The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 239: Another Presence (2)

Chapter 239: Another Presence (2)

Just as the three of them were told, Monica led them towards the guest room that was connected to the back of the palatial building. They kept their conversation mild and acted as though they never sensed anything suspicious.

A figure draped in all black stood at the corner, monitoring them. With its black cloak hiding its face, its glinting red eyes appeared more vicious as it continued to follow them with silent steps, but upon reaching the back of the building, the figure stopped in its tracks.

Noticing the armored guards that stood not too far from where his victims were entering, with clenched fist, the figure could only watch them step into a room, and the door closed shut after that with three armored guards guiding the place.

"Deodamnatus!" The figure cursed in a strange Latin word through its teeth before retreating back, refusing to let itself get spotted by the guards. Its red eyes closed shut before it vanished into the darkness.

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"Phew!" Madeline released a breath when everyone sank to the cushion, feeling safe. Monica on the other hand was still having a hard time believing that a Fiend could sneak into the palatial building, under the nose of the guards outside.

"How is that even possible?" She paced back and forth, her expression displaying her worry while her frantic eyes were far from what was in front of her. "If those guards can’t do their job properly, then I’ll have to speak with Napoleon, he has to change them. Wait, Napoleon will be busy, I’ll ask Osvaldo instead."

"No, focus on getting Osvaldo to redo the spell for you instead. Maddie’s safety is more important than anything else." He said, but Monica stubbornly shook her head, wishing he never brought it up.

"I don’t want to go through that torture again."

"It’s for your own good." Cassian disapproved, his tone sounded understanding, but not convinced. "It’s bound to be painful, you’re sharing your body with something dark, it’s living inside of you, Monica. If you don’t tell Osvaldo, the consequences will be fatal, and it will be more than treacherous for you if you don’t listen to me."

"Cassian is right." Madeline nodded in approval, her soothing voice reassuring Monica as she approached her. "It must have hurt terribly because the Fiend had taken full control of your body at that time, but it’s still weak. I’m sure the pain wouldn’t be as harsh as the first time. Remember, pain doesn’t exist, it’s only what we tell our mind that we feel."

"I knew those guns would come in handy." Osvaldo pulled out the gun he had secured in his waist, frightening Monica who took a step back.

"Orson!" Cassian and Madeline’s reprimanding tone startled the young man who immediately kept his gun in place.

"Oh, I’m so sorry." He immediately apologized, knowing he must have sent the wrong message to Monica who could finally breathe with the gun tucked away.

Suddenly, a knock on the surface of the door drew their attention, and before anyone could think of what to do, Osvaldo and Maya stepped in together. Another wave of relief washed through them, seeing it wasn’t the Fiend that came in, and their sudden change in expression left Osvaldo and Maya baffled.

"Did we interrupt something?" Osvaldo asked with his innocent eyes scanning each one of them, and Monica immediately hurried to his side.

"Osvaldo, a Fiend got into the Palatial building, it followed us here and..."

"I saw it." He answered before Monica could complete what she wanted to say.

"You... you did?"

He nodded, leaving everyone dumb-stricken. "We heard you had arrived, but we never saw you at the main hall. I wanted to come check and make sure you were alright. Maya was worried about Monica so we came together. We spotted the Fiend trying to escape. Fortunately, no guest had ventured in that direction, I was able to get rid of it before it could flee."

"That’s a relief." Orson rose to his feet, and Monica shook her head mentally before saying.

"Osvaldo, I think you need to redo the spell." She finally said, gaining Osvaldo’s attention once again. "The Fiend inside of me, it’s trying to take over again and..."

"Then we better redo it soon." Osvaldo said softly, his hazel eyes glinting with enough reassurance, and that’s when Maya’s voice rang out.

"But how strange, it’s not easy for a Fiend to get into the palatial building. What did it possibly come for?" She looked at Osvaldo as if waiting for him to disclose the answer to her.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Osvaldo moved away from Maya, stepping forward with his hands behind his back. "I’d love to say it, but I can’t be the only smart one here, right?"

"I think I know why it’s here." Cassian’s cryptic tone made him gain the attention of everyone, and he stood in front of them. "Maddie’s powers are growing everyday, just like yesterday for example, when she practiced the spells you gave her, every part of her was.... glowing." He stole a short glance at Madeline before returning his attention to everyone.

"The more she practices, the stronger she becomes, and the Fiends are running out of time. The Mastermind is.... Losing patience, it doesn’t want to hide anymore." Cassian was merely speaking based on his hypothetical observation, and from Osvaldo’s demeanor, he doesn’t seem to be far from wrong.

"Your talent is quite impressive, I must say, no wonder you were given the case in the first place."

"Does that mean there are more of them in this choosing ceremony?" Maya asked with a gasp, but Osvaldo never once flinched in worry. "Fiends are like termites in the eyes of Napoleon, dealing with them will not be a problem, the people of Whitebridge aren’t weak either, but the problem is finding the Mastermind, Ekiminus."

Something odd flashed in Osvaldo’s eyes, "speak of the devil, it’s in the building, this should be fun."