CHAPTER 97: REALLY? RIGHT NOW?

Evelisse fluttered past him, suppressing laughter at the unexpected form she had taken. She navigated swiftly and silently back to her quarters, slipping through the window and landing gracefully on her bed as the disguise faded.

Collapsing with a relieved sigh, she allowed herself a small smile. ’Not how I imagined tonight would end.’

Fluffy’s gentle voice was warm. "You handled it beautifully."

Evelisse chuckled softly, relaxing into her plush bed. ’Surprisingly, it wasn’t all terrible. Perhaps I could get used to this excitement.’

"Rest now," Fluffy encouraged soothingly. "You’ll need your strength for next week’s adventures."

’Another task, another chance for affection points,’ Evelisse mused sleepily, her eyelids heavy. ’Perhaps next time, something less dramatic.’

Comforted by that hopeful thought, Evelisse drifted into restful sleep, unaware of the deeper conspiracies still unfolding around her.

He bent down, beaming. "You’re beautiful... Poor thing, locked in here all alone. Go on, fly free, little one."

He stepped aside.

Evelisse zipped past him with a soft hum, keeping to the shadows as she darted up the staircase, heart pounding—not from fear, but from the absurdity.

By the time she reached the royal quarters and squeezed through the slightly ajar window of her room, her wings gave one final flicker and then—

Later that afternoon, she sat in the royal garden, teacup in hand, a book open on her lap, pretending to read.

All the while, her mind was spinning.

’The gemstone vault. That’s what they were after. And only the royal family together can access it. Which means... either they were hoping to force us into doing it, or someone high enough to gain access is working with them.’

She lowered the book slightly.

’But how do I figure out who in the Council has enough power to pull Lucien away at that exact moment?’

"You’re plotting something," Fluffy whispered, floating by her ear.

"Always."

"You’re not supposed to say that so confidently."

She ignored him.

Just then, a shadow approached—none other than Prince Damien, one of her older brothers. Tall, cool, with storm-gray eyes and a habit of appearing when least expected.

"Evelisse," he said, his voice light but watchful. "You’ve been unusually quiet these days."

"Is that a bad thing?" she smiled innocently.

"For you? Definitely."

She chuckled, sipping her tea.

"Careful, dear sister. The Council’s ears stretch far. Whatever game you’re playing..." He leaned in slightly, voice dropping, "...don’t get caught."

Her fingers tightened around the cup, but she kept her smile.

"I’m just reading old poetry, Damien."

He nodded once, lips twitching as if he knew more than he let on, then turned and walked away.

Fluffy whistled. "That one’s sharp. He knows something."

"Yeah. But is he friend or foe?"

"You’d know if you asked nicely."

"Fluffy, I’d rather lick dungeon moss."

That evening, in her room, Evelisse sat at her desk, ink-stained fingers gripping a quill as she sketched out a rough diagram of the Council chamber and the times Lucien was summoned.

"See this?" she whispered. "It’s not coincidence. The Council’s emergency summons came exactly two minutes after Lucien began approaching the cell."

Fluffy bobbed above her head, peeking at the paper. "You think it was planned?"

"I know it was. Which means someone inside wants him out of the way. And if I can figure out who signed that summons..."

She tapped the parchment with her quill.

"...I can find out who’s working with the masked master."

A soft glow blinked on her wrist.

Her rune—now dim but functioning as a system timer—blinked three times.

"Next weekly task will be assigned in 5 days. Affection points remaining: 14."

Fluffy let out a tiny sigh. "You used up quite a bit last mission."

"Saving my skin tends to cost more."

"And yet... you don’t regret it."

She didn’t respond.

Because she didn’t.

Three days later, she returned to the dungeon—not through disguise this time, but under the pretense of "royal inspection." Her brothers, busy with a Council banquet, had left the castle security lax.

The guards barely gave her a second look.

The prisoners were still there—nervous, pacing, whispering.

When she stepped into the shadows and activated her new rune-boosted illusion, they dropped to their knees instantly.

"Boss!"

"We’ve waited!"

"Please don’t abandon us again!"

She raised a hand. "You failed."

They trembled.

"You let yourselves be used. And now you’ve dragged me into your mess."

The taller one blurted, "We didn’t mean to! The masked man—he said he was your contact!"

Evelisse narrowed her eyes.

"And yet you believed him? Over me?"

"We thought... we thought maybe you’d changed the plan," another

Her eyes fluttered closed. "Next time, I want pastries and a day off."

"And you’ll get all of those and more. After next week’s mission."

Her muffled groan was the last sound she made before sleep took her.

’No wonder nobody suspects anything,’ she thought. ’Fluffy, remind me to never underestimate dumb luck again.’

"Logged," Fluffy responded. "Also, new favorite moment unlocked. Insect Form—granted 100% cuteness points from one overly nostalgic guard."

Evelisse laughed as she flew through the empty halls, wings slicing the air like silk. The night was still and quiet, moonlight filtering through stained glass windows in ribbons of pale color. The castle, with its cold corridors and polished stone floors, had never felt so surreal.

She zipped past a sleepy maid dozing off in a side hallway and banked hard left toward the East Wing—her wing. Her room was just ahead.

The instant she reached the balcony ledge, her body shimmered midair. Her wings gave a final buzz before vanishing. Her limbs stretched back into their usual form, the illusion flickering out like the last spark of a dying candle. She tumbled forward with a gasp and landed flat on her plush carpet.

’Who knew cosplaying a terrifying undead mage would be this... weirdly satisfying?’

She smiled faintly as her eyelids drooped.

"I swear, if next week’s Fluffy mission doesn’t involve cake and spa day, I’m deleting this system."

Fluffy’s voice purred in her thoughts, "Spoiler alert: Next week involves poison tasting."

Evelisse groaned into her pillow.

But deep down, she couldn’t deny it—some part of her had enjoyed tonight’s chaos more than she ever expected.