X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerA few minutes later, Alice met the person the Duchess introduced to her in the drawing-room.
“Hello, esteemed young lady. I am Baron Andre Cavaro, from Sharp Spear Province.” A man, roughly thirty years old, approached Alice, bowing courteously as he attempted to kiss her hand.
Alice, however, did not extend her hand. Instead, she cast a bewildered glance at the Duchess.
The Duchess smiled, swiftly moving behind the man. She subtly lifted her skirt and delivered a kick to his backside.
The man instantly let out a groan, one that sounded almost blissfully sweet.
Alice’s eye twitched. She couldn’t fathom what scheme the Duchess was concocting.
“I told you there’s no need for theatrics in front of me and my daughter,” the Duchess said, her smile unwavering, yet her tone chillingly cold.
“My sincerest apologies, my professional habit got the better of me again,” the man pleaded, suddenly turning to kneel before the Duchess. “I was wrong. Please, punish me as you see fit.”
“Enough nonsense. You have three seconds. Introduce yourself properly, now.” The Duchess kicked him again.
“Right, right!” The man, beaming with an almost unsettling cheerfulness after being kicked, turned to Alice. “Allow me to reintroduce myself, young lady. My name is Charles Ponzi, and I am an investor.”
“An investor? Hmm?” The Duchess questioned from behind him, her tone laced with menace.
“Alright, fine, to be frank, I am a swindler.” With a helpless smile, Charles confessed to Alice.
“This fellow is a rather capable charlatan,” the Duchess explained. “When I was in control of the territory, he tried to trick me into investing in a fictitious project, but I saw right through him.”
“Before I caught him, he had already swindled over fifty people in the territory, ranging from wealthy merchants to skilled artisans. He absconded with tens of thousands of gold coins.”
“So, what’s his status now?” Alice observed Charles, who knelt by the Duchess’s feet like a loyal hound.
“I’ve ‘trained’ him. He’s become my captive,” the Duchess replied succinctly. “I thought I might need someone like him someday, so I kept him in my private dungeon. I only had him brought over yesterday.”
Alice felt it was best not to inquire about the specific process or meaning of this ‘training’.
After a moment of thought, she suddenly understood. “I see. You intend to use him to swindle Camilla?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Invite that young lady to the ball, and I’ll have my own way of setting a trap for her. I promised to assist you with your revenge, and I’ve already prepared the entire script for you. As a schemer, you must trust the guidance of professionals,” the Duchess chuckled.
“Can you tell me the entire plan now?” Alice asked.
“We’ll take it one step at a time. We must save some surprises for later. Don’t worry, you will execute the plan yourself, and you will personally complete your revenge.”
“You only need to remember one thing: at the ball the day after tomorrow, you must introduce him to the target,” the Duchess said with a laugh.
“Alright, then…” Alice paused, glancing at Charles Ponzi, who was still kneeling, and then subtly signaled to the Duchess. “I have a question I’d like to consult you about.”
The Duchess understood. She picked up a bell, summoned a servant from the mansion, and ordered him to take Charles to his room under house arrest.
Once only she and the Duchess remained in the room, Alice felt comfortable enough to speak. “May I use divination to predict the outcome of my revenge?”
“Is that truly necessary? With the power you and I wield now, devouring a mere viscount’s daughter is a sure thing. Sometimes, divination itself can become an unpredictable factor influencing the future, especially since your current rank is not high.”
“Divining a distant future will only yield a vague revelation, and a misunderstanding could lead to trouble,” the Duchess explained.
“But I still wish to be as cautious as possible,” Alice replied. “I also want to adapt to my witch powers as soon as possible and advance to the next rank.”
Only a ‘Sorcerer’ of the next rank could concoct the gender-reversal potion that would restore her original body. If possible, Alice hoped to have more options.
“Such ambition.” The Duchess nodded approvingly, then abruptly changed the subject. “However, the promotion ritual for the next rank won’t be so simple. Even if I can help you prepare the potion ingredients, you might not be able to complete the ritual.”
“What does the ritual entail?” Alice inquired.
“The promotion condition for the Seventh Rank is — to use prescience or divination to evade a fated death,” the Duchess answered.
Alice’s eyes widened slightly. “A fated death?”
“You must understand the meaning of ‘fated’. It implies that if you don’t foresee it, or if you fail to evade it, you will inevitably die. For example, if I were to arrange the ritual, and I hired an assassin to kill you, I couldn’t inform the assassin beforehand to hold back at the crucial moment.”
“That assassin must genuinely intend to kill you for the ritual to be completed. Of course, I could also poison you, but the poison must be incurable,” the Duchess elaborated. “In short, failure in this promotion inevitably means death. Let me be clear, this time I’m not testing you.”
“Then, what is the death rate?” Alice asked, her voice tinged with apprehension.
“It’s not very high, only about ten percent. Most who fail are those who can’t bear the pressure and give up just before the promotion ritual begins,” the Duchess replied calmly.
“Is gaining blessed power really so difficult?” Alice sighed.
“Be content. Blessed ones on the ‘Warrior’ pathway must battle magical beasts of equal strength, facing mortal danger almost every time,” the Duchess stated. “Given that, do you still intend to advance?”
“I’ll consider it carefully.” Alice became more cautious. “However, I still plan to perform the divination.”
“In that case, I suggest you use the magic mirror His Majesty gave you,” the Duchess proposed. “Currently, your divinations require rituals like stargazing or arranging star charts to strengthen your connection with the Goddess of Fate. Such arduous efforts often only yield vague revelations in your mind.”
“But if you use His Majesty’s magic mirror, you can directly divine actual images.”
“I see. Then I’ll try it now. Could you guide me through it?” Alice asked. “Once I have the results, I hope you can help me interpret them.”
“Well…” The Duchess pondered for a moment, then suddenly broke into a mischievous smile. “I’m afraid I must refuse.”
“Why?” Alice’s eyes widened in surprise. She had never expected the Duchess, her own mentor, to refuse.
“After you’ve divined, you can contact His Majesty to help you interpret it. You haven’t contacted her since you arrived here, have you?” The Duchess covered her mouth, chuckling. “That won’t do, you know. His Majesty specifically instructed it.”
“Does that mean I have to divine twice in a row? I remember you saying divination is very taxing, didn’t you?” Alice sounded a little worried.
The magic mirror’s communication function, in fact, required one party to use divination to activate it.
“What’s a little fatigue if it’s for His Majesty? Doesn’t she deserve your effort twice over?” The Duchess burst into laughter.
“Your way of putting it always sounds a bit strange…” Alice mumbled, furrowing her brow.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Grandma, What Did You Give Me Before You Left?. Start reading now!
Read : Grandma, What Did You Give Me Before You Left?
