Special wineskins as gift

"I need your help tonight." Luna turned to the man beside her. Darren's lips moved closer to hers, as if he were about to whisper a secret meant only for the two of them. "Help me seduce a few people in the palace."

Luna immediately pulled away from Darren. He planned to use her as a tool. Seduce a few people? What did that man mean by that?!

"It's easy, Luna. We need to work together to make this whole plan work."

It was Luna who had asked Darren to give a lesson to the people who caused Rhea's death. But now, she was also being asked to take part in this operation. What a bastard!

"No way!" Luna stormed off, leaving Darren behind. They had been resting for quite a while at a coffee shop. Perhaps in this world, this was the equivalent of those modern cafés transformed into aesthetic coffee bars.

"We all need your help," Darren said as he walked beside her. "Everything will go smoothly if you join us."

"I said no, Darren!" The woman refused again and again, but Darren wasn't ready to give up persuading her.

****

"Come on, don't be mad, Luna. We all want revenge for what Finn did, right? We can do it if you manage to pull this off." In an empty room inside the palace, Luna looked at herself in a mirror that had been provided.

The room was usually used by the palace dancers who performed in the throne room. It was empty now since they had all gone out, allowing Luna to wear one of the leftover costumes. It fit her so perfectly, as if she were born to be a dancer.

"I told you, you look perfect in this outfit! Look, the guards at the warehouse will be thrilled to have you in their office. It won't take long—just a few minutes until they fall asleep." Luna let out a heavy sigh. Her mission had become far more complicated now.

"How am I supposed to convince everyone guarding the warehouse that I'm a dancer sent to entertain them?" Luna asked in front of Darren, Richard, and Max.

"Well, that's for you to figure out," Darren said, earning a sharp glare from Luna.

"It should be easy. You look just like the women who usually perform in the throne room."

"I'll take that as a compliment to my beauty," she retorted before picking up a silk face veil to cover her face. She couldn't understand how Darren could be so kind one moment, then utterly annoying the next. "Stand by, everyone. I'm going in."

Luna picked up a tray holding several wineskins containing a special drug that Richard and Max had bought earlier this morning.

While she and Darren had been looking for supplies to bring back to the camp, Richard and Max had searched for the items needed to execute this plan.

Evan and Kael, meanwhile, had gone to find building suppliers and potential recruits for their camp.

Luna stepped out of the room and walked with confidence. Truth be told, she felt uncomfortable wearing this outfit.

While she wore a long skirt, the upper part of her body was exposed, covered only enough to hide her breasts. She was dressed like the dancers usually summoned by nobles for their pleasure.

She could have walked through the main corridor toward the warehouse near the kitchen. But instead, she chose the route often used by palace servants.

From a distance, Luna saw several people entering and leaving the palace kitchen, all busy preparing meals for the ongoing harvest festival.

Naturally, security around the palace was tighter than usual, especially at the warehouse that stored all the taxes collected from farmers.

"Hey!" A loud shout froze Luna in her tracks. The voice was loud. She concluded that someone from the kitchen had just called out to her. "What are you carrying there?"

Luna turned to see a man standing at the wide-open kitchen door. He wore a white chef's uniform, which told her he was the head chef. Behind him, everyone was busy, as if the man's interruption was nothing unusual.

"What are you carrying there?" he asked again, prompting Luna to think fast.

"Your Highness asked me to deliver wine to the warehouse guards," she answered without hesitation. She didn't want the middle-aged man to grow suspicious.

"Is there anything else I should bring besides the wine?"

"Oh, no. Go ahead. They must be waiting." Luna resumed her mission, walking casually before turning toward the warehouse area and approaching a lone guard. Usually, two or three people would be stationed there. It felt odd that only one was present.

"Is that wine?" the guard asked enthusiastically. Winning their trust would be easy if she played her role well.

"Yes, it is. Are the others inside the room?" Luna asked the young man, likely around her age. "Would you be kind enough to escort me to the room? The throne room party is still going on, and I doubt Your Highness will pass through here."

Luna hated how the man's eyes lingered on her exposed chest. But she held herself together for the sake of this mission. The warehouse needed to burn, and burn perfectly.

"Sure, let's go to the office. They'll be thrilled to see a dancer here to entertain them."

Disgusting bastard.

With the man who had been guarding the warehouse, Luna walked behind him toward a room where loud laughter echoed from within.

A soft knock was heard as Luna entered with the man. The laughter abruptly stopped. All eyes were now on Luna, carrying several bottles of wine. There were seven men inside. That made eight guards in total tonight.

Luna hesitated at the door. Truthfully, she wanted to run. Or better yet, beat all of them up if any dared to touch her inappropriately.

"Your Highness ordered these wines to be delivered to you, gentlemen. Surely, we deserve a little indulgence while the party goes on, don't we?" She braced herself for what she had to do.

This had to succeed. Finn had to pay for what he did to that girl who hadn't harmed anyone. It was clear from the start that they were the ones who had thrown the fire, not Luna.

Now, it was her turn to return the favor—on behalf of herself, of Rhea, and everyone else Finn had wronged.

Luna walked toward the seven men sitting around a round table. Drinks were already served, along with some food to entertain them during their long shifts.

She set down the tray carrying ten wineskins. She noticed how their gazes roamed over her barely covered body. This was one reason why Luna despised men like them—filthy, lecherous eyes.

"Was the party in the throne room not fun enough for you to come here, pretty lady?" One of the men grinned as Luna handed him a wineskin. He had a stocky build.

Luna knew men of his age were usually married. And yet, he dared to flirt with another woman?

"Why would I be in the throne room when here is just as exciting?" she flirted back, though the words made her want to vomit. "Didn't you all want good wine? There are ten bottles. How about we drink together?"

"Hey, it wouldn't be fun if you just stood there, miss. Come, sit here," one of the thinner men said, patting his lap.

"Don't!" said the man who had accompanied her. He was already seated in an empty chair. "He's already married. Why don't you sit on my lap instead? I'm still single."

"Don't trust him, miss. He's engaged and getting married next month. What about me? I'm a widower without kids," another chimed in, unwilling to be outdone.

"How about we make this a contest?" Luna proposed. She lifted one of the remaining wineskins.

"I'll sit on the lap of whoever can finish an entire bottle. One hour from now, whoever's still sober gets a special surprise in my room."

Laughter erupted, but Luna could see the spark of interest in their eyes. None of them would remember her thanks to the face veil she wore, which didn't reveal her face. They wouldn't recall anything later.

"Alright then, open your bottles. I'll count to three." Luna watched them all with amusement as they eagerly followed her lead.

"One..." She watched as each man enthusiastically prepared to drink.

"Two..." They all brought the wineskins to their lips. So eager to win.

"Three!" Luna smiled as they downed the wine, every last drop. She was proud. She'd fooled them all into drinking it. 

"Miss, what do we do after this? Just wait around for one of us to get drunk? Isn't that a waste of time?" one of them asked, catching the others' attention.

"I have an idea!" another said, joining in. "Why don't you sit on my lap first?"

He's already drunk. Won't be long now.

A knock at the door shifted everyone's attention to the three men waiting outside—Darren, Richard, and Max. Luna's gaze focused on something in Max's hand—carrying a box of chess pieces.

"While we wait for the lady to change her outfit, how about we play a game of chess? Whoever lasts till the end wins the contest," Richard offered, and Max joined the eight guards at the table.

Luna felt a nudge on her arm. When she turned, Darren was already beside her with a proud smile. "Good job, Luna."