Rosie's Games

Chapter 253: Odds

"What is that man doing here?" Rosalind frowned as she recalled the deal that the Duke made with him. However, as soon as she spotted him, he was quick to disappear from her sight. Her face turned uglier.

What was that?

However, another loud howl caught her attention. She looked back as the primal sound echoed through the surroundings. It started with a deep, guttural growl that built in fierceness, rising in pitch and volume until it erupted into a deafening roar.

She could hear the beast's vocal cords vibrate with fierce intensity, producing a terrifying sound full of rage and aggression, showing the creature's dominance and power. Rosalind was caught off guard. Was that considered normal?

"We can handle it," Arriane said. "Please go ahead."

Rosalind nodded and hurried towards the barracks where Captain Gaudy, Elias, and Valentin were.

"You are here," Rosalind said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Elias's question welcomed her.

"Elias, you know why—" Valentin immediately pulled Elias away from Rosalind.

"She made us look like fools."

"I said, I am working with the Duke." Rosalind only smiled. This was already expected as Elias was not someone with a good temper. After all, he was a Blaize— the one Blessed with fire.

"Do you think I walk around and introduce that to people that I just meet?" Rosalind asked. She met his eyes, his chin lifted as if she was daring him to make a move against her. Luckily, this was enough to calm him down.

"What do you want?"

"And here I thought Valentin already told you everything?"

"Well, I did… It's just that—"

"I want to hear your own words," Elias said. "The man that you were with was the Duke, right?"

"Right."

Elias clenched his fist.

"Why does his wife want to work with us?" he asked.

"I am someone like you," Rosalind said. "This was a pleasant coincidence and something that I am willing to take advantage of. I can make you more powerful. I can make you almost invulnerable. Isn't that what you wanted? To prove yourselves to… your families?"

"You know nothing about us."

"I am a Lux," Rosalind said. "I may not know anything about your family but I know everything about growing up in a household with a Blessing."

Valentin and Elias clenched their jaws.

"You wanted to destroy the seven families?" Elias asked. "You know that is close to impossible."

"What are the odds that three abandoned Blessed individuals would meet each other in the North?" Rosalind asked.

"Close to none."

"Exactly my point." Rosalind smiled. "The odds might be close to zero but that sliver of chance is still there. Fight with me."

"It's just the three of us," Valentin chimed in. "How is it possible to topple Empires that had been built for centuries?"

"Simple…" Rosalind met Valentin's eyes. "Start with the weakest link." josei

"And what is that?" Elias asked.

"I do not think this is the exact place and time for us to talk about specifics," Rosalind said. "I want you to work with me. The Duke has his people, elites working under him and I want you three to be mine."

"You — you think you can—"

"He is an ally," Rosalind assured them. The Duke was an ally, at least for now. Of course, she could not predict what was going to happen in the future. For some reason, the thought of this made her chest tight.

She wanted to know if he was fine. She wanted to know where he currently was.

In the end, she chose to push those thoughts out of her head.

"If we join you— are you going to protect us from them?" Captain Gaudy said. "You might not know this but I— the three of us need protection. We knew it would be hard for them to reach this place, so we chose to hide here. If we — If we decide to join you, are you going to protect us?"

Rosalind said nothing. Seeing this, Captain Gaudy continued. "You have no ships, no armies, no status, and no gold. You are just like us. You might be married to the Duke but do you think he would help you against the seven families? The Duke is strong but he never leaves the North. I do not think he would leave this place just to wage war against those people."

"You have a point," Rosalind said. Indeed, she had no army or any solid background that would help us with her plans. However, she has something that only she has.

The knowledge of the future.

True, the future had changed since she came here. However, she was able to build relationships with people that could help her in the near future.

The Duke was only one of those people. There was also Mr. Pratt and the Quarter Masters, the mercenary Mr. Montgomery, and The Duke of the Aster Empire. She was planning to create more connections in the next coming days.

"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything about this," Rosalind said.

"So, you wanted us to trust you. Blindly."

"I—"

"I agree." To their surprise, the first one who spoke was Elias.

"What?" Captain Gaudy and Valentin spoke at the same time.

"What are you talking about Elias?" Valentin asked. "I thought—"

"Her current status changes everything," Elias said. "We have been fighting in the North for months and… we know how everything here is different from that of the south. Sorcerers are not as rare and the people here are not scared of them."

"Are you telling me that—" Valentin asked.

"Yes. She is pretending to be a sorcerer. Why can't we do the same?"

"You—"

"If the people here see sorcerers in a new light then… we might have a sliver of a chance against the seven families."

"Do you think that they would allow that to happen?" Valentin asked.

"You don't understand," Elias avoided Valentin's gaze. "We have the Duke…" They have the Duke of Wugari, Duke Lucas Rothley.

After what he went through in front of the Duke, he was certain of one thing. The Duke was stronger than any Blessed individual. Soon, Elias would find out why a man like that refused to leave the North!

....

It's Monday and we ended up in top 50! I am not making any promises today! I don't want to break any. T>T