Unbelievable.
This is. So unbelievable.
There's no way this madwoman is this much of a lunatic. Right? "That. Is a child."
Said madwoman shrugged and plucked out a crystal from one of the samples. "Yes. He is. He is the third prince, and he just turned 10 years old last year."
"THAT. IS A CHILD."
The lunatic woman shrugged. "And? What's your point?"
Olivia wants to hit her. She really, really wants to hit her.
Unfortunately--she's been saying that word a lot lately, tch--people were already looking over. Whispers were forming.
Olivia caught the eye of a guy with a fancy hat among the customers, and decided to throw away caution again. "Excuse me. We're cousins. She just told me a horrible jokes about a child's toenails and eating it."
The way fancy hat guy's face rapidly changed was kind of funny, in hindsight. So many layers of disgust in that lip curl...
People are now looking away, at least. Taking this chance, Olivia pulled this lunatic's arm and forcefully dragged the other girl out of sight.
It was easy to do. Suspiciously easy.
The lunatic woman didn't even resist in the slightest. She let herself be led along by the girl she plucked out of the modern world, past the cooks and maids helping with the promotions as Olivia directed, past the trees, the flowers, and that random well near the acacia-looking tree.
And then, once it was sure there were no way to for others to overhear, when whirls around to her oh-so-kind summoner. "For the record, you deserve worse."
Said summoner didn't even care. "I deserve that. It's fine."
"...you're self aware?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Olivia opened her mouth. Closed it. Wisely decided not to Unpack All That right now.
"Listen", she tries to say. "Don't you think there are better ways other than to commit murder?"
"You're backing out now?", the woman tilted her head.
I never agreed to whatever this is in the first place!! She wanted to yell so badly.
Yeah, she agreed when she first woke up from wherever this is--but! It's consent given under pressure!! That doesn't count!!
--Olivia forced herself to calm down. She wasn't exactly in the position to fly off the handle, you know?
So. Deep breaths. In, out.
She decided to hope that reason will work on this lunatic. "Murder should be the last resort. The third prince is a child, right? He can still be taught what's right and wrong."
The madwoman stared at her. It took a second too long for her to ask. "How about the first prince?"
"I think I'll find a way", Olivia said. She genuinely doesn't want to murder anyone at all, but hey. Baby steps, right?
...this woman is still staring at her. Hands reached out.
The second those dainty palms met her cheeks, the whole sky suddenly decided to try crushing Olivia under it's weight. Heavy, unbearable, the utter agony of a force pushing down on her shoulders pierced her head.
More, and more, and more and more and she can't breathe-- it hurts, it hurts, it hurts--!!
"I hate liars the most", a voice says softly to her. "You know that, right?"
Her mouth was open. Olivia didn't notice at all until one of the hands holding her face shoved itself onto her lips to swallow back whatever was escaping her mouth. Screams? Gasps?
Her chest hurt. She could hear something breaking. Crack, crack....
"You know I don't need you, right?"
Her whole body feels like it's about to burst.
"I can just summon another savior, and no one will care about you."
Olivia will get told later on that she'll flail and struggle like a chicken at a slaughterhouse. She'll get told that her eyes were starting to cry blood.
She was genuinely, truly about to die.
"--young lady Cecil?"
Yet at the appearance of the new voice, the unbearable pressure disappeared all at once, at the same time the hands fell away from her face.
The next thing Olivia knew was that she was on the ground, trying to gulp in air like a fish out of water. There was blonde hair at the corner of her eyes. Caliste...?
Purple eyes were at the forefront of her gaze, against her will. Empty and filled with so much hate, disgust, fury.
"You'll do what I told you to do", this woman said. "Or else."
That was the last thing Olivia heard before the world went black.
==
...lucky for this kidnapped daughter, Olivia is still very much alive.
Unluckily for her, the stakes were clearly spelled out for her convenience.
Either Olivia finds a way to kill a child and the possible heir to the throne, or she herself will die an agonizing death.
Yippee.
At the very least, other things happened at this small debut Olivia orchestrated. That's a bright side already.
"A lot of them tried to run off with a second sample without paying", one of the male cooks reported with a slight scowl.
Olivia gave the guy two weak fingerguns. "Keyword on tried, right?"
"What's keyword?"
"...did they actually leave with the second sample?"
The guy scoffed. "Of course not. Do you think the guards in this mansion are incompetent?"
No one thought that, really. But this also confirmed that Olivia probably won't be allowed to sneak off without the guards.
Yay. That's so. Amazing. Wow.
"There's a lot of them that paid", the cook with the cute pointed ears said, her eyes bright. "And so much, too! In gold, silver...even some jade tokens!"
Caliste shook her head at this. "I can't believe you managed to pull it off, but... seriously. Are you okay?"
"Never better", Olivia wheezed out, forcing herself to smile and give a thumbs up. "Just peachy."
"Young lady Cecil, you were coughing up blood."
"That was strawberry juice."
"...strawberry juice?"
Olivia gasped. "Don't tell me you guys don't have those around here!"
And here comes the weird looks again. Seeing those directed at her was almost comforting.
Anyway. So!
Kill or be killed. That sounds fun.