray to all the stars in the sky that your burdens won¡¯t be as heavy as mine.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, if I may ask,¡± the Prince said, ¡°what ¡®burdens¡¯ are you talking about?¡±


    The King stared at his son for a time, then turned to Marquess Fleming and said, ¡°My Lord Marquess, will you allow me to talk about Marchioness Fleming?¡±


    ¡°If my wife¡¯s example can improve his discernment,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°then by all means.¡±


    King Blaise turned to his son and said, ¡°Before Marchioness Fleming¡¯s marriage, she was known as Lady Bartleby, the daughter of Duke Bartleby. Are you aware that I was engaged to Lady Bartleby during my time in Lassen Academy?¡±


    Prince Blaise just gaped at his father and said, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t aware of that at all.¡±


    (¡°But you were aware of it during my trial in this room, your Highness,¡± Janet¡¯s clone said. ¡°You even brought it up to back your claim that I wrote those death threats against Miss Edgeworth, claiming that I inherited my evil ways from my mother. In fact, I remember you saying, ¡®Like mother, like daughter. Only a witch can give birth to someone like you,¡¯ and you condemned me to death by beheading.¡±)


    ¡°Then you¡¯re also not aware that I broke off my engagement to her during the Graduation Ceremony,¡± the King said. ¡°Are you aware of how Marchioness Fleming died?¡±


    The Prince paused. ¡°I heard that she died in prison.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the King said, ¡°but do you know why she was sent to prison in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I heard,¡± he said, glancing at Marquess Fleming¡¯s stony face, ¡°that she was imprisoned on allegations of practicing witchcraft, but they were disproven.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the King said, ¡°but only after Margrave Sydney and Marquess Fleming and I led a joint investigation into her death and uncovered a conspiracy. I won¡¯t go into details, but know that Marchioness Fleming was imprisoned on rumors of witchcraft. Yet even before her imprisonment, she had a reputation of infidelity after I broke off my engagement with her. In short, Marchioness Fleming died in prison on false charges of witchcraft built on rumors of her infidelity after I broke my engagement with her. Now do you understand?¡±


    The Prince remained silent, eyes wide and mouth agape, then nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°For your sake, I sure hope so,¡± the King said, ¡°because you¡¯ve been repeating too many of my mistakes. If you don¡¯t learn anything else from this summons, then at least learn from my mistakes and fix your own before you harm Lady Fleming or anyone else any further. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Majesty,¡± he said.


    Then the King looked over at Marquess Fleming, who nodded his head, so the King said to the Prince, ¡°With that said, Lord Marquess Fleming also brought up the issue of what you said to Lady Fleming about Marchioness Fleming last Friday, saying that it needs to be addressed before it affects her safety, and I¡¯m inclined to agree. So answer me: What did you say to Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± the Prince said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re bringing that up?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been listening?¡± the King said. ¡°I¡¯ve already explained to you the reason why! So answer me: What did you say to Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± he said.


    (¡°Liar,¡± the clone said. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to say it in front of your peers. How does it feel being on the receiving end of it, your Highness?¡±)


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll jog your memory,¡± the King said. ¡°You said, ¡¯Only a witch can give birth to someone like you.¡¯¡±


    Audible gasps resounded from everyone else in the room, except for Marquess Fleming and Captain Sydney.


    The Prince paled and said, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways of finding out,¡± the King said. ¡°Now answer me: Why did you say that to Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°I was angry,¡± the Prince said.


    So the King stepped into the Judgment Circle amidst more audible gasps, making the Prince bow before him, so the King said, ¡°Anyone can get angry, but to insult a lady¡¯s dead mother to her face entails legal consequences that I must resolve on your behalf, because you¡¯re still a minor. Besides answering the charges listed in your summons, you¡¯re here to answer for your own instance of l¨¨se-majest¨¦. Now answer me: Why did you say that to Lady Fleming?¡±


    Prince Blaise maintained his bow, saying, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, your Majesty. I don¡¯t know why I said what I said to Lady Fleming beyond the anger I felt against her for what had occurred between her and Miss Edgeworth, even when I did not directly witness it. For that, I overstepped my bounds and am truly sorry,¡± and in front of everyone in the antechamber, the Prince went down on his knees onto the floor and was about to beg for forgiveness¡ª


    When King Conner Blaise grabbed his arm and raised him up to his feet and said, ¡°You¡¯re not a criminal in this room, Donavan: you¡¯re my son amongst your peers,¡± and so he turned to Marquess Fleming. ¡°Is this enough, my Lord Marquess?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough,¡± he said.


    ¡°I figured as much,¡± the King said, then walked out of the Judgment Circle and talked in hushed tones with Marquess Fleming, who said something that made the King look back on his son with a fixed stare. Then the King turned back to the Marquess and said something else, but the Marquess shook his head, so the King breathed out a long sigh and nodded at Count Cosgrove to continue.


    So Count Cosgrove said, ¡°My Lord Marquess, you have the final say in this matter.¡±


    With that, Marquess Fleming stepped forward again and said, ¡°Your Highness, I was originally going to bring this up after this summons has ended, but since these incidents that have involved an injury to Lady Fleming have also involved an injury to another student at the Academy, I formally submit evidence that will help in this inquiry,¡± and he took from his waistcoat pocket the amulet that Janet had given him. ¡°Last Saturday, after attending a school board meeting with his Majesty and his Grace Duke Woodberry about Lady Fleming¡¯s transfer, I asked if I could hire out one of the school guards to watch over her during school hours, but they couldn¡¯t grant it. Instead, we made a compromise, so I went to get this voice-capture amulet later that day and gave it to Janet via messenger bird on Sunday, asking her to wear it during school hours without telling her its main purpose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really underhanded,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°but it was necessary in this case, and the school board allowed it. After listening to its contents on my way here, I know that you¡¯ve become a pawn in someone else¡¯s intrigue, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Then by all means, let¡¯s hear it,¡± the Prince said, folding his arms over his chest.


    So the Marquess fished out a slender wine glass and a silver fork from the inside of his jacket pocket and dropped the amulet into the glass and said, ¡°Everyone, I direct your attention to what occurred yesterday before the start of Lady Fleming¡¯s homeroom class,¡± and he tapped it with the fork, filling the antechamber with a tingling sound that changed into the voices of two female students calling Janet¡¯s dead mother a witch and a bitch and a whore and a cunt and a cum-bucket . . .


    Everybody gasped, and Viscountess Durham covered her gaping mouth with her hands, and the rest (including Prince Blaise) just gawked.


    ¡°Take that back!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Take what back?¡± Lady Childeron said.


    ¡°We said nothing about you,¡± Lady Felton said, adding under her breath, ¡°bitch!¡±


    Then there were running footsteps as Janet said after them, ¡°Get back here!¡± After the running footfalls was a pause amidst a hubbub of students¡¯ voices, and then Janet said, ¡°Whatever they told you, they¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who accused Rosy of ripping her own dress,¡± the Prince said. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to be a villainess, then at least be honest and own up to it.¡±


    Janet changed the subject and said, ¡°You¡¯re both on a nickname basis already? How quaint, Donny!¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re on formal terms, Lady Fleming,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Until your behavior around Miss Edgeworth improves, you¡¯re nothing but a stranger to me.¡±


    Then Rosalie said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on her, please. She¡¯s still engaged to you.¡±


    ¡°Rosy, just let me handle¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then is it true, your Highness?¡± Janet said amidst a hubbub of other voices. ¡°Everyone¡¯s saying you¡¯ve annulled our engagement. Is that true?¡±


    There was a pause, and the Prince said, ¡°I¡¯ve talked about it with his Majesty, and his Majesty has talked about it with Lord Marquess Fleming. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Janet said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t our engagement mean anything to you?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± the Prince said.


    Janet said, ¡°Then are you planning on eloping with her behind my back?¡±


    Then Rosalie said, ¡°Lady Fleming, whatever you think of me, I¡¯m not that kind of woman.¡±


    There was a long pause, and Janet said, ¡°Is that what¡¯s going on, your Highness?¡±


    There was a shorter pause, and then the Prince said to Janet, ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t go around spouting off nonsense, but starting tomorrow, you¡¯ll be transferred to another homeroom class. Until then, I¡¯ll be watching you like a hawk, so don¡¯t do anything else between now and then, or I¡¯ll have you expelled,¡± and there was another pause. Then the Prince whispered, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for our fathers, I¡¯d have had you banished by tonight. As it is now, you¡¯re dead to me,¡± and the hubbub of voices dissipated from the recording.


    ¡°Those two who insulted my wife,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°do you know who they are?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they¡¯re not my friends,¡± he said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you if they were your friends,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°I only asked you if you know who they are. Now answer me: What are their names?¡±


    ¡°Lady Childeron and Lady Felton,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°What did they tell you?¡±


    The Prince paused for a moment, then said, ¡°They told me that Lady Fleming had insulted Miss Edgeworth, but I never thought they would lie like that.¡±


    ¡°Then did those two lie,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°while using the same language to blame Lady Fleming?¡±


    The Prince paused again.


    ¡°Answer him now,¡± the King said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Lord Marquess.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re really sorry,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°then answer me: Why did you tell my daughter that she was ¡®dead¡¯ to you?¡±


    ¡°My God, I was angry, my Lord!¡±


    ¡°You were angry at what you were led to believe Lady Fleming had said about Miss Edgeworth, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I should¡¯ve known.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should have,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°but you didn¡¯t. My Lord Baron,¡± he added, looking at Baron Palmer on the other side of the Judgment Circle, ¡°you were absent during the first part of Homeroom 1 yesterday, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the baron said.


    ¡°When did you find out what happened?¡±


    ¡°When I saw Lord Woodberry carrying Janet down the stairs,¡± the baron said. ¡°That¡¯s when I found out.¡±


    ¡°What did Lord Woodberry say?¡±


    ¡°He said Lady Fleming fainted in the hallway,¡± he said, ¡°so he was taking her to the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°And what did his Highness say?¡± the Marquess said.


    The Prince turned to face the baron, yet Baron Palmer stared at the Marquess and said, ¡°His Highness said that Lady Fleming had tried to humiliate him and Miss Edgeworth in front of the whole classroom, and the Prince even added that Lady Fleming had feigned a fainting spell in the hallway.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°do you trust Miss Edgeworth more than Lady Fleming?¡±


    And again the Prince paused, then said, ¡°With all due respect, my Lord, what does that have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°More than you¡¯re willing to admit,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°From what I understand, you¡¯ve never once witnessed any of the incidents between Lady Fleming and Miss Edgeworth, yet you¡¯ve always taken Miss Edgeworth¡¯s side. Now that you know that Lady Childeron and Lady Felton had set up my daughter and lied to you, saying that my daughter had insulted Miss Edgeworth, do you still trust Miss Edgeworth?¡±


    And yet again the Prince paused.


    The King was about to tell him to answer, but Marquess Fleming said, ¡°Let me handle this, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± the King said.


    The Marquess waited for a response from the Prince, but when he stayed silent, Marquess Fleming said, ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling to talk, then listen to this.¡± He raised the wine glass containing the amulet necklace and said to Baron Palmer, ¡°This is what happened yesterday morning during Homeroom 1 in your absence, my Lord,¡± and he tapped it again with his fork, filling the antechamber with another tingling sound that changed into the sound of double doors opening.


    ¡°Lady Fleming, were you listening?¡± Lord Woodberry said.


    ¡°Yes, I was,¡± Janet said. ¡°May I come in, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you may,¡± Prince Blaise said, ¡°but I¡¯m warning you, Lady Fleming. If you do anything to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, and I won¡¯t,¡± Janet said, and there was a collective rustling movement and the creaking of chairs as if everyone in the classroom had stood up from their seats at Janet¡¯s ignominious entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you,¡± Prince Blaise said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard you, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to repeat it like I¡¯m an idiot.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± he said.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Janet said. ¡°My business is with Miss Edgeworth, not you.¡±


    There was a pause.


    So Rosalie said, ¡°Please, your Highness. Let me talk to her.¡± There was a slight pause before Rosalie said, ¡°Lady Fleming, I¡¯m so sorry for catching his Highness¡¯s attention,¡± and there was another pause before she whispered, ¡°And I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re born out of wedlock.¡±


    More gasps resounded through the antechamber as Miss Edgeworth¡¯s voice faded from the antechamber. Viscountess Durham told Baron Palmer and Count Cosgrove and Father Robinson about Janet¡¯s observation that Rosalie had the Prince wrapped around her finger. In addition, she said that when she took Rosalie and the Prince out to Guinnevere House and Mariana House to hear out the maids¡¯ observations of Janet¡¯s whereabouts that morning, the viscountess observed that the way Rosalie cried to get the Prince to back off from pursuing his inquiries was too suspicious. This got Baron Palmer relating Rosalie¡¯s absence this morning, as well, when he and the Prince were looking for her before the start of classes, adding that he will question Miss Edgeworth about it in the Professor Commons Office before tomorrow¡¯s Homeroom 1, so the other professors said they¡¯ll be there to hear what she had to say.


    ¡°After listening to this,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°do you still trust Miss Edgeworth, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Stop dragging her through the mud!¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have everyone hear the rest of it?¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°So should I take it,¡± he said, ¡°that you still trust Miss Edgeworth after hearing that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do!¡± the Prince said. ¡°I was there the whole time, and Lady Fleming showed no reaction at all!¡±


    Yet the Marquess said, ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t want to give you another reason to denounce her for something you haven¡¯t heard with your own ears.¡±


    The Prince winced and said, ¡°And maybe you¡¯re just trying to explain away her wrongdoing!¡±


    ¡°What ¡®wrongdoing¡¯ are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Play the rest of it, I dare you!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Then answer me this, your Highness,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Do you condone what Miss Edgeworth said about the woman who died giving birth to my child?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°I sure hope not, your Highness,¡± he said.


    ¡°What the hell do you mean by that?¡± the Prince said. ¡°Are you trying to slander me? Are you trying to get back at me for hurting your daughter?¡±


    Yet the Marquess ignored his question and tapped his fork against the glass again, filling the antechamber with Janet¡¯s voice that said, ¡°Thank you, Miss Edgeworth. You truly are too kind for your own good. I know that nobody will believe me, but I really am sorry for ripping your dress last time. . . .¡±


    (¡°See?¡± the Prince said. ¡°She admitted it!¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± the King said.


    Only then did the Prince stop, now just glaring hellfire at the Marquess as if he was an enemy combatant.


    Yet the magic recording went on.)


    ¡°. . . I was just angry at the wrong person,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What are you implying?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    ¡°I¡¯m angry at you, your Highness,¡± Janet said, ¡°but I¡¯m not finished talking with Miss Edgeworth just yet.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re just trying to spite me¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can think whatever you like. I don¡¯t care,¡± Janet said, and there was another slight pause. ¡°I want to make it up to you, Miss Edgeworth.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Fleming,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°You¡¯ve no idea how much that means to me, but how are you going to do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a parting gift.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°I insist,¡± Janet said, and there came a collective gasp from the students in the recording.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Prince Blaise said.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing what¡¯s right and just,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± he said.


    Another pause.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so coy, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°You and I both know who you truly love, so make sure to give this ring to Miss Edgeworth after I leave.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°Janet, what¡¯s gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only making things easier for Miss Edgeworth, so there won¡¯t be any conflict of interest later on,¡± she said. ¡°Just make sure to give that ring to her, for I won¡¯t have it anymore.¡± Then there was another pause before Janet added, ¡°Oh, and we¡¯re on formal terms, your Highness. You don¡¯t have my permission to call me by my first name. And one more thing, Miss Edgeworth, before I leave for good.¡±


    ¡°Lady Fleming,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this just for your sake, Miss Edgeworth,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m also doing it for my sake. God knows I¡¯ll be miserable with a man like his Highness by my side, but maybe he¡¯ll turn out better with you. With that said, may you both be happy with each other for the rest of your lives. Goodbye.¡±


    Then there were footsteps but not many, because after just a few steps, Janet¡¯s breathing became labored, and the pulsations of her heart beating like a drum against the amulet beneath her bodice became audible thumps throughout the interior of the antechamber. Some time passed, and there came a rustling of clothes as if Janet had sat on the floor with her back against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, her elbows resting on her knees, and her forearms cradling the sides of her head, accompanied by more labored breathing.


    After a few more moments, there came running footsteps and Lord Woodberry¡¯s voice that said, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Are you all right?¡±


    Nothing from Janet except for her labored breathing, and then there was another rustling of clothes as if Lord Woodberry was crouching.


    ¡°You should go to the infirmary,¡± he said. ¡°Can you stand, Lady Fleming?¡±


    Then there was another rustling of clothes as if Janet and Lord Woodberry rose to their feet, but no sooner had that occurred when Prince Blaise said, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s sick, your Highness,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourselves with me,¡± Janet said, still breathing hard. ¡°I¡¯ll go there myself.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I can¡¯t let you go downstairs in your condition.¡±


    ¡°Just leave me be,¡± she said.


    ¡°What is this farce?¡± Prince Blaise said. ¡°First, you spite me, then you embarrass me and Miss Edgeworth, and now you¡¯re playing the sympathy card? Are you really that desperate?¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, your Highness,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m already dead to you.¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t mean it like that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Just let me alone,¡± she said, and there came the soft tread of her steps and the continuation of her labored breathing, till a big thump resounded through the antechamber as if Janet had fallen to the ground. Then there were running footfalls and the rustling of clothes.


    ¡°Janet?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Janet, are you okay?¡±


    Another pause.


    ¡°She¡¯s faking it, Riddle,¡± the Prince said.


    Ridley said, ¡°How can you say that, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Would you think the same thing if it was Rosalie who fainted?¡± Ridley said, and there came another rustling as if he was shaking Janet by her shoulders. ¡°Janet, wake up! Wake UP!¡±


    Then there were slow footfalls, and the Prince said, ¡°Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s playing you for a fool?¡±


    Then there was a longer pause.


    ¡°My God, your Highness, where is your humanity?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Do you hate Lady Fleming so much that you would rather see her harmed than help her?¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you check on her?¡± the Prince said.


    Again, another pause.


    ¡°Am I right or wrong?¡± the Prince said.


    And then another pause.


    ¡°Well, which is it?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Ridley said. ¡°She fainted.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you waiting for, Riddle?¡± the Prince said, and there were more footfalls as the hubbub of students consoling someone (probably Rosalie) issued from the magic recording. ¡°Take her to the infirmary.¡±


    Then Ridley said, ¡°Wait a bit, your Highness.¡± But the footfalls wouldn¡¯t stop, so Ridley yelled, ¡°Damn it, Donny, I¡¯m talking to you!¡±


    The Prince said, ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°My God, is that really you talking?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Janet¡¯s on the ground, and yet there you are¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have my hands full already!¡± the Prince said. ¡°You take care of Janet, while I take care of Rosy! End of discussion,¡± and then the Prince was calling out to Rosalie, saying that it was going to be okay before it became drowned out in the hubbub of other students¡¯ voices.


    Then there was another rustling of clothing and more footfalls, yet the footfalls stopped, and there was silence for a time. Then there was more rustling, and then there came an inhalation of breath and a short burst of heavy rustling as if Janet¡¯s body was being rolled off of the floor. Then there was heavy breathing for a few moments, and then more footfalls echoed through the antechamber for several moments as Ridley descended the stairs, till Baron Palmer asked Ridley what had happened to Lady Fleming, so Ridley said that she fainted in the hallway. Then there were more footfalls as Ridley continued down the stairs and entered the open-plan parlor area and into the Western side of the campus building past the restrooms and afternoon clubrooms. Then there came a click of the door latch and the whoosh of air and more footfalls.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°She fainted,¡± Ridley said. Again there were more footfalls, then the sliding of the curtain and the rustling of bedsheets and the squeaking of bedsprings, then more rustling of clothes and bedsheets as Ridley or the nurse positioned Janet¡¯s body on the hospital bed. ¡°Will you watch over her? I need to let her maids know.¡±


    ¡°I will, don¡¯t worry,¡± the nurse said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ridley said, and there were more footfalls again, fading away now, and the opening and closing of a door, and the footfalls dissipated from the recording.


    So Marquess Fleming tapped the wine glass again, filling the antechamber with yet another tingling sound that changed into the voices of Janet¡¯s maids, Susan and Marin, talking with the nurse on duty at the infirmary.


    Susan said, ¡°Lord Woodberry asked us not to let his Highness enter the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡± the nurse said.


    So Marin added, ¡°Because he said that his Highness isn¡¯t ¡®in his right mind.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Lord Woodberry really said that?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Susan said. ¡°He also said that we should only allow him to enter if Janet gives him permission, and even then, Lord Woodberry asked us to keep an eye on his Highness while we¡¯re here just to be safe.¡±


    Janet¡¯s maids continued talking with the nurse, but the voices dissipated in the antechamber.


    Now everyone in the antechamber was just staring at the Prince in silence, and an ashen-faced Prince Blaise looked around at the stern faces of Count Cosgrove and Father Robinson and Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham and Captain Sydney and the King and Marquess Fleming facing him.


    (For Janet¡¯s clone standing by the wall next to the double doors of the antechamber, she thought back to the guards shedding her blood in the same Judgment Circle inscribing the Prince in its circumference right now and smiled. Maybe this wasn¡¯t ¡®true justice,¡¯ but she thought the scene before her was poetically justified in its own way and said, ¡°What comes around goes around, your Highness.¡±)


    Marquess Fleming broke the silence, fisting his hands and saying, ¡°You and Lord Woodberry were there, and you even saw her fall to the ground, yet Miss Edgeworth¡¯s tears mean more to you than my daughter¡¯s life!¡±


    ¡°Look, I was angry, my Lord,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in my right mind at the time!¡±


    ¡°DAMN STRAIGHT YOU WEREN¡¯T!¡±


    ¡°Arnold!¡± the King yelled. ¡°I know you¡¯re angry, but for God¡¯s sake, control yourself!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Majesty, I really am,¡± he said, ¡°but I can¡¯t afford to overlook this! If Lord Woodberry wasn¡¯t there to take my daughter to the infirmary, his Highness would¡¯ve left her there in the hallway!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never do that!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Bullocks!¡± the Marquess said, turning back to the Prince with fisted hands. ¡°It¡¯s plain as day that you didn¡¯t give a damn what happened to my daughter!¡±


    ¡°I was angry,¡± the Prince said, ¡°but I swear I¡¯d never do anything like that!¡±


    ¡°Then what made you think she was faking it?¡±


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± the Prince said.


    So the Marquess fished the amulet that Janet gave him out of the wine glass and raised it to the Prince¡¯s eye level and said, ¡°My daughter wore this amulet yesterday and today. I listened to everything that¡¯s happened to her at school, and I remember you calling Janet¡¯s fainting spell a ¡®sympathy card¡¯ during lunch! What made you think she was faking it?¡±


    ¡°I was angry, plain and simple!¡±


    ¡°What happened to your humanity, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Damn your questions!¡± the Prince said. ¡°My God, you keep beating a dead horse!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only repeating Lord Woodberry¡¯s questions,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°but you can¡¯t brush me off like you did him. Now answer me: What happened to your humanity?¡±


    ¡°I already told you,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I was angry, because your daughter embarrassed me and Miss Edgeworth in front of everyone in the classroom!¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the real world,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°It¡¯s a world where you must answer for your mistakes!¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± the Prince said, now starting to pace around in the Judgment Circle. ¡°Blood? Money? Do you want me to strip naked and humiliate myself? What the fuck do you want from me?¡±


    That¡¯s when the King said, ¡°Donavan, don¡¯t make an ass of yourself!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Majesty,¡± the Prince said, bowing his head, ¡°but the Marquess keeps slandering me! I can¡¯t just hold my tongue and take this anymore!¡±


    ¡°This summons is a private affair,¡± the King said. ¡°Only those present will know the truth of your iniquities. Count Cosgrove and Marquess Fleming and Margrave Sydney had wanted to hold this summons at the High Court with his Honor Judge Kendrick Matthews presiding over it, but I managed to convince them that we could resolve this in private at the Royal Palace. Otherwise, you¡¯d be in a jail cell right now awaiting your summons to Judge Matthews¡¯ courtroom tomorrow morning, and your iniquities would be a matter of public record. Do you understand how this could have turned out?¡±


    The Prince winced and grimaced and said, ¡°I understand, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the King said, then nodded to the Marquess.


    ¡°Your Highness, if you don¡¯t know what we want from you,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°then we¡¯ll have to continue on until you do,¡± and he placed the amulet back in the glass and tapped it with a fork, once again filling the antechamber with a tingling sound that changed into a cluster of voices all talking at once. Two of those voices were those of Janet¡¯s maids, Susan and Marin, saying that Prince Blaise can¡¯t see Janet right now, but the Prince kept insisting that he at least come in to see Janet before leaving.


    That¡¯s when there came a rustling of clothes and bedsheets and the squeaking of bedsprings as if Janet had gotten up and was now sitting on her bedside, while her maids kept insisting the Prince leave her be for today. Then there was another squeaking of the bedsprings and the sliding of curtains, and Prince Blaise was saying, ¡°Ah, see? Let me speak to her.¡±


    But Susan said, ¡°Your Highness¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sue, Marin,¡± Janet said, ¡°just let him in.¡±


    ¡°But, my Lady,¡± Susan said, ¡°you¡¯re in no condition to¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. I¡¯m already up,¡± she said, and there was another squeaking of bedsprings as she sat on the bedside. ¡°Just let him in.¡±


    There was a pause, and then approaching footfalls resounded through the antechamber, followed by the sliding of a chair and the slight squeaking of it as the Prince sat. Then there was another longer pause, interrupted only by Janet¡¯s slow and deliberate breathing.


    ¡°What is it, your Highness?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± he said.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± she said.


    A pause.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost four o¡¯clock,¡± he said. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling all right, Lady Fleming?¡±


    ¡°If me in an infirmary is ¡®all right¡¯ to you,¡± she said, ¡°then I guess I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°I meant that you scared us this morning: me, Lord Woodberry, Miss Edgeworth, and the rest of the class,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on harming yourself, are you?¡±


    (¡°Bullshit, your Highness,¡± Janet¡¯s clone said from the wall of the antechamber, thinking back to the Prince¡¯s brutal behavior yesterday morning in the hallway when he told Ridley that he already had his hands full. ¡°Stop being a fucking hypocrite!¡±)


    ¡°I¡¯m upset, your Highness,¡± Janet said, ¡°but I¡¯m not that desperate for your attention.¡±


    ¡°Then when you said, ¡®I¡¯m already dead to you,¡¯¡± he said, ¡°does that mean you took something beforehand?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or were you just playing me?¡± he said.


    There was another long pause before the bed springs squeaked again, and Janet said, ¡°My God, what kind of woman do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said it yourself, Lady Fleming,¡± the Prince said, and there was the slight sliding of a chair. ¡°You¡¯re desperate for my attention. You¡¯re so desperate, in fact, that you¡¯ve caused a scene in class just to spite me and humiliate Miss Edgeworth, and you even played the sympathy card in the hallway! Even for you, that was low.¡±


    So Janet said, ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have said what you said this morning, and you shouldn¡¯t have said what you said about my mother last Friday. As much as you hate me, I can¡¯t understand why you used her of all people to spite me. Even for you, that was low.¡±


    ¡°Stop making up excuses,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s unbecoming even for someone like you.¡±


    There was another long pause before Janet said, ¡°Don¡¯t mistake my words for jest, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± the Prince said, then the sound of footfalls.


    ¡°Then answer me this, your Highness,¡± Janet said.


    The footfalls paused, and he said, ¡°What is it now? I don¡¯t have all day to spend with you.¡±


    ¡°This is hypothetical, but answer me nonetheless,¡± Janet said. ¡°If I¡¯d have attempted to jump to my death from the third floor,¡± and then there was a short pause, ¡°would you have gone after me?¡±


    Yet another pause.


    ¡°Why are you even asking me that question?¡±


    ¡°Answer me,¡± Janet said. ¡°Would you or wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would!¡± he said. ¡°What do you take me for? I¡¯m not a monster!¡±


    ¡°A ¡®monster¡¯ already used my mother to spite me last week,¡± Janet said. ¡°Whatever else you¡¯ve said about me, God help you for what you¡¯ve said about the dead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me your sophistry, Lady Fleming,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Your words mean nothing to me.¡±


    Now there was the sound of sniffling as Janet said, ¡°Then why did you come here, your Highness? Was it because I didn¡¯t jump to my death? Were you expecting me to die today?¡±


    ¡°Were you actually planning to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just answer me, your Highness!¡± Janet said, and there came running footfalls and the voices of Susan and Marin begging her to say no more hurtful words.


    Only then did Prince Blaise say, ¡°You¡¯re too much, Lady Fleming. Get some more rest,¡± and there were more footfalls and then the opening of the door, and his steps faded away as the tingling reverberation of the spell dissipated from the antechamber.


    Now the temperature of the whole room began to drop by several degrees, and wherever the Prince looked, he paled at the sight of stern faces and glaring eyes.


    (¡°You¡¯re so fucked, your Highness,¡± Janet¡¯s clone said. ¡°How are you gonna talk your way out of this, huh?¡±)


    Yet even now the Prince still had the pluck left in him to glare at the Marquess, fisting his hands into knuckle-white fists and saying, ¡°What I said was the truth, plain and simple. If you can¡¯t handle that, my Lord, then you can just tell that daughter of yours that I hate her!¡±


    ¡°Donavan, what did I say?¡± the King said.


    Yet the Marquess said, ¡°Let me handle this, your Majesty.¡±


    The King grimaced and said, ¡°Fine.¡±


    With that, the Marquess glared back at the Prince and said, ¡°Then tell me the truth. Did you really expect my daughter to die yesterday?¡±


    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, my Lord!¡± the Prince said. ¡°I said I hated her! I didn¡¯t say I wanted her to die!¡±


    ¡°Do you want her to die?¡±


    ¡°Fine! Think whatever you want,¡± the Prince said and shoved his finger at the Marquess, ¡°but mark my words, that daughter of yours is a fucking witch! Before I came to this summons, I had nightmares about her, and because of her I fell off the bed and smacked my head on the floor!¡±


    ¡°Donavan, for God¡¯s sake!¡± the King said.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Can you really prove that, your Highness?¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Or is this another one of your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± the Prince said. ¡°I don¡¯t need to prove jack shit to you! I know what I saw!¡±


    Then came a voice booming out of nowhere like the voice of an angry goddess, saying, ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    Amidst the stirring echoes of that booming voice, Prince Blaise turned around, and all heads turned, and all eyes were directed at the source of the voice standing right up against the Judgment Circle. For there appeared the second unseen member of this private gathering, an older woman wearing a tea gown with dark brown hair worn in a bun behind her head and a withering glare at the Prince from the brilliant sapphires of her eyes. At the sight of her, King Blaise and Marquess Fleming and Margrave Sydney and Father Robinson and Count Cosgrove and Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer all bowed their heads to this newcomer that had been here the whole time, and now the Prince just stared at her as if the real judgment had finally come in the most terrifying form possible.


    ¡°Mother, how long were you there?¡±


    Then the Queen rushed into the Judgment Circle and slapped the Prince across his face, and the slap echoed throughout the antechamber. The Prince recoiled, raising a hand to his cheek and wincing at the red handprint left there, then cowered before the woman in front of him as the others looked up with wide-eyed expressions and gaping mouths.


    ¡°Long enough, by God!¡± the Queen said. ¡°Donny, is this really you? Are you really my son? How can you say that kind of stuff to Lady Fleming? What kind of a man would hurt her like that? I never raised you to be like that!¡±


    ¡°B-b-but,¡± the Prince said, sweating buckets now, ¡°weren¡¯t you and Janet enemies?¡±


    The Queen gaped and said, ¡°Marchioness Fleming and I were rivals once, but we were never enemies, and I¡¯d never consider Lady Fleming an enemy either. What¡¯s gotten into you, Donny? How did that even cross your mind?¡±


    The Prince looked away, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    So the Queen stepped up to Marquess Fleming and bowed her head to him, saying, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for my son¡¯s behavior, my Lord Marquess!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, your Majesty,¡± the Marquess said, returning the bow. ¡°We¡¯re just airing out our grievances.¡±


    ¡°All right, hop to it then,¡± the Queen said and stood beside her ashen-faced husband the King.


    With the Queen and King together, the Marquess said, ¡°Before we end this, I must ask.¡±


    The Prince grimaced but said, ¡°What is it, my Lord?¡±


    The Marquess glanced at the Queen and then stared at the Prince, saying, ¡°Your Highness, what made you think my daughter was her Majesty¡¯s enemy?¡±


    Yet Prince Blaise said nothing.


    So King Conner Blaise and Queen Rubella Blaise traded whispers, and then the Queen leaned over and whispered something into the Marquess¡¯s ear, and the Marquess said, ¡°Are you sure, your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°I want to know, too,¡± the Queen said.


    With that, the Marquess faced the pale-faced Prince and said, ¡°Did Miss Edgeworth tell you that?¡±


    ¡°Tell me what?¡± he said.


    ¡°Did Miss Edgeworth tell you,¡± the Marquess said, ¡°that my daughter was an enemy of her Majesty?¡±


    The Prince averted his eyes, saying, ¡°No, my Lord. It was just my own misunderstanding.¡±


    That¡¯s when the Marquess traded glances with the King and Queen together, so the Marquess said, ¡°Then do you understand the point of this summons, your Highness?¡±


    Moments passed in silence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility,¡± the Prince said.


    Then the Marquess said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then from today onwards, you are to stay away from Lady Fleming during school hours. And should you happen to cross paths with Lady Fleming outside of school hours, don¡¯t approach her, unless she asks you to. And even if my daughter allows you to approach her, for God¡¯s sake give her the courtesy due to any other lady you would meet.¡±


    Only then did the Prince concede with a nod.


    ¡°Good,¡± the Marquess said and turned to the King and Queen. ¡°Now this is enough, your Majesties.¡±


    ¡°Then this summons has ended,¡± the King said, then to the rest in the room: ¡°Whatever was said in this room, you will keep it to yourselves. Is that clear?¡±


    And Marquess Fleming and Margrave Sydney and Father Robinson and Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer and Count Cosgrove all bowed to the King and Queen, and they all said as one, ¡°We will, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the King said, then to the Prince: ¡°Donny, go back to your dorm and stay there. Don¡¯t go anywhere near Mariana House or any other dorm house, is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Majesty,¡± he said.


    ¡°And stay away from Miss Edgeworth,¡± the Queen said. ¡°I don¡¯t trust that girl at all.¡±


    The Prince winced but said, ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡±


    With that, the King and Queen walked off towards the first set of double doors in the antechamber, arm in arm, and the King told Jeremy that they were done. Jeremy the butler opened the double doors and greeted the King and Queen and asked if they wanted tonight¡¯s dinner in the eastern dining hall again, and they said they did and invited the others, which they accepted. As such, the group followed the King and Queen and butler to the second set of double doors leading into the main hallway that connected with the eastern dining hall. When the butler opened the double doors, Margrave Sydney and Father Robinson and Count Cosgrove and Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer all asked Marquess Fleming if they could listen to the rest of the contents of the voice-capture amulet for today as well. The Marquess said that they could at their convenience and suggested reviewing it after dinner with the King and Queen, which the King and Queen readily accepted and asked the butler to have the tables prepared for their guests.


    While Jeremy the butler went ahead of them calling for maids and manservants to prepare for tonight¡¯s dinner, and while the rest of the group filed into the main hallway, the Prince just stood there in the Judgment Circle.


    Yet Janet¡¯s clone could not have cared less, for she strode up to the Prince and said, ¡°Welcome to the real world, your Highness. Now fuck off!¡±


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [4]

 (V4) Red Pill 17: Intruders, Intrigues

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 17: Intruders, Intrigues


    <hr>


    It was now ten minutes past 5:00 p.m. After letting DeeDee¡¯s words stew in her mind, Janet remembered to ask DeeDee about the automatic writing that Baron Underwood had pointed out in her class notebook, but the landlady of Elba House beat her to the punch and said, blinking the light of DeeDee¡¯s lamp from the ceiling with her voice, ¡°Miss Marionette, if you¡¯ll allow it, I want to speak with Lady Fleming in private.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°You showed me all of those profile books,¡± the landlady said, ¡°but I want to hear Lady Fleming¡¯s side. Oh, and take care of those intruders I mentioned.¡±


    ¡°The maid and butler?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the landlady said. ¡°Just don¡¯t rough them up too much. I don¡¯t want another incident bringing more attention to this house, if you can help it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be as civil as I can,¡± DeeDee said, and the opening and closing of a door resounded through the audio of the lamp.


    ¡°Ah, I think I¡¯ve found the right set,¡± the landlady said, and there was a snap of fingers that flickered DeeDee¡¯s big lamp overhead again, and there appeared a long conference table and a dozen chairs (five on either side and one at either end) in the middle of the room between the display cases, crowding up against Janet and Baron Underwood standing by the smaller display case showing the swords and knives and other artifacts. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a bit big for the space, but if we move the shelves a bit, it¡¯ll be perfect.¡±


    Then the large display case and the three smaller display cases all moved a few feet closer to the walls on either side of the dorm room, giving ample room for Janet and Baron Underwood to move freely about. This got the three statuettes complaining, starting up a fuss about objects getting moved about like that, while the four busts on the same bookshelf were trying and failing to calm them down.


    All the while, Janet wondered who this landlady was and said, ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry for startling you,¡± the landlady said. ¡°Since I¡¯m the landlady of Elba House, I have complete control over its contents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s outrageous!¡± April said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have control over us!¡± May added.


    ¡°We are DeeDee¡¯s possessions,¡± June added, ¡°not yours!¡±


    Then Janet heard DeeDee¡¯s footfalls in the hallway outside of the double doors and saw Sir Abram and John Day looking down the hall and waving their hands. Then Janet saw DeeDee appear in the doorway, saying to John Day, ¡°John, stand guard over this room.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Miss Marionette,¡± John said with a bow of his head.


    DeeDee then said to Sir Abram, ¡°Sir Abram, accompany Lady Fleming to Lady Graves¡¯ office upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Miss Marionette,¡± Sir Abram said with a bow of his helmeted head.


    Then DeeDee looked into the room at Baron Underwood and said, ¡°Professor Underwood, two heads are better than one. Will you help me with the intruders?¡±


    ¡°All right, I will,¡± he said, heading for the double doors before pausing at the threshold, because that¡¯s when April and May and June all complained to DeeDee, saying that this crazy landlady forcefully moved the display cases without DeeDee¡¯s permission.


    DeeDee breathed out a sigh as if she had been dealing with similar complaints from the statuettes for the umpteenth time and said, ¡°This is Elba House, not my shop. We¡¯re tenants in Lady Graves¡¯ domain, so she has the ultimate authority in this place. As such, we must follow her rules here: that means you, me, and the others residing here are subject to those rules. Is that clear?¡±


    The three statuettes nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said, then to the landlady: ¡°Thank you for heeding my requests, Celeste.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± the landlady said, blinking the big lamp once again.


    ¡°Behave, you three,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°We will,¡± the three statuettes said in unison.


    Only then did DeeDee and Baron Underwood leave the room, walking down the hall towards the half-turn stairs, where their footfalls echoed away, while Janet¡¯s seven clones stayed put and watched over things.


    With that, Sir Abram said, ¡°Time to go, Lady Fleming.¡±


    So Janet stepped out past the double doors and looked to her left down the hallway, where two rows of wall sconces lit up the hallway with blue ghost flames towards another set of half-turn stairs at the end of it. Janet gulped down her qualms, wondering what kind of person the landlady of Elba House was, and accompanied the suit of armor with the floorboards creaking under their footfalls and up the half-turn stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard what happened, my Lady,¡± Sir Abram said. ¡°How¡¯s your ankle?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad anymore,¡± Janet said. ¡°Say, have you met the landlady of this house before?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve heard of her,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯s Lady Celeste Graves, a former student of Lassen Academy and a long-time friend of Miss Marionette.¡±


    ¡°What have you heard?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Sir Abram said, ¡°but I heard she was murdered in this dorm house before her graduation, but that¡¯s after my time. If you want to know more about her, ask Miss Marionette, and she might tell you.¡±


    Janet was about to ask him something else but refrained from doing so, choosing to keep her thoughts to herself about the reason such a personage wanted to speak to her. Then, upon clearing the top step and reaching the third floor of the central hallway, Janet noticed a giant hitodama of blue flickering flame floating beside the open double doors at the end of the hall. It brightened at their approach, and its flickering wisp pointed towards the inside of the room, making the lighted wall sconces flicker and blink.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Sir Abram said, ¡°it seems Lady Graves is expecting you. I¡¯ll wait outside, my Lady.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Janet said.


    And just as they reached the open double doors, the hitodama disappeared, and the same voice that Janet had heard through DeeDee¡¯s lantern downstairs now issued from inside the room, saying, ¡°Come in and have a seat.¡±


    Sir Abram stood by the doorway, so Janet gulped down her qualms again and entered a musty room full of bookshelves, stuffed with leather-bound tomes, surrounding an old desk and its seated occupant that stopped Janet in her tracks. This woman could have given Miss Edgeworth a hard time over a century ago, when Lassen Academy¡¯s uniform for women still emphasized their bodily silhouettes with fluttery gowns. As such, dressed in a short-waisted gown and a Spencer jacket and a capote atop her head, from which dark brown unruly locks of hair jumped at Janet¡¯s approach like snakes, Lady Graves smiled up at a gaping Janet as the spectral landlady pulled her locks down from their threatening postures behind her shoulders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind my hair,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°It¡¯s just been a while since I¡¯ve met a scion of the living world. Have a seat,¡± and she waved at the other chair.


    So Janet approached her and sat down, still eyeing the little locks of hair that seemed to peak back at her from behind the girl¡¯s waist. ¡°Um,¡± she said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but was your hair always like that?¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°my hair was much worse when I was alive. They¡¯ve mellowed out since my passing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lady Graves said and pulled a drawer from her desk and took out an obsidian mirror, which manifested a moving image of DeeDee confronting a maid and a butler, both of them with their hands tied behind their backs on a bench beneath the gazebo in the middle of a formal garden behind Elba House. Baron Underwood was standing aside, a pale-faced shadow of his already-nervous self, looking on DeeDee chewing out the hapless maid and butler like a domineering madam of the house.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Whoever they are,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°they¡¯re taken care of,¡± and she placed the mirror, face up, on the desk and folded her hands over it. ¡°That¡¯s one thing out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Are they spying on this house?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Beats me,¡± Lady Graves said with a shrug of her shoulders, ¡°but let¡¯s leave that aside. Do you know why I¡¯ve asked you to be here?¡±


    Janet shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°because I¡¯ve chosen you, Lady Fleming, to become a saintess candidate.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Oh, but I am,¡± she said.


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡± she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get dragged into the same mess,¡± Janet said, ¡°that got my mother killed!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that much from DeeDee,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°but I¡¯ve chosen you nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Because DeeDee told me about Rosalie Edgeworth,¡± Lady Graves said, folding her hands over her desk, ¡°although it took some convincing, along with her other demands. It wasn¡¯t until she had me review the contents of those profile books, especially yours, that I relented.¡± Then she paused before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a saintess candidate having more than two affinities, one major and one minor, let alone four major affinities at once, but this woman . . .¡±


    Her words drifted off, so Janet waited for her to continue, but when Lady Graves didn¡¯t, Janet said, ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t?¡±


    Lady Graves averted her eyes from Janet¡¯s stare, as if she was rolling something heavy through her mind, while the slithering locks of her hair capered and leered at Janet behind Lady Graves¡¯ shoulders. Then she looked back up at Janet with a flash of her purple eyes and said, ¡°Lady Fleming, after reviewing the profiles of your clones, I¡¯ve noticed that none of them were ever chosen as saintess candidates, even though your mother used to be one.¡±


    ¡°Was it because of that vixen?¡±


    ¡°If you mean Miss Edgeworth, yes,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°I used to be a saintess candidate myself, like your mother, and I¡¯ve heard that she died giving birth to you. I asked DeeDee for your mother¡¯s profile book, so I could check how she died.¡±


    ¡°How did she die?¡± Janet said.


    Lady Graves bit down on her lower lip and averted her eyes again, and after a pause she said, ¡°DeeDee couldn¡¯t bear to let you read it from your mother¡¯s profile book, so she had me read it, and it¡¯s heavy stuff, let me tell you. Are you sure you¡¯re ready to hear it?¡±


    And for the third time in Elba House, Janet gulped down her qualms but nodded her head, anyway.


    ¡°Your mother, Marchioness Fleming,¡± she said, ¡°was accused of practicing witchcraft with a coven of witches while she was nine months pregnant with you. Her parents Duke Bartleby and Duchess Bartleby and her husband Marquess Fleming and later Prince Conner Blaise and Princess Rubella Blaise all petitioned the High Court for her immediate release, but she was refused bail and interrogated for four days straight.¡±


    In wide-eyed horror, Janet cupped her hands over her gaping mouth and said, ¡°Oh my God!¡±


    At this point, Lady Graves said, ¡°You can imagine the amount of stress she was put under, in addition to the strain of her pregnancy. After the fourth day of questioning, she was led back to her cell, where she had contractions¡ª¡±


    Tears welled up from Janet¡¯s eyes and trailed down her cheeks, which she wiped with the sleeve of her bolero.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me already!¡± Janet said with trembling lips, thinking back to her father¡¯s reluctance to tell her anything connected to her mother, save for her name, Marchioness Rowena Fleming. Then she thought about the entry in her mother¡¯s profile book that DeeDee made her read, the one about her mother meeting a coven of witches on the week she married Marquess Fleming. She wiped away her tears again and prepared her nerves with a flash of her red eyes and said, ¡°Please, whatever it is, I have to know.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Janet said.


    So Lady Graves nodded and said, ¡°When your mother gave birth to you, she was hemorrhaging too much blood, and you were stillborn at birth.¡± Then she reached out and grabbed Janet¡¯s trembling hands with her own and said, ¡°Lady Fleming, DeeDee pitied you and brought you back from the dead, but she couldn¡¯t do the same for your mother. She had lost too much blood,¡± and she got up from her chair and passed through her desk and hugged the crying puddle of tears in her spectral arms, rubbing circles around Janet¡¯s back and saying it¡¯s all right, that she could just keep on crying as much as she needed to and that Big Sister Celeste was going to wait for her.


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    And Janet did just that.


    Time passed, and when Janet had had enough of tears, she wiped them away with her sleeve again and sniffled, taking a deep breath and looking back at her host¡¯s face and wiping her nose with her sleeve.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Like hell,¡± Janet said.


    Again Lady Graves bit down on her lower lip again.


    ¡°Who accused my mother?¡± Janet said.


    But Lady Graves stayed silent.


    ¡°Was it the royal family?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°though Marquess Fleming initially thought so. That¡¯s why Prince Conner Blaise and Princess Rubella Blaise both petitioned the High Court when they heard about her imprisonment, but on finding out she died in prison, the Blaise royal family launched an investigation.¡±


    ¡°What did they find out?¡±


    ¡°Long story short,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°the political enemies of your maternal family, the Bartleby house, capitalized on your mother¡¯s infamy during her time at Lassen Academy. They spread rumors about your mother¡¯s infidelity, claiming that your father married her while she was pregnant to keep the scandal quiet. But then¡ª . . .¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± Janet asked.


    ¡°They made up a bunch of poppycock,¡± she continued, ¡°about your mother cavorting with rogue witches and fomenting a revolution against the royal family.¡±


    That¡¯s when it came together in her mind, the rumors and the slander and the red herring, so Janet took a deep breath and said, ¡°They slandered my mother to cover up their own plans of a coup d¡¯¨¦tat.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Who are they, anyway?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± Lady Graves said and passed back through her desk and sat on her chair. ¡°Just like your mother, I got caught up in someone else¡¯s intrigue and was slandered to Hell and back. The only difference was that the means used against your mother were far more subtle, while I was set up and then murdered in this house before my graduation from the Academy. In both instances, the perpetrators belonged to the same family, the fallen viscount house of Dorian.¡±


    Janet searched through the cabinet of her mind, but nothing came up concerning the name, so she said, ¡°Were their names wiped from the registry?¡±


    Lady Graves nodded and said, ¡°The Dorians were part of the aristocratic faction before my time, but they were a declining house while I was alive.¡±


    ¡°Why was that?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Since their magic affinities were in decline after their founding,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°they began using underhanded means, which eventually isolated them from the rest of the aristocratic faction by the time I was born. So they relied on foreign backers to keep them going.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Back then,¡± Lady Graves continued, ¡°when I became a saintess candidate at this Academy, a rival candidate appeared from the Dorian house, Lady Lilian Dorian, the only daughter of Viscount Dorian. That bitch made my life a living hell, spreading rumors about me, having her lackeys spy on me and harass me almost every week, getting me into trouble multiple times a month for three Godforsaken years, even stealing my fianc¨¦ with her lies, and nobody outside of my family would listen to me!


    ¡°That¡¯s when I suspected, that¡¯s when my parents suspected,¡± she added, ¡°that Lady Lilian had no affinity at all, but her crooked family must have bribed her way into the saintess selection process: that, or she blackmailed her way in. Either way, I had my father, Count Graves, appeal to the royal family for an investigation into the dealings of those damn Dorians, but my unfaithful fianc¨¦ vetoed all our appeals, saying that I was using my family¡¯s influence to tamper with the saintess selection process, and broke our engagement a week before the graduation ceremony. Then¡ª . . .¡±


    She stopped again, but knowing her previous statements, Janet filled in the rest and said, ¡°You were set up?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Since I couldn¡¯t rely on the royal family anymore, I had my father appeal to the ducal house of Woodberry, but since Duke Woodberry had just been married at the time, my father¡¯s attempt to approach him was construed as me seeking another woman¡¯s husband.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I know,¡± she said.


    ¡°How could they even think that?¡± Janet said. ¡°Are they really that stupid?¡±


    ¡°Stupid enough to fall for their ruse, yes,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°After that, my former peers shamed me as a slut, and all the newspapers at the time dragged my parents¡¯ names through the mud, and I was to be confined to my dorm till the graduation ceremony was over. My God, it was so humiliating!¡±


    Janet gulped down her qualms over the one question left hanging and said, ¡°Then you were murdered?¡±


    Again Lady Graves nodded and said, ¡°Two royal guards led me to Elba House and followed me to my dorm, where I walked in, but they entered inside with me, and that¡¯s when I knew. So I bolted through the double doors as they were about to close them, but they tripped me up in the hallway and strangled me in front of the other maids and students. Everyone ran out of the house and screamed for help, but I had lost consciousness at that point. When those guards were later apprehended, they confessed to being bribed with the promise of becoming nobles themselves in another kingdom, the Schrader Kingdom. And when asked who was behind it all, they said the Dorians were, and that began their final downfall as a noble house. Before the Dorians could flee across the border, they and their lackeys were all arrested and executed, including Lady Dorian, who cursed the royal family as she and her family were burned at the stake.¡±


    Again Janet cupped her hands over her gaping mouth, then said, ¡°What happened to your family?¡±


    Only then did Lady Graves begin to shed tears, wiping them away as she said, ¡°My parents committed suicide, and my remaining family members left the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, Lady Fleming, so let it be,¡± the landlady said. ¡°After my death, the royal family issued many reforms to prevent the infiltration of spies into Lassen Academy, creating the Student Commons Town to vet all students and staff before entering the school. In addition, they established the current curfew for all students and posted guards at the entrance of every dorm house, except for Elba House out of respect for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why nobody comes here?¡±


    Lady Graves nodded and added, ¡°As for the saintess selection process, they¡¯ve developed the current magic aptitude test to keep track of every student¡¯s affinity and prevent any repeat of their blunders during my saintess candidacy. And a few decades later, I was canonized as Saint Celeste Graves, the patroness and protector of all saintess candidates. I¡¯ve been in charge of choosing future saintess candidates ever since, which brings me to your situation, Lady Fleming.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Janet said. ¡°Does it have anything to do with that vixen?¡±


    ¡°It does, actually,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°After DeeDee showed me the entries in your profile book detailing the deaths of your clones, I asked for Miss Edgeworth¡¯s profile book¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbut it¡¯s missing,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said, unfolding her hands over the mirror on her desk. ¡°So DeeDee had me bring out my mirror and pointed her out through the reflection. This is the crazy part, Lady Fleming. When I saw Miss Edgeworth for the first time today, I thought she was Lady Dorian.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°They looked so much alike that I asked DeeDee to find me Lady Dorian¡¯s profile book, so I could check if they¡¯re really two people.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She couldn¡¯t find that book either.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Janet said, ¡°there are two missing books?¡±


    Lady Graves nodded and said, ¡°Based on what DeeDee¡¯s shown me, I think Lady Dorian has been impersonating Miss Edgeworth this whole time.¡±


    That¡¯s when Janet remembered the start of Period 1 this morning, in which her suicide double said something about someone else taking Rosalie¡¯s place, so she said, ¡°Do you think the real Miss Edgeworth is missing?¡±


    ¡°Or dead,¡± she said.


    But Janet said, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she said, ¡°but this is Lady Dorian we¡¯re up against. For all I know, for all we know, the real Miss Edgeworth could be dead.¡±


    At her words, Janet rolled yet another possibility through her head and said, ¡°Then do you think Lady Dorian was behind what happened to my mother?¡±


    ¡°That I don¡¯t know,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Until we find both profile books, we won¡¯t know for sure.¡±


    Janet leaned back in her chair, putting her hands to her face for a time before looking back at her host when Lady Graves called out to Sir Abram, saying, ¡°Sir Abram of the Gate, are you still there?¡±


    Janet turned in her chair and saw the sentient suit of armor peering at them through the doorway, who said, ¡°I¡¯m here, my Lady, but how do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°DeeDee talks about you whenever she visits me,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Could you be a dear and close those doors for a bit? I need to show Lady Fleming something important.¡±


    ¡°Will do, my Lady,¡± Sir Abram said and closed the double doors shut. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said.


    Janet turned around in her seat and said, ¡°What else are you showing me?¡±


    ¡°This,¡± Lady Graves said and slid the obsidian mirror across the desk towards her. ¡°Take it and look into it and then tell me what you see.¡±


    She did as she was told, holding it up to her face, but she only saw the faint outlines and said, ¡°Am I supposed to see something?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Look past your reflection and tell me what you see. It might take some time, but tell me what you see when you recognize something other than your face. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    She did as she was told, looking into the black depths of the mirror and letting the contours of her face merge into the fluid shapes of moving outlines within its dark reflection. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Janet said, ¡°but I see something moving.¡±


    ¡°Can you make out what it is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Janet said. ¡°What am I seeing?¡±


    ¡°Take your time,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    So Janet took her time, focusing on the moving outlines in the dark reflection as if she was scrying into it, searching for any semblance of anything under its shimmering surface, till the outlines solidified into another face that seemed similar to her own for some reason. Yet the longer she peered at this other face, the more she detected the difference in the hue of the reflection¡¯s eyes and her own like that of a red morning and a blue morning. And the longer she looked, the more her heart fluttered at something familiar without knowing why, till she heard Lady Graves say something.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Janet said, looking up at her host.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said, peering back at the other face, ¡°another woman in this mirror.¡±


    ¡°Do you recognize her?¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Janet said. ¡°I can¡¯t say why, but she does seem familiar.¡±


    ¡°When you look at her in the mirror,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°who do you think of the most?¡±


    ¡°I . . . I don¡¯t know,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Let your heart speak for you,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Trust in yourself,¡± she said, ¡°and close your eyes.¡±


    So Janet did as she was told and closed her eyes, and in the darkness of a self-imposed nightfall, the blurry outlines in Lady Graves¡¯ mirror solidified into the wavy locks of auburn hair framing a face that resembled Janet¡¯s in form and countenance. Yet in place of her father¡¯s red eyes were the sparkling baby blues of a face she had only ever seen in the darkness just before sleep, and that only for a moment, but it was enough for Janet to drop the mirror.


    It clattered to the floor, but Janet was heedless of it as her face scrunched up and tears overflowed, and the girl became yet another puddle of tears. And for a time, Janet continued to cry, but when she had had enough of tears, she wiped them away with her sleeve again, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lady Graves said.


    More time passed.


    When Janet had finished wiping her face, Lady Graves said, ¡°Lady Fleming, who was it that you saw?¡±


    With trembling lips, Janet said, ¡°My mother.¡±


    Lady Graves smiled and manifested her mirror back into her hand and slid the mirror back across the desk towards her, saying, ¡°Now put your hand flat over it.¡±


    Janet did so. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Lady Graves said and placed her own hand over Janet¡¯s and then whispered an incantation, and another mirror manifested in midair above their hands. And in that floating mirror was a green and smoky luminescence that came into focus and solidified into a large glowing lamp. ¡°What do you see here?¡±


    ¡°DeeDee¡¯s lamp,¡± Janet said.


    Then she turned the mirror around that showed a night sky and the image of a smiling Marchioness Fleming waving back at Janet, then smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got your mother¡¯s looks. You¡¯ll become quite a fetch when you grow up.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± Janet said.


    Silence reigned.


    ¡°Is she really in there?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°No,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°The image you see is but a manifestation of her magic.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It means you have two major affinities,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°The aether affinity from DeeDee when she brought you back from the dead, and the darkness affinity from your mother who gave birth to you.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Janet said, thinking back to the magic aptitude test during lunch and the holograms representing the elemental affinities. ¡°If I have two affinities, then why did Father Robinson¡¯s test only confirm one?¡±


    ¡°That test was designed to single out your dominant affinity,¡± she said, ¡°which conforms to the circumstances surrounding a person¡¯s birth, and yours were extraordinary. Marchioness Fleming gave birth to you in prison after being subjected to days of interrogation, and since you came out stillborn, DeeDee granted you a contract with her to save your life. DeeDee explained this to me as I¡¯m explaining it to you now, and you¡¯re not alone in this. Your clones were born under the same circumstances as you were, so let me ask you, Lady Fleming: Have you ever experienced any visions?¡±


    Janet nodded that she had.


    ¡°Did those visions,¡± she added, ¡°have anything to do with what could have happened to you?¡±


    Again Janet nodded.


    ¡°How many visions have you experienced so far?¡±


    At first, Janet remembered the vision she had in the women¡¯s bathroom yesterday morning in which she jumped to her death after Rosalie had set her up and Prince Blaise had rebuked her, but then she remembered this morning¡¯s vision of Prince Blaise grabbing her arm and hurting her in the hallway during Homeroom 2 after another of Rosalie¡¯s setups. So she said, ¡°There was one yesterday and another one this morning.¡±


    ¡°DeeDee also talked about them,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Those visions came from your clones¡¯ memories.¡±


    Janet nodded and said, ¡°DeeDee told me last night.¡±


    ¡°Then did she also tell you,¡± Lady Graves added, ¡°about residual hauntings?¡±


    Janet nodded again and said, ¡°She said I was susceptible to their influence, because I suppress my emotions.¡±


    ¡°There you go,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°When you inherited your mother¡¯s affinity at birth, you also inherited her turbulent emotional state after she died giving birth to you,¡± and she took her hand off of Janet¡¯s over the obsidian mirror, dissipating the floating mirror between them and placing the obsidian one back inside the drawer. ¡°And on top of that, you¡¯ve been raised to suppress your emotions and conform to standards that your former fianc¨¦ has never been subject to. In other words,¡± she added, ¡°you were born to fail in a world that tears you down. It¡¯s happened to me, to your mother, and to your clones, but I¡¯ll do everything in my power to prevent that from happening to you. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Janet nodded without speaking, speechless at another woman¡¯s declaration of trust in her, and started sniffling again and wiping her nose with her sleeve. She wanted to say something to her benefactor yet was afraid that her words would turn to gibberish the moment she spoke, so she looked down at her hands and squinted back her tears.


    So Lady Graves reached across the desk and held onto Janet¡¯s trembling hands and said, ¡°Lady Fleming, please don¡¯t keep it bottled up. Outside you may be a ruined daughter or a jilted fianc¨¦e or even a villainess, but in this house you¡¯re safe. In this house, you can throw tantrums or mope or cry or complain, or you can be silly or kind or carefree. Whatever it is, you can be yourself here, even if it¡¯s just for a while. And if you need someone to talk to, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m serious now: I¡¯m literally always here.¡±


    Then Janet burst into a fountain of tears, so Lady Graves got up and passed through her desk and hugged Janet once again like a guardian angel. And for a time, Janet cried away her worries and let them fall onto her benefactor¡¯s clothes, and even Lady Graves¡¯ snake-like locks started hugging themselves around Janet¡¯s shoulders in commiseration. And for the first time in Lady Graves¡¯ dorm, after crying an exorcism of tears, Janet said, ¡°Thank you so much, Lady Graves.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re no longer strangers, Lady Fleming,¡± her benefactor said. ¡°Just call me Celeste.¡±


    So Janet let go and said, ¡°Then call me Janet.¡±


    Lady Graves smiled. ¡°Will do, Janet.¡±


    Then there came three knocks on the double doors, and a voice said from the other side, ¡°Are you done talking?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re done, DeeDee,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°You can have Sir Abram open the doors.¡±


    And when Sir Abram opened the double doors, Janet came rushing out and glomped DeeDee in a suffocating bear hug, squishing DeeDee¡¯s gasping face against her breasts, till DeeDee was gasping out something.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Janet said, letting go. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± DeeDee said, huffing and puffing.


    ¡°Celeste told me everything.¡±


    ¡°Did she now?¡± DeeDee said, looking past Janet towards Lady Graves waving back at her with a smile on her face and her hair fluttering in wavy locks behind her shoulders, then to Janet: ¡°You¡¯re not angry, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not after what you¡¯ve done for me,¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee looked up at Janet and smiled, saying, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Janet,¡± and she held her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    So Janet followed her savior with Sir Abram walking behind her down the third-floor hallway towards the half-turn stairs, passing the flickering lights of the wall sconces amidst the echoes of their footfalls on creaking floorboards.


    ¡°Are the intruders gone?¡±


    ¡°Baron Underwood¡¯s taking care of it,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but there¡¯s something else that came up.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee said, ¡°One of your clones will fill you in, but tell me: are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Janet lied.


    DeeDee slowed before the top of the stairs and looked up at Janet with her gleaming green eyes and mo¨¦ face and said, ¡°Nobody¡¯s ever ¡®fine¡¯ after finding out what you¡¯ve found out today. How are you really feeling?¡±


    So Janet deflated somewhat, following DeeDee down the stairs, and decided to be true to herself and said, ¡°I¡¯m fucking exhausted.¡±


    DeeDee and Sir Abram filled the stairwell with laughter, and Janet thought she heard other voices joining in from the empty dorms on reaching the second floor. And at first, she thought they were occupied, but none of the double doors seemed to stir, except for the open dorm room in the middle of the hallway that had three of Janet¡¯s clones waving at her.


    ¡°Hey there!¡± one clone hollered.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got news!¡± another clone added.


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe what I saw!¡± another clone said.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V4) Red Pill 18: Maids, Ghosts

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 18: Maids, Ghosts


    <hr>


    While Janet and DeeDee were seated at the conference table, Janet¡¯s beheaded clone said she should have been there to see the Prince squirm when Margrave Sydney and Marquess Fleming and Father Robinson and Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham and Count Cosgrove and King Blaise went to work on him, especially Marquess Fleming. In fact, the clone observed that Marquess Fleming used the amulet that Janet had given him to grill the Prince so hard, she thought he would shit himself, especially when the Queen appeared and slapped the Prince¡¯s face and chewed him out. To all of this, Janet smiled and said that he had it coming to him and imagined her father circling the Judgment Circle in the antechamber and glaring at the Prince like a falcon circling over an eaglet in its nest, while King and Queen Blaise had their son kowtowing in the Circle at the point of their swords over his neck.


    Then Baron Underwood returned from sending the Prince¡¯s spies back to the Royals House, saying he had also visited Ridley and Kevin in their dorms and told them to prepare for the contract signing tonight, so Janet said she¡¯d let Mindy and the Drevis sisters know about it, too. With that decided, DeeDee ended the first session of the Ghost Hunting Club, having three of Janet¡¯s clones go back to the Royals House to keep watch on the Prince, then dismissed Janet and Baron Underwood before she headed back down the hallway to the half-turn stairs leading to Celeste Graves¡¯ office to talk with her again.


    After that, Janet and Baron Underwood got up and exited Elba House as sunset was about to eclipse the horizon and plunge the sky into twilight, while the rest of her clones accompanied them. During their walk, Janet asked Baron Underwood if he¡¯d told DeeDee about the automatic writing in her class notebook, and Baron Underwood said he already had and added that DeeDee was going to talk to the landlady of Elba House about it. When Janet asked him what DeeDee said about it, the baron said that DeeDee suspected someone had placed a sleeper spell on him that activated whenever he started teaching. When she asked what DeeDee thought about it, he said that she told him it was still up in the air and needed further investigation.


    Janet was quiet after that until her arrival at Mariana House after hearing a boom inside and saw the guards missing from their post at the double-door entrance and heard a voice asking everyone to stand back. Inside were several students standing in clusters in the central hallway and talking amongst themselves, and when Janet and Baron Underwood passed by, they stared in their wake. Janet ignored them, making her way past on-lookers as another boom resounded through the hallway, and found her friends with their portmanteaus and their school bags and their maids and Janet¡¯s own maids standing with the crowd and looking at God knows what.


    When Janet made her way through the crowd, she saw the winded guards lunging forwards and kicking at the double doors with another splintering boom resounding through the hallway. They then backed up for another go at it, but Baron Underwood went over to them, saying, ¡°What¡¯s going on, gentlemen?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± one of the guards said, still huffing and puffing, ¡°we¡¯re just trying to get these blasted doors open.¡±


    The baron went over and tried the handles, yet they wouldn¡¯t click open, so he said, ¡°Why won¡¯t they open?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± the other guard said, still bowled over with his hands on his knees, ¡°but I think those doors have been enchanted. Whose dorm is that, anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± Janet said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You tell us, my lady,¡± the first guard said. ¡°We can¡¯t seem to get past the doors.¡±


    ¡°Did you use a spell?¡± the other said.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± she said, stalking over to the double doors and turning the handles, and the door clicked open and swung aside, revealing the same dorm Janet had left in a rush that morning, plus Janet¡¯s clones waving at her by her bed. ¡°See? There¡¯s nothing wrong with the doors.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± Marin said.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Susan added.


    Janet looked back at her friends¡¯ pale-faced maids, two black-haired maids that seemed like sisters or cousins and one silver-haired maid, and said, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yet her friends stayed silent and traded glances with each other, while the guards just stood there, eyes wide and mouths agape, before they snapped out of it and were now asking the other on-lookers to go back into their dorms, since the issue was resolved. ¡°What happened here?¡±


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    ¡°Marin and I tried opening the doors to tidy up your room,¡± Susan said, ¡°but we couldn¡¯t open them.¡±


    ¡°And when we arrived,¡± Mindy Kessler added, ¡°we offered to help your maids out, but the door stayed shut even with our maids pitching in.¡±


    ¡°So we asked the guards to help us,¡± Saraya added, ¡°but they couldn¡¯t open them either.¡±


    ¡°But you just did,¡± Jean added. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    For a few moments, Janet was at a loss for what to say, till Marin came in and said, ¡°We received a mirror yesterday from someone named ¡®D.D.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Was that mirror enchanted?¡± Susan added.


    Janet turned around and saw the very mirror standing between the armoire closet and the vanity table, wondering how she was going to explain that without revealing DeeDee¡¯s presence within earshot of lingering by-standers, and said in her mind, ¡°DeeDee, what can I say?¡±


    ¡°Figure it out,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Gee, you¡¯re no help for once,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking with Lady Graves at the moment,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Can you excuse us for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Janet said, then looked back at the mirror in her room before turning back to face her friends as the guards finished dispersing the crowd. ¡°Guards, it¡¯s all right now. You can go back to your post.¡±


    One of the guards approached Janet and said, ¡°Are you sure, my lady? If you¡¯re the only one who can open those doors,¡± and he pointed to the pesky doors that he and his fellow guardsman failed to kick open, ¡°then I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to report it to Lord Cosgrove.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Janet said, thinking back to Marquess Fleming¡¯s tirade against Prince Blaise at the Palace and wishing she could have been there to see the Prince squirm. ¡°It¡¯s an added security measure from my father, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You mean Marquess Fleming?¡± the guard said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she lied. ¡°It¡¯s his suggestion.¡±


    Both guards traded glances.


    ¡°All right,¡± the guard said and nodded. ¡°Have a nice evening, my lady. We will still have to inform Lord Cosgrove about it after our shifts, so just be aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    With that, the other guard nodded as well, and both guards said their evening salutations to Janet¡¯s friends before walking back to the double-door entrance and shutting the doors behind them, where Janet heard muffled talking.


    Janet¡¯s friends (Mindy Kessler, Jean Drevis, Saraya Drevis, their maids, Janet¡¯s own maids, and Baron Simeon Underwood) just stood there staring at her in silence.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°No way,¡± Mindy Kessler said, staring at Janet as if she had witnessed her doing something naughty. ¡°You did not just bluff them like that.¡±


    Janet smiled and put her finger to her lips, saying, ¡°Keep that between us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, you¡¯re awesome!¡± Mindy said.


    Janet laughed and stepped past the threshold, while her friends and their maids picked up their luggage and headed inside with her, followed by Janet¡¯s maids. There in the dorm room were sixteen of her clones crowding around her bed, so Janet said out loud, ¡°Were you the ones who opened the doors?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± her suicide clone said. ¡°That was you. And good job pulling the wool over their eyes like that.¡±


    ¡°Janet,¡± Marin said, ¡°who are you talking to?¡±


    ¡°Is there something you¡¯re not telling us?¡± Susan added.


    Janet grimaced and cursed in her mind, then looked at her two maids and her friends¡¯ maids, then looked at her friends and her club advisor Baron Underwood in turn. Faced with the inevitable, Janet closed the doors and said, ¡°Mindy, Jean, Sara, did you inform your maids about my clones?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we did,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°What ¡®clones¡¯ are you talking about?¡± Susan said, looking around the room without seeing anything out-of-the-ordinary. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone else except us here.¡±


    ¡°Unless,¡± Marin added, ¡°there¡¯s something you¡¯re not telling us, is there?¡±


    Janet¡¯s clones looked at Susan and Marin, and Janet¡¯s suicide double said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Janet.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she said in her mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s better sooner than later,¡± her double said.


    ¡°I see them,¡± Mindy¡¯s maid said, a silver-haired girl with piercing green eyes, who pointed at the bed where Janet¡¯s clones clustered around it. ¡°They¡¯re right there.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re here?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jean¡¯s bespectacled black-haired maid said, who sported a pair of braided pigtails like her mistress, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and pointing at the bed. ¡°They¡¯re right there.¡±


    Susan and Marin looked, unseeing, in that direction.


    ¡°You can¡¯t see them?¡± Saraya¡¯s black-haired maid said, who sported a pair of long twin-tails.


    Both Susan and Marin shook their heads.


    ¡°And neither can I,¡± Baron Underwood said, ¡°but I¡¯ve seen enough this afternoon to know that they exist.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Sue, Marin,¡± Janet said, stalking towards the mirror between the armoire closet and the vanity and waving her maids over and stepping aside for them to see, ¡°look in that mirror for a bit. Just . . . try not to freak out, okay?¡±


    Susan and Marin did as requested, peering into the reflection, where Janet¡¯s clones approached them from behind, smiling and waving their hands at them.


    ¡°Do you see them now?¡± Janet said.


    Susan and Marin did not say anything at that moment, only gawking at what they saw reflected behind them with open mouths and sweating temples and pale faces. As such, Susan and Marin looked back with sightless eyes upon the clones before them, then looked back at the reflection through the mirror again, both still remaining silent.


    ¡°Sue, Marin,¡± Janet said, ¡°are you okay?¡±


    But her maids, faced with the moment growing ever heavier upon them, could only do one thing.


    They fainted.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 [V4] Red Pill [0]: Pawns, Friends

    Villainess [4]: DeeDee¡¯s Beauty Sleep


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Pawns, Friends


    <hr>


    Back in Lady Graves¡¯ office, she and DeeDee talked at length about Janet¡¯s two affinities, the aether and the darkness, which progressed to the physical and psychical consequences of carrying two dominant aptitudes in one astral body. Specifically, DeeDee focused on Janet¡¯s two fainting spells: once in the hallway on the third floor of Lassen Academy yesterday morning after Janet had confronted the Prince and the fake Rosalie with the help of her clones, and again in DeeDee¡¯s old curiosity shop as she was having Janet¡¯s clones read aloud the entries of their deaths from their profile book that afternoon. To both observations, Lady Graves added that the presence of Janet¡¯s clones could have also subjected her psyche to their influence, specifically with the visions Janet had of their deaths. As such, DeeDee and Lady Graves shared the same conclusion: Janet¡¯s fainting spells and intrusive psychic visions were a symptom of an imbalance of two dominant affinities in one astral body, in which one affinity was interfering with the other.


    ¡°But which one?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the darkness affinity,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Since Janet inherited her mother¡¯s affinity under such abominable circumstances, I had to intervene, but it came at a cost. I just hope I can correct it.¡±


    So Lady Graves said, ¡°What¡¯ll you do?¡±


    DeeDee remained silent, leaning back in her chair and looking up at the top shelf of Lady Graves¡¯ bookcase, and weighed the pros and cons of an idea that she had been entertaining when she returned to Graves¡¯ office.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, DeeDee?¡± Graves said.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of repeating the same conditions that Janet experienced in the hallway yesterday,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°And since we¡¯re already inviting the others to the signing, we¡¯ll kill two birds with one stone. I¡¯ll use the others as controls to isolate and verify Janet¡¯s case. As such, Janet will be the primary variable, and Janet¡¯s clones will be the secondary variables, while Janet¡¯s friends will be the controls. If my experiment affects Janet and her clones alike, then the problem is the aether affinity, so I¡¯ll have to modify their contracts with me to help assuage Janet¡¯s symptoms. But if my experiment affects only Janet and not her clones, then I¡¯ll need your help for this. Will you help me if that¡¯s the case?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s one thing off my mind.¡±


    Then DeeDee switched topics to Janet¡¯s automatic writing in her notebook and a possible sleeper spell on Baron Underwood. While talking about it with Celeste Graves, DeeDee received a vision of Janet turning around at the threshold of her dorm room, and DeeDee saw the very mirror she had sent to Janet yesterday standing between Janet¡¯s armoire closet and vanity table. And before she knew it, DeeDee glimpsed into Janet¡¯s mind as the wayward girl was thinking of a way to explain things without revealing DeeDee¡¯s presence within earshot of the by-standers in the hallway.


    Thus, faced with another of Janet¡¯s intrusive thoughts, DeeDee leaned back in her chair and said, ¡°Celeste, can you excuse me? Janet¡¯s about to call me again.¡±


    Celeste Graves smiled, her long locks swaying behind her shoulders, and said, ¡°The work never ends, does it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m her mother,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Celeste Graves said, ¡°since you¡¯re the one who brought her back to life, you¡¯ve become her fairy godmother. Only, you haven¡¯t been able to do anything about it, till one Janet decided to go against the grain and off herself.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t remind me,¡± DeeDee said.


    Then Janet¡¯s thoughts flashed through her mind, which said, ¡°DeeDee, what can I say?¡±


    ¡°Figure it out,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Gee, you¡¯re no help for once,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking with Lady Graves at the moment,¡± DeeDee said, eyeing her companion smiling at her plight like an aunt smiling at her married sister, so DeeDee closed her eyes and put her fingers to her brows to massage away a lingering headache. ¡°Can you excuse us for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Janet said, and DeeDee glimpsed the girl looking back at the mirror in her room before turning back to face her friends, till the vision faded.


    DeeDee opened her eyes and said, ¡°Ugh, if I wasn¡¯t a spirit to begin with, I¡¯d be a hag right about now.¡±


    ¡°Awww,¡± Celeste Graves said. ¡°Does the Guardian of the Aether need her beauty sleep?¡±


    DeeDee glared, making Celeste Graves¡¯ long locks scurry behind their owner¡¯s shoulders, but then DeeDee said, ¡°Don¡¯t make light of your elders just because I happen to be one of the more charitable ones.¡±


    So Celeste Graves raised her hands, saying, ¡°All right, back to business then. Let¡¯s just hope things settle down after tonight.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be the case,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°After tonight, the real work starts. Now where was I?¡±


    ¡°The automatic writing part,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Lord Underwood said Janet didn¡¯t know about the automatic writing, till he pointed it out to her in her notebook. That could mean that the spell used on him dulls the minds of his students, even those that manage to stay awake like Janet. Do you have anything to say to that?¡±


    ¡°I do, actually,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Lady Graves paused for a moment as if collecting her thoughts on the matter, rolling it through her mind, and said, ¡°During my saintess candidacy, I¡¯ve seen something similar in the demeanor of all my professors at the time. Their demeanor towards me varied from sheer ignorance to outright sabotage, but they all had the effect of overlooking the harassment I¡¯ve had to endure up until my death. Only then did they seem to snap out of it, but by then it was too late for me.¡±


    ¡°Your observation,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°sounds a lot like what¡¯s been happening with Prince Blaise.¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡± Celeste said.


    DeeDee nodded and added, ¡°I think Lady Dorian must¡¯ve tampered with the Prince¡¯s profile book in a way that allows her to implant thoughts into his mind. That¡¯s why he¡¯s been so dead-set on doubting whatever Janet says about Rosalie, a.k.a., Lady Dorian. After talking with one of Janet¡¯s clones present at the Prince¡¯s summons, I¡¯ve also looked into the profile books of the others present at the summons, and I¡¯ve confirmed from their entries that they think the same thing.¡±


    ¡°And what were they thinking?¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°That Prince Blaise is a ¡®pawn¡¯ in someone else¡¯s intrigue,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and that Rosalie Edgeworth is involved in that intrigue, though nobody at the summons has connected it to Lady Dorian yet.¡±


    Again Lady Graves paused for a spell, then said, ¡°Do you think Baron Underwood is another ¡®pawn¡¯ in her intrigue?¡±


    ¡°An unwitting one, yes,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Celeste said, ¡°then instead of affecting Baron Underwood himself, the spell affects his students and makes them susceptible to the rumors about Janet without having either party realize it. It¡¯s more subtle than my case, but the results are the same.¡±


    ¡°Then can you be a dear and review the entries for me,¡± DeeDee said, manifesting Janet and Rowena Fleming¡¯s profile books in her hands and placing them atop Celeste¡¯s desk. ¡°I need another pair of eyes to spot whatever I might have missed. Can you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I ask,¡± DeeDee said and stood up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Celeste said, her hair locks peeking at DeeDee over Celeste¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°To the dorms to pick up two boys,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Celeste said, smiling again. ¡°I can keep a secret, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not picking them up and bringing them here for you to ogle at,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and don¡¯t forget to write up that contract. Time¡¯s a-ticking.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Celeste said. ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    So DeeDee walked out of Lady Graves¡¯ office¡ª


    ¡°And close the doors, will you?¡±


    ¡ªand did as requested, closing the double doors on her way out before following the rows of wall sconces lighting up the third-floor hallway with blue ghost flames, then descending the half-turn stairs into the second floor and walking all the way down to the other end of the hallway and greeting John Day and Sir Abram guarding the double doors to her new headquarters, then descending the half-turn stairs into the first-floor hallway and traversing it all the way out of the double-door entrance of Elba House.


    (Along the way, DeeDee thought of letting the eldest of her younger sisters know of her plans tonight, so she said in her mind, ¡°RuRu, wake up. I¡¯ve got some work for you.¡± DeeDee then waited for a response, but when all she heard was snoring, she imagined her sister sleeping on the job, hugging a big bottle of spirits to her ample bosom like the lout she was. So DeeDee yelled through her mind, saying, ¡°Wake up, you sluggard, or I¡¯m keeping your wine for a month!¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Which caused a flurry of movement and the thud of something heavy on the floor, which was picked up and placed on a flat surface, maybe a table. Then a woman¡¯s voice said, ¡°Ugh, you know I¡¯ve got a hangover, DeeDee. What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got work for you,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°What kind of work?¡±


    So DeeDee told RuRu her plans for tonight, detailing Lady Graves¡¯ involvement in helping Lady Fleming take back her own darkness affinity with Marchioness Fleming¡¯s help. When RuRu asked if Lady Fleming was the one DeeDee had saved, she said Janet was that same girl. As such, when RuRu asked her what she was to do in this little escapade, DeeDee added, ¡°You are to reawaken Janet¡¯s affinity.¡±


    ¡°How many glasses do you think it¡¯ll take?¡±


    ¡°Well, since there¡¯s one hundred and sixteen clones of her,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°it¡¯s going to be much more than usual.¡±


    ¡°Can Lady Fleming handle all of that?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she can,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°She¡¯s got more than enough potential to be a saintess candidate.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± RuRu said. ¡°My track record for saintess candidates is the worst.¡±


    ¡°Lady Graves is backing her,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But the last time Lady Graves sponsored anyone,¡± RuRu said, ¡°that two-timing King Blaise broke Lady Bartleby¡¯s engagement! Not to mention she was branded the Wicked Witch of Bartleby and later died in prison, my God!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I know what you mean,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but I¡¯m backing her, too. Janet will have two major affinities after tonight. Are you in?¡±


    There was a pause on the other end.


    ¡°RuRu,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Are you in? Or are you out?¡±


    ¡°Count me in, Big Sis!¡± she said.


    ¡°Good! Now hop to it,¡± DeeDee said as she passed the double doors, nudging them shut behind her.)


    Once outside, DeeDee viewed the last bit of the sinking sun setting the Western sky ablaze in darkening oranges and golden yellows and shielded her eyes against its glare over the roofs of the dorm houses. She then left the side street along the perimeter wall, passing by Mariana House, and stalked her way towards the Garrison Quarters on the other side of the juniper-lined boulevard bisecting the Academy courtyard. Upon entering the walkway leading towards the entrance of Jeremy House that housed Lassen Academy¡¯s male knights, she approached the two guards with fluttering hair and green mo¨¦-like eyes.


    The guardsmen nodded and whistled.


    ¡°Are you here for someone?¡± one guard said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯m here to see one of the knight cadets here named Sir Kevin Sydney.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen him before,¡± the other guard said. ¡°He hangs out with a duke¡¯s son, I think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Can you be a dear and let him know I¡¯m here?¡±


    He said, ¡°Will do, Miss . . . ?¡±


    ¡°Marionette,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°DeeDee Marionette.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Miss Marionette,¡± he said. ¡°Just wait right here, and I¡¯ll go fetch him,¡± and he opened the double doors and passed through the foyer into the hallway full of voices from knight cadets visiting fellow cadets in each others¡¯ dorms and chatting up a storm of curse words and knight jargon. DeeDee eyed the guard going down the hallway towards the half-turn stairs, looking on either side of the hallway at the nameplates by each dorm. Then he halted, turned about face, and rapped on the doors with three stern knocks.


    There was a muffled exchange of words.


    Then the guard stood there waiting for a time.


    Then the doors opened, and Kevin Sydney stepped into the hallway in his school uniform, and with him stepped three of Janet¡¯s clones beside the two men. At once, Kevin and the unseen clones accompanied the guard towards the foyer in lockstep, two knights and three ghosts matching each other from the swing of their arms to the gait of their steps like a five-person marching band, till they reached the foyer and halted just past the double-door entrance with a one-two click of their shoes upon the paving stones of the walkway entrance.


    ¡°Your lockstep¡¯s better,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kevin said.


    And the clones burst out laughing.


    ¡°Enjoy yourselves now,¡± the other guard said.


    (¡°Oh, we will, sir,¡± one clone said.


    ¡°And when we do,¡± another clone said, ¡°you¡¯ll know about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a promise,¡± a third clone said.


    And all three laughed again.)


    Then Kevin deflated from his rigid stance and said, ¡°You bet, sir. See you later,¡± and he accompanied a flustered DeeDee down the walkway and cut across the lawn between Jeremy House and Leeds House, followed by the three pesky clones commenting on the weird difference between Kevin¡¯s military stride and his current slouching pace. In the end, they just chalked it up to just wanting to show off to DeeDee.


    (With one clone asking, ¡°Were you impressed?¡±


    ¡°It was amusing,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It was like seeing a pair of automatons walking side by side, while three bratty nincompoops were copying them out of boredom.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± another clone said, ¡°we were just trying to pass the time. This spying stuff is really boring.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course it is,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Real life isn¡¯t like the dashing derring-do of gothic romance novels, but even so, no slouching off during your post.¡±


    The girls complained.


    ¡°And no complaining either,¡± DeeDee said.


    Now they complained over DeeDee¡¯s added restriction, in addition to their boredom, saying something about being cooped up in a knight¡¯s dorm all night and watching him pick his nose and scratch himself whenever he felt like it and his spontaneous burping and farting and stuff like that.)


    Yet DeeDee ignored their plight as she followed Kevin up the walkway towards another pair of guards at the double-door entrance of Leeds House right next door to Jeremy House. All the while, DeeDee was thinking back to the time she first met the disembodied spirit of Sir Abram of the Gate before she had settled down in a disused section of the Student Commons Town. She got as far as her argument with Sir Abram over a toll tax to cross a bridge on her way to the Town, which turned into a dispute, which then turned into a fight . . .


    When one of the guards approached them with a nod of his head and said, ¡°Are you here for your friend, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s been pacing around in the hallway like a madman, you know. I¡¯ll go get him,¡± and the guard then nodded to DeeDee before heading back and opening the doors and stepping inside for a moment.


    Then Ridley Woodberry stepped out through the doors, and with him stepped out three more of Janet¡¯s clones bounding along with him with the same energetic stride.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d arrive,¡± and he turned back and waved at the guards, both of whom nodded their evening salutations. And the three clones copied Ridley¡¯s gesture before accompanying him and Kevin and their other kindred clones, the group of nine following DeeDee along the walkway back to Mariana House.


    ¡°Come along,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Everyone¡¯s expecting us at Janet¡¯s dorm,¡± and she crossed the boulevard for a moment, then turned around and saw the boys and the clones still loitering on the other side of the boulevard. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Kevin and Ridley waved her back over, and DeeDee walked back towards them, wondering what was on their minds.


    ¡°Before we go with you,¡± Ridley said, ¡°you need to know about today¡¯s . . . incident during lunch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard Janet¡¯s side of it,¡± she said. ¡°Is there anything you want to add to it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kevin said. ¡°His demeanor has changed. Not just towards Janet but also towards me and Riddle. We¡¯ve known Donny for almost as long as Janet has known him, but we have never seen him act like that.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Like a different person,¡± Ridley added. ¡°It took some convincing from Janet to point it out, but the Donny we saw during lunch was not the one we knew.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°He never used to be so pushy,¡± Ridley said, ¡°and that¡¯s putting it lightly.¡±


    ¡°Nor was he nasty or violent,¡± Kevin added. ¡°I mean, I pushed him for hurting Janet like that, but then he called me a ¡®third-rate knight¡¯ and spat on my face. God, I never felt more like hitting him than I did then, and he threw me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thrashed,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Whatever!¡± Kevin said. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve had our differences. We¡¯ve even come to blows¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªwhich I¡¯ve mediated,¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°But this was different,¡± Kevin said. ¡°The more I think about it, the more he felt . . . off for some reason.¡±


    DeeDee stayed silent for a spell, rolling their observations and replaying the scenes of Janet¡¯s thoughts through her head, wondering where the divide happened between these two young men and their friend. ¡°Be honest when I ask you this,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Do you still care about your friend?¡±


    Both boys traded glances.


    Then they nodded that they still did.


    Then Ridley said, ¡°Donny¡¯s behavior had me worried yesterday. He and I saw Janet collapse in the hallway, but Donny thought she was playing the sympathy card. And when I checked on Janet and told him she had fainted, he wasn¡¯t even fazed. In fact, he seemed more worried about Rosalie than about Janet, but the weirdest part was that I underestimated just how much he had changed, till Janet pointed it out after we saw Donny hurt her during lunch. I mean, Donny¡¯s behavior yesterday had me worried, sure, but if Kevin and I hadn¡¯t seen him hurt her with our own eyes, we still might not have believed her. Don¡¯t you find that strange?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± DeeDee said, thinking back to her conversation with Celeste Graves and connecting Celeste¡¯s plight with Janet¡¯s in that the professors in Celeste¡¯s case and the students in Janet¡¯s case had overlooked their plight and had scapegoated them for the actions of the real culprit. In Celeste¡¯s case, in fact, it took her own murder in front of other people in Elba House for the truth to come to light.


    ¡°It¡¯s like,¡± Ridley added, ¡°we¡¯ve been charmed to overlook anything happening to Janet.¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean,¡± DeeDee said, then to Kevin: ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Kevin said. ¡°I¡¯m still pissed at what he did, but I wanna know what¡¯s wrong with him.¡±


    DeeDee then reached out and grabbed their hands and pressed them together between her own, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll help you find out and allay your worries.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡± they both said.


    ¡°I promise. Come on,¡± DeeDee said, turning around and leading the way back across the boulevard towards Mariana House. ¡°Let¡¯s not keep the rest waiting.¡±


    And the two boys followed in tow, accompanied by Janet¡¯s six clones tailing behind them and talking amongst themselves in whispers only DeeDee could hear in her mind. They were talking about the Prince¡¯s demeanor during today¡¯s lunch period, commenting on the way he seemed so hell-bent on incriminating Janet, but the eyewitness report of one clone present at the Prince¡¯s summons left DeeDee in doubt. For all she knew, Prince Blaise may not have been complicit in any of Rosalie¡¯s machinations till the very end, if at all, when Janet¡¯s clones were about to die.


    The only exception was Janet¡¯s suicide clone, whose dive off the third-floor bannister at the Academy took even Prince Blaise by surprise, forcing him to go after her when it was too late. If Janet¡¯s suicide clone hadn¡¯t done that, would DeeDee have been involved in this matter? Even if she was aware something was off, would she have suspected anything wrong with the profile books in her shop if Janet and her clones hadn¡¯t come in to see her the other day? In light of these questions, DeeDee thought of including Janet into the fold of another ongoing investigation that she hasn¡¯t disclosed to even Lady Graves yet, for involving mortals into godly matters was serious business. She¡¯d have to ask RuRu for a second opinion before she committed to that kind of risk.


    DeeDee shook her head of such thoughts when she and the rest came up to the guards at Mariana House, and she said, ¡°Will you let us in? We want to see if Lady Fleming is okay.¡±


    ¡°Are you her maid, mademoiselle?¡± one guard said.


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°Have you heard what happened?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve heard from the students at this dorm,¡± the other guard said, ¡°but it¡¯s so unbelievable. His Highness doing such a thing, it¡¯s preposterous!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Me, Sir Sydney, Lord Woodberry, and several others: we all saw what he did.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad, was it?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Kevin said. ¡°Father Robinson advised her not to put weight on her foot till after five o¡¯clock.¡±


    Both guards winced and grimaced.


    ¡°I took her to the infirmary,¡± Ridley said. ¡°When she came by, was she able to walk on her own?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she was,¡± the first guard said.


    ¡°When?¡± Ridley said.


    ¡°Well past five o¡¯clock, so don¡¯t worry,¡± the other guard said, and both guards opened the double doors for them and stepped aside.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [4]

 (V4) Red Pill 19: Gatherings, Cemeteries

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 19: Gatherings, Cemeteries


    <hr>


    As twilight lingered in deepening shades of starry nightfall, ushering a full moon from the East above Mariana House, Janet acquainted herself with her friends¡¯ maids: Mindy¡¯s gray-haired maid was Ellen Levy, and Jean and Saraya¡¯s maids were sisters, Diana Anderson and Niana Anderson, respectively. After that, Janet informed Mindy and the Drevis sisters about tonight¡¯s signing and asked them to be there, and they said they would. Then Janet supped with her friends at her tea table with their book bags hanging from their chairs, stress-eating sandwiches and drinking ginger tea and commiserating over today¡¯s events. Also, her friends¡¯ maids took turns with Baron Underwood checking on Janet¡¯s maids at their bedside while eating sandwiches and drinking apple cider by the serving cart and commiserating over their collective evictions.


    All the while, Janet¡¯s sixteen clones occupied one corner of the room jabbering on and on about the Prince getting a good dressing-down during his summons from Margrave Sydney and Father Robinson and Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham and Count Cosgrove and King and Queen Blaise and especially Marquess Fleming. The rest of the clones all wished they had been there to see it for themselves, saying that it served the Prince right for hurting their living avatar like that.


    Then, after everyone had finished supper, Janet left the table and went over to her maids¡¯ bedside and sat at the edge of the bed across from Baron Underwood, while her friends¡¯ maids were in the middle of gathering the tableware and placing them in the cart and pushing it through the double doors, leaving the doors ajar behind them. All the while, Janet¡¯s newfound friends approached her clones in their corner and tried communicating with them with yes-and-no questions.


    Meanwhile, Janet said, ¡°They¡¯re still out of it?¡±


    Baron Underwood said, ¡°Looks that way. It must¡¯ve been quite a shock for them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± she said, looking at Susan and Marin sound asleep beneath the sheets. ¡°I never thought anyone could faint like that outside of a romance novel.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that serious, though,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine with bed rest, but¡ª¡±


    The baron then looked past Janet¡¯s shoulder.


    So Janet looked back at the mirror between the armoire closet and vanity table, where the baron had a different reaction. Instead of fainting at the sight of ghosts in the reflection, he had carried Marin to the bed, while Janet and her friends¡¯ maids helped Susan into bed beside Marin. After pulling the sheets over them, Baron Underwood then stalked back to the mirror, walking through the clones like they were made of nothing, and kept looking back and forth from the mirror to where the clones stood. And for a moment, Janet had thought he would faint as well, but he kept his composure, wiping the sweat from his brow, and introduced himself to Janet¡¯s clones like a gentleman.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± he said.


    Janet nodded, saying, ¡°Seeing ghosts isn¡¯t unheard of.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, ¡°but seeing so many doppelg?ngers of you is a different experience altogether.¡±


    ¡°Fainting is a one-time thing,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± he said.


    Janet was about to add something to that¡ª


    When six more of her clones passed through the double doors, rousing the other sixteen clones from answering more yes-and-no questions with nods and shakes of their heads, which in turn made Mindy Kessler and the Drevis sisters turn their heads towards the commotion.


    As such, Janet and her suicide clone walked up to them, and her clone said, ¡°What is it now?¡±


    And one of the six clones said, ¡°DeeDee and Kevin and Ridley are on their way here.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Janet said in her mind.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± another clone said.


    Janet then pulled the doors open and entered the hallway, followed by her friends and the rest of her clones (twenty-two of them now), and saw the trio approaching. At the same time, Janet heard the clicking of a door latch and turned around only to see her friends¡¯ maids coming out of the servants¡¯ quarters room beside her dorm. Then she looked back to her three friends and her club advisor and her clones with her in the hallway, then looked past them through the doorway at her own maids still fast asleep in her bed before she turned back to the most recent trio of visitors to Mariana House and wondered if her dorm could fit so many visitors.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a quarter to six,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too early?¡± Janet said. ¡°The signing is not till midnight.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but there¡¯s no time like the present,¡± and she glanced at Janet¡¯s twenty-two clones and said, ¡°All of you, keep watch in the hallway. If there¡¯s anything suspicious, let me know at once.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Janet¡¯s suicide clone said and directed her fellow clones in eleven pairs as lookouts along the first-floor hallway of Mariana House and accompanied them outside.


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    So Janet went back inside her dorm, allowing everyone to enter, and pushed the doors closed, till there was a click of the latch amidst the growing hubbub of voices. She turned around and saw her friends¡¯ maids taking up their former stations beside the bed and looking after her sleeping maids, while her friends and Baron Underwood were explaining to DeeDee and Kevin and Ridley what had happened earlier in the hallway. To this, DeeDee clarified the situation, saying that it was because of the mirror she had sent to Janet the other day and pointed it out between the armoire closet and the vanity table, which roused more questions from Janet¡¯s friends.


    ¡°Is that mirror enchanted?¡± Jean said.


    ¡°It is,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Are you a witch?¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°I¡¯m much more than a witch,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯m the Guardian of the Aether, and Janet is my prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Mindy said, turning from DeeDee to Janet and back to DeeDee. ¡°You¡¯re really a Guardian?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± she said.


    ¡°Janet,¡± Jean said, ¡°how did you get contracted with a guardian spirit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Saraya said, ¡°your mother was a saintess candidate, right? Was her affinity the same as yours?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then tell us,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°But why not?¡± Saraya said.


    Janet paused, then said, ¡°It¡¯s not something¡ª¡±


    ¡°Does it have anything to do with how your clones died?¡± Jean added, looking to the closed double doors, beyond which Janet¡¯s clone stood guard in the hallway.


    ¡°It does, actually,¡± Janet said, ¡°but it¡¯s more complicated than that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°It¡¯s because,¡± Janet said but stalled, wondering if she should let her friends in on some of the finer details of her meeting with Celeste Graves in her office.


    ¡°Because of what?¡± Mindy added.


    Janet then put her finger to her lips and said, ¡°Keep this to yourselves, okay?¡±


    So Jean and Saraya and Mindy all said that they would keep it amongst themselves, adding that they would cross their hearts and hope to die if they divulged Janet¡¯s secret.


    ¡°I¡¯m a saintess candidate,¡± Janet said.


    Then all three girls crowded around Janet, saying they were so jealous and asking her several questions at once, but Janet said that it¡¯s not something that she¡¯s comfortable talking about just yet. But when they pressed her with more questions, DeeDee came to Janet¡¯s rescue and said that her affinity with the spirits of the dead came about through circumstances far too horrifying to take lightly, which had its effect.


    Mindy and Jean and Saraya covered their gaping mouths with their hands and apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Janet said. ¡°I can¡¯t fault you for being curious. I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯m ready. Is that okay?¡±


    All three girls nodded that it was.


    Meanwhile, Kevin and Ridley had been talking with Baron Underwood about Janet¡¯s ghost clones that the Baron had seen through her mirror, as well her maids¡¯ fainting spell. To this, Kevin and Ridley asked DeeDee if she could show them or at least one of them, but DeeDee said that they were spirits, not objects to be ogled at, which also had its effect.


    Kevin and Ridley began blushing like shy schoolboys with Kevin saying, ¡°Whoa, I¡¯m not like that, I swear!¡±


    And Ridley added, ¡°We¡¯re just curious, because we haven¡¯t really seen them yet. I mean, we¡¯ve gone legend-tripping before, but we haven¡¯t seen any ghosts yet!¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s seen ghosts except us,¡± Kevin said. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, is it?¡±


    ¡°Just be patient, you two,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see them after tonight. Which reminds me.¡± Then she turned towards the mirror, stretching out her hand and manifesting a lamp in her hand, and said to the other clones watching over Rosalie Edgeworth and Donavan Blaise and the as-yet unseen Joseph Reeves in their dorms, ¡°The rest of you, come over and show yourselves in this mirror.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± one clone said, blinking her lamplight.


    ¡°Because I have two boys here with me,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°who have yet to see any ghosts, and we need to gather all of you for tonight¡¯s signing, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± another clone said, blinking the lamp. ¡°Watching over people is like watching paint dry, I swear.¡±


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°Sir Sydney, Lord Woodberry, come over here and look into the mirror,¡± and she waved them over.


    Both boys did as requested.


    ¡°Don¡¯t faint now,¡± Baron Underwood said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have another bed for you,¡± Janet added, ¡°if either of you faint.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Kevin and Ridley looked at her and the baron.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°If it could happen to my maids,¡± Janet said, glancing over at Susan and Marin still asleep in her bed, ¡°it could also happen to you, so be prepared.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Kevin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know about Riddle, but I¡¯m not the fainting kind of guy.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Ridley said.


    DeeDee shushed them with a finger to her lips, then faced the mirror and said, ¡°Are you all there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± the clones said at once, blinking the light of her lamp again.


    ¡°Then show yourselves,¡± DeeDee said.


    Then the image in the mirror reflecting everyone inside the room blurred out and manifested nine more of Janet¡¯s clones in the mirror, and one of the clones dressed in a soiled linen gown (the one that had witnessed Prince Blaise¡¯s dressing-down at his summons) waved at them.


    Kevin and Ridley, for their part, were silent and just raised their hands and waved back.


    Then Ridley looked over at a smiling DeeDee and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream, is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream, Lord Woodberry,¡± DeeDee said, then to the clones: ¡°Say hello, girls.¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± they all said, blinking DeeDee¡¯s lamp.


    ¡°Don¡¯t faint,¡± Baron Underwood said.


    ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± they said.


    Janet smiled at their reaction, wondering if Kevin and Ridley were so interested in ghosts because they needed to overcome their fear of them, while Mindy and Saraya and Jean all giggled with their hands over their mouths. Janet traded knowing glances with Mindy and the Drevis sisters, thinking that these guys were scaredy-cats on the inside, but she refrained from voicing her thoughts out loud.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking,¡± Kevin said, catching their eyes with a glance, ¡°it¡¯s not like that,¡± and he and Ridley looked back at the mirror again, then turned back at the room, then back at the mirror again.


    The nine clones then manifested in the room as they were reflected within the mirror, still invisible to the boys except within the confines of the reflection.


    ¡°They¡¯re already with us,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and the others are on the other side of those doors,¡± and she pointed towards the double doors. ¡°Come on in, girls.¡±


    Then twenty-two other clones walked through the closed doors, visible to everyone inside the room save for Baron Underwood and Kevin and Ridley, who only saw them in the mirror.


    DeeDee said to the maids of Janet¡¯s friends, ¡°You three, stay here and look after this room. If the guards come in later asking for us, just tell them it¡¯s a test of courage. They¡¯ll understand.¡±


    The gray-haired Ellen and the black-haired Diana and Niana all traded glances, and Ellen said, ¡°We will, Miss . . . ?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Marionette,¡± she said, ¡°but just call me DeeDee.¡±


    ¡°Will do, DeeDee,¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± DeeDee said, placing the lamp on the floor. ¡°Everyone else, pick up this lamp.¡±


    Everyone just stared at DeeDee.


    ¡°DeeDee, how can we all do that,¡± Janet said, ¡°when there¡¯s just one lamp?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you pick it up,¡± she said. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have all night. We¡¯ve got a lot ahead of us.¡±


    So Janet went ahead and picked up DeeDee¡¯s lamp, while the original lamp remained on the ground. Everyone except for the maids started crowding around the enchanted lamp, and DeeDee said, ¡°See what I mean? Everyone, pick it up.¡±


    And one by one, Mindy and Jean and Saraya and Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood picked up their own lamps. Then, when Janet¡¯s clones were up next, all thirty-one of them started manifesting bodily in the room as they all picked up their lamps, leaving DeeDee¡¯s lamp on the floor afterwards. At this, Ellen and Diana and Niana started debating in whispers whether DeeDee was an actual spirit guardian or not, while Baron Underwood and Kevin and Ridley just stared, wide-eyed and mouths agape, at thirty-one copies of Janet appearing in the room with lamps in their hands.


    Then DeeDee picked up her own lamp, leaving one lamp there on the floor, and said to the three maids, ¡°We¡¯ll be gone till some time past midnight. If anything happens before our return, let me know through that lamp on the floor, and we¡¯ll come back as soon as we can, okay?¡±


    All three maids nodded, pale-faced and wide-eyed and now starting to sweat at their temples.


    ¡°Good. Everyone else, stay close and follow me,¡± DeeDee said and headed for the double doors and knocked three times, and its echoes fluttered through the air above their heads.


    Silence reigned for a moment.


    A folded sheet of paper slid out from beneath the door, so DeeDee put down her lamp and crouched to pick it up. DeeDee unfolded it and ran her eyes across its contents, then looked back at Janet and her companions and put her finger to her lips and handed it to Janet and said, ¡°Read it to yourselves and tell me when you¡¯re all finished.¡±


    Janet took the paper and read, while her companions all read along with her. The letter said,


    <blockquote>


    ¡®Dear Ghost Hunting Club,


    ¡®I invite you to our humble abode in Elba House for tonight¡¯s signing, but I have some ground rules. One: wherever your path may lead, do not stray from each other on your way to Elba House, lest you become trapped in the Spirit World. Two: whenever you feel or hear or see strange things, do not scream, lest you disturb the spirits. And three: whenever you speak amongst yourselves, speak only in whispers, lest you disturb the spirits. From tonight onward, be mindful of these rules and do not break them, unless absolutely necessary.


    ¡®Yours truly,


    ¡®(signed) Lady Celeste Graves¡¯


    </blockquote>


    When everyone had finished reading the letter to themselves, Janet said, ¡°We¡¯re all finished, DeeDee.¡±


    With that, DeeDee snapped her fingers, and the letter in Janet¡¯s hand transformed into a blue ghost flame shaped like a dove that hovered above their heads in fluttering wisps. DeeDee then turned to the maids and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone a word about this, you hear?¡±


    Ellen Levy and Diana and Niana Anderson nodded their heads and gulped, all three whiter than ever now.


    DeeDee then pulled open the double doors and picked up her lamp from the floor, and the whole group followed the fluttering blue dove into the hallway, where it flew towards the half-turn stairs at the end of the corridor and waited for them to catch up. With the light of their lamps casting their swaying shadows along the floor and the walls of the hallway, the group kept their footfalls light upon the floorboards and up the steps of the half-turn stairs. All the while, Janet heard DeeDee counting the steps under her breath, so Janet followed along and counted one step . . .


    And two steps . . .


    And three steps . . .


    And then four steps . . .


    And on and on she counted . . .


    Till Janet counted up to thirteen steps, at which point she began feeling dizzy and nauseous and lost count, her feet faltering and her lamp swaying beneath her sweaty grasp. Yet through the vertigo, she managed to keep her footing and stomped after DeeDee, who was still counting steps.


    But when DeeDee counted up to thirty-nine steps, she ceased altogether and waited for Janet, then took a hold of her hand and said, ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± and she led the way a few steps further over level ground.


    And before Janet knew it, before she realized that her head had stopped reeling to and fro like a pendulum, she heard crickets chirping and found herself in an open field full of elm trees and flowerbeds and ornate mausoleums made of marble under a starry night sky. As her friends and her clones gathered into the field behind her, Janet and the rest looked up and saw the fluttering wisp of blue light flying in circles above them, flapping its effervescent wings.


    ¡°Okay, everyone,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Remember to keep your voices down while we¡¯re here.¡±


    As everyone nodded their heads, the fluttering blue ghost flame dived towards DeeDee and entered her lamp, turning its green spectral glow into a bright blue light.


    Then Lady Graves¡¯ voice issued from DeeDee¡¯s lamp, blinking the lamplight when she said, ¡°Janet, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Just a dizzy spell,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What about the rest of you?¡± DeeDee asked the group. ¡°How are you all feeling?¡±


    And Ridley and Kevin and the Drevis sisters and Mindy Kessler and Baron Underwood and all thirty-one of Janet¡¯s clones said they felt fine.


    ¡°Now I see,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°See what?¡± Janet said. ¡°Was this a test?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Lady Graves said, blinking DeeDee¡¯s lamp. ¡°Since you¡¯re the only one affected during DeeDee¡¯s Thirty-Nine Steps, it could only mean one thing.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s your darkness affinity,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Darkness affinity?¡± Ridley said and looked at Janet. ¡°Wait, Janet, you have more than one?¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Kevin said, ¡°your magic aptitude test¡ª¡±


    ¡°I took a modified aptitude test in Lady Graves¡¯ office,¡± Janet said, ¡°and found out I had the darkness affinity. Just don¡¯t tell his Highness about it.¡±


    Ridley and Kevin promised not to tell him.


    So Janet turned to DeeDee and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my darkness affinity?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been interfering with your aether affinity,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°As such, you¡¯re susceptible to hauntings and fainting spells and the visions about your clones¡¯ deaths.¡±


    ¡°Then how do I fix it?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± DeeDee said and led the way across the field, passing by mausoleum after mausoleum. ¡°Come along, all of you, and keep your voices down.¡±


    So Janet and the rest followed in silence, walking across several walkways leading to different mausoleums, the glow of their swaying lamps casting their shadows along the grass and the brickwork of the pathways in their wake. Along the way, Janet¡¯s girlfriends caught up to her and talked with her in whispers, and Kevin and Ridley fell behind and talked with their club advisor Baron Underwood in whispers as well, while Janet¡¯s clones brought up the rear as they talked amongst themselves about something Janet could scarcely hear.


    As such, Mindy and Jean and Saraya asked Janet if she¡¯s gone out legend-tripping before, but Janet said she hasn¡¯t and asked if they had. They all said they had during the daytime on the weekends but added that they¡¯ve never gone out incognito after curfew, so they stared at her with sparkling eyes. And looking at their dreamy eyes and blushing faces, Janet wondered if they¡¯ve read too many gothic romances if they thought incognito outings were really that romantic. So Janet said she¡¯s only ever done that when she helped DeeDee move her stuff into Elba House, which then got Mindy and the Drevis sisters bringing up rumors of masked incognitos going out at night. In particular, Mindy went off on a tangent, saying that her mother¡¯s next gothic romance was going to feature a masked protagonist and that her father wrote a series of articles about masked incognitos over the summer, but she added that it was just to drum up more publicity for his newspaper.


    Janet thought for a moment about the way she had gone out last night as DeeDee¡¯s older sister, as well as her weird encounter with that mask-wearing nun in her dream, but she refrained from saying anything about them.


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Janet and her friends and her clones looked at where DeeDee aimed her lamp, and they saw a mausoleum of black marble up ahead near the corner of a crossroads in the northeast part of the cemetery. Janet and the rest headed down the walkway towards the cabin-sized monument, where she saw its glossy finish fluorescing in the light of their lamps.


    ¡°Janet,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°do you recognize this place?¡±


    She shook her head that she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°It¡¯s Marchioness Fleming¡¯s grave,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Your father Marquess Fleming took you here once when you were very little. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    Again she shook her head, then approached the monument¡¯s sepulchral door and placed her hand on its surface, and something warm filled her chest as if she was on the verge of crying. She then looked back at DeeDee and the rest and said, ¡°Have you met her?¡±


    ¡°Twice,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°The first time was just after her marriage when she participated in a s¨¦ance and channeled me to locate her little nephew for the Bartleby family.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Janet said, ¡°how did she¡ª¡±


    ¡°She was a gifted medium,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°In addition to seeing ghosts, she could also channel their spirits and their voices, but I never made a contract with her.¡±


    ¡°And the second time?¡±


    DeeDee waved Janet over to her side, and when Janet came over with her lamp, DeeDee whispered into her ear, saying, ¡°The second time was after your mother gave birth to you in prison. She begged me to save you with her last breath, and so I formed my contract with you and your clones.¡±


    Janet then looked at her clones, remembering the hardships they all had to endure in their time at Lassen Academy when she first met them in the women¡¯s bathroom yesterday morning, which felt like a lifetime ago.


    After that, DeeDee placed her lamp on the ground and said, ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here, we¡¯ll start the ceremony. Celeste, come out of my lamp and greet everyone.¡±


    And the bright blue light left the lamp, turning back to its original green light, and manifested before everyone in Lady Graves¡¯ spectral shape and waved back at them. ¡°Hello there, everyone,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m Lady Celeste Graves, the protector of all saintess candidates. DeeDee asked me to be here with you, so after we¡¯re done here, we¡¯ll go to Elba House to have you all sign my contract.¡±


    ¡°The rest of you,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°form a circle around me and Janet and Lady Graves, then place your lamps on the ground in front of you and join hands.¡±


    And so they did, with Mindy and Jean and Saraya and Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood and Janet¡¯s thirty-one clones all forming into a circle and placing their lamps before them on the ground and holding each other¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Janet,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°place your lamp at your feet and don¡¯t move from there.¡±


    So Janet did, placing it there and remaining still, wondering what was about to happen.


    Then DeeDee circled around and stood behind Janet and said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, Celeste.¡±


    So Lady Graves approached Janet and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared now,¡± and once Janet nodded, Lady Graves waved her hand across Janet¡¯s eyes . . .


    That¡¯s when Janet fell backwards into a falling dream as her body fell back into DeeDee¡¯s arms, who lowered her onto the ground and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, everyone, she¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t move from your places and keep your hands together.¡± Then she nodded at Lady Graves.


    So Lady Graves bent over and took Janet¡¯s hand and pulled her up, and Janet¡¯s astral body sat up as the lamps surrounding them started blinking off and on.


    ¡°Time to get up, Janet,¡± Lady Graves said.


    Yet for a time, Janet just remained there in inertia, feeling like she had just woken up from a deep sleep, till she breathed in a full breath and exhaled in her astral form, and her eyes flashed blue as warmth flowed into her. And with Lady Graves¡¯ help, she stood up amidst the gasps and ashen looks of her companions and her clones staring back at her, while her corporeal form lay on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m up,¡± Janet said, her voice blinking the light of the lamp at her feet.


    ¡°Pick up your lamp,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot ahead of us.¡± And as Janet picked up her lamp, her guide said, ¡°The rest of you, wait here and keep your hands together, till we come back out.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Janet said.


    Lady Graves smiled, saying, ¡°We¡¯re going to meet your mother, dear. She¡¯s been expecting you ever since you entered my office.¡±


    And so, hand in hand with her guide, Janet¡¯s astral form passed through Kevin and Ridley¡¯s clasped hands on their way towards the open door of Marchioness Fleming¡¯s mausoleum, casting a spectral luminescence that caught the peripheral visions of everyone holding hands around Janet¡¯s unconscious body. Kevin and Ridley and the rest now looked down to their feet at the luminescent light on the ground there, and both boys started sweating as if they were about to faint.


    So DeeDee said, ¡°Don¡¯t faint, boys.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± they said.


    ¡°And don¡¯t yell,¡± she added.


    And they both apologized in lower voices.


    Baron Underwood and the girls and clones sniggered, yet when Mindy and Jean and Saraya and Kevin and Ridley and even Baron Underwood all turned their gazes to where Janet had gone off with her guide, DeeDee said, ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°This ceremony isn¡¯t meant for living eyes,¡± DeeDee said, knowing full well that they were all here on the sufferance of many restless souls: Hell hath no fury like a sleep-deprived ghost, after all. ¡°Please, respect the wishes of the dead in this place and wait for their return.¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V4) Red Pill 20: Affinities, Stakes

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 20: Affinities, Stakes


    <hr>


    ¡°Your mother¡¯s expecting you,¡± Lady Graves said as the pair stepped through the doorway of Marchioness Fleming¡¯s mausoleum into the bluish green luminescence filling the stygian interior. Inside was a raised platform on which stood a marble sarcophagus holding the remains of Janet¡¯s mother, where Janet saw emblazoned over the lid the family crest of her maternal ducal family: the Bartleby house. On that crest, a bend dexter ran diagonally over a shield, a fleur-de-lis on its upper left and a crescent on its lower right. Its design signified the intentions of a foreign ducal family moving after nightfall under the thin sliver of a new crescent moon into a new home.


    The symbolism was an apt representation of historical events. Janet knew of the Bartleby house from her studies at Lassen Academy in Viscountess Durham¡¯s class, where she read about the Bartlebys¡¯ participation in the Great War just before the founding of the Kaden Kingdom. In particular, she remembered reading of Duke Wilhelm Bartleby¡¯s role in that war as a double agent, who gave King Lambert Schrader¡¯s army false information that weakened the King¡¯s forces before moving his own family and his followers under nightfall over the Charon Mountains to join up with the allied forces of the future king, Duke Bartholomew Kaden. As such, the allied forces of Duke Bartleby and Duke Kaden were symbolized in the emblazoned crossed swords on the crest of the Blaise royal family, the direct descendants of King Bartholomew Kaden.


    Lady Graves bade Janet to put her lamp on top of the lid of the sarcophagus, which Janet did, and the lamplight changed from a bright green to a bluish green that filled the interior with more light. Then she led Janet around the sarcophagus to the other side, where they found a square opening in the floor at the base of the platform with a series of steps yawning at their feet. Whatever was down there in the bluish green haze left the imprint of icicles in Janet¡¯s chest, making her gulp as she squeezed her guide¡¯s hand.


    Lady Graves said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Janet.¡±


    The girl wondered if it really was okay and said, ¡°Do we have to go down there?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to meet your mother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± Janet said, ¡°but what if I¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, I promise,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Just stay close and watch your step.¡±


    Janet gulped down her qualms and followed her guide into another plane of existence, the echoing footfalls within this chthonic world conjuring up visions in Janet¡¯s mind. At first, they were just snapshots of her mother¡¯s face flashing across her mind¡¯s eye whenever she blinked, and then they were the blurry afterimages of her mother lingering in the periphery of her eyesight. Yet the longer she noticed her mother¡¯s face, step for step, Janet began to see images of a woman (big with child) in a cell begging to be let out, banging her fists against the bars, and calling out for anyone that could hear her in the gloom of her surroundings . . .


    When she said to her guide, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I said we¡¯re here, Janet,¡± Lady Graves said and pointed to an open set of double doors left ajar. ¡°She¡¯s inside, so make yourself at home.¡±


    Janet took a few steps towards the doors, then turned and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡±


    ¡°Only if Marchioness Fleming allows it,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll just wait here and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do come in, both of you,¡± the Marchioness said. ¡°And I¡¯m not angry at you, Celeste.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Rowena,¡± Lady Graves said.


    After Janet pushed the doors open and passed the threshold, followed by her guide, she stopped and stared into a moonlit garden patio with the splashing of a fountain filling the night. And beyond the patio out into the square of the garden, standing before that very fountain, was the Marchioness herself in a waisted jacket and tie and a long skirt, her hair hanging down in long wavy curls, her hands raised to her mouth, and her eyes glistening with tears.


    ¡°Mom, is that you?¡± Janet said.


    Marchioness Fleming wiped away her tears and said, ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve grown so much!¡±


    Janet dashed towards her mother and almost tackled the Marchioness into the fountain, clasping onto the woman she had never known outside of her father¡¯s words, tears trailing her cheeks. Amidst the chirping of crickets and the buzzing of fireflies, Janet wanted nothing more than to catch up with her long-lost mother. Yet the same bluish green luminescence clouding up the garden in whips of spectral fog told Janet that this meeting would be a short one.


    Once Janet let go of her mother, she gazed at her mother¡¯s face and said, ¡°I know what happened to you.¡±


    Marchioness Fleming looked at an ashen-faced Lady Graves and said, ¡°Did Celeste tell you?¡±


    Janet nodded.


    ¡°Not DeeDee?¡± the Marchioness said.


    Janet shook her head, saying, ¡°She couldn¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°I guess she has her limits,¡± the Marchioness said and turned towards the fountain. ¡°Did she say why?¡±


    Janet shook her head again.


    ¡°Did she say anything else about it?¡±


    ¡°She only asked if I was okay,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I see. Come here. I¡¯ve got something to show you.¡±


    So Janet halted before the fountain beside Marchioness Fleming and followed her mother¡¯s pointing hand towards the dappled reflection of the splashing waters.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Look there and tell me what you see.¡±


    She peered at the dappled reflection before her, shimmering like scimitars in the moonlight, and said, ¡°What am I supposed to see?¡±


    The Marchioness then reached into the dappled waters, wetting the sleeves of her jacket up to her elbows, and pulled out a gelatinous slime-looking thing, black in color. There was a faint bluish green glow coming from it as it jiggled in Rowena¡¯s arms, so she said, ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    Janet remembered reading about it in Father Robinson¡¯s Magic Studies class and said, ¡°A mana pool?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re close,¡± Rowena said. ¡°It¡¯s an affinity pool, which is a subset of one¡¯s mana pool.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t covered that in class yet,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be ahead of the class after tonight,¡± her mother said. ¡°My affinity pool helped me manipulate shadows to some extent and improve my mediumship when I was alive,¡± and she looked back over her shoulder at Lady Graves. ¡°Celeste, pull yours out, too, and show it to her.¡±


    So Lady Graves came up and reached into the dappled splashing of the fountain and pulled out a bigger gelatinous slime-looking thing, also black in color, but there was a faint blue glow coming off of hers. ¡°Mine¡¯s a little bigger than your mother¡¯s,¡± she said, ¡°but it¡¯s the same thing overall.¡±


    ¡°How did you use yours?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I mostly used mine for storing books that I read,¡± she said, ¡°but I¡¯ve also used it for setting up hiding places or for scrying into other places with a mirror.¡±


    ¡°Ew,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking!¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°I only did that to find more hiding places.¡±


    ¡°Geez, were you always that introverted?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was,¡± she said. ¡°It took me almost a century in the afterlife to grow out of it.¡±


    Janet just stared at the woman that had comforted her crying self back in her office, the same woman who gave off big-sister vibes. She tried to imagine this woman as introverted, but the idea seemed impossible, so she looked towards the dappled surface of the water and said to her mother, ¡°Is mine also in there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s there, but it¡¯s hard to make out,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Reach in there and try taking it out.¡±


    So Janet waded her arms into the dappled waters up to her elbows and felt something warm and squishy beneath her palms and said, ¡°I feel something.¡±


    ¡°Can you grab it?¡± Rowena said.


    Janet tried hooking her fingers, yet the squishy gelatinous substance kept slipping from her grasp, so she said, ¡°I can¡¯t get a good hold of it.¡±


    Lady Graves leaned over Janet¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s too big to grab on your own.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s something else,¡± Rowena said.


    Janet faced her mother, waiting for her to say more.


    Then her mother presented her mana pool, saying, ¡°Janet, see if you can hold this for me.¡±


    So Janet cupped her hands, palms up, and felt the weight of her mother¡¯s affinity pool in her hands getting heavier and heavier. Although it felt warm and squishy to the touch, it weighed her arms down as she scrunched up her face keeping it in her grasp, yet it slipped through her fingers and thudded to the ground with a rumbling jolt at her feet.


    Yet Marchioness Fleming just bent down and picked it up like it was nothing and said, ¡°Compared to other affinities, the darkness affinity is a heavy burden.¡±


    After that, Lady Graves and Rowena placed their affinity pools on the ledge of the fountain and waded their arms into the water, then bade Janet to try again. Janet did so, reaching in and managing to grab the squishy surface of her own affinity pool, and all three women gritted their teeth, heaving and pulling and managing to lift part of its bulk through the dappled surface of the water. Its black gelatinous sheen gleamed in the moonlight, and beneath its bulk there glowed a deep reddish hue the color of blood seething beneath it like the pulsations of a beating heart.


    ¡°My God,¡± Rowena said under her breath, then turned to Janet and Lady Graves. ¡°Why is it so big?¡±


    Janet whispered to Lady Graves, saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell her before I came here?¡±


    Lady Graves went pale and whispered back, ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s get it all out before we let her know.¡±


    So the three women continued heaving and pulling and lifting more of its bulk from the water, tugging at it like a game of tug of war, sliding it up and over the fountain¡¯s ledge. The thing just kept growing and expanding out of the fountain like a gigantic slug, till its whole bulk thudded onto the ground and shook the garden square beneath their feet and encompassed almost the entirety of the space between the fountain and the patio. All three women were huffing and puffing, and an ashen-faced Rowena Fleming and a wide-eyed Lady Graves were staring at the massive thing before them.


    Then both women faced Janet, and Rowena and crossed her arms over her ample bosom, tapping her foot and saying, ¡°Is there something I should know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Try me.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t take it lightly,¡± Lady Graves added.


    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m taking it lightly?¡± Rowena said, then pointed to the giant pool of darkness next to her. ¡°This thing¡¯s the size of a cabin!¡± Then she faced Janet again and said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know this was yours, I would¡¯ve thought it was a slime monster! Now tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of my clones,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rowena said. ¡°I only gave birth to you. How could there be ¡®clones¡¯ of you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± she said.


    Rowena stayed silent for a time, looking at Janet and Lady Graves in turn, then skirted around the gigantic affinity pool towards the fountain and picked up her own affinity pool from its ledge. She then came back and said, ¡°Janet, we share the same affinity, so I can share mine with yours.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Are you sure you wanna do that? It¡¯s heavy stuff, you know.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to,¡± Rowena said and placed her affinity pool onto Janet¡¯s bigger one. The smaller one glowed and sank into the bigger one, and her eyes flashed from blue to red for just a moment, just long enough for her mind to glean the contents of Janet¡¯s past lives, just enough for her mouth to gape open as an involuntary reflex. Rowena then bowled over and covered her mouth in her hands, her eyes aglow with the many deaths of Janet¡¯s clones shrinking her pupils to horrified pinpricks, while more tears trailed her cheeks.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Janet sprinted up to the crying puddle of tears that was her mother as she collapsed to her knees, and Janet hugged the now-hysterical woman to her bosom, saying, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay. Really, it¡¯s okay!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not okay, my God!¡± she said, wiping her tears away as her smaller affinity pool manifested at her knees between herself and Janet. ¡°Who is that woman?¡±


    ¡°A bitch,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I knew her as Lilian Dorian,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°She tormented me while I was alive, and now she¡¯s impersonating another girl just to torment your daughter.¡±


    ¡°And who¡¯s this other girl?¡±


    ¡°Rosalie Edgeworth,¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯m just two months into the school year, but this fake Rosalie has already made me into a villainess, stolen my fianc¨¦, and turned most of the students against me. On top of that, she¡¯s killed my clones, and if it wasn¡¯t for them, I would¡¯ve been her next victim.¡±


    Rowena squinted and wiped away more tears, sniffling as she did so, then picked up her affinity pool in her hands and threw it overhand towards the fountain, where it knocked Lady Graves¡¯ affinity pool into the splashing waters.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lady Graves said.


    After that, Rowena patted Janet¡¯s giant affinity pool, making the moonlit sheen of its surface jiggle a bit, and said, ¡°Geez, no wonder yours is so big, but this amount of power is a double-edged sword. Does anyone from the Academy know you have the darkness affinity?¡±


    ¡°Only my friends know about it,¡± Janet said.


    She folded her arms over her ample bosom and said, ¡°Name them for me, one by one.¡±


    Janet looked at Lady Graves, who nodded her head, so the girl said, ¡°Besides Celeste here, there¡¯s DeeDee and the people in her shop. Then there¡¯s Lord Woodberry, Sir Sydney, Lady Kessler, the Ladies Jean and Saraya Drevis, and Baron Underwood. That¡¯s all of them.¡±


    ¡°Does your father know of this?¡±


    Janet shook her head.


    ¡°Tell him as soon as possible,¡± her mother said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Janet said. ¡°Telling him will make things complicated for me.¡±


    ¡°Complicated or not, you need allies,¡± she said.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve already got allies,¡± Janet said, then noticed the baby blue eyes of her mother flashing like flames from a piercing stare. This made Janet turn from Rowena to Lady Graves, then to Rowena again and then back at Lady Graves. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her about my clones, did you?¡±


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    Lady Graves grimaced and looked away.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me before we got here, geez!¡±


    Lady Graves winced and said, ¡°It took some convincing, trust me. She almost threw me out when I told her.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Janet,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s this?¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve changed your mind, Rowena.¡±


    ¡°Do I even have a choice?¡± Rowena said. ¡°My God, after seeing those deaths, I can¡¯t call myself a good mother anymore!¡± She then faced Janet and grabbed her shoulders, saying, ¡°Now be honest. Despite everything that¡¯s happened, do you still love that fianc¨¦ of yours?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Father to break off my engagement with him.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± she said. ¡°That boy¡¯s trash, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Janet said. ¡°Did Celeste tell you what he did to me during lunch?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rowena said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that stupid prince is so smitten with this Rosalie look-alike. Do you remember if the school board or law enforcement got involved after the deaths of your clones?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Janet said.


    Rowena bit down on her lower lip and then said, ¡°Celeste, you¡¯re more experienced with these matters than I am. What are your thoughts?¡±


    Lady Graves paused for a moment, seeming to roll things through her mind, and said, ¡°For one, whatever happens at Lassen Academy doesn¡¯t stay there. Rumors abound, especially when they¡¯re all about you, and from my experience, the Prince won¡¯t do anything to help his fianc¨¦e if he thinks she¡¯s bullying someone he loves.¡±


    ¡°Even when he¡¯s cheating?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I know! Double standards, right?¡± she said. ¡°Look, I won¡¯t go so far as to say that the royal family is outright overlooking his Highness¡¯s actions against you, but you¡¯ve got to look after yourself. You can¡¯t keep relying on their protection at school. Because if his Highness is that biased against you, if Lady Dorian¡¯s got him wrapped around her finger like that, then you need better allies.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Janet said. ¡°I¡¯ve already got my clones and you and DeeDee and also my friends at school. Lord Woodberry and Sir Sydney and Baron Underwood all have my back, and the fathers of Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters own newspaper companies. They¡¯ll raise hell if that Rosalie look-alike decides to mess with me again.¡±


    Lady Graves shook her head, saying, ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding my point, dear.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not good enough?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re great allies to have, Janet,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°but the families of your friends are all subject to the royal family¡¯s authority. The Woodberry family is a ducal house, the Sydney family is a margravial house, the Kessler family is a count house, the Drevis family is a viscount house, and the Underwood family is a baronial house. They all occupy different parts of the aristocracy, but they¡¯ve got one thing in common. Can you guess what that is?¡±


    Her question deflated Janet¡¯s sails as it hit her, so she said, ¡°They¡¯re loyal to the Blaise royal family.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Even if your friends support you at school, their families might not.¡±


    ¡°Conflict of interest?¡±


    Lady Graves nodded. ¡°Do you get it now?¡±


    ¡°So I need allies outside of school,¡± Janet said. ¡°Wait, what about my father?¡±


    ¡°Marquess Fleming is a special case, dear,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Because he¡¯s your father, and because of his Highness¡¯s outrageous actions against you, the royal family must save face and compensate your father for his Highness¡¯s actions just to keep him on their side. And it¡¯s the same thing with Margrave Sydney for what his Highness did to Sir Sydney, as well. But it¡¯s still a give-and-take between allies.¡±


    Janet sighed. ¡°Another conflict of interest?¡±


    Lady Graves nodded.


    ¡°Which means I¡¯m still out of the loop?¡±


    Lady Graves nodded again.


    ¡°Who else do you have in mind then?¡±


    Lady Graves looked at Rowena and said, ¡°Now¡¯s your cue.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what ¡®cue?¡¯¡± Janet said, facing the two ladies in turn. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s talking about my family, Janet,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Your maternal family.¡±


    ¡°The Bartleby house?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°The very same, yes,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Though they¡¯ve fallen on hard times since my death, and most of my relatives are gone. Well, except for one.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The current Duke Bartleby, Astor Bartleby,¡± Rowena said. ¡°I knew him when he was little, and I¡¯ve heard from DeeDee that he had just become a duke earlier this year. He has yet to find a marriage partner, so he has little political clout beyond his family name, but he¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°Who is he, anyway?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Astor Bartleby is your cousin, Janet,¡± Rowena said. ¡°He¡¯s the son of my second older brother, Sir Aaron Bartleby. Your father and I managed to find Astor during our honeymoon, and we brought him to our house after our return. He was a frightened little boy back then, so we couldn¡¯t send him back to the Bartlebys right away. Instead, we took care of him at our residence for the next several months, and my parents, Duke and Duchess Bartleby, visited their grandson at least twice a month during that time.¡±


    Yet Janet had a lot of questions on her mind, too many to blurt out all at once, so she just went with the first one on her mind and said, ¡°Mom, when was all this?¡±


    ¡°I was pregnant with you at the time, Janet,¡± Rowena said and then paused, biting on her lower lip.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Rowena said.


    Janet nodded.


    ¡°Your father and I honeymooned for a week at the southern border of the Kaden Kingdom,¡± Rowena said. ¡°We were married on our first day there, but while we were there, we were also looking for Astor¡¯s whereabouts. On the second-to-last day, we found an orphanage in a nearby town and heard about a boy that had run away the day before, so we split up to help everyone find him. On the last day, I managed to find Astor before we were about to head back, and we had the orphanage transfer him to our care and took him with us to our house later that day. Poor Astor was scared at first, but he eventually got over his fear of strangers within the first week. And a week after that, I found out I had missed my period, and that¡¯s when I knew I was pregnant with you. When I let your father and Aster and the rest of the household know about it, everyone was so ecstatic. In fact, Astor even proclaimed himself as your big brother and lived with us for the next several months, till we began to hear those awful rumors about me,¡± and she paused.


    Janet thought back to today¡¯s hectic afternoon, especially in Elba House where DeeDee had her read the last entry of her mother¡¯s profile book, as well as her conversation with Lady Graves in her office, and said, ¡°About you consorting with witches?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°It was all poppycock, but those rumors stuck, and more rumors about me started spreading. We didn¡¯t want Astor¡¯s upbringing to get tainted with rumors, so your father sent the boy to the Bartleby house. And just a month after that . . .¡±


    Rowena paused again, but Janet filled it in and said, ¡°You were arrested on charges of witchcraft?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that too,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean by that?¡± Janet said. ¡°What else happened?¡±


    ¡°When they interrogated me,¡± Rowena said, ¡°they kept asking me about Astor¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡±


    ¡°I wish I was, Janet,¡± Rowena said. ¡°I¡¯m just guessing, okay? Whoever was behind the charges must have infiltrated the High Court with sleeper agents. I mean, sure. I was the Wicked Witch of Bartleby in my Academy days, but those rumors about me consorting with witches were something else entirely. I knew it the moment they questioned me about Astor¡¯s whereabouts, but I gave them nothing.¡±


    Janet was tongue-tied for several moments, till she said, ¡°Why were you looking for him in the first place?¡±


    ¡°The Bartleby family has a lot of political enemies, both domestic and abroad,¡± Rowena said. ¡°In short, we¡¯re a house of traitors, Janet. We defected away from the Schrader kingdom, and because of that, the Bartleby house has no shortage of enemies wanting to destroy us.¡±


    ¡°Does that include the former viscount house?¡±


    ¡°You mean the Dorians?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Yeah, them.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be surprised if they were behind the whole thing,¡± Rowena said. ¡°God knows they¡¯ve got enough bad blood against us back then.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Then Lady Graves pitched in and said, ¡°Janet, do you remember our talk in my office? About the Dorians getting arrested before they fled across the border?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Janet said.


    Lady Graves said, ¡°Guess which family had those Dorians arrested. You might be right.¡±


    Janet gaped, staring at Lady Graves and then at her mother, as she connected all the dots and said, ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Did you figure it out?¡± she said.


    ¡°The Bartlebys?¡±


    ¡°Bingo!¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Do you get it now, Janet?¡± Rowena said.


    She did, closing her mouth and nodding her head, yet her mother¡¯s question set her world spinning down a whirlpool from which there was no return. In addition, Celeste and Rowena¡¯s observations pushed Janet onto another line of thinking about her current situation at the Academy, one that gave it a new aspect that hadn¡¯t crossed her mind before. Why would Lady Dorian break into DeeDee¡¯s shop and tamper with the profile books of five students (herself included) at her school? Why would Lady Dorian spread rumors about her and turn the students (especially Prince Blaise) against her? Why would she go to such lengths to get rid of Janet just like she did to her clones? What would she even gain from all that?


    She turned from these thoughts when she heard Lady Graves saying, ¡°Janet, DeeDee and the rest are waiting outside. Let¡¯s get this thing up there, so we can wake you up,¡± and she slapped the big gelatinous blob next to her, jiggling its moonlit surface again.


    So the trio of women pushed the gigantic thing onto the patio. Then they heaved it up against the open double doors through which Janet and Lady Graves had entered, forcing the giant object to deform itself into the shape of a square aperture. Janet and Lady Graves and Rowena all gritted their teeth and stepped into the stubborn affinity pool that refused to go through the doorway, like trying to fit a cylinder through a square hole too small for its diameter. Yet try as they might, the thing was too big, and the trio lost their footing and got rebounded back across the patio into the garden square, where they landed on their butts. To outside observers, it was like peering through a kinetoscope and watching a comedy skit about three useless slime tamers failing to get a giant slime monster to follow their orders.


    The ladies stood back up, huffing and puffing and rubbing their behinds and wincing. Then they peered over at the giant affinity pool settling its massive bulk over the patio and into part of the garden square.


    ¡°The door¡¯s too small,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°And getting that thing up the stairs is a nightmare,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°I think we need DeeDee¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°Wait, not yet,¡± Janet said, remembering Lady Graves¡¯ darkness affinity being used for storing things. ¡°Didn¡¯t you use your affinity for storage?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I said that,¡± she said, averting her eyes, ¡°but I tend to use it for books, mostly novels. I¡¯m sorry, Janet, but I don¡¯t have much space for that thing,¡± and she pointed at the giant blob on the patio.


    ¡°But what if we take them all out?¡± Janet said. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s enough space for it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll have to check, but . . .¡±


    When Lady Graves paused, Janet said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    That¡¯s when Rowena took her aside and whispered, ¡°Her taste in novels is on the eccentric side.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®eccentric?¡¯¡±


    ¡°You visited her office, right?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said.


    ¡°Then have you seen the books she keeps there?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Janet said. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to browse while I was there.¡±


    ¡°She keeps a lot of revenge and villainess and gothic romance titles there,¡± Rowena said, ¡°but for the spicier ones, she keeps those close by.¡±


    Janet stared at her mother, because it meant that Lady Graves used her darkness affinity to store the ¡®spicier¡¯ kinds of books for her to read in private. At this, she stole a glance at Lady Graves crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot, so she looked at Rowena and wondered how she knew that about the protector of all saintess candidates.


    ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°I walked in on her once while she was reading in her office,¡± Rowena said, ¡°and playing with herself.¡±


    Janet blushed and gaped at her mother before stealing another glance at the naughty closet-reader, but Lady Graves was nowhere in sight. She looked around the garden square but found no trace of Lady Graves, so mother and daughter turned and turned, looking for her to no avail.


    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I think she just ghosted us,¡± Rowena said.


    But just as Janet was about to add something to that, the next thing she knew, Janet and her mother fell down up to their necks in a black void of darkness, while Lady Graves was standing over them and tapping her foot, her arms still crossed over her chest. That¡¯s when both mother and daughter looked up at Lady Graves¡¯ figure obscuring a bright full moon, the long locks of her hair writhing like snakes behind her in the moonlight. And the dark purple hue of Lady Graves¡¯ eyes glowed and flashed with the glare of a basilisk menacing two women caught in its trap, a mother and a daughter caught gossiping on a subject too tender for Lady Graves¡¯ sensibilities.


    ¡°I like to read what I like to read,¡± Lady Graves said, her long locks coiling behind her shoulders and staring down at Janet and Rowena. ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    Janet traded glances with Rowena, and both women shook their heads that they had no problem with her reading preferences. And Janet even added, ¡°We¡¯re not judging you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°We just need you to take out your books,¡± Janet said, ¡°so we can put my darkness affinity inside yours and take it back up to the surface. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Only then did Lady Graves relent, crouching and reaching out for Janet and Rowena to grab her hands, and she pulled them up to her level on the ground.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m a little touchy when it comes to my reading preferences.¡±


    ¡°I see that,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Just stay here,¡± she said, ¡°and I¡¯ll put my books over there,¡± and she pointed towards the center of the garden square in front of the fountain, where its splashing waters still glinted in the moonlight. As such, while Janet and Rowena waited, Lady Graves went over to the fountain and crouched and placed her hand on the ground. Then a big circular seal of blue spectral light spread out from the epicenter of her palm, and moments later there appeared several gigantic blocks of stacked books in the square. At least three dozen of these blocks of books took up space in the square, each block the size of a four-poster bed, so that Janet couldn¡¯t see Lady Graves amidst the blocks.


    ¡°My God, she¡¯s a bibliomaniac,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Whenever she visits me, she always tells me to read this and that.¡±


    When Lady Graves emerged from the blocks of books, Janet said, ¡°How much did you read out of all that?¡±


    ¡°About a third of it,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°My gothic revenge collection and my villainess collection are both five times bigger than this.¡±


    Janet shared another glance with Rowena and said, ¡°Geez, were you that depressed after your death?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Since my death, reading has become a form of therapy for me. Sometimes I binge-read seven novels a week, but they¡¯re of different genres to keep things fresh for me. Now,¡± she added, clapping her hands, ¡°let¡¯s get back to the problem at hand.¡±


    With that, Lady Graves positioned herself at one corner of the garden square between Janet''s affinity pool occupying the patio and a part of the square on one side and the blocks of books by the fountain on the other. While standing there as an anchor point on which the light of the moon cast her shadow on the ground, she told Janet and Rowena to get behind the giant blob and wait for her command. As they skirted around the affinity pool towards its other side, Lady Graves manipulated her shadow into a black oblivion and expanded it outward into a long oval along the length of the patio, big enough to accept the bulk of Janet¡¯s affinity pool into its depths.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± she said.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready when you are,¡± they said.


    ¡°Okay, she said. ¡°On the count of three: one . . . two . . . three . . . Push!¡±


    And the mother-daughter duo pushed the gigantic thing off the patio, sending it into the void, till it thudded inside and rumbled the grounds beneath their feet. Now the long dark oval of shadow was just the size of a platter within Lady Graves¡¯ shadow, from which the wine-dark shimmer of Janet¡¯s affinity pool glistened like an ocean contained therein. When Janet and Rowena came over and stood with Lady Graves, all three just stared at the glistening aperture before them.


    ¡°This is huge,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Janet,¡± she said, ¡°if the wrong kinds of people get wind of this, whatever happened to me and your mother will be nothing¡ªand I mean nothing¡ªcompared to what¡¯s gonna happen to you. Do you understand?¡±


    Janet nodded that she did, thinking back to all the questions she had about her circumstances, till she had a brainwave. She was thinking back to yesterday morning during Homeroom 1 when she confronted Rosalie (a.k.a., Lady Dorian) the day before her transfer to a different homeroom, thinking back to the moment Janet acted out of character in front of her nemesis, the moment when she saw the first traces of fear on Lady Dorian¡¯s face. What made her react like that? Did she think that Janet knew something even she didn¡¯t know? In this world that seemed to revolve around Lady Dorian, where her peers loved her, where Prince Blaise wanted to protect her, was there anything in this world out of her reach?


    That¡¯s when Janet realized it, and she kicked herself for not seeing it sooner.


    ¡°Celeste,¡± Janet said, ¡°do you think Lady Dorian is looking for Rosalie¡¯s whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± she said.


    ¡°Is there something you haven¡¯t told us?¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°No, but think about it,¡± Janet said and pointed at the pool at their feet. ¡°Is this amount of mana normal?¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°This amount is comparable to that of a dragon king or a demon lord. On a scale of dangerous to deadly, this is apocalyptic.¡±


    ¡°If you put it that way,¡± Janet continued, ¡°then that would give Lady Dorian another way to demonize me at school. She¡¯d take full advantage and paint me as a natural disaster, but she doesn¡¯t know of this, does she?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°In fact, you didn¡¯t even know of this yourself, till you took my magic aptitude test in my office.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°And what exactly do you mean?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°What is it, Janet?¡± Rowena said. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re onto something, so what is it?¡±


    ¡°These are just my thoughts,¡± Janet said, ¡°but why would Lady Dorian break into DeeDee¡¯s shop? Any guesses?¡±


    Both women shook their heads.


    ¡°What if Lady Dorian tampered with those profile books to prevent me from finding her out?¡± Janet said. ¡°What if Lady Dorian hid her own profile book to cover up her crimes in this world? What if she assumed Rosalie¡¯s identity to find out where the real Rosalie hid herself? What if the real Rosalie took her profile book with her somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Assuming she¡¯s alive,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Rosalie is alive,¡± Janet said.


    But Rowena said, ¡°How would you even know that when you haven¡¯t met her?¡±


    ¡°Because Lady Dorian stole Rosalie¡¯s identity,¡± Janet said. ¡°In this world, Lady Dorian is dead, but Rosalie Edgeworth is alive. If Rosalie was already dead, everyone in this world would have known that she¡¯s dead. If you don¡¯t believe me, go ask DeeDee after we¡¯re done here. Have her look over all her profile books. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll agree with me on this. Hence, if Lady Dorian thought I knew about this, wouldn¡¯t that endanger her standing as Rosalie Edgeworth at school? I mean, if she even suspected that I knew, wouldn¡¯t that explain her actions against me? Wouldn¡¯t she do everything she could to turn the students against me? To turn my own fianc¨¦ against me? Wouldn¡¯t she risk the trouble of forging documents and spreading lies and devising ways to kill me off just to shut me up? Am I making sense or am I talking gibberish?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making sense,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°But where are you going with this?¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°How many times have you both died?¡±


    ¡°Just once,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Once,¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve died multiple times, as evidenced by my clones,¡± Janet said and thought back to her telepathic conversation with her suicide clone in Viscountess Durham¡¯s Homeroom 1 earlier this morning. ¡°DeeDee discovered a total of one hundred sixteen clones in my profile book, thirty-one of which she and I have already met, but we don¡¯t know the whereabouts of the other eighty-five. I know this sounds crazy, but their existence points to one thing.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°It¡¯s like playing a game,¡± Janet said. ¡°You get multiple tries to win a game, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°And all of my clones were just past tries to win previous games, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°And in this game, as in those past games,¡± she continued, ¡°the cards are marked, the dice are loaded, the odds are against me, and I¡¯ve been playing this whole time without knowing it¡¯s been rigged. At least, I was before I met my clones. It was my clones who led me to DeeDee, who then led me to you, Celeste, who then led me to you, Mom, and now you¡¯ve both led me to another potential ally.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you win?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°By finding the real Rosalie Edgeworth,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then does that mean,¡± Lady Graves added, ¡°that Lady Dorian wins if she kills you off?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Janet said, thinking back to Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters bringing up rumors of masked incognitos, which got her thinking of Lady Kessler¡¯s father writing up newspaper articles about them, which then got her thinking of that strange mask-wearing nun in her dream last night, which then got the wheels of her brain turning on a crazy idea, crazy enough to curl her lips into a slasher¡¯s smile that caught her two listeners off guard.


    Janet caught herself in time and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°What were you thinking?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna sound nuts, and you¡¯ll think I¡¯m crazy, but I¡¯ve got an idea to mix things up,¡± Janet said and told them what she had in mind. And what she had in mind made their jaws drop, for it was the stuff of tabloid stories, the stuff of rumors and tall tales, the stuff that nobody would ever take seriously, and Janet counted on it. If Lady Dorian was rigging the game with rumors, then Janet could do it, too¡ª


    And do it better.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 [V4] Red Pill [0]: Stories, Hauntings

    Villainess [4]: Ellen and Arnold Share a Story


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Stories, Hauntings


    <hr>


    Back in Janet¡¯s dorm at Mariana House, her maids Susan Wilton and Marin Irvine had woken up an hour ago, scaring the spirits out of Ellen Levy and the sisters Diana and Niana Anderson sitting around the tea table telling ghost stories by their bedside. Of course, it didn¡¯t help that the trio had seen Janet¡¯s clones in the room, and it didn¡¯t help that DeeDee¡¯s lamp threw their shadows large on the walls, and it didn¡¯t help that DeeDee had sworn them to secrecy about Janet¡¯s nighttime escapade with her friends, and it didn¡¯t help that they had followed their footfalls up the half-turn stairs only to find no trace of them on the second floor, and it didn¡¯t help that they had been telling ghost stories just to keep up appearances while waiting for everyone¡¯s return.


    Worst of all, Ellen Levy had been narrating the climactic moment of a gruesome story, in which a woman¡¯s corpse sat up in bed and looked at her ex-fianc¨¦, who dropped his bloodstained knife on the floor¡ª


    When they heard the rustling of bedsheets.


    At once, screaming ensued, and soon enough the two guards barged through the double doors asking them what was the matter. So they all said they were telling ghost stories. When they asked where the others were, they said they were having a test of courage upstairs, which the guards understood (as DeeDee had said they would). In the end, the guards just warned the maids to be mindful of their neighbors in the other dorms before going back to their posts. And so, the trio had Susan and Marin join their table, Susan doubling back out of the double doors and returning with a spare chair.


    With everything set up, Ellen and the Anderson sisters informed Susan and Marin of the foregoing events. It amounted to a series of answers and questions and more answers about where Janet and the rest had gone off to, what they said they¡¯d be doing, when they¡¯ll come back, and what she and the other maids have been doing to pass the time in their absence. Susan and Marin seemed too surprised to ask anymore questions after all that, so Ellen said, ¡°We¡¯re just keeping up appearances, till they come back, okay?¡±


    Susan and Marin deflated somewhat.


    With that said, all five maids began telling each other ghost stories for the next hour.


    But now that it was Ellen¡¯s turn again, she shook her head and said, ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m all out of ghost stories!¡±


    ¡°Does it have to be ghost stories?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°No,¡± Ellen said. ¡°They could be any kind, really. As long as they¡¯re exciting enough, they¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Any that come to mind?¡±


    ¡°Okay, let me think,¡± Ellen said, combing her fingers through her long gray hair and coming up with Count Kessler¡¯s coverage of a perennial topic in his newspaper that Lady Kessler would talk to her about during her breaks. ¡°It¡¯s not something I¡¯d normally discuss without my Lady¡¯s permission, but since it¡¯s just us, I think it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Is it sexy?¡± Diana and Niana said, their dark eyes flashing and their ears turning red.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that,¡± Ellen said.


    The sister maids deflated, and Marin said, ¡°What is it then?¡±


    So Ellen said, ¡°Have you read about those incognitos in Count Kessler¡¯s Memory Times?¡±


    Ellen¡¯s companions said that they had, and Diana said she had heard from Lady Jean Drevis that Viscount Drevis was in talks with Count Kessler about them. When Ellen asked if they were preparing a collaborative article, Niana said she had heard from Lady Saraya Drevis that it¡¯s been rumored amongst the editors at the Drevis Times for some time now.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t the articles made up?¡± Marin said.


    ¡°They are,¡± Ellen said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no kernel of truth.¡±


    ¡°What truth?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you guess what that is?¡± Ellen said.


    They all shook their heads.


    ¡°Lady Kessler and her parents are the only ones who know about this,¡± she said. ¡°So please keep it a secret amongst the five of us. I don¡¯t want to get fired for this.¡±


    They all gulped and nodded their heads, crossing their hearts and swearing oaths to secrecy.


    ¡°Good,¡± Ellen said. ¡°During the spring of this year at the Kessler residence, the Count returned late at around midnight, so he had a late meal alone with Countess Kessler, because Lady Kessler was already asleep at the time. Anyway, after I took the dishes to the kitchen for the kitchen staff, I overheard Countess Kessler asking the Count why it took him so long to get back from his trip overseeing his land. Count Kessler mentioned meeting a masked nun walking alone in the afternoon in the opposite direction of his house where he was headed, so he offered her a ride in his carriage to her destination. The nun asked to be taken to an orphanage at the border of the kingdom, so Countess Kessler asked questions, and he answered them. Long story short, it took his carriage almost nine hours to drop her off along the road at the border and come back home.¡±


    ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± Niana said. ¡°He just dropped her off in the middle of the road just like that?¡±


    Ellen nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s what Countess Kessler said, too, but he said the woman knew the way there and got off. He said he watched the nun walk off down the side road to her destination.¡±


    ¡°The orphanage?¡± Diana said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ellen said. ¡°The next day, I told Lady Kessler about it. We made plans to go to the border but told her parents we were going to the market town to buy new supplies and bought more than we needed to cover for our escapade. But on our way back, we took a detour to the border where Count Kessler dropped off the nun and asked the coachman to wait for us while we went down the side road on foot.¡±


    ¡°Did you find the orphanage?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°We did,¡± Ellen said. ¡°The orphanage stood right next to an abbey, but both buildings looked like they were abandoned with the rest of the village.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me!¡± Diana said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Ellen said. ¡°It was creepy, too.¡±


    ¡°I bet it was,¡± Niana added. ¡°If the place was abandoned, then where did that masked nun go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Did you see her?¡± Marin asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Ellen said. ¡°We didn¡¯t stick around. We were spooked, so we footed it out of there and took the carriage back home that afternoon. When we arrived in the early evening, the Count and Countess were already waiting for us outside, so we had no choice but to tell them what we¡¯d been up to.¡±


    ¡°What did they say?¡± Susan said.


    ¡°They told us to never go back there again,¡± Ellen said. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, after we told them what we saw, they were as spooked as we were. They didn¡¯t want rumors of this getting out, so they changed it into something else.¡±


    Niana and Diana covered their mouths, and Susan said, ¡°So the Count wrote up articles of masked men in the Student Commons Town to steer away attention from their land?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Ellen said. ¡°They didn¡¯t want their land stigmatized with a haunting, even the rumor of one.¡±


    ¡°Did the Countess pitch in to help?¡± Marin added.


    She nodded. ¡°With a new novel, yes.¡±


    ¡°About masked incognitos?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said as footfalls echoed in the hallway outside of the dorm.


    Everybody froze.


    ¡°Did they finish?¡± Diana said.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not midnight yet,¡± Niana said.


    ¡°And there¡¯s only one pair of footsteps,¡± Susan said, getting up from her chair to listen. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s them.¡±


    So Ellen stood up and asked the others to remain seated. She then accompanied Susan to the double doors and imitated her, cupping her ear against the side of the door panel and listening to the echoes in the hallway. The footfalls grew heavier and more distinct, as if the walker was an older man in riding boots, not a male student of the Academy wearing loafers with a lighter footfall.


    When the footfalls stopped before the double doors, there came three hard knocks, so they both pulled them open. What stood before Ellen was an exceptional specimen of an older man still in his prime, a tall man with a trim waist, wide shoulders, a very handsome face composed of thin lips, an aquiline nose, pale blond hair, and piercing red eyes. So great was her surprise that Ellen caught herself gaping and looked away, blushing like a schoolgirl.


    Till Susan said, ¡°M-my Lord Marquess, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Good evening, Sue,¡± he said, looking over them into the room. ¡°Where¡¯s Janet? I don¡¯t see her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s out with her friends, my Lord,¡± Susan said.


    ¡°At this time of night?¡± the Marquess said. ¡°When will they be back then?¡±


    Susan paused at his question.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    So Ellen said, ¡°After midnight, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that after curfew?¡±


    ¡°It is, but there¡¯s no need to worry,¡± said a pale-faced Susan. ¡°Their club advisor is accompanying them.¡±


    ¡°A club advisor?¡± he said.


    Susan nodded.


    ¡°Did Janet join a club?¡±


    ¡°This afternoon, yes,¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Good,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°It¡¯s best for her to be around friends right now. May I come in? I¡¯ll wait for Janet to come back. I have to speak with her.¡±


    So Susan said, ¡°Is it urgent, my Lord?¡±


    ¡°Not urgent, per se,¡± he said, ¡°but it¡¯s important.¡±


    Susan traded a brief glance with Ellen, and she got the message: deal with the Marquess for her. So Ellen let the new visitor in and told him what they¡¯ve been up to, while Susan went to fetch another chair from their maids¡¯ quarters next door and came back with it. Susan placed the chair before the tea table, and Ellen had the other maids scoot their chairs over to accommodate their esteemed visitor. When the Marquess sat down, the other maids took their seats and asked if he knew any ghost stories, adding they¡¯ve been occupying their time while waiting for the others¡¯ return.


    ¡°Nothing that comes to mind,¡± he said. ¡°What kind of ghost stories have you been telling?¡±


    ¡°Any kind, really,¡± Ellen said. ¡°Now we¡¯re telling true tales about hauntings or anything creepy. I just finished telling mine before you came in.¡±


    The Marquess paused for a time, then said, ¡°If you put it that way, then I know an interesting case. Just know that I can¡¯t reveal certain names or current whereabouts. I don¡¯t want rumors floating around. Is that okay with you?¡±


    They all nodded that it was.


    Again the Marquess paused, then took a deep breath and said, ¡°This happened many years ago when I got married to Lady Rowena Bartleby. You¡¯ve heard of her, right?¡±


    They all nodded.


    ¡°We were looking for a boy at the time,¡± he continued. ¡°After our marriage, Marchioness Fleming tracked down an orphanage in a town by this kingdom¡¯s border but discovered from the abbess that the boy had run away, so we split up to look for him without any luck. With no other options, Rowena conducted a s¨¦ance at the inn we were staying at, for she was a gifted medium. Even when she couldn¡¯t see spirits, she could sense them, and during the s¨¦ance, she channeled a spirit that knew of the boy¡¯s whereabouts. As such, we widened the search to include the outskirts of the town, and Rowena and I and the rest of the search party started calling out to him in the meadows that afternoon and into the night, but we still couldn¡¯t find him. Everyone was tired by then, so we retired to the inn to eat and sleep, but Rowena snuck out to continue the search for the rest of the night. Hence, when I woke up without her and heard a commotion downstairs, I dashed out looking for my wife. That¡¯s when I found her sitting with a boy in the lobby, having breakfast, and that¡¯s when I realized I was still in my underwear.¡±


    Ellen and the other maids all laughed and blushed at the little punchline at the end of his tale.


    The Marquess smiled.


    And the maids blushed at the sight with Ellen, who averted her eyes from his dangerous smile, saying, ¡°That¡¯s quite a tale you¡¯ve got there.¡±


    But Marquess Fleming¡¯s smile faded when he said, ¡°I know, but finding him was half the battle. After taking him in, we noticed certain oddities happening around our house.¡±


    Ellen traded looks with the other maids, and Susan said, ¡°What kind of ¡®oddities,¡¯ my Lord?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± he said. ¡°Knocks on the doors and walls, creaking floorboards, footfalls in the corridors, shadows looming on the walls, more shadows in the corners of your eyes dissipating as you look at them, and disembodied whispers, but nothing worse than that at first. But during his first week with us, the boy¡¯s behavior exacerbated everything. Except for me and Rowena, he was suspicious of everyone else in the house and made a lot of trouble for the maids and manservants to the point where I thought I¡¯d have to send for an exorcist, but Rowena had a different idea and told me her plan.


    ¡°That¡¯s when we started sitting up with him in the front and back parlors of our house for four nights: I sat up with him on the first night in the back parlor; then Rowena sat up with him on the second night in the back parlor; then I sat up with him on the third night in the front parlor; and then Rowena sat up with him on the fourth night in the front parlor. On the fifth day, we shared our observations and noted that all of the oddities occurred around him in my presence in both parlors, but they ceased altogether in Rowena¡¯s company. That¡¯s when Rowena suspected what was agitating him, so we invited an esteemed father into our house and conducted a s¨¦ance with him in the boy¡¯s presence to communicate with whatever had been agitating the boy since we took him in. With Rowena acting as the medium, the father found out what was agitating the boy.¡±


    The Marquess paused, breathing deep and exhaling and wiping the sweat from his brow and shaking his head.


    ¡°What did he find out?¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°In short,¡± he said, ¡°the father detected the presence of a spirit attached to the boy. Specifically, he said that all humans have two bodies in life, the physical body that we see and the etheric body that acts as an extension of the physical one. Based on our observations over the four nights we sat up with the boy, the father surmised that the spirit had attached itself to the boy¡¯s etheric body, so his presence had caused all of the oddities in our house. Then he took us aside and added that Rowena¡¯s presence with the boy calmed down the occurrence of these oddities, so he asked Rowena if she was expecting, but Rowena said she wouldn¡¯t know until she misses her period for the month. With that, the father asked us to let him know via messenger bird soon after Rowena gets or misses her period, and we didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    ¡°A week after that, Rowena found out she was pregnant, and we experienced no more oddities happening around the house, and the boy¡¯s behavior began to improve. So I sent a messenger bird to the father relating these results, and the father returned and congratulated us and then questioned the boy and the maids and the manservants. After that, he told us that the cause of the oddities around the house had been absorbed into Rowena¡¯s child upon conception, taking the boy¡¯s temperamental behavior along with it. When we asked if the baby was going to be okay with this development, the father advised us to keep the boy out of trouble till the pregnancy was over, and he advised me to keep Rowena safe from any emotional disturbance that might cause a potential miscarriage.¡±


    Then the Marquess paused again, breathing out a long sigh and saying, ¡°Eight months later, we started hearing rumors about my wife¡¯s supposed infidelity. I had to send the boy away to his grandparents to protect him, but I couldn¡¯t protect my wife from getting slandered and accosted by our neighbors. A month later, I had to travel to inspect the land for my quarterly inspection, and I couldn¡¯t bring Rowena along because of her condition in the last phase of her pregnancy. I asked the maids and servants to look after her, but Rowena was arrested while I was away. I¡¯ll spare you the details of what had happened during and after that hideous debacle. Just know that my wife died in prison, but Janet survived.¡±


    When the Marquess ended his tale, he leaned back in his chair and breathed out a sigh.


    All the maids were silent after that, their hands cupped over their mouths, their eyes glistening with a film of unshed tears threatening to trail down their cheeks.


    Ellen herself blinked back tears as she thought back to her clandestine outing with Lady Kessler at the abandoned town, asking herself if the orphanage he mentioned was the same as the abandoned orphanage she and Lady Kessler had visited in the spring. It couldn¡¯t hurt to ask, so she said, ¡°My Lord, my Lady and I visited the same orphanage at the border earlier this year, but it¡¯s abandoned. Do you know its name?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been there for a while,¡± he said, pausing for a time. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s St. Avalon¡¯s Orphanage.¡±


    Ellen just went with it and nodded her head, saying, ¡°Do you know when it was abandoned?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact details,¡± he said, ¡°but I heard it was abandoned soon after the abbess of St. Avalon¡¯s Abbey was murdered sometime during the case.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Ellen said.


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t go there for weeks following my wife¡¯s death because of the legal proceedings between the royal family and the Bartlebys at the time. Old Duke and Duchess Bartleby filed charges against Prince Conner Blaise for defaming their daughter when he broke his engagement with her, claiming it led to her false accusation and wrongful imprisonment and death. In response, King Sebastian Blaise counter-sued the Bartlebys, claiming they were using their daughter¡¯s death to delegitimize the marriage between their Highnesses, Prince Conner Blaise and Princess Rubella Blaise. Soon the legal battle escalated into a duel between both houses, with me representing the Bartlebys and Captain Sydney representing the royal family. It was a close match, but I won. As such, I was in charge of conducting the joint investigation of my wife¡¯s death in collaboration with Captain Sydney and Judge Kendrick Matthews from the High Court. So if you want an answer to your question, you¡¯d have to ask Captain Rory Sydney, for he was in charge of questioning the people at the orphanage and the abbey at the time, but I doubt he would tell you anything about that.¡±


    Ellen knew the term connected with such reticence, so she said, ¡°Is that because of L¨¨se-majest¨¦?¡±


    The Marquess nodded, saying, ¡°Hence, the secrecy, yes. Since the case is a matter of public record, I¡¯ve told you as much as you¡¯re legally entitled to know. Any more than that, and you¡¯d have to swear on your lives to keep secrets. Are you all willing to shoulder that responsibility?¡±


    The maids all looked away from the Marquess¡¯s piercing red eyes, but Ellen kept thinking about that trip to the abandoned orphanage. Untold questions loomed over her mind as her fingers fiddled with the ends of her long gray locks. Come what may, she had to know more about the apparition of that masked woman, and so she shocked her peers.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing, my Lord,¡± Ellen said.


    Her peers just gaped and stared at her in wide-eyed amazement with Diana saying, ¡°What the heck are you saying?¡±


    And Niana added, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Marquess Fleming smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re very brave. May I ask why you¡¯re so willing?¡±


    And a blushing Ellen averted her eyes but said, ¡°I have my reasons, my Lord. I just can¡¯t say what they are.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, by the way?¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ellen Levy, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Who do you work for?¡±


    ¡°Lady Mindy Kessler, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it makes sense now,¡± the Marquess said.


    Ellen looked up at him and said, ¡°What makes sense?¡±


    So the Marquess paused, then said, ¡°I attended his Highness¡¯s summons this afternoon to have his actions against my daughter redressed. Among the relevant issues mentioned were the eviction notices Lady Kessler and her friends received, as well as Lady Kessler getting beaten up by two other students earlier today. Are these true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are,¡± she said. ¡°I saw Lady Felton giving Lady Kessler an eviction notice this morning. When I checked with Diana and Niana, they told me their ladyships had also received eviction notices. Then we spent the rest of the day packing up, so we could move from Guinevere House. But when I saw Lady Kessler this afternoon with bandages and bruises, I was furious. I would¡¯ve stormed into Miss Edgeworth¡¯s dorm if my friends hadn¡¯t restrained me.¡±


    Then he faced Ellen¡¯s friends, saying, ¡°And are you two the maids of Lady Kessler¡¯s friends?¡±


    Both sisters said yes: Diana Anderson introducing herself as the maid of Lady Jean Drevis, and Niana Anderson introducing herself as the maid of Lady Saraya Drevis.


    ¡°Did the Drevis Ladies see what happened to Lady Kessler?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they did,¡± Diana said. ¡°They said that they chased them off on seeing them.¡±


    The Marquess paused for a long moment, long enough for Ellen to wonder what he was thinking, until he said, ¡°What¡¯s your opinion of Miss Edgeworth?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her,¡± Diana said.


    He then turned to the others and said, ¡°What about the rest of you? What are your opinions of her?¡±


    The other maids all said the same thing.


    ¡°What about his Highness?¡± the Marquess said. ¡°What are your opinions of him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s complete trash,¡± Marin said.


    ¡°He¡¯s head over heels for Miss Edgeworth,¡± Susan said. ¡°His Highness has gone out of his way to defend her against Janet time and again like a fairytale prince. It¡¯s beyond disgusting at this point.¡±


    Then Ellen traded glances with Diana and Niana, who both nodded, so she said, ¡°My Lord, we heard from Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis about what happened between Lady Fleming and Miss Edgeworth last Friday.¡±


    ¡°They were there at the scene?¡± he said.


    Ellen nodded. ¡°They said they saw everything.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t they come forward that day?¡± he said.


    ¡°They said it was because of his Highness,¡± Ellen said. ¡°They said that since they were at the fountain, the Prince asked them what went down between Lady Fleming and Miss Edgeworth. So they told him what they saw and heard, but they said the Prince refused to believe them.¡±


    The Marquess grimaced and said under his breath, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into that boy? All right then,¡± he added. ¡°Keep this discussion to yourselves, okay?¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± they said.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, then stared at Ellen, till she was blushing like a schoolgirl again. ¡°Oh, and one more thing, Ms. Levy, before there¡¯s any misunderstanding.¡±


    So Ellen looked away again at the thought of such a handsome man going out of his way to acknowledge her and said, ¡°What is it, my Lord?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s evident on your face,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for another Marchioness Fleming.¡±


    Her reaction was immediate: Ellen¡¯s face turned even redder than before, so she covered it in her hands and leaned over the table, thinking she was going to die right then and there. That¡¯s when her peers burst out giggling like fellow schoolgirls, clamping hands to their mouths as if the fluffiest of fluffy jokes had been played upon their most emotionally ticklish friend.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [4]

 (V4) Red Pill 21: Binges, Coincidences

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 21: Binges, Coincidences


    <hr>


    Janet¡¯s affinity pool was so big and heavy that it exceeded the limits of Lady Graves¡¯ shadow, unable to close off its remaining part left shimmering in the moonlight. As such, Lady Graves couldn¡¯t move much beyond the confines of her natural shadow on the ground, pinning her there like a dog on a leash. So Janet and Rowena talked it over with Lady Graves and thought up a solution, and Janet and Rowena reached into Lady Graves¡¯ shadow and pulled about half of its bulk out onto the square. With that done, Rowena expanded her own shadow to encompass the other half of Janet¡¯s affinity pool, and then Janet and Lady Graves pushed that half into Rowena¡¯s shadow. But unlike before, there was no thud inside, and the rumbling at their feet was kept to a minimum.


    Then Rowena and Lady Graves walked onto the patio, stretching their shadows across it from the convergence point at the edge of the garden square. With both of their shadows holding Janet¡¯s affinity pool there, Rowena and Lady Graves asked Janet to step into the middle where their shadows joined.


    Janet did so, saying, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Now come over here, and your shadow should be attached like ours.¡±


    Janet joined her mother and Lady Graves on the patio, and lo and behold! A third shadow now ran across the patio from the convergence point on the edge of the square.


    With their shadows joined, the trio trudged through the patio, pulling against the collective weight of Janet¡¯s affinity pool like a ball and chain behind them. In this way, they passed the double doors, but the trip up the stairs was every bit the nightmare Lady Graves had predicted. With every step and heave and huff, Janet and her companions struggled up the stairs like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a mountain.


    Yet as they ascended, Janet¡¯s mind flashed with images of her mother squatting while holding onto the bars of her cell. She heard her mother¡¯s groans and saw her face scrunching up in agony and relaxing, heard and saw her mother struggling alone in the gloom of her cell. Janet closed her eyes and opened them as she heard Lady Graves saying they were halfway up the stairs, urging them to keep going the whole way before resting for a bit. But her words already faded away as more visions crowded Janet¡¯s mind, till Janet heard a sharp cry. Her mother was on her back now, gritting her teeth and convulsing in one more agonizing strain, and then it was over. Amidst her mother¡¯s panting, there were no cries from the newborn, and when Janet smelled blood and heard her mother¡¯s sobs, she knew what had happened. So she squinted her eyes from the scene, wanting to cry herself out of the ignominious start of her life that began with her mother begging DeeDee to save her daughter with her last dying breath . . .


    And for a time, Janet¡¯s mind lingered in oblivion, till DeeDee¡¯s words filtered through her mind, saying, ¡°Janet, open your eyes. It¡¯s time to wake up.¡±


    ¡°DeeDee?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s me, your mother,¡± Rowena said.


    When she came to, Janet was sitting at the top of the stairs inside the mausoleum, sitting in between Rowena and Lady Graves with Rowena¡¯s arms wrapped around her. Janet¡¯s cheeks were slick with the salt of her tears, much of it soaking the bodice of her mother¡¯s jacket, so she pulled away from her and sat up and wiped her face with the sleeve of her bolero.


    ¡°What happened to me?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You fainted on the stairs,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Did you have a nightmare, Janet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Janet said, squinting her eyes of the residual images of her mother¡¯s end and her own ignominious start in this life, wiping her eyes again.


    ¡°Was it that bad?¡± Rowena said.


    Janet nodded her head but said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom. I¡¯m fine,¡± and she looked back down the steps into the bluish green haze of the Spirit World but saw no sign of the big shadow they had been dragging behind them. ¡°Where did it go?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Rowena and I let you sleep, and we managed it the rest of the way. We¡¯ve already taken it outside.¡±


    ¡°Were they surprised to see it?¡± she said.


    ¡°No, they weren¡¯t,¡± Rowena said. ¡°They were more surprised at seeing me, especially your clones. Nobody there could see your darkness affinity, except for DeeDee. We talked to her a bit before going back and bringing you here.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay, dear?¡± Lady Graves said, rubbing circles around Janet¡¯s back. ¡°It looked like you had a really bad nightmare.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now, don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Almost an hour,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Oh my God, that long?¡± Janet said, getting to her feet. ¡°What time is it now?¡±


    Rowena and Lady Graves got to their feet, as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s half past eight o¡¯clock,¡± Rowena said. ¡°And you¡¯re not the only one who needed rest, Janet.¡±


    ¡°We needed a break, too,¡± Lady Graves added. ¡°Do you want to rest a little more?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go and wake you up,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget your lamp.¡±


    Janet picked her lamp off the sarcophagus, turning its glow from bluish green back to green, and followed her guides out past the open door of the mausoleum and into the nighttime air. She spotted her clones and her friends all sitting on the ground by their lamps and talking, while DeeDee was sitting in her invisible-chair position beside Janet¡¯s body, perusing the pages of a profile book by the light of her lamp. And on getting closer, Janet noticed that her clones and her friends, still holding hands amidst the blinking light of their lamps, were discussing the possibility that the real Rosalie Edgeworth was alive. And looming behind them like a giant slime monster (invisible to everyone there except for DeeDee) was Janet¡¯s affinity pool reflecting the light green luminescence of their lamps, while its bulk still gave off a bloody red hue from its center.


    Upon Janet¡¯s entrance with her guides, they all stood up with smiles on their faces, and DeeDee said, ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d show up, Lady Detective.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Janet said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± She then looked to her mother and Lady Graves and said, ¡°Did you tell her about Rosalie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we did,¡± Rowena said.


    And Lady Graves added, ¡°We talked with DeeDee about it for a little bit before we went back for you.¡±


    ¡°What about the other¡ª¡±


    But Rowena whispered, ¡°Save it for later.¡±


    DeeDee just stared at Janet¡¯s mother for a time, then said, ¡°I¡¯m impressed, Janet. Your theory about Miss Edgeworth gives a motive for her actions against you and your clones. I¡¯ve been looking through your clones¡¯ entries in this book, and your theory fits the progression of events fairly well. Of course, I¡¯ll have to check the other books to make sure. And your theory doesn¡¯t factor in Lady Dorian¡¯s actions against Lady Kessler or the Ladies Drevis, but it¡¯s a start. With that said, what else were you going to say?¡±


    Janet looked at her guides, who shook their heads, so she said, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    But when DeeDee eyed the three conspirators, Rowena and Lady Graves came forward and whispered something into DeeDee¡¯s ear, making DeeDee look at them and then at Janet, then breathed out a long sigh and said, ¡°We¡¯ll do it your way.¡± She dissipated the book from her hand and added, ¡°Janet, put your lamp on the ground next to your body and lie down. You¡¯ll wake up, but stay still, and we¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    With that, Janet entered the circle made by her companions and placed her lamp next to her body and laid herself down, overlapping her spirit with her corporeal form, and once again fell down into a falling dream. A moment later, Janet breathed through her lungs as if coming up from a deep dive in the ocean and opened her bodily eyes at a starry sky and heard the chirping of crickets around her. And to her left, the moon was now halfway up in the sky, shining like a pockmarked coin made of white gold, so she imagined herself reaching up and manipulating it in her fingers like an actual coin. All the while, Janet thought about the crazy idea she had let loose on her listeners and wondered if such measures were ingenious or just plain nuts.


    ¡°Celeste, Rowena,¡± DeeDee said, blinking the lamplights, ¡°get into position behind Janet¡¯s affinity pool. When I create an opening, you two push it in. Got it?¡±


    Celeste and Rowena nodded, then exited the circle of people and readied themselves behind the big blob.


    Meanwhile, DeeDee bade Janet¡¯s clones and friends to keep their hands together for the duration of her spell. When they all nodded, gripping their hands tighter, DeeDee crouched and placed her hand over Janet¡¯s stomach and said, ¡°You¡¯ll feel uncomfortable, but please bear with it, okay?¡±


    Janet nodded, wondering what she meant by ¡®uncomfortable,¡¯ but she trusted her.


    DeeDee¡¯s eyes flashed a green glow as she said, ¡°Come out, ye Spirits of the Aether, and loosen the chains binding this child! As Guardian of the Aether, I command ye!¡±


    And the collective lights inside the circle of lamps flashed and swirled, and green glowing tendrils leaped through the air like the arcing sprays of a dancing water fountain and plunged into DeeDee¡¯s hand. Her hand glowed a bright green over Janet¡¯s stomach, and a circle of light inscribed the supine girl inside its circumference before DeeDee plunged her hand in her stomach, making her grit her teeth in a grimace¡ª


    ¡°Bear with it, Janet!¡± DeeDee said as chains of glowing green light appeared wrapping themselves around Janet¡¯s middle, slithering along her body like a constricting python. But when she pulled out her hand, uncoiling the chains and allowing Janet to breathe, DeeDee looked at her clones and added, ¡°After you all came into this world, I had to squeeze every drop of darkness affinity out of your spirits to bring you back from the dead. In doing so, I¡¯ve robbed you of your powers and made your lives miserable. Please, forgive me for my actions,¡± and she bowed to Janet¡¯s clones.


    The clones stared at the spectacle in silence before trading whispers amongst themselves. Then Janet¡¯s suicide clone stepped forward and said, ¡°We¡¯re not angry. If it wasn¡¯t for you, DeeDee, none of us would be here.¡±


    DeeDee smiled and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then to their living avatar, she added, ¡°Are you okay, Janet?¡±


    A wheezing Janet sat up and said, ¡°Is it over?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± DeeDee said, reaching out her hand, ¡°but at least the hard part is done now.¡±


    So Janet grabbed it and got up to her feet, then doubled over and clapped her hands on her knees. When her equilibrium returned, Janet looked at the giant blob looming (unseen) behind her peers and said, ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    DeeDee backed away and said, ¡°My younger sister is expecting you, Janet. When she offers you a cup, take it and follow her directions.¡±


    ¡°You have a younger sister?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Six of them, actually,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯m the eldest.¡±


    Janet wanted to ask her what they were like, but DeeDee was in the middle of saying to Janet¡¯s clones and friends, ¡°You can let go of each other¡¯s hands now.¡±


    So the girls and boys and clones did so, whipping their hands on the fabric of their skirts and pants.


    ¡°Take up your lamps and vacate the circle,¡± DeeDee added. ¡°Since none of you can see this affinity, you must keep yourselves out of range of my next spell.¡±


    So they took up their lamps and gathered in front of the entrance to the mausoleum, asking if this was a safe distance, and DeeDee said it was.


    After that, DeeDee crouched and placed her hand on the ground and created a glowing magic circle around Janet, then picked up her own lamp and placed it on the edge of her magic circle in front of the huge blob. With that, DeeDee placed her hand over the glowing dome of her lamp and said, ¡°Come out, ye Spirits of the Darkness, and come to my lamp! As the elder sister of Guardian of the Darkness, I command ye!¡±


    And in the spectral green of her own lamp grew an expanding black void inside of her lamp, leaving a corona of green light shimmering at its edges. And the giant blob before it reacted to DeeDee¡¯s lamp, its glowing red center burning brighter to the pulsing green corona of DeeDee¡¯s blackened lamp. Then she turned to her helpers behind the blob and said, ¡°Celeste, Rowena, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°We are!¡± they said.


    ¡°Then go ahead,¡± DeeDee said.


    With that, Lady Graves and Rowena pushed the giant blob towards DeeDee¡¯s lamp.


    The glowing red center of the giant blob flared up in an instant, then imploded into several glowing red tendrils of energy getting sucked into DeeDee¡¯s lamp like a giant red star collapsing into a supernova and entering a black hole as a cosmic singularity. But this singularity formed the thread of Janet¡¯s lifeline, cut short during that awful night inside her mother¡¯s prison cell, till DeeDee brought Janet back to life. Now new life came flooding back through Janet¡¯s body and mind, coursing through her veins and arteries in a rush of ecstasy, filling the empty cup of her soul with something she had never felt before. In the middle of DeeDee¡¯s spell, Janet stood entranced inside the glowing green circle, her eyes staring out into another realm of existence that neither DeeDee nor the others could see, her hand reaching for and clasping something in her fingers.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Of course, her bodily motions were in accordance with the actions in her mind. As per DeeDee¡¯s words, Janet heeded her visitor¡¯s request and sat down at a tea table inside a garden of blooming magnolia trees and shrubs all fluorescing in the moonlight. There was a slight breeze around her, wafting the sweet scent of magnolias into her nose, while Janet looked at the empty glass in her hand, then stared up at her buxom hostess standing by the table with a big bottle in her hands. Like DeeDee, this woman wore the long black dress and apron of a maid, yet she was taller with gorgeous raven hair reaching past her hips in luscious wavy curls and a white bow tied behind her head, dark violet eyes twinkling back at her and luscious lips forming into a smile and her lily-white hands pouring something astringent into Janet¡¯s cup.


    ¡°Drink up, girl,¡± she said. ¡°After all these years stone-cold sober, you must be really thirsty!¡±


    Janet looked down at her cup that looked like red wine and said, ¡°I¡¯m not old enough.¡±


    The woman laughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re a funny one, just like your mother.¡±


    Janet sucked in breath: ¡°You knew my mom?¡±


    ¡°Years ago, yes,¡± the woman said. ¡°Come on, drink up, girl. DeeDee¡¯s waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± she said. ¡°You know DeeDee, too?¡±


    ¡°Too much talking, not enough drinking,¡± the woman said. ¡°Now drink up!¡±


    Janet eyed her hostess: ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯ve got a lot of drinking to do,¡± the woman said, pointing to something behind Janet¡¯s left shoulder.


    On turning around, Janet saw the big blob of darkness affinity looming over her, shimmering the moonlight with its glowing red center, then said, ¡°Why is that there?¡±


    Janet faced her hostess and waited for an answer.


    ¡°Okay, try to think of it this way, girl,¡± the woman said. ¡°Your astral body is like that empty glass in your hand, and that darkness affinity behind you is like an unopened bottle of wine. DeeDee put that there, but it¡¯s still dormant, you know. You have to imbibe it in order to awaken its powers inside you. Now drink up!¡±


    But Janet said, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The woman smiled and said, ¡°Dear me, where are my manners? My name is RuRu Marionette, the Guardian of the Darkness and the second eldest of my seven sisters. Next to DeeDee, of course. I already know your name, so drink up.¡±


    So Janet did so.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good girl,¡± RuRu said.


    Yet Janet pulled a face trying not to choke on the aftertaste, like the most astringent vinegar long past spoilage, as it burned down her throat.


    ¡°My God, it¡¯s so bitter!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Out of the seven recognized affinities,¡± the woman said, ¡°the darkness affinity is by far the heaviest to bear and has the worst aftertaste. It¡¯s the culmination of all the pain and injustice you and your clones have suffered, but as their living avatar, you must bear it for them.¡±


    ¡°But why me?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the only one who can,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Trust me, girl, you¡¯re one of the few with the strength to bear the stigma of your affinity. Your mother and Lady Graves had to shoulder it all their lives like a cross, up to their last living moments and into their graves and beyond.¡±


    Janet thought back to Rowena¡¯s garden underneath her mausoleum where she struggled to hold her mother¡¯s darkness affinity in her hands, yet Rowena could handle it like it was nothing. She then looked back at the giant blob of her darkness affinity, its center glowing red, and faced her host again.


    ¡°Will I be able to bear mine?¡±


    Janet¡¯s hostess smiled and nodded that she could if she tried, saying, ¡°Drink up now! We don¡¯t have all night.¡±


    Janet remembered the contract signing at midnight, so she bucked herself up and gulped down the rest of her glass, grimacing at the vinegary aftertaste.


    ¡°Will I be able to taste anything after this?¡±


    RuRu laughed again, saying, ¡°You¡¯re rather talkative for someone drinking away her sorrows. Tell you what,¡± and the woman sat down like DeeDee in her invisible-chair position next to Janet. ¡°We¡¯ll make it into a drinking game. For every one thousand glasses you drink¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! A thousand?¡±


    ¡°¡ªyou¡¯ll get a perk that you can use with your darkness affinity. Let me see,¡± she added, looking over at the giant blob looming behind Janet and pouring more from her bottle into Janet¡¯s glass. ¡°My bottle contains one hundred glasses of darkness affinity. Your mother¡¯s affinity pool is around three bottles or three hundred glasses, and Lady Graves¡¯ affinity pool is five bottles or five hundred glasses. Based on those amounts, I¡¯m guessing that your affinity pool has a capacity of around twenty thousand bottles, so that amounts to about two million glasses. That means you¡¯ll get around two thousand perks with your darkness affinity. Sounds good, eh?¡±


    Janet was too flustered to answer. She just stared at her hostess, her stomach lurching at the amount, then looked down at her glass full of the stuff and said, ¡°RuRu, will I become a vegetable after this?¡±


    RuRu laughed again and said, ¡°I assure you, it¡¯s not as bad as that. At most, you¡¯ll have a mild hangover on waking up, and you¡¯ll be a bit tipsy afterwards, but it¡¯s nothing a good night¡¯s sleep can¡¯t fix.¡±


    At her words, Janet couldn¡¯t help but laugh, as well, and said, ¡°How do you even know that?¡±


    RuRu pointed past Janet¡¯s right shoulder and said, ¡°Look over there, and you¡¯ll see an even bigger one.¡±


    Janet did so and almost fell off her seat, gawking at the mountain-sized affinity pool shimmering in the moonlight, its gigantic center glowing a deep purple, the whole thing dwarfing her own like a house within a neighborhood. It was so big and unexpected that Janet would have fainted if she had been awake, so she just faced her companion again, saying, ¡°Good God, is that really yours?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Does that make you the Guardian of the Darkness?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said. ¡°The one and only.¡±


    ¡°What about your sisters?¡±


    ¡°For five of my sisters,¡± RuRu said, ¡°theirs are the same size as mine, but DeeDee¡¯s affinity pool is the exception.¡±


    Janet gulped: ¡°How big is hers?¡±


    ¡°Bigger than all of ours combined,¡± she said.


    ¡°Good God, are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± RuRu said. ¡°DeeDee¡¯s affinity pool is the size of a kingdom, like the Kaden Kingdom or the Schrader Kingdom or the Ballentine Kingdom or whatever other kingdom you could name. To give you some perspective, the affinity pools of Marchioness Fleming and Lady Graves would sit atop this table, yours would take up a small house, mine would take up a few neighborhoods, the combined affinity pools of my five younger sisters and myself would take up a good-sized castle town up to its outermost wall, and DeeDee¡¯s would take up an entire kingdom up to its borders.¡±


    Janet just stared at her in silence.


    ¡°Are you gonna drink that?¡±


    Janet looked at her second glass of her affinity pool daring her to drink more of its astringent potency, so she took a deep breath and knocked back another one.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± RuRu said, pouring her another glass. ¡°There¡¯s only one million nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight glasses left to drink.¡±


    Janet deadpanned at her hostess and said, ¡°Having fun at my expense, are you?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay,¡± RuRu said, smiling again. ¡°I¡¯ll only count down once every one thousand drinks. How about that?¡±


    Janet breathed out a sigh and knocked back a third drink, squinting her eyes again, wondering how shit-faced she would get after she was through with this ordeal. Then RuRu poured her another, and Janet knocked it back, and RuRu poured her another, and Janet knocked that back, too, and RuRu poured her yet another, and so on and so forth. And that¡¯s how Janet¡¯s routine repeated itself, ad nauseam, like serving probation in Purgatory in the sitting position while downing glass after glass after glass of bad medicine . . .


    While Janet was binge-drinking, the light show in the cemetery was about to end. Janet¡¯s giant affinity pool had dissipated itself through DeeDee¡¯s lamp, emerging moments later inside of Janet¡¯s lamp as a blood red hue glowing and pulsing inside a shimmering corona of green at its edges. And moments after that inside the magic circle surrounding Janet, blood red streaks of pulsing energy spread out from under her feet and filled up the flashing green circle, till it became a burning red circle with a bright green corona around its circumference. DeeDee took her hand off of her lamp and called Janet¡¯s name, yet Janet was unresponsive where she stood like a statue in her circle. And like a statue, Janet¡¯s body began to levitate above the ground, leveling out flat on her back as gusts of red and green energy swirled around her, rustling her hair and clothes, and kicking up blades of grass and dust. But when the turbulence and debris settled down, a red halo with a green corona shimmered around Janet¡¯s head as her body settled onto a bed of red creeping thyme growing beneath her.


    DeeDee entered her magic circle and said, ¡°Janet, are you okay? Can you hear me?¡±


    But Janet remained motionless atop the red creeping thyme, even as DeeDee¡¯s magic circle disappeared.


    Then Rowena and Lady Graves came running up, followed by Janet¡¯s friends and clones with their lamps in their hands throwing lights and shadows over the creeping red thyme on which Janet lay. With them all asking if Janet was okay, DeeDee crouched and placed her palm against the girl¡¯s bosom and felt heartbeats. Breathing out a sigh, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. She¡¯s just sleeping.¡±


    A collective exhalation of breath resounded from the group as DeeDee reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a pocket watch and read the time: 8:45 p.m. Ten minutes had elapsed after the completion of DeeDee¡¯s second spell, and she felt the residual burning sensation of Janet¡¯s darkness affinity stinging her palm and wondered how a mortal¡¯s affinity could damage the vessel of her body like it was flesh and blood.


    Turning from that thought, she focused on another abnormality that had her equally puzzled. As the eldest sister of the Seven Affinity Guardians, DeeDee could influence her younger sisters¡¯ elemental powers when she invoked their names, though she would have to ask for their permissions first. But such was not the case with the Guardian of the Darkness, whom DeeDee believed was a bad influence on her other sisters because of her drinking problem and her sleeping habits. In spite of her faults, though, DeeDee wondered why RuRu¡¯s track record of successful saintess candidates was so bad. Was it all RuRu¡¯s fault? Or was someone pulling strings behind the scenes in order to stigmatize those with the darkness affinity? And if it was the latter option, who was doing it? And why?


    (Of course, DeeDee suspected Lady Dorian right off the bat, but she needed to be thorough moving forward. As such, she contacted her younger sister again, saying in her mind, ¡°RuRu, this is DeeDee. Are you there?¡±


    ¡°RuRu here,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°How is Janet doing?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing better than expected, Big Sis,¡± RuRu said. ¡°She¡¯s been knocking them back like a champ! You weren¡¯t kidding when you said she has potential!¡±


    ¡°How long will it take for her to finish?¡±


    ¡°At the pace she¡¯s going,¡± RuRu said, pausing for a spell, ¡°I¡¯d say about three hours, tops.¡±


    That left a fifteen-minute window for the Ghost Hunting Club to prepare for the signing at Elba House after Janet wakes up, and the time spent beforehand was the perfect opportunity for DeeDee to ask Marchioness Fleming and Lady Graves what they¡¯ve been withholding from her earlier. With this in mind, DeeDee said, ¡°Let me know when Janet¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°And one more thing,¡± DeeDee added.


    RuRu breathed out a sigh and said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°RuRu,¡± she said, choosing her words carefully, ¡°have you ever wondered why darkness-affinity users have it so rough? It can¡¯t just be a coincidence that they¡¯re always equated with witches and warlocks and demon lords, right?¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, painfully well,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I¡¯m always thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°You need to stop drinking,¡± DeeDee added.


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± RuRu said. ¡°But some are born to bliss, while others are born to misery. And misery loves company. Won¡¯t you join me for a drink?¡±


    ¡°Later, okay?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°But first things first: has LaLa contacted you?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said. ¡°She¡¯s ghosted everyone.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard anything new from our sisters?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Anything about LaLa?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re still looking for her. What about you, DeeDee? Anything on your end?¡±


    Now it was DeeDee¡¯s turn to spill, and she had been dreading it the moment she connected Janet¡¯s observation on the missing Rosalie Edgeworth and her missing profile book with her own search for the missing Guardian of the Light, LaLa Marionette. Two absent individuals and two missing profile books, one presumed to be in Rosalie¡¯s possession and the other presumed to be in Lady Dorian¡¯s possession: it can¡¯t just be a coincidence. Furthermore, based on Janet¡¯s observation, Lady Dorian was the linchpin connecting them, a mortal with a grudge and a penchant for messing with matters beyond the human realm.


    ¡°DeeDee, are you there?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been rather pensive, lately,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Is there something I should know about?¡±


    Now was the time, so DeeDee said, ¡°You¡¯re right, there is. There¡¯s something I¡¯m considering, and I need your opinion on it before going forward.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I want Janet to help us look for our missing sister,¡± she said and waited for the inevitable¡ª


    ¡°ARE YOU CRAZY?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, RuRu,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Have you been drinking from my stash?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m completely sober, I promise,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I just need you to hear me out, okay?¡±


    There was another pause, then: ¡°Okay.¡±


    With that, DeeDee proceeded to tell her sister everything she had been doing with Janet and her clones and her peers up until now. In particular, she highlighted what Lady Dorian did in her shop and what Lady Dorian did to her profile books there, what DeeDee herself had uncovered about the deaths of Janet¡¯s clones and Janet¡¯s current situation at school and other complications connected with it, what she talked about with Lady Graves in her office at Elba House, and what Janet discovered about Lady Dorian and Rosalie Edgeworth that had slipped through the cracks of DeeDee¡¯s speculations. Taking these instances together, DeeDee said there¡¯s a connection between the disappearances of LaLa and Rosalie, adding that Lady Dorian was that connection and that Lady Fleming could help.


    When she was finished, DeeDee said, ¡°What are your thoughts in light of that?¡±


    Again there was another pause, longer this time, as if RuRu was weighing all the pros and cons, till she said, ¡°I see what you¡¯re getting at, but it¡¯s all still circumstantial. At best, we¡¯ll need her mother¡¯s permission to bring in Lady Fleming, but considering Marchioness Fleming¡¯s history, she¡¯s gonna need a lot of convincing.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°If I had any other leads, I wouldn¡¯t consider it, but Janet is the only lead we have.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not a coincidence,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I just don¡¯t have the full picture yet.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, Big Sis,¡± RuRu said.)


    DeeDee sensed a hint of disbelief in RuRu¡¯s words, so she was about to add something to that¡ª


    When Rowena said, ¡°What¡¯s going on, DeeDee?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been crouching over Janet for a while,¡± Lady Graves added. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    Only then was DeeDee pulled from her telepathic conversation, making her turn her head and peer back at Marchioness Fleming and Lady Graves and Janet¡¯s friends and clones all gathered around Janet¡¯s motionless body lying over the red creeping thyme in the grass. The light of the lamps in their hands gave their complexions and the surrounding area a sickly green hue, and DeeDee noticed her hand still holding her pocket watch, its dial showing 8:57 p.m.


    Replacing it in the pocket of her apron, DeeDee said, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I was just thinking.¡± Marchioness Fleming and Lady Graves traded quizzical looks as DeeDee stood up and added, ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± and she turned to the others gathered around. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Elba House. We¡¯ve got much to discuss before the signing. Oh, and Celeste, dear.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°Have you finished drafting the contract?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Lady Graves said. ¡°It¡¯s waiting in my office.¡±


    ¡°I want to review what it says first,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°because there¡¯s something I want you to add.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Later at your office, okay?¡± DeeDee said, then to Rowena: ¡°You come, too, Rowena. I¡¯ve got something important to ask of you concerning Janet.¡±


    ¡°Which is what exactly?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain when we get to Elba house,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°No,¡± Rowena said, grabbing DeeDee''s hand, yet her hand passed through. ¡°If it¡¯s something important concerning my daughter, you tell me right here, right now.¡±


    ¡°Rowena, please¡ª¡±


    ¡°DeeDee, for God¡¯s sake, tell me!¡±


    Only then did DeeDee compromise and say, ¡°I want Janet to help me find my sister, LaLa Marionette.¡±


    ¡°The Guardian of the Light?¡± Rowena said.


    DeeDee nodded her head.


    ¡°But why her?¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°And why Janet?¡± Rowena said, then paused. ¡°Unless . . .¡±


    ¡°LaLa¡¯s missing,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°WHAT?¡± they both said.


    DeeDee put her finger to her lips, signifying for them to keep their voices down, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything when we get to Elba House.¡±


    ¡°DeeDee,¡± Lady Graves said, ¡°is this why you want me to add something to my contract?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± DeeDee said, picking up Janet¡¯s lamp in one hand and walking several paces and picking up her own lamp in her other hand, then turned to the men in the group. ¡°One of you boys should pick Janet up. We¡¯re going,¡± and she nodded to Lady Graves to do her thing.


    And so, while Kevin Sydney ranger-rolled a sleeping Janet onto his shoulders, Lady Graves crouched and placed her hand on the ground, summoning a pair of double doors, then stood back up and grabbed the handles and pulled the doors open into the lighted foyer of Elba House. All the while, Rowena had gone back to the door of her own mausoleum and closed it shut, so that no legend-tripping weirdo would intrude into her domain, then doubled back and had DeeDee give her Janet¡¯s lamp.


    With all that done, the whole group entered, single file: first Kevin with Janet over his shoulders; then Ridley Woodberry with Kevin¡¯s lamp and his own lamp in both hands; then Lord Underwood and Mindy Kessler and Jean and Saraya Drevis with their own lamps; then Janet¡¯s thirty-one clones, all of them with lamps swaying in their hands; then the trio of DeeDee with one lamp and Rowena with Janet¡¯s lamp and Lady Graves bringing up the rear; and then Lady Graves turning around and pushing the double doors shut behind her with the thud of a casket shutting over the face of the dead before the double doors disappeared altogether, leaving behind rumors of a ghost parade fluttering on the whispers of a gentle night breeze.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V4) Red Pill 22: Incognitos, Shadows

    Villainess 4: Janet¡¯s Haunted Escapade


    <hr>


    Red Pill 22: Incognitos, Shadows


    <hr>


    Out of those gathered in the Ghost Hunting Club¡¯s designated clubroom, Kevin Sydney and Lady Graves were the only ones standing that weren''t carrying lamps, because Kevin had his hands full with Janet over his shoulders, and Lady Graves had not brought a lamp with her. The others left standing all carried lamps, including DeeDee and Janet¡¯s thirty-one clones. The other club members (Ridley Woodberry, Mindy Kessler, Jean and Saraya Drevis, and their club advisor Baron Underwood) put their lamps beside their chairs when they sat at the conference table, but Marchioness Fleming placed Janet¡¯s on the tabletop before sitting and chatting with them. Meanwhile, Janet¡¯s clones started talking by the entrance with Sir Abram and Daniel Van Weever, who had just changed shifts with John Day before their arrival, and Janet¡¯s silent clones were either standing guard by all the double-door entrances inside Elba House or patrolling its perimeter and its nearby surroundings outside for any legend-tripping weirdos on the scene.


    For Janet¡¯s comfort, DeeDee asked Lady Graves to check her inventory for a spare sofa and an end table that she could set beside the entrance facing the glass display case full of compasses and telescopes and astrolabes and globes. With that, Lady Graves transformed into a blue ghost flame that then disappeared from the room, blinking the lamplights as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡±


    While Lady Graves was checking her inventory for available furniture, flickering the light of DeeDee¡¯s large lamp overhead, DeeDee said, ¡°Sir Sydney, aren¡¯t you tired?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, ma¡¯am. Thanks,¡± Kevin said, still holding Janet over his shoulders.


    Then there was a snap of fingers that again flickered DeeDee¡¯s big lamp over everyone¡¯s heads, and there appeared a salon sofa with an end table next to it before the empty wall space by the double doors. Then the sofa and the end table moved up against the wall, and Lady Graves said, ¡°That should do it. Now you can put Janet down and rest, Sir Sydney.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, ma¡¯am,¡± he said.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Lady Graves said.


    And so, Kevin set Janet on the sofa, then joined the others at the conference table and listened to Ridley¡¯s account of one of his weirder legend-tripping moments at a haunted bridge in the outskirts of the Student Commons Town. And just after he narrated the climactic jump scare of his ghost story, eliciting gawking mouths and wide-eyed stares from his listeners, Kevin said, ¡°You should¡¯ve seen how fast he was running, too. He was so scared, I thought he¡¯d shat himself!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t shit myself!¡±


    ¡°Sure you didn¡¯t,¡± Kevin said. ¡°Too bad I had to smell you the whole way back to our dorms.¡±


    Giggles and sniggers erupted from the listeners around the table, including Sir Abram and Daniel Van Weever and Janet¡¯s clones stepping closer from the entrance to hear the story and the four other busts and three statuettes all eavesdropping from the third bookshelf by the back wall.


    Ridley face-palmed himself.


    ¡°Rowena, Celeste¡¯s waiting,¡± DeeDee said.


    So Rowena got up from her seat, excusing herself and saying, ¡°Will you watch over Janet and her lamp for me?¡±


    ¡°We will, ma¡¯am,¡± Baron Underwood said.


    ¡°And when she wakes up,¡± Rowena added, ¡°will one of you let us know right away?¡±


    ¡°We will, ma¡¯am,¡± Ridley added.


    With that, Rowena left the table and followed DeeDee out of the room in silence, till DeeDee said, ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot to discuss, you know.¡±


    ¡°The change in Celeste¡¯s contract?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Yes, that, too,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but I¡¯m more interested in what Janet told you two while she was down there. Rarely have I ever seen either of you delay anything I need to know, so it must be important. Am I right?¡±


    Rowena bit down on her lower lip, yet she remained silent as she trailed behind DeeDee down the second-floor hallway full of Janet¡¯s silent clones guarding every double-door entrance and up the half-turn stairs. Silence was golden in most circumstances, but this instance told DeeDee more than words could have expressed, and she had an inkling that it was Janet that caught Lady Graves and Rowena off guard.


    ¡°Was it that surprising?¡± DeeDee added.


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Celeste and I were shocked at what she suggested, and at the way she suggested it, and at everything she was saying beforehand, too: it was like she was a different person.¡±


    After reaching the third floor, DeeDee spied a giant hitodama of blue flame hovering before a pair of open double doors at the end of the hallway. So both women walked the rest of the way in silence past more of Janet¡¯s clones standing guard beside more double-door entrances, including Celeste¡¯s. Then they entered the office and took their seats, Rowena in the chair that Janet had sat in that afternoon and DeeDee in her no-chair sitting position, putting down her lamp.


    Celeste slid a sheet of paper across the desk.


    And DeeDee picked it up, saying, ¡°Is this the contract?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Celeste said.


    So DeeDee speed-read the contents of the contract to herself in silence, but she barely finished half of it¡ª


    (When a woman¡¯s voice intruded into DeeDee¡¯s mind, saying, ¡°Get a seat for me, too, please!¡±


    ¡°Maxine?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Why are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Incoming in three seconds and counting!¡± Maxine said. ¡°In three . . . Two . . . One . . .¡±


    ¡°All right, hold your horses!¡± DeeDee said.)


    Then DeeDee let out a sigh, putting the contract aside and saying, ¡°Celeste, get another chair.¡±


    Rowena and Lady Celeste Graves traded glances, and Celeste said, ¡°Do we have a visitor?¡±


    ¡°Who else is coming?¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°Abbess Maxine Diddly is joining us,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡± they both said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± she said.


    So Celeste snapped her fingers, and another chair appeared before her table. And moments later, a masked woman in the clothes of a nun appeared on that chair, crossing her legs and smiling at a wide-eyed Celeste Graves, a gawking Rowena Fleming, and a nonplussed DeeDee with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Long time, no see, you three,¡± the visitor said. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve all been doing well.¡±


    ¡°DeeDee, did you invite her?¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°I would have informed you much earlier than just now,¡± DeeDee deadpanned. ¡°She just invited herself into our little gathering like the brat she is.¡±


    Maxine looked at her, saying, ¡°Okay, am I¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªinterrupting something?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Yes, you are.¡±


    ¡°We were going to discuss something important about Janet,¡± Celeste added, ¡°when you came barging in out of nowhere. That¡¯s really rude, you know.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of your daughter,¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°Janet?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Yes, her.¡±


    ¡°Did you visit her?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°No,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Lady Fleming visited me.¡±


    ¡°At St. Avalon¡¯s Abbey?¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°At what time?¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°Late last night before dawn,¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°How did she even get there last night?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming it was through astral projection,¡± she said, ¡°because her aether affinity was so strong. As for why she was in St. Avalon¡¯s Abbey at three-fifty this morning, I can only guess. When I first saw her, I thought she had awakened her powers, but when she couldn¡¯t see my darkness affinity, I put her back to sleep.¡±


    Only then did Rowena breathe out a sigh, saying, ¡°And I was thinking it was an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mama Goose,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Lady Fleming is fine, no harm, no fuss. Is she still asleep?¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°When is she waking up?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± DeeDee said, remembering RuRu¡¯s words. ¡°Maybe in two hours, or maybe in two and a half hours, or maybe somewhere in between. We won¡¯t know for sure, until she wakes up. But with that said,¡± she added, looking from Celeste to Rowena, ¡°what exactly did Janet tell you?¡±


    ¡°You tell us what¡¯s going on with LaLa Marionette first,¡± Rowena said, ¡°and then you tell me what Janet has to do with it, and only then will we tell you what she told us. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    DeeDee winced at her words.


    ¡°Geez,¡± Maxine said. ¡°You¡¯re a hard bargainer.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re an interloper, so be quiet,¡± Rowena said, then at DeeDee with her arms crossed her ample bosom: ¡°Out with it, DeeDee. What does my daughter have to do with your sister, the Guardian of the Light?¡±


    DeeDee thought of her conversation with RuRu, the Guardian of the Darkness, wondering if she should reveal such godly matters, then said, ¡°Every year on the seventh week of school, my sisters and I have overseen the magic aptitude tests of all freshmen students in Lassen Academy, but this year, LaLa Marionette missed yesterday¡¯s tests in Sister Jaqueline Morley and Father Giles Robinson¡¯s Magic Studies classes in Periods 1 through 4. At first, we thought LaLa was sleeping in, but when we checked her abode during Lunch, we found she wasn¡¯t there. As such, we spent the rest of Lunch and Homeroom 3 yesterday looking for her, till we returned to the Academy to attend Periods 5 and 6 and oversee the tests in Father Robinson¡¯s remaining afternoon classes. Then we continued our search for LaLa that afternoon, but we were tired from overseeing the aptitude tests in four of Sister Morley¡¯s classes and six of Father Robinson¡¯s classes, so we took a nap before continuing.


    ¡°Then Janet Fleming came knocking, literally,¡± DeeDee continued. ¡°I was sleeping in my lamp when I heard several knocks. After getting up and possessing my doll form, I found Janet there in my shop.¡±


    ¡°What about her clones?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see them at the time,¡± she said, ¡°till I turned my full-length mirror in Janet¡¯s direction and saw them in the reflection with her. Then I took out Janet¡¯s profile book from my private library and discovered one hundred and sixteen redacted profile entries, so I had Janet¡¯s clones read out their last entries, which amounted to thirty-one entries in all. That left eight-five others unaccounted for, but after listening to the entries from the thirty-one clones there, I knew their deaths were abnormal. And what¡¯s more: their deaths were all due to Rosalie¡¯s schemes and often included Prince Blaise¡¯s participation.¡±


    ¡°Damn that Prince!¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I know,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Anyway, I looked for Rosalie¡¯s book and Prince Blaise¡¯s books, but I only found the Prince¡¯s book, while Rosalie¡¯s was missing. What¡¯s more: I couldn¡¯t open the Prince¡¯s book, which told me one thing: someone had infiltrated my shop and tampered with the profile books inside my private library. So later that night, I had Janet accompany me to my shop incognito and help me move my inventory into a spare room in Elba House. After Janet returned to her dorm, I inspected the other profile books in my possession and found three others that showed signs of tampering. After informing Janet¡¯s clones, I had them help me look through all three.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°In all, we had five books showing signs of tampering: that of Lady Janet Fleming, Prince Blaise, Sir Kevin Sydney, Lord Ridley Woodberry, and Father Joseph Reeves. Based on our findings at the time, I had assumed that the culprit who had taken Rosalie¡¯s profile book was the same one impersonating Rosalie in the Academy, but my talk with Lady Graves this afternoon had overthrown my initial theory. Not only was someone impersonating Rosalie, but that someone¡¯s profile book was also missing. Thus, I had two missing profile books and one culprit impersonating someone else.¡±


    ¡°Lady Dorian?¡± Rowena said.


    DeeDee nodded, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see what you¡¯re getting at,¡± Rowena said, ¡°but how does this involve your sister, LaLa?¡±


    ¡°You see,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°the initial impression I had was that the real Rosalie Edgeworth and LaLa Marionette were both missing and that Lady Dorian had something to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Because Lady Dorian has been impersonating Rosalie?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But that¡¯s just a coincidence,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Two missing persons don¡¯t always make a connection just because the culprit is associated with one of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but your daughter helped me in that regard. I just wish I was there to see it happening with you and Celeste.¡±


    ¡°Janet was incredible,¡± Celeste said. ¡°She was going full-on detective mode that time.¡±


    DeeDee smiled and said, ¡°I bet she was.¡± Then she turned back to Rowena and added, ¡°Anyway, yes, your doubts are valid enough. I myself had a hard time making any plausible connection between Rosalie and LaLa beyond coincidence, because I had assumed Lady Dorian had stolen Rosalie¡¯s book.¡±


    ¡°But Janet said it was Rosalie who took it,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Also, she stressed Rosalie¡¯s presence in this world as if she knew that girl was destined to save it somehow.¡±


    ¡°Like a saintess?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said.


    ¡°Also,¡± Celeste added, ¡°Janet compared the situation to a game that¡¯s been rigged against her.¡±


    So Rowena said, ¡°But that would mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look, I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± DeeDee said, guessing what was on their minds, ¡°but all games have rules that must be followed, no exceptions.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Rowena added, ¡°does that include the saintess selection process for all saintess candidates?¡±


    DeeDee eyed Rowena, for she knew what she was getting at: human foibles formed the basis of many games from cards and gambling to aristocratic in-fighting and political intrigues to even matters of marriage alliances and wars. In a world of appearances, you lived and died by what other people think and say about you, for what mattered wasn¡¯t who you are but what other people think you are. And for Janet¡¯s case, as it was for Lady Graves and for Lady Bartleby before she became Marchioness Fleming, the game of choosing a saintess candidate was of paramount importance not only to the noble families involved with the Blaise royal family but also to the church, for the church and the kingdom are one. The fortunes of the former rose and fell with the latter like a painted ship on a painted ocean, a portrait of the collective struggles of all interested parties seeking personal gain in the Kaden Kingdom¡¯s longest-held custom.


    ¡°In theory,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°no prejudice should exist against any affinity user from becoming a saintess candidate, but this kingdom follows its own set of traditions.¡±


    ¡°By consensus?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Right,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°That¡¯s why earth- and air- and fire- and water-affinity users are excluded as saintess candidates, which leaves light- and darkness- and aether-affinity users in this kingdom. Yet of these three, the light affinity is favored because of its association with the Church of the Holy Light. On the other hand, the aether affinity is often associated with superstitions because of its prevalence amongst commoners here and abroad, and the darkness affinity is equated with witches and demons because of its prevalence amongst the outcasts and half-breeds here and abroad.


    ¡°Because of these associations,¡± she added, looking at Rowena and Celeste in turn, ¡°you two were subjected to rumors that led to your deaths. For Rowena, you were falsely accused and died in prison, and for Celeste, you were slandered and murdered in your dorm room.¡± Then to the interloper: ¡°But you, Maxine, you¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t fit that pattern.¡±


    Rowena gaped at Maxine and said, ¡°You were murdered?¡±


    ¡°Right, you died before I did,¡± Maxine said. ¡°A bunch of robed men entered the abbey while I was alone, asking if I took in an orphan with the darkness affinity.¡±


    ¡°Astor?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, ¡°but I lied my ass off, because I heard you had died while in prison.¡±


    Rowena paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Did these robed men appear as if out of thin air?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they did,¡± she said. ¡°The abbey was empty at the time, but when I happened to turn around, they were there inside with me. How did you know they could do that?¡±


    ¡°They also appeared to me in prison,¡± Rowena said. ¡°At first, I thought they were a part of the staff from the High Court, but when they started interrogating me about Astor¡¯s whereabouts, that¡¯s when I knew something was off.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I wish I was,¡± Rowena said. ¡°Those robed men, do you know who they were working for?¡±


    ¡°I suspect it was the Dorians,¡± Maxine said. ¡°What¡¯s left of them, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Under whose orders?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°The Schrader royal family,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Even the Dorians wouldn¡¯t do something so brazen without the backing of a kingdom like the Schrader kingdom.¡±


    ¡°By any chance,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°did they silence you about their presence in another kingdom?¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± she said.


    ¡°Did they have any idea who you were?¡±


    Maxine nodded her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s the weird part, you know. They all knew who I was straight away, but when I asked them how they knew, they said they had a new saintess in their kingdom that knew where I was.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t they abolish their church in your time?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It¡¯s my understanding that you came here incognito to escape their persecution.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t abolish their church,¡± Maxine said. ¡°They only went underground after killing off their political enemies. And when they were looking for Astor¡¯s whereabouts, they just happened to recognize me.¡±


    ¡°Did they question you?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Maxine said, ¡°but I said at first that I didn¡¯t know who they were talking about. Then they said they had gone to St. Avalon¡¯s Orphanage next door to the abbey asking about Astor¡¯s whereabouts, and the kids told them to see me about it. Since either I was lying or the kids were lying, they threatened to kill me or burn down the orphanage if I refused to answer them. So I lied my ass off, yet just when I thought they would leave, they had to satisfy their bloodlust! My God, after everything I¡¯ve gone through just to enter this kingdom, I can¡¯t believe I was killed off on a whim!¡±


    ¡°At least the orphans were spared.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Maxine said, ¡°but damn it, if it wasn¡¯t for that bastard boy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough!¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Your brother was a playboy!¡± Maxine said. ¡°When he couldn¡¯t get under my skirt, he got under someone else¡¯s and got her pregnant, then got banished by your father. If I hadn¡¯t helped you and your husband to find that boy, I might¡¯ve been spared from this mess!¡±


    Rowena was about to say something caustic when Celeste said, ¡°Ladies, please be mindful of my tenants.¡±


    Maxine grimaced, and Rowena bit her lip, but both women bowed their heads and apologized to Celeste.


    After that, DeeDee said, ¡°Was there anything else they said about this saintess?¡±


    Maxine shook her head, saying, ¡°That¡¯s all I know. If you want to find out more, you¡¯d have to visit that godless cesspool of a kingdom but be forewarned: you might not get out of there unscathed,¡± and she removed her mask, and two eyeballs fell from her sockets onto Celeste¡¯s desktop.


    Rowena and Celeste looked away, wincing and grimacing at the sight of Maxine picking the eyes up and popping them back in and replacing the mask over her face. Only then did they look back at her, but they avoided looking at her eyes.


    ¡°Those warlocks did that to me while I was still alive,¡± Maxine said. ¡°May God damn their kingdom and their king and their fucking saintess!¡±


    Only DeeDee, privy to many methods of torture and killing, locked eyes with Maxine and said, ¡°Your observation changes the focus of my investigation. Since my private library doesn¡¯t house the profile books of those living beyond the borders of this kingdom, I now have to worry about a different saintess from another kingdom, in addition to finding LaLa and Rosalie,¡± and she breathed out another sigh. ¡°And those are on top of what¡¯s been happening at Lassen Academy.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°Ah well,¡± DeeDee said, looking at Maxine and Rowena in turn, wondering about the new duke of Bartleby, this Astor Bartleby. ¡°Let¡¯s just take things one at a time, starting with that Astor fellow. Why were they looking for him?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Maxine said.


    But Rowena paused on DeeDee¡¯s question, then said, ¡°DeeDee, can you fetch Astor¡¯s profile book? I want to know what he¡¯s been through.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask him after you took him in?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Rowena said, ¡°but he couldn¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    ¡°All right then,¡± DeeDee said, getting up and rounding Celeste¡¯s desk towards the tall bookshelf behind her on the back wall of her office, making the landlady of Elba house turn in her chair. ¡°Celeste, I don¡¯t want to bother Janet¡¯s friends downstairs, so can I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can use my bookshelf to access your library,¡± Celeste said. ¡°Just knock three times on the right side and wait for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± DeeDee said and gave three hard knocks on the right side of the shelf, then waited for a time. Then there came a small click and a heavy clank somewhere behind the bookshelf, and the shelf swung open, and DeeDee said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit,¡± and she stepped inside.


    After downing another glass, Janet leaned back in her chair and pressed her palms against her eyes as the atrocities against her clones kept racing through her mind, digging deeper furrows into the cup of her soul. These atrocities sent blood rushing through her arteries and veins, tormenting her like a caged bird forced to sing through its own tears, her mind seething with murderous thoughts, her heart beating like a war drum. And all the while, without Janet even knowing, the black flickering tendrils of her fury were manifesting around the outline of her astral form, and a red halo with a green corona around its edge began to form around Janet¡¯s head. Little by little, her powers were stirring inside her from the raging catharsis of her clones¡¯ collective pain.


    Through all this mental agony, Janet wiped away her tears and opened her eyes to the Guardian of the Darkness staring back at her and saying, ¡°There¡¯s only one million three hundred and ninety-six thousand left to go, Janet! You¡¯re doing good!¡±


    As RuRu poured more of the astringent brew into her glass, Janet looked at her hostess through bleary eyes and said, ¡°How good is ¡®good,¡¯ by any chance?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a third of the way done,¡± RuRu said, ¡°and you did it in an hour¡¯s time, to boot. Just two more hours, and you¡¯ll become a new woman!¡±


    Janet leaned over and cradled her head on top of her forearms over the table¡¯s edge, then noticed something about many of her clones¡¯ memories: one of getting framed for leaving death threats in the hallways of Lassen Academy against Lady Dorian, another of getting apprehended for poisoning the Queen at a holiday banquet in the Royal Palace, another of getting executed by firing squad for poisoning the Prince¡¯s new fianc¨¦e during the evening graduation party, yet another of getting stabbed to death after returning from the graduation party at the Prince¡¯s mansion, and still another of getting killed by bandits a year after her banishment from the graduation party, and so on and so forth. All of these memories brought Janet back to her first day with her clones in the bathroom, for she noticed something that none of them said anything about that day. In their memories, as she reviewed them in her mind, she saw the movements of several black silhouettes that nobody except one person seemed to notice in these scenes: Lady Dorian.


    ¡°RuRu,¡± Janet said, ¡°have you noticed anything weird going on in Lassen Academy?¡±


    RuRu grimaced and said, ¡°Not really, but that¡¯s because I¡¯ve been busy with something else.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Drink more,¡± RuRu said, pointing to her full glass on the table, ¡°and I¡¯ll tell you about it.¡±


    So Janet drank more, and RuRu poured more, and Janet drank more, and RuRu poured more, and so on. Throughout their drinking and pouring routine, RuRu informed Janet of LaLa Marionette¡¯s disappearance before yesterday¡¯s magic aptitude tests in Periods 1 through 6 of Father Giles Robinson¡¯s classes and in Periods 1 through 4 of Sister Jacqueline Morley¡¯s classes. Janet said that she had missed that test in Period 3 yesterday, because she had fainted during Homeroom 1 after confronting the Prince and Lady Dorian and had thus been taken to the infirmary and had remained there for the rest of that day, so RuRu said she noticed Janet¡¯s absence from Period 3 when the other students took the test. When Janet asked if Lady Dorian had taken the test, RuRu said she hadn¡¯t, because she had acted too distraught to take it during Period 3 or during any of Father Robinson¡¯s remaining homeroom periods in his homeroom to make it up. When she asked if the Prince had taken it, RuRu said he had and was confirmed as a fire-affinity user.


    RuRu¡¯s observation took Janet back to what her beheaded clone had said about Prince Blaise, that he was suspected of tampering with the crystal in Janet¡¯s hand during lunch. If her clone¡¯s observation was true, then in addition to Janet¡¯s clones, were those same silhouettes present in the Cafeteria during lunch? And if so, then were they also present at the Prince¡¯s summons? With these in mind, Janet took another swig from her glass and said, ¡°Was there anything else you noticed that day?¡±


    RuRu shook her head, saying, ¡°We were all busy looking for our missing sister, so we didn¡¯t notice much besides what I¡¯ve told you already.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± RuRu said, pouring more into her glass.


    Janet picked it up and downed it in one gulp, then said, ¡°Now that I¡¯m awakening my powers, I¡¯ve been seeing moving shadows in my clones¡¯ memories.¡±


    ¡°What kind of shadows?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°The kind that people don¡¯t see,¡± Janet said.


    RuRu paused as she poured more into Janet¡¯s glass, then put her bottle on the table and approached Janet. When she placed her hand over Janet¡¯s head¡ª


    (¡°What are you doing?¡± Janet said.)


    ¡ªRuRu said, ¡°Calm down and just close your eyes. Try to focus on those shadows that you saw, and I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    Janet did so, closing her eyes and reviewing her clones¡¯ memories, and saw those silhouettes again: several silhouettes had put up the death threats on the walls of the Academy that got Janet framed for leaving death threats against Lady Dorian; one silhouette at the holiday banquet at the Royal Palace dropped a tablet in the Queen¡¯s cup that got Janet framed for an attempted murder of a royal; another silhouette at the evening graduation party had given another tablet to the Prince¡¯s new fianc¨¦e in order for Lady Dorian to better act out the scene that got Janet executed by firing squad for poisoning her; yet another silhouette stabbed Janet to death after her return from the graduation party at the Prince¡¯s mansion; and still more silhouettes (dressed as bandits this time) tracked down and murdered Janet a year after her banishment from the graduation party. More silhouettes appeared in many other memories, in which Janet got blamed for their actions, but they all had one thing in common.


    In addition to playing the role of Rosalie Edgeworth, Lady Dorian played other roles in Janet¡¯s demise: she played the victim to get the Prince to do her bidding against Janet; she played the innocent bystander seeking help for Janet but only after she was dead; and she even played the mastermind that got rid of Janet after she had gotten her banished. Yet under RuRu¡¯s assistance, those silhouettes appeared as robed individuals following Lady Dorian¡¯s orders . . .


    Janet blinked upon hearing her hostess calling her name, saying, ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I said to pour your own glass for a bit,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I need to talk to DeeDee right away,¡± and she talked with DeeDee about the silhouettes in the memories of Janet¡¯s clones, telling her that they were in cahoots with Lady Dorian.


    Meanwhile, Janet took up the big bottle and poured herself a glass before taking it up and downing its contents. But after repeating this procedure over a dozen times, she got tired of it and looked at RuRu still talking with DeeDee as if she was there right next to her, but RuRu had wandered from the table. Now she was pacing back and forth without casting a glance her way, so Janet thought about her options. After an hour of downing glass after glass of this horrid brew, she¡¯d be damned if she had to endure two more hours of pouring herself a glass and downing it over and over.


    Then she looked at RuRu, still talking, then peered back over her left shoulder and stared up at her own darkness affinity looming over her. It had lost a third of its initial size, though it retained its red hue glowing in its center. Then Janet looked at RuRu¡¯s bottle in her hand, then at her glass standing empty on the table, and then at RuRu still talking with DeeDee, oblivious to her intentions.


    Deciding to risk it, Janet stood up from her seat and said under her breath, ¡°Bottoms up!¡±


    And she raised the rim to her lips and lifted up the rest of the bottle like a funnel and began chugging its contents, squinting her eyes of tears at the astringent liquid burning down her throat. The effect of her chugging was like a baptismal waterfall cascading down her gullet and crashing into the lake of her stomach, which filtered through the countless rivers of her bloodstream, which then overflowed the cup of her soul, turning it into a fountain, the dark waters glowing red in its depths and shimmering green off its dappled surface. And all the while, the giant blob of Janet¡¯s affinity pool kept shrinking and shrinking and shrinking with the massive gulps she was consuming . . .


    <hr>


    End of Villainess 4

 [V5] Red Pill [0]: Connections, Promises

    Villainess [5]: DeeDee''s Detective Work


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Connections, Promises


    <hr>


    DeeDee had a lot on her mind as she looked for Astor Bartleby¡¯s profile book in the ducal section of her private library. On finding said volume on the shelf above her head, DeeDee took it out and was about to go when she thought of something else. After inspecting the contents of her private library for any tampered volumes and finding five such volumes, DeeDee found it strange that she had noticed Rosalie¡¯s missing book but not Lady Dorian¡¯s. How could she have missed something like that, especially after she had inspected the contents of her private library?


    Normally, she would have noticed a missing volume right away without the aid of other people (namely, Janet¡¯s clones and Celeste Graves). As the Guardian of the Aether and a watcher of the spirits of the dead, she kept the records of everyone and anyone within the borders of the Kaden Kingdom, from residents to visitors. Whoever was causing these changes was doing a good job slipping past DeeDee¡¯s detection, which irked her to no end. Was Lady Dorian behind all of this? Or was this so-called saintess from the Schrader Kingdom the culprit? Were Lady Dorian and this saintess one and the same? If not, then who the hell is this saintess person? And if so, then how did Lady Dorian slip past DeeDee¡¯s notice?


    ¡°DeeDee, what¡¯s keeping you?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I¡¯m checking something out,¡± DeeDee said and looked back at the row of spines showing the names of Astor¡¯s family members, four of which interested her in light of the connections blooming in her mind.


    ¡°Want us to help you?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡±


    So DeeDee took out the four volumes and was about to go again when she had another thought: barring Rosalie and Lady Dorian¡¯s books, she might glean something useful from those of Lady Jenna Childeron and Lady Vesper Felton, both from prominent count families allied with the Dorian family before their last downfall as a disgraced viscount house. With this in mind, she searched deeper into her private library through the surnames of the count families in the lower shelves, spotting the Childerons and the Feltons and picking out the books she needed. Now carrying seven profile books, she passed the threshold back into Celeste¡¯s office¡ª


    When Rowena said, ¡°What are those books for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of ground to cover,¡± DeeDee said, placing the books on the desktop, ¡°but since there are four of us here now, we should work together,¡± and she gave Astor¡¯s book to Rowena, then kept Old Duke and Duchess Bartleby¡¯s books for herself, then pushed Lord Jericho Bartleby and Sir Aaron Bartleby¡¯s books to Maxine, and then pushed Lady Childeron and Lady Felton¡¯s books towards Celeste before DeeDee sat back in her designated seat between Rowena and Maxine. ¡°After reading through the entries, we¡¯ll share our findings.¡±


    So all four women took up their books and started reading, which jogged Celeste¡¯s memory, for she looked up from her volume and said, ¡°DeeDee, you wanted me to review Janet and Rowena¡¯s books, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, yes,¡± she said, recalling what she had tasked Lady Graves with before leaving Elba House to fetch Sir Sydney and Lord Woodberry. ¡°Find anything?¡±


    Maxine and Rowena paused in their reading and waited as Celeste pulled open a drawer. On taking out two books from it, Celeste said, ¡°In both books, I felt an aura from them. It was faint in Rowena¡¯s entries but stronger in Janet¡¯s entries, tinged with the darkness affinity. Did you find them right next to each other on the shelf?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but the entries were redacted, till I had Janet¡¯s clones read their final entries in her book. That¡¯s when I thought someone impersonating Rosalie might have infiltrated my private library and stolen Rosalie¡¯s book. Anyway, continue.¡±


    ¡°After looking through Janet¡¯s entries,¡± Celeste said, ¡°both the redacted ones and the legible ones, I noticed all but one entry tinged with the darkness affinity.¡±


    ¡°Which entry was that?¡±


    ¡°The one in which Janet jumped to her death,¡± Celeste said, which made Rowena grimace and cuss out the Prince under her breath. ¡°Out of all the entries I was able to read, that was the only one where Janet had any control over her death. From that point onward for thirty more entries, I felt the darkness affinity building up from entry to entry to Janet¡¯s current incarnation. No wonder her affinity pool was so big.¡±


    ¡°What about the redacted ones before that?¡±


    ¡°Not as much darkness affinity,¡± Celeste said, ¡°but the accumulation was still noticeable. Something about her suicide changed the schemes against Janet, specifically with Prince Blaise¡¯s involvement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked with her clones,¡± DeeDee said, thinking about their observations on the Prince¡¯s actions. ¡°Besides the one that killed herself, I¡¯ve asked the others if the Prince had provoked them to that extent, but they said he always stopped when Lady Dorian intervened.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± DeeDee said.


    Celeste nodded and said, ¡°When I read through the entries of Rowena¡¯s book, I felt the same aura in the entries involving Rowena¡¯s interactions with Astor Bartleby.¡± Then she turned to Rowena and said, ¡°Is that why you wanted to look through Astor Bartleby¡¯s profile book?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rowena said. ¡°I have my suspicions.¡±


    ¡°I have mine, too,¡± DeeDee added. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought out all these books.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have, DeeDee,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Good! Now let¡¯s get back to reading,¡± DeeDee said, and all four women spent the next hour reading.


    During that time, as she read through the entries of Old Duke and Duchess Bartleby¡¯s profile books, DeeDee found out they had three children: Lord Jericho Bartleby, Sir Aaron Bartley, and Lady Rowena Bartleby. Along with these children, Old Duke and Duchess Bartleby experienced three major tragedies: the first was the death of their first born son (Lord Jericho Bartleby) at the tender age of four, due to his weak constitution; the second was a falling out with their second born son (Sir Aaron Bartleby) when he eloped with a maid, resulting in his banishment and no news of him for years afterwards except for a letter from Sir Bartleby¡¯s wife asking them to find their missing grandson, Astor Bartleby; the third was the false imprisonment and death of Marchioness Rowena Fleming, resulting in an ugly court battle between the Bartleby house and the Blaise house that was settled with a duel between their appointed representatives (Marquess Arnold Fleming and Margrave Rory Sydney, respectively). With Old Duke and Duchess Bartleby and Old King and Queen Blaise watching, Judge Kendrick Matthews officiated the match in the Dueling Circle of the Royal Palace, which resulted in an upset victory for Marquess Fleming and just compensation for the injured party, the Bartlebys.


    In the entries concerning Astor Bartleby, DeeDee found out that upon receiving the letter about Astor, Duke Bartleby had Marquess and Marchioness Fleming search for the boy. Eventually, their search dug up rumors of Sir Bartleby¡¯s murder in the Schrader Kingdom and his wife¡¯s disappearance somewhere on the Kaden Kingdom¡¯s side of the border before they found their grandson¡¯s whereabouts at St. Avalon¡¯s Orphanage in a border town. Moreover, DeeDee learned that Duke and Duchess Bartleby raised Astor after Marquess Fleming sent him to the duchy for his protection a month before Rowena¡¯s imprisonment. After Rowena¡¯s death in prison and the ensuing court case and resultant duel, Old Duke Bartleby launched a manhunt to find those responsible for Rowena¡¯s false imprisonment but eventually called it off when the culprits couldn¡¯t be found. Due to his efforts resulting in failure, Old Duke Bartleby was bedridden for the rest of his life, believing that the Blaise royal family had a hand in covering it up. After Old Duke Bartleby¡¯s passing, Duchess Bartleby appointed Marquess Fleming as Astor¡¯s godfather, asking him to look after her grandson after her death, till Astor attains his majority and inherits the ducal title. The last entry in Duchess Bartleby¡¯s book detailed her last moments surrounded by her servants, with Marquess Fleming and a fourteen-year-old Astor Bartleby and a nine-year-old Janet Fleming at her bedside.


    After that, DeeDee waited till the others were finished reading their books, then shared her findings and answered their questions. When she finished, DeeDee then listened to their findings with great interest.


    At DeeDee¡¯s prompting, Rowena said that after Duchess Bartleby¡¯s death, in addition to raising Lady Janet Fleming, Marquess Fleming had financed Lord Astor Bartleby¡¯s education and upbringing, till his twenty-first birthday earlier this year when he received his ducal title. In addition, she explained from Astor¡¯s earlier entries that he had lived incognito with his parents in the Schrader Kingdom. But when Astor¡¯s presence began to attract the notice of an underground cult, his father Sir Aaron Bartleby told his mother to take him across the border, asking her to seek help from the Bartleby family. Then Rowena went off on a tangent and added that after she and Marquess Fleming took Astor in, the boy became violent towards their servants and maids, and they had observed odd things occurring around Astor in the house. As such, they contacted Father Robinson and had him conduct a s¨¦ance with Astor in their presence and found a spirit attached to him. Long story short, Rowena said, whatever was haunting Astor had ceased after she became pregnant with Janet.


    Everyone was silent for a moment after that.


    Then Maxine added her own observations from the entries in Lord Jericho Bartleby and Sir Aaron Bartleby¡¯s books, saying Jericho Bartley¡¯s weak condition and eventual death was due to the amount of darkness affinity overwhelming the capacity of his astral body. As for Sir Aaron Bartleby, she said that he had no such symptoms, for he had not inherited the darkness affinity, but his son Astor had inherited it when he was born, which soon attracted the cult¡¯s notice shortly after his fourth birthday, the same age when Jericho Bartley died.


    For Celeste¡¯s part, she noted that the Childeron and Felton count families had once shared political connections with the Dorian viscount family. Because of these prior associations, both count families had almost become pariahs in high society, meaning that Count Childeron and Count Felton had a hard time finding good husbands for their daughters, Lady Jenna Childeron and Lady Vesper Felton, respectively. As such, Count Childeron settled on a count¡¯s son for Lady Childeron, but Count Felton managed to get a reluctant Duke Justin Woodberry, the current prime minister of the Kaden Kingdom, to agree to an engagement between Lord Ridley Woodberry and Lady Felton when they were still kids. From reading the entries in their profile books, Celeste said that Lady Felton¡¯s feelings for Lord Woodberry were one-sided, so she had grown jealous of Janet¡¯s friendship with Lord Woodberry even after Janet¡¯s engagement to Prince Donavan Blaise. As such, Lady Childeron acted as Vesper and Janet¡¯s mutual friend, often intervening before Vesper would voice her suspicions about Janet and outright accuse her of an illicit relationship with Lord Woodberry behind the Prince¡¯s back. Even so, despite these headaches, Lady Childeron had maintained this awkward friendship between the two love rivals into their teenage years, up to the fourth week of the current school year in Lassen Academy.


    ¡°Then everything changed amongst Lady Childeron and Lady Felton and Lady Fleming,¡± Celeste said. ¡°Judging from everything we¡¯ve discussed so far, just who do you think brought about that change?¡±


    DeeDee traded knowing glances with Rowena and Maxine and said, ¡°It¡¯s got to be Lady Dorian, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Celeste said. ¡°Lady Dorian turned them to her side, telling them that Janet had been dating Lord Woodberry behind Lady Felton¡¯s back. When they asked for proof, Lady Dorian led them into the Student Commons Town and had them spy on Janet and Lord Woodberry eating at a dessert shop, where he was comforting Janet. Right then, Lady Felton accosted Janet for stealing her fianc¨¦, yet when Lord Woodberry stood up for Janet, Lady Felton and Lord Woodberry started arguing, and Lord Woodberry said he was never interested in her to begin with, and that sent Lady Felton away, crying. After that, Lady Felton¡¯s engagement to Lord Woodberry got called off, and Count Felton was furious and almost disowned his daughter.¡±


    ¡°Geez, that¡¯s harsh!¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Celeste said. ¡°The relationship between Lady Felton and Janet was bad to begin with, and all Lady Dorian had to do was sow a seed of discord, and the rest took care of itself. For the next two weeks up to this week, Lady Childeron and Lady Felton helped Lady Dorian set up Janet and get her in trouble with Prince Blaise. But what I found odd,¡± she added, ¡°was that they also started bullying Lady Kessler and the Lady Drevis sisters at Lady Dorian¡¯s behest.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Did you read their profile books?¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°I did this afternoon, but their actions have puzzled me,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Lady Kessler only got acquainted with Janet before she was transferred out of Baron Palmer¡¯s homeroom class at the end of the first week of school. Only today did Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis become friends with Janet, but here¡¯s the thing. Between that time and today, Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters kept trying to contact Janet, but Lady Dorian kept preventing them in the hallways¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand Lady Childeron and Lady Felton added pressure on them,¡± Celeste added. ¡°All of that culminated in them getting falsely evicted from their dorms and Lady Kessler getting beaten up. But I still don¡¯t know how they¡¯re connected with everything else. DeeDee, any ideas?¡±


    DeeDee shook her head, and everyone breathed out a sigh. With everything still up in the air, DeeDee said, ¡°Celeste, is that all you have for us?¡±


    Celeste opened both profile books to their last pages and slid them across the table towards DeeDee, saying, ¡°They¡¯ve already crossed the border into the Schrader Kingdom. There¡¯s nothing else after that,¡± and she pointed at the pages.


    DeeDee leaned over and read Lady Children¡¯s page:


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Jenna Childeron,¡¯¡± (she read to herself.) ¡°¡®Status: Alive. Most recent event: After ganging up on Lady Kessler in the hallway of Lassen Academy, as per Rosalie¡¯s directions, Lady Childeron and Lady Felton ran from the school grounds and got into an unmarked carriage waiting for them in a side street in the Student Commons Town. That carriage took them towards the border of the Kaden Kingdom, dropping them off at the Little Rock border town. While there, they got into another unmarked carriage waiting for them and crossed the mountain pass of the Charon Mountains into the outskirts of the Schrader Kingdom.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    Then she read Lady Felton¡¯s page:


    <blockquote>


    ¡°¡®Lady Vesper Felton,¡¯¡± (she read to herself.) ¡°¡®Status: Alive. Most recent event: After ganging up on Lady Kessler in the hallway of Lassen Academy, as per Rosalie¡¯s directions, Lady Felton and Lady Childeron and ran from the school grounds and got into an unmarked carriage waiting for them in a side street in the Student Commons Town. That carriage took them towards the border of the Kaden Kingdom, dropping them off at the Little Rock border town. While there, they got into another unmarked carriage waiting for them and crossed the mountain pass of the Charon Mountains into the outskirts of the Schrader Kingdom.¡¯¡±


    </blockquote>


    After reading both pages, DeeDee noticed that Lady Dorian was designated as ¡®Rosalie¡¯ and said, ¡°They don¡¯t know Lady Dorian¡¯s identity, so I doubt that she would let them in on her actual plans. When they followed her escape plan, did they know anything about who they were to meet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Only Lady Dorian knows?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Celeste said. ¡°She must be using them as pawns.¡±


    DeeDee paused a moment, then said, ¡°Were there any indications that they¡¯ve been followed? Or have they woken up feeling they weren¡¯t alone?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± Celeste said. ¡°What are you thinking? Do you have something in mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just grasping at straws,¡± DeeDee said, leaning back in her chair. ¡°Whatever Lady Dorian¡¯s up to, she knows how to cover her tracks.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    So DeeDee rolled their findings through her head, trying to link these disparate coincidences into a sensible chain of events, and came up with three good connections that seemed to fit the facts. The first connection concerned four members of the Bartleby family and the passing of the darkness affinity to different heirs: first to Jericho Bartleby, then to Rowena Fleming (n¨¦e Bartleby), then to Astor Bartleby, and then to Janet Fleming. The second connection concerned incognitos: Astor Bartleby and his parents living incognito in the Schrader Kingdom after Sir Aaron Bartleby¡¯s banishment, Abbess Maxine Diddley living incognito at the border of the Kaden Kingdom, and Lady Dorian attending Lassen Academy incognito as Rosalie Edgeworth. The third connection concerned deaths and murders: the various deaths of Janet¡¯s clones, the murders of Sir Aaron Bartleby and Celeste Graves and Maxine Diddley, and the deaths of Jericho Bartleby and Rowena Fleming.


    But the next set of connections were iffy at best. The first hiccup concerned Lady Dorian¡¯s involvement: she caused the deaths of Janet¡¯s clones and fomented Celeste¡¯s murder and Janet¡¯s current troubles, for sure, but her involvement in the deaths of Aaron Bartleby and Rowena Fleming and Maxine Diddley was questionable. The second hiccup concerned the involvement of the underground cult from the Schrader Kingdom: their presence could be argued with the deaths of Celeste Graves and Sir Aaron Bartleby and Maxine Diddley and even Rowena Fleming, but their connection to the deaths of Jericho Bartleby and Janet¡¯s clones was negligible. The third hiccup concerned Lady Dorian¡¯s connection to the underground cult: whether or not Lady Dorian was the cult¡¯s saintess, the fact that she directed Lady Childeron and Lady Felton to cross the border into the Schrader Kingdom suggested a connection, but without the profile books of Lady Dorian or the real Rosalie Edgeworth, DeeDee¡¯s theory was on shaky ground.


    These three hiccups had their own problems, yet the fourth one was the most problematic. Going off of what Celeste and Rowena had observed from Janet¡¯s reasoning, Lady Dorian had a motive for killing off Janet¡¯s clones, but why involve Lady Childeron and Lady Felton to torment the current Janet Fleming? Even if Lady Childeron and Lady Felton hated Janet enough to help Lady Dorian bully her, would they really be complicit in her death? She wasn¡¯t sure. But even if they were willing to go that far, why bully Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis along with Janet? Was it just a matter of guilt by association, or was there something else DeeDee wasn¡¯t seeing?


    After rolling the possibilities through her mind, DeeDee could only think of one way forward and said, ¡°There¡¯s too much we don¡¯t know, so let¡¯s leave it aside for now. Hand over the books, please.¡±


    So they handed them over, and DeeDee gathered the nine volumes (including those of Janet and Rowena) and took them back into her private library, placing them on the floor beside the closest bookshelf for easy access. Then she came out and pushed Celeste¡¯s bookshelf closed before doubling back, but Celeste intercepted her with an outstretched arm.


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Just give it to her straight,¡± Celeste said.


    DeeDee looked at her, wavering for a moment before committing to her suggestion. When sat back down in between Rowena and Maxine, she stared at a pensive Rowena and said, ¡°Rowena, here¡¯s what we¡¯re dealing with: LaLa and Rosalie are missing, their profile books are missing, Janet and four other students¡¯ profile books have been tampered with, and I can¡¯t even open Prince Blaise¡¯s book. For all I know, for all we know, Lady Dorian¡¯s actions involve the movements of a foreign cult, and the presence of Janet¡¯s clones point to your daughter as their target. I don¡¯t know if LaLa¡¯s disappearance has anything to do with Janet, but having her help me find my sister will also help me protect your daughter.¡±


    Rowena neither nodded nor shook her head.


    ¡°Since she¡¯s your daughter, I¡¯ll follow whatever you decide,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    Rowena bit down on her lower lip, grimacing and averting her eyes, then faced DeeDee but couldn¡¯t seem to find her words as tears welled up, and she wiped them away. After a few more moments, she finally said, ¡°Can you do what I couldn¡¯t do? Can you protect her for me?¡±


    DeeDee gulped at her words, knowing what was demanded of her, for the deaths of Janet¡¯s clones weighed her down like a cross, a weight she could only imagine was on Rowena¡¯s shoulders when she bore her daughter silent and cold into an unforgiving world. So DeeDee said, ¡°I¡¯ll protect her.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise I will,¡± DeeDee said.


    More tears trailed Rowena¡¯s eyes, so she wiped them away and said, ¡°I could barely protect Astor, let alone Janet. Answer me, DeeDee.¡±


    ¡°What is it, dear?¡±


    ¡°Was I a good mother?¡± Rowena said.


    So DeeDee reached over in her chair and hugged Rowena like a sister, rubbing circles around her shoulders and saying, ¡°Oh, please, don¡¯t be cruel to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Was I a good mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You deserve her.¡±


    But Rowena said, ¡°How can I deserve her when I couldn¡¯t even protect her?¡±


    At her words, Celeste and Maxine got from their chairs and gathered around her, wrapping their arms around Rowena in a group hug. All the while, DeeDee allowed the grieving mother to mourn for her lost daughters, letting her cleanse the pain of failing to be there in their last agonizing moments, letting her catharsis of tears clear out the guilt. Only then, as the tears ran out and Rowena regained her composure, did DeeDee let go and say, ¡°Are you all right, dear?¡±


    Rowena wiped away her tears once more, her eyes now red, and nodded that she was.


    Only then did Celeste and Maxine let go and return to their designated seats, yet DeeDee wanted Rowena to recover some more before they continued. So she took up the contract she had been reading before Maxine¡¯s interruption and speed-read its contents again. When DeeDee finished, she looked at Celeste and said, ¡°This contract needs an extra Grantor.¡±


    ¡°Who do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°RuRu Marionette,¡± DeeDee said.


    Celeste and Rowena both stared at her as if DeeDee had yet to realize her brain was still in a jar somewhere.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But her record is abysmal,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°And she¡¯s got a huge drinking problem,¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°Look, I understand your doubts,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but I can¡¯t be everywhere at once. Also, since Janet has the darkness affinity, RuRu can look after her.¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body!¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of backing out, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, okay?¡± Rowena said. ¡°But if RuRu¡¯s gonna be helping my daughter, then I¡¯m helping, too!¡±


    ¡°Me, too,¡± Celeste added.


    ¡°Are you doubting her?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°We¡¯re not doubting her abilities,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want Janet picking up on her bad habits,¡± Rowena added. ¡°Now take it or leave it.¡±


    DeeDee leaned back in her chair, saying, ¡°All right, have it your way, geez! But since you two want to help out,¡± she added, looking at Celeste, ¡°you both need to be included as Witnesses in the contract.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make the changes,¡± Celeste said, fishing for a pen and another sheet of paper from her desk drawer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished yet,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°What else then?¡±


    ¡°Add two more clauses,¡± DeeDee said, sliding the contract over and pointing at its second-to-last clause. ¡°One in which Janet will help me find LaLa, and another in which I will help Janet find the real Rosalie.¡±


    ¡°Are those all the changes?¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Just make sure to reword everything, so the spell works, got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Celeste said.


    As Celeste went to work writing up a revised contract using the old draft as a guide, DeeDee faced Rowena again and said, ¡°Now tell me what Janet told you.¡±


    Celeste glanced at Rowena and said, ¡°I¡¯m busy, so it¡¯s your cue, dear,¡± and she went on with her work, marking up the old draft with corrections and additions and writing the changes into the new contract.


    While Celeste wrote and DeeDee waited, Rowena took a deep breath and said, ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in.¡±


    ¡°Try me,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Then here¡¯s the short version,¡± she said. ¡°Janet wants to adopt a different persona with her new powers. By using this new persona, she wants to play the part of a masked vigilante to throw attention off of her own infamy. But in order to do this, Janet suggested that she fake an assassination attempt on her life using this persona as her savior.¡±


    DeeDee gaped at her words, wondering how far Janet was willing to take this dangerous ruse, and said, ¡°But won¡¯t that complicate our plans?¡±


    ¡°I asked her as much,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°And?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I asked Janet for her reasons,¡± Rowena said. ¡°And she said (and I quote), ¡®They¡¯re fourfold: the first is to gain sympathy, because there hasn¡¯t been an assassination attempt on a student of this Academy since Celeste¡¯s murder in Elba House; the second is to raise rumors that Prince Blaise had a hand in it, turning public opinion against him; the third is to spook Lady Dorian with the same murder she had devised against Celeste, letting her know someone¡¯s on to her tactics; and the fourth is to shake up the sleeper agents in the High Court.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you agree,¡± Rowen said.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°She¡¯ll die if she gets caught fomenting such a scheme.¡±


    ¡°Celeste and I told her the same thing.¡±


    ¡°But her idea has potential,¡± DeeDee continued, seeing the possibilities align with her plans. ¡°Janet¡¯s already had her magic aptitude confirmed in front of witnesses, so there¡¯s no need for her to repeat it. And since nobody outside the walls of Elba House knows about her darkness affinity, Janet can use it under this new persona of hers.¡±


    ¡°Use it for what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s twofold,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°First, she¡¯ll use it for the betterment of the commoners of this kingdom, especially for its outsiders.¡±


    ¡°But Lady Dorian is¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, dear,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Since she¡¯s impersonating the real Rosalie Edgeworth, she won¡¯t take the magic aptitude test.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t Prince Blaise help cover for her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and we¡¯ll use that against Lady Dorian. We¡¯ll see just how far the Prince is willing to go to protect his fake Rosalie.¡±


    ¡°Even if it threatens Janet¡¯s life?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Prince would go that far yet,¡± DeeDee said, then placed her finger on Rowena¡¯s lips when she was about to speak. ¡°We¡¯ll let Lady Dorian take the credit for Janet¡¯s deeds, but we¡¯ll have that fake and that oaf of a Prince bend over backwards to maintain their image in front of their peers. Janet¡¯s suffering won¡¯t go to waste.¡±


    Rowena pulled her hand down and said, ¡°I sure hope it won¡¯t have to come to that.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And the second?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Janet will use her persona to help me and my sisters find out LaLa¡¯s whereabouts,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and in exchange, we¡¯ll help her find the real Rosalie. And by ¡®we,¡¯ I mean everyone in this room and Janet¡¯s club mates downstairs, as well as my sisters. You need not worry so much, Mother Goose.¡±


    Yet Rowena eyed her and said, ¡°Exchanges require compensation, you know.¡±


    ¡°I understand your misgivings,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but this is a mutual relationship. I won¡¯t have your daughter do anything too dangerous, okay?¡±


    Rowena kept eyeing her for a few moments, then said, ¡°I¡¯ll trust you, because it¡¯s you, DeeDee.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± DeeDee said.


    More moments passed in silence between the pair of women, two motherly types staring and plunging the temperature of the room by at least ten degrees, enough to raise goosebumps on one¡¯s forearms. It attracted the notice of the other two occupants, Maxine leaning in her chair away from the pair of women seated next to her and Celeste glancing up from her work, only to sweat as she continued writing.


    (Then RuRu Marionette¡¯s words filtered through DeeDee¡¯s mind, saying, ¡°Big Sis, are you there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Janet,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Now that she¡¯s been absorbing her darkness affinity, she¡¯s been seeing moving shadows in the memories of her clones.¡±


    ¡°What kind of shadows?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°The kind that darkness-affinity users see,¡± RuRu said. ¡°And get this, Big Sis: Lady Dorian was the only one interacting with these shadows.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± DeeDee said, wondering what she might have missed in her perusal of the entries of Janet¡¯s clones. ¡°I¡¯ve studied all thirty-one of their entries, and I¡¯ve only seen Lady Dorian use the four tangible affinities: earth, water, air, and fire. There¡¯s no way she could¡ª¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Big Sis,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s got the darkness affinity. I think she¡¯s using artifacts to help her see and communicate with these shadows.¡±


    DeeDee paused for a time, thinking back to this afternoon at Elba House with Janet after guiding Janet¡¯s friends into her new headquarters that doubled as their designated clubroom. In fact, she remembered asking Janet if she had seen a third pair of glasses when they had been moving her inventory last night, but Janet had said she only saw two pairs of glasses on the shelf that night. As the wheels started turning, DeeDee thought that maybe Janet was right: maybe Rosalie had broken into her shop and stolen her own profile book. Yet even so, Janet could not have foreseen unknown allies helping Lady Dorian: as such, instead of doing it herself, maybe she had those shadows look for Rosalie¡¯s profile book to find the whereabouts of the real Rosalie; and failing that, maybe she had them tamper with the five profile books and had them retrieve her own book to cover her tracks; and to take advantage of an opportunity, maybe she had them steal some items to help her see and communicate with them without alerting her peers.


    ¡°What is it, Big sis?¡±


    ¡°My God, I have it!¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± RuRu said. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°My inventory,¡± DeeDee said as it all came together like the missing pieces of a puzzle. ¡°The missing pair of glasses! The pendants! Oh, RuRu, thank you so much for this!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± RuRu said. ¡°What are¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t talk now,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡±)


    So DeeDee said, ¡°RuRu¡¯s given me a clue about the break-in at my shop.¡±


    Her three peers stared at her, open-mouthed.


    Then Rowena said, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Rowena, your daughter¡¯s amazing. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s taken me so long to see it,¡± and she went over her breakthrough with her friends. In particular, she said that Lady Dorian must have had others infiltrate her shop and steal a pair of enchanted glasses and a pedant after failing to find Rosalie¡¯s profile book. And since they couldn¡¯t find it, she said, Lady Dorian must have settled on having them take her own book, tamper with five others, and steal items from her inventory to help her communicate with her allies on the sly. As such, she went on, if they did the dirty work for Lady Dorian, then maybe that¡¯s why DeeDee overlooked Lady Dorian¡¯s missing profile book when she poured over them for any signs of tampering, because Lady Dorian wasn¡¯t the one handling it, so her presence was kept hidden. And if all this happened before the start of the school year, then maybe that¡¯s why Lady Dorian had slipped past her detection, till Janet and her clones brought it all to light in her shop during her afternoon nap. And if that¡¯s the case, then maybe that¡¯s why LaLa Marionette left for God knows where to do God knows what.


    ¡°So is Lady Dorian their saintess?¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Without Lady Dorian or Rosalie¡¯s profile books, I won¡¯t know for sure, but I know this much: we must watch our surroundings for anything amiss.¡±


    ¡°For the cult?¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°Those shadowy helpers?¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°Yes and yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°And since they¡¯re using enchanted items, they¡¯re not registered with the Church of the Holy Light, so their true affinities remain hidden. They¡¯ve taken advantage of the Church¡¯s refusal to recognize darkness-affinity users in their registry.¡±


    ¡°No wonder Conner dumped me,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Hey, at least you got registered,¡± Maxine said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t register with the church here because of my affinity. I had to settle for a rundown abbey in a border town, and there were almost no donations.¡±


    (Then RuRu¡¯s voice streamed through DeeDee¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not done talking.¡±


    ¡°What is it now, RuRu?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy at the moment?¡±


    ¡°I know, but listen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had my suspicions,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but it wasn¡¯t until Janet pointed out the shadows in her clones¡¯ memories that I realized who¡¯s behind all this.¡±


    ¡°You mean the cult from the Schrader Kingdom?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I already know they¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the Kaden Kingdom, not the Schrader Kingdom,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Neither the Blaise royal family nor the High Court would ever allow foreign entities like that into the Student Commons Town or the Academy or the Royal Palace.¡±


    ¡°As they shouldn¡¯t,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean their security is infallible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a security breach,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about sleeper agents.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard Celeste and Rowena mention them,¡± DeeDee said, thinking back to her conversation with them after they got Janet¡¯s affinity pool above ground, but Celeste had thought they were in the royal family, and Rowena had thought they were in the High Court. ¡°If it¡¯s not the royal family or the High Court allowing them in, then . . .¡±


    DeeDee paused as it all fell into place.


    ¡°Go on, Big Sis,¡± Ruru said. ¡°You¡¯re almost there.¡±


    When it dawned on her, DeeDee said, ¡°Do you mean the Church of the Holy Light is behind all of this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Think about it: the church in the Schrader Kingdom went underground after their king officially abolished it, right?¡±


    ¡°Maxine said so, yes,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°With nowhere else to go,¡± RuRu said, ¡°they joined the Church of the Holy Light in the Kaden Kingdom, infiltrating its top ranks and forming a cabal. After everything that happened to Rowena and Maxine and Janet¡¯s clones, who do you think has the power to pull all of that off?¡±


    Her theory left DeeDee silent as she rolled the possibility through her head, for Maxine had mentioned a saintess in their ranks just before she was tortured to death. So she said, ¡°Do you think they have a saintess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Is it Lady Dorian?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but maybe that¡¯s why LaLa¡¯s been gone since Monday. She might be investigating the Church of the Holy Light.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard from her yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but I¡¯ve informed our sisters.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Have you heard anything from them yet?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from ReRe that someone had tampered with King Blaise¡¯s magic mirror inside a private study in the Royal Palace.¡±


    ¡°Did that mirror show anything?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± RuRu said. ¡°The mirror showed a confrontation between Janet and Lady Dorian, but then it went blank before coming back on again with Prince Blaise and Janet arguing.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± RuRu added. ¡°Three female students were there watching it all unfold. The Prince approached them to ask something, but then he turned away.¡±


    DeeDee imagined those three witnesses as Lady Kessler and the Drevis sisters, but for the life of her, she couldn¡¯t find the link connecting them to the rest of this mess. For now, DeeDee just said, ¡°Is that all of it, RuRu?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Then keep me informed,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I will, Big Sis,¡± she said, then paused for a bit. ¡°Oh, and one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Janet¡¯s been chugging straight from my bottle,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Expect her to wake up very soon with a massive hangover, so be prepared for anything, okay?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± DeeDee said, but RuRu didn¡¯t reply. ¡°RuRu, what¡¯s happening over there?¡±


    Again there was no reply.)


    Then the office room went dark, only illuminated by Celeste¡¯s big blue hitodama floating before the open double-door entrance and DeeDee¡¯s lamp beside her feet. So DeeDee leaned over and picked her lamp off the floor and poured her magic into it, making the surroundings glow brighter, as Celeste and Rowena and Maxine and DeeDee all stood up.


    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°It¡¯s your daughter,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I think she¡¯s waking up.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say she won¡¯t wake up until later?¡±


    ¡°I did, but¡ª¡±


    DeeDee stopped when the floorboards rumbled beneath everyone¡¯s feet, and running footfalls approached the office from the hallway, and a voice (maybe Sir Kevin Sydney¡¯s) was yelling something unintelligible through huffs and puffs. It wasn¡¯t until Kevin entered the room, passing through Celeste¡¯s hitodama, that his words made any kind of sense:


    ¡°Something¡¯s happening with Janet!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Rowena said, storming into the hallway.


    Then DeeDee and the rest ran after Rowena and Kevin down the hallway through the illuminated darkness of the glowing lamps held in the hands of Janet¡¯s silent clones. In the glow of their lamps, they all had glowing red eyes and slasher smiles on their faces, and they raised their fingers to their lips and mouthed words nobody could hear. When the group of five made their way towards the half-turn stairs, their shadows swaying in DeeDee¡¯s swinging lamplight, they stomped their way down like shambling spirits in a haunted house.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [5]

 (V5) Red Pill 23: Titles, Signings

    Villainess 5: Janet¡¯s Second Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 23: Titles, Signings


    <hr>


    With the last gulp from RuRu¡¯s bottle going down her gullet and collecting into the pool of her stomach, Janet felt lightheaded as she tried to stand up from her chair. She heard RuRu¡¯s voice calling out to her, yet her words were garbled through Janet¡¯s addled brain. Janet looked over at RuRu approaching her, yet her outline kept shifting in and out of focus as Janet keeled over and blacked out . . .


    Yet instead of hitting the ground, Janet opened her eyes to blurry shapes coming in and out of focus. After blinking a few times, she regained her senses and found herself in a wide clearing with an enormous fountain therein, its base bigger than that of the fountain in front of the Royal Palace, taking up twice the circumference of Janet¡¯s own darkness affinity pool. In the center of this fountain was a huge two-tiered basin, a smaller upper basin spouting green spraying arcs into a larger lower basin, which overflowed into the teeming dark red reservoir of the rest of the fountain. The admixture of green into the wine-red pool surrounding it created a green phosphorescence over its dark red surface, giving it a surreal appearance.


    Then someone whistled behind her, so Janet turned and saw RuRu stepping in beside her and saying, ¡°Now that¡¯s what I call a gorgeous fountain, wow!¡±


    ¡°Is this my fountain?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s yours, all right,¡± RuRu said. ¡°My sisters will be super jealous when they see this thing, and that¡¯s not all,¡± and she waved her arm across her surroundings. ¡°Take a look around you, Janet. Your garden is gorgeous!¡±


    So Janet turned and took in the full sweep of the moonlit scenery: huge elms reaching its green-laden branches towards the night sky, and big royal poinciana trees here and there with blooming red flowers, and big clumps of green vertigo grass all over the clearing and beds of creeping red thyme carpeting the ground. The effect of two kinds of trees and two kinds of shrubs fluorescing green and red beneath the moonlight was like a scene taken out of a fairytale.


    ¡°All of this is mine?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yep, all of this is yours,¡± RuRu said, beaming back at her. ¡°Now get ready for your pledge.¡±


    ¡°My pledge?¡± Janet said, thinking of a knight swearing his life and his sword to the service of his lady. ¡°You mean, like a knight¡¯s pledge of allegiance?¡±


    ¡°Eh, kind of,¡± RuRu said, walking to the edge of the fountain and climbing its ledge and crouching over the surface, then waded her arm in the water and pulled out an arming sword and stood back up on the ledge. ¡°Janet, you come from two famous knights in this Kingdom: one is Sir Jude Fleming, the Captain of the Old Guard, and the other is Duke Wilhelm Bartleby, the Captain of the Black Guard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°As you should, for they are your ancestors,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Also, when the High Court and the Church of the Holy Light canonized Lady Graves as the Patroness and Protector of All Saintess Candidates, I also gave her a title, but she refused it. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Why did she?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± RuRu said, ¡°she wanted that title to belong to the realm of the living as a title that others can look up to in times of need.¡±


    ¡°What title is that?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough,¡± she said. ¡°Now take a knee and put your hand over your heart.¡±


    So Janet kneeled on one knee and placed her right hand over her heart, then said, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Now clear your mind of everything and focus on my words.¡±


    And Janet did so, breathing in and breathing out and closing her eyes and focusing on the sound of RuRu¡¯s voice that said, ¡°Lady Janet Fleming, know that you are about to receive a blessing from the Guardian of the Darkness. As such, respect is your flag, compassion your cloak, patience your staff, wisdom your shield, and truth your sword. Now swear to me: Do you swear to use your flag to remember the dead, your cloak to comfort the weary, your staff to assist the weak, your shield to protect the innocent, and your sword to prosecute the guilty in high and low places?¡±


    ¡°I swear,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Do you swear,¡± RuRu added, ¡°to fulfill the duties of the office I am about to bequeath to you?¡±


    ¡°I swear,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then by the power vested in me, RuRu Marionette, the Guardian of the Darkness, I hereby dub you the Black Saintess,¡± RuRu said, tapping the blade over Janet¡¯s right and left shoulders. ¡°Now rise and take up your sword,¡± and she threw it over her shoulder, where it fell into the waters of the giant fountain, splashing and rippling its surface.


    Janet stood up, saying, ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, girl,¡± RuRu said. ¡°You can¡¯t just expect me to give everything to you, can you?¡±


    ¡°But you just¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you really want that sword,¡± RuRu said, ¡°then you¡¯re gonna have to get it. Now hop to it!¡±


    Janet deadpanned, saying, ¡°You¡¯re rather quirky for a Guardian.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been called worse,¡± RuRu said.


    Without further ado, Janet climbed onto the ledge of her own fountain, standing next to RuRu, but after a few moments of looking, she said, ¡°Where the heck is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right over there.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    So RuRu pointed it out, and Janet followed the direction of her pointing hand.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see it,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then let me help you out,¡± RuRu said and pushed an unwitting Janet into the water, a big splash overflowing the ledge and wetting the hems of her maid dress. ¡°That¡¯s for drinking from my bottle without my permission!¡±


    Yet Janet couldn¡¯t hear her words as she fell (or floated) into the depths of her mind, staying there for God knows how long in unconscious slow-wave sleep. Here she heard the screams and moans of her clones as they expired from the living world and entered the spirit world. And one by one, the thirty-one clones that Janet had met in the women¡¯s bathroom on that awful Monday morning appeared before her, then eighty-five others that she had yet to meet appeared with them, and then numberless silent clones of Janet that were DeeDee¡¯s proxies appeared behind them.


    They all had glowing red eyes and slasher smiles on their faces, raising their fingers to their lips and carrying lamps whose lights glowed a pulsing dark red with a green corona shimmering from their edges.


    And as one, they all pointed at Janet, their lips pronouncing syllables she couldn¡¯t hear, so she looked down on herself and saw a white gown she wasn¡¯t wearing before. When she looked up at her clones again, she found them all surrounding the enormous fountain in the same clearing she had been in, yet RuRu was nowhere in sight.


    Then one of her clones (her suicide clone) took her hand and guided her to the fountain¡¯s edge, helping her up and over the ledge, then entering with her into the seething dark red waters up to her thighs.


    ¡°Sorry about that, dear,¡± her clone said in RuRu¡¯s voice. ¡°That was just your baptism.¡±


    Janet blinked, saying, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Your baptism is finished,¡± her clone said and smiled.


    Janet blinked again, saying, ¡°Why are you¡ª¡±


    And Janet¡¯s clone morphed into RuRu Marionette, and Janet found herself standing on the surface of the water, and RuRu said, ¡°Looking good, girl!¡±


    When Janet looked down on herself in the teeming reflection, she gaped at what she was wearing: a nun¡¯s black veil with a white band over her bangs and a white-caped gown over her shoulders, a pair of white cuffs over the wrists of long black sleeves and black gloves, the skirt of her gown reaching just her knees and opening over her thighs, revealing black thigh-high stockings and black knee-high knight boots. She had visited Rhapsody Chapel on several occasions when she was a kid, and none of the nuns there wore anything like it.


    ¡°What the hell is this!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s your battle dress,¡± RuRu said, looking her up and down. ¡°With a look like that, you¡¯ll catch men¡¯s eyes and amaze women¡¯s hearts, that¡¯s for sure!¡±


    Yet Janet squirmed in her new clothes, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll die if someone sees me like this!¡±


    ¡°Too late, dear,¡± RuRu said, pointing behind her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to get used to it.¡±


    Janet turned as the scene shifted again before her eyes and found herself standing inside the Ghost Hunting Club¡¯s designated clubroom. And here stood DeeDee and Rowena and Lady Graves and that masked nun from last night¡¯s dream, as well as Kevin and Ridley and Mindy and the Drevis sisters and their club advisor Baron Underwood, all gawking at her, eyes wide, Rowena and Lady Graves and Mindy and the Drevis sisters cupping their mouths in their hands. And the others (from the three statuettes and the four busts on the shelf to Sir Abram and Daniel Van Weever and Janet¡¯s thirty-one clones and Janet¡¯s silent clones through the open double-door entrance) were also gawking at her, eyes wide and some with their hands to their mouths, thinking God knows what about Janet¡¯s fashion sense.


    At times like these, strung up to the umpteenth extremity of death by shame, Janet did the only thing that any sane woman would do in this situation.


    She fainted.


    The next two hours passed in humid dreams of the Prince grabbing her wrist and wrenching down on her forearm as she screamed for him to let go in Classroom 1-3C, yet he wouldn¡¯t let go even as she was on her knees hoping for Baron Palmer or Viscountess Durham to come, till she found herself bowled over with an arm-lock behind her back. This reminded her of the same vision from this morning during Homeroom 2 when the Prince had confronted her over something Lady Dorian had done in the hallway, yet the context had changed. Instead of this morning, it felt like it happened the previous day on that fatal Monday morning before the start of Homeroom 1, in which she was staring into the mirror and witnessing firsthand the events that led to her double¡¯s suicide.


    When she came to, Janet awoke with a residual pain in her wrist instead of the massive hangover that RuRu had predicted when Janet was chugging from her bottle. She opened her eyes to her sleeping mother by her bedside holding her left hand within hers, her head resting over the sofa cushion. She looked past her mother and saw her peers and club advisor and Lady Graves and the masked nun and DeeDee and even RuRu seated at the table, while her clones were gathered around it, all of them listening to DeeDee and RuRu at the head of the table talk about affinity pools and the Prince¡¯s atrocious conduct. Yet of all her clones, Janet recognized her suicide clone standing beside DeeDee at the head of the table. As such, the moment she turned over and propped herself up on the sofa, she woke up Rowena from her slumber and caught the attention of DeeDee and the rest, turning their heads in her direction.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Janet said, noticing her mother¡¯s pale complexion and sweating temples. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I should ask you that,¡± Rowena said, then to DeeDee at the table: ¡°What time is it?¡±


    That¡¯s when Janet remembered the time and said, ¡°Is it past midnight already?¡±


    So DeeDee said, ¡°It¡¯s only a quarter to midnight, Janet, so we still have time before the signing.¡±


    And that¡¯s when Janet remembered the weird outfit she had been wearing and looked down at herself, only to find herself back in the modest attire of her school uniform.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Janet,¡± a smiling RuRu said. ¡°Nobody outside of this room will know.¡±


    Janet glared, fisting her hand, but she winced and pulled away from her mother¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°Are you okay, Janet?¡± Rowena said.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Janet said, moving her hand around her wrist joint to assuage the pain accumulated there.


    ¡°Does your wrist still hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not ¡®nothing,¡¯¡± Rowena said. ¡°Did you have a nightmare about that oaf of a Prince?¡±


    Janet stared at her mother: ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You were talking in your sleep, dear,¡± she said. ¡°Can you stand up?¡±


    So Janet then got up and followed her mother to the head of the conference table, where the others were seated or gathered around it.


    ¡°What did the Prince do?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°He grabbed her wrist and put her in an arm-lock,¡± Rowena said and shook her head. ¡°My God, that boy is such a brute!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Janet said. ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear,¡± Rowena said. ¡°I only looked into your dream while you were sleeping.¡±


    ¡°But how did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a medium,¡± Rowena said. ¡°I looked into your dream after we heard you talking in your sleep,¡± and then she bent down and whispered something into DeeDee¡¯s ear.


    ¡°I see,¡± DeeDee said.


    Then Rowena took a seat at the table in front of Janet¡¯s lamp, glowing dark red with a corona of green shimmering at the edges, so Janet sat with her mother. Kevin and Ridley and Mindy and the Drevis sisters and Baron Underwood and Lady Graves all asked if Janet was okay, and Janet said she was fine. Then she looked over at the masked nun with gray hair and said, ¡°I remember you from last night. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the late introduction,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m Maxine Diddly, former Abbess of St. Avalon¡¯s Abbey and former overseer of St. Avalon¡¯s Orphanage.¡±


    That¡¯s when Janet thought back to the cloistered courtyard and said, ¡°You said I was supposed to see something.¡±


    ¡°Do you see it now?¡± Maxine said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Look with your mind¡¯s eye,¡± Maxine said. ¡°You should be able to see my aura, Celeste¡¯s aura, your mother¡¯s aura, and RuRu¡¯s aura, because I can already see yours.¡±


    Janet did as directed and focused on her newest acquaintance and started seeing the curling whips of a black aura emanating from Maxine¡¯s astral form. Then she took a look at Rowena and Lady Graves and RuRu in turn and noticed the same black flickering auras emanating from their bodies, so she said, ¡°There¡¯s a black aura around all four of you.¡±


    ¡°Can you see mine?¡± DeeDee said.


    So Janet focused on DeeDee, noticing green flickering tendrils curling from her body and saying, ¡°Yeah, I can.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Do you feel lightheaded or queasy or anything uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t feel anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you feel right now?¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet paused, yet she felt no dizzy spell or headache, only the aching in her wrist. If it wasn¡¯t for her aching wrist, she would¡¯ve gone on a midnight stroll in the Student Commons Town, so she said, ¡°I feel better than I have in a while, but my wrist still hurts for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Like a physical ache?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°No, not like that,¡± Janet said, flexing her wrist. ¡°It¡¯s there, but it¡¯s not really there.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Then that means you¡¯ve fully awakened into both of your affinities, but that residual pain you feel is another clue. I think I know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°Celeste, Rowena, Maxine, and I all did a lot of research into the events surrounding your maternal family before you had awakened your powers, and I also had your mother look into your dream while you were asleep in this room. The long and short of it is this: we found out an anomaly involving the death of one of your clones,¡± and she looked up at Janet¡¯s suicide clone. ¡°Out of all of them, this child was the only one who took her own life, while the others died as a direct result of Lady Dorian¡¯s schemes.¡± Then she turned to Lady Graves and said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    So Lady Graves said, ¡°I noticed an anomaly, as well, in which your clones gave off a growing amount of darkness affinity during their deaths, except for one,¡± and she nodded at Janet¡¯s suicide clone again. ¡°Something about her suicide must have changed everything, because afterwards Lady Dorian has included Prince Blaise into her schemes involving the deaths of the rest of your clones.¡±


    ¡°Including the schemes against me?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Lady Graves said, nodding, then turned to Maxine Diddly. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    So Maxine said, ¡°This darkness affinity has also affected other members of your maternal family, specifically your uncle Lord Jericho Bartleby and your cousin Duke Astor Bartleby. Both had an inordinate amount of darkness affinity, which resulted in the former¡¯s death during childhood and the latter¡¯s persecution at around the same age.¡±


    Janet glanced at Rowena and Lady Graves and added, ¡°What about my mother and Celeste?¡±


    ¡°Yep, them included,¡± Maxine said. ¡°Lady Graves was murdered in Elba House in this very room, and Rowena died in prison, and I was murdered soon afterwards in St. Avalon¡¯s Abbey.¡±


    ¡°Geez!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I know. We¡¯ve all been targeted,¡± Maxine said, then turned to Rowena. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    So Rowena said, ¡°Janet, when your father and I took in Astor before you were born, we both saw his violent outbursts and several odd occurrences happening around him. Only after you were born did the outbursts and odd occurrences stop, and I wondered why that was. And when I saw the deaths of your clones earlier tonight, I knew something was wrong, but I didn¡¯t know what, till I looked into your dream just now.¡± She paused, then said, ¡°Now I know why.¡±


    Janet stared at her mother¡¯s eyes and gleaned from them an inkling of what she was getting at, so she looked at her suicide clone before saying, ¡°Does it have something to do with her suicide?¡±


    Rowena nodded.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Janet,¡± she said, ¡°you¡¯ve become the target of an underground cult that has infiltrated the Church of the Holy Light under the orders of an unknown saintess. We don¡¯t know if that saintess is Lady Dorian or not, but we do know she¡¯s been working with sleeper agents using enchanted artifacts to hide their presence from the rest of this kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Those shadows?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Rowena said. ¡°With their help, Lady Dorian has killed off your clones, except for one.¡±


    Janet looked over at her suicide clone, then turned to her mother and said, ¡°Do you know why that is?¡±


    Rowena nodded, but then she turned to DeeDee and said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡±


    So DeeDee said, ¡°After tonight¡¯s signing, I want to conduct an experiment in your former homeroom class before you all return to your dorms. I want everyone to be there to witness it, because there are some questions that I haven¡¯t answered yet,¡± and she looked at Mindy Kessler and Jean and Saraya Drevis seated with Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood at the table. ¡°Namely, why Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis became targets along with you, Janet.¡±


    ¡°Any idea why?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I know it has something to do with Janet¡¯s suicide, but I won¡¯t know until we conduct the experiment. So I want you all there, got it?¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    ¡°Good.¡± DeeDee reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a pocket watch: it read 11:55 p.m. Replacing it into her apron, she stood up and said, ¡°Time for the signing. Everyone, stand up.¡± And while everyone else stood up around the table, she added, ¡°Celeste, bring out the contract.¡±


    Lady Graves placed her hand atop the conference table, and a contract manifested right in front of DeeDee, who took it up and said, ¡°Have you checked this contract for any spelling and grammar errors?¡±


    ¡°I have, thrice,¡± Lady Graves said.


    ¡°No errors?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°All right then,¡± DeeDee said and placed the contract flat on the table, manifesting nine copies and nine fountain pens before herself and her sister RuRu and Janet and her peers and her club advisor. ¡°RuRu, Janet, Lord Woodberry, Sir Sydney, Lady Kessler, Lady Jean and Saraya Drevis, and Baron Underwood, I want you all to read this contract, then sign it.¡±


    Janet took up her copy and read as follows:


    <blockquote>


    ¡®This Agreement is entered into on Wednesday, October 12, in the sixteenth year of King Blaise XVIII, by the Grantees (Lady Janet Fleming, Lord Ridley Woodberry, Sir Kevin Sidney, Lady Mindy Kessler, Lady Jean Drevis, Lady Saraya Drevis, Baron Simeon Underwood) and the Grantors (Guardian of the Aether DeeDee Marionette, Guardian of the Darkness RuRu Marionette) with the Witnesses present (Baron Simeon Underwood, Marchioness Rowena Fleming, Lady Celeste Graves, Abbess Maxine Diddley, Lady Janet Fleming¡¯s thirty-one Clones, the Full Moon, the Night, and Everyone else here present), collectively known as Parties.


    ¡®1. As such, the Grantors shall bequeath a share of their minor affinities, including but not limited to camouflage, clairaudience, clairvoyance, doubt, precognition, psychokinesis, psychometry, telepathy, etc., as will suit the natural inclinations of the aforementioned Grantees.


    ¡®2. In exchange for a share of the Grantors¡¯ powers and protection, the Grantees are hereby bound to secrecy, so long as at least one Grantee remains alive, so that this Agreement exists.


    ¡®3. In exchange for witnessing the Agreement between the Grantees and the Grantors, the Witnesses are also hereby bound to secrecy, so long as at least one Grantee remains alive, so that this Agreement exists.


    ¡®4. In exchange for the Grantees¡¯ secrecy, the Grantors are hereby bound to protect the needs and serve the wishes of the Grantees, so long as at least one Grantee remains alive, so that this Agreement exists.


    ¡®5. Moreover, on the authority of the Grantor (Guardian of the Aether DeeDee Marionette), the Grantee (Lady Janet Fleming) shall hereby provide assistance to the Grantor in finding the Grantor¡¯s Sister (Guardian of the Light LaLa Marionette), insofar as the Grantee is able with all the means at her disposal.


    ¡®6. As such, in exchange for the Grantee¡¯s assistance, the Grantor (Guardian of the Aether DeeDee Marionette) shall hereby provide assistance to the Grantee (Lady Janet Fleming) in finding the Saintess (Miss Rosalie Edgeworth), insofar as the Grantor is able with all the means at her disposal.


    ¡®7. Consequently, in exchange for witnessing the duties assigned to the Grantors and the Grantees, the Witnesses shall hereby provide assistance to the Grantees and the Grantors, insofar as the Witnesses are able with all the means at their disposal.


    ¡®8. In conclusion, all Parties are hereby bound by this Agreement to fulfill the duties included herein, insofar as they are able with all the means at their disposal.¡¯


    </blockquote>


    After that, she said, ¡°Full name?¡±


    ¡°And title, yes,¡± DeeDee said, finishing her perusal and then writing her name on her own copy.


    So Janet wrote ¡°Lady Janet Fleming¡± below her own copy, while the rest did the same to theirs.


    After everyone had finished signing, DeeDee placed hers flat atop the table again and said, ¡°Everyone, put yours flat on the table just like mine.¡±


    Janet did as she was bidden, placing hers flat on the table, while everyone else did the same.


    Then, as one, DeeDee and RuRu whispered an incantation that Janet couldn¡¯t hear, but whatever they said, it dissipated everyone¡¯s copy of the contract in a flash of green and purple light. Then it manifested a moment later as a single contract in front of DeeDee and RuRu, glowing an alternating green and purple at its edges, that combined everyone¡¯s signature into a list below the last clause:


    <blockquote>


    ¡®(signed) Lady Janet Fleming, Lord Ridley Woodberry, Sir Kevin Sidney, Lady Mindy Kessler, Lady Jean Drevis, Lady Saraya Drevis, Baron Simeon Underwood (and) Guardian of the Aether DeeDee Marionette, Guardian of the Darkness RuRu Marionette¡¯


    </blockquote>


    With that done, DeeDee and RuRu placed their fingers on the lower corners of the contract with all of their signatures on it and said, in unison, ¡°With the Full Moon and the Night as our Eternal Witnesses, we consecrate this Agreement to your acknowledgement and understanding, that we will uphold the duties agreed to herein from this moment onwards, in perpetuity, so long as this Agreement exists!¡±


    And all at once, the contract dissipated from the table in another flash of green and purple light, just as a magic seal flashed green and purple over the hands of the signers around the table, completing Lady Graves¡¯ spell.


    Everyone was silent after that, looking at the shimmering crest on their hands, but then Janet¡¯s three female peers started glancing her way with flashing eyes. Their glances made Janet wonder if they haven¡¯t yet gotten over her grand entrance in that weird getup.


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    So Mindy Kessler said, ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Mindy said, looking at Janet again, ¡°don¡¯t we also get a cool battle outfit or something?¡±


    Janet blinked back the memory of their sparkly-eyed stares and rosy cheeks and hands cupped over their gaping mouths and said, ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we are!¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°That outfit is super freaking cool!¡± Jean added.


    ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, Janet,¡± Saraya added. ¡°I wish we had outfits like that!¡±


    ¡°Then ask RuRu,¡± Janet said. ¡°She¡¯s the one who gave me that outfit before I woke up.¡±


    At once, the trio of girls asked RuRu if she could get them similar outfits, pleading with their words and begging with their big mo¨¦ eyes. Yet RuRu raised her hands in a placating gesture and said, ¡°I don¡¯t work with requests, girls, nor do I grant things to anyone on a whim.¡±


    ¡°Because she awakened her powers?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°That¡¯s half of it,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but the other half involves making a vow, and I must be careful with those. When saintess candidates are chosen to become saintesses in this kingdom, they must vow to uphold the duty of their position in front of designated witnesses, specifically the congregation of the Church of the Holy Light and LaLa Marionette as their Guardian, before they¡¯re granted an official title. But since I¡¯m not associated with the Church, and since the Church won¡¯t recognize darkness-affinity users, Janet¡¯s vow adds the possibility of persecution for carrying a heretical title. Do you understand what that means?¡±


    Mindy and the Drevis sisters winced and bowed their heads, and Mindy said, ¡°Sorry for asking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± RuRu said. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Then RuRu bent over DeeDee¡¯s shoulder and asked if she could keep Janet for a little bit, making DeeDee raise an eyebrow and say, ¡°Sure, I guess you can do that.¡± Then DeeDee added, ¡°Janet, you stay here with RuRu for a bit.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Janet said. ¡°I thought we were¡ª¡±


    ¡°It will only be for a bit,¡± DeeDee said, then to the others in the room: ¡°The rest of you, and that includes you clones, come with me to the hallway of the Academy. After RuRu and Janet are done, we¡¯ll start the experiment.¡±


    So Janet¡¯s peers and her club advisor and her clones picked up their lamps and followed Maxine and Lady Graves and DeeDee with her own lamp to the open double-door entrance, where DeeDee had Sir Abram and Daniel Van Weever close the doors shut for Lady Graves to work her summoning spell. But Rowena stayed put, saying, ¡°What are you gonna do with her?¡±


    ¡°Nothing drastic, Mama Goose,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I just want to test out her powers.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t get her drunk,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Just go on with them.¡±


    When DeeDee called her over, Rowena picked up Janet¡¯s lamp and skirted the conference table to where Lady Graves was crouching at the doors, her hand on the ground, whispering an incantation that set the double doors glowing. After that, she stood back up and grabbed the handles and pulled the doors open into the silent third floor of the hallway at Lassen Academy. And in single file, they all passed through: first Mindy and the Drevis sisters; then Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood; then Janet¡¯s thirty-one clones; then DeeDee and Rowena and Lady Graves; and then Lady Graves turning around pushing the double doors shut, but not before saying to RuRu and Janet, ¡°Have fun, you two, but don¡¯t keep us waiting.¡±


    The double doors shut with a whoosh, and all was silent again, except for Janet backing away from RuRu, saying, ¡°You¡¯re being creepy, you know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too paranoid,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Does it involve drinking?¡± Janet said. ¡°Because if there¡¯s more drinking, you can just¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, I promise.¡±


    Janet gave her a good long stare, but said, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Just stay there, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Janet said.


    Then RuRu took a step forward and disappeared from the room, leaving Janet alone with four sniggering busts and three giggling statuettes on the bookshelf by an empty corner.


    So Janet looked over at the commotion and said, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just spectating,¡± April said.


    ¡°You¡¯re the ¡®observed¡¯ of the observers,¡± May added.


    ¡°And you¡¯ve become a very interesting subject,¡± June added.


    (¡°Don¡¯t mind them, Janet,¡± RuRu said in her mind. ¡°I¡¯m here with the others at the Academy.¡±


    ¡°Why am I back here then?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m testing how you use your darkness affinity, okay?¡± RuRu said. ¡°Just imagine yourself stepping into my shadow, and you¡¯ll be right here with me and the rest.¡±


    ¡°Can I really do that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Give it a try.¡±)


    Right then, the four busts and the three statuettes started making bets on whether or not Janet could do it at all. The four busts bet that she could do it, while the three statuettes bet that she couldn¡¯t.


    Janet gritted her teeth and glared at those three pesky statuettes and said, ¡°You¡¯re on!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Martin Keystone said.


    ¡°Good luck, my Lady,¡± Thomas O¡¯Reilly added. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll become a fine saintess.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Janet said, smiling, then closed her eyes and imagined herself moving across an invisible threshold and stepping foot into the shadow of her intended target. She then took a deep breath and took a step forward, disappearing from the room altogether.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V5) Red Pill 24: Swords, Bucklers

    Villainess 5: Janet¡¯s Second Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 24: Swords, Bucklers


    <hr>


    When Janet entered the third-floor hallway of the Academy, stepping into RuRu¡¯s shadow in the light of everyone¡¯s lamps, she paused at the wide-eyed reactions of her friends and her club advisor and her clones and even those of her mother and Lady Graves and Abbess Maxine and RuRu and DeeDee, all looking at their surroundings. That¡¯s when she noticed an almost impenetrable darkness permeating the entire hallway, obscuring everything outside of the light of their lamps. Then she thought she was wearing her weird getup again, but on checking herself and seeing her school uniform, she said to herself, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Then DeeDee and RuRu turned their heads in Janet¡¯s direction, and everything stopped. Yet after a moment, DeeDee and RuRu broke free of the stasis and approached Janet, while everyone else stayed still.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°We stopped time to reach you,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t said anything, we would have struggled to find you under this darkness.¡±


    ¡°But why is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your aura, Janet,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°When both of your affinities are activated,¡± DeeDee added, ¡°the darkness obscures the environment, and the aether obscures your spiritual presence from us.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You¡¯re very hard to spot,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°And with your clones,¡± DeeDee added, ¡°you¡¯re the perfect spy, but you must be careful from now on. Since you¡¯re not affiliated with the Church of the Holy Light, you¡¯ll become a heretic if they discover your Black Saintess title.¡±


    ¡°So what do I do then?¡±


    ¡°Just leave it to me,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I can obscure titles with your aether affinity during school hours. Just be careful in your title confirmation this Friday.¡±


    ¡°Title confirmation?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you were absent from Father Robinson¡¯s class on Monday,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°The magic aptitude text is composed of two steps, both taken on Monday and Friday of this school week. You¡¯re just not told what day you¡¯ll take your title confirmation till the day you take it, so there¡¯s no chance of faking titles. But since Lady Dorian hasn¡¯t taken the magic aptitude test but has possession of Rosalie¡¯s original test results, she¡¯ll have the Prince and her shadowy helpers cover for her.¡±


    Janet paused, then said, ¡°Is the Prince in on it?¡±


    ¡°Up to a point, yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Why else would he be so bull-headed against you in favor of a fake? But I don¡¯t think he knows the whole truth, so Lady Dorian has been using his profile book to implant thoughts into his head to make sure he won¡¯t croak to anyone that could compromise her.¡±


    ¡°And who is that?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s more like, who are they, Janet,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Namely, Father Robinson and Father Joseph Reeves.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Janet said, remembering her suicide clone talking to her in Homeroom 1 about this Reeves fellow. ¡°Was Father Reeves the one who went insane?¡±


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°He and the Prince are first cousins, but that¡¯s all I know of their relationship. Since I can¡¯t open the Prince¡¯s book, and since there are pages torn out of Father Reeves¡¯ book, I can¡¯t glean much beyond his current location at the Bridgewater Asylum. Still, I¡¯ve noticed that none of the pages left intact mention anything about Lady Dorian or Miss Edgeworth. In other words, Lady Dorian must have told her helpers to remove anything identifying her true self from Father Reeves¡¯ profile book when they infiltrated my shop. After we¡¯re done here, and after you talk to your father, we¡¯ll try contacting Father Reeves.¡±


    Then RuRu leaned over and whispered something else into DeeDee¡¯s ear, so she nodded and said, ¡°Janet, I want you to repeat the same thing you did to get here. But instead of your darkness affinity, use your aether affinity to sneak up on one of your clones.¡±


    ¡°But ghosts don¡¯t have shadows,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need shadows,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°We have astral bodies, both the living and the dead. Just imagine yourself touching their astral bodies, and you¡¯ll be right there with them when I count down.¡±


    Janet nodded, thinking of reaching out to one of her clones (her suicide clone) and touching her shoulder from behind, then took a deep breath and reached out her hand¡ª


    (As DeeDee was counting down and saying, ¡°Three . . . Two . . . One . . .¡±)


    ¡ªand appeared right behind her suicide clone, her hand over her shoulder, making her doppelg?nger jump and let out an ear-piercing scream through the hallway. Her double wheeled around, facing her with wide eyes and gaping mouth, as everyone else was staring at the source of the commotion with similar expressions on their faces.


    Then her clone said, ¡°Geez, what was that for? I¡¯m a ghost, and I thought I was gonna die!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Janet said. ¡°RuRu and DeeDee are having me test out my powers.¡±


    Her clone sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s all good.¡±


    ¡°Listen: before we start the experiment,¡± DeeDee said, walking with RuRu through the gathered crowd, ¡°there are two more things I want you to try, and then I¡¯ll have RuRu help you apply them,¡± and she bade her to follow her to the wall of Classroom 1-3C, Janet¡¯s former homeroom class.


    Janet followed, saying, ¡°Tell me what to do.¡±


    ¡°Touch the wall like this,¡± DeeDee said, putting her hand flat against it.


    Janet did so. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Now imagine your hand passing through it,¡± and she passed her hand through it like a hologram, making Janet¡¯s clones and club mates gape.


    So Janet imagined it and passed her hand through, saying, ¡°This is incredible.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± she said. ¡°Now touch someone else¡¯s hand and imagine it passing through like before.¡±


    So Mindy and the Drevis sisters came up to her and offered their hands for her to hold, and Janet held onto Mindy¡¯s hand with her right hand and Jean¡¯s hand with her left, while Saraya was left pouting. She felt their hands chilly in her grasp, thinking as she was bidden, and felt their hands pass through hers like holograms. When Saraya asked for her turn, so did Kevin and Ridley and even Baron Underwood, so Janet tried it with the others and got the same result.


    ¡°DeeDee, can we also do that?¡± Mindy Kessler said.


    Yet DeeDee shook her head, saying, ¡°Only Janet and other ghosts can do it.¡±


    ¡°But our contract with you¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªonly gives minor affinities,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Things like spectral hands, astral intangibility, and astral projection are major ones.¡±


    ¡°No fair!¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°So not fair!¡± Jean said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Saraya said.


    ¡°Are you jealous, girls?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Of course, we are!¡± they all said in unison.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll get more jealous in a bit,¡± RuRu said and stepped in behind Janet.


    So Janet turned around and found RuRu crouching over Janet¡¯s shadow on the floor and reaching her arm into the depths up to her shoulder. So she said, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Trying to find them,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Find what exactly?¡±


    ¡°Ah, there they are,¡± RuRu said and pulled out an arming sword, then another arming sword, then a buckler, and then another buckler. She got back up and gave her a sword and buckler, saying, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Janet took them, feeling their weight in the grip of her hands and noticing the ease with which she held them like a seasoned foot soldier on the practice grounds.


    RuRu picked up the other ones from the floor and said, ¡°Do you recognize these things?¡±


    And the answer came at once with Janet saying, ¡°This is an arming sword, and this is a buckler. Wait, how do I even know these terms?¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Janet said. ¡°Ready for what?¡±


    ¡°For a sparring match, silly,¡± RuRu said, then added some distance between herself and Janet and bent her legs just past shoulder width with one foot forward and one foot back, then held her sword above her shoulder like a lumberjack¡¯s ax and held her buckler out in front of her from an extended arm. ¡°Try fighting me, Janet.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m dead serious,¡± she said. ¡°I want to see what you can do. Try to fight me, okay?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how,¡± Janet said.


    So Rowena said, ¡°What are you picking a fight for?¡±


    Yet DeeDee held her back and motioned the rest to back away, saying, ¡°Give them some space, everyone.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a sparring match,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But Janet¡¯s never used a sword before!¡± she said.


    ¡°No need to worry, Mama Goose,¡± RuRu said, getting out of her fighting stance. ¡°Now that she¡¯s awakened her powers, DeeDee and I want to see how strong she really is. Also, look at this,¡± and she pinned her buckler in the crook of her armpit and removed her hand and then ran her finger along the length of the blade, making Janet wince and grimace. ¡°See what I mean? This is just a sparring sword. The blade is dull from end to end, and the tip is rounded off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± DeeDee said.


    Rowena let out a sigh and said, ¡°If you say so,¡± but then she pointed two fingers at her own eyes and then pointed them in RuRu¡¯s direction, meaning she was watching her.


    ¡°I know already, geez!¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°So long as we understand each other,¡± Rowena said, ¡°I won¡¯t interfere with your antics.¡±


    With that, Rowena and DeeDee joined Janet¡¯s club mates and half of her clones on Janet¡¯s side of the hall, leaving Maxine and Lady Graves and the other half of Janet¡¯s clones on RuRu¡¯s side of the hall. The lamps of her clones and her friends illuminated both sides of the hallway in a spectral green glow, except for Janet¡¯s own lamp in Rowena¡¯s hand glowing dark red with a green corona around its edge.


    After that, RuRu re-equipped the buckler and said, ¡°Come at me whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Oh, but you do,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°How do you even know?¡±


    ¡°I can feel it from your aura,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying,¡± Janet said. ¡°Am I supposed to feel something?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± DeeDee added, but when Janet turned to look back, she said, ¡°Eyes to your opponent, dear.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to fight!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yes, you do,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You¡¯ve got the strength and speed of thirty-one of your clones already combined inside of your body, in addition to their memories. And you¡¯ve also got the training and battlefield experience of Sir Abram and John Day in your subconscious. You¡¯ve got the strength and knowledge of thirty-three individuals all within your body and mind.¡±


    ¡°But how would I know?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°until you try.¡±


    ¡°Use any means necessary to fight me,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I want to see what you can do.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®any means necessary?¡¯¡± she said, yet when RuRu looked past her, Janet turned and spotted Rowena staring hard at RuRu. So she turned back around and said, ¡°Good God, what were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking first blood,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but since your mom¡¯s here, we¡¯ll settle with three hits. Whether it''s with our swords or our bucklers, the first to get in three good hits wins the spar.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°How hard are the hits?¡±


    ¡°Good solid hits,¡± RuRu said and banged the blade of her sword against her buckler, the third-floor hallway echoing with a lingering ding. ¡°You can hit me however you like, but since you¡¯re flesh and blood, Janet, you¡¯ll need your battle dress for this spar.¡±


    Janet gulped, feeling her cheeks flush with warmth, and said, ¡°Is there another option to that?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s always another option,¡± RuRu said, smiling, ¡°but that¡¯s only if you want wicked-looking bruises to show your friends after tonight.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll change!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Just think of getting pushed into the fountain, and you¡¯ll change into your battle dress straight away.¡±


    Janet gaped, saying, ¡°Did you¡ª¡±


    That¡¯s when RuRu laughed and said, ¡°My antics aren¡¯t just antics. There¡¯s a method to my madness.¡±


    Janet deadpanned at her.


    ¡°Come on. Time¡¯s a-ticking,¡± RuRu said.


    Janet gulped again, closing her eyes and remembering the tumble and the splash and the inundation of water into her ears, falling and then floating inside of her mind. Yet when she opened her eyes again, she was wearing the getup: the band and black veil and white-caped gown and cuffed sleeves and black gloves and boots, her stockinged thighs showing through the slits in her skirt.


    ¡°Does this even count as a battle dress?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± RuRu said. ¡°It¡¯s made out of your affinity pools, and they¡¯re both the size of cabins. It¡¯ll protect you. And since we¡¯re darkness-affinity users, any injuries we sustain in this sparring session will heal up in a bit.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s still gonna hurt?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s gonna hurt, but pain builds character,¡± she said, then to DeeDee: ¡°Call the hits?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°And let¡¯s make this spar three rounds, three hits each.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Rowena said. ¡°DeeDee, what the hell?¡±


    So she pointed at the lamp in Rowena¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°To conduct our experiment, we need that lamp filled with enough darkness affinity to do it.¡±


    Rowena grimaced.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°All right, I understand, geez!¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said, then bent down and placed her hand over the ground, and a magic circle formed around the two combatants a moment later, inscribing them within a sparring circle around the width of the hallway. Then she doubled herself and doubled herself again, forming four DeeDees who stationed themselves around the four cardinal points of the circle. ¡°This spar is three rounds. Keep within the circle during all three rounds. You may hit your opponent in any way you wish, but only hits with the sword and buckler will count. As such, you may hit your opponent anywhere on the body, except for the head and face. The first to get three hits in two rounds wins the spar. Now do you both acknowledge these rules?¡±


    Janet and Ruru nodded.


    ¡°Then you may begin!¡± DeeDee said.


    Round one began with RuRu taking up her stance, her legs slightly bent with one foot forward and one foot back, her buckler held out in front of her and her sword held over her shoulder.


    That¡¯s when Janet saw that RuRu was another lefty, her sword in her left hand and her buckler in her right. Fighting RuRu would be like fighting herself.


    ¡°Are you ready, Janet?¡± RuRu said.


    Janet nodded and let her body move on its own as if it was going off of someone else¡¯s practice drills, and she realized she was going off of John Day¡¯s practice drills as a commoner man-at-arms during his conscription with the Old Guard under the command of Captain Jude Fleming. So she copied RuRu¡¯s footwork and stance, her buckler held out in front of her and her sword held over her shoulder. In this way, Janet approached RuRu as they circled each other, closing in on her opponent, stealing glances at RuRu¡¯s sword hanging menacingly above her shoulder, waiting for her opponent to make her move.


    ¡°Any time now,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°You go first,¡± Janet said, biding her time.


    RuRu smiled and said, ¡°Then it¡¯s your loss,¡± and she vanished from view¡ª


    And appeared on Janet¡¯s right with her sword swinging down. And the next thing she knew, when RuRu struck home, a flower of pain bloomed from Janet¡¯s forearm, and a jabbing buckler socked her in the solar plexus. Janet winced and grimaced, her wind taken out of her as she stumbled from the circle and almost went out of bounds. Gritting through the pain, she was just starting to regain her footing, just starting to see RuRu¡¯s stratagem of using her shadow against her, and just realizing that RuRu was nowhere in sight again . . .


    (¡°First hit, RuRu!¡± one DeeDee said.


    ¡°Second hit, RuRu!¡± another DeeDee added amidst an eruption of voices, among which was that of Rowena complaining about RuRu¡¯s cheap shots.)


    So Janet blinked out of sight¡ª


    And avoided RuRu¡¯s second sneak attack, her sword almost clipping Janet¡¯s buckler-arm again. Then a wincing and grimacing Janet appeared on the other side of the circle within the shadow of one of the four DeeDees close to the circle, dropping her weaponry and bowling over, clamping her hand to her flaring forearm as she willed herself through the pain. DeeDee asked if she could continue, so Janet just managed an affirmative nod. Then she started shaking the limb that had gone numb from the sword strike, opening and closing her hand to get the feeling back in, then felt where RuRu¡¯s buckler had struck her hard below her ribs and winced again.


    Janet said to RuRu, ¡°What was that?¡±


    So RuRu said, ¡°It¡¯s the art of taking someone down in three hits or less.¡±


    That¡¯s when Lady Graves and Maxine were calling RuRu a cheater from the sidelines, and Janet¡¯s clones were booing RuRu, and her club mates and her club advisor were asking if Janet was okay, and a distraught Rowena was asking DeeDee to stop the spar, yet DeeDee replied that Janet had already indicated she still wanted to continue as is.


    Amidst the hubbub, Janet stood erect and said, ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to fight like that! I¡¯d be expelled if I did anything like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not teaching you sportsmanship, dear,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I¡¯m teaching you how to win a fight.¡±


    ¡°More like assault.¡±


    ¡°Call it what you will,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I thought this was a sparring session,¡± she said.


    ¡°It is,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but forget about fair play: it¡¯s all meaningless if you die.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Janet stopped herself.


    ¡°But what?¡± RuRu said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Janet remained quiet, deep in thought. Even when her throbbing forearm told her that RuRu was right, Janet still found herself thinking the worst case scenario, and she knew the reason why yet shrunk away from acknowledging it.


    ¡°Say something,¡± RuRu said.


    Janet blinked back tears, saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®nothing,¡¯ dear,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Janet, what¡¯s going on?¡± Rowena said from the sidelines.


    So Janet voiced her demons, saying, ¡°God forbid, if I have to kill someone, even if it¡¯s Lady Dorian . . .¡±


    Everyone went silent.


    So she let her words drift off, unable to say the rest in a question or in a complete statement, even when her body was telling her that it could happen. Janet was not ignorant: she knew that behind the polite etiquette, the genteel bows and curtsies, the cheerful words, and the sparkling smiles of high society, there loomed an invisible underbelly of misery, carved in rivulets of blood from the broken crowns and tears from the vengeful eyes of her clones. She knew murder was wrong, but she also knew that if she kept walking this path to its inevitable end, she might have to face her nemesis. If such were to happen, would she be able to kill Lady Dorian? Would she even be able to handle it?


    That¡¯s when RuRu dropped her sword, letting it clang on the floor, then approached Janet and slapped her face. And in the echoing aftermath, she said, ¡°Look, I know where you¡¯re coming from, but I didn¡¯t make you the Black Saintess, only for you to contemplate murder.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°There are no buts,¡± RuRu said. ¡°When I had you swear to prosecute the guilty, I wasn¡¯t telling you to kill them: I was telling you to apprehend them for their crimes. You are the Black Saintess, not the Grim Reaper. That means saving lives, not killing them! Do you understand?¡±


    Janet nodded that she did.


    ¡°You may call my methods brutal,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but don¡¯t ever confuse them with my intentions,¡± and she went over to the other side of the circle and picked up her sword. ¡°Let¡¯s keep sparring, okay?¡±


    Janet nodded and picked up her sword and buckler and faced her opponent with renewed vigor. Despite the previous hits, she felt their aftereffects feeding into her mana pool the more she moved. That¡¯s when she realized the true power of her darkness affinity: it¡¯s not about avoiding or even assuaging pain but enduring it, letting it assimilate into her body like calluses over a boxer¡¯s knuckles.


    With this in mind, she waited for RuRu to take up her stance and matched her footwork, but she adopted a different configuration of sword and buckler to counter RuRu¡¯s stance. Since RuRu was using her previous pose, her buckler held out in front of her and her sword held over her shoulder, Janet held herself like an injured boxer, her buckler held close to her body and her sword-arm wrapped over her solar plexus and her sword held beneath the armpit of her buckler-arm like she was drawing from a scabbard. But this time, she eschewed closing the distance with RuRu and took the initiative, swinging her blade and taking a knee and blinking out of sight¡ª


    And clipping RuRu¡¯s shin with a good hard thwack. Yet at the same time, RuRu¡¯s sword connected, and Janet felt another flower of pain blooming from her upper arm.


    (¡°First hit, Janet!¡± one DeeDee said.


    ¡°Third hit, Ruru!¡± another DeeDee added amidst another eruption of voices, of Rowena and Maxine and Lady Graves cheering Janet on and of Janet¡¯s clones and friends booing the designated bad girl that was RuRu.


    Then a third DeeDee said, ¡°RuRu wins the first round!¡±


    And the fourth DeeDee added, ¡°Take up your positions for round two, girls.¡±)


    Yet for a time, Janet and RuRu remained writhing on the floor, Janet holding her arm and RuRu holding her shin, both women moaning in agony and cussing each other out. Janet was complaining about getting struck in the arm twice, and RuRu shot back that she didn¡¯t have to hit her so hard on the shin. Tears were shed, more cussing ensued, and those gathered on both sides of the sidelines were in an uproar as if this spar was a championship finals match taking place in a public venue with the crowds booing and cheering and making bets on who¡¯s gonna come out on top. Only when the pain subsided enough did both combatants get to their feet and take their weapons with them to their sides of the circle.


    Round two began with both combatants resuming their footwork but adopting new poses with their armaments. RuRu went for an open stance, holding her buckler out in front and her sword just behind her hips with the blade point facing forward, so Janet changed her configuration, holding her buckler close to her chest and her sword high over her head. In this way, if RuRu swung up and Janet swung down, Janet would have the momentum advantage with gravity working in her favor.


    ¡°Come at me, girl,¡± RuRu said.


    So Janet obliged and blinked out of sight with her sword swinging down¡ª


    Yet when their blades clanged and echoed through the hallway, Janet¡¯s momentum had stopped. RuRu had her figured out and caught her in the bind with the edges of her sword and her buckler wedging her blade in place.


    That¡¯s when John Day¡¯s training kicked in when his memory of Captain Jude Fleming¡¯s words of advice surfaced through Janet¡¯s thoughts after the young John Day had pulled out of the bind with another opponent during practice and had paid for it with a sword strike to his helmeted head that left him sprawled out on the practice grounds, till Captain Fleming woke him up with smelling salts. Afterwards Captain Fleming spoke to John Day and asked him not to hold any grudges against his opponent. So John Day sucked in his pride and said he¡¯ll do that, but then he asked the Captain how he could get out of the bind. To this, Captain Fleming told him that the ¡®bind¡¯ was the blade-on-blade equivalent of the ¡®clinch¡¯ in a grapple, so he admonished the youth to remember his failures on the practice grounds in order to grow as a soldier. In this way, John Day would rely more on his training whenever he found himself in the bind with the enemy on the battlefield.


    In the space of a thought, Janet gained two lessons from this: first, know thyself; second, train as you fight and fight as you train. Since she couldn¡¯t withdraw without getting countered, Janet threw her buckler like a boxer¡¯s right hook into RuRu¡¯s unprotected sword-hand (¡°Ahhhhh!¡± RuRu screamed.), breaking the bind and making her opponent drop her sword.


    (¡°First hit, Janet!¡± one DeeDee said.)


    With RuRu injured and distracted, Janet ducked through her guard and smashed her buckler into RuRu¡¯s solar plexus in a vicious uppercut, bowling her opponent over. As the onlookers roared to life from the sidelines¡ª


    (¡°Second hit, Janet!¡± another DeeDee said.)


    ¡ªJanet discarded her weapons and grabbed the fabric of RuRu¡¯s blouse at her shoulders, then wedged her foot against her waist and let gravity do the rest as Janet rolled onto her back, launching her opponent up and over.


    And when RuRu landed on her back, dislodging her buckler from her grasp, Janet scrambled to her feet and grabbed the nearest object (her buckler) and ran and leaped at the supine RuRu in a diving attack. Only, it wasn¡¯t a diving attack: it was a running leap through the air, her buckler held in two hands flat against her butt in midair, till her buckler and her butt and the rest of her body weight came crashing down onto RuRu¡¯s stomach before sliding off of her¡ª


    And left both women in agony. In fact, there came a whoosh of air from RuRu, then her screams as she turned onto her side and curled into the fetal position, cradling her stomach in her forearms and flailing the shins of her legs, cursing up a storm of f-bombs at Janet. As for Janet, when her tailbone hit the buckler¡¯s handle on impact, she felt a jolt through her body, making her jackknife herself with her knees up to her chest, pressing one of her hands to the cleft of her butt and adding to RuRu¡¯s screams of mutual pain.


    (¡°Third hit, Janet!¡± one DeeDee said.


    ¡°First hit, RuRu!¡± another DeeDee added.


    ¡°Janet wins the second round!¡± a third DeeDee added.


    And then the fourth DeeDee said, ¡°Take up your positions for round three, girls.¡±)


    At first, Janet¡¯s clones and club mates and club advisor and even Rowena and Lady Graves and Maxine all cheered, yet when RuRu spat up blood and Janet shed tears, they stopped cheering and started mumbling ¡®Oh my God!¡¯ and ¡®Holy shit!¡¯ and ¡®Are they okay?¡¯ and the like under their breath. Some of them had their hands cupped over their mouths, and some started with wide horrified eyes, and others averted their gazes altogether. All the while, RuRu and Janet remained writhing on the floor, till Janet managed to get herself on her hands and knees, rubbing her backside as she watched RuRu continue wincing and grimacing and opening and closing her injured sword-hand while keeping her forearms pressed to her stomach.


    Yet through the pain, something within Janet fluttered like the flaps of a fledgling trying its wings, for the sight of RuRu wiping her sleeve over the spittle of blood from her mouth had broken the ice between them. That¡¯s when another memory surfaced through her thoughts, in which John Day¡¯s opponent visited him and apologized for knocking him out the previous day, breaking the ice between them. John Day accepted his apology and introduced himself to his new friend, and his friend introduced himself as Sir Abram of the Gate. That¡¯s when Janet realized a third lesson from Captain Jude Fleming¡¯s words to John Day: today¡¯s fight is tomorrow¡¯s friendship.


    Wiping away her tears, Janet eased herself into a kneeling position and said, ¡°RuRu, can you get up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± RuRu said, propping herself up with an elbow and returning to her fetal position in agony. ¡°Fuck, it hurts! You¡¯re a crazy ass, you know that? I¡¯ve never seen anyone do what you just did. You¡¯re nuts!¡±


    Janet winced and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Besides, pain builds character, remember?¡±


    ¡°Geez, are you a masochist?¡±


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not crazy like you!¡± RuRu said.


    Then Janet and RuRu laughed, till they were both wincing again. As such, with the ice between them clearing up, they called two DeeDees over for assistance.


    So the two DeeDees entered the circle and asked RuRu and Janet if they could continue. To their questions, RuRu and Janet said that they¡¯ll be fine in a bit, and when asked if they needed time to recuperate, they both said yes. With that, both DeeDees helped Janet and RuRu to their feet and guided them to opposite sides of the circle by the walls of the hallway. Then a third DeeDee started gathering up the swords and bucklers and placing them at the feet of both combatants, while a fourth DeeDee (maybe the original one) was talking with the other two DeeDees about the situation.


    All the while, Rowena and Janet¡¯s friends and clones asked if Janet was okay, and Janet assured them she was fine, even when her tailbone was still aching.


    While recovering, Janet studied her surroundings. On either side of DeeDee¡¯s impromptu sparring circle were Janet¡¯s clones and peers all holding lamps with their lamplights casting shadows behind the four DeeDees stationed just outside its circumference. As such, DeeDee¡¯s shadows were darkest on the portions of the circle by its perimeter about a few feet away from both walls and got more diffuse the further these shadows reached towards the centerline of the sparring circle, which meant there were four routes to dodge your opponent¡¯s sneak attacks or launch attacks of your own. With Janet and RuRu as the other two shadow-casters on a circular plane, their positions in the circle determined if and when to launch their attacks or dodge. As such, in the first round, RuRu launched two sneak attacks, forcing Janet to dodge the second one, so Janet retaliated with her own attack and paid for it with RuRu¡¯s counter at the same time. Yet in the second round, only Janet launched a sneak attack, while RuRu stayed in place. Why did she stay in place?


    Then Janet caught one of the DeeDees (maybe the original one) looking at her, smiling. Her smile told Janet she knew something that was just beyond her ken, so she gave it more thought. If RuRu could only have used her sneak attack when using one of the DeeDees¡¯ shadows to attack Janet¡¯s blind spot in round one, then neither she nor Janet could have used any nearby shadows where there were none in round two, because DeeDee¡¯s shadows couldn¡¯t reach the centerline of the sparring circle. That could only mean one thing, and Janet kicked herself for not seeing it sooner. RuRu had duped her into playing her own game, making her use her own shadow-teleportation technique when Janet already had two options from DeeDee. Hence, when Janet had used DeeDee¡¯s astral-teleportation technique in the second round, she hadn¡¯t even realized it¡ª


    Until now.


    When the gathering at the sidelines settled down, RuRu started taking deep breaths and appeared to be okay, and Janet¡¯s painful tailbone had subsided into nothing. Then two of the DeeDees asked the combatants if they were fit to go on, and both girls said they were clear to continue.


    Yet before that, RuRu said, ¡°DeeDee, how much darkness affinity do we need for the experiment?¡±


    So one of the DeeDees (the original) entered the sidelines, approaching Rowena holding onto Janet¡¯s lamp and placing her hand over its glowing red surface. ¡°It¡¯s three-quarters full,¡± she said. ¡°One more round should do it,¡± and she returned to her designated spot by the circle. ¡°All right, time to end this, girls. Get on with it.¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V5) Red Pill 25: Swords, Words

    Villainess 5: Janet¡¯s Second Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 25: Swords, Words


    <hr>


    Round three began with both combatants picking up their swords and bucklers. As before, they took up their stances and configured their armaments at their will: RuRu and Janet both held their bucklers out in front of them, but RuRu held her sword horizontal at her hip with the point facing forward, and Janet held her sword under the armpit of her buckler-arm like she did in the first round.


    Then RuRu called out to her and said, ¡°Hey, Janet, did you notice it yet?¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s a no,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Janet said.


    Then Rowena yelled at Janet from the sidelines, saying that RuRu was just trying to get inside her head and warning Janet to not play by her rules.


    ¡°See?¡± RuRu said. ¡°Even your mom gets it, though she¡¯s a bit off the mark. Can you guess what it is?¡±


    ¡°Mind-reading?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, dear,¡± RuRu said. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good head on your shoulders for a newbie, but you haven¡¯t used it fully yet. We both draw our power from the same source, but that doesn¡¯t make us equal in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just tell me?¡±


    ¡°Do you honestly think it¡¯s that easy?¡± RuRu said. ¡°You¡¯ve got the smarts to study this ground to a T, I¡¯ll give you that, but if you haven¡¯t noticed what I¡¯m doing yet, then prepare for a painful schooling. You must learn to think on your feet, even if I have to beat it into you, got it?¡±


    ¡°But I only just¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts, dear,¡± RuRu said.


    Janet gulped. RuRu should not have known that, not unless she could read minds, but RuRu said nothing about that at all when she taught Janet her shadow-teleportation technique. Maybe RuRu was using another shadow technique, but what was it? RuRu never told her, but then again, why would she? Why would RuRu disclose the ace up her sleeve if she was going to use it against Janet in this spar? For sportsmanship? Nope. RuRu wasn¡¯t teaching her fair play: she was teaching her how to win a fight by any means necessary, even if it meant playing mind games using something just beyond Janet¡¯s grasp.


    Grasp . . . Grasp what? Janet thought to herself, so she said, ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not bluffing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°And I think you¡¯re lying!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve already lost the spar, dear,¡± RuRu said. ¡°So no hard feelings after I whip your ass, got it?¡±


    ¡°If you can find it,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Tough words coming from a newbie,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Then come at me,¡± she said, throwing RuRu¡¯s words at her.


    RuRu smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll regret saying that,¡± and she blinked out of sight¡ª


    And appeared a moment later charging at Janet.


    And before she knew it, RuRu had her checked in two moves at once, thrusting her sword home and sidestepping just outside of Janet¡¯s range and baiting her into attacking. And when Janet took the bait, swinging her sword through empty air, RuRu wound her sword from her thrusting trajectory with a flick of her wrist and clipped Janet¡¯s sword-arm in an upward underhand slash. It was one of the slickest feints in RuRu¡¯s arsenal, one that would have made John Day proud if Janet had been the one to deliver it. But no. If this spar was a class, then Janet was the student, and RuRu was the teacher ¡®schooling¡¯ her in swordsmanship.


    (¡°First hit, RuRu!¡± one DeeDee said.)


    Amidst more boos at RuRu from the sidelines, flowers of agony bloomed through her forearm, and Janet dropped her sword and stifled a scream through gritted teeth¡ª


    Till she caught a metallic flash in the corner of her eye and felt a whoosh of air on her cheek, which was RuRu¡¯s buckler blurring past her face, making Janet grimace and wince and turn her head on instinct¡ª


    When RuRu¡¯s sword clipped her waist and more flowers of pain bloomed across her left side above her hip bone, making Janet burst out screaming. As both blows registered through the overloaded pain receptors of her forearm and waist, Janet collapsed to her knees and then to the ground, yet she still managed to hold onto her buckler while nursing her flaring forearm against her flaring side, writhing and moaning and sobbing at RuRu¡¯s feet.


    (¡°Second hit, RuRu!¡± another DeeDee said amidst more shouts from the spectators to stop this madness, yet the original DeeDee told them that this was all part of the spar. Janet¡¯s friends and clones protested her decision, and Rowena went so far as to stomp towards DeeDee, getting up in her face and grabbing at her blouse and demanding she stop this, yet her hand passed through her.


    Rowena gaped, saying, ¡°No way!¡±


    So DeeDee smiled and placed her finger to her lips and said, ¡°Give your daughter a chance to shine, dear.¡±)


    As more boos erupted from the sidelines, Janet had her eyes squinted shut and her teeth gritted in a grimace, expecting to get hit, yet it never came. So when Janet opened her eyes and looked up at RuRu, she saw her crouched over her and said, ¡°You¡¯re not going to end it?¡±


    ¡°This is a spar, silly, not a fight to the death,¡± RuRu said. ¡°I don¡¯t hit sparring partners while they¡¯re down, only enemies, and you¡¯re not one of those,¡± and she reached out her hand for Janet to grab.


    But when Janet did so, getting to her feet, she looked and saw RuRu no longer there.


    Then she noticed the standing hairs on the back of her neck as RuRu¡¯s question flooded her mind (¡®Did you notice it yet?¡¯). Only then did it come together when Janet felt a presence behind her and felt an object (she couldn¡¯t tell if it was a sword or a buckler) hitting her like a premonition.


    So she blinked out of sight¡ª


    (or thought she did)


    ¡ªbut felt RuRu¡¯s whooshing sneak attack connecting on her, her buckler smashing into the small of her back, as she braced herself with squinted eyes. Yet the pain delay was long enough for her to notice, even when the feeling of getting hit lingered as a tactile hallucination. This led her to other parallels (like the wake of a boat passing beneath the haul of her own vessel, as Baron Palmer had observed in Period 4, or the residual haunting of a ghost possessing her body, as DeeDee had said in her shop) during the mindless moment of her body anticipating pain.


    Yet after waiting for the shock of the blow without feeling it, Janet opened her eyes and noticed the hush of her peers and her clones from the sidelines. So she turned and saw their eyes wide and their mouths agape, some with their hands cupped over their mouths.


    ¡°You bitch,¡± RuRu said.


    Janet turned, saying, ¡°You didn¡¯t hit me?¡±


    RuRu only grimaced and glared at her, saying, ¡°Of course, I hit you, but then you ghosted me!¡±


    RuRu shut her mouth.


    The word, ¡®ghosted,¡¯ tipped Janet off with an idea, so she crouched and grabbed her sword with her buckler-hand, then ran the finger of her sword-hand across its dull edge, trying to remember the feeling of RuRu¡¯s shield attack passing through her body. Then she repeated the process a few more times, till she felt her finger pass through the blade and said, ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m really a ghost.¡±


    So RuRu turned to DeeDee, saying, ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Big Sis! I can¡¯t even hit her!¡±


    ¡°All she did was figure it out, dear,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have anything else to do with it.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s cheating!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember your own words?¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You told Janet to ¡®forget about fair play.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I did, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts, dear. You reap what you sow,¡± DeeDee said, then to both girls in the circle: ¡°Now get on with it, girls. We don¡¯t have all night, you know.¡±


    With that, RuRu took up her stance and configured her arms: this time, while holding her buckler out in front, RuRu held her sword horizontal across her chest with the point facing forward, while Janet did nothing.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± RuRu said.


    Janet said nothing, for she was thinking back to the movements of their swords in relation to their bucklers during all three rounds. Discarding RuRu¡¯s feints in this round and their shield strikes in the first and second rounds, Janet noticed that their swords tended to follow the range of their bucklers. This meant that their bucklers protected their unprotected sword-hands during initial sword attacks before acting independently with shield attacks at close range. Hence, the use of astral- and shadow-teleportation techniques were meant to gain a positioning advantage with initial sword strikes in order to control the flow of the fight. In other words, RuRu had been playing chess, while Janet had been playing checkers.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Anytime now,¡± RuRu said.


    But sparring matches and checkers and chess were different distillations of real battlefield conditions. In fact, chess was a simplification of siege warfare, checkers of infantry and cavalry movements and battlefield skirmishes, and sparring matches of real combat with the enemy. As such, Janet thought it worth her while to throw caution to the wind and add some battlefield chaos into this spar.


    So she bent her legs with one foot forward and one foot back, taking up a slight variation of her stance, and held her bucker close to her body like a boxer aiming for a body blow and her sword under the armpit of her buckler-arm like before. She breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, letting John Day¡¯s strength and conditioning flow through her body, breathing in once more¡ª


    And teleporting into RuRu¡¯s guard with a swipe of her sword across her middle. Yet RuRu blinked out of sight before Janet was able to connect¡ª


    So Janet did the same, blinking out of sight¡ª


    Just a split second before RuRu appeared with another sidestep into Janet¡¯s blind spot, winding her sword thrust into a slash across empty air instead of Janet¡¯s diaphragm.


    A moment later, Janet appeared in the middle of the sparring circle, where no shadows could reach her from the brightness of everyone¡¯s lamplights. With cheers for Janet and boos for RuRu filling the hallway, Janet eyed her opponent. RuRu was standing just a skipping two-step away from the furthest touch of DeeDee¡¯s shadow towards the centerline of the sparring circle just behind Janet¡¯s blind spot on her left side. Janet then remembered Lady Graves entrapping Janet and Rowena up to their necks inside of her shadow storage. As such, if RuRu was using DeeDee¡¯s shadows to attack Janet¡¯s blind spots, then Janet would counter her with her shadow storage. So Janet adopted the same stance, her buckler pulled in for a body blow and her sword held under the armpit of her buckler-arm.


    Then she dropped her sword and kneeled to the ground to pick it up while keeping her eyes on RuRu, pretending to feel for it every time she placed her palm on the ground. She did it four times, in fact, hiding four units of her shadow storage within the four shadows behind the four DeeDees. When Janet finally picked up her sword, RuRu deadpanned.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Janet said, taking up her stance again.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± RuRu said. ¡°Because it looks like you¡¯re losing it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± RuRu said.


    Then RuRu adopted another configuration, her buckler pulled in close to her body and her sword held high above her head, then blinked out of sight¡ª


    And (literally) fell into Janet¡¯s trap.


    In fact, RuRu lost her balance in one DeeDee¡¯s shadow, almost dropping her sword. Then she blinked out of sight¡ª


    To another DeeDee¡¯s shadow, losing her balance and dropping her buckler, which disappeared below the ground. With RuRu now frantically looking for her buckler, that¡¯s when Janet blinked out of sight¡ª


    And appeared before RuRu, swiping her sword across her sword-arm. So RuRu blinked out of sight¡ª


    And appeared inside the shadow of another DeeDee (the original DeeDee), cursing and grimacing and feeling at her forearm¡ª


    (¡°First hit, Janet!¡± the original said.


    More cheers from the sidelines.)


    ¡ªbefore RuRu lost her balance again, dropping her sword and looking for it in the shadow of the original DeeDee, saying, ¡°Ah, fuck! Where is it?¡±


    That¡¯s when it dawned on RuRu with a flash of her eyes just as Janet blinked out of sight once again¡ª


    And appeared before RuRu with another sword swipe across her middle, connecting this time, just before RuRu blinked out of sight again¡ª


    (¡°Second hit, Janet!¡± another DeeDee said.


    More cheers from the sidelines.)


    And appeared a moment later within the shadow of yet another DeeDee, RuRu cursing and grimacing in agony and frustration, pressing her uninjured arm to her side¡ª


    Till RuRu lost her balance yet again like a broken record, so RuRu raised her hands, saying, ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait a minute! Time out! TIME OUT!¡±


    Yet Janet blinked out of sight¡ª


    And appeared with yet another swipe across RuRu¡¯s torso, almost connecting¡ª


    When RuRu teleported to Janet¡¯s shadow behind her, rolling away and getting back up, grimacing and holding herself like an injured boxer protecting her vulnerable right side. When Janet wheeled around, adopting the same stance she had been using the whole round, RuRu said, ¡°JUST WAIT!¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m unarmed, you idiot!¡± RuRu yelled.


    ¡°Says the one that tried to hit me behind my back!¡±


    ¡°Are you blind?¡± RuRu said, pointing to the buckler in Janet¡¯s hand. ¡°You were still armed when I did that, but you attacked an unarmed combatant!¡± Then to DeeDee, she added, ¡°I demand a redo!¡± When more boos erupted from the sidelines, all of them directed at RuRu, the designated heel of the spar said, ¡°Fuck all of you!¡±


    Even more boos were flung her way, accompanied with Rowena yelling that when this spar was done, she¡¯d give RuRu a taste of her own medicine.


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± RuRu said.


    More boos erupted from the sidelines.


    ¡°Janet¡¯s got you figured out, RuRu,¡± the original DeeDee said in a crouch, reaching into the black void of Janet¡¯s shadow storage and pulling out an arming sword, while the other DeeDee pulled out a buckler. The original DeeDee turned to Janet and added, ¡°Using a storage skill as part of your offense: that¡¯s really sneaky.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Janet beamed.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, dear,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t blow smoke up her ass, Big Sis,¡± RuRu said. ¡°She¡¯s already full of it.¡±


    More boos.


    When the original DeeDee and the other DeeDee approached RuRu, handing her both armaments, the original DeeDee said, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for redos.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Either you end it, or Janet ends it. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡± Then DeeDee breathed out a sigh and said, ¡°RuRu, dear, you¡¯re getting rusty. Don¡¯t ever underestimate your opponent.¡±


    RuRu grimaced as she re-equipped herself and said, ¡°I know,¡± and she took up her stance with her legs spaced apart, her buckler held out in front of her and her sword chambered over her shoulder. Then to Janet, she added, ¡°Get ready for some payback, girl.¡±


    ¡°Bring it,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Tough words for a newbie,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Then come at me,¡± she said, taking up her stance.


    RuRu smiled once again and said, ¡°You¡¯ll regret saying that.¡±


    And after both DeeDees left the circle, Janet stayed where she was in the middle of the circle, where no shadows reached her on the ground, turning as RuRu circled her position. Then Janet saw RuRu adopt an unorthodox stance, holding her sword by the blade in both hands at her waist with the blade at an incline pointed towards her, her sword-hand at the base of the blade and her buckler-hand further up near the point. Then she noticed a blackish purple corona shimmering off of the blade itself, so she said, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    RuRu smiled again and threw Janet¡¯s words back at her, saying, ¡°Come at me and find out. I dare you.¡±


    ¡°You first,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°You wish,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You should be,¡± RuRu said, ¡°because you¡¯re about to lose,¡± and she raised her sword and threw it like a javelin at Janet, who froze in place but managed to parry it. Yet as it clanged to the ground at Janet¡¯s feet, RuRu charged into a three-step lunge and blinked out of sight¡ª


    And reappeared over the fallen sword on Janet¡¯s left, swinging her buckler like a boxer¡¯s right hook for a kidney shot under Janet¡¯s sword-arm. Yet when her attack passed through, RuRu¡¯s momentum carried her into a roll through Janet¡¯s ¡®ghosted¡¯ body before RuRu got back up, pivoting on her foot and discarding her buckler, letting it clang onto the ground. Then RuRu rushed in from behind and clipped her arms around Janet¡¯s waist, locking her hands in a tight grip. And before Janet knew it, before she realized her mistake and grabbed RuRu¡¯s hands, Janet found herself lifting off her feet and tumbling through space, hearing a collective gasp from the sidelines before landing on the back of her head on the ground¡ª


    And blacking out.


    When Janet regained consciousness amidst several voices, she awoke to RuRu screaming for DeeDee to make three crazy broads release her. So Janet opened her eyes and propped herself on her elbows, focusing on all the commotion, and saw RuRu getting triple-teamed by Rowena and Lady Graves and Maxine. All three women had submission holds on RuRu at the same time: Rowena with a figure-four leg-lock on her legs; Lady Graves with a double wrist-lock on one arm; and Maxine with a straight arm-bar on the other arm. All the while, Janet found her clones and her friends and DeeDee gathered around her, either crouching or standing or kneeling, many of them asking if she was okay.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°How many fingers am I holding up?¡± Baron Underwood said, holding up what looked like four fingers, yet Janet wasn¡¯t sure when there were two Baron Underwoods.


    So Janet focused her vision, turning four fingers into two, and said, ¡°Two.¡±


    Everyone breathed out a sigh.


    So Janet pushed herself up into a sitting position and said, ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°About five minutes,¡± DeeDee said, then signaled the three angry women to release poor RuRu with a cutting motion across her neck. Only then did Rowena and Lady Graves and Maxine let go of RuRu, leaving her limp and wheezing on the floor before getting up and heading towards Janet.


    When Rowena came up first, Janet¡¯s clones and friends gave her space, so that she kneeled on both knees and hugged Janet close to her and said, ¡°Thank goodness, you¡¯re okay! I got scared after you stopped moving.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Lady Graves said.


    Janet shook her head, then put her hand over her stinging backside and said, ¡°And why does my butt hurt?¡±


    Rowena grimaced, and Lady Graves and Maxine gulped and bit down on their lips, both breaking into a sweat at the fuming Mama Goose.


    Rowena said to Janet, ¡°RuRu did a suplex on you and knocked you out, then hit you with her buckler while you were out.¡± Then she threw a glare at RuRu as she was struggling to her feet and added, ¡°How can you even call yourself a Guardian? You should be ashamed of yourself!¡±


    ¡°I was just following the rules, you magpie!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s following the rules,¡± DeeDee added, ¡°and then there¡¯s bending them. I understand why you were bending the rules, but that last hit was a cheap shot.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t she the one who butt-bombed me with her damn buckler?¡± RuRu yelled. ¡°I was bleeding from internal injuries, for crying out loud! Do you think that¡¯s nothing?¡±


    ¡°At least you were still conscious!¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I know she¡¯s your daughter,¡± RuRu said, ¡°but keep your double standards to yourself, okay?¡±


    Which pushed Rowena right over the edge, getting up and saying, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll show you double standards when I put you through a table!¡±


    ¡°There are no tables, dear.¡±


    Rowena was about to storm after RuRu, yet DeeDee caught her arm and said, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, you two,¡± and she picked up Janet¡¯s lamp glowing dark red with a green corona around it. ¡°This lamp is already full to the brim, so we¡¯ll start the experiment.¡±


    Only then did cooler heads prevail.


    With Rowena¡¯s help, Janet got up to her feet and then said, ¡°RuRu, I wanna know something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°What was I supposed to notice?¡±


    So RuRu smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re slow.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Janet said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking.¡±


    RuRu breathed out a sigh and said, ¡°It¡¯s the power of suggestion, dear. Words are just like swords but of a different kind, so keep your mind steady when talking with your enemies. Don¡¯t let their words throw you off.¡±


    Janet grimaced, cursing herself for not seeing it, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot to learn.¡±


    ¡°Everyone starts somewhere,¡± RuRu said.


    Then DeeDee elbowed RuRu¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And sorry for pressuring you earlier,¡± RuRu said to Janet. ¡°Believe me, I wasn¡¯t trying to antagonize you or your friends,¡± and she turned to Janet¡¯s club mates and clones. ¡°And sorry for riling you all up with my antics in this spar. I just wanted to give you a taste of what it¡¯s like to join the persecution. It¡¯s easier to follow the group than to stand against your peers for those less fortunate than yourselves. This kingdom¡¯s aristocracy has always reviled me in the past, and even now there¡¯s still prejudice. So if word ever gets out that you and your friends are under my protection, your peers might hate you. It¡¯s happened to Maxine and Rowena and Celeste, so it could happen to you, as well. But from what I¡¯ve seen of you tonight, you¡¯re all worth it.¡±


    Janet stared at RuRu for a few moments and said, ¡°I¡¯ll never forsake you, RuRu.¡± Then to her friends, she added, ¡°What about the rest of you?¡±


    And Kevin and Ridley and Mindy and Jean and Saraya and Baron Underwood all said likewise.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Is that all you can say?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°And sorry for all of the f-bombs,¡± RuRu said.


    Janet smiled, saying, ¡°No hard feelings, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that,¡± RuRu said. ¡°Maybe I can take you out for a drink one of these days.¡±


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Or maybe not,¡± RuRu said.


    ¡°Are you all done yet?¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet and RuRu and everyone else nodded their heads.


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V5) Red Pill 26: Mirrors, Retry!

    Villainess 5: Janet¡¯s Second Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 26: Mirrors, Retry!


    <hr>


    Afterwards DeeDee had the crowd gather around the double-door entrance of Classroom 1-3C, Janet¡¯s old homeroom class. Then she handed Janet¡¯s lamp to Rowena and manifested Janet¡¯s profile book, then flipped it to the first of thirty-one entries detailing the death of Janet¡¯s suicide clone, in which she had leaped from the balustrade on the third floor after the Prince had threatened her. Then DeeDee waved Janet and her pale-faced suicide double over to her side and had them place their hands on the lamp in Rowena¡¯s hand, then had the clone place her hand over the page of her ignominious entry.


    ¡°One of my sisters, ReRe, discovered an anomaly in a magic mirror that I think was used to cast a spell on Prince Blaise,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°In that mirror, she found a confrontation between Janet and Lady Dorian in a courtyard before it went blank for a few moments and then came back on with Janet arguing with Prince Blaise. Do you know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    Janet and her clone nodded, for Prince Blaise¡¯s words hurt them both, as if the Prince himself had kicked their mother¡¯s big belly and caused her to miscarry.


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°We¡¯ll first decrypt the spell¡¯s contents using your memory of that confrontation, and then we¡¯ll reactivate the spell using the darkness affinity in the lamp as a medium. My reasoning is that Lady Dorian must have used the emotional imprint of that memory to fabricate a false narrative of your suicide in your profile entry,¡± she added, looking at Janet¡¯s suicide clone. ¡°By using this method, she implanted false ideas into the Prince¡¯s mind and manipulated the people around her with the same method. Now for this to work, I want you two to close your eyes and recall that memory.¡±


    Janet and her clone did so, calling up the heated moments between them and Lady Dorian that Friday afternoon, in which they rebuked their mutual enemy for all of her bullshit lies. Then came Lady Dorian¡¯s slur against their mother, saying that Janet should have died with her in prison, causing Janet to grab at Lady Dorian as she skipped back, so that Janet could only get a handful of Lady Dorian¡¯s dress, tearing the hem along the seam. Then Lady Dorian did the unthinkable, ripping the tear wide enough for her legs to show through and thanking Janet for setting herself up. This sent Janet over the edge, grabbing Lady Dorian¡¯s wrists and cussing her out, only for Lady Dorian to scream for help, saying Janet was hurting her.


    (That¡¯s when the Prince rushed through the double-door entrance of the school building and confronted Janet for what he thought she had done to Lady Dorian, grabbing Janet¡¯s wrists and making her wince and say, ¡°You¡¯re hurting me!¡±


    ¡°Then let this be a lesson to you,¡± the Prince said before letting her go. ¡°Now leave Rosalie alone!¡±


    ¡°She ripped her own dress!¡±


    But the Prince scoffed, saying, ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to believe that!¡±


    So Janet looked around at her peers in the courtyard, yet they all looked the other way like cowards, till she saw the three women closest to the fountain (Mindy Kessler and the Drevis sisters) and said, ¡°You saw it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we did,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°See?¡± Janet said. ¡°They witnessed it!¡±


    ¡°You threatened them, didn¡¯t you?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Why do you keep doubting me?¡± Janet said. ¡°I never threatened them to do anything!¡±


    ¡°And you expect me to believe that?¡± the Prince said. ¡°You¡¯ve already threatened Lady Felton and Lady Childeron to bully Miss Edgeworth on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°Those bitches set me up!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yeah, sure they did,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re always making¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, damn it!¡± Janet screamed. ¡°You just don¡¯t give a fuck!¡±


    ¡°After everything you¡¯ve done,¡± he said, ¡°why the fuck would I believe you?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Janet said and turned away¡ª


    Till the Prince grabbed her hand again, yanking her towards him and saying in a low seething tone, ¡°You¡¯re dangerously close to l¨¨se-majest¨¦, you know that? I could have you imprisoned for you impudence right now, so don¡¯t fucking test me!¡± Then he flung her hand away.


    Janet was about to say something else¡ª


    When Lady Dorian beat her to it, saying, ¡°Please, don¡¯t be so rough with her, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Rosalie,¡± he said.


    Lady Dorian said, ¡°But she¡¯s engaged to you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, ¡°but I can¡¯t just stand by and¡ª¡±


    ¡°How quaint, Donavan,¡± Janet said, crossing her arms over her bosom. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few weeks, but you¡¯re on a first-name basis with another woman?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to prevent you from harming another classmate.¡±


    ¡°Have you taken a liking to her?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping with her, haven¡¯t you?¡± Janet said.


    Lady Dorian gaped, saying, ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far!¡± he said, grabbing at Janet¡¯s hand again, yet Janet evaded his reach.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± she said. ¡°Enjoy yourselves!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not like that, and you know it!¡± Lady Dorian yelled, now beginning to cry crocodile tears. So the Prince started comforting her, saying pretty nothings that just made Janet sick to her stomach to witness.


    ¡°How disgusting,¡± Janet said and was about to go¡ª


    Till the Prince said behind her back, ¡°So you¡¯re relying on innuendoes now, are you?¡±


    Janet turned, saying, ¡°It¡¯s the truth!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the Prince said. ¡°You¡¯re not my type, anyway.¡±


    Right then, Janet seethed like a chained demon about to break free from its bonds, yet she stifled herself just enough to say under her breath, ¡°Then try telling that to their Majesties and see how far you get.¡±


    The hubbub of the surrounding voices died in an instant.


    ¡°What did you just say to me?¡± he said.


    ¡°You heard me,¡± Janet said.


    More silence.


    ¡°Then I guess I will,¡± he said.


    Janet gaped at his response, saying, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to his Majesty about what you just said,¡± the Prince said. ¡°Who knows? Maybe he¡¯ll agree with me and allow us to break it off.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°You brought this on yourself, Janet,¡± he said. ¡°If you were anyone else, I might have pitied you, because you¡¯ve never had a mother as a role model. But from what I¡¯ve seen of you today, even if she was alive, it wouldn¡¯t have made much of a difference.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Your father never told you, did he?¡± he said.


    ¡°Told me what?¡± Janet said. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°That your mother was a witch,¡± he said. ¡°Only a witch can give birth to someone like you.¡±


    Janet was speechless as tears started trailing her cheeks, for words were swords of a different kind, and the Prince¡¯s words cut deeper than any of the insults Lady Dorian and her cronies had used against her. At that moment, the blood running hot through Janet¡¯s veins and arteries ran cold, her lifeline between herself and the Prince severed.


    Now grieving over the loss of her mother and incensed at the Prince¡¯s utter cruelty, Janet glared back with a flash of her red eyes and said, ¡°My mother is dead, your Highness. Don¡¯t make light of the dead.¡±


    Then she turned away and walked from the scene of her public denouncement, keeping her steps steady so as not to betray the turmoil of her feelings in front of the bastard and the vixen. Yet when the hubbub of the crowd roused behind her, their gossip looming over her head like a death sentence, she picked up her heels and ran down the boulevard before cutting into the entrance path, approaching the steely-eyed guards that opened the double doors for her, and passing the threshold into the darkness, where she broke down into tears.


    And there she stayed . . .)


    Till she looked up and noticed the light of a lamp glowing red at the end of a long and dark corridor. She blinked. Then she crept towards that levitating lamp, seemingly held at about chest level from an unseen hand, then started running. She blinked again. And the lamp also blinked and shimmered and even moved, shifting little most of the time and abruptly changing positions at longer intervals as if the holder of that lamp was switching it between two hands.


    She blinked again.


    And now she found herself back inside the hallway of Lassen Academy amidst her friends and clones and everyone else, including Rowena who had switched Janet¡¯s lamp to her left hand to give her right arm a break. Then she noticed Janet¡¯s own body and her clone¡¯s body, their hands still pressed against the lamp in Rowena¡¯s hand, so she passed through the gathering and entered her own body¡ª


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Making the lamp flash a blinding red glow and making Rowena and everyone else in the hallway squint their eyes. This made Rowena say, ¡°What¡¯s happening, DeeDee?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Just tell me what¡¯s going on!¡± she said.


    ¡°They¡¯ve both just come to their senses,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Just keep yourself steady, okay?¡±


    Rowena nodded, biting on her lower lip as she kept stealing glances at Janet and her suicide clone.


    ¡°The rest of you,¡± DeeDee added, turning to the others in the hall, ¡°follow RuRu into the classroom and stay there. Whatever happens during this experiment, watch out for anything unusual or out of place, got it?¡±


    They all nodded, but Mindy Kessler added, ¡°Anything specific that I should watch out for?¡±


    ¡°You were in this class before, right?¡±


    ¡°Only during the first week of school,¡± Mindy said. ¡°I got transferred afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Then watch out for any differences,¡± DeeDee added, ¡°between what you remember and what you¡¯re about to see during this experiment. If there¡¯s anything, no matter what it is, let us know, okay?¡±


    Lady Kessler nodded and joined her club mates and her club advisor and Janet¡¯s clones and Lady Graves and Maxine, all of them following behind RuRu as she pushed open the double doors and led them into Classroom 1-3C.


    With that, DeeDee said to both Janets, ¡°Okay, open your eyes, girls, and tell me what you see or feel or anything that comes to mind. Got it?¡±


    Janet and her clone opened their eyes, and their eyes flashed a bright glowing red from their irises. Janet was awake and aware of her surroundings, yet her senses were enhanced with the surreal clarity of a lucid dream.


    ¡°What are we supposed to see, anyway?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Whatever comes to mind,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°just say what it is, and we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±


    Moments passed, and Janet blinked, and again she found herself in the darkness of another realm. She felt a cool flat surface against her palm where she had her hand over the lamp, then blinked again and gasped at two figures appearing before her in her mind¡¯s eye. One was Rosalie Edgeworth¡ª . . . No, it wasn¡¯t: it was Lilian Dorian. The other was a slender figure in shadow next to her, maybe a woman, but Janet wasn¡¯t sure. Both of them were reflected against a mirror with their hands pressed against it, and Lady Dorian¡¯s lips were moving, but Janet couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I see a reflection of Lady Dorian and a shadowy figure, maybe a woman,¡± Janet said. ¡°Lady Dorian¡¯s saying something, but I can¡¯t make out her words.¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a private study.¡±


    DeeDee paused. ¡°Anyone else there?¡±


    ¡°Nobody else that I can see,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Can you notice anything else about the scene?¡±


    Janet spied past the figures in the reflection and noticed the edge of a door of some kind beside Lady Dorian¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°There¡¯s a door beside Lady Dorian.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± DeeDee added.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have.¡±


    Then Janet felt a hand on her shoulder as DeeDee said in her mind, ¡°Wake up, dear. You¡¯ve done well.¡±


    Janet did so and felt a wave of nausea passing through her, making her tipsy, till she regained her balance and breathed in and out at regular intervals. Then she caught Rowena looking at her with creased brows and a worrying lip.


    ¡°Are you okay, honey?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine,¡± she said.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Janet¡¯s clone said.


    ¡°Not yet, dear,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Stay focused.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Janet¡¯s clone said.


    ¡°What are you seeing right now?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I¡¯m in front of a mirror with my hand on it,¡± the clone said, ¡°and I¡¯m next to the shadowy figure of a woman with her hand on the mirror, too, and there are symbols glowing on the back of our hands.¡±


    ¡°Describe them,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Lady Dorian has a triangle made of three touching triangles on her hand,¡± the clone said, ¡°while the one in shadow has a circle with a cross inside it on hers.¡±


    ¡°A tetrahedron and a wheel cross,¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet wondered what those were and said, ¡°What are those?¡±


    ¡°A tetrahedron is a three-sided pyramid,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°and a wheel cross symbolizes the sun in the Church of the Holy Light.¡± Then she turned back to Janet¡¯s clone and added, ¡°Child, when Lady Dorian presses her hand against the mirror, is the tetrahedron upside down?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± the clone said.


    ¡°DeeDee,¡± Janet said, ¡°is that important?¡±


    ¡°I found the same upside-down tetrahedron on the Prince¡¯s profile book,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Stop bothering me,¡± DeeDe said, then to the clone: ¡°Are they standing inside a study room?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the room they¡¯re in,¡± the clone said.


    ¡°That shadowy figure,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°do you see anything else about her that I should know?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± the clone said. ¡°I¡¯m looking at another scene in the reflection.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s in the reflection?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Prince in a bedroom, but it doesn¡¯t look like a dorm at school,¡± the clone said. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s in his bedroom at the Royal Palace.¡±


    ¡°Is he sleeping?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I think so,¡± she said, ¡°but he¡¯s tossing and turning in bed like he¡¯s having a nightmare or a fit.¡±


    ¡°Can you hear any voices?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the clone said, ¡°but it¡¯s hard to make out. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s Lady Dorian¡¯s voice or the voice of the shadowy woman next to her.¡±


    ¡°Can you hear any words?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hard to make out,¡± the clone said.


    ¡°Try your best,¡± DeeDee said.


    More moments passed.


    Janet had her eyes fixed on her clone¡¯s expression, wanting to see what she was seeing and hear what she was hearing, if anything. Then there was a sharp intake of breath, and her clone¡¯s lips started trembling at something that none of them could see or hear.


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Hey, can you hear me?¡± Rowena added.


    When Janet¡¯s clone said nothing, DeeDee leaned in and stared at the clone¡¯s glowing red irises, then passed her hand across her field of vision, but there was no reaction.


    ¡°Can she hear us?¡± Rowena said.


    DeeDee shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think she can hear us right now. In fact, I think she¡¯s fast asleep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Janet said. ¡°A spell that works on ghosts? Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°With enough mana, it is,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Will she wake up?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She will, but not now,¡± DeeDee said, then paused a moment rolling something through her head, though Janet hadn¡¯t a clue what. ¡°Barring the identity of the woman in shadow, we know there are two individuals using two spells in concert over two profile books.¡±


    ¡°Mine and the Prince¡¯s?¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee nodded and said, ¡°These things tend to work in pairs. Since this child here has fallen asleep, one of them used a sleep spell, while the other used a mental manipulation spell. From what I¡¯ve read and what I¡¯ve gathered from the observations of your clones, I think Lady Dorian and this other person must have used both spells on Prince Blaise and Baron Underwood: for the Prince, Lady Dorian used a mental manipulation spell to implant thoughts into his head through his profile book during sleep, while this other person pinned a mental manipulation spell on the Baron to prime his students to follow Lady Dorian¡¯s words without his or their knowing through putting them to sleep during his classes.¡±


    ¡°Mass hypnosis!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°Since they¡¯re using both spells in conjunction, one is the dominant spell.¡±


    ¡°The mental manipulation spell,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°And one is the passive spell.¡±


    ¡°The sleep spell,¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°As such, a pair of spell-casters and a pair of spells and a pair of dupes requires another pair to activate both spells,¡± and she now looked Janet in the eyes. ¡°Do you get it now, dear?¡±


    She did. The fact that the Prince and Janet¡¯s old homeroom class and everyone else at the Academy seemed to side with Lady Dorian, the fact that they all seemed to overlook whatever happened to Janet during her confrontations with Lady Dorian and the Prince, the fact that Janet¡¯s clones were all killed with the Prince¡¯s witting or unwitting help, the fact that the four other students¡¯ profile books had been damaged or manipulated to cover up traces of Lady Dorian¡¯s duplicity, even the fact that Janet¡¯s suicide clone was the only aberration in this fucked-up chain of events: all of these pieces fell in place inside Janet¡¯s mind like a jigsaw puzzle. As such, with her mind bursting with epiphanies, Janet said, ¡°They need two memories in order to create a false one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°They used one memory to activate both of their spells.¡±


    Janet looked over at her sleeping clone, saying, ¡°Our memory of last Friday with the Prince.¡±


    ¡°Not yours, per se,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°They used the Prince¡¯s memory of that day to manipulate another memory.¡±


    Janet got the picture, keeping her eyes on her double and saying, ¡°Her last memory before she . . .¡±


    She couldn¡¯t say it, but DeeDee nodded nonetheless¡ª


    Which left Janet wondering what must have happened during her clone¡¯s last moments to make Lady Dorian take such drastic measures over thirty subsequent iterations of the same course of events with thirty other Janets leading to a common end:


    Death by Lady Dorian¡¯s schemes.


    ¡°Since she¡¯s asleep, Janet,¡± DeeDee said, referring to Janet¡¯s suicide clone, ¡°we¡¯ll use you as the change agent. Now put your hand over your clone¡¯s hand on the lamp and pour in as much darkness affinity as you can.¡±


    Janet did as she was told, placing her hand over her clone¡¯s on the lamp and feeling her own darkness affinity mixing and churning inside its confines. Then in her mind, she heard two female voices reciting two different incantations at once, one of which she recognized as Rosalie¡¯s¡ª . . . No, it was Lady Dorian¡¯s voice. The other voice resembled a bird-like whistling sound that obscured the exact words of Lady Dorian¡¯s spell like a counter-spell.


    But when she poured her affinity into the lamp, Janet grimaced through renewed tears at the aftereffects of every hit she had sustained in each round of her sparring match with RuRu. Flowers of pain were blooming on both of her arms and on her solar plexus and on her side and on the back of her head and even on her tailbone, so she said, ¡°Ugh! Damn it, it hurts!¡±


    ¡°Bear with it and keep going,¡± DeeDee said.


    So Janet gritted her teeth, willing herself through the pain, while the lamp in Rowena¡¯s hand glowed brighter and brighter, filling the hallway with a reddening hue. It was like pushing something heavier than herself, for she was pushing against the collective traumas of her clones in their last living moments, pushing against the lies that had encumbered them all their lives, squinting her eyes and pushing the false memory out of the lamp in a bursting nebula of red light . . .


    When Janet opened her eyes and let them adjust to the lingering glare of her surroundings, she glanced at her clone and noticed a symbol resembling an upside-down three-sided pyramid flashing over her double¡¯s forehead. As another piece of the puzzle fell in place, she said, ¡°That¡¯s the symbol you were talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± DeeDee said.


    Then Janet noticed the commotion around her and saw all the double doors along the hallway open, the classroom bustling with the hubbub of voices. And through these double-door entrances, several holograms of students in the hallway entered, most chatting about yesterday¡¯s minor incident between Janet and the Prince at the entrance hall earlier, while others kept talking about the huge blowup between Janet and the Prince in the courtyard on Friday last week. Up to that moment, that Friday afternoon was the biggest commotion on everybody¡¯s lips, till an even bigger one that nobody (not even Lady Dorian) could have foreseen was about to play out in these halls.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Lady Kessler said from inside the classroom. ¡°Look, I¡¯m inside the classroom!¡±


    Janet and Rowena and DeeDee turned towards the now-open double doors at the flurry of voices from Janet¡¯s club mates and clones by the professor¡¯s lectern, where Lady Kessler was pointing out the object of her outburst amongst the students seated in class. But then RuRu told them all to be quiet and wait and watch out for anything else in the class.


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°Time to start the experiment,¡± and she approached Janet¡¯s clone and passed her hand across her entranced glowing eyes.


    Only then did her double snap out of it, taking in gulps of air and shedding tears, then cupping her hands over her gaping mouth and staring at a memory that Janet could only imagine, saying, ¡°Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my GODDDDD!¡±


    Janet grabbed her wrists, saying, ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Rowena said.


    Her double was sobbing now.


    ¡°Go inside, you two,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t leave her like this!¡± Janet and Rowena said, both daughter and mother of one mind.


    DeeDee paused for a bit, then whispered something into Rowena¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave them alone for now,¡± DeeDee said, then to Janet who was now comforting her suffering clone: ¡°Janet, when you¡¯re finished, come into the classroom.¡±


    Janet nodded.


    After her mother and DeeDee went away, Janet grabbed her double¡¯s hands and felt them trembling in her grasp, wondering what the hell she was going to say. Now left alone with her double, the girl whose only living act of defiance involved taking her own life before Lady Dorian could do it, Janet¡¯s heart bled for her. She felt the throbs of her clone¡¯s heart beating inside her own chest, felt the same sweat of cold fear wetting her own temples, and felt her double¡¯s turmoil down to her last insufferable breath of air.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I died! How is that okay?¡± her double spat as more tears flooded down her cheeks. ¡°You never . . .¡±


    When she broke down into more tears, Janet could only tell her the truth, saying, ¡°We¡¯re here for you, me and everyone else. You¡¯re not alone, okay?¡±


    Her clone looked up at her, sniffling as she started fading away from view.


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone,¡± Janet repeated, then reached out her hand to wipe away the tears wetting her double¡¯s face, only for her hand to pass through. ¡°We¡¯re with you, I promise!¡±


    Only then did her clone say, ¡°Thank you¡ª¡±


    And she disappeared.


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V5) Red Pill 27: Instigators, Retry!

    Villainess 5: Janet¡¯s Second Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 27: Instigators, Retry!


    <hr>


    Janet loitered in the hallway, watching her clone¡¯s afterimage fade away before her, and wondered how her double was going to handle the reenactment of her death. Turning from that thought, Janet remembered her clone¡¯s admonishment after Prince Blaise had left her shaken in the nurse¡¯s office yesterday afternoon (¡°I know you meant well, Janet, but don¡¯t ever say that again! I¡¯ve already done it once, so don¡¯t do the same! Please, promise me you won¡¯t!¡±), for it rang true. If yesterday morning¡¯s false vision in the mirror of the women¡¯s restroom had taught Janet anything at all, it was the meaning of her clone¡¯s words: Don¡¯t throw away your life for that asshole, for you¡¯re worth more than whatever he thinks you are.


    Then DeeDee said from inside the classroom, ¡°Janet, are you coming in or not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± Janet said, turning on her feet and entering Classroom 1-3C, the room where she and her clones had suffered under the guile of a two-face.


    Yet passing the open threshold was like d¨¦j¨¤ vu, because Janet recognized the coffered ceiling, the tall windows letting in daylight, the floating lanterns illuminating the interior, the rows of tables lined up in columns, and many of the students seated at these tables and talking amongst themselves. She then spied Prince Blaise and Lady Dorian at the back of the class next to the last window, where the Prince was telling her that Janet won¡¯t be a nuisance anymore, because he¡¯ll talk to Professor Palmer and have everything settled. So Lady Dorian thanked him and told him to come back before Janet comes and does something else to her, to which the Prince promised that he will. Janet squeezed her hands into knuckle-white fists, wanting to throttle those two, as the Prince left Lady Dorian¡¯s table and asked the other students around their table to look after Lady Dorian, then walked down the column of tables and passed by Janet on his way through the open double doors to the Professor Commons Office downstairs.


    Incensed at their words, Janet was about to cuss out the Prince behind his back, when Lady Kessler and Ladies Jean and Saraya Drevis called out to her amidst the other observers of tonight¡¯s experiment.


    (¡°What is it?¡± Janet said.


    Mindy and the Drevis sisters walked up to her, pointing past her shoulder as Mindy said, ¡°Behind you.¡±)


    Janet looked back and saw another Lady Kessler seated at the front table before a column of tables by the wall, chatting with a male student seated beside her about their ghost-hunting club. This under-sized specimen of a student had long tousled hair and shadows under his eyes, and he was asking Mindy¡¯s double when Jean and Saraya were coming, so they could have them join their club and have it approved. To this, Mindy said they¡¯ll arrive soon enough if they haven¡¯t stayed up telling each other ghost stories, but then she asked him if he was fine with having Janet join the group. The young man seemed to waver and asked Mindy if Janet was even into ghost stories, so Mindy said she had heard from her maid that Janet was into ghost stories and even mystery stories. That seemed to decide the matter, for the young man said it was fine to let her join.


    (Janet turned back to her friends and said, ¡°How come you¡¯re all in this class?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°Wait, were you all transferred after the first week?¡±


    ¡°Saraya and I weren¡¯t transferred,¡± Jean said.


    ¡°Only I was,¡± Mindy added.


    ¡°But this is your clone¡¯s memory, not yours,¡± Saraya said, then looked over at Lady Dorian talking with the other students sitting by her table, all of whom seemed to hang on her every word, especially the males. ¡°For all we know, maybe there wasn¡¯t a reason for her to have us transferred.¡±


    ¡°At least, not yet,¡± Janet said.


    Her friends winced.


    Then Mindy breathed out a sigh and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got a point, but what must have happened to make her do that to us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you must have intervened?¡± Janet said.


    Mindy smiled, saying, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t take kindly to bullshit, and Lady Dorian¡¯s full of it.¡±


    Janet looked back at the mysterious student and said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing him while I was in Classroom 1-3C. Do any of you know who he is?¡±


    ¡°Again, no idea,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°But he looks friendly enough,¡± Janet added.


    Yet the Drevis sisters paused for a moment before Jean added, ¡°We saw the Prince beating him up in the hallway once, but that was on the first week of school.¡±


    ¡°We never saw him afterward,¡± Saraya added.


    ¡°We¡¯ll ask DeeDee to look him up for us,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°You think he knows something?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°If he does,¡± Mindy said, ¡°then we¡¯ll have him join our group. We need all the help we can get.¡±)


    Then, after Lady Dorian finished talking with these students, one of the male students stood up from his chair and knocked three times on his table and said, ¡°Attention, everyone. Miss Edgeworth has something to say.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said, sitting down.


    When Lady Dorian got up from her chair, the whole room went silent as she cleared her throat and said, ¡°Before his Highness comes back, I must warn all of you about Lady Fleming¡¯s actions against me this morning.¡± When a flurry of questions erupted from her audience, many of them asking what had happened, was she okay, where was Lady Fleming now, did she tell the Prince about it, and the like, Lady Dorian added, ¡°I¡¯ve already told his Highness, so he¡¯s going to Professor Palmer¡¯s office to have Lady Fleming suspended.¡±


    (¡°You lying fuck-face!¡± Janet said¡ª


    Which roused Janet¡¯s clones and friends into a frenzy of curses, saying that Lady Dorian and the Prince belonged together in hell, that they were worthless pieces of trash, that there¡¯s a place waiting for them when they kick the proverbial bucket, that she¡¯s a bimbo and a gold digger and a bitch and a cocksucker and he¡¯s an idiot and a miser and a bastard and a dickhead, adding other expletives too numerous and vulgar to recount in these pages¡ª


    Which also roused the ire of Baron Underwood and Rowena and Celeste and Maxine and RuRu and even DeeDee, all saying less colorful versions of their remarks.)


    And while Mindy Kessler¡¯s double and her table mate sat silent in their chairs, the overall feeling amongst the rest of the students was in favor of Janet¡¯s condemnation. In fact, amongst the collective judgment from Lady Dorian¡¯s followers in the class, they included but weren¡¯t limited to several of them saying, ¡°Serves her right, that villainess!¡±


    And: ¡°She should get expelled!¡±


    And: ¡°No, imprisoned!¡±


    And: ¡°No, exiled!¡±


    And: ¡°No, executed!¡±


    And: ¡°No, assassinated!¡±


    And: ¡°No, tortured and executed!¡±


    And there were more twisted variations of the same.


    (Which made DeeDee say, ¡°I¡¯ll have MiMi, RaRa, ReRe, and NaNa refrain from giving these students any titles.¡±


    Janet turned and looked over at DeeDee and said, ¡°You can actually do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can,¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet beamed at her with a smile.)


    But amidst the collective condemnation, Mindy¡¯s double stood at her desk and said, ¡°Miss Edgeworth, what exactly did Lady Fleming do to you?¡±


    ¡°She insulted my humble origins,¡± Lady Dorian said, ¡°called me a slut for stealing his Highnesses from her, and threatened to have me killed if I didn''t relinquish him.¡±


    Which had its effect: a flurry of voices erupted from the rest of the students, and more curses rained down on Janet¡¯s unforgiven head.


    (¡°Bullshit!¡± Janet said amidst other objections from her clones and her friends.)


    ¡°So you¡¯ll have her killed?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t equate me with that villainess,¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°I don¡¯t go around cavorting with things that go bump in the night, nor do I salivate over lollipops. Keep to your own prospects, Lady Sweet Tooth.¡±


    Yet Mindy¡¯s friend stood up beside her, fisting his hands and saying, ¡°Leave them alone!¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± Lady Dorian said, walking down the column of tables and heading towards theirs. ¡°And here I thought the late Earl O¡¯Neill¡¯s son was a weakling.¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a weakling!¡± Lord O¡¯Neill said.


    ¡°Then why did he die in a duel, eh?¡± Lady Dorian said, pausing just a table away from theirs at the front of the class. ¡°I even heard he died crying.¡±


    ¡°I said, STOP IT!¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°Or what, Lady Sweet Tooth?¡± she said. ¡°What are you gonna do? Piss yourself?¡±


    ¡°You know what? Fuck you! Gavin, let¡¯s go!¡± Mindy said, grabbing Lord O¡¯Neill¡¯s hand and pulling him with her straight for the open double doors¡ª


    (Till Janet saw Lady Dorian reach out her hand towards the retreating duo and fisted it tight in a trembling grasp, stopping both of them in their tracks.


    ¡°No way!¡± RuRu said.


    Janet turned back towards RuRu and the others standing by the lectern and said, ¡°What did she do?¡±


    ¡°She used the Obedience Skill,¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet was about to ask them what that was, but RuRu and DeeDee put their fingers to their lips and nodded their heads in Lady Dorian¡¯s direction, so Janet observed with the rest, keeping her eyes on Lady Dorian.)


    Then Lady Dorian said, ¡°Get your asses over here and sit the fuck down!¡±


    And Lady Kessler¡¯s double and Lord O¡¯Neill returned to their seats and sat down, though Lady Kessler seemed to be struggling under Lady Dorian¡¯s spooky hold at a distance. Then Lady Dorian approached their table, then turned towards her audience and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you all this, but you¡¯re all sworn to secrecy. Nothing about this leaves this room, got it?¡± When they all affirmed with nods and ¡¯Got it¡¯-responses, she turned back to the pair and said, ¡°Here¡¯s how we¡¯ll do this, Lady Sweet Tooth. When I ask you a question, you answer ¡®Yes¡¯ with a nod or ¡¯No¡¯ with a shake of your pretty little head. Now answer me: were you going to tell his Highness?¡±


    Mindy shook her head.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re lying,¡± Lady Dorian said, then to Lord O¡¯Neill: ¡°What about you? Oh, wait. Why should I tell you? Let me think,¡± and she leered at both of them for a time while tapping her foot, then smiled and clapped her hands as if she had an awesome idea for a birthday party. ¡°I know! Why not up the stakes a bit? Why not have you both strip naked and start fucking each other in front of the class?¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck yeah!¡± one student said.


    ¡°They¡¯re perfect for each other,¡± another said.


    And more responses of the same ilk resounded throughout the classroom, till Lady Dorian said, ¡°Is that what you want? A little bit of heaven for a lifetime of hell?¡±


    Both of them shook their heads.


    ¡°Then do we have an understanding?¡±


    Now they both nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lady Dorian said, then came around to Mindy¡¯s side of the table and leaned over her shoulder and whispered into her ear, ¡°Tell you what, Lady Sweet Tooth. Since you know my secret now, let me tell you his Highness¡¯s secret. Truth is, he¡¯s a massive pervert, especially for anal creampies. He can¡¯t get enough of those.¡±


    (¡°Oh my God!¡± Janet said.


    The other observers had similar reactions, many of them with hands raised to their mouths, their expressions molded into masks of disgust.)


    ¡°All I¡¯ve gotta do is blue-ball him a bit, and he¡¯s all mine,¡± Lady Dorian added. ¡°Just give him as much as he wants in return for leaving his bitch-ass fianc¨¦e, and he¡¯ll do whatever the fuck I want. And it¡¯s not just me and his Highness. All the guys in class have had a taste of me, and all the girls have had a taste of his Highness, except for you and those Drevis bitches and that limp-dick pussy-ass boyfriend of yours. Now enjoy the show, Lady Sweet Tooth. If you behave, I¡¯ll let you have a taste of his Highness, too.¡±


    (¡°Fucking sicko!¡± Mindy said.


    Then Janet stormed at Lady Dorian, swinging her fist at her face, yet her hand passed through her.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Girls, calm down,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°How do you expect us to do that?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°She¡¯s right!¡± Mindy added. ¡°That fucking piece of shit¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but if you think this is hard, just imagine how hard it¡¯s gonna be for Janet when she comes through the double doors!¡±


    Both girls paused at her words.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re together!¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It¡¯s not just about you or me or even the clones: we¡¯ve all got skin in this mess!¡±


    Only then did both girls relent.


    ¡°Just keep watching to the end,¡± DeeDee said.)


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Lady Dorian then headed for the double doors and pushed them shut before heading to her table in the back corner by the last window of the classroom, where she sat and said, ¡°I want all of you to stay silent and follow my lead. And you two,¡± she added, referring to the stock-still Mindy and Gavin at their table in front of the classroom, ¡°are going to play your parts to a T. Now we¡¯ll just wait for our leading lady.¡±


    (As they all waited, Janet thought about Lady Dorian¡¯s use of sex to manipulate people into siding with her. Doubtless, it was more than just attraction or arousal or orgasm or even love. In fact, if Lady Dorian had used a mirror to access the Prince¡¯s mind to sow the seeds of her manipulation spell in his sleep, then sex would imprint the spell onto him. If she had used the same method with the other guys in class while they were under the sleep spell¡¯s influence, then it would work the same way, but with the girls, the Prince would be the one to imprint the spell while they, too, were under its influence. But why anal sex? Wouldn¡¯t vanilla sex work as well?


    Rather than asking her friends and getting weird looks, Janet walked towards the others near the lectern and pulled DeeDee aside and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet bit down on her lower lip, her cheeks flaring red with warmth, wondering how she¡¯ll phrase such a delicate subject, then said, ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing for me.¡±


    ¡°Then close your eyes, and I¡¯ll do the rest,¡± DeeDee said, and when Janet did so, DeeDee placed her hand over her head and began probing through her thoughts. ¡°Ah, I see. You wanted to know how that works, eh?¡±


    Janet blushed while nodding: ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°The human body has seven chakras in ascending order along the spine, the first by the anus and the second by the genitals. Sex involves an exchange of spiritual energies as well as fluids between two people. Vaginal sex combines the second chakras of the male and the female into one, making a mutual contract of conception between equal parties, a contract between husband and wife. That¡¯s marriage.¡±


    Janet gulped and said, ¡°And anal?¡±


    So DeeDee said, ¡°Anal sex combines the second chakra of the male with the first chakra of the female or another male into one, making an unequal contract between unequal parties, a contract between a master and a slave. And in her case with the Prince,¡± she added, pointing out Lady Dorian sitting pretty at her table, ¡°it¡¯s a contract between a mistress and a slave. It¡¯s slavery disguised as companionship.¡±


    ¡°Or friends with benefits,¡± Janet said.


    DeeDee said, ¡°That¡¯s another way of putting it.¡±


    Then Janet gulped at a new thought surfacing through her mind like a nightmare, so she braced herself and said, ¡°But if the spouse or slave refuses?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s rape,¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet bit down on her lip as she pieced everything together: Maybe Lady Dorian got the Prince drunk or drugged before taking advantage of him in his bedroom and imprinting the manipulation spell on him with anal sex. Or maybe she used her Obedience Skill on the Prince when he refused anal, making his body move and his voice to obey her whims. Or maybe she started with foreplay, then escalated it to oral and then vaginal sex before getting the Prince into cunnilingus and then anilingus, so that when she asked for anal, it was given. No fuss, no muss. Or maybe the Prince was a pervert who masturbated in secret, and Lady Dorian caught him with his pants down, and all she¡¯d have to do was provide an outlet for him: either that or blackmail. Whatever methods she employed, Lady Dorian had him by the balls in the most literal sense of the word.


    In addition, the same must have played out for the other students in the class: With the shadowy woman¡¯s sleep spell affecting them during Baron Underwood¡¯s class period, Lady Dorian must have seduced or blackmailed or used her Obedience Skill on the guys, and she must have also used her same Skill to help the Prince handle the girls. By extension, the students of Classroom 1-3C must have spread rumors about Janet amongst the students also under the influence of the sleep spell in Baron Underwood¡¯s other classes. As such, Lady Dorian must have turned most of the students in Lassen Academy against Janet with the help of these students. Hence, they stood by and overlooked Janet getting bullied, spread rumors about her, egged on her tormentors, misreported her as the perpetrator, kept tabs of her movements, heckled her on her way to and from class, and joined in Lady Dorian¡¯s ruses to ruin her reputation in staged public condemnation events. Therefore, all Lady Dorian had to do was let her shadowy helpers set up Janet with accusations and incriminations that led to her expulsions, imprisonments, banishments, executions, and assassinations, while nobody at school questioned the narrative she had woven around Janet and her clones during 116 iterations.


    Nobody, that is, except for her two maids Susan Wilton and Marin Irvine, her friends Mindy Kessler and Jean Drevis and Saraya Drevis and later Gavin O¡¯Neill and Kevin Sydney and Ridley Woodberry, and even her professors Father Robinson and Baron Palmer and Viscountess Durham and Count Cosgrove, who all stood up for her. With that in mind, Janet rejoined Mindy and the Drevis sisters with renewed vigor and waited for her double¡¯s entrance.)


    All the while, after washing her face and drying it with the side flap of her bolero, Janet the Suicide Clone exited the women¡¯s bathroom and stalked through the empty parlor area by herself, save for some truant students talking amongst themselves and glancing her way. She ignored them and ascended the first flight of stairs into the second floor and a second flight into the third floor, where her homeroom class awaited her beyond the staircase landing, the first classroom on the Western half of the third floor facing the South through its windows: Classroom 1-3C.


    (Janet the Living Avatar heard faint footfalls and approached the closed double doors, followed by Mindy and the Drevis sisters, then Janet¡¯s other clones, and then Kevin and Ridley and even Baron Underwood, all of them surrounding Janet in front of the double doors, all of them awaiting the designated ¡®leading lady¡¯ to appear on the scene of her condemnation, Janet pausing with bated breath.


    Only DeeDee and RuRu and Lady Graves and Rowena and Maxine stayed where they were at the front of the classroom near the professor¡¯s lectern.)


    Yet just as she stalked up to the double doors, expecting the familiar hubbub of talking students ten minutes before class, Janet the Clone paused at the threshold when she noticed the silence. She wondered what was going on, so she pushed the doors open and entered a large homeroom with a coffered ceiling and tall windows letting in the daylight and floating lanterns illuminating the rest of the classroom. She looked at her fellow peers and saw them looking back at her as if she was a criminal, including Lady Dorian sitting at her usual spot at the back of the class next to the last window, yet Prince Blaise was absent from her side.


    ¡°Where did his Highness go?¡± Janet the Clone said, yet none of the students answered her and kept on staring at her. ¡°Won¡¯t any of you say anything?¡±


    None of them answered her.


    ¡°Fine! Be that way!¡± Janet said, fed up with their insolence. So she gritted her teeth and approached the last column of tables next to the windows to ask her nemesis where Prince Blaise had gone off to, till several of her male and female peers rose from their seats and blocked her path. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why are you all acting so strange?¡±


    Yet none of them answered her.


    Janet looked at the stern faces of her peers surrounding her, and she began to suspect that Lady Dorian had something to do with it. She glared at her and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°I told them the truth,¡± Lady Dorian said.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± she said.


    So Lady Dorian got up from her seat and approached Janet, yet the students blocking her path to Janet said that she shouldn¡¯t tempt fate, since they all knew that Janet had it in for her. But Lady Dorian was adamant, saying, ¡°I have to get this off my chest. Otherwise, I can¡¯t live with myself.¡±


    Her words moved them, so they stood aside and let her pass, letting Lady Dorian walk right up to Janet, step for agonizing step as if in slow motion.


    (Janet the Living Avatar gulped down her qualms, anticipating those fatal words that would spiral the situation into a new level of hell, and felt the minuscule hairs on the back of her neck standing before her own labored breathing and thundering heartbeats arrested her attention. So Janet took a deep breath and exhaled, then said, ¡°Here it comes.¡±


    At her words, Rowena Fleming left the group by the lectern and joined the group surrounding Janet the Living Avatar and Janet the Clone for moral support.)


    Lady Dorian leaned close to the clone¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°I told them you¡¯re born out of wedlock, bitch!¡±


    Janet the Clone grabbed a hold of Lady Dorian¡¯s bolero in both hands, ready to throttle her, but she let go just as two male students grabbed her wrists, another male student hooked his arms under her shoulders, and a female student wrapped her arms around her waist. Yet through it all, Janet the Clone kept struggling against them and yelled, ¡°Take that back! Take that back, or I¡¯ll have you imprisoned!¡±


    So Lady Dorian backed away on tenuous legs, as more students got up from their seats and shielded her from Janet struggling against her peers.


    ¡°But, my Lady,¡± Lady Dorian said, looking at her with tear-filled eyes, ¡°I only wanted to apologize to you for catching his Highness¡¯s attention. I never meant you any harm by it, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Stop lying, damn you! You said no such thing! Let go of me!¡± Janet said, struggling to free herself from the four students, yet they all kept their grip on her. Seeing that struggling was useless, Janet launched a tirade of f-bombs against Lady Dorian before spitting in her adversary¡¯s face.


    So the one holding her left wrist said, ¡°Be still, you piece of trash!¡±


    While the one holding her right wrist added, ¡°Accept the punishment you deserve!¡±


    ¡°Fuck off! Let go of me, you fucks!¡± Janet said, struggling against the combined strength of four people before turning her evil-eyed glare to Lady Dorian. ¡°You¡¯ll fucking pay for this, I swear! When my father gets here, he¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Lady Dorian yelled, dropping her innocent act and backhanding Janet¡¯s face before wiping away the spittle. Then she pointed out two of the students sitting at the front of the classroom, Mindy Kessler and Gavin O¡¯Neill, snapping her fingers and saying, ¡°You two, stand up.¡±


    So Mindy and Gavin O¡¯Neill moved like puppets on a string, leaving their seats and standing at attention, though Mindy still showed twitching signs of struggle against Lady Dorian¡¯s Obedience Skill.


    Lady Dorian pointed at Gavin O¡¯Neill, saying, ¡°You, close the doors and don¡¯t let anyone enter.¡±


    So Gavin O¡¯Neill went over and closed the doors, then stood in front of them like a guard.


    Then at Mindy, Lady Dorian said, ¡°You, beat up that bitch for me,¡± and she jerked her thumb in Janet¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Mindy said, walking over.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°I¡¯ll send in a word for you to his Highness, and you can have him all to yourself tonight. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Lady,¡± Mindy said.


    (¡°Fuck you, you disgusting piece of shit!¡± the other Mindy said and hurled more f-bombs at Lady Dorian, calling her a fucking sick-twisted fuck in many variations.


    So Janet and her clones and the Drevis sisters and the guys all started saying that Janet doesn¡¯t hold any grudges against her, that Lady Dorian will get her just desserts and that Mindy will get her chance to dish out punishment on her.)


    When Mindy¡¯s double approached Lady Dorian, she turned to Janet the Clone, held by three males and one female, all of them keeping her still.


    ¡°Where do I hit her?¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°In the body, but not the face,¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°Her face belongs to me.¡±


    So Mindy took up her stance, raising her fists like a boxer, yet she remained still.


    ¡°Come on, hit her!¡± Lady Dorian said.


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Mindy said yet remained still.


    Now Lady Dorian was screaming, ¡°HIT HER, YOU DUMBASS!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Mindy said, yet she stayed still even under her Obedience Skill.


    ¡°Then fucking do it, damn you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Mindy said without moving.


    That¡¯s when Lady Dorian sprinted down the column of tables back to her table at the back of the classroom, fished through her book bag, and pulled out a fountain pen, then rushed back over to Mindy Kessler. She flashed the sharp metal nib of the pen across Mindy¡¯s field of vision, saying, ¡°Hit that bitch right now, or I¡¯ll jack up your face!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± she said¡ª


    Without moving.


    But Janet the Clone said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Mindy then stared at Janet for the longest moment, tears now trailing down her cheeks, her face emotionless, yet her tears did all the talking.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Janet repeated.


    ¡°See? Now hit her already!¡± Lady Dorian said.


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Mindy said, and only then did she start throwing punches at Janet¡¯s body, using her like a punching bag. With more tears flooding down her face, Mindy¡¯s fists thudded against thin fabric and tender flesh over and over, and Janet was wincing and grimacing with every blow, straining her body and stifling her groans, so Lady Dorian wouldn¡¯t have the satisfaction of her own tears.


    ¡°Harder, damn you!¡± Lady Dorian said.


    And without a word, Mindy redoubled her efforts, cluttering her now-swollen fists into Janet¡¯s sides in vicious hooking body blows, putting her weight into them over and over and over. Janet¡¯s face was pulling uglier contorted expressions of agony, blood and saliva seeping through gritted teeth and a line of blood leaking from her nose as she started coughing up blood with more and more strikes. All the while, more tears kept falling down Mindy¡¯s cheeks as she kept going and going and going, her swollen knuckles turning red.


    Only then did Lady Dorian discard the pen, placing it in the pocket of her uniform dress and saying, ¡°Good, girl! Now keep it up, till she begs for mercy!¡±


    (Janet the Living Avatar looked over at RuRu and Lady Graves and Maxine consoling her mother, who was now crying over her own daughter getting beaten up. Then she looked over at the double doors, where her clones and the Drevis sisters and the guys were consoling a sobbing Mindy Kessler. And now Janet found herself fighting back her own tears, because there wasn¡¯t a damn thing she could do about this except watch. And when Janet recalled her double¡¯s tear-stained face, she thought to herself if this is what she remembered: Was this what she had to go through? What¡¯s she thinking now?


    She couldn¡¯t know, not with the physical intimacy of firsthand experience, not with the iron taste of blood on her tongue, not with her gullet coughing up phlegm and blood and saliva with blow after blow after blow. Janet wanted to say something, yet when she opened her mouth, she tasted salty water and put her hand to her face: she was crying. So she looked away, wanting to run out and fall apart in someone¡¯s else¡¯s arms, wanting to lose herself in someone else''s strength . . .


    That¡¯s when DeeDee wrapped her arms around her, pulling her down over her shoulder, so Janet could shed her tears there, keeping her from falling apart, and said in soothing tones, ¡°Cry, child. Let it out.¡±


    And as DeeDee rubbed circles around her shoulder blades, Janet bawled an exorcism of tears. Only when the punches and groans paused did she look back and gaped at what she was seeing, not believing her ears.)


    With blood dripping from her chin and staining the collar and bodice of her school uniform, Janet the Clone was now smiling and laughing through wheezing fits.


    ¡°What are you laughing for?¡± Lady Dorian said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pitiful bitch,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking,¡± her enemy said, crossing her arms over her chest. ¡°You look horrid, you know that? Maybe I¡¯ll start punching you in the face. Maybe that¡¯ll knock some sense back into you.¡±


    ¡°Then try it,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°But why do I have to dirty my hands,¡± Lady Dorian said, ¡°when I¡¯ve already got others to do it for me?¡±


    So Janet spat a wad of blood at Lady Dorian, staining her clothes and part of her face dark red, and said, ¡°Then you¡¯re useless! Can¡¯t do jack shit!¡±


    That¡¯s when Lady Dorian socked her right on the nose, jerking Janet¡¯s head back, yet the strength of Lady Dorian¡¯s four helpers held her body in place. But Lady Dorian was now wincing and grimacing as she wiped her blood-stained knuckles on the side flap of her bolero.


    Yet even as her nose ran blood like a faucet, Janet smiled and said, ¡°You call that a punch, fuck-face? My mom hits harder than you, and she¡¯s already dead.¡±


    ¡°FUCK YOUR MOM!¡± Lady Dorian screamed, winding back her arm for a solid punch, yet she was telegraphing her move like a rank-ass amateur.


    So Janet flung her head forward and met her face in the middle, ramming her noggin into Lady Dorian¡¯s nose, and heard crunching cartilage and bone, then punted her foot into her left knee cap¡ª


    Which crumpled Lady Dorian to the ground, her angelic face contorted in a gush of blood, grabbing her knee in both hands and shedding hot tears.


    ¡°How¡¯s that, bitch?¡± Janet said, struggling against the four students dragging her back, while more of Lady Dorian¡¯s helpers rushed from the tables and joined the four holding her, slamming her against the front wall of the classroom and dazing her, keeping her there as they pummeled her with more body blows. Now Janet was flailing her legs and cussing out her attackers in a string of f-bombs and other expletives, while other helpers came to Lady Dorian¡¯s aid.


    Now wailing and cursing as one of her helpers hooked his arms under her armpits and lifted her up into a one-legged standing position, she was screaming, ¡°Fuck her up, Lady Sweet Tooth! FUCK HER UP!¡±


    Yet Janet¡¯s head-butt and punt had rocked Lady Dorian¡¯s focus, breaking her Obedience Skill. So instead of following orders, Mindy came rushing over, swinging at Lady Dorian¡¯s jaw and knocking both her and her helper onto her bad knee. With Lady Dorian¡¯s screams echoing throughout the classroom and attracting a growing hubbub of other students in the hallway behind the closed double-door entrance, a wave of Lady Dorian¡¯s helpers rushed over and tackled Mindy to the ground and kept her there in a frenzied crush of stomps and kicks.


    Yet through the onslaught, Janet screamed at Gavin O¡¯Neill, saying, ¡°Get the Professor here, NOW!¡±


    So Gavin O¡¯Neill pulled open the doors, startling the other students there into backing off, yet Lady Dorian was yelling, ¡°Stop him! Somebody, STOP HIM!¡±


    As if her words were a spell, the crowd responded and surged after Gavin, so he dived through an opening and scrambled through the mad tangle of uniformed bodies with arms and hands grabbing at him in the hallway.


    (¡°Follow him outside! Find out what¡¯s going on out there!¡± Janet yelled at her clones, so all thirty of them disappeared into the madding crowd, exiting the mayhem inside Classroom 1-3C for the mayhem in the hallway just outside of view, where voices erupted in an uproar.


    Then Janet joined her friends gathered around and consoling a crying Mindy in front of the double doors, while DeeDee and the others did the same for a crying Rowena near the lectern. Janet was trying her best to stay strong for Mindy and Rowena, but she found herself crying at the unfairness of it all. What had been a miraculous turn of events against such overwhelming odds just a few moments ago now devolved into an impending double murder as both assaults continued.)


    Meanwhile, after two of her helpers led her limping self to one of the tables and lifted her onto a tabletop, so she could sit, Lady Dorian ordered, ¡°Shut the doors!¡±


    The crowd of students stopped their kicks and stomps and headed for the doors, leaving Mindy a wheezing mass of bruises and blood over her face, sputtering blood and loose teeth from her open mouth. After her attackers pushed the doors back into place, shutting out the mayhem outside from the mayhem inside, they returned and grabbed Mindy¡¯s limp body and dragged her to the front wall of the class, pinning her there next to a battered and bloodied Janet. Both girls were limp against their restrainers, who kept them vertical against the wall, all of them awaiting Lady Dorian¡¯s next order.


    Lady Dorian wiped the blood from her broken nose with the sleeve of her bolero and winced, then said, ¡°When Professor Palmer and his Highness get here, tell them I was assaulted by those two. As such,¡± she added, ¡°tell his Highness that you all defended me.¡±


    ¡°What about those two?¡± said one of the two female students that accompanied Lady Dorian by the table.


    (That¡¯s when Janet and Mindy and the Drevis sisters all gaped at their presence in the classroom, for they were the girls that had given Mindy and the Drevis sisters their eviction notices, had beaten up Mindy Kessler in the third-floor hallway, and had set up Janet with Lady Dorian¡¯s ruses: Lady Jenna Childeron and Lady Vesper Felton.


    ¡°Why are those two here?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°How the hell did we miss them?¡± Mindy said.)


    ¡°They¡¯ll be imprisoned pending their trial and execution,¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, I will become his Highness¡¯s next fianc¨¦e when he asks their Majesties for my hand. When all of this is over, we¡¯ll make sure to reward you all on our wedding night,¡± and she reached into her dress pocket, fished out the fountain pen, and gave it to Lady Felton. ¡°Be a dear and cut her face for me, will you?¡±


    ¡°I will, my Lady,¡± Lady Felton said, taking the pen and approaching a dazed Janet pinned to the wall, and ran the metal nib across her left cheek and drew blood as Janet winced. ¡°How¡¯s that, Lady Scarface? His Highness and Lord Woodberry won¡¯t want you anymore with that fucked-up face!¡±


    <hr>


    To Be Continued

 (V5) Red Pill 28: Suicides, Retry!

    Villainess 5: Janet¡¯s Second Retry


    <hr>


    Red Pill 28: Suicides, Retry!


    <hr>


    Scrambling past many bodies charging after him and breaking through a forest of arms and hands from all directions, like playing a game of mob football, Gavin O¡¯Neill made it past the hallway and came within sight of the upper staircase landing, till he got ambushed and taken to the ground, landing on his face. Stars flew across his vision as more students dog-piled him, their combined weight keeping him still as they punched his sides and his head. Yet throughout the beatdown, Gavin kept screaming, ¡°Get off of me!¡±


    Yet they continued beating on him, then got off of him only to grab him by his arms and drag him to the outside wall behind Classroom 1-3C and pin him there. Then one of the bigger boys, maybe a second-year knight student from the Garrison Quarters, grabbed a handful of his hair and shoved his head against the wall, saying, ¡°What the fuck did you do to Miss Edgeworth? Did you hurt her?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± he said.


    ¡°Then why did she call out like that?¡± the knight student said. ¡°What the fuck happened in that room?¡±


    Yet before Gavin could speak, one of them said, ¡°I saw Miss Edgeworth on the ground.¡±


    ¡°And she looked like she was hurt,¡± another said.


    ¡°What?¡± the knight student said. ¡°How bad?¡±


    ¡°Very bad,¡± yet another student said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see what they were doing in that room?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking, damn it!¡± the knight student said. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡±


    So Gavin told the truth, saying, ¡°They were beating up on Lady Kessler and Lady Fleming in there!¡±


    Yet the knight student socked Gavin hard in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him, and said, ¡°You better tell me the truth, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± the knight student said and socked the poor Gavin O¡¯Neill again in the stomach, thereby renewing his beatdown with utmost prejudice.


    And so, without further adieu, Gavin suffered the indignity of even more blows thudding against his wiry frame, gritting his teeth against their punches and kicks digging into his solar plexus and his sides and even his stomach, till he felt like vomiting. But when he started retching as if he was about to throw up his breakfast, he tasted blood instead. That¡¯s when he realized, beyond the adrenaline masking the pain, that he had just thrown up a pool of blood on the floor that stopped the beating for just a moment¡ª


    (Meanwhile, Janet¡¯s clones, who had followed on Gavin¡¯s heels through the onslaught, now squirmed at the beating they were giving Gavin for his efforts. In fact, distraught at their mindless cruelty, the clones started cussing out the students, especially that brutish knight student. So one clone said, ¡°Damn it, I wish we could beat the snot out of him!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± another said.)


    ¡ªjust long enough for a pair of stomping footfalls coming up the stairs to catch the crowd off guard and turn around, because a pair of girls yelled above the din, one of them saying, ¡°What the fuck are you all doing?¡±


    And the other added, ¡°You¡¯re gonna kill him!¡±


    So Gavin summoned what remained of his strength and yelled, ¡°GET THE PROFESSORS! GET THE GUARDS! THEY¡¯RE GONNA DIE IN THAT CLASS IF YOU DON¡¯T HURRY UP!¡±


    And he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.


    That¡¯s when the knight student and the others separated themselves from Gavin''s limp body, and the knight student raised his hands in a placating manner, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think! We weren¡¯t trying to kill him! We were just trying to ask him what the hell was going on, but he kept lying and¡ª . . . Wait, wait, wait a minute!¡±


    Yet this female duo turned tail and sprinted back down the upper staircase (and that¡¯s when Janet¡¯s clones all recognized the Drevis sisters, Jean and Saraya, so one clone said, ¡°Quick, after them!¡±).


    Somehow without twisting their ankles on the stairs, Jean and Saraya Drevis footed it down both flights (with Janet¡¯s clones hot on their heels) before cutting across the open-plan parlor area into the Eastern side of the campus building past the restrooms to the Professor Commons Office, where Prince Blaise was still talking with Baron Palmer about how to deal with Lady Fleming¡¯s latest outrage against Miss Edgeworth (a.k.a., Lady Dorian). Baron Palmer had been trying to calm down the Prince, saying he¡¯ll have Lady Fleming reprimanded today pending a transfer to a different homeroom after he¡¯s finished talking it over with Viscountess Durham as soon as she arrives, yet the Prince wasn¡¯t having it. He wanted something more severe to prevent Lady Fleming from harming Miss Edgeworth any further, saying he wanted her expelled.


    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡± the baron said.


    ¡°And you refuse to punish the culprit!¡± the Prince said.


    ¡°Lady Fleming is not a ¡®culprit,¡¯¡± the baron said, ¡°until we¡¯ve gathered all the facts. Otherwise, you¡¯re just abusing your status as the crown prince!¡±


    ¡°Oh, forget it!¡± the Prince said, getting up from his chair. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to deal with her, Baron, then I will! Whenever that villainess turns up, I¡¯ll drag her out of this school building by myself!¡±


    The baron was about to protest that¡ª


    When the Drevis sisters passed the double doors of the Professor Commons Office, both girls wheezing on their feet, Jean said, ¡°There¡¯s trouble!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± the Prince and the baron said.


    Now the Prince stomped towards Jean Drevis, saying, ¡°What just happened? Is Rosalie okay?¡± Yet before the girl even answered, the Prince sprinted past the double doors of the Professor Commons Office, passing the restrooms and running through the open-plan parlor area and up the stairs.


    Another voice, a female one, called out in the hall and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you running?¡±


    ¡°Rosalie¡¯s in danger!¡± the Prince yelled while running up the lower staircase.


    More footfalls later, there came through the double doors Viscountess Durham, saying, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    So Jean told Saraya, ¡°Get the guards!¡±


    Saraya bolted through the doors, taking Viscountess Durham by the hand and saying, ¡°We need to get the guards!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the viscountess said.


    As Saraya was telling her what Lord O¡¯Neill had told her and her sister on their way past the double-door entrance of the school building, Jean was also telling Baron Palmer the same thing as she led him along the path the Prince had taken past the restrooms and through the open-plan parlor area and up the first flight of stairs.


    (So the clones split into two teams, one team tailing Jean and the baron up the stairs after the Prince and the other team tailing Saraya and the viscountess out through the double-door entrance into the courtyard.)


    As Saraya Drevis and Viscountess Durham (and half of Janet¡¯s clones) made a bee-line past the fountain towards Guinevere House just to their left, cutting across the boulevard and the juniper trees hiding empty benches and the lawn and the walkway, Saraya and Viscountess Durham called out to the pair of guardsmen stationed at its double-door entrance. Both women were huffing and puffing, so one of the guards said, ¡°What¡¯s going on, mademoiselles?¡±


    Viscountess Durham said, ¡°There¡¯s an emergency going on in the third floor of the Academy! Quickly now, summon the rest here and follow us inside!¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± the guard said.


    So the guard¡¯s partner manifested a bugle in his hand and blew a short bugle call, rousing the other guardsmen at their posts to gather around their position. So twenty-eight other guardsmen left their positions at their assigned dorm houses in the Halle Complex and the Hayden Complex and the Garrison Quarters and gathered around their summoner, and the two guardsmen of Guinevere House informed their peers of the current situation and assigned them their duties.


    With that, all of the guardsmen (and Janet¡¯s clones) followed Saraya and Viscountess Durham past the courtyard fountain and through the double-door entrance and up the first flight of stairs, then up the second flight of stairs, where a flurry of yells and screams erupted over their heads.


    (¡°Oh, fuck no!¡± one clone said.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening up there?¡± another said.


    ¡°Please, be okay! Please, be okay!¡± yet another said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± yet another clone said, looking for any sign of her suicide double standing on the top railing above her head, yet there was no sign of her there yet. ¡°I¡¯ve got a really bad feeling about this!¡±)


    So the guardsmen (and the clones) footed it up the rest of the stairs, passing by Saraya and Viscountess Durham and clearing the top step and drawing their longswords from their scabbards as a flood of horrified students came rushing into the landing with shell-shocked faces and teary eyes, all of them fleeing from Classroom 1-3C. Something had happened in that classroom, something that nobody could have ever predicted, something that took everyone there by surprise¡ª


    When Prince Blaise came running out of Classroom 1-3C and through the hallway towards the stairs . . .


    Back in said classroom, moments before the Prince¡¯s entrance and exit, Janet and Mindy had their backs against the wall, their bodies full of bruises and internal injuries, their faces jacked up, and their chances of getting out of here alive dropping moment by moment. By now, Janet was grimacing from the stinging cut on her left cheek and breathing through her mouth because of her bloody nose. Janet looked over at an unconscious Mindy, her body standing limp against the wall and her head lolling forward, so she must have suffered kicks to the head when they ganged up on her.


    So Lady Dorian asked Lady Childeron and Lady Felton to check on Lady Kessler, but when Lady Childeron walked over and raised the limp girl¡¯s head back while Lady Felton raised the girl¡¯s eyelids, Lady Felton said, ¡°She¡¯s out cold.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°That makes one less witness to mess things up for us. Lady Childeron,¡± she added, ¡°go inform his Highness about all this.¡±


    Lady Childeron then walked out of the room, opening the double doors and heading into the hallway.


    ¡°Watch and learn, Lady Fleming,¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°When his Highness comes here and sees what you¡¯ve done to me, he¡¯ll want to kill you, but I won¡¯t let you die just yet. I won¡¯t let you, till you know just how far his Highness is willing to go to please my every whim. Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll let you have a taste of his Highness before he takes you away.¡±


    (¡°FUCK YOU!¡± Janet said.


    And her clones rebuked her with more f-bombs.)


    Yet Lady Dorian added, ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll be up your ass as you scream like a bitch, which reminds me. Since her ladyship was imprisoned, I¡¯ve heard rumors of how much she screamed when you popped out. You must have put your poor mother through a lot of pain before she died.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Janet the Clone struggled against her restrainers, so Lady Felton socked her hard in the stomach, making Janet vomit out a line of blood over the bodice of her uniform.


    (That¡¯s when a dark halo tinted with a bluish green corona formed around a fuming Rowena Fleming, and a circle of bright bluish green formed around her on the ground, making Lady Graves and Maxine and even RuRu back away from her on tenuous feet. As swirls of energy whirled around Marchioness Fleming, catching even the level-headed DeeDee off guard, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll haunt your dreams tonight, you bitch!¡±


    ¡°Endure it the best you can!¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve endured many things,¡± she said, ¡°but I won¡¯t let that slide! I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I get where you¡¯re coming from,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°but your daughter needs you right now,¡± and she pointed towards the double doors, where Janet¡¯s club mates and her club advisor were trying to console the inconsolable puddle of tears that was Janet the Living Avatar.


    So Rowena ran and pulled Janet into her arms, saying, ¡°I¡¯m here, darling. Please, don¡¯t cry!¡±


    Yet Janet couldn¡¯t help her tears, because there was nothing she or anyone else could do to help her double or Mindy¡¯s double or Gavin O¡¯Neill.)


    ¡°Still got some oomph left, eh?¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°We¡¯ll see how much you¡¯ve got left when his Highness gets here,¡± but only after a few moments passed, there came an explosion of voices at the approach of running footfalls and then Prince Blaise¡¯s frantic voice demanding Lady Childeron and Lord Hudson (the second-year knight student) to be let into the classroom. ¡°Ah, speak of the devil!¡±


    Now Lady Dorian adopted her innocent persona again, her brows creased and her eyes wet with crocodile tears, as Lady Childeron told the Prince that Mindy Kessler and Gavin O¡¯Neill and Janet Fleming had all tried to harm Miss Edgeworth (a.k.a., Lady Dorian), so the students in the classroom had to subdue them. In addition, Lord Hudson said that Gavin O¡¯Neill had tried to run away, so he and his knight buddies had subdued him in the hall. When the Prince asked if Miss Edgeworth was all right, Lady Childeron said that Janet had injured her, so she couldn¡¯t walk, and that set him off.


    The Prince sprinted towards the classroom and kicked open the double doors, saying, ¡°Rosy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Lady Dorian said, waving from the table on which she sat and looking as pitiful as ever.


    The Prince rushed over to her side, saying, ¡°My God, what did she do to you?¡±


    ¡°She kicked my knee cap,¡± Lady Dorian said.


    (¡°I can¡¯t watch this anymore,¡± Mindy said, turning her back on the scene as she wiped her own eyes dry with the sleeve of her bolero. ¡°It¡¯s too much!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself, dear,¡± DeeDee said, looking over at Janet still recovering in her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult.¡±


    Yet Janet had wiped away her tears by now, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be okay, Mom. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, dear?¡± Rowena said.


    Janet nodded, knowing full well what was about to happen, for the actions of the Prince remained fresh in her mind as if she had experienced them herself. Homeroom 2 in the hallway this morning was Janet¡¯s first glimpse of the Prince¡¯s true nature, and her dream before this experiment was but an expansion of it, yet one look at her double held against the classroom¡¯s front wall was another matter. After witnessing everything tonight, Janet wondered how her beaten and battered double would fare under the Prince¡¯s duress.)


    So the Prince wiped away the tears from Lady Dorian¡¯s cheeks and said, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Rosy. I¡¯ll make sure that Lady Fleming never troubles you again, I promise.¡±


    Only then did Lady Dorian nod her head in acknowledgment and said, ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡±


    When the Prince turned in her direction, Janet the Clone caught his eyes flashing at her with a basilisk fury she had never seen before, as if the Prince was about to slay a monster with a sword. Icy adrenaline exploded through her chest when he approached her, and Janet¡¯s restrainers let her go and made way for the Prince. He then grabbed her wrist, making her wince and grimace at his vise-like grip and say, ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re hurting me, your Highness!¡±


    Yet the Prince just leaned over her shoulder and said into her ear, ¡°Your tyranny ends today, you fucking witch! Now on your knees! ON YOUR KNEES!¡±


    And the Prince yanked down on Janet¡¯s wrist, wrenching down on her forearm as she was on her knees screaming for him to let go already, yet he wouldn¡¯t let go even as there came a new hubbub of voices in the hallway when Baron Palmer demanded everyone to cease this madness at once. Then the Prince stepped in behind Janet and bowled her over into an arm-lock behind her back, as Jean Drevis and the other students in the hallway bearing witness to his actions were now calling the baron over towards the classroom.


    So Baron Palmer came rushing over, yet the Prince wouldn¡¯t let go even when the baron came through the doorway and said, ¡°Don¡¯t do it, your Highness! Unless you want to get stripped of your title, don¡¯t do it!¡±


    ¡°Then back off!¡± the Prince said.


    Yet Baron Palmer kept pressing his advance.


    ¡°I said, back off!¡± the Prince said, wrapping his arm around the nape of Janet¡¯s neck and wrenching her up into a grimacing portrait of a strangulation. ¡°Back off, or I¡¯ll snap her neck right here, right NOW!¡±


    So Baron Palmer stopped his approach halfway towards Janet and the Prince, lifting his hands in a placating gesture and saying, ¡°Calm down, your Highness!¡±


    ¡°I AM CALM!¡±


    Yet the Prince was anything but that.


    In fact, Baron Palmer just stared at him as if he was out of his mind, while Lady Dorian and Lady Felton and the other students in the classroom and Jean Drevis and Lady Childeron and the second-year knight student Lord Hudson and the rest in the hallway all had their eyes on him, who seemed like he was about to kill Janet the Clone in front of them.


    (And even when half of Janet¡¯s clones came rushing through the doorway, they all halted at the scene before them and raised their hands to their gaping mouths. And just like everyone else, all the witnesses of this ghastly experiment had their eyes on a wild-eyed Prince, as if the fate of the world hinged on his next act. Everyone, that is, except for Janet the Living Avatar, who noticed a change in Lady Dorian¡¯s demeanor where she sat atop the table, her face ashen and her eyes wide and her hands trembling in her lap.


    Something had gone wrong, and Janet knew what that was: despite Lady Dorian¡¯s plans and countermeasures, she had overlooked the loose cannon that was the Prince now acting out of her control. She had wanted the Prince to apprehend Janet, not kill her off himself.


    With this in mind, Janet pointed out Lady Dorian to her friends and said, ¡°Everyone, look! She doesn¡¯t want to have the Prince kill her¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbecause he¡¯ll break the spell,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Janet said.)


    And just as she had pointed out, Lady Dorian said, ¡°Don¡¯t do it, your Highness, please! I don¡¯t want you to lose everything you have because of me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already got everything,¡± the Prince said. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, Rosy. That¡¯s all I need in this life.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, your Highness,¡± Baron Palmer said.


    ¡°Fuck you, Baron!¡± the Prince said. ¡°Nobody asked for your opinion, so butt out!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it worse!¡± Lady Dorian said, pushing herself off of the table onto her good leg. ¡°Let her go!¡±


    ¡°Stay where you are,¡± he said.


    ¡°But, your Highness!¡± the baron said.


    ¡°Stay where you are, both of you!¡± the Prince said, halting Baron Palmer¡¯s advance again as he had shortened the distance between himself and the Prince, before he turned back to Lady Dorian. ¡°If you think I¡¯m a monster after this, Rosy, then so be it! If loving you is against my honor and my title and my country, then I¡¯d give those up for you.¡±


    ¡°If you truly love me, then don¡¯t do it, please!¡± Lady Dorian said, seeming to shed the first genuine tears before her beloved. ¡°For my sake, don¡¯t do it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to protect you!¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not!¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°What you¡¯re doing is jeopardizing your future! Our future!¡±


    And for a moment, the Prince wavered, but his face darkened as if it had turned to stone, as if Lady Dorian¡¯s words had cut him deeper than she knew, as if her words fell on deaf ears, as if the Prince was now hell-bent on committing himself to the deed, and said, ¡°You¡¯re just too naive.¡±


    ¡°Stop this, I¡¯m begging you!¡± she said.


    Yet the Prince still snapped Janet¡¯s neck, and a glowing dark red luminescence emanated from her body as she collapsed to the floor at his feet.


    Then Baron Palmer charged at the Prince, yet the Prince had faster reflexes and countered him with a hip toss and threw the baron over his hip and onto his back on the floor with a heavy thud, then grabbed his arm and twisted him into an arm-lock behind his back while he was lying prone, and then knocked him out cold with a rabbit punch.


    ¡°You¡¯re a brute!¡± Lady Dorian said.


    ¡°But I got rid of her, didn¡¯t I?¡± he said.


    So she yelled, ¡°She¡¯s not supposed to die like that, you fucking imbecile!¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s gone, isn¡¯t she?¡± he said.


    ¡°And you¡¯ve just fucked yourself!¡± Yet when the Prince let go of the baron and offered to help her, Lady Dorian said, ¡°Stay away from me, you brute!¡±


    ¡°But, Rosy, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said, stay away from me!¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°I don¡¯t need dumbasses like you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to help!¡± he said.


    ¡°Just stay the fuck away from me,¡± she said before calling out to Lady Felton: ¡°Vessy, help me get me out of here!¡±


    Yet Lady Felton said nothing.


    ¡°I said, help me get me out of here!¡± she said, yet when Lady Felton remained silent, Lady Dorian looked at the rest of the students in the classroom and in the hallway. All of them were silent now, and over their foreheads glowed upside-down tetrahedrons, and on the ground below their feet glowed magic seals made of wheel crosses as if they had been sleep-walking under the shadowy woman¡¯s sleep spell. But with Janet¡¯s death hanging over the Prince¡¯s head like a curse, all of their eyes flashed open, and all of the tetrahedrons and wheel crosses dissipated into nothing, and everyone in the classroom and in the hallway started screaming their heads off and rushing away from the ignominious murder scene, leaving Mindy¡¯s unconscious double to fall limp on the ground.


    Yet the Prince persisted, saying, ¡°Then at least let me help you get out of this place.¡±


    ¡°Stay away from me, you brute!¡±


    ¡°Look, I was wrong,¡± he said, ¡°but, damn it, I never thought you¡¯d take it that way,¡± and he managed to grab a hold of her wrist, yet she pulled away and winced.


    ¡°Unhand me!¡± she said.


    So he let go of her, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡®Sorry¡¯ won¡¯t cut it!¡± Lady Dorian said. ¡°Now get lost!¡±


    ¡°But just give me a chance to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get banished if you¡¯re lucky,¡± Lady Dorian said, ¡°but knowing you, you¡¯ll get executed for sure! I don¡¯t want to have to deal with either, so get away from me!¡±


    Yet the Prince still grabbed at her hand, saying, ¡°Rosy, listen! We can escape this kingdom¡ª . . . Just calm down! . . . Rosy, will you just listen to me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± she said, pulling her hand from his grasp. ¡°We¡¯re on formal terms, your Highness! I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you! Now fuck off!¡±


    And she pushed him away.


    (Along with her friends, Janet couldn¡¯t help but stare at the lovers¡¯ quarrel following the same trajectory that led up to her clone¡¯s suicide, yet the longer it went on, the more she felt in the marrow of her bones that it was the Prince¡¯s comeuppance drawing nigh as the scene went on to its inevitable climax. Janet saw the same hollow expression overtaking the Prince¡¯s face, the one Janet and her clone had shared as the Prince now repeated many of the same words.)


    ¡°Do you really want me gone, Rosy?¡± he said.


    ¡°I do! Now fuck off, you bastard!¡± Lady Dorian said, shoving him away again.


    The Prince just stared at her soon-to-be ex-lover, then shook his head and said, ¡°Fine, whatever!¡±


    ¡°Then get the fuck out of here!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°Then goodbye, you fucking ass-cunt!¡± the Prince said and spat in her face, making Lady Dorian explode on him. ¡°I hope you and your ass burn in Hell!¡±


    ¡°You and yours first!¡± she said.


    So the Prince backhanded Lady Dorian across her face, knocking her over onto her bad knee again, which raised a torrent of her screaming f-bombs after the Prince as he dashed out of the classroom (with Janet and the rest tailing behind him) and ran down the hallway towards the upper staircase.


    But when the guardsmen (and the other half of Janet¡¯s clones) ascended the stairs, trapping him on the third floor, the Prince doubled back around the balustrade (passing by Janet and the others at the end of the hall) and climbed and steadied himself on the top railing overlooking the gap between the upper and lower staircases in front of horrified students and guards. Now the guardsmen and students alike were screaming for the Prince to get down from there, while Saraya Drevis and Viscountess Durham were running up the staircase and yelling for him to stop this madness. Yet amidst the chaos of everybody trying to talk him out of it, the Prince looked back down the hallway above all of their heads.


    (So Janet looked back and caught sight of Lady Dorian leaning against the door jamb of Classroom 1-3C on her good leg, looking back at Prince Blaise with an ashen face, yet she never called out to him: she just looked away like a stranger. So Janet found herself bolting after the Prince and calling out his childhood nickname, saying, ¡°Donny, waaaait!¡±


    And she was reaching out for her childhood friend in the slow sludgy panic of dreams, reaching out for him when he needed it most, wanting to catch up to him¡ª


    To talk him out of it¡ª


    To stop him from offing himself . . .)


    That¡¯s when he jumped amidst a flurry of screams.


    And there was a heartbeat¡¯s moment of dead silence cutting through the clamor of voices, till the impact shattered the latent vision into smithereens and brought the Prince¡¯s last living moments to an end.


    (On reaching the balustrade, Janet peered over the railing and saw the Prince¡¯s broken body and disjointed limbs two stories below her, where a bloody halo was now spreading from his head, only to watch his form fade away into the stuff of nightmares. Now feeling sick to her stomach, she collapsed to her knees, crying hot tears through her sniffles, wanting to throw up, wanting to forget what she had just seen, wanting to take back everything she had said against poor Donny¡ª


    Before fainting into oblivion.)


    On waking up, Janet found herself lying over Rowena¡¯s lap with her club mates and her club advisor and the other witnesses of the experiment gathered around her in the hallway by the closed double-door entrance of Classroom 1-3C, all of them with somber faces after what they had witnessed. She found that they had moved her from the balustrade while she was out, yet when she saw a bunch of glowing lamps clustered by the wall beside her and her clones nowhere in sight in the hallway, Janet said, ¡°DeeDee, where are my clones?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re inside the classroom,¡± DeeDee said, nodding towards the double doors of Classroom 1-3C. ¡°They said they wanted to be alone for a bit.¡±


    So Janet sat up and got to her feet with DeeDee pulling her up by her hand, then looked down at herself and saw she was no longer wearing the band and black veil and white-caped gown and gloves and knight boots of her battle attire.


    ¡°Your darkness affinity has been exhausted for tonight,¡± DeeDee said, pointing to Janet¡¯s lamp on the floor that only gave off a bright green glow now. ¡°This experiment has taken a lot out of you, I can tell.¡±


    Janet gulped. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°You collapsed and cried before you fainted,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t get more ¡®obvious¡¯ than that.¡±


    ¡°What about my clones?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re taking it just as hard,¡± DeeDee said.


    Janet then thought about her ex-suicide clone and said, ¡°Did you tell her?¡±


    ¡°I told her,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°How did she take it?¡± Janet said.


    Rowena sighed and said, ¡°She¡¯s inconsolable.¡±


    ¡°Go to them, dear,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    Janet gulped and said, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°They need you,¡± Rowena added.


    Janet nodded and turned towards the double doors, then pressed her hands up against them and passed through like a hologram into the room. She then looked and saw her clones clustered around her ex-suicide clone sitting at the third table from the front of the class, her head cradled in her arms over the tabletop, crying with her doubles. Janet wasn¡¯t sure if her clone was crying because the Prince had killed her or because Rowena had told her that the Prince had jumped to his death soon afterwards. In the end, the exact details didn¡¯t matter, because their anguish and their tears told her everything she needed to know, everything that mattered.


    Janet walked up to them, and they parted before her, so she could sit next to her double at the table. She sat and wrapped her arms around her sobbing double¡¯s shoulders and let herself fall to pieces with her clones, all of them mourning the passing of their childhood friend.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess 5

 [V5] Red Pill [0]: Families, Secrets

    Villainess [5]: Janet¡¯s Family Reunion


    <hr>


    Red Pill [0]: Families, Secrets


    <hr>


    Janet and her clones lingered by the table after they had all cried themselves out of their collective grief, their faces clammy and their eyes red, when their ex-suicide clone raised her head from the cradle of her arms on the table, revealing the scar on her left cheek. Her clone raised her hand to her face and touched the scar there, then stood up from her chair and faced away from Janet and her fellow clones as if she was trying to hide it, saying nothing for a time.


    Janet wanted to say something, yet she hadn¡¯t a clue how to approach the situation and instead just waited it out, waiting for her clone to speak first.


    And when she finally did, her clone fisted her hands and said, ¡°All this time, I¡¯d never have thought the hell I went through in my last moments were really those of his Highness after being rejected by that bitch.¡± Then she turned and faced Janet and the other clones, her eyes flashing like a demon¡¯s eyes, and added, ¡°Janet, I want you to promise me.¡±


    ¡°Promise what?¡±


    ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll keep his Highness from killing himself,¡± her clone said. ¡°I know I¡¯m asking a lot, and I know I¡¯m being selfish, but promise me this.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t die like that,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll keep him from doing it?¡± her clone said.


    Janet nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll let me save him, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s way up the woozle hole,¡± one clone said, the one in the linen dress. ¡°He won¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Janet said, ¡°but maybe he¡¯ll listen to someone else.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± her ex-suicide clone said.


    ¡°The real Rosalie Edgeworth,¡± Janet said. ¡°If anyone can make his Highness listen, it¡¯s her.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so,¡± her clone said, then bowed her head to her fellow clones before wiping the last traces of her tears with the sleeve of her bolero. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d say this, but knowing what I know now, I pity his Highness.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Janet said. ¡°I do, too.¡±


    Her other clones said likewise, but the clone in the soiled linen dress spoke up again and said that the Prince still needs to get punished for his actions against the current Janet, which made the other clones agree.


    ¡°Geez, have you all forgotten DeeDee¡¯s warning yesterday?¡± the ex-suicide clone said. ¡°We can¡¯t interfere with the living in this life, especially with the Prince. We¡¯ll just have Janet do that for us,¡± and she locked eyes with the current Janet. ¡°If and when you save him, punish him. Make him realize his mistake when he left you and us for that bitch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I will,¡± Janet said.


    Silence reigned for several moments after that.


    Her clone smiled, saying, ¡°Good. Let¡¯s not keep them waiting,¡± and she headed for the double-door entrance.


    And as a group, Janet and her clones passed through the doors and appeared in the light of everyone¡¯s lamps in the hallway, and all of her clones went over and picked up their lamps they had left on the floor by the wall.


    When DeeDee pointed towards Janet¡¯s own lamp, she went and picked it up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing before you go,¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°It¡¯s your father, Marquess Fleming,¡± DeeDee said with a sigh. ¡°He¡¯s inside your dorm room right now turning the maids there into his spies.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± she said.


    ¡°Marquess Fleming has a silver tongue, that one,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°He¡¯s already sweet-talked Susan and Marin and Diana and Niana and Ellen into confessing our activities tonight, and it seems like he¡¯s found out about your clones, too.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I wish I was, dear,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to explain everything we did tonight to your father.¡±


    ¡°Oh, man, this sucks!¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Just endure it a bit longer, dear,¡± she said.


    ¡°Easy for you to say! It¡¯s been a long day, and I just wanna sleep already!¡± Janet said, who had been up for the past seventeen hours: In that time frame, she had transferred to a new homeroom class, got set up by Lady Dorian that morning, got set up by the Prince later during lunch, experienced two separate confrontations with the Prince during both times, perjured and implicated herself in front of everyone at lunch just to save herself from another confrontation with the Prince later on, suffered an injury at the Prince¡¯s hands, spent another stay at the infirmary as a result, and joined an afternoon club that doubled as a false front for DeeDee¡¯s clandestine investigation, and all of that was on top of the usual lectures and discussions in class and reading assignments and studying for exams.


    Furthermore, outside of school hours, Janet had found out her mother was a former saintess candidate, met another former saintess candidate, found out from said former saintess candidate that her mother died soon after giving birth to her in prison of all places, found out from her clones about the Prince¡¯s insolent bias against her during the summons, found out that Baron Simeon Underwood putting his students to sleep was due to a sleep spell placed on him, found out her dorm room won¡¯t open for anyone except for herself and whomever she let in, gathered with her friends and her clones in said dorm room, went to a cemetery, got tested by DeeDee on the way there, went to the Spirit World with said former saintess candidate to meet her mother, found out from her mother about her parents¡¯ involvement in finding another person she had plum forgotten about since she was a kid, helped both former saintess candidates haul up her gigantic affinity pool to the surface, fainted along the way, woke up, got back her darkness affinity in the most painful way possible that resulted in her going back to sleep, drank copious amounts of her affinity pool in the meantime, woke up in the most embarrassing getup in front of her peers, fainted as a result, woke up again, found out about a conspiracy connecting Lady Dorian with a secret cabal within the Church of the Holy Light under orders of a possible saintess, found out that Lady Dorian has employed the assistance of sleeper agents who use enchanted artifacts to hide their presence while they did her bidding, participated in a contract signing with her friends at midnight, had a bruising three-round sparring session, got knocked out as a result, woke up yet again, found out that the Prince had not only killed her ex-suicide clone but had offed himself after Lady Dorian rejected him, and then cried her eyes out with her clones over his suicide.


    As a result, after enduring all of this in seventeen hours, Janet more than deserved a vacation, let alone a break, but it seemed that such was not forthcoming for the designated villainess of Lassen Academy.


    ¡°Trust me: you¡¯re not alone,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day for all of us, too.¡±


    ¡°I need a break,¡± Janet deadpanned.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll get it soon enough,¡± DeeDee said, ¡°after you talk things over with Marquess Fleming, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God,¡± she said.


    ¡°Okayyy?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! I get it!¡± Janet said.


    But then DeeDee added, ¡°As for three meddlesome clones, and you know who you are, you¡¯re in big trouble,¡± and she eyed three clones hiding themselves behind Janet¡¯s back.


    Janet blinked and said, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    DeeDee pointed behind her.


    So Janet turned around and saw three of her clones (one in a soiled linen dress and one in a bloodstained commoner¡¯s dress and one in a bloodstained ball gown) looking guilty as hell and said, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    The one in the bloodstained ball gown said, blinking the light of the lamp in her hand, ¡°We only wanted to punish the Prince, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°But we took it too far,¡± added the one in the bloodstained commoner¡¯s dress, blinking her own lamplight.


    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Yes, tell us,¡± DeeDee added. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    At their questions, the clone in the bloodstained ball gown and the clone in the bloodstained commoner¡¯s dress both pointed out the now-silent one in the soiled linen dress and said, blinking their lamplights, ¡°It was her idea!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make his Highness act like that, I swear!¡± said the clone in the soiled linen gown, blinking the light of her lamp. ¡°I just wanted to get back at him for what he did to us in our past lives!¡±


    So Janet said, ¡°DeeDee, what happened?¡±


    ¡°It was during his Highness¡¯s summons this afternoon,¡± DeeDee said, crossing her arms over her chest. ¡°The Prince accused you of haunting his dreams, because your clones messed with him during his nap. I think that¡¯s why your father¡¯s waiting for you at your dorm. Also, he had you wearing that voice-capture amulet for two days without telling you, so you must have revealed your clones at certain points in both days.¡±


    Janet grimaced, wondering just how much her father found out, and resigned herself to being outed and said, ¡°What about my saintesss candidacy and title?¡±


    ¡°Play it by ear,¡± DeeDee said, then stalked over to the three ¡®meddlesome¡¯ clones cowering before her. ¡°After this is over, you three are to spend the night with me inside my lamp, where you¡¯ll help me with the things I have in there. I¡¯m still not finished organizing the rest of the inventory of my shop, so you¡¯ll help with that, okay?¡±


    The trio of clones groaned in unison.


    ¡°Okayyy?¡± DeeDee said.


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± they all said.


    ¡°Good,¡± DeeDee said, then nodded at Lady Graves.


    So Lady Graves crouched and placed her hand on the ground, summoning a pair of double doors in the hallway, then stood back up and grabbed the handles and pulled the doors open into the unlighted foyer of Mariana House.


    Then the whole group entered, single file: first Janet and her clones, all carrying lamps; then Kevin and Ridley and Lord Underwood with their own lamps; then Mindy Kessler and Jean and Saraya Drevis with their own lamps; then the unusual quintet of DeeDee and RuRu and Rowena and Maxine and Lady Graves bringing up the rear with only DeeDee carrying her own lamp; and then Lady Graves turning around and pushing the double doors shut behind her with the thud of a casket shutting over the face of the dead before they disappeared altogether, leaving behind more rumors of a ghost parade that would be on the lips of the students and faculty the next day and the days to come, for rumors (like the dead) travel fast.


    It was now almost an hour past midnight, and an antsy Marquess Fleming was getting sore from sitting in an uncomfortable chair for the past five hours. After an afternoon that consisted of attending a summons at the Royal Palace, then a repast with their Majesties the King and Queen, and then a discussion with his peers about what was to be done with his Highness Prince Blaise and that commoner girl Miss Edgeworth, the Marquess began to wonder about Janet¡¯s inexplicable behavior during her moments alone with persons unknown, as evidenced in the recordings of the voice-capture amulet. After the Marquess let Margrave Sydney and Father Robinson and Count Cosgrove and Viscountess Durham and Baron Palmer listen to the contents of the voice-capture amulet for today, confirming the Prince¡¯s atrocious behavior, the King had brought up a telling question: Since the Prince¡¯s behavior was so unusual, did the amulet capture anything unusual about Janet¡¯s own behavior?


    The King¡¯s question stung him, yet the Marquess swallowed his qualms and said there was indeed something unusual about her behavior. So the Marquess had them listen to the inexplicable moments in which Janet was talking to herself, which made his peers bring up more questions concerning whether or not Janet was speaking with persons unknown, perhaps even those connected with the missing Lady Childeron and Lady Felton. So he let his audience listen to a telling whispered exchange between Lady Kessler and Janet about seeing and communicating with ghosts, which made his peers bring up questions about Prince Blaise¡¯s now-not-so-delusional observations during the summons, namely, that Janet had been giving the Prince nightmares for some reason before the summons.


    Whether or not the Prince¡¯s observation was even trustworthy, their Majesties wanted the Marquess to dig deeper into this matter, so here he was in Janet¡¯s dorm room. After asking Susan and Marin and Diana and Niana and Ellen about today¡¯s events and about the Prince¡¯s actions against Janet in particular, Marquess Fleming started asking about ghosts. Their blanching faces and averting eyes told him he had hit the nail on the head, so he asked more questions, and they answered him with bowed heads. What kind of ghosts did they see? Ones that looked like Lady Fleming. How many ghosts did they see? About thirty of them. Were they the only ones who saw them? No. Who else saw them? Lady Kessler and the Ladies Drevis and Sir Sydney and Lord Woodberry and Baron Underwood and a bossy maid named DeeDee Marionette. Why were they all gathered here? It was for a test of courage. When will they be back? DeeDee said that they¡¯ll be back some time after midnight.


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    After a long line of questioning, Marquess Fleming had spent the rest of his time entertaining the maids with exaggerated tales of his exploits catching bandits in his territory and criminals in the service of his Majesty the King on behalf of the people with the help of Margrave Sydney. As such, for the next several hours, the Marquess had his sparkly-eyed audience hanging on his every word¡ª


    Till the double doors opened, revealing Janet and many copies of her, as well as her friends he had met back in the courtyard and DeeDee and a woman he did not recognize. All of them, except for the unknown woman, were carrying lamps in their hands, and all of them halted at the threshold looking at him sitting at the table with the maids.


    He stood up from his chair and approached this lugubrious group in the doorway, wondering if he was hallucinating all of those copies of Janet after an exhausting afternoon, yet there they stood as clear as day. At first, he opened his mouth to say something, yet words escaped him. Even after listening to the contents of the voice-capture amulet and discussing the subject of ghosts with his peers during dinner, what could he say about this development?


    ¡°I can explain,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± the Marquess said, then sat back down without realizing there was no chair behind him¡ª


    And fainted.


    ¡°Father!¡± Janet said, rushing over and crouching and dropping her lamp on the floor and then shaking her father by the shoulders without rousing him. ¡°Sue, get the smelling salts! Someone, help me carry him!¡±


    While Susan ran out of the room to get the smelling salts in the servants¡¯ quarters next door, Janet hooked her arms under her father¡¯s armpits and lifted him up to a sitting position, then let Kevin and Ridley do the heavy lifting. They discarded their lamps atop the tea table and then grabbed the Marquess by the arms and dragged him over to the bed, and then Janet grabbed a hold of her father¡¯s legs and helped the two boys lift him up and onto the bedsheets.


    All the while, the rest gathered around the bed, yet DeeDee and RuRu asked the clones and the others to give them space. Just then, Susan came back moments later with the required items, parting the group before her and giving them to Janet, who placed the smelling salts under her father¡¯s nose and waited for them to take effect.


    The Marquess then jolted awake, his eyes snapping open and his mouth taking in a huge gulp of air. Then he started sitting up and saying, ¡°Where are they? Where did they¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up yet!¡± Janet said.


    The Marquess seemed to calm down at Janet¡¯s presence, till he turned his head towards the others in the room, specifically towards Janet¡¯s clones, then opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out like before.


    ¡°Father, calm down! Please, calm down!¡±


    So Arnold Fleming looked at Janet, then at Janet¡¯s clones, then back at Janet again and said, ¡°Is this really happening? I¡¯m not hallucinating?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re all real, Father,¡± Janet said. ¡°We¡¯re all here, and it¡¯s not just my clones, either.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Arnold said. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Janet looked over her shoulder, saying, ¡°Mom, get my lamp.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the unseen Rowena said amidst the other unseen members of this gathering, Maxine and Lady Graves, while the clones all told her not to worry.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Janet said. ¡°You¡¯re here, too.¡±


    ¡°Janet, is your mother really here with us?¡± Arnold said.


    Janet turned back to her father and nodded with a smile, then said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    So Rowena separated herself from the rest and headed towards the lamp on the floor, picked it up off the ground and appeared bodily before her husband¡¯s eyes. She smiled at Arnold gaping back at her as she approached her husband on the bed like a walking vision out of a fairy tale.


    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a long time, Arnold,¡± Rowena said, her voice blinking the light of the lamp in her hand. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve been doing well in my absence.¡±


    At this, Arnold burst out laughing in hysterics and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been managing somehow.¡±


    But then Arnold became silent as if the weight of this family gathering had finally come to him like the shards of a broken dream getting pieced back together before his eyes. At that moment, when he broke down crying into his hands and said he was sorry for making a scene, Janet hugged her father, saying, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad! We¡¯re all here now!¡±


    Janet¡¯s clones came up to their father¡¯s bedside, all of them with tears in their eyes, all of them wanting to hold their father¡¯s hands and let him know that they had always loved him even after none of them had the chance to say so in their last living moments. And so, with DeeDee and RuRu and Lady Graves and Maxine and Kevin and Ridley and Mindy and the Drevis sisters and Baron Underwood bearing witness to this family reunion, Janet and her clones shared this moment in the presence of their parents, and for the first time in years, Janet felt herself complete and secure.


    When they all had their fill of tears, Janet let go of her father and looked back at DeeDee with the rest of the group, who then nodded her head at her. So Janet turned back and said, ¡°Dad, I have to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°All right, just give me a moment,¡± Arnold said and swung his booted legs over the bedside.


    ¡°Are you sure you should be up?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arnold said, standing up and raising his arms into a stretch, then went over to the tea table as the other maids vacated their seats, then took his former seat and waved Janet over. ¡°Come and sit. I¡¯ll listen to whatever you have to say, but in return, you¡¯ll need to listen to what I have to say. It¡¯s important, you see.¡±


    ¡°Does it have to do with his Highness?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°It has to do with someone else.¡±


    Janet was about to ask who, but Rowena beat her to the punch, blinking the lamplight and saying, ¡°Arnold, are you talking about Astor, by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Both of you, come over.¡±


    So Janet and Rowena went over and sat at the table, Janet facing her father from the opposite chair and Rowena sitting in between them, while Janet¡¯s clone all crowded around Janet¡¯s side of the table.


    Then DeeDee said, ¡°Janet, Rowena, my Lord Marquess, we¡¯ll give you some time to yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Marionette,¡± he said.


    ¡°Call me DeeDee, my Lord,¡± DeeDee said. ¡°You¡¯ve visited my shop before, so we¡¯re not strangers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, DeeDee,¡± Arnold said. ¡°Then answer me.¡±


    ¡°What is it, my Lord?¡± she said.


    ¡°Who are you, really?¡± Arnold said, gazing at her up and down. ¡°I can tell from the items you carry in your shop that you¡¯re no ordinary shopkeeper.¡±


    ¡°If you must know, my Lord, I¡¯m DeeDee Marionette, Guardian of the Aether,¡± DeeDee said in a curtsey, then introduced RuRu and added, ¡°And this is my younger sister RuRu Marionette, Guardian of the Darkness.¡±


    And so, RuRu curtseyed.


    The Marquess looked at Rowena, so Rowena bit her lip and said, ¡°DeeDee¡¯s the one I channeled in our s¨¦ance to locate Astor¡¯s whereabouts during our honeymoon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± the Marquess, then looked at the three young men. ¡°And what of those three fellows over there? I saw them at the courtyard this afternoon, but I didn¡¯t have a chance to greet them at the time.¡±


    So Baron Underwood bowed to the Marquess, saying, ¡°Pleased to meet you, my Lord Marquess. I¡¯m Baron Simeon Underwood, the second son of Viscount Underwood. I¡¯m the club advisor of Lady Fleming and her friends here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard of your father,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°He¡¯s a very shrewd man who knows his way around town.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Lord,¡± the baron said.


    Then Kevin Sydney bowed and said, ¡°Pleased to meet you, as well, my Lord Marquess. I¡¯m Sir Kevin Sydney, the third son of Margrave Sydney. Lady Fleming and I share the same table in Classroom 1-3G.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°Ah, thank you for looking after my daughter all this time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, my Lord,¡± Kevin said.


    Then Ridley Woodberry bowed and said, ¡°Pleased to meet you, my Lord Marquess. I¡¯m Lord Ridley Woodberry, the son of Duke Woodberry. If I may be so bold, I¡¯d like to apologize for his Highness¡¯s conduct against Lady Fleming during lunch earlier today. I tried talking sense into him yesterday morning, but he¡¯s a bit of a hard case.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed his stubbornness myself during the summons. Thank you for taking my daughter to infirmary today and yesterday, and thank you all,¡± he added, bowing his head to the three of them, ¡°for looking after her in my absence.¡±


    Now all three young men bowed, in unison, and said, ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and Arnold,¡± Rowena added, waving over the unseen Lady Graves and Maxine from the group, who both obliged her and approached the table, ¡°I want you to meet two others with me in this room,¡± and she had them put their hands over Janet¡¯s lamp on the table.


    And lo and behold! Lady Graves and Maxine appeared in front of the Marquess muck like Rowena had.


    ¡°This is Lady Celeste Graves,¡± Rowena said.


    ¡°I¡¯m honored to make your acquaintance, my Lord Marquess,¡± Lady Graves said, blinking the lamplight on the table. ¡°I¡¯m Lady Celeste Graves, the Protector of all saintess candidates in Lassen Academy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the honor¡¯s mine,¡± he said.


    ¡°And this is Abbess Maxine Diddly,¡± Rowena added.


    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance, my Lord Marquess,¡± Maxine said. ¡°I¡¯m Abbess Maxine Diddly, former Abbess of St. Avalon¡¯s Abbey and former overseer of St. Avalon¡¯s Orphanage. I met you and Marchioness Fleming when you were looking for Astor. Do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember,¡± Arnold said, then looked over at Janet¡¯s three female club mates. ¡°Are you three Lady Kessler, Lady Jean Drevis, and Lady Saraya Drevis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are, my Lord Marquess,¡± Mindy said, as they all curtseyed before him. ¡°I¡¯m Lady Mindy Kessler, the daughter of Count Kessler.¡±


    Then Jean said, ¡°I¡¯m Lady Jean Drevis, the daughter of Viscount Drevis.¡±


    And Saraya added, ¡°I¡¯m Lady Saraya Drevis, also the daughter of Viscount Drevis.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you all,¡± he said, ¡°and thank you for befriending my daughter.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, my Lord,¡± Mindy said. ¡°Lady Fleming¡¯s a good friend.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± he added, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of your evictions during the summons. Do you need a place to stay?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Lord,¡± Mindy said, ¡°but we¡¯ll be staying here for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re sure,¡± Mindy said.


    ¡°I put one of my mirrors inside this room, my Lord, to secure it from getting infiltrated,¡± DeeDee added, pointing to the full-length mirror standing against the wall in between the armoire closet and the vanity table.


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Arnold said.


    ¡°After getting evicted from our dorms in Guinevere House this morning,¡± Mindy added, ¡°we wanna stay here in Mariana House. At least, we know it¡¯s safe here.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Good to know,¡± he said.


    Now DeeDee started herding Janet¡¯s club mates and her club advisor and then Maxine and Lady Graves and even RuRu towards the double doors, saying, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s give them some privacy. Oh, and Janet, dear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Just let me know when you¡¯re done, and I¡¯ll let Mindy and Jean and Saraya back in,¡± DeeDee said, then told Kevin and Ridley and Baron Underwood to go back to their dorms and added that Mindy and the Drevis sisters can hang out in the servants¡¯ quarters in the meantime. Once they were all out in the hallway, DeeDee pulled the double doors shut behind her, leaving Janet and her clones alone with their parents.


    Moments passed in silence.


    Then Arnold said, ¡°Go ahead, Janet.¡±


    ¡°Um, how much do you know already?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Enough to know that the past two days in school have been difficult for you,¡± he said. ¡°And from what the voice-capture amulet managed to catch, I¡¯ve also heard you talking with your clones at certain points in both days, so I have a clear idea of what must have happened at school. Why don¡¯t you start at the point after I left for the summons?¡±


    When Janet gulped, bracing herself for a long and painful confession, Rowena grabbed Janet¡¯s hand and then grabbed a hold of Arnold¡¯s hand as if Rowena was alive. This reassured Janet, so she told her father everything that had transpired after he had gone off that afternoon to attend the Prince¡¯s summons. At various points in her narrative, the Marquess asked questions on certain details concerning her meeting with Lady Graves and Rowena and RuRu and Maxine, and Janet filled him on those encounters, thereby filling in the details of the reawakening of her darkness affinity and her contract signing at midnight with her friends and the subsequent sparring match with RuRu, which got the Marquess laughing. Yet all the while, Janet skipped the parts dealing with her saintess candidacy and her title, because she wasn¡¯t sure how he would react.


    But when Janet recalled the experiment in which she and the others witnessed her ex-suicide clone¡¯s murder at the Prince¡¯s hands before his own suicide moments later, Janet was forcing herself through this part of the narrative, fisting her hands to stop them from trembling, telling just enough for her father to reach across the table and hold her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Janet,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve got the gist of it already. Please, don¡¯t say any more.¡±


    Janet nodded as her clones crowded around her and hugged her, so Rowena placed her hand over Arnold and Janet¡¯s hands on the table while still holding onto the lamp in her other hand. After a time, the clones and Rowena let go of Janet as she was just beginning to recuperate herself.


    Again moments passed.


    During the interval, Janet thought about telling her father of her saintess candidacy and her title but decided to ¡®play it by ear¡¯ and bide her time. For now, Janet took a deep breath and said, ¡°Mom, Dad, is there something I should know about Astor Bartleby?¡±


    Her parents nodded their heads.


    ¡°Then tell us,¡± Janet said, including her clones gathered around, ¡°and I¡¯ll tell you something else.¡±


    ¡°Why not just tell me now?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s important,¡± she said.


    The Marquess smiled with a flash of his red eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯ve improved at negotiating.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a negotiation, Father,¡± she said.


    Marquess Fleming eyed Janet and her clones, saying, ¡°What I¡¯m about to divulge is officially off the record, so keep this to yourselves. Understand?¡±


    Janet and her clones all nodded.


    ¡°All right,¡± he said. ¡°Have you heard from Count Kessler¡¯s Memory Times newspaper about certain masked incognitos lurking around the Student Commons Town?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Janet said.


    ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡± he said.


    ¡°From Lady Kessler,¡± Janet said. ¡°She was talking about them while we were out in the cemetery this evening.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the Marquess said.


    Janet paused, looking at her father as something clicked in her mind about those tabloid stories, something that made her gasp and gape.


    ¡°Ah, do you get it now, Janet?¡± he said.


    ¡°No fucking way!¡± Janet said under her breath, then cupped her mouth, as the connection between the older cousin she hadn¡¯t seen since she was nine, Astor Bartleby, and the tabloids of incognitos that her friend Mindy had been gossiping about revealed itself. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Very serious,¡± he said.


    ¡°After your father and I got married,¡± Rowena said, blinking the lamplight again, ¡°we used our honeymoon to investigate Astor¡¯s whereabouts in the Schrader Kingdom after we uncovered rumors of my brother¡¯s murder there with Margrave Sydney¡¯s help. We had him cross the border to the Schrader Kingdom to find any and all information available about the circumstances of the murder there. His findings led us through several border towns in the southern outskirts of this kingdom looking for Astor¡¯s mother, but we couldn¡¯t track her down. So we spent the rest of our honeymoon trying to find Astor¡¯s whereabouts along the border and eventually tracked him down to an orphanage in a town named Old Parr. You know the rest.¡±


    Janet leaned back in her chair, wondering just how far this crazy rabbit hole went, and said, ¡°Mom, Dad, did you both work together incognito?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± the Marquess said. ¡°The incognito part was Astor¡¯s idea. I¡¯ve trained him well enough, but he¡¯s a bit of a showoff. That¡¯s why there are so many rumors of his exploits in the papers.¡±


    ¡°So those tabloid stories¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªare exaggerations,¡± he said, ¡°but there¡¯s a grain of truth in all of them.¡± Then he looked Janet square in the eyes, making her avert hers from his. ¡°Are you in?¡±


    ¡°You want to recruit me?¡±


    Her father nodded and said, ¡°I can¡¯t always look after you while you¡¯re here, and I¡¯ve got my hands tied with the debacle his Highness has caused, and that¡¯s putting it lightly. That boy¡¯s in for a rude awakening tomorrow, and that¡¯s just the start. In the meantime, having Astor keep an eye on things while you¡¯re here kills two birds with one stone. He¡¯s been asking me about you, anyway.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Janet said.


    ¡°He said he wants to meet you,¡± he said. ¡°At your convenience, of course. He said he didn¡¯t want to impose.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him what happened?¡±


    ¡°I will in the morning,¡± he said. ¡°Are you in?¡±


    Janet stared at her father¡¯s eyes, then at her mother¡¯s eyes, both of which told her the same thing, so she smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, count me in!¡± But then she bit down on her lower lip, bracing herself for the inevitable¡ª


    Which caught her father¡¯s attention, who said, ¡°And what of this ¡®something else?¡¯¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve become a saintess candidate,¡± Janet said, ¡°and I¡¯ve received a title already from RuRu.¡±


    Her parents stared at her, their eyes wide and their mouths agape, till Marquess Fleming got up from his chair and kneeled before Janet like a knight.


    ¡°Father, wait a minute! What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I swear to protect you!¡± he said, looking up at Janet and her clones and then at Rowena as he shed tears before averting his face in a teeth-gritting grimace. ¡°What I couldn¡¯t do for your mother or for your clones, I swear on my life to do for you. With everything at my disposal, I will make sure you won¡¯t suffer the same fate!¡±


    So Janet kneeled and hugged her father in her arms, while her clones and her mother gathered around them and put their hands on their shoulders.


    <hr>


    End of Villainess [5]


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    [End of Volume 1]