"Oh, please. Lith's no enemy. There's no need to play politics with him." Brinja cut him short.
"Ainz will get that seat because between the support of my faction and the fact that Onia's latest achievement dates back to her academy days, no one will cover her ass once I expose her incompetence!"
"You may be right, kid, and maybe your plan is foolproof. Yet you have no idea who might be listening, and even the most brilliant scheme is bound to fail once exposed." Jirni seemed to appear out of nowhere, making everyone flinch in surprise.
Lady Jirni Ernas was a petite woman, barely 1.52 cm (5') tall, with long hair that extended mid-way down her back and sapphire blue eyes. The silver parure and circlet she wore were both embedded with black diamonds, emphasizing her golden hair while the diamonds her rosy skin.
She wore a beautiful light green evening dress with gold embroideries and her hair was perfectly curled, framing her face as if she had been taken out of a painting. Her dress left exposed her neck, shoulders, and the upper part of her bosom.
She was in her early forties, but thanks to proper care and frequent rejuvenation sessions, she looked like she was in her early thirties, giving her the allure of a mature yet youthful woman.
Many had mistaken her frilly appearance with her real self and most of them died for it.
"Lady Ernas, why are you here?" Brinja asked.
"To answer your question and to warn you. No, neither Lith nor I have yet any clue about the murderer of your mother." Jirni said, making Lith nod.
"My sources are digging everywhere, even in the Undead Courts. The good news is that my man found someone who can give us the name, the bad news-"
"Is that you two have to shut up and clench your teeth. As I said before, I came here to warn you that Deirus is coming in your direction and I doubt that he has good intentions." Jirni cut him short.
"Remember that this is a Royal Gala. I know that you two are grieving and have gone through a lot, but the slightest mistake can snowball into terrible political consequences."
"Please, Lady Ernas, you are offending me." Brinja said with a sneer. "I was raised and prepared for this moment all my life by Mirim Qintar Distar. I know the rules of this game like the back of my hand."
Jirni opened her mouth to rebuke her overconfidence, but Deirus was already there, forcing Lady Ernas to smile and hope for the best.
'Based on what the girls told me, Lith is barely holding together and Brinja has been nothing but a spoiled brat her whole life. She may think herself a player, but politics are no place for someone who wears their heart on their sleeve.'
Much to Jirni's surprise, the expression of all her companions softened. They laughed as if Brinja had just told a wonderful joke, feigning to not have noticed Archmage Deirus' arrival.
He was accompanied by Archmage Kwart, the current leader of the Mage Association, and by Archmage Onia, the Headmistress of the Black Griffon. They all wore an Archmage high uniform, but Onia's was pitch black instead of blue.
"Marchioness Distar, it's a pleasure to see that you've managed to recover from the misfortune that recently befell your household." He said with the sweetest voice and yet each word was coated in poison.
Velan Deirus was a man in his early fifties, about 1.68 (5'6") tall, with red hair streaked yellow, blue, and grey all over. His face smiled, but his eyes didn't bother to hide the hatred and resentment that he felt towards the people in front of him.
If Deirus could, he would have killed them all where they stood, each one of them for a different reason.
Lith for having betrayed the cause of the young magical bloodlines, for having refused to become his heir no matter how many times Deirus had asked him after Yurial's death, and for being a constant pain in Velan's ass.
Jirni for protecting Quylla from the consequences that murdering the heir of the Deirus Household was meant to have, for refusing to give him one of her daughters as compensation, and simply because he couldn't stand the thought of seeing the Ernas thrive while the Deirus withered more with each passing day.
Brinja because he reminded him too much of her mother, the annoying, puny Marchioness that somehow had managed to always foil Velan's political ploys despite the fact that he was both an Archmage and a Grand Duke.
'I've given up on hoping that Jirni might slip up. The little monster is too smart and cunning to fall for my provocations, but the young Brinja is just perfect.' Deirus inwardly grinned. 'Full of grief, rage, and with no real experience at Court.'
"Your mother was a great woman. She managed to bring a Marquisate to the heights that even most Arch Duchies can only dream about." He said while throwing a spiteful look at Jirni along with a not-so-veiled insult.
The Ernas Arch Duchy had no Great Academy under their influence whereas both the Deirus and the Distar had two of them each.
"We were fierce opponents in Court, but I always deeply respected Mirim. I believe that her only flaw was to listen to her heart more than she did to her head. If only she had chosen her allies more wisely, maybe she would still be with us.
"Now that you have taken her place, you must reconsider her choices, otherwise history might repeat itself. You mother was-"
A sudden slap cut him short, echoing through the entire ballroom like thunder. Brinja didn't just hit him. She had pivoted her foot, transmitting her strength through the ankle, knee, waist, shoulder, arm, and wrist by twisting them in a single fluid motion.
Archmage Deirus' head spun and his vision blurred under a hit that would have knocked him down if not for the magical protections he wore.
"Insolent woman!" Velan roared the moment he had managed to regain his balance. "This is the Royal Court, who do you think-"
A second, even stronger slap brought him to his knees under the astonished gazes of the entirety of the Court.
"How dare you spit on my mother's grave while her corpse has yet to grow cold? How dare you threaten me in front of my husband and friends?" Brinja spoke through her diaphragm, making it impossible to not overhear her.
Then, her voice suddenly turned into a whisper barely audible as she mumbled a few words.
"This is indeed the Royal Court and it's full of secrets you don't know, you idiot."
"Grief must have driven you insane, Marchioness, I'll have your head for-"
"What's happening here?" Sylpha Griffon appeared in a blur, staring at Deirus with eyes brimming with bright violet mana and full of such hatred that the two Archmages that followed him discovered to have suddenly forgotten how to breathe.
"Your Majesty, Archmage Deirus blamed my mother for her death, saying that she deserved it for associating herself with Archmage Verhen and Archon Ernas. He also said that I'll end up dead like her if I don't cut my ties with them and called Mom an insolent woman!"
