I Will Be The New Me
CHAPTRE 25

Floyd, the Knight who worked under Kaisen, came to the workspace that was once used by the King and now belongs to Raiden after officially becoming the royal representative. "Oh, tumben once you come. What's the matter, Floyd?"

"I think you already know what it means to come here, Your Majesty."

"You asked me to change doctors for Dad? I've said many times, Gray is one of the best drug mixers in the country."

"It didn't actually produce results. Your Majesty has been lying sick for too long, this will be bad for the kingdom." Floyd is arguably the young man who is one of the greatest Knights in the palace who is loyal to only one person, namely Kaisen Vill de Sorrentine, Raiden's biological father. He dared to oppose Raiden's decision if it was considered detrimental to his employer.

Just like he is doing now. Protesting Raiden who seemed relaxed just to see his father who seemed ready to die at any time. Floyd himself was not convinced Gray was making a potent potion, unfortunately he could not do much because Raiden installed all spies in every corner of the Ethereal palace.

"So, you're telling me that I'm not a representative of King Kaisen, are you?"

Floyd calmly replied, "I don't mean to say that, but I'm just asking you to quickly find another solution."

"Floyd, I still have a lot of work to do. I can't think of that for now." Raiden snorted violently, why is he thinking about his father's safety? right now all he needs to take care of is Quinn. If Quinn gets out of his hands, Raiden will have trouble reaching his goal. "Jean."

"Okay, Your Majesty." Jean finally forces Floyd to leave the room.

Floyd came out and Evan came into the room carrying a certificate from Bastien regarding the filing of the tightening guard. "What news is it?" ask Raiden who knows the meaning of Evan's arrival.

"I bring some pretty interesting news, Your Honor."

Raiden looks enthusiastic at the news that Evan wants to convey. "Whatis that? I hope you don't give me false hope."

"Lady Penelope and Lady Quinn seem to be waging a cold war. They did not get along at all, but covered up the reality by pretending to be good in front of each other. It seems that if you take advantage of their circumstances, you can more easily achieve your goals."

Raiden stroked his chin while thinking. He himself had already sensed it, there was a strangeness that the two cousins showed when they were in one place. Despite greeting each other and talking, they look far away from each other. "Tomorrow Lady Penelope must return to her city, Your Majesty."

"Oh so? should I give you a gift? Evan, take care of the gift and write it on my behalf." Raiden said, leaning on the shoulder of the chair.

"I'll do it soon, Your Majesty." Before leaving Evan remembered wanting to say one more important thing. He approached Raiden's desk and said, "Grand Duke will fire most of the workers in his house, Your Majesty. What do we do?"

"There's no need to bother sabotaging the list because someone will already do it."

"You mean?"

Raiden raised one corner of his lips, then mentioned one name. "The Quinn de Alger Shuvillian. Let him change his name list."

Evan frowned not understanding, "Why is that, Your Majesty?"

"We'll see. If what was expelled were all my spies, Quinn would have done it. He realized I kept an eye on him and that my suspicions would be proven. You're just looking for a new partner, Bastien and Quinn can't get you out of there." Raiden swiped the necklace around his neck.

Raiden continued to imagine the plain face Quinn had. So sweet that no one could think of suspecting her. No one knew that the innocent Quinn was sharpening the sword inside of him. "I'll have to kill you right away if my next way doesn't work."

The afternoon has arrived. The atmosphere in the Lombard court was noticeably quieter than usual, and it seemed that all the servants were tense and agitated, wondering if they would be fired and unable to work in another noble house.

Quinn is currently reading a letter from Finn which he is assigned to visit the Kennedy family which is a family of Helldelune farmers who are very close to Quinn. At the moment he can't go down on his own to have Gloria Kennedy make the best fertilizer for Izeqiel.

"Good, Finn works pretty fast. Just a little more."

The rosemary plant he asked for had already come and had been planted on his estate. Seven more days of construction of the plant will be completed. "Grandfather has started giving the drug to the community. The rest I just go to see Penelope."

Quinn changed her clothes and went to the Shuvillian residence to talk to Penelope. After making sure that Penelope repeatedly tried to harm herself in order to seize something, Quinn came to believe that there were circumstances urging Penelope to make her rush. "Utilizing someone who is in a state of urgency is the fastest way to get him to follow your game." Quinn murmured while developing a knotty smile.

At first Bastien did not allow Quinn to leave because of her wounds that were still not completely dry, but at the insistence of the girl Bastien finally collapsed as well. He sent two of his knights to escort.

Penelope is shocked by Quinn's sudden presence. "Quinn? you want to see uncle? he had just come out." that was the first sentence Penelope had issued to greet Quinn.

"I came here to talk to you on purpose. Tomorrow you have to go home, so I want to take advantage of this opportunity to have a conversation with you."

"With me?"

"Oh, I brought you a little gift." Quinn thrust a palm-sized jewelry box at her cousin's sister. "Receive it, you'll need it."

"O-oh yeah, thank you."

Penelope did not cease to be wary of Quinn after learning that Savero's eldest son had suspected her of poisoning him. Penelope had the waiter bring an afternoon tea set with a pastry snack for the two of them. "Why do you want to talk in your room? it seems to be a secret."

Quinn nodded casually, it felt like he had not inhaled the air in his own home for a long time. It's a little strange that he comes to other people who live in his house and he has to act like a guest in the house who has been a witness of his life. "Penelope, I don't intend to intimidate. I asked purely out of curiosity." Quinn sat up while propping up her chin, "Do you like Raiden?"

"Eh?"

Penelope stared at Quinn in confusion. No, not a question but Quinn's gaze that did not mind receiving any answers that he would later issue. "Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

"I know you're starting to like Raiden, Penelope. I don't mind that." Penelope still refused to answer Quinn's question. More precisely, he was willing to be careful than Quinn knowing his secret. "I'll help you get Raiden."

"Whatdidyou say? you're kidding me, aren't you?"

"Do I look like I'm throwing jokes?" Penelope was speechless and could not answer because there was not the slightest trace on Quinn's face that she was joking. "I'll give up on you, brother. Besides I gave up not without cause, Raiden himself made me think of giving up."

Surrender said? it was clear that Raiden was looking for her, she also spoke softly and very attentively, even she was worried after hearing you get hurt.

"I know what you're thinking. Raiden did all that good because he wanted to keep a good relationship with his father and grandfather. You know, grandfather is a close friend of the King." he explained that the truth is true. "Raiden took care of me because I was already considered a close friend. Isn't this a good opportunity for you? you want to be on the side of the strongest man in his position, and I want to see you happy."

"Quinn, you're not like anyone I know. So your goal was to come here just for that?" Penelope laughed sinisterly as she pointed at Quinn's face, "Finally you showed your real face in front of me. This is very surprising. I don't know what you were thinking until you got your mask off here."

Quinn nodded again. "I know you're so scared of Uncle Vincent. Every time people talk about it, you're like you're reminded of an angel who took your own life."

Penelope's breath was choked, her tongue was very faint, a word she could not speak. It does. Hearing the name Vincent was mentioned had succeeded in making Penelope's body shiver in fear to the bone marrow. Even Penelope does not see her house as a house but a hell in which it is a dwelling place of evil demons who are ready to take the lives of anyone who dares to enter her territory.

Quinn did not seem to have the heart to see Penelope who had trouble regulating her breath, she seemed to forget how to pump oxygen to her heart. "Penelope, relax, calm down. I'm not gonna tell anyone about this, so you're gonna stay safe" Quinn said. He put aside all his curiosity to help Penelope.

What exactly did Uncle Vincent do to make his own son so scared?

Penelope did not expect that Quinn could guess everything correctly, she even now blatantly said all of her thoughts without thinking about wanting to keep her image as an innocent and innocent girl. "You're interested in hearing my next words?"

Penelope could not answer him immediately because she was still worried about her feelings. "I'm interested in Raiden, I don't know if this is just a casual attraction or something. And what you said was true. My main goal is to find a safe position. I don't care if I have to be the King's concubine or comfort woman, if I get her protection then I will."

In Quinn's heart smiled triumphantly. His estimation is correct, making emotional use of Penelope is the right way to make her uncover all the secrets of her own.

Quinn stroked Penelope's shoulder. "I really like Raiden, after a long struggle, Raiden still seems to think of me as just a friend. I don't need high status, you need it. So, will you cooperate with me?"

"I'm surprised you can talk like an adult too. Then what do you want in return?" Penelope sipped her chamomile tea slowly, "Uh, why does it taste a bit sour? did he add a little lemon to it?" muttered.

Quinn shrugged both shoulders lightly, "For now, I just need to help you and you should be my spy. Hows it? I'll ask you for some information in return. Relax, whatever I do won't bring you down."

"What's your real purpose?" Penelope furrowed her brows, she still did not understand this discussion of lightning.

"My goal is to thwart what Raiden's goal is. If you want to know, Raiden's after something from me."

"Seek what?"

"I don't know yet and will soon find out about it. You need to be on the side of the person with the highest status and I need to get off Raiden's noose." Quinn said again. He leaned his cramped shoulder against the back of the chair while continuing his brief explanation. "I want you to not be confident first every time you receive good treatment from Raiden. You are also a noble so you know how everyone always keeps their good image in front of the elite. It's no different than Raiden. He's a cunning man and is now trying to use you."

Penelope scowled somewhat dislike Quinn's sober speech. "Raiden is a very good man, he can't possibly be two-faced so. You must have misunderstood me because you wanted me to give up chasing Raiden's love, too."

"Pfft hahahaha! you're so funny." Quinn wiped away the tears coming from the corner of her eyes, "It doesn't matter if you think so. You'll see for yourself the truth, even if you open your eyes."

"You talk like you know Raiden well. You guys don't see each other very often for a long time. How can you slander the Prince so harshly?"

"I want you to listen to me." Quinn emphasized on his sentence which succeeded in keeping Penelope quiet. "As I said, Raiden is after me. He used you to make me more attached to him because he still believed that I was crazy about Raiden. I used to be jealous of all the women who looked up in front of Raiden."

"..."

"Don't you think the same way? if I were Raiden and knew that the relationship between the two of us wasn't good, I would use you to make Quinn unable to escape from me. You're just one of my chess pieces. I'm not going to tell you that my entire attention was fake. After all, the Crown Princess's candidate selection is still a long way off, there's no harm in using you to fight Quinn before that time comes." Penelope listened while glaring in disbelief.

"Then, after that I will choose Quinn who became Queen and throw you away because from the beginning my goal is to master Quinn. Your jealousy can lead to the idea that you're the one obsessed with the Prince and you're creating a powerful alibi for me. He wants to make us enemies even further away."

"Then after that...?"

Quinn recalled the flashbacks of the past, precisely about the beheading he had received in the town square. Quinn tried to align it with the assumptions he had now. "If Raiden's goal is to kill me, after establishing me as Crown Princess, Raiden will be able to do it easily. He will make an alibi that you were the one who killed me as a result of your failure to be elected Ethereal Queen because of my presence. You too will eventually die. That way the name will stay good. But we'll both be harmed."

"That-that makes sense. But I can't believe Raiden has such malicious intentions towards you. You want me to hate Raiden, don't you?"

"Hey, don't value someone's nature from the looks of it. Have you never reflected? I know you tried to poison me through the flowers you brought." Quinn choked in the middle of their serious conversation.

"Hey, watch your talk. You're the same."

"Haha, maybe so." Quinn drank tea to wet her throat which began to feel dry. "If you want a safe position, stay close to Raiden, do whatever you want because he won't deny your favorable presence."

Penelope smiled cynically, "Then what? you want me to trust you?"

Quinn calmly replied, "Hm, I do need proof. Then, you wanna bet?"

"What?"

"Raiden knows through his spies that you're going home tomorrow to Verenity. He'll send you a gift directly for souvenirs, then that means all my guesses are right."

"If that doesn't happen?"

"Yes, that means I was too much. You've heard, grandfather himself admitted that Raiden is a man who loves tricks. But if that doesn't happen, you can just leak all of my words to Raiden."

Quinn confirmed his bangs that had already pierced his eyes. "Raiden is not that good until he wants to give a gift to someone who has only met twice. If he gives you a fancy gift, it means he wants something from you."

I learned from Raiden in the past. Thanks to that, I can now be more careful.

Penelope took a long breath. This conversation made him very tense. "Then how do you help me get closer to Raiden?"

Quinn placed her index finger in front of her lips, "There's a way. Just trust me, you just follow the instructions I give. I'm not the kind of person to betray." Killian's older brother folded both hands in front of his chest. "Now, tell me. What makes you so afraid of Uncle Vincent?"

Penelope's face paled. He could not tell what he had been going through in his own home.

"If you're having trouble telling stories, it doesn't matter. Just send me a letter to tell me."

Quinn thrust a palm in front of her cousin's sister, "How is it? are you interested in working with me? think again, you're the one who benefits the most here."

The girl with a well-proportioned body hesitated to shake Quinn's hand, but she eventually decided to accept Quinn's helping hand.

Of course Quinn shook Penelope's hand with great enthusiasm. "Oh yeah, my gift box, that's keep it. That would be my second proof if you still doubted my words. Let's keep it a secret."

Got another piece. With this, am I already one step ahead of Raiden?

Quinn also stood up from the chair while stretching the muscles of his hands that felt stiff. "Don't think you can stab me in the back, Penelope."

Penelope gasped in surprise, she raised her face to look at Quinn, "What?". Suddenly, Penelope felt in her stomach the burning heat and she finally spewed out quite a lot of blood. The girl's clenched hands trembled violently seeing her own blood already evenly distributed throughout her palms followed by her vision began to blur. " W-what is this? what's happening to me?"

Quinn grinned broadly at the helplessness of Penelope before him. "I've put poison in your tea. It was a special concoction poison and only I had the antidote. It's good that you don't want to drink the antidote because it'll only worsen your condition."

Penelope kicked off the "Quinn! you've gone too far!"

"Your body has never been trained to take poison. Be careful not to shorten your own life." The plain-faced girl then raised the bottle filled with greenish-colored liquid "I only have one bottle. I'll keep it, let's just say your life is in my hands. So you want to live or not, depending on your cooperation. Please betray, I just need to let the poison in your body spread."

"Quinn!" penelope snapped in anger.

However the loud snaps were only considered wind then by Quinn. He waved his hand as he walked out of Penelope's room with a feeling of pleasure.

"Let's see how Raiden's gonna play with this piece of mine."

"Argh! Quinn! you insolent bastard! he's playing me!"