A sloth

The butler guided the guests into the house. Both girls were surprised by how wealthy a supposed spy from Eru was. While it wasn't as grand as Rex's castle in Omi, where Thena had stayed before, the house was quite beautiful. The interior of the small mansion boasted polished wooden floors, walls adorned with intricate tapestries, and a grand chandelier hanging in the foyer. Ornate furniture with plush upholstery added an air of sophistication, and the faint aroma of lavender lingered in the air.

The butler led them to the common room and gestured toward the seating.

"My lady will attend to you shortly. Meanwhile, would you like some tea, juice, or perhaps something a bit stronger?" He directed the last suggestion toward Toni, who immediately shook his head.

"Some tea, please," Thena said.

"I'm fine," Thia replied.

"Very well. Tea for the young lady, then," the butler said curtly before taking his leave.

Once he left, Thena was the first to speak.

"You know, I wouldn't mind living like this—big house, butlers, maids waiting on my every request, and don't even get me started on the things rich people use to eat."

"You mean the things they eat," Thia corrected.

"No, I meant exactly what I said. Have you seen how many knives, spoons, and forks these people use? It's like a whole arsenal of murder weapons," Thena said.

"I wonder how often they kill each other," she added.

Thia turned to her with an exasperated look.

"Not everyone thinks like you, you know."

"Please," Thena said, rolling her eyes. "You can't tell me you haven't thought of strangling me since we arrived yesterday."

Thia smiled faintly and replied, "It's different with you. Almost everyone around you resists the urge to wrap their hands around your neck."

Thena scoffed. "What are you talking about? I'm a delight, and you know it. Right, Toni?"

Toni immediately averted his gaze. He didn't want to get involved in their conversation no matter what.

"See?" Thia said with a smirk. "Even Toni knows about your sour and unpleasant attitude."

"I'll show you unpleasant," Thena said, throwing a knife at Thia with unimaginable speed. Thia dodged it effortlessly.

"Oh, it seems I finally get to wrap my arms around your neck," Thia said, her aura flaring.

At this point, Toni was panicking. Although older than the two girls by a significant margin, he knew he had no way of controlling them. First, both girls were stronger than him. He didn't know what they had been fed in HappyLand, but whatever it was, it worked wonders. Second, Thia carried a rank higher than most spies stationed in Wize, bearing the Queen's mark—a mark that commanded respect and obedience from anyone from Eru. And lastly, and also most importantly, he simply didn't want to die.

As the girls prepared to jump at each other, a voice rang out from the entrance.

"This is not an arena. Anyone who fights in my home will be thrown out."

Both girls froze, they both suddenly felt the need to stop fighting and turned toward the voice. A tall blonde woman with icy blue eyes and breathtaking beauty walked into the room catching everyone's attention. Even Toni found himself staring longer than he should.

Thia frowned and kept her guard up.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm Vera Eryndril," the woman said. "I'm the lady of this house. Apologies for making you uncomfortable, but I had to intervene before you turned my home into a wrestling ring."

"So, you're the reason I suddenly feel this lethargy and weakness," Thia said, narrowing her eyes.

"I apologize again," Vera replied. "But perhaps next time, don't start a fight in someone else's home." She pointed to the knife sticking out of a painting on the wall and the scorch marks left behind from Thia's flaring aura.

Dammit, Thia thought. I still can't control my curse properly.

Both girls lowered their heads and apologized, much to Toni's shock.

What is going on here? he thought.

"I'm not angry," Vera said with a small smile. "In fact, I'm quite impressed with your energy. You girls could be mistaken for cute little dolls if no one knew what you were capable of."

She sat down beside Toni, who struggled to contain his excitement.

"Let's start over," Vera said. "I'm Vera Eryndril, the handler for my team here in Jubai. My butler, Grul, is our team's soldier. The others are at their respective assignments. Before you ask—yes, I'm cursed. I'm the reason you feel tired and weak. I bear the sin of sloth," she explained.

Thena and Thia exchanged glances. Thia smiled and turned to Vera.

"It's a pleasure, Lady Eryndril. I'm Thia, and this is my assistant, Thena, and our guide, Toni. We are all—"

"Assistant?!" Thena cut in. "Who are you calling your assistant, you little cretin? If anyone's anyone's assistant, it would be you!"

"And yet," Thia said with a smirk, "I'm the one tasked with this mission, and I'm the one bearing the Queen's mark."

Thena gritted her teeth, clearly boiling, but Thia wasn't done.

"If I recall correctly, the Queen also gave you a task—to assist me on my mission," Thia said, emphasizing the word assist. "So, how else would I refer to you?"

Thena turned to Vera in frustration.

"Release me, witch!"

Vera smiled as she watched the girls bicker, their fiery temperaments returning now that the tension had lessened.

This is going to be a long day, she thought.