The Young Lady is a Reborn Assassin

 Samantha hitched a ride on the carriage and followed me back to the estate. There was going to be no time for pleasantries. The very first thing I was going to do once I walked through the doors was find where Caius and his sister were hidden, to get their side of the story. Samantha was still unsure about the specifics, but she soon distracted herself by admiring the exterior of the house and the gardens that surrounded it.

“Wow! This place is amazing!”

“As I said before, this is every noble estate from here to the coast. They all hire the same architects and gardeners. And let me say - it loses its lustre once you’re forced to walk for ten minutes to get anywhere.”

“I never thought about it that way.”

“My Father has several staff who are dedicated to cleaning and maintaining rooms that we don’t use for anything,” I scoffed. Samantha followed me up the steps to the front doors.

The lobby was equally enrapturing to her. She dashed from painting to painting, studying them in detail before doing the same to the statues. I left my luggage by the door for later and met Franklin at the foot of the main staircase.

“Thank you for informing me of their arrival promptly, Franklin.”

He frowned, “I do hope that you aren’t getting involved with an uncouth lot. It is not my place to dictate what you can and cannot do – but your Father did ask me to keep an eye on you.”

“I appreciate what you do for me,” I replied, “I will take your opinion into consideration.”

But not really.

Samantha finally returned to my side. I was still hesitant to involve her in this business. She wouldn’t be scared away by the potential dangers, after all, she had resolved to befriend the most dangerous schoolgirl in the world. Once we reached the door to one of the guest rooms, I realised that Caius must have slipped inside while the staff were in the middle of their rotation.

“You were lucky to stumble across him when you did,” I commented to Franklin.

“I was one of the only servants doing the rounds, and it was hard to miss a grown man with a girl in his arms. Would you like for me to do anything before you speak with them?”

“No.”

I knocked on the door thrice and pulled it open. Caius was sitting next to the bed, looking like a tired wreck. I would too if I were attempting to keep an ill family member from being killed.

“Maria,” he groaned, “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Given the urgency of our business – it’s only right that I used my weekend to visit and speak with you. Franklin. Leave us.”

Franklin did as I demanded and stepped out with a deferential bow.

“I want you to tell me everything that happened after we parted ways, and spare no detail.”

Caius sighed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, “Very well.”

Caius’ story was long and twisted but mainly centred around his relationship with Cordia. She’d approached him after hearing stories about his work for other clients, breaking into places he wasn’t meant to be and making away with valuable items. Those were the skills that she was looking for.

Caius was sceptical of her offer at the time. It was the most money he’d ever seen from one contract, and that was cause for concern. His need for cash to pay for Alice’s medical bills pushed him into accepting it - regardless of his personal feelings on the matter.

Cordia kept him at arm’s length for the duration of their contact. She revealed few details about her employer or the reasoning behind the jobs demanded of him. That was not unusual, but the money, and the air she gave off meant that he was trying to be more aware.

I caught him trying to steal the party register. After I left, he returned to Clemens’ home and stole the real one, leaving it for as long as possible before delivering it to the drop-off location without Cordia’s knowledge. He couldn’t bring Alice out of the hospital before her operation was complete, but they were threatening to kill her at the same time.

When Caius returned to discharge her – they launched an attack and he fled here.

“What a terrible damn mess you’ve walked into,” I commented.

“I didn’t mean to choose your home specifically, but since I was in the area and it was the only place I’d visited before...”

“I am not here to criticise your choice of escape route, Caius.”

Samantha butted in, “Wait, so this is the bloke who stole Adrian’s watch?”

“Yes.”

“And you knew his identity the whole time?”

I shrugged, “Turning him in would do us no favours. He doesn’t know what the watch is for, nor does he know the names and faces of any of the plotters responsible for this chaos.”

Caius stood from his seat and tilted his head, “I’d like to apologise for my duplicity. You offered me a second chance and I spat it in your face like a petulant child. You were right. They never had any intention of letting us go, and now they have the candidate register.”

“I don’t blame you,” I revealed. Caius breathed a sigh of relief. “When one is faced with a difficult decision, they will always take the path that they feel is right. You did what you did to protect your sister from harm, just as I have acted to protect my uncle.”

Caius sat back down and took a moment to consider what I’d said. Alice was staring at me from beneath the blankets, holding them up to her mouth like a shield. She bore a striking resemblance to me. I recalled that Caius mentioned something along those lines during our trip to the city.

“Are you my brother’s friend?” she mumbled.

“Friend is a little strong. We’re acquaintances.”

She dropped her guard a tad and took a closer look at me.

“You’re really pretty!”

Samantha snickered, “Isn’t she? All of the boys at the academy are obsessed with her.”

I steered things back on track before they could mock me any further, “I don’t suppose you learnt anything of use during your ordeal?”

Caius shook his head, “They nary said a word to me. I delivered the documents to the post-box on the last day, and the next time we met, they were trying to kill me. I should have listened. It was too dangerous to keep Alice there.”

“I’d recommend taking what money you have left and leaving here entirely. You need to create some distance.”

Caius frowned, “I’m afraid that we can’t do that. These folks are out for blood. They won’t be satisfied until both I and Alice are dead. The only way for us to be safe is for their organisation to be brought down.”

“And how do you suppose we can do that?”

He didn’t know. He remained silent and stared at his feet.

Samantha asked for clarification, “So these monarchists are trying to attack the Social Democratic party?”

“That seems to be the case. The Social Democratic party is one of the key coalition partners for the Republicans in parliament, and they’ve been gaining popularity lately thanks to their charismatic leadership. Assassinating them will damage them at the polls and make it more difficult for the Republicans to assume control.”

“Surely people will see through such a scheme?” she offered.

“In an ideal world, people would vote based on their principles, but for every person who remains true to their ideals there are two others who are commanded by the charisma of the respective candidates.”

Caius shook his head, “And even if the vote continues, having several leading members of the Republican wing murdered is bound to cause instability. The damage will be much greater than we can imagine. These fiends desire to feed from the fire of conflict and come out the victors.”

“We cannot rule out the possibility that other parties will be targeted too,” I mused, “There are more documents like the ones you stole. More thieves and more plots must be in the making. The only way to stop them now is to unmask the conspirators.”

“My testimony is not worth the effort, Cordia will keep her silence even if we somehow find a way to capture her.”

That was true. Caius didn’t know anything of use, and the police would just arrest him for the break-in at the academy. An open and shut case, but not one that would assist in collapsing the conspiracy he was a part of. Our target needed to be someone higher on the food chain than him or Cordia.

“I’m trying to get close to one of the Franzheims. Franklin told me that Cordia was working for them.”

Caius nodded, “Smart. You may have to engage in some gossip-mongering if you wish to find out what we need to know.”

I paused, “We?”

Caius smirked, “I can hardly shirk responsibility now. It’s my fault that they have the party list, and they’re trying to kill us. Allow me to use my numerous skills and aid you in this task.”

Caius had built scant trust between us with his deception. His loyalty lay firmly with himself and his sister. He was motivated by a desire to keep her safe, but whether the conspiracy threatened her to that extent was another question. On the other hand, part of the blame lay with me.

I did tell Clemens that a stranger was poking around by his office, but he clearly wasn’t alarmed by that. The documents were in the exact same place as before. If I’d just insisted more strongly on him doing something to secure them, we wouldn’t be in this position. Keeping my cover as Maria forced me to make tough decisions. On this occasion it was my loss; I misjudged the risk.

“And don’t forget about me,” Samantha added.

“You really shouldn’t get involved in this,” I warned her.

“Why not? It sounds to me like you need a hand. I’m happy to help.”

Samantha did not have any experience with subterfuge, fighting, or thievery. I struggled to think of anything that she had that could be used. Samantha picked up on it right away.

“And don’t give me that look! I can be helpful too, and if things get too dangerous I can back away and let you handle it.”

“Sometimes you won’t have time to make that decision, Samantha.”

Disengaging from a dangerous situation was a privilege, not a right. A bullet could travel faster than a pair of human legs, and none of us could predict where events would lead. The cruelty of life was randomness. Innocent folks die for no real purpose every day, all over the world. Managing your own sense of risk is the only true control one can exert.

“Or perhaps you could teach me a thing or two before we get started?”

So that was her angle.

“Goddess help me,” I groaned. The girl couldn’t keep up with me during the morning run. Tasks more advanced than that were bound to chafe her limits.

For now – we had little information to go on. My only lead was that Cordia worked for the Franzheim family and that she was too stupid to use a pseudonym when engaging in criminal activity. An invitation to Lance’s social circle was at present the only constructive step I could see on the horizon.

“You needn’t agree to my offer, Maria. I can take my own measures regardless. First, I need to collect more information about Cordia and her employers. I’m very good at gathering intelligence. It’s up to you if you want to hear my findings.”

“I’ll wait and see,” I said – splitting the matter halfway, “You can remain here at the estate as our guests until this matter is dealt with.”

Alice cheered, “Yay! We get to stay in this big house!”

It was a lot more comfortable than a sanatorium. Samantha and I left the room to speak in private, but Franklin remained nearby to speak with me.

“My Lady, I do hope that you aren’t taking any reckless action here. Why not simply report this matter to the police?”

I scoffed, “You know as well as I do that reporting this to the police will do nothing. We have no evidence to start an investigation, and those who we are trifling with have significant influence. How else do we explain their attack at the sanatorium? They must have eyes and ears everywhere. Caius was keeping Alice’s location a closely guarded secret.”

“But perhaps if you use your pull as the first daughter of the Walston-Carter family...”

I shook my head, “Where would they begin their inquiries? Cordia will plead ignorance to her involvement, and the men who attacked Caius will be kept at a distance so as to protect the men in charge. That is always the problem with the authorities, they won’t act until there is clear evidence of a crime being committed.”

Franklin was plum out of suggestions, or perhaps he caught on to the fact that I was not going to change my mind no matter what he said. He bowed and left to attend to the rest of the day’s business.

We moved to my own room and locked the door. I sighed and sat down on one of the chairs by the window, with Samantha in pursuit. She took a second to admire the décor of my chambers before joining me, claiming a spot on the couch.

“Is there any particular reason you want to be involved in this?” I asked.

“We’re friends, and I don’t feel right sitting back and letting you handle everything.”

“I don’t want you to be involved,” I said firmly, “There’s no reason for you to trouble yourself with our business.”

Samantha’s smile fell, “Ah. I see how it is. You don’t trust the country bumpkin with your noble affairs.”

“There is nothing about this that a farmgirl cannot understand. Nobles submit to violent and base behaviour for their own purposes all the time. My concern is that you aren’t equipped to defend yourself if the worst should happen.”

“Then teach me.”

“Teaching you anything that I know would be an act of malice, not one done between friends. I am certain that you would be capable of following my instructions, yet the largest question has yet to be answered. Are you willing to engage in violence, to kill?”

Samantha leaned back on the couch and thought about my question. Was she really prepared to make that leap? This was a dangerous situation. Jumping in without the willingness to do whatever was necessary was a dumb risk to take. Killing another person was not something to take lightly. That sounded obvious to an outsider – but the truth was even more severe than what they may expect.

“Why do you kill?” Samantha asked. What a profound philosophical inquiry that was.

“Prier was the first person I’ve killed,” I said. It was technically true, but not in line with the main thrust of our conversation.

“But why?”

“He tried to kill me and Felipe.”

Samantha was desperate to know more about why I was a killer; what background could possibly lead to a young lady of status knowing how to do these things – but there was also an understanding from her that I was not going to share it without an elevated level of trust of credulity. It was funny. I spent so much of my time trying to cover up the truth, but now I couldn’t readily offer it to her and have her accept it as is.

“I don’t think I’d be able to kill someone, no.”

Samantha concluded that resolutely.

“I appreciate the honesty. In an ideal world, nobody would have to think about that question, but we don’t live in one. I mean it when I say that taking a life places an immense burden onto your shoulders. It is a memory that festers like a rotting wound, no matter the distance from the act itself.”

“I knew you cared.”

“I’d say the same to anyone, regardless of our relationship. I am willing to show you some self-defence techniques and how to condition yourself, but I will not cross that red line without a good reason.”

“I thought helping you was a good reason.”

“Sam.”

She jolted up as I used a shortened version of her name in stark contrast to my usually polite manner.

“Everything I do is intended to protect you. The reason why I put distance between us when we first met was for that very purpose. Do not presume that my actions are done out of spite, or a dislike of you.”

Samantha took things the wrong way from the word ‘go.’ Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes started to water; “I knew you cared about me, Maria. That frosty outer shell was just a defence mechanism!”

“All of that is not permission to begin mocking me,” I quipped.

Samantha wiped the mock glee from her face and apologised.

“I cannot imagine a scenario where you could assist me. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh of me to say. I’d rather you avoid becoming entangled in this. It’s complex, and your life will be put into danger.”

Samantha was firm, “I’m not sitting back and letting you risk your life. Being friends means that we support each other. I couldn’t claim to be your friend if I let you do this without me.”

She wasn’t going to change her mind, so I decided to compromise with her and show some slack.

“Fine. But I’ll accept it on one condition. You need to follow my orders to the letter. I don’t want to hear any arguments from you in a situation where guns and the like are involved. If I tell you to run and hide, you do it.”

Samantha smirked, “That’s reasonable. I trust your judgement.”

With an agreement hashed out about how things were going to go, Samantha turned her attention to other matters of importance. Mainly, trying to explore as much of my room as possible without annoying me. I wasn’t hiding anything incriminating in here that she didn’t already know about, so I sat back and watched her try to sneak away to rifle through my possessions.

Samantha had a talent for finding my underwear considering it was the first thing she found. She slammed the drawer shut with a blush on her cheeks, sending a worried glance my way. I’d seen the whole thing – but I kept quiet and pretended to have seen nothing.

Franklin returned with a tray of tea and snacks for us to enjoy. There was only one thing that could pull Samantha away from her invasion of my bedroom, and that was the promise of cake. He placed the tray down on the table and bowed his head.

“Are you certain that you want to continue following these criminals? It’s hardly the place for a young noblewoman, as capable as you are.”

“I have no intention of doing anything dangerous. I merely wish to gather enough evidence to force an intervention from the police. From there, we can leave it to them to handle the rest.”

Samantha grabbed a piece of cake and her tea, sitting back in her spot across from me. She hummed, “If you’re familiar with the woman we’re looking for, why don’t you just ask around about her?”

Franklin was aware of how dangerous this idea was.

“I can hardly ask Cordia to come and speak with us unprompted. She’s a busy woman. Not only is she attending to the Franzheim family, but she also holds a managing role in the servant’s union. I don’t know how she finds the time.”

I was getting sick of hearing everyone say that there was nothing to be done, and that I was part of the problem. We needed solutions. Franklin and Lance were the two closest connections I had to Cordia and her employer. I’d have to take a chance on pursuing these leads if I wanted to make progress.

“I don’t care what you have to do. I want information about Corda, where she works, and who contracts her. Put it in writing and send it to me at the academy.”

Franklin grimaced, “Very well. I will endeavour to uncover that information.”

With only Samantha and I left in the room, she returned to indulging in all the little luxuries that I took for granted. The cake we were eating was priceless, as in it was baked by the staff specially for the occasion. It was impossible for her to keep quiet the exclamation of joy she felt while chowing down like a ravenous animal.

“Enjoying it?”

Samantha nodded frantically, “This is the best cake I’ve ever tasted. You’re telling me that you get to eat this every day?”

I frowned, “Every day? I wouldn’t dare. It may be appetizing, but it is bad for keeping your weight in check.”

Samantha’s chewing slowed a tad as she remembered that cakes contained a lot of calories and sugar. An athletic girl like me wasn’t going to compromise her diet by eating sweets every day. I reached out and took a pair of biscuits instead. They went better with the tea in my humble opinion.

“This is more like a real sleepover than I was expecting,” Samantha admitted after polishing off the last of her slice. “I was kinda’ joking when I said that back at the academy. I wanted to see your house, mainly.”

“You already know that I don’t like talking about myself openly.”

“Do I ever,” Samantha sighed, “I was planning on asking if you had a crush on anyone in the academy too.”

I almost choked on my tea, which was the exact reaction that Samantha was hoping for. She leapt out of her seat and leaned over the table with a twinkle in her eyes, having guessed that my reaction was brought about due to an underlying truth that I was keeping secret.

“Really? Who is it?”

I placed my cup down and cleared my throat, “I don’t have a crush on anyone. I was shocked that you thought of me in that way. When have I ever expressed an interest in romance?”

Samantha grinned, “Everyone thinks of romance from time to time. It doesn’t have to be a serious choice. Haven’t any of the boys in our year caught your eye? They’re all pretty good-looking.”

Of course they were – this was a visual novel. I’d never seen a game where the romantic partners were intentionally designed to be unappealing. We were in a class of supermodels. All of the female students spent their days gleefully chattering about which flavour of pretty boy was their favourite.

Samantha was disappointed, “Aw. I guess I was expecting too much. I really wanted to know what your ‘type’ was.”

My type? It was no exaggeration to say that I never gave it any thought before now. Romance was not a skill I had experience in. In my past life, I avoided it out of fear of what may happen to my potential lover, in this second it was the same situation. Why would I get to enjoy something as profound as romance without a catch? It was so remote from the stuff I was concerned about that I was uncertain as to whether my sexuality remained untouched.

My gender identity was switched to match my new body. The question was if my benefactor went the extra mile and made me like boys too. I looked back on all of the people I’d met since starting at the academy and considered each in turn. I soon realised that none of them elicited any feelings in me. It only then occurred to me that the problem may have been their age. I’d lived for thirty years once before, after all.

 “I do not know what my type is,” I stated honestly, “I don’t think of romance very often, if at all. Looking at the boys in our class – I cannot say that I am attracted to any of them.”

My benefactor must have used a light touch when it came to adjusting me. They wanted to keep me as similar to my old self as possible, only doing the bare minimum to ensure that my mental well-being was maintained through forms. My Father would blow a gasket if he found out that I wasn’t interested in men, who was going to inherit the family house if I didn’t have a child?

“And what about you? Many of the other girls are jealous that Maxwell is always with you.”

Samantha tilted her head to one side as a signal of her non-understanding; “They are? What about Claude? He’s good-looking too.”

Was Samantha really ignorant as to why Claude wasn’t currying a fanbase of fawning girls? Good looks can only get you so far. His personality was so out there and his interests so eccentric that nobody wanted anything to do with him.

“I suppose you aren’t interested in either of them, then.”

Sam shook her head, “Nope. I bet all of the other students are imagining me relishing being in their company.”

“They don’t know them as well as you do,” I concluded. Standing from my chair, I stretched out my aching limbs and moved towards the wardrobe. “We’d better get changed into something more comfortable. Would you like to use our bathroom?”

Samantha was giddy about my offer – picturing said bathroom as a gigantic chamber with constantly flowing water and a tub the size of a small pool. She was going to be disappointed. Most of the fittings in our manor were mass-produced, and that included the baths, sinks and toilets. Samantha wasn’t going to listen to me though. She ran out of the room to grab her suitcase and some fresh clothes.

Reality was the cruellest teacher of all.