Chapter 3 - Cat and Mouse

The cornered man glared at the lady who was smirking proudly with dried leaves on her long wavy hair. He sneakily reached under his black cloak and in the blink of an eye, threw a sharp dagger towards Blaire's direction. She instinctively dodged the weapon as if she was expecting it and jumped off the wall to have the same footing as the suspect. He immediately thrust another blade towards her but Blaire swiftly bent her body backward and kicked his outstretched arm using her right foot making the weapon flutter on the hard ground. She skillfully lunged forward and grabbed him by the throat.

'Luckily, Victoria has long nails' Her smirk widened on the thought as she harshly dug her sharp nails deep into his pale skin.

"Who sent you here?" She asked with a tone so poisonous that made cold shivers run down his spine. The smile on her face was nowhere to be found as she stared at him with cold eyes, warning him that she won't think twice about soaking the floor with his blood right there and then.

~.~.~.~

'Since when did the princess became like this?' The man wondered in his head while gritting his teeth in anger. 'I've been keeping an eye on her since she was a child. She was just a weak, sheltered lady, hungry for the love of the emperor all these years. How can she be this agile and threatening?’ He roughly pushed the princess's hand off his bluish neck which made her stagger backward. She bit her lip in annoyance as her golden eyes turned ferocious as if a fire was blazing within them. His heart unconsciously trembled in fear from meeting her gaze. He badly wants to escape the dire situation so he clenched his fist and threw it towards the lady but Blaire immediately slid to the side, grabbed his outward arm and twisted it pinning his sturdy body on the ground. She heaved a sigh and placed her foot harshly above his head, adding more weight on it.

'Everything would have been easier if I was in my small body. Victoria's body is very weak' she rolled her eyes at the regretful thought and panted heavily. She can feel her vision getting blurry and her whole body aching from the extreme actions she's been doing. She tried to compose herself and threatened the prey.

"Answer me if you still want to live." She ordered with a voice full of authority. He twitched his lips in pain as he tried to escape her stronghold. Victoria's nanny appeared in a rush and as she saw the commotion, she fell to the ground from shock with her lips trembling in fear.

"Joewella, can you hand me that knife?" Blaire asked calmly while pointing her finger towards the fallen dagger a few meters away from them. She thought her voice sounded gentle enough not to startle the woman but in Joewella's ears, it was the most menacing tone she has ever heard from the young princess. Even though she was frozen in place, the maid slowly moved without realizing, and with shaking hands, she offered the weapon without meeting the lady's gaze.

"Thank you." Blaire said with gratitude in her voice. She wrapped the handle on her pointed finger as she played with it in circles, patiently waiting for his answer.

"Hah! A lady like you can't kill a person. You can't even step on a little ant!" He mocked her and forced himself to laugh. Unexpectedly, she sarcastically laughed with him and pressed her foot harder on his head. "You're underestimating me too much, honey. How about we give it a try?" She bent her body near him and stuck the dagger roughly against his neck which is soaked with cold sweat and now, dark red fluids started to run down the knife. The man hissed in pain as Blaire planted it deeper with a grin on her face. She looked like a psychopath but she hates being looked down the most.

"I-I-I will speak!" The man yelped but she didn't move a single muscle. "Then do it."

"I-it was the empress! She wanted me to spy on you and report everything I've seen!" "Why?" Blaire asked once again as her face got darker. 'Why is the empress keeping an eye on Victoria? did she see her as a threat? but they already had everything the princess should have! so why?! '

"I don't know! I was just asked to do my task! She didn't tell me anything!" The man cried in despair, hoping for her to believe him and stop the harassment.

"Okay. Since you already spilled the bean, I don't think the empress would let you go without a scratch so let's just end your life right now." Blaire sarcastically threatened with an eyeful smile. The man desperately pleaded, tempted to cry just to spare his life. 'I may have tormented this man but I'm not a killer' Blaire thought silently in her mind. 'Mama and papa taught me that it is bad to kill people.' She nodded her head in agreement and thought of another idea.

''So you want to live?"

"Yes!" The man swiftly responded. "How about making a deal with me?"

"A deal?"

"I will spare your life but in exchange, be my ally" He froze for a minute and meet Blaire's gaze with a confused eye so she continued. "Well, it will be a win-win situation for you though. Today, when you report to the empress, tell her the things you usually report-- the normal things I do. Keep your mouth shut about what truly happened today because even if you don't, the Empress will dispose of you right then and there fearing that I will report to His Majesty." He snickered at her words and laughed loudly.

"You still think that the Emperor cares about you? How pitiful!" A sarcastic smile was formed on her lips but her mind was also chaos. It's true that the emperor doesn't care about Victoria but...

"Did you forgot that I look exactly like the woman he loves?" His body tensed from her unexpected comeback. He pursued his lips and met the eyes of the lady who is dominating a powerful aura.

"He may ignore and keep me away from his sight but have you ever heard of the power of tears?" Since she was a child, Victoria never showed any sign of weakness. That's what people taught about her since she is an aristocrat and a member of the imperial family. Well, at least that's what I read and understood in the book.

"Once Victoria cries in front of His Majesty, the Emperor will not see his daughter but the Empress Catherine instead. Who wouldn't be weak to his lover's tears?" She chuckled mockingly which sounded like a wicked laugh from an evil witch in the man's ears.

'I'm just making this up though. I don't think the Emperor EVER loved Victoria. I won't expect any help from him.' Blaire tried to shake off the thought but she can't deny the pitiful reality. 'Let's just hope that he will bite the bait.'

"So your death will be in vain. Why stay loyal to the empress? are you really dedicated to be one of her pawns?"

"That's none of your business"

"Oh! come on! Let's not make this any longer! My condition is just very simple. Just make me your ally!"

"and why should I agree to that?" Blaire thought for a moment. Since I learned that the Empress has been keeping an eye on me, I can't move however I want. I need to keep this man's mouth shut.

"I will give you a pay higher than the empress does"

"M-my lady!" Joewella, who has been standing silently away from them interrupted with an alarmed tone. "It's okay. Just trust me with this, okay?" Blaire lived and survived back in her world without money together with her family. She doesn't think that the problem is new to her anymore.

.

"So.... it's either you accept that offer or I'll just stab you to death right here and right?" Blaire impatiently asked with slight irritation in her voice. The man kept his mouth shut for a while, debating to himself if he would fall for her trap. As Blaire's patience grew thin, she thrust her knife up in the air and upon seeing her action, the man finally responded in panic.

"O-okay! Okay! Okay!" The man pitifully surrendered like a cry and a smile instantly played on Blaire's lips. 'I can’t trust this guy right away. He may be trembling now but he’s not dumb enough to believe everything I’ve said.’ Blaire sharply inhaled the troublesome truth but slowly loosened her grip. ‘But I bet he won’t be alive when he tells the Empress about this’ He glared at her for the nth time as she released her grip on his wrist, removed her foot on his head, and extended her arm. ‘and I guess we both know that’. She smiled confidently and patted her dirty clothes.

"Now! Let's treat your wound, Mr. Spy!" She cheerfully exclaimed which made Joewella and the man's eyebrows furrow in astonishment.

What the heck happened to the once meek princess?

..........

Author's Note:

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