Target (3)

"Are you Anwir?" The Duke opened his mouth first. It was a strained voice but Kali didn't care.

"How are you feeling, Young Master?" Kali ignores the Duke and looks towards Ren.

Ren is standing not too far from the duke that's why the Kali's head didn't move at all.

"Who sent you?" Ren remained silent while the Duke did the talking.

". . ."

"You dare to trespass my Residence, not once but twice." The Duke released an oppressing aura, it was enough to send shivers to Kali's back.

'Ugh.' She grabbed her chest in sudden pain but instead of fear, Kali was thinking of something entirely different.

Amusement.

'Ah. ' She smiled under her mask.

The Alexanders, their aura feels freezingly cold, as if she is standing naked on top of the snowy mountain. The Fox masked man, his aura is hot and heavy, as if she is being squeezed between two rocks, and right now, the aura she is feeling is suffocating as if she is being deprived of air or the air is too heavy for her lungs to take.

'Compared to His Grace aura, this is nothing.' Kali thought and remembered the time Konrad got angry after knowing she killed someone in the Palace grounds.

*Ting

[Player has been exposed to multiple 'Dangerous Vibration']

*Ting

[Building Immunity . . . .]

[Dangerous Vibration Tolerance. . . . . 5%]

"Take your mask off! " The Duke angrily commanded

Kali suppressed her laughs. Finally, she built a tolerance against those annoying aura attacks.

Even though she could feel the Duke increased the intensity of his aura. Her heart that was beating crazily a second ago, slowed down. As if her body is cooling down. The air is no longer unbearable to breathe. It is still painful but tolerable.

'Inventory,' She said almost inaudibly.

*Crash

*Crash

Kali continuously pulls out items in her inventory that keeps on shattering under the pressure of the aura.

*Crash

Kali saw the change in Duke's expression before he finally put a stop in his aura. Kali widens her smile as she stands erect once again. She is holding another bottle with transparent liquid inside.

"You wasted 3 bottles of your son's medicine." Kali mockingly said as she dropped the glass bottle to the floor.

*Crash

"That's four bottles now." Kali's voice turned serious. Two men glare at her murderously.

Kali knows she can't win against the Duke in raw strength that's why she had to remind the Duke she has the upper hand here and is basically untouchable. She expected the deadly glare but she missed slightly from whom she would receive it.

The Duke and the knight glared at her but Ren was calmly observing her.

"Who are you?" As if Ren knows Kali was looking at him.

"You can call me Anwir, Young Master."

"How did you acquire such an item?"

"How many days can you stay healthy?"

Kali is familiar with this game. She always loses to Konrad but she plans not to lose to anybody else.

Ren's face distorted.

"I guess not long enough."

"How dare you?!!" The Duke scaringly opens his eyes and gives a dirty look at Kali while pointing his long sword at her throat.

'Nothing surprises me anymore.' Theo already slashed her throat once, even the fake servant from the ball, slashed her throat. Things that repeatedly happen don't generate fear anymore.

Kali pulls another bottle from the inventory and throws it up in the air and catches it down.

"I present the questions here, young master." Kali said as she removed the Duke's sword away from her.

"Are you ready to listen to my proposal?"

****

Kali and Ana were led to the outer garden behind the mansion. There were no tea and snacks, only angry and opportunistic people gathered there.

"Now talk. What do you want?" The Duke's tone was certainly not the attitude of a threatened person.

"You will provide me with a pass to the Imperial Castle."

"Hah. " The Duke snorted.

'He is pissing me off.'

"Do you have a choice?"

"What makes you think I will let a suspicious person like you anywhere near the Imperial Grounds?"

Kali was supposed to have the upperhand but the Duke was not backing down and refused to be pushed around.

'Should I push it today or come back next time?' Kali's goal for today is to observe only but obviously that didn't go well. She is weighing her options. The Duke manages to narrow down her location in half a day, what will happen if she gives him a few more days. Her leverage might go to smoke if she let go today.

"I will supply you with the medicine for the whole year in exchange for a few passes."

The Duke frowned and felt conflicted.

"Are you responsible for dead bodies at the debutante ball?" Ren asked an unrelated question but to Kali's ear, that question sounded dangerous.

A question she need to think but the more --

His mask moves as his eyes squint. He smiled.

'Shit.' She internally cursed. She made a mistake.

Kali is grateful for the mask hiding her shocked expression. She was reminded that information was never made in public. Only selected nobles were informed and kept the killings a secret. The moment Kali hesitated to answer she already gave an answer saying she had an idea about it.

Kali tried to think of a way out but it was a total fail. She completely fell for it.

'This damn brat.'

Beside being directly informed or involved in that event, the only way to know about it is through 'Black Society' but they know about 'Anwir' not being a member of Black Society, because she went the trouble to get an information in an information guild which are not detailed in information like the black society.

Visiting and using a guild is the main reason she was tracked down.

Kali's greed grows once more. From 'Wanted to' to ' A Need to' get inside the Black Society no matter what happens.

"Why aren't you answering?" Ren asked as if he genuinely needed an answer.

'All I want is to get a pass and all I get is a headache.' Kali sighed.

"If you won't give me a pass, forget the medicine. You can go ahead and get it yourself."

". . ."

"Well, that is, if your body can wait till the end of the year."

Ren bit his lips and the duke clenched his fist.

"Ah. Wait, ofcourse, given that you will win the bid for the Monster Forest."

They are back glaring at Kali.

'You can do that all day and it still won't change a thing.'

"So are you going to give me my pass or you can pray to all the gods to give Young master Ren here the strength to live on."

The Duke gave Ren a side glance before he asked.

"Will you give the medicine until the end of the year?"

"Yes."

"Give me some proof you can hold your promise."

"How much do you require?"

"1 whole bottle every 3 days until the end of the year."

"Duke, compared to what I want, aren't you demanding too much from me? "

". . ." The Duke's face was distorted more. His age lines harden.

"Do you have any idea how much per bottle costs?" Kali cannot stop herself from asking even though she knows they are already aware.

"I would rather pay. Give it a price."

"How much does one bottle cost? Will it be a hundred thousand gold or a million? Well, it's not everyday one get to see a 'Mythical beast Mana''"

Kali had no doubt the Duke could afford her price, even if she sold it in the auction house. They can win every bid. They are the most powerful family next to the Royal Family. The only Dukedom in Millano Kingdom.

"But the problem is it's not for sale. "

". . ."

Ren looked away. Both Father and Son were holding on to Kali's provoking tone.

The bottle in Kali's hand ,the same bottle she keeps tossing up and down, is from the Monster Forest, Lake of Level 4 where a mythical beast lives.

"But sure, I'll give in. 1 bottle every 3 days. Do we have a deal?"

"Give 3 months worth today, and we have a deal." The Duke said.

Kali is conflicted in her feelings; she felt disappointed not breaking the Duke's proud attitude and his strong way of talking and at the same time a feeling of relief that he is not a weak person that can be easily threatened and most of all, the feeling that dominates everything is. . .

"Do you think I am stupid?"

Irritation.

Even though Kali showed impatience and irritation in her voice the duke didn't move an inch nor showed desperation which irritated Kali more.

"You will give a month's worth of the Medicine every time I let you in the palace."

'He didn't answer my question.' She clearly has the upper hand but it doesn't feel like that way.

"Duke. you are not my lost."

Kali turned away and Ana followed her silently. They quickly disappeared and ran away from the Cartisson Residence.

'Not my loss? then why do I feel this way?' Kali is grinding her teeth.

She is beyond frustrated, up to the last second they didn't express desperation or need. Her head began to throb.

Her Plan B failed miserably.