“Teacher, you said I should kill the opponent before they even develop the intent… but how do I judge when that intent arises?”
The Red Hair girl, her forehead covered in Shaomi sweat, looked at the Teacher while holding a Wooden Sword.
“That… you have to judge with your Heart.” The Teacher stepped forward two steps to correct the girl’s posture.
“Eyes, speech, even subtle movements… there are many ways to betray the Heart. By reading these clues and forming a complete picture, you can see the truth hidden beneath words.”
“I see.”
Young Tii repeated the words, raising her arm high and pointing her Wooden Sword toward the sunset. Then, she took a deep breath, and the sword swept down like a gale.
***
What pulled Tii back to reality was Nori’s ear-piercing scream.
The sharp sound was like Shaomi needles, shattering the peace of the Bedroom and making anyone who heard it feel anxious.
Tii walked in and pulled back the pink velvet curtains. On the messy bed, a Little Princess with blond hair in a bright red Lolita dress was screaming and flailing.
Nori held the Crystal Inlaid Scissors given by a foreign envoy years ago. The crystal on the handle shimmered as she used it as a tool for destruction, shredding the pillows on the bed one by one.
Feathers floated around the luxurious Bedroom like Snow, landing everywhere. The high-quality silk sheets were crumpled into a mess. The once-elegant room was now a disaster.
Seeing Tii, Nori seemed to find an outlet for her anger. She vented her frustration by throwing all the ruined pillows to the floor.
“Nori’s Marentia is gone! Gone!” she screamed hysterically. “Nori hates this room! It’s all their fault I lost my head Maid!”
Tii sighed softly, adjusted her sleeves, and bent down to pick up the ruined pillows and put them back.
“Her Highness, calm down,” Tii said. “I have followed your Royal Command and investigated the accident regarding Marentia.”
Nori’s Eye widened, bloodshot and filled with desperation. She asked urgently, “What did you find? Was Marentia’s Death because…”
Her voice trembled with expectation.
“An accidental fall,” Tii said calmly, looking at Nori without a flicker of emotion. “According to my deduction, Marentia took a wrong turn while delivering the Map and ended up on a cliff. Because the forest was dense and the light was poor, she didn’t see the drop and fell.”
The blond girl froze for a moment, then slowly crawled up from the bed, staring at the Red Hair Maid. “A fall? Is that true?”
“I checked the scene thoroughly and found no abnormalities. I believe this is the cause.”
Tii spoke without a hint of hesitation. A master of disguise has the Ability to make lies sound like the absolute truth. However, Nori was not completely convinced, a hint of suspicion lingering in her Eye.
“The location was near the meeting point?”
“Yes, that is why Marentia took a wrong turn.”
“And you found no signs of a struggle?”
“Yes, everything seemed normal.”
“You… aren’t lying to Nori?” Nori scrutinized the obedient Maid, trying to find some flaw in her story.
“Her Highness, we are on the same side. I have no reason to deceive you.”
Tii remained as calm as ever, falling silent once her report was finished.
***
Nori poked the bedsheets with her scissors for a while, then sat with her legs crossed as if thinking. Suddenly, she looked up, her bloodshot Eye showing a cold light rather than sadness.
“But Nori’s plan can’t end like this! Nori and Marentia promised to create a happy World!” The Little Princess sat up. “Tii, Nori needs you to deliver more things. As a reward, Nori will double your gold.”
“Her Highness, continuing the mission at this time is a True Danger.”
“It’s fine! Nori has arranged everything for this task. You won’t even need to use Su Ling. Just go out to buy spices for the palace and take this fragment with you.”
“I won’t take such a dangerous Mission.”
“Then triple… no, quadruple pay!” Nori waved four fingers in front of Tii. Then, she handed over a red box containing an Earth Dragon Bone Fragment. It was carved with patterns. “Don’t you do anything for money? Nori will give you gold coins. The most gold coins! The contact is ready. This is the last Mission. Take the money and leave this City forever! No one can catch you then, and you won’t have to live in fear!”
The girl’s voice grew excited, her blond hair swaying. “So, do this last one for Nori, Tii!”
She stood on the bed, her red dress rustling amidst the floating feathers.
*So you did notice, Nori.*
Tii was not as excited as the Little Princess. She looked at the shimmering blade and took the fragment, glancing at it briefly. It was carved with the Snake-Butterfly Totem, the lines as dense as strands of hair. The drawings seemed meaningless, but Tii knew that every variation in the lines contained secret codes she couldn’t read.
The Mission was clear: she was delivering a letter with unknown contents during a sensitive time. It was a lure. This time, Nori’s target was not Lier, but Tii.
After Marentia’s Death, Tii was certain that Lier had already targeted Nori. Taking action was only a matter of time.
*From Nori’s perspective, once she knows Lier is onto her, her priority is no longer helping the Rebel Army, but clearing her own name.*
Tii analyzed the situation. In a crisis, self-preservation comes first. The best way for Nori to save herself was to provide a scapegoat and pretend to be a victim. Tii was the perfect candidate for that scapegoat.
In order to avoid this fate, Tii had intended to hide the truth a bit longer, but it seemed Nori was not as ignorant as she appeared.
*The situation is serious. Someone as suspicious as Lier probably already guessed the truth about Marentia’s death, even without an investigation…* Tii smiled bitterly to herself. *That’s why you gave me this “last Mission,” Nori.*
The Little Princess assumed Tii was a spy hiding in the palace, a mercenary who valued money above all else. With that attitude, she blindly believed that as long as she offered a high enough reward, Tii would fall for the trap and walk into an ambush with an Earth Dragon Bone Fragment disguised as Rebel Army evidence. Then, the scapegoat would be caught, the Ampierduan soldiers would swarm in, and Nori would become the hero who exposed a spy for the Kingdom. It was a naive plan, but a plan nonetheless.
“Tii, why aren’t you answering? Are you going to do it or not!” The Little Princess grew impatient, waving her Crystal Inlaid Scissors. Her Eye followed Tii. “Nori hates waiting! Don’t make me wait too long!”
Tii smiled faintly, her expression calm.
“I understand, Her Highness. I will follow your Royal Command.”
She closed the red box, put it in her pocket, and walked toward the door. Behind her, Nori’s lips curled into a smile. She slowly raised the Crystal Inlaid Scissors, pointing the sharp tip at Tii’s Heart.