Chapter 69: The Sweet Trap and The Thief
Chapter 69: The Sweet Trap and The Thief
Elyn’s POV
I had barely settled on the edge of the oversized bed—trying to decide whether I should collapse face-first onto it or pace a hole into the rug—when a sharp knock rattled the door.
I froze in shock but then remembered that there was a plan to lure the thief out.
I scrambled up and pulled the door open.
Rin stood there with a creepy... at least creepy to humans like me... but wide smile. She held a cake in her hands.
A small one, yes—but a cake all the same. It was round, frosted with a glossy glaze that shimmered faintly like melted pearls, and it smelled amazing.
Kethra was on her way to becoming one of my favorite people ever because of how good her food always ended up being.
Behind Rin were three gargoyles, each of them holding a different tray of sweet snacks. Biscuits, tarts, candied fruits. The candied fruits looked suspiciously like tiny caramelized eyeballs.
"Are those edible?" I asked Rin.
She nodded. "Kethra said they are, and they’re made from some edible flowers."
I nodded.
"My lady, can I come in? The other human maid is coming with the wine, and I don’t plan on staying here holding this thing for long," Rin told me.
I immediately stepped aside for her and the gargoyles to step into the room.
They marched in, wings tucked politely, their stone faces set in the eternal expression of someone trying not to sneeze.
Not long after Rin and the gargoyles walked in, Vaelory entered too, holding what I suspected was the wine Rin mentioned.
Morthen came as well, holding a punch bowl. I let him in, and he grumbled about how preparing parties—especially one like this—was not part of what he signed up for as my assistant.
I snorted at that. "It’s a fake birthday. I’m pretty sure this is supposed to be part of your goals as my assistant," I told him.
"I’m only doing this because it’s you, my lady," he said.
They started working immediately, even with Morthen grumbling about how he was going to kill the thief when he caught them.
The gargoyles set the trays on a low table. Rin placed the cake in the center like it was the heart of a ritual. Vaelory tugged open the heavy curtains just enough for a warm glow to spill in, then rearranged pillows on the sofa with the kind of precision usually reserved for military operations.
The room looked... well... festive. Not excessively. Not suspiciously. Just festive enough to say "birthday," but also "We might be trying to lure a criminal with sugar."
I exhaled slowly. "So the trap is officially set."
All three nodded.
"Good," I sighed again. "Now all we have to do is pretend all is normal and wait for the criminal to come in."
Or so I thought.
Rin turned to me suddenly, frowning. "My lady, you need to change first."
I stared at her. "Why? What I’m wearing is fine," I told her.
"And you’ve been wearing it throughout the day. It’s almost nighttime already. Obviously, you need to change," Rin told me.
Vaelory nodded. "I agree with the demon. You need to change, Your Highness. At least to make the lie that it’s a birthday party we’re hosting more believable."
I paused, pondering her words. She was right though—I needed to change.
"But I don’t need it to be over the top. It should be something simple and something I can maybe sleep in," I told them.
Rin nodded and moved toward my wardrobe.
"You can leave now... Morthen," Vaelory said to my assistant, though she said his name hesitantly.
Morthen gave a nod and walked out without saying anything, while Vaelory dragged me to the bath.
Once I was done, she led me back to Rin, who placed a pink dress in front of me. It was very light, and the fabric was soft, airy, and comfortable.
It wasn’t that much different from what I usually wore, but it was very comfortable, and in case I fell asleep, it wouldn’t hurt to sleep in it.
I changed and sat at the vanity while Vaelory did my hair. She didn’t do much; she just brushed it, and I forfeited wearing any jewelry. Normally, I preferred to sleep without any inconvenience.
"There," Vaelory said softly. "Now you look like someone who could reasonably host a small, private birthday celebration."
"Fake," I reminded her.
"Small, private fake birthday celebration," she corrected.
Rin snorted.
I walked toward the snacks, partly because I wanted to inspect everything, partly because I wanted to shove about ten of them into my mouth.
"You two can eat from them, you know," I said.
Rin stiffened instantly. "I can’t."
I blinked at her. "Why?"
She pointed at the nearest tart. "There’s no shiny jewel in it. No treasure. No polished metal. What’s the point of a snack that doesn’t come with loot?"
Ah.
Right.
Kethra mentioned that Rin’s species ate jewelry, and they had to be shiny jewelry.
"Oh." I nodded sagely. "Of course. How silly of me. Next time I’ll tell Kethra to sprinkle gold dust on the dough."
She brightened. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, my lady," she said happily.
I gave her a nod, then with a smile, I told them,
"Let’s get to partying."
The party was interestingly boring, to say the least. Vaelory and Rin argued while I watched them as I ate a piece of cake.
The cake was extremely delicious. Honestly, everything here was delicious—even the suspicious eye-looking treats. I had no idea what Kethra used for these, but she did good. Extremely good.
"I am a better maid than you," Vaelory said drunkenly.
She had been drinking from the wine she brought in, and at first, I thought it wasn’t alcohol, but from looking at Vaelory right now... no, it was definitely alcohol.
I don’t know how long we sat there, but I know that at some point, we fell asleep. Rin transformed into her bird form and slept on top of the wardrobe, Vaelory curled on a couch, and I slept peacefully on the bed, unaware that things were going to change that night.