🎵 Oh, meet me by the riverside where shadows softly sway, 🎵
🎵 The night is young, the stars do shine; let's while the hours away. 🎵
🎵 The birds do sing a melody, of sweet and tender tune, 🎵
🎵 Just lose yourself and dance with me, beneath the silvery moon! 🎵
It was some of the softest and most beautiful music Vivian had ever heard. She was taken by surprise by Jade-Eyed Lumi's talent and the magic of her singing. To her, it felt as though she had stepped into her favorite retro club, listening to "Lullaby of Broadway," dancing, and having fun.
Without realizing it, she was already shaking her shoulders and moving with the tones as the musicians around Lumi displayed a skill matching to her stunning performance.
Young lovers and couples gathered around her and enjoyed the performance up close; many complimented her, and others were straightforwardly smitten with each other.
"Talented, isn't she?" Kai asked Vivian as he stood by her side.
"She is indeed. I can't wait to speak with her," Vivian replied, showing great interest in the meeting she was about to have.
"Then my task here is done. Best of luck in your endeavors, and until we meet again."
Kai stepped back and then headed toward Lan to ask her to dance. Lan still maintained her sassy attitude with him before agreeing to dance together where the rest of the guests were. Vivian remained standing where she was, waiting for the singer to end her performance.
"So, what do you think?"
Isabella approached Vivian lightly and spoke.
"You're still not going to tell me who your mystery leader is?" Vivian asked.
"I took a vow of silence, Viv," Isabella replied with a tired face.
"So, there are secrets between sisters, huh?" Vivian acted all upset.
"Oh, don't give me that. You know all the secrets about me. Other people's secrets aren't something I'd let out," Isabella retorted.
"Fine, fine!" Vivian backed down from that prickly topic and turned her attention to the song for a while.
Isabella was right. Being an honest person and a good secret confidante is the basis of the relationship she has with Vivian. Since it is her nature, it was rude of Vivian to try and get someone else's secret out of her.
Still...
"I can guess who that leader is, though."
"You do?"
"I can, but I won't."
"You're silly."
"Your mother, probably."
Just as Vivian said so, Isabella's body tensed up all of a sudden.
"Whoa! First guess is correct? Good job, me!"
Vivian was somewhat taken aback, but not as much as Isabella, who tried to talk but stuttered with all possible vocals.
"L- Listen! It-It's not true! Lo-Lo-Lo-Look! That's not how things are."
"Whoa! Calm down, Bella. It is not like I discovered..."
"Shush!"
Isabella immediately jumped at Vivian to shut her up with her hand. She looked around frantically before standing normally beside Vivian and leaning a bit close to her.
"Look! You got it wrong."
"Doesn't seem like it."
"Just listen. Mother is not the leader, but... she's involved."
"Oh! Okay," Vivian shrugged.
"Look! I have my doubts. Don't you ever talk about this to anyone."
Seeing how Isabella kept getting more serious, Vivian frowned and nodded.
"Alright. I'll take it to the grave."
"Good!"
Isabella nodded with clear worry, and it seemed that she started to sweat from every pore. Immediately, she spread her fan and started waving it with vigor.
"Sorry. Sometimes I don't realize how good I am."
"You're a real something, Vivian."
"Thanks... I guess."
"Listen. Mama Claudia hooked me up with some people, and I started getting into this life like... I don't know how to say it..."
"A domino effect."
"Yes."
"That's how things normally get done."
A brief moment of silence was taken by Isabella as she finally calmed down and turned to Vivian.
"Look. You know I can get a feel for people. I know that Kai and Lan aren't the bad sort to mix with; otherwise, Mama would have acted long ago. But the way I look at it, we're all part of something bigger. Like this small group of mine is under a leader who probably works for my mother, I am not sure."
"Wow! This got big."
"And I am sure Mom has her friends too... her group."
"I see. Some sort of a pyramid organization. Each cell answers to a leader who is part of a bigger group. Eventually, it all gets to a single leader."
"Look. I am telling you things you are not supposed to know. Even I am not supposed to know that much," Isabella said with a bit of nervousness.
"Calm down. In this sort of organization, it is not uncommon to not know. Usually, seeing the bigger picture is what gets you up a rank."
"How do you know that?"
"I have encountered something similar before. For both of our sake, don't ask about it because I can't explain it," Vivian replied.
She was, of course, referring to how things used to be in her past life as Nadia. While it was her invaluable life experience, it wasn't the best life a young girl could live, and she understood how much exploitation she went through to get where she once was.
"Look. Let's not get ourselves into trouble. I wanted an ally I could completely trust beside me in the group before I could let you in on those things, but since it has gotten this far..."
"Hey, relax. It is not the end of the world. Such organizations invest too much into their assets, and since Mama Claudia is your superior's superior, you don't need to get too worried."
"Sigh! This thing is so stressful."
While Vivian's words were comforting and somewhat out of experience, it is bad news altogether to get involved with such organizations. Claudia De Clare would indeed back both Isabella and Vivian up if they were to get in trouble, but this situation stinks to high heaven.
Nobles conspire with each other all the time, but to keep matters under so many wraps, it can't be less than an opposing movement within the kingdom, one that threatens the royal family and the whole system. In other words, an insurgency.
Why would Claudia De Clare be part of such a movement? Well, there are as many reasons to be as there are reasons not to be. But whatever that is, House Moore is clearly not a part of it since Vivian would at least catch wind of any similar situation if it were to happen in her house.
One must carefully navigate these waters.
"Oh, right. The party at my house two days from now, the dress I asked for, is it ready?" Vivian decided to change the topic to alleviate the tension of the conversation.
"Ready? Yes. I had my best designer work on it."
"Pass my greetings to the chef, then. What about you? What kind of dress would you wear to the first Moore party in a while?"
"Ooooh!" A grin appeared on Isabella's face immediately. "Since it is my dear Count Julian's party, I've prepared something even the saints would fumble and stumble."
"A heretic to the very end, Bella!"
"You know me too well."
As the conversation kept drifting from one topic to another, Jade-Eyed Lumi seemed to have finished her first set and joined the party to rest her singing voice. After greeting a few noblemen, Lumi skillfully navigated the garden until she arrived near the gazebo where Vivian and Isabella were. Isabella then went down and greeted Lumi before clearing the way for her meeting with Vivian by drawing attention away.
As Lumi walked into the gazebo, she gave a courtesy bow to Vivian, who gestured for Lumi to sit facing her.
"Your Ladyship, I am honored to be in your presence."
"Congratulations on your performance. If I could just capture every moment of it and keep the song going over and over, I'd do that right away."
"Such praise! I am so humbled."
"Don't be. They may say Madam Isadora Rosewood is the best singer in Elgard, but you, my dear, are a league beyond her. Too bad they don't acknowledge it."
"How can I, my lady? Madam Isadora is the brightest star of this age."
"Too bad, though, that old hag is turning 50 soon, and she just won't quit. Everyone keeps saying she is not what she used to be. Tragic indeed."
Vivian kept poking around a hive of deadly hornets for Lumi, and the latter finally decided to shut up and not say something that may get her in trouble. A smart yet nervous move.
"I always wonder what happens to all those singers from the past, the ones who could be more talented than even you and Madam Isadora. Such unfairness for the following generations to never witness their greatness," Vivian said and brooded into the night sky.
"That's... understandable. I heard that even magic can't do that. Illusionists tend to rely on their memories, and memories eventually get distorted with time."
"True. But if you come to visit me tomorrow at my company's headquarters in Parker's St., there is something I want you to see. A very special thing I think you will appreciate very much."
"Is it related to tonight's work?"
"No, not at all. Just a whim of mine. Tonight's work is a whole different matter."
"I understand. We don't have much time, my lady. They will call me back to the stage at any second."
"Then we better hurry," Vivian said as she changed the way she was sitting while glancing toward the corners and making sure no one was eavesdropping. "Let's start with Prince Liam."
"I see. What do you want to know?"
"Him and his circle, what are they up to these days?"
"A very broad question, but I'll answer it the best I can. The Prince tends to avoid parties as much as he can, and I am no regular to the royal palace, so I can't speak on what goes inside its walls. However, he appeared a week ago at a gala held by House Grayson, and only for a few minutes. He didn't appear at the party or the private meeting inside, so I guess there was a very exclusive meeting going on. The ones that also appeared from his circle that night were certainly Lord Edmond Black, Lord Richard Marshall, and most certainly the son of the host, Lord Ian Grayson. The one who was a tad surprising to appear, however, was young Lord Valentine De Clare."
"Valentine, huh? What about Matilda Ambrose?"
"She was in the public party as always but was called in later and seemed to be conversing with young Lord Ian."
"Let's get back to Valentine. I have acquired some of his documentation lately; some suggest that he was moving a lot of funds in and out of the city. Do you have any idea who he is dealing with?"
"In and out of the city? I don't know; I only focus on social relations, not commercial ones since I am not an expert. But I know that young Lord Valentine has been busying himself with a lot of property purchasing lately. Still, I heard he buys as much as he sells."
"It can be a maneuver. He didn't speak to me about real estate trading when I asked him to find a big building in the city's center."
"Then he has something to hide."
"Can you find me a list of the buildings he purchased and sold? Make sure to find the ones he has purchased but didn't sell."
"Good thinking, my lady. May I ask why all the questions about young Lord Valentine, though? I thought being close to Lady Isabella would mean you can get these questions answered very easily."
Seeing Lumi asking her questions very nonchalantly, Vivian's eyes sharpened.
"Don't get smart with me, Maopi girl. I've paid the price for asking, not answering."
"I... I didn't mean..."
"Then watch your tongue while I still quite like the voice it makes."
"..."
The rumors were true, it seemed, Lumi thought. The Moore's daughter is no lightweight when it comes to social hierarchy, and even though she may get friendly with others, she asserts herself on top quite fiercely at that.
Lumi knew better than to provoke such an individual, especially one who is now associated with the organization.
On the other hand, Vivian calmed down almost instantly and returned to the matter at hand.
"I want you to do the following for me."
"I hear your orders, Lady Vivian."
"Find out what Valentine De Clare is hiding, keep tabs on the Prince and his entourage," Vivian said.
"Is that all, my Lady?" Lumi asked.
"Not just yet," Vivian shook her head and took out a small journal where she kept some notes of her own investigations. "As ridiculous as it sounds, I want you to look into the trail of Mrs. Becky's disappearance."
"Mrs. Becky?" Lumi looked at Vivian with a shocked face, almost the most unexpected thing she had heard in the night.
"Well... I know it sounds strange..."
"How intriguing! Even though Mrs. Becky has disappeared, nobody has even bothered to lift a finger and search for her. Lady Vivian is such a nice person after all!" Lumi said, and the expressions on her face took Vivian aback.
"Hey, I've always been nice..."
"My lady, if you are really going to look for Mrs. Becky, I'll do anything in my power to help you. You can count on me."
A hint of fanaticism appeared in Lumi's eyes, almost the same as anyone who spoke about the mysterious Mrs. Becky. Vivian sighed and decided to let go of the matter as she judged that she must witness it first before coming to a decision about this whole thing.
"Finally, I want to track down an escapee," Vivian added her final request.
"I assume you are talking about Lady Natasha Ivanov, my lady," Lumi spoke with a monotonic voice.
"That's right. Track her down for me."
"I can make it happen, my lady."
"Music to my ears."
While Vivian's treatment was strict when she sensed that Lumi was trying to test her, she still didn't dismiss her without confirming that her tasks were in good hands and that the invitation she gave Lumi for tomorrow would reap its rewards.