Azora walked through the castle's hallways with light footsteps.
It had already been a week since she had arrived. To her side walked another girl her age. Ryelle was lord Koverin, the current lord of Sionia's daughter, and had been stuck to her side ever since she had arrived.
"Oh, and did you see Lord Fenric at the banquet last night? He was wearing blue again. I swear, he only ever wears blue…"
Listening to Ryelle talk, she could only smile and nod. Even if she was a princess and Lord Koverin was simply a margrave, she couldn't afford to offend him, especially right now. Most believed that she had come to Sionia for nothing but training, when in reality, she had been forced to come to this backwater territory in fear of the mess her siblings had made back in the capital.
Nodding politely, she cut the daughter off. "I'm feeling very tired. Let's continue this conversation later."
Without waiting for Ryelle's reply, she entered her room and closed the door behind her. It was only then that she let out a sigh. "I don't know how many more days I can take this.
She was just about to take a step forward when suddenly the locket around her neck sent a chill down her body.
Without missing a beat, she used one of the hastening spells to launch her body forward, when suddenly someone or something invisible snatched the locket around her neck just a second before she escaped.
This... her eyes widened. That locket was a life-saving treasure given to her by her teacher.
Not wasting another second, she raised her hand and fired off a Water Bolt spell, a Tier 1 spell she had only learned a few months ago, towards the direction her locket had been snatched from, only for it to fly past and strike one of the walls.
Azora took in a deep breath, ready to fire off another spell, when suddenly she felt the cold gleam of a dagger pressed up against her neck, causing her breathing to stop and her eyes to widen.
Even as the dagger was pressed against her neck, she still couldn't feel any presence standing near her, to the point that she couldn't even tell if the assassin was in front of or behind her, or even if it was a person.
Such a high-level invisibility spell. It had only been a year since she had started her training as a mage, but she still understood some things. Her assassin was clearly using an invisibility spell, but that wasn't all.
To be able to use an invisibility spell of this level, one should at least be Tier 4. And even then, she doubted even her teacher, a Tier 4 mage, was capable of casting such a spell.
Could it be some kind of magical charm? But what kind of charm could completely erase someone's presence so perfectly?
"Who sent you? Have my elder brother and sister finally run our of patience?" she couldn't help but ask, while inwardly trying to buy some time. She could already hear some movement outside her room; the water spell she had used had been purposely loud.
Suddenly, the air in front of her shimmered, revealing the figure of a silver-haired boy around her age holding a dagger across her neck.
"Is everything okay in there, my lady?" At the same time, a loud voice followed by a loud knock came from the other side of the door.
Listening to the voice, the boy gave out a large smile that reached his ears and pressed the dagger a little tighter against her neck.
"Tell them everything is fine and not to come back."
Azora hesitated. Looking at that, Vael continued. "I'm not here to kill you, just to ask you some questions, that's it. Although that doesn't mean I won't do it."
"Oh, and by the way, don't try to act like a smartass and send out some coded message. I can slice your throat right now and go sleep in your bed for the rest of the night, and those idiots wouldn't be able to tell."
Seeing no other option, Azora took a large gulp and shouted, "Everything is fine! I was just doing some magical exercises."
"Magica.. I see, do you need me to send someone to clean?"
"I am fine, just leave."
"I... I see, my lady. Apologies for disturbing you."
Seeing that she was okay, the sounds outside began to recede as the soldiers returned to their posts, until the quiet from before returned.
Seeing that everything had returned to normal, Azora asked, making sure her voice didn't come out shaky. "Let me ask this again. Who are you? Did my elder brother or sister send you?"
Listening to the question, Vael smiled once again. "My people call me Zathiel the Scum. And no, your siblings couldn't afford my services to kill someone."
"Scum?" Azora muttered as Zathiel pulled back his dagger from her neck, while still keeping it drawn.
"I'm just a thief. I came to this castle to steal the lord's treasure."
"Treasure? But... you're a mage, aren't you? Why would you need to steal from someone?" Azora asked, clearly not convinced.
In Taurenth, mage status was nothing short of nobility. She had never come across a mage who wasn't already rich.
"Didn't you hear me? I'm Zathiel the Scum. I am a lecherous bastard who doesn't like things unless I've stolen them from someone else."
"Then you should go steal the lord's treasure. I doubt they'll be able to catch you, either, since you've already made it past the castle's formation. What do you need from me?"
Vael chuckled. "I know about your secret talent Princess, the reason why Kaizel the great took you in as his student." He paused. "And that's why I want you to help me find the location of the lord's secret treasury."