The Life, Death, and Relife of the Mushroom Mage

Chapter 11

"What? You think the big, bad DeVille is going to come into this boutique and kill me for loose lips? Everyone knows they're villains."

"At least everyone knows who they are," came a third voice. "What about you two?"

"Oh, calm down, Greta, it's just a little gossip," said the first voice with a high laugh.

"Gossip is unladylike. A girl was murdered."

"Well, it's not like anyone would care. She's illegitimate. I doubt her father even shed a tear over it," the first voice said with a mean, cutting laugh.

"That's still a person that died, and I'm sick of you two treating topics like these lightly."

"Then leave," the second voice said, and there was a huff.

"Maybe I will," the third voice said, and there was the click of heels.

"Greta is so full of herself," the first voice said snidely, and Artesia's knees went out from under her. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for air, and there was a panicked squawk from Lisa.

"My lady!" she said, and Artesia shook in place.

She caused this, didn't she? Somehow, her coming here caused a butterfly effect that got Georgina killed. That was the only thing that changed. Where would the plot be without Georgina? She was the mastermind, the puppet master, the one pulling the strings. What was going to happen? Georgina was dead? Right before the novel started? Who was going to---

Throat slit?

Body burned?

Who came after her with such violence? Artesia certainly hadn't ordered her death. Oh, gods, what if Daisy really was a green tea bitch and was going to pin this on Artesia? She had... she had seen her at the cafe after Edwin asked her to have tea with her. She had seen her, and what if Daisy was a yandere and didn't want any women around Edwin?

Wait, no, she was thinking irrationally right now. Daisy didn't have the kind of power to order the death of the daughter of a marquis. She was the daughter of a count. And she couldn't have predicted the future. If it reached the capital, that meant it had to have happened at least a week ago. The news wouldn't have hit that fast. There were ways of sending word magically, but those girls wouldn't have heard anything. That was for officials, who wouldn't gossip about it, which meant word got around normally. It had been yesterday that Daisy saw her at the cafe. She was panicking over nothing.

But, even so, there must be a butterfly effect. There had to be.

She had always sympathized with Georgina. The way the author wrote her, you wanted to sympathize with her. Naturally. She was abused from a young age, desperate for any kind of affection, and of course her first crush would be massively blown out of proportion. Her etiquette teacher used to beat her shins black and blue, her father made her look at his torture victims, and her brother Marcus killed animals in front of her. There was a reason the author punished the entire family and didn't let them get off scot free with their crimes. They were all put to death.

Throat slit?

Body burned?

What a horrible way to die. Her body was desecrated and turned into kindling.

"You can't let talk like that upset you, my lady," Lisa whispered, and Artesia realized she was hiding her face in her hands. She was shaking like a dog in a thunderstorm, and she needed to get it together.

"I'm sorry. It was just shocking to me," she said numbly. "How could they so callously discuss the murder of a girl?"

"That's just how nobles are, my lady," Lisa said softly, and Artesia pursed her lips. Georgina probably wouldn't even be upset they were discussing her so cruelly. She was very thick skinned.