Chapter 16: Fishing for Trouble
Late at night, in the Silver Dragon Temple, Maid’s Rest Area.
Sherry bolted through the window, landing with all the grace of a cat—and not even a loud one!
Once inside the corridor, Sherry crouched low, scanning both sides like a sneaky squirrel on a nut hunt.
Confirming she had dodged the guards’ patrols, she tiptoed deeper into the maid’s rest area, her tight-fitting night clothes clinging to her, showcasing her curves, while her long brown ponytail danced in the moonlight like it was practicing for a dance recital.
Sherry was the top scout of the Silver Dragon race, groomed by the Queen herself, so sneaking around was as easy as pie—assuming pie was made of hard-hitting action and stealth!
Using the gentle glow of the moon, Sherry checked the nameplates on each maid’s door in the rest area.
Finally, at one door, she found the name she was looking for:
Morin.
A not-so-famous little maid in the group.
Sherry’s relationship with her was neither particularly good nor particularly bad—just two nodding acquaintances in the vast world of maid chaos.
Morin usually called her “Sister Sherry,” so that was something at least, right?
Standing at Morin’s door, Sherry confirmed the coast was clear before raising her hand and giving a gentle knock.
A muffled noise came from inside, clearly indicating that Morin was still awake.
But instead of replying right away, Morin took a few seconds before cautiously asking, “Who’s there?”
Sherry lowered her voice, “It’s me, Sherry.”
The sound of soft footsteps approached.
Click—
The door unlocked and cracked open, revealing just a sliver of Morin’s face.
Not exactly a beauty queen, she had an ordinary look, and her expression was tense, not the typical “just woke up” face.
Morin glanced at Sherry and then quickly looked down, her voice barely above a whisper, “Sister Sherry, what’s going on so late?”
With her arms crossed and icy eyes, Sherry replied, “Constantine is dead. There’s no point in sticking around here anymore. The guards’ patrol is thin tonight; let’s make a run for it!”
Morin stiffened, clearly startled by Sherry’s sudden announcement.
She quickly turned her head, her words fumbling, “Sister Sherry, what are you saying? I… I don’t understand.”
Sherry smirked, “Didn’t Constantine tell you? Haha, but I guess he won’t get a chance to spill the beans anymore. You really thought he only sent you to gather intel for the Silver Dragon race? If you got caught, it’d be a one-way ticket to doom, you know that?”
Morin bit her lip, her hands gripping her skirt nervously, balled into fists.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally mustered courage and looked up at Sherry, “Sister Sherry, I really don’t understand what you’re saying. I won’t tell anyone what you said tonight; just go back, okay? I… I need to sleep.”
As she spoke, she attempted to close the door.
But Sherry was quicker, slapping her hand on the door.
Smack! The noise startled Morin!
She shrank back, her voice trembling, “Sister Sherry…”
“I got word that Roswiser and Leon will be conducting a thorough investigation of the Silver Dragon race soon. We both know the rules of the dragons; being discovered as an undercover mole doesn’t end well! If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss our chance!”
“W-Wait… I…” Morin hesitated, panic etched all over her face.
“Tomorrow morning, Anna will start questioning every maid and Silver Dragon guard one by one,” Sherry continued relentlessly, her words quickening. “Morin, do you really think you’ve left no traces after all these years of passing intel? You sure nobody will discover your little secret?”
Sherry pressed on, “Even I can’t guarantee safety, that’s why I’m thinking of running tonight.”
“If we escape, there’s still a glimmer of hope. But staying here? If we’re caught, it’s game over! Don’t you understand, Morin?”
“I know you might cling to a sliver of hope, thinking Roswiser would spare you out of nostalgia if you got caught, but we can’t gamble our lives on luck or other people!”
“Our lives… are only reliable when we hold them in our own hands!”
Finishing her dramatic flair, Sherry lifted her hand and firmly placed it on Morin’s shoulder.
“I’ll wait for you by the back mountain of the temple. You have ten minutes to decide. If I don’t see you in ten minutes, I’m leaving without you. Your choice—life or d*ath!”
With that, Sherry didn’t linger, turning back to the corridor and slipping out the window again.
The rustle of her footsteps slowly faded, leaving Morin standing in front of her door, a chill creeping up her spine.
That chill came from fear.
…
Ten minutes later, by the back mountain of the temple, leaning against a cherry blossom tree, Sherry finally spotted a frail silhouette approaching.
Morin cautiously walked over, her tail tip curling slightly, her eyes darting around like a paranoid spy.
As she got closer to Sherry, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Have you made up your mind?” Sherry inquired with her arms crossed, head tilted.
“Yeah, I’ve decided,” Morin replied. “Staying here means certain d*ath if we get caught… Plus, Constantine promised me he’d give me a chunk of Silver Dragon territory if we successfully took down Roswiser. But now that he’s dead, there’s no point in sticking around.”
Her tone was oddly flat; mentioning ‘taking down Roswiser’ was as casual as discussing what to have for breakfast.
Sherry raised an eyebrow, “How long have you been with Roswiser?”
Morin thought for a moment, “About ten years, I guess.”
Ten years, shadowing a diligent and just queen, yet she chose to betray her over some pie-in-the-sky promises from someone else.
Sherry didn’t dwell on it too long.
After all, her mission for the night was already complete.
“Let’s get going, Morin. We can chat later, once we’re out of here.” With that, she stepped forward, ready to leave.
But Sherry took a step back, shaking off Morin’s reaching hand.
Morin blinked in confusion, “Sister Sherry, what’s going on…?”
Before she could finish, the previously dim night sky exploded into light from several bursts of dragon flames.
Moments later, a group of torch-bearing individuals emerged from the cherry blossom grove.
And among them was Roswiser.
With her silver hair, silver tail, and a floor-length gown, her cold, indifferent gaze screamed ‘royalty’ louder than a megaphone at a quiet library.
The instant their eyes met, Morin’s brain hit a blank wall.
Cold sweat instantly drenched her, and her ears buzzed like a swarm of angry bees.
Thump, thump—thump, thump—
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she could hear it loud and clear.
At that moment, all her senses seemed to amplify to maximum levels due to the tension, shock, panic, and fear swirling inside her.
Even the air she breathed felt sharp enough to slice her lips.
“Ros…wiser…”
xx
The cute battle is about to wrap up; there will be seven updates in total, slowly rolling out starting next month.
(Because I need to adjust my mindset for these last few days of the month… Ah!)
