Taking a steadying breath, I raise my eyebrows questioningly at Jorah. He smiles excitedly.
"You said we're splitting up into two groups...will I be flying with you? I wanted to discuss your taste in women along the way." (Jorah)
I give him a blank, silent stare for several moments, trying to come up with believable excuses for why he could accidentally fall to his death mid-flight. Meanwhile, I also cast a few nervous glances at Ilina. I'm not sure if she's always been a yandere, or if Jorah's particular brand of insanity just brings it out of her, but I'm legitimately concerned she might rip him apart with her bare hands if he keeps pushing other women on me.
Naturally, that would be a huge problem for me. How would I enjoy Ilina's touch anymore knowing those same hands had been in Jorah's innards? It'd be like...an indirect kiss with him, but worse. The thought alone makes me shudder.
To my great dismay, Ilina is already staring at Jorah with a smile warm enough to freeze oceans. She wastes no time responding for me, her tone as sharp as a whip.
"He likes silver-haired high elves...nothing else will do, I'm afraid." (Ilina)
Realization seems to dawn on Jorah's face as he shifts his gaze from her to me. But...reality is often disappointing.
"Ah, of course! Lady Alara did mention that she lives with you..." (Jorah)
Jorah leans towards me slightly and lowers his voice.
"Has she been...compatible, in bed? She's probably much more experienced than her younger sister, so I hear. If she's been unsatisfactory, that still leaves Selena. Also, I confess some ignorance about your race's...err, potency, and such. How long until Lady Alara has a little half-Nephilim, do you think?" (Jorah)
Unfortunately, his subtlety rivals his intelligence, so everyone in the vicinity hears this 'private' sidebar. While my jaw hangs open in abject shock, Jorah continues to stare at me with genuine curiosity.
Nearby, I notice Selena turning red, as Tessa's expression becomes murderous. Surprisingly, Ilina is wearing a placid expression as she slowly begins tying her hair into a bun, as if she anticipates soon engaging in some activity that's messy, strenuous, or both.
However, before the palace courtyard can be painted with Jorah's blood, there's a snort from Helena, and the sound of her hand smacking the back of his head stuns us all.
"Quit with all your yapping! You're riding with Lady Nedonera, end of story. Now, can we get a move on?" (Helena)
Jorah rubs the back of his head, an indignant, disbelieving expression plastered across his face.
"But...why!? That's not your decision!" (Jorah)
Helena's eyes narrow dangerously, then she leans over and grabs Jorah by the collar.
"Listen here, grass-for-brains. Mizuki said we're splitting up into two groups, and obviously, those groups are going to be decided geographically. Since your territory is next to mine, that means we are in the same group. And I will sooner rip your vocal cords out with my bare hands and watch you bleed to death than miss out on the opportunity to fly through the skies on the back of an Elder Dragon. Ergo, you ride with Lady Nedonera or you're dead...which is it?" (Helena)
Jorah looks around the courtyard in shock, but finds a suspicious lack of eye contact, even from Elira and Dargo. For once, he has the wherewithal to read the room, and his face pales. He practically whispers his response.
"I'll...be in your care, Great Dragon..." (Jorah)
Helena smirks and aggressively releases him.
"Terrific..." (Helena)
After a short, awkward silence, Darak clears his throat.
"Ehem...shall we depart then?" (Darak)
I nod, but before I can speak, Nina interjects.
"Just a moment, Mizuki...I have a question." (Nina)
She garners several surprised glances, and I raise my eyebrows curiously.
"Uhm...sure..." (Mizuki)
Nina gives me a knowing smile and turns to face the others, her tone becoming quite strict.
"This question is for the rest of you, and I expect everyone to answer individually, no exceptions. What I want to know is, since yesterday's meeting, have any of you taken any actions related to Mizuki that you're currently trying to hide from him?" (Nina)
I give Nina an incredulous look, but she seems to ignore me.
Is she trying to vaguely probe them about the Note?
I don't necessarily have an issue with her approach, I guess, but...none of them should have the motive or expectation to get away with it. All I see this doing is unearthing useless information, and riling up the nobles. Nevertheless, Nina sweeps her gaze across everyone as the question lingers in the air, her eyes stopping on a surprised Dargo and Elira.
It's clear they are taken aback by the implication that they are not above suspicion – a reaction I share – but after a few seconds under Nina's increasingly serious gaze, they respond. Dargo seems nervous and confused, Elira seems subtly indignant, but both seem hesitant to respond.
"Err, no...did something happen?" (Dargo)
"No. Is there a reason for such blatant interrogation?" (Elira)
Nina nods, ignoring both of their questions, and sweeps her gaze across the nobles. After a few seconds, they all nervously respond as well, denying anything problematic. Darak mentions that he pressured his daughter, Linnea, to use her history with Alto and me to bring us closer to the Zardo house, but that's it.
Like I said...useless information that I'm neither surprised by nor concerned about.
Following the lackluster interrogation results, I glance at Nina nonchalantly. However, something flickers in her eyes, and her gaze locks on one person in particular. Nina's voice and expression become a touch more threatening.
"I could sense it...your deceit. So, are you the one to blame for last night's little surprise? I've tolerated a lot of your disrespect towards my husband, elf, but I have no reason to keep my temper in check anymore. Tell me, are you tired of living?" (Nina)
Shock flashes across my face, and I drag my incredulous expression away from Nina to...Jorah.
"W-What surprise? I don't know what you mean!" (Jorah)
I don't need mystic powers to hear Jorah's voice raise an octave, or see the cold sweat forming on him – all signs that he's nervous. He's certainly acting guilty as hell, like a liar would, but...I can only stare at him in disbelief.
Somehow, I just can't accept the idea that he's the one who sent the Note. He's not bold enough, not smart enough, and with his recent attitude change, I honestly can't see any motive for him. Whatever the reason for his sketchy behavior, I'm fairly certain it's not the Note.
The others are also watching with expressions of surprise, confusion, and anxiousness, as though they share my sentiments that Jorah's not guilty, even though they don't know what Nina is accusing him of. And yet...
The next exchange hits me like a bucket of ice water, making my blood run cold.
"You cannot lie to a dragon, elf. Explain yourself...before I lose my temper." (Nina)
Jorah's whole body goes rigid, and he seems to second guess his response, silence descending for several moments. When he doesn't respond soon enough, Nina takes a step toward him. When he sees her move, his shrill voice immediately cuts through the silence.
"I-It was me! Okay, it was me!" (Jorah)
Nina's steps halt right in front of a terrified Jorah, while my eyes go wide. Nina's voice becomes full of disdain.
"You are truly foolish...did you think you wouldn't be discovered? Have you already forgotten who you are dealing with? Perhaps we didn't instill the proper amount of fear into you yesterday, hmm?" (Nina)
Not just Jorah, but several others' faces go pale at Nina's words. Elira and Dargo give me somber looks.
"Mizuki...what's going on?" (Elira)
I'm so baffled that I don't even spare her a glance. Instead, I just look at Jorah, incredulity seeping out of my voice as I shake my head in disbelief. I can't even bring myself to be angry yet, I'm just...stupefied. Seeing Ilina's face, she clearly feels the same way.
Was he really the one who sent the Note? Why? How? Did Nina already suspect that one of the nobles, maybe even Jorah specifically, was the Note's sender? Was that why she asked this question out of nowhere? If so, what made her so suspicious? My head practically spins with the absurdity of the whole situation.
My gaze falls on Jorah once again.
"You've got to be kidding me...it was really you? Why would you...no, how did you do it? You only had half a day, and you were under guard in the palace! You shouldn't even have the experience to pull that off! Did you have help? Who else was involved in this?" (Mizuki)
As I regain my bearings, trying to think everything through, him having help is the only way this makes sense to me. Clearly he somehow used the MMC in Dargo's office. But how did he even know it was located there? How did he get access to Dargo's office undetected? How did he even know how to operate the MMC?
The more I wonder about these things, the more concerned I am about the how than the why. Jorah doing nonsensical shit is par for the course, but...how much of a security issue is there around the palace MMC? And how much personal information about me did Jorah spread to how many people?
I stare at Jorah intensely, waiting for him to explain himself. Seeing my surprisingly not angry demeanor, he seems to relax marginally.
"Ah, well...I am perhaps more experienced with such things than you'd guess. Nevertheless, I confess, even I didn't expect them to work so quickly. Although, I did offer them an exorbitant amount of money for the job, so I suppose they were highly motivated." (Jorah)
My eyes widen in shock, my voice becoming a touch shrill.
"What do you mean 'them'? How many people did you involve in this!?" (Mizuki)
Jorah gives me a puzzled look.
"I'm not certain how many there are...hundreds, probably. They spread the job opportunity among all of their colleagues, and the payout was supposed to go to the first to succeed." (Jorah)
He involved an entire organization in this!? What the fuck is going on? They broke into the King's office...is this a criminal group? I didn't even know the elves had those! None of this is making any damn sense!
But then, a more disturbing thought occurs to me.
Wait...there's no way he provided a single, sealed letter for all those people. Do they all have access to that confidential information? Just how many people has he exposed me to? How many people are now aware of the MMC and have the ability to access it? Furthermore, what were the instructions they were trying to accomplish with the letter? Did Jorah tell them to threaten me or drive a wedge between me and Alto? If so...
What if one of them takes it too far and actually targets her directly?
I narrow my eyes at Jorah, and I feel anger swelling in my chest for the first time today. Before I can think it through, I've closed the distance between us and grabbed his neck in my hand.
Then, I start squeezing...