Later that very day when the sun had set and the gathering had come to an end, the city of Galos returned to its usual bustling nature.
The streets were filled with students and residents alike going about their business and enjoying the evening due to the cancellation of classes for two days.
However mixed into these seemingly regular people were spies. It was known that Aron's home resided near the business district so most chose to blend in there as the path leading to his home was deserted so it gave no ideal cover.
At this time Aron was in his study casually seated on a sofa near a fireplace. Lady Rose sat on the opposite end of this sofa and had her legs rested on a footstool while Evanora laid on the carpet just staring at the fireplace.
"I had always thought purchasing a home was unnecessary but this is quite nice. My tower is rather bland and doesn't give the same sort of privacy and allure your home does." Lady Rose complimented as she laid her head back with her eyes closed.
Aron had also just been silently sitting there contemplating how to proceed from his current position. "A personal space can make one quite productive from time to time. *sigh* Can we discuss how to proceed another day? I'm mentally saturated at the moment." At this point Aron realized he was feeling something akin to mental fatigue.
Although sleep didn't seem necessary for his body to function normally, it still helped to clear one's head and rest at the very least especially after not doing so since before arriving at the Komi Islands.
"Hm? Oh I stopped that line of thought the moment I arrived in this room. Trying to compose a plan while fatigued will only work against us so for now let's give those we're up against a chance to make a few moves." Lady Rose replied while still keeping her eyes shut and with a small smile plastered on her face.
"So you didn't think it necessary to tell me that before I began pondering?" Aron asked in an unamused tone but the one to answer was Evanora who was kicking her legs in the air. "That's how Evanora feels when you teach her big things."
"A lesson for another day. Mundane topics aside are you planning on formally reforming your little group as an official faction?" Lady Rose asked without turning her head or opening her eyes.
Even she didn't know what Aron's true thoughts on the matter were, whether he was doing this just out of necessity or if he perhaps held some attachment to some members.
Aron however shook his head at this without hesitation. "No, not especially. If our current objective is handled right we'd have no use for them. They are somewhat talented in their own right but a hindrance still given the way we've chosen to go about things." Aron replied casually but without the usual coldness in his voice which roused Lady Rose's interest.
'You understand loneliness quite well don't you Aron? All three of us really...' Lady Rose momentarily opened her eyes and glanced at Aron only for a short while before retracting her gaze.
...
While Aron and Lady Rose took a break from their plans, the world continued to move and the forces interested in them only grew.
Anastasia was at her residence and chose to isolate herself in her room to get away from all the commotion happening within the aristocratic community.
*knock* *knock*
A light knock soon resounded on her door and caused her to sit up from her bed and sigh irritatedly. "I told you not to bother me with invitations, no matter which family it's from turn them away and don't bother me again!" She commanded quite angrily before laying back down.
Ever since the gathering came to an end, aristocrats began to invite one another to small groupings to discuss the current situation.
Anastasia had no interest in taking part in such a thing as she wanted to forget Aron even existed in that moment.
"M-Milady you have a guest..." The servant replied in a trembly voice from the other side of the door where Juliet stood beside her dressed in a causal attire which was quite rare of her. "It's me Anastasia, May I speak with you?" She asked without waiting for the maid to explain any further.
No answer came but the door soon opened with Anastasia behind it staring at Juliet quite seriously. "Do come in." She said blankly before gesturing her to walk in.
"Pardon the intrusion." Juliet said monotonously before stepping inside while the maid could only bow before quickly excusing herself from the scene.
Juliet didn't bother sitting once inside but instead turned to face Anastasia with a cold look. "The information about Aron's group and myself in the Komi Islands... I didn't report them so I came to you to ask if you had any idea as to who might have done so in the group." Juliet got straight to the point and asked this of Anastasia who didn't seem all that surprised by this.
"Perhaps one of the crew members then, don't forget it was Belle who hand picked them along with us to be a team. Their loyalty was never guaranteed so it would have been more surprising if there wasn't a leak in information." Anastasia's words held ground as it would have been indeed strange for them to not reveal what occurred there.
Juliet however still had some doubts over the matter. "This matter didn't reach Belle first, given her stance with her family it would be illogical of her to want to draw in a crowd... something isn't right." Juliet muttered with furrowed brows but Anastasia remained showing a look of disinterest.
"Whatever the real case is it has nothing to do with me. If that was all you wished to discuss then we are done here." Anastasia had just about heard enough and was still quite irritated over the humiliation her family received from Aron today so the topic was very detestable to her.
"That isn't all, I want to request your assistance in this matter concerning Aron." Juliet suddenly revealed catching Anastasia off guard and leaving her confused. "What do you mean? If you're asking how to obtain the information he has then I'm sorry I can't be of any help in that regard. Be it with you or my family I want nothing to do with the situation."
Anastasia was yet to recover from the surprise she experienced earlier that day. If Aron dared to be so brazen in front of her grandfather then it meant he had methods of ensuring his own safety.
In truth Aron was yet to make any solid measures if he were to actually be attacked head on by the aristocratic community but Anastasia's reverence of him had grown to a point where she herself will think of possible methods he could use and then conclude Aron has considered that as well.
After all she had no way of knowing Aron more times than not just adapted to a situation rather than plan it perfectly from scratch. However the illusion of him being such a foe had already been firmly planted in the minds of many now.
"I have no interest in his information, rather I want to make sure it isn't obtained by anyone, including my family." Juliet revealed her true intentions making Anastasia's confusion grow even more.
This was clearly some ploy. But what was the end goal? The true intentions? Just thinking of how she might end up in another unsavory situation made Anastasia's head ache so she quickly shook her head to reject the proposal.
"Whatever it is you're planning, like I've said I'm not interested." Anastasia made her stance final and turned her back to Juliet, it was clear she wasn't going to be moved no matter what Juliet said her motives were.
"Considering you've been working with him this long why not help me?" Juliet asked bluntly but Anastasia showed no shift in her state, even her heart rate remained steady as she turned to face Juliet with narrowed eyes. "Be careful of what accusations you throw around, why would I need to work with the person who almost killed me, threatened my friends and humiliated my family?"
"Who knows, perhaps a deal was struck or even blackmail... you would know Aron's way of thinking better than I. Your intelligence exceeds mine Anastasia, which is why you should know I wouldn't say something like this to you without concise evidence at the very least."
Juliet's expression remained blank and without emotion as she continued to speak whereas Anastasia rattled her mind for what to say in reply.
"So you're resorting to blackmail?" She asked with clear irritation in her voice and Juliet nodded.
"If it means gaining your assistance then yes, take it how you will. In time you'll come to realize that I'm doing you along with everyone else a favor."
Anastasia still couldn't fully grasp the situation but it didn't seem like Juliet was going to back down no matter what. "Fine, it's not like I have much of a choice. What's the purpose of you doing this anyway?"
"....To stop-"
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