“I wonder how Teto is doing. What’s she going to eat?”
“Stop. Leave her to your sisters. Sisi already called Karl to come back to the house for the night.”
Sisi and Kato were inside a safe house, in one of the gentrified areas of the city. The group left the Bozz without much trouble, leaving the two behind to catch a cab. The rest of them had jumped on the buses toward their homes. As night approached, so did Sisi’s mission and Kato was there to shadow her job.
The safe house was just another small flat in the area, but of course it was emptied of most furniture. Surrounded by plain wooden flooring and painted white walls, there were a few chairs and a wooden table with some basic stationery and sheets of blank paper on it. At least toiletries were maintained by the Eternian agents who used this safe house.
In Sisi’s hand was something like a blocky mobile phone, but it had more than just cellular capabilities. It had the functionalities that would merit it being called a handheld command-and-control relay post.
“It isn’t just for bookkeeping your missions. It’s for making sure you have the resources to complete the mission.”
On the floor were a few cardboard boxes, presumably prepared by said Eternian agents who were at Sisi’s beck and call.
“Like how?”
“Sisi shall contact the right agents, or they shall come to Sisi in one way or another. With time, you shall learn who to contact and who shall contact you.”
She opened one of the cardboard boxes to reveal a mound of clothes wrapped in clear plastic, a couple of sets each for Sisi and Kato.
“Quick, let us change into these clothes and get started. Sisi is going to need some help with it.”
She pulled an extravagant white one-piece dress out of the box, semi-surprised at both the preparation involved and the details of the mission.
“Now, help Sisi.”
Without hesitation, she stripped off her clothes to reveal a small and flimsy frame that didn’t ascribe to her real status as a super-soldier. A scar ran down the middle of her chest, splitting the lanes of her taxiway in two, and superimposed on her centre was Eternia’s emblem, a simple unicursal hexagram. Sighing at the old lady who was not only his guardian but also his superior, he grabbed a part of the dress from the back and tied up the knots.
“Do you strip for just any guy?”
“Of course, not. Who do you think Sisi is?”
“So I guess that means that I’m just your slave.”
“Bingo. You are also your sisters’ slave too, are you not? This is not a new experience for you.”
“Not false. But I liked the version of you on the first day of class. You were cuter and more honest.”
“You are fifty years too late to hit on Sisi. If you were mine equal, then Sisi would definitely be head over heels over your flattery. No wonder all the other girls flock around you.”
After clipping on the accessories to her dress, he kneeled down to help her with the tiny heels, as if he was the prince putting on the glass slipper for the princess.
“Thanks for your appraisal, but what can I say, I’m too good at this. And you’re too good at this too. When you were a kid, were you as awkward as you were when we first met?”
“A lot more so. Mostly because all mine contemporaries were mine equals. Sisi is a lot calmer to those above and below her.”
Kato retreated from her as he finished and Sisi was happy with the new dress. Without wasting time, she put back her usual Oriental pin in her hair, and tore open the next box to find an assorted array of combat equipment, enough to outfit a commando in full gear. Needless to say, she could only carry a few of those items.
Similarly, Kato stripped his casual clothes off for the plain-looking vest and dress pants that were underneath her dress. If his grandma was going to change her clothes out here, he had no problems doing it too.
“Sisi, how did you get that scar?”
“Oh, mine scar? Just real bad luck.”
Kato gave her a bemused look, to which she shrugged as she put a revolver into a built-in holster beneath the fluff of her dress at the hip. He guessed that he would find out when she was prepared to tell him.
“Then what about your tiny body? Is it supposed to be combat worthy? Though Evie too looks like she’s not, it’s because she’s a partial designer child.”
“Sisi is the same as Evie. Sisi is a partial designer child too.”
“Really? I thought Evie was the only one.”
“Nah, but Sisi’s transformation was a prototype and was only considered a partial success. Sisi’s specs are well within deity levels, but there were a few strange side effects. Sisi has her height stunted, but also gained great longevity. If the natural laws of this world allow it, Sisi can live on forever.”
“So you’re expected to live for a hundred and fifty years?”
“That’s right.”
He whistled as he slotted a small knife into its holster under his dress shoes. Tied around his heel was a pouch for a few miniature pen-shaped smoke grenades.
True designer children were modified at or before conception, but Sisi and Evie had their bodies alchemically modified after they were born, so at best they were only partial designer children.
“Then how come Evie didn’t stop growing after grade school?”
“Obviously the technology used was more advanced, though Sisi’s mod worked out well enough. Evie’s mod was a lot more ambitious, and as a result she is perfect in every regard, whether it is appearance or combat strength.”
“Yeah, she’s perfect. But that power came at a great cost.”
“Umu. Sisi has heard as well. At most, she shall live for twenty-five more years. Without a doubt, Sisi shall outlive her.”
Opening the firing chamber of a pistol he picked up from the box, he checked for gunk and dirt to clean out.
“She used to have black hair, back when we first met her in the orphanage. She was also an ugly duckling too, but she turned out to be the most popular and envied in our class. Is that a result of the modding?”
“Her body, yes, her hourglass figure was partly the result of the transformation, but her face is all-natural.”
Kato whistled again. Sisi was already finished with changing into her new clothes and pocketing her equipment, and was now at the washroom mirror putting on makeup.
“What about you, Sisi? How come you’ve got chosen to do the transformation?”
There was a short break before she answered.
“It is a long story. The short answer is that Sisi made an emotional choice that a typical twelve-year-old like mine past self would choose.”
“An emotional choice?”
“Yes. Think of what you were doing and the kind of choices you were making when you were finishing grade school.”
Sisi reappeared from the washroom, her appearance now fitting of a typical aristocrat or bourgeois. Facing her was Kato in his new sleeveless blazer over a long-sleeved white dress shirt, taking on the role of her butler on this mission. She gave him a once-over, making sure everything looked spick-and-span on Kato.
“Looking good, Kato. Your training has served you well.”
She gave him an earpiece, which he took and put into his ear. The microphone was on the wire, clipped to his lapels, while the rest of the wire went into his shirt and into an inner pocket that held the miniature radio that served as their walkie-talkie. Similarly, Sisi had already set it up on her person. The technology was definitely way more advanced than the ones that the children used last week in their operation against Class E.
“A bit too good for someone from the slums, Sisi thinks. Normally, Sisi would imagine you did not get any chance to wear anything this formal at all.”
“And normally, you’d be right. But fortunately, I’m not originally from the slums.”
After staring intently at Kato, she grabbed a small squeeze bottle of hair gel from the desk, dumped some on her hands, tippy-toed up behind him and combed through his hair vigorously.
“Yes, Sisi knows too. As a result, the rest of the Hearts are wary of you and Teto’s allegiance.”
“And that’s why you’re here, right?”
She shrugged. Finished with his hair, which was now thoroughly gelled back, she pocketed the bottle in Kato’s vest pocket and went into the mini-kitchen to wash her hands of the sticky fluid.
“Non, whether the other Hearts are going to listen to Sisi is another story. Or Lady Eterna, for that matter. When Sisi said y’all shall be evaluated by Sisi, y’all really are being evaluated for only Sisi.”
“Is that how it works? Sounds like you’re doing something for nothing.”
“Hah. It may be meaningless technically speaking, but you are not out there to make the world do everything in the right way. As you see more of the real world, you shall learn what to do and not to do to achieve what you want.”
“And you took this job being our grandmother, because there’s something you want to do?”
“Exactly.”
Walking to the door, she opened it and strutted out the flat, her steps bouncing cheerily like a leprechaun’s. Kato followed her out the door, ready for tonight’s mission. The same cab was downstairs, as the driver had given over the keys to Sisi beforehand, waiting to take them to their next destination.
“Are you gonna tell me what it is?”
Sisi grinned, as if she was the twelve-year-old that her outward appearance was. She held out her hand to him, to which he knew to extend his elbow for her to grab onto.
“Nope. Sisi shall tell you when it is time to.”
The Westgrove residence was not too far away from the Eternian safe house, it turned out. Though it was imperative that operating procedures were kept as inconspicuous as possible, there had to be a compromise with operational effectiveness. In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived at the front of the gates to a large mansion on the edge of the urbanized city, some ways up the hills that ring the valley floor.
It was already close to seven, the time that the initial reception would officially close and have the banquet started. For the upper class, it was more common to show up way earlier to the party so that they could mingle and find out what was new and trending in the elite circles. It was important to be a social person so that one could keep oneself on top of things to survive under shifting power balances and whatnot.
Alice, unfortunately, was not interested in any of this, and so they were only barely getting to the party on time. They waited in their small car on the long, circling driveway as they watched the Westgrove family march out of their house, surrounded by caretakers and bodyguards. There were several black sedans in front of the two Eternians, parked and ready to take their passengers.
Alice, whom Kato saw not even an hour ago, was transformed completely from the trendy gal look to one fitting of an aristocrat. Like the little girl in a white dress next to him in the driver’s seat, Alice too wore a dress just as refined and fluffy, pale in colour and cut short above her knees. Her shoulders and back were bare, and she had white gloves and a purse. Not exactly a wedding theme, but it did give off that feel.
One of the men in the party, seemingly the big boss of the family, broke from the group alone and walked over to their car’s driver window. Sisi rolled down the glass at the push of a button, so that the handsome man with plenty of facial hair was in clear view of the persons inside the car. His blond hair, in the same shade as Alice’s, was short enough already but was gelled back anyways.
“Good evening, Number Two. Thank you for coming along for today. I trust that you have all the things you need by now?”
“Of course, Albert. We are as ready as we shall ever be. A Heart’s pride is in our mission.”
Sisi used an interesting set of honorifics in her words. Unlike her speech patterns with the children, she put even more distance in it by using the first person plural to refer to herself.
“I’m glad that’s the case. Who’s the gentleman next to you?”
“The future Number Seven. He is a good kid. The Elders have high hopes for him.”
Though Kato’s expression didn’t change, in his mind he was incredulous at how he was assigned a Number by Sisi on her own. No doubt this was the first time he was hearing this.
“It puts me at ease knowing that there will be two Hearts at the venue. Once again, you have my thanks, Number Two, and may you have an outstanding career, future Number Seven.”
Sisi nodded as Albert bowed and left for the car in front of their own. Hearing the engines rev before them, it suddenly reminded Kato of the degree of seclusion that was typical of the outskirts of the city. This everyday sound he could hear on his street was loud, but it was extra loud and eerie here on the edge of Tseungkwano town.
He remembered how Alice told him of the emptiness she felt living in a place like this, and without a doubt, he could feel the inkling of loneliness already. If he were to live long-term like this, he would probably go insane himself, so he felt both admirable and unfortunate that Alice had to put up with it. Starting the engine too, Sisi and Kato followed behind the Westgrove family as they moved out of their villa for the Lafayette household.
“I’m the future Number Seven?”
“Ya. A Hearts candidate. Excited?”
“Not particularly. It’s the same to me.”
The trip was not far at all, even shorter than the ride to the Westgrove residence. They passed through hillside roads and subtropical forest to the next villa, giving Kato a nice view of the clustered city below him. It was like hiking to the Chang temple near their home, idly admiring the scenery behind him from time to time. Throughout the ten or so years making that hike countless times, he didn’t really notice as the city slowly changed below him. Kato, on some level, took it for granted that the city below was his home. Now, on his first mission as a Hearts candidate, a job he was raised for, he realized that Livia was not as eternal as he thought it was. Each time he looked on, he could feel the tears well up in his eyes, knowing that he would soon leave behind this place for good.
Driving into the wide taxiway of yet another giant residence, significantly larger than the Westgroves’, they saw that the home was very lively. Various peoples of different backgrounds in fancy and formal attire were mingling at every open expanse on this property. Complete with wine glasses, cigars, monocles and women, the party was indeed something straight out of a movie.
“Let’s go.”
And so, grandmother and grandson walked together along the steps to the entrance of the manor, some distance away from the Westgrove party in front of them, which was already immediately flanked by several SPs. It was as if the Eternian squad was an afterthought, but it was probably better off if the Eternians weren’t so conspicuous about who their clients were.
The atmosphere was quite laid back, with people slowly moving between the house and the yards. Here, comfort was king. The party passed through the reception at the front lobby fairly quickly, as the receptionist only needed to nod at Albert at the helm. Many others came up to Albert of their own volition to greet and shake hands with the blond man, clearly showing that he was one of the great influencers in this gathering.
“Kato, do you feel anything out of the ordinary?”
“Nope. No alchemical anomalies yet either.”
Normally, Sisi’s outward appearance would have stuck out like a sore thumb, but then again, there were children of the upper classes here as well. More importantly, both of them were suppressing their presences among the crowd, making them less recognizable in people’s peripherals. No doubt, if there were any would-be assassins present, they would be doing the same thing.
“Remember to read the air within your natural flow. That way, the enemy is less likely to detect that you’re on the lookout for them.”
It was a basic scientific principle where the observer affected the observed because there was information flow from one space to another. It was especially true for users of alchemy, which was all about reading mana flow in the natural environment and manipulating this energy. It was intricately tied to the existence of life, specifically souls. Living beings themselves were the interfaces through which they could interact with the flow of mana around them.
Arm in arm, they too let themselves past the front lobby and into the main hall. The ceiling was high and the walls built and decorated with a very baroque and church-like feel. Normally, this kind of architecture was traditional to the aristocracy of Candor and Auxiria, but it was popular and classy enough to be copied by the bourgeoisie. There were long tables covered in plates of various cuisines from across the country, meats and vegetables alike. Servers waited at the ends of the tables, servicing their patrons with the food and wine. If only Evie were here, Kato thought.
As they were masking their presences, they drifted through the crowd unhindered while picking up on tidbits of conversation. There were plenty of people around, having conversations that Kato thought were bizarre due to the overly patrician speech and otherworldly discussion topics.
It was not quite the same as Sisi’s speech patterns; it was more of a modern set of honorifics with a different set of vocabulary from the lower classes, and entirely in New Yue. As for their contents, it was certainly different in worldview, coming from people who lived a life of luxury. Although Kato had some reservations about their warped perception of the situation on the ground for the lower classes, he also noticed the thriftiness and the drive to succeed in their voices. It was obvious that they didn’t take their fortunes for granted. They were the bourgeoisie for a reason.
“Let’s have a bit of the veal there.”
Suddenly, the little kid in Sisi resurfaced as she pulled him along to one of those tables, eyes sparkling at the abundance of meats.
“What?”
“You are too uptight, Kato. It is a mission, but we are only here as backup, so we need to stay as inconspicuous as possible. This means blending in with the crowd. Suppressing our presences only go so far.”
“But you’re famous, aren’t you? Wouldn’t blending in make you stand out even more?”
“Actually, only a few recognizes Sisi as a Heart. Sisi is more known as a nomenklatura.”
“So the Hearts aren’t actually famous.”
“They are only famous titles. Those titles do not have a face, and they never had. You saw how Albert addressed us.”
Mirroring Sisi, Kato too took a plate from one of the self-serve tables. Hearing Sisi’s indifferent tone on the matter, he felt he could loosen up his form that he didn’t realize was rigid as stone. Sisi was right; he was a bit too nervous about his first day on the job.
“Why’s that?”
“Because that is how the position is. Across history, the feats of the Hearts are always tied to their titles. Due to the nature of the job, the persons behind them may change in an instant.”
“But that Albert guy knows you, right? At least you are famous.”
“Sisi is an exception. She has been around for how many years? But even then, not many people know who Sisi is. Probably, only Albert here knows who Sisi is.”
“Not any of the Lafayettes?”
“Maybe some of the older Lafayettes, not sure actually. But today there is only one here.”
“Wait, isn’t this their home?”
“Hah. If you think a family would only have one residence, then you have got another one coming. In fact, they have a few in this city, and this one is used exclusively by Gilbert.”
Scanning his vision towards the end of the long and expansive hall, not quite yet but just about comparable with the atrium at Korolev Senior, he spotted the tall Gilbert in his usual appearance. His wavy hair that almost reached his shoulders was no different from when he was in school, and his attire was modest yet tidy like his school uniform. It was probably his uncommon height that made him stand out despite the lacklustre outfit.
Unsurprisingly, Stephen stood next to his boss, but his transformation was much starker versus his school appearance. The normally straggly look was replaced with a sleeker and cleaner makeover, in both his attire and his demeanour. In short, he did not disgrace his status.
“Look, the two families are coming together now.”
The Westgrove party, with Albert and Alice at the helm, greeted the Lafayette side at the slightly elevated platform that they were standing on, surrounded by other family members and their various clients, though Gilbert was the only one from the Lafayette family. It said a lot about the position of the Lafayettes in this kind of a situation.
Suddenly, the ringing of sleigh bells sounded throughout the premises. As if responding to a secret code, the guests dropped their idle conversations and began to gather at the end of the main hall, where the two host families were. The shuffling of people was smooth and civilized, with everyone preserving their dignified grace in their steps.
Watching the platform at the hall’s end, Kato could see that their clients lowered themselves back onto the marble flooring, leaving Albert, Alice and Gilbert left on the mini-stage. The crowd of people, not dense at all as they wouldn’t bring any kind of discomfort to themselves, looked on expectantly.
“Good evening, all.”
Surprisingly, it was Albert who was first to speak. Somehow, Kato realized correctly that this whole socialite gathering was his idea, and not Gilbert’s. There was a wireless microphone in Albert’s hand, his voice alchemically projected to the audience without any speakers.
“Thank you for coming out tonight. As some of you may have known, there has been almost a year of discussion on the direction and projections on the future of Westgrove Logistics, and that our current major initiative is to closely integrate with an ally in our industry, the Lafayette Group.
“Fortunately, our main competencies lie in different sectors of the defence industry, so instead of direct competition, there are plenty of economic benefits from an alliance between the two companies. From the efforts by both sides over the last year, we are happy to conclude that a continued alliance will bring countless opportunities for years to come.
A big applause from the audience followed. Kato lowered his head to Sisi’s ear to ask her, and remained half-crouched for her to answer.
“Is that a real reason?”
“Of course. The Lafayette Group is known mainly for its research and design in small-arms, and also acts as an independent manufacturer and supplier. Westgrove Logistics, as in its name, is mainly a supply chain business who is contracted with lots of different manufacturers to be their distributors. As such, they also have a professional private army to safeguard their supply chains from supplier to end-user. On top of that, they also have a design and manufacturing wing for auxiliary equipment like body armour or electronics.”
“Wait, is that private army us?”
“Yes and no. They have their own numbers too, but Eternia is deeply involved in it.”
Slightly more enlightened about the situation, Kato turned his head back towards the front of the stage as Albert continued.
“To cement this alliance, we’re happy to announce that the date of the marriage between Gilbert and Alice has been determined. This day next year, we will come here once again to celebrate our newlyweds’ important moment. Thank you for everyone’s support.”
He began to clap as the two high-schoolers behind him stepped up next to him, who were waving to the crowd arm-in-arm, bearing smiles that did not reveal any inkling of dissent. Applause from the people followed Albert’s, seemingly in agreement with his announcement.
“Although Gilbert’s father is busy handling affairs in our neighbouring city of Lien at the moment, he has also given them his blessing very early on. With this, we wish their union will bring prosperity to both the Westgrove and Lafayette families.”
Without a moment to spare, the gigantic doors at the other end of the great hall opened with a literal bang. Both Sisi and Kato, trained repeatedly to recognize it, immediately knew it was a blank shot from a gun. Someone was trigger-happy.
Storming through the doors were perhaps a dozen men in dull black suits, not unlike the other men at this banquet, but also wore bowler hats and sunglasses, and carried various firearms. One even carried a brown-and-grey automatic weapon with a drum-shaped magazine.
At the vanguard was an older blond man who was not too different from Albert, parting the crowd in half as he approached the three on the platform belligerently. The people around them seemed mildly spooked at the surprise raid, some even dodging out of the room or finding shelter behind the tables, but none of the goons trained their weapons on any of the crowd. While they were held onto, ready to be used, they all clutched onto their weapons on their chests, as if they were performing military drill. More likely though, the onlookers were accustomed to the appearance of gangsters with firearms.
Hand on hip, the middle-aged blond man stopped along with his crew in front of the mini-stage. He too was dressed in a black suit in the style of his companions, but the only one with a cigar in his mouth. Like a true mafia boss, one of his minions held up a glass ashtray for him to use.
“Congratulations, Albert; and to Alice and Gilbert as well.”
He started with Albert’s name, making it abundantly clear that he knew it was Albert who wanted to throw this party.
“Uncle Justin. Welcome, and thanks. There is no time like the present, am I right? A wedding is definitely something to celebrate without reservations.”
“Certainly. It’s my niece’s wedding, after all.”
“So, what’s with your peashooter squad here? This should be a peaceful gathering, no?”
The sharing of pleasantries ended quickly enough. Justin waved to his men, who put their weapons at ease. Guns were hanging off their persons by the straps, pointing down at the floor and their hands were off the triggers.
“Not when I’m here. Unfortunately, danger follows me wherever I go, ain’t it a bitch.”
“That’s fair. But did you have to come into the hall like that? Other guests are here today as well.”
“Well, it isn’t the same if I don’t arrive in my usual style, don’t you think?”
“No, you really don’t have to.”
Albert folded his fingers together as his cool expression remained unchanged. Justin, on the other hand, shook his head in disapproval. His men remaining at ease, he stepped onto the platform they were on, and extended his hand to Gilbert.
“Gilbert. I will most likely say it again later on, but my niece will be in your care. I expect you to treat her well, and respect the names that both of you hold.”
“You have my word, Mr Justin Westgrove.”
Gilbert took his hand firmly. Short and to the point, they separated as quickly as their words have been. Justin turned to Alice, who stepped forward on her own to greet him.
“Alice. I will probably say it again soon enough, but congratulations. I wish you nothing but the best.”
“Thanks, Uncle Justin.”
Patting her head fondly, they exchanged pleasant smiles as family should. They too shook hands before they separated as well. The uncle lowered himself back down on the floor, walking among his men without looking back.
“Uncle Justin. Is that all you’re here for? I have a hard time believing that.”
As Albert made that remark, more guys with guns appeared through the different doors along this hall, also carrying similar firearms to the gang that Justin brought with him. The only difference was that the newly joined gangsters had blue ties instead of the black ones on Justin’s party.
Boasting maybe double the number of gangsters, they wormed themselves around the tables and surrounded Justin and his minions. By this time, the rest of the crowd was hiding behind whatever furniture they could find. They gave the two belligerent groups a wide berth, but somehow still thought that a real battle was unlikely to ensue.
Strangely, both sides kept their weapons at ease. They held their firearms in their hands, but not yet pointing it towards each other. It was more like a standoff in the literal sense of the word.
Standing in the midst of the men was Justin, who was the only one on the floor unarmed. He didn’t bother to turn around to address Albert’s inquiry.
“I take it that you still want to cause trouble then, Albert? Or is this just grandstanding?”
“I guess it’s more of the latter than the former. But if you truly aren’t here to cause trouble, then we can solve this in a more civilized manner, can’t we?”
Albert smiled lightly. He gestured to his men, and a couple of his retinue jogged to the other end of the hall. The clicks and clacks of their boots sounded on the hard marble floor, which was followed by the creaking of the great doors at the hall’s end. The door was already half-open, but the two gangsters opened and held it wide.
“Of course. I’ll be taking my leave.”
Striding at the vanguard once again, Justin led his troops across the hall as Albert’s men in blue ties escorted them along. The clanks of their boots and weapons were loud to the rest of the motionless hall. In no time, they were out the doors that they busted through just mere minutes prior.
“Please, enjoy yourselves.”
Albert addressed everyone once the troublesome uncle left the room. The entire scene was so surreal that the remaining crowd didn’t really react, only a buzz of murmurs among themselves. The hall quietly returned to their regularly scheduled programming, as if the interruption had never happened.
The three of them also lowered themselves from the mini-stage and made their ways to one of the food tables, and they were immediately surrounded by a crowd of their peers, eager to ask them questions. At the very least, none of them showed that they were startled by Justin’s grandiose appearance. In fact, their cool attitude suggested that they expected it in the first place.
As for Sisi and Kato, they stood their ground the whole time from the behind the crowds, food in hand and their backs against the sparkling, gemstone-studded walls.
“That was really weird.”
“You are telling Sisi. She is also confused, but no matter. There was no real danger to our VIPs.”
Sisi was referring to the lack of killing intent in the air during that confrontation. Though the display of weaponry was impressive, neither he nor Sisi detected any killing intent from Justin or Albert. With that in mind, perhaps it could be seen as a well-prepared charade, but that would only be half correct. It only meant that they weren’t prepared to end each other just yet.
Emotions and alchemy were closely related, since emotions were expressions of the will of the soul in the real world. Sentient beings constantly interact with the surrounding mana flow through their emotional states, and also subconsciously read from the mana flow, albeit at a very primitive level for normal people. This subconscious interaction was the cause of various psychological phenomena, ranging from momentary premonitions like déjà vu to more advanced techniques like extrasensory perception, but most commonly, this was the main source of a person’s intuition.
Through training on this interaction, one could mask their presence like Sisi and Kato had been. They minimized their “thumbprints” on the mana flow around them, so that those nearby could not pick up these traces and recognize them in their peripherals.
On the other hand, harbouring killing intent easily disrupted the surrounding flow of mana, just like how throwing a large rock in a pond would cause great splashing and strong ripples. As such, an assassin would need to learn to control this intent until the last second, lest they alert their prey. For normal human beings, they did not have this kind of control. It was a skill that took years of training, and it would most likely not be perfect, so if there were any real intent to shoot up the place, it would have been clear as day to the two Eternians.
“What was the point of all that?”
“It was a standoff in a family feud, what can you expect? An odd standoff, but still one.”
“If that’s the case, then what exactly is the point of this marriage?”
“It’s a temporary truce between Albert and Justin. Did you know; Alice has the controlling stake in their company?”
The atmosphere around them steadily returned to how it was before Justin’s appearance, filled with chatter and glitter. The two of them stopped by a table with rows and rows of fruits from different places, and began picking out pieces of the rare and foreign fruits that didn’t grow in Livia’s vicinity.
“Alice inherited that stake, at thirty-four percent, from her father who passed away some years ago. Because Alice was and still is a minor, she did not actually have the control that that stake would normally grant, and the ownership stake is frozen instead. It is a law to protect minors from being targeted. Though we are people who live on the edge of the law, as you should know, it is a law adapted from the aristocracy, so it is respected by us and the bourgeoisie.
“The remaining ownership of Westgrove Logistics was split between Albert and Justin and their allies, each side controlling thirty-three percent each. The battle lines were drawn a long time ago. While Alice’s stake was considered uncounted, the situation was as if the two men owned the company half-half.
“But once Alice comes of age, if she decides to side with somebody, the other would lose. Or, if Alice is willing to join in the feud, then at thirty-four percent ownership she would always have the controlling stake, assuming that Albert and Justin would always vote against each other.”
“Now, where does the marriage part come in?”
Sisi poured herself a glass of mango and watermelon juice, a strange but sweet combination of fruit juices. As for Kato, he just went for the strawberry milkshake from the DIY machine.
“Let Sisi explain first. After Alice’s father passed away, the conflict between Albert and Justin only got worse, and in the past few years, they were in such opposition that the company grounded to a halt. Think of a parliament that is in deadlock, unable to pass laws. In such a case, there are some reserve powers to break the deadlock, such as calling for a snap election, but in family-owned businesses like these, a deadlock could continue indefinitely, until they burn themselves to ashes.”
“But this is only until Alice comes of age, right? Then she will have the legal decision-making power in the company, and possibly break the stalemate.”
“Right. The first problem is that she does not have the will to join the feud herself. That should be obvious enough. If she merely does nothing when she comes of age, then the feud continues unabated, and may even bring harm to Alice herself, who would now be a target for either faction to ‘win’ over, using whatever means they decide to use.
“The second problem is the uncertainty of their company’s future tied to Alice’s marriage. Her future spouse would co-own Westgrove Logistics with Alice’s stake, which is what Albert and Justin are more afraid of. Therefore, they decided that Gilbert was amenable to both parties, and convinced Alice to marry into the Lafayette family for that sake.”
“Isn’t that kind of dangerous? To give the largest stake of the company to someone outside the family?”
“I do not believe they are worried about this type of paternal way of thinking too much. They secured this marriage for their own benefits. Think of it from their point of view. Their number one priority should be, by the time she comes of age, have convinced Alice to join their side by any means necessary, including force.
“But Alice is not exactly alone in this feud. Apparently, she has made it abundantly clear to everyone involved that she has no interest in running the business, to ward off any overt foul play against her by either side. In addition, word on the street is that when she is married, she shall divest to each side one percent of her ownership so that she no longer has the controlling stake. Both Albert and Justin shall face each other at thirty-four percent, leaving Alice in peace.”
“I see. Altogether with the law, she was able to stay away from the feud.”
“As much as it was possible. Of course, both sides approached her countless times to curry favour from her. It was only natural. But without a strong support base, as Alice was too young to be involved in the business, the moment she turns eighteen, it is fair game and she shall not last long.”
“Ah, now I see the predicament. That law, while meaning to protect, also backfires. If her stake in the business is frozen, then without a previously established faction supporting her within the company, it’s hard for her to start building her clout inside the company, since her decision-making rights were frozen by the law.”
“That is right. She is a lady, so she was not tied to the company’s business very much to start with, and as a result, her father did not leave much behind for her within the company. In fact, she was not supposed to receive any ownership stakes at all. At the time, her father had decided to split the company’s ownership in exactly half, between Albert, Justin, and their respective allies. It was through Albert’s scheming that he convinced their father to give everything to Alice instead.”
Casually throwing away some tissues, Sisi picked up a glass of wine from one of the roaming servers. On the other hand, Kato took another plate from the table and gathered more fruits instead.
“And Albert did that because, assuming he’s after the control of the company, he thought Alice would be easier to convince than the opposition.”
“Correct. And by doing the legwork to get Alice her stakes, he expected Alice to be more willing to bend to his will.”
“And is she?”
“No, by the looks of things. Maybe there are some details that are missing, but the most damning thing to not suggest otherwise is that she called for this marriage. In a sense, it was her choice to marry.”
Kato choked on the fruit he was chewing on. Sisi sighed, slapping him on the back with a bit of force and he quickly recovered. His mouth gaped as he asked in disbelief.
“It was her choice?”
“It was really the only choice she had. She is a smarter girl than anyone would think. If she does not marry somebody who is friendly to both sides, she shall be caught in the crossfire once she comes of age.”
“And the two guys just agreed to it? I can’t imagine the two of them being on board immediately.”
“You can see that Justin is not so careful in hiding his dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, Albert seems to be content with this, probably because he agreed with the choice of Gilbert in the first place.”
“It was Albert’s suggestion? And Alice agreed to it?”
“Non. Let Sisi try again. Alice decided that she shall marry somebody on the day she turns eighteen, and she suggested that Gilbert was a suitable spouse. Perhaps because Gilbert is friendly with Albert, he agreed with her suggestion and recommended them to marry.”
“So in actuality, Alice is siding with Albert, isn’t she? Or at least, Albert sees that their marriage brings him benefits and maybe control of her shares.”
Sisi tinged the glass in her hands with her nails, shaking her head.
“They are friendly, but they are not friends. Compared to Justin, Albert is the one more friendly with Gilbert. But this is as far as Sisi knows. Any further is speculation on the relationship between the four of them. On the surface at least, they all seem to agree on this marriage, even if Justin agrees begrudgingly.
“Even if, in the short term, neither Albert nor Justin gets closer to the ownership stakes they sought from Alice, the alliance with the Lafayette Group is no laughing matter. Most likely, they see it as an opportunity to expand their influence while the internal feud at home remains in a stalemate. Neither of them is losing with this marriage.”
Kato gave himself a moment to digest the information. It was eye-opening as much as it was mouth-opening, to say the least.
“Gilbert, while he was still a minor, acted through his mother, by the way. He has been involved in his family business for a few years now, but since he came of age this year, he was given a big percentage of ownership of his family business. That is why now; their marriage is set in stone.”
“He’s a year older than us? I didn’t know.”
“He was held back for a year at some point due to extreme tardiness, supposedly. Sisi looked into the school records.”
“Hmm. That reminds me. How did you learn of all of this, Sisi?”
“Sisi asked Alice on it.”
Kato sighed deeply. He didn’t expect that.
Suddenly, they both turned in the direction of Alice at the same time, both sensing movement in that direction. Seeing her bow to her peers around her and leaving for the main doors, the two of them began following her as well.
“Hey, what’s our mission again? Alice, right? Not Albert or anybody else.”
“Correct. But on the other hand, Sisi is more intrigued about the situation outside.”
“Outside?”
“It’s hard to sense it while we are concealing ourselves, but the number of people on this compound hasn’t gone down.”
Kato nodded. Naturally, being able to read mana flow at Sisi’s level meant that it was easy for her to detect the presence of normal people around her. Sparing a last glance at Albert and Gilbert, he and Sisi followed Alice on the path that those goons took a bit earlier out of the great hall and into the front lobby.
Now that the party was well under way, the lobby had much less people than when they first entered. As he neared the front doors of the residence, he too felt the same presence that Sisi told him moments ago. Peeking out from behind the giant set of doors, it confirmed what he could already sense. Parked on the side of the thin road were many luxury cars, but there were four that were obviously occupied. There was little doubt that that was Justin’s group.
“I think they’re just sitting in their cars. Are they waiting for something to happen?”
Whatever sunlight that was left was disappearing quickly, signalling the arrival of evening. The surrounding bushes took on a shadowy character as it blended with the darkening sky.
“Seems like we must keep them under surveillance, at least until their intentions are confirmed. Ah, what a bother. Kato, please follow Alice. Sisi shall stay here.”
He was surprised. Kato didn’t have a problem with separating from Sisi; it was just that Sisi seemed to have faith in his abilities. He was strangely buoyed by the thought, and had her let go of his arm. She tapped the tiny machine in her ear.
“Remember, Sisi is always here if you need her.”
Kato nodded. He turned in the direction of the wide stairs that led to the upper balcony, his eyes following Alice’s soft footsteps above them.
“Got it.”