"AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT TO Lady Eilisha and then burn Lady Elisse's chambers," a stern voice said, discussing his plans to his accomplices.
The lady in a pink dress giggled, while the bespectacled man fixed his glasses. Only the huge man wearing lavish clothes remained still and silent.
"Today, everything must be completed."
"But what if the lady survives?" The bespectacled man shot an ignorant question.
"Whatever happens, whether she survives or dies, Elisse will still be branded as a murderer. Although, based on that mana I felt that day at the ball, I think the lady will survive. And she'll witness how her loving family will turn against her."
A menacing laugh filled the room.
Elisse and Ebony stared at one another as they silently listened. The voices were coming from the shadows that Ebony planted on both the butler and Eilisha.
She was planning to visit her father at the library when Ebony sensed something from the shadows he planted. And instead of leaving her room, Elisse stayed. They both eavesdropped on the conversation.
Elisse laughed in disbelief. Her mind was blank, no thoughts or plans came into her head right away even after hearing an impending end for her.
"Connect me to Marina and Scarlet's brooch," she ordered Ebony. The quickest way to contact the two was using Ebony's shadows that she planted in the brooches.
"But master, won't it be easy to escape right now?" Ebony was worried for her.
Elisse gave his tiny frame a gentle pat. "I don't think that will really help us, including Marina and Scarlet."
She had formed a plan in mind. Despite the dangers of this plan, she would still do it. Elisse believed that it would be the best play for her enemies than escaping now.
The uneasiness he felt since yesterday was so much that it was making him shaky. Lucifero has not felt this ever since his wife and Elisse's mother died.
He paced back and forth in front of his office desk, his mind filled with thoughts and decisions he could not make.
'What's with his youngest daughter's sudden appearance? And why is Elisse being framed for an assassination attempt? What's the emperor's goal in doing this?'
A loud exasperated sigh erupted from his lips as his body fell on the soft couch with a soft thud. He was not normally like this, but something was amiss.
With a flick of his fingers, his personal servant who was hiding in the secret door of his office appeared. And he ordered the first thing that came into his mind.
"I want you to check on Eilisha. Make it as discreet as you can."
Elisse was holed in her room, and he was sure of that. There are a lot of knights in their estate, and he was also here, including Caspian, so there was no need to plant an eye on Elisse.
Whilst Eilisha, the young girl requested to go outside with the family head butler. Not that he's worried about something or suspicious of her, but he just wanted to make sure that everything is fine on her end as well.
"I should request for their presence for tonight's dinner." Lucifero stood up quickly and headed outside of his office. He quickly called for the new head maid he hired and ordered her to send a dinner invitation to his children.
The afternoon wind felt cold and cumbersome. Elisse had been staring into the void since after hearing a dangerous plot against her.
And to be honest, the young lady was scared. But more importantly, Elisse was more worried about her father. She wanted to unveil the truth behind the mastermind of this plot and ask the reason behind their questionable actions.
Elisse had been a silent lady of the house. She was not doing her job as well, and it's not like she wished to take the title from Eilisha. All she needed was to get out of this place. But why was she being targeted?
'But what if the instigator was really targeting the Eveningstars and not just me?' She thought, her eyebrows creasing together.
Elisse tried to recall all the noble families related to them; an ally, enemy, or anything that has a close relationship with the Eveningstars. And the very noticeable ones were the other two Ducal Families and the Imperial Family.
The Morningsuns hated them because of the favor they had been getting from the emperor, while the Moonfleurs were silent and neutral.
They did not express any hate or hostility towards their family, or that is what she knows based on the history books and rumors she has read and heard before.
However, that information is not enough to find the mastermind. She needed solid proof. Then she remembered the emperor's unusual behavior during the ball.
"I have to ask Soreen or Cassius," she said to herself.
A melancholic smile accompanied the loneliness gracing her pale face. She felt her heart clench. The feeling of being alone was slowly leaving a bitter taste on her mouth. And she hated it.
Marina returned right before dinnertime. She gave her master a worried glance as she helped her dress for the night. Elisse had received her father's dinner request, and she knew that it would be best to accept it than to reject it again.
A dark thought crossed her mind. 'This might be the last time that we'll share dinner together.'
She humbled herself by wearing a simple peach dress decorated with a few black ribbons. Her pale beauty continued to radiate, despite her attempt to look humble and plain. She wanted to send a message to them.
Black ribbons in their empire meant farewell. It would've looked obvious if she was wearing a red dress, but because the dress' color was peach, she looked more like a radiant human fruit decorated with ribbons.
"How have you been faring?" Their father asked as they all started eating.
"I've been good, father. I did a lot of things today."
The sound of the silver utensils and ceramic plates accompanied the high-pitched voice of Eilisha. Nobody else wanted to speak because of the unknown tension surrounding them.
Out of worry, Duke Eveningstar cleared his throat then he called out a specific name of his child. "How's the trade going, Eclipse?"
Eclipse's jaw hardened for a second as he threw a glance at his father. When he saw his firm expression, he carefully grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth as he swallowed his food.
"It's going in the right direction, father," he answered.
"What about the meetings, Kaiser?" Lucifero asked his third son this time.
Kaiser coughed when his name was suddenly called. It was a funny sight that Elisse sneaked a soft laugh. Her father noticed that, and a small smile graced his lips.
"Everything's working well, father. You need not worry more about it," Kaiser answered with a sigh.
Duke Eveningstar gave him a nod then he turned his attention to the second son. "And your knight's training, Caspian?"
"Completed, father. They are all ready for the 3-month parade," Caspian said.
The 3-month parade was a long type of march. The hero of the war will be proclaimed as the General for this parade and he will lead a small army of knights and mages to secure every city and town within the empire, ensuring everyone's safety and condition.
Chosen knights of the three Dukedoms are required to join the parade in order to aid the General. And the parade starts after the Lantern Festival, which will be tomorrow.
THE EVENINGSTAR ESTATE WAS in shambles. Fire broke out on the wing where Elisse's chambers and her servant quarters were located.
The male servants and the knights were doing their best to extinguish the fire, but because it had grown already, the help of a mage or alchemist was already needed.
Kaiser quickly rushed to the scene as soon as he woke up and heard the news. Behind him followed Eclipse and their father, who had just woken from their deep slumbers.
Using his mana, Kaiser drew out a huge amount of water using the bucket filled with water as a base then he relentlessly poured it onto the fire that was eating Elisse's room.
His heart was beating frantically as he looked at the fire in front of him with fear creeping on his system.
The fire from her servant quarters already died down, but the fire on Elisse's room was taking some time to disappear. It was like a spell was cast on it to make sure that nothing would be left alive inside.
As soon as the fire disappeared, the three dashed inside her room. They were panting heavily as their shaky eyes looked around, searching for their two siblings.
Everything inside was burnt to crisp, and as their eyes fell on the floor near the burnt window, tears cascaded their cheeks.
Their hearts wavered as they slowly went closer to a small frame lying motionless on the ground. It was burned so badly that no one will be able to recognize the body.
But because of her small frame, clothes, and a familiar necklace around her neck, they could not deny that it was their little lady.
The once small frame that was full of life was nomore. Only a lifeless body with burnt flesh was left to them.