Chapter 167 A BETTER PLAN

Chapter 167 A BETTER PLAN
A BETTER PLAN

MARCELLA'S POV

Through the secret passage, I moved cautiously, every step measured, the walls whispering shadows around me. The thrill of having discovered a way out filled me with an intoxicating sense of power. Soon, I would be in control of everything, and nothing would stand in my way. My heart pounded as I approached the old witch’s dwelling, her familiar silhouette waiting in the gloom. Even now, she managed to unsettle me. That’s why, no matter what, I would continue to call her the old witch, regardless of her insistence on giving me her name. She had a presence that gnawed at your bones, and every time she appeared, my skin crawled.

I folded my eyes and hissed softly in frustration. “Really? Did you have to scare me that way? I came here for your help, not to be startled out of my wits,” I said, my voice tinged with annoyance.

She laughed, that low, knowing laugh that echoed like distant thunder. “I always know everything,” she said calmly, as if that explained her sudden appearance. The words made me pause for a fraction of a second, but only that.

“You always know everything, right? You can see the future before it happens?” I challenged, stepping closer. “Fine. Then tell me. Tell me what my fate is. What will happen if I take the twins? I will take them. I need to know if I succeed, what I gain, what the risks are. Will they catch me? Will they kill me? Will they banish me? Tell me everything. I won’t be surprised. You are a witch. That is your role. You must foresee these things. Or at least, you should,” I said, my voice rising with intensity, though I felt the thrill of the unknown prickling through me.

The witch’s eyes glimmered in the dim light, and she shook her head slowly. “Foreseeing? My dear, what exactly are you speaking of?”

“My future,” I snapped, impatience biting at my words. “Whether I will succeed in taking them or not.”

She advanced toward me slowly, her presence as suffocating as ever. “Marcella, perhaps I sensed you coming, but that does not mean I can see the future. I can feel the currents of change, the stirrings of power, the approach of events, but I cannot tell you the outcome. I cannot promise what will happen. There are too many threads in play, too many unknowns.”

I felt a surge of frustration, but I pushed on. “But if I succeed, if I get them to you, you will be able to extract their powers. Then I will become unstoppable. Then I will be too powerful for anyone to touch me. You will see my usefulness.”

Her lips curved slightly, as though amused. “You think I seek to see you as useful? No, my dear. You misunderstand. I do not need you to extract power for me. I am offering guidance. If you succeed, I will assist, yes, but the risk, the cunning, the effort—that is entirely yours. Power is never free, Marcella.”

I laughed, the sound sharp and cold. “Do you think I care about free power? I am done being the omega who scrubs staircases, the one who obeys everyone else. I want power, absolute power. I will get the twins, and you will help me extract their abilities. I did not come here for anything else. That is the purpose of this meeting.”

I turned, ready to leave, but her voice stopped me again, weaving its way into the edges of my mind.

“What do you want?” I asked sharply, not turning back.

“What if after all this, you fail?” she asked softly. “What if the twins are stronger than you expect? What if everything collapses around you? You need certainty. You must be sure of every step. I cannot see the pure future, but I can influence, assist, guide. When you are certain that the twins will leave the palace unharmed, that no alarm will sound, I will be there to help. You will need my aid to ensure success.”

I smiled, a slow, calculating curve of my lips. That was all I needed. Her agreement, her tentative support, meant I was halfway there. Now, everything depended on execution. The twins were the key, but timing and chaos were everything.

I left her in the shadows of her dwelling, walking with purpose through the secret passage back toward the palace. My mind raced, turning over the steps I would take. Mildred, the queen herself, sleeping in the oblivion of routine, was oblivious to the danger creeping closer. She did not understand that control could be wrested from her grasp with careful planning, patience, and precision. I could feel it, a shiver of anticipation running down my spine.

The first step was chaos. Not just small disturbances, but overwhelming disruptions that would consume attention and create opportunities. I needed Mildred distracted, unfocused, blind to what I was about to do. I had the advantage now, the tunnels, the secret pathways, and the witch’s tentative aid. But I had to plan it meticulously. One misstep, and failure would be catastrophic.

The next morning, I began sending messages, secret communications to traveling merchants who passed by the train line the secret tunnels connected to. Misdirection was key. I composed each message with care, conveying information that seemed innocuous, but that would ripple through the city, creating small, controllable chaos. By midday, several of these messages had been delivered along the route, sowing the seeds of confusion.

I returned to my assigned tasks, scrubbing staircases in the servants’ wing, masking my plotting behind the mundane, mechanical motions of labor. The familiar maid from earlier passed me, her steps faltering under exhaustion. I followed her at a discreet distance. I needed to observe. The twins’ power was the final unknown, the variable I had yet to measure. I could not risk taking them without knowing what I faced.

She paused at a side chamber, her breathing heavy, and set down a small, ornate box. Her words, muttered to herself, reached my ears. “Why? Why does this even exist? No matter how many times I carry it, it cannot suppress them fully. People will still notice.”

I froze, my heart pounding. So, the twins had a suppressor. Something potent enough to curb powers, and yet not eliminate them completely. My mind raced. How strong were they if such a device was required? I stepped closer, careful not to be seen, and laid my hand on the box. A shockwave of energy coursed through me, sharp and overwhelming. I recoiled instinctively. I was not strong enough to resist its effects.

I took a deep breath. This was important. This box, whatever its purpose, was central to Mildred’s secret. I had to know its origins, its function, and its limits. Perhaps it would be crucial in my plan. Perhaps it held the key to controlling, or at least containing, the twins’ abilities.

I raced to the library, clutching the box’s faint imprint in my memory. I pored over every book related to power absorption, suppression, and mystical containment. Ancient tomes, alchemical manuals, forgotten rituals—every scrap of information I could find I devoured. Hours passed, and the more I searched, the more I realized the depth of Mildred’s secrecy. There was nothing. No description, no images, no references. It was as if the box existed outside of recorded knowledge, as if it were forged from secrets alone.

Anger and fascination burned in equal measure. Where could Mildred have obtained such an object? What exactly was she hiding, and why was it so vital to her daily routine? She had become impossibly secretive, a shadow moving through the palace, a mother guarding more than just her children. I would uncover it. I had no choice. No delay, no hesitation. Whatever this box was, whatever powers it held, it would not remain hidden from me.

I closed my eyes briefly, visualizing the plan once again. Chaos first, distraction second, extraction third. Every step meticulously timed, every movement calculated. The twins were central, but this box might tip the scales, could be the edge I needed. Mildred might think she is clever, but her secrecy was transparent to me. I would find the key to her hidden strength, and I would use it to my advantage.

I traced the path back in my mind—the tunnels, the secret route to the mountains, the train line for misdirection. I traced every guard rotation, every schedule, every habit. Soon, the chaos would be unleashed, and Mildred would be too distracted to notice the loss of her children until it was too late. Everything depended on timing and precision. Every detail mattered.

And above all, I needed that box. Its secrets, its power, and its connection to the twins. Once I understood it, nothing could stop me. Not Mildred, not her guards, not even the twins themselves if I played my hand correctly.

This was my moment. My plan, my power, my chaos. Everything was in motion. The palace, the secrets, the twins, the hidden passageways, and the witch’s tentative guidance—all converging into one perfect, unstoppable scheme.

And now, I would begin.