Jinx sat on the plush couch, her arms folded and legs crossed, her intense gaze fixed on Sunny and Josephine who sat opposite her. The air in the room was thick with tension.
"Why are you staring at us with that look?!" Sunny asked, a frown marring his features.
Jinx shifted her gaze between Josephine and Sunny. "You brought me with you for a reason, right?" she asked, her tone serious and direct.
Sunny glanced at Josephine, then back at Jinx. 'I didn't bring her for any specific reason, just a hunch that she might be useful. And lucky me, she was right on time.' he thought, before speaking aloud, "I indeed had a reason for bringing you along."
"And what is that?" Jinx pressed.
"What you are about to do is dangerous—"
"Please get to the point," Jinx cut him off, her patience wearing thin.
Sunny chuckled at her straightforwardness. "You have two missions. First, you must infiltrate Matilda's and Victoria's mansions. Then, you need to gather any piece of information you can find and report back to me. It would be a bonus if you could visit the other royal families, like the Three-Eyed Nation."
"So, I'm a spy?" Jinx asked, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You can put it that way," Sunny said, leaning back in his seat, a relaxed look on his face.
Jinx fell silent, her eyes locked on some distant point. After a few seconds, she looked up at Sunny. "I need something in return."
"Something in return? Your king is giving you a command, and you're asking for something in return?" Josephine interjected, her voice sharp with a frown.
"Queen Josephine." Jinx's gaze shifted to Josephine, her own frown deepening. "He is the King of the Beastify Nation, but I joined him because we made a deal. My help isn't free."
"Okay... what do you want?" Sunny asked, a wide smile spreading across his face. He understood Jinx well; she was an assignment he had already completed.
"I need ten Grand Class Gemstones. And I heard your other subordinates have twenty million Grand Class Mercenaries under their command. I need that as well. I would have asked for starred equipment, but you already gave me that, so I'll stop with just these two things," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Just that?" Sunny chuckled and snapped his fingers. Instantly, thirty shimmering gemstones appeared before him, along with two bags filled with mercenary chips. "These are twenty million Grand Class Mercenaries, and thirty Grand Class Celestial Gemstones. You, as my subordinate, need to get stronger." He finished with a smirk.
'I forgot to mention the system gave me over 300 Grand Class Gemstones. With so many, all my subordinates will reach the celestial rank in less than two months,' he thought to himself.
Jinx was speechless, her mouth agape as she stared at the impressive display of wealth and power.
"...I... I thought you would refuse or say something else?" she finally managed to get out, looking up at Sunny.
"I don't like excuses or lazy people," he said, his eyes piercing through her.
"Understood," Jinx replied, standing up. She snapped her fingers, and everything vanished into her personal storage. "Okay then. Have a good night. Tomorrow, you'll have your information."
Before Sunny and Josephine, her body began to shift and warp. In a matter of seconds, she transformed into a perfectly disguised guard elf. Josephine watched in fascination as Jinx turned and walked out of the mansion, her footsteps silent.
"Aren't you worried about her?" Josephine whispered, turning to Sunny.
"Of course I am," Sunny said, his eyes fixed on the closed doors. "But she is the only one who can complete this mission."
Matilda's Mansion
"Why are you still up?" a guard asked a maid who was walking out of the mansion, a trash bag in hand.
The elf lady held up the bag. "Throwing out the trash," she said with a slight frown.
The guard eyed the bag and, after a moment, nodded. "Make it quick."
The lady rolled her eyes and hurried to the back of the mansion. She placed the bag in the trash disposal and turned around, jumping in fright.
"Calm down. I'm just a guard. Why are you out here alone?" The elf guard asked, his gaze sweeping over the quiet, desolate area.
"Phew... you scared me," she said, her chest heaving.
"Sorry. Is the Dragon Nation so unprotected?" he asked, a frown on his face.
"Oh, no, no... you guys are new here. The Dragon Nation is secure; no one can get in," she said with a smile.
"What's your name again?" He asked.
"Joyce." The maid said with a small smile.
"Okay Joyce. Please, get going."
The maid nodded. "Thank you." She bowed and walked past the elf.
"No... thank you." He quickly struck the back of her neck, and the maid instantly dropped to the ground, unconscious.
The elf scanned the area, grabbed the lady, and dragged her away from the open space, hiding her in a dark, secluded spot. "You'll sleep for two hours at most. I have to make use of this time."
The elf dusted his hands, and his body began to reshape. In a matter of seconds, he transformed into the maid, with the same clothes, eyes, and body.
'Phew... women's bodies are so much better,' Jinx thought, walking back towards the front of the mansion.
Upon seeing the maid return, the two guards opened the way, and Jinx calmly entered the mansion.
'Plan A, complete. Plan B: get close to Matilda.' she thought as the doors closed behind her.
_
Jinx stopped dead in her tracks. In the sitting room, Matilda and Gabriel were deep in a serious discussion. She silently moved past them, trying to catch snippets of their conversation.
"Hey, Joyce... come here." Matilda called out.
Jinx nodded and quickly walked up to her. "Empress." She bowed respectfully.
"Please get me water to drink," Matilda instructed. Jinx nodded and walked away.
__
'Thank goodness all the houses have the same layout,' she thought as she entered the kitchen. She took a glass and placed it on a silver tray, filling it with water.
'What if I poison the water and get out of here?' she mused, staring at the tray. She quickly decided against it.
'No... I'm on a mission. Nothing should disrupt that.' With that thought, she filled another glass with water, took out a chip, and discreetly placed it under the tray.
Jinx slowly looked around the kitchen, spotting a CCTV camera right behind her.
'Phew... thank goodness this thing is behind me. It didn't catch anything. Wait, why am I worried? I'm using that girl Joyce's appearance.' She sighed, a small chuckle escaping her lips. She picked up the tray and walked out.
'Who would have thought I'd become a helper to this bitch?' she thought to herself.