Delphine Inland

The meeting point of the restricted councils of the Delphine House took place in the labyrinth in front of the central sanctuary.

Arriving along the hedgerow streets, Delphine tried to recall the sensations of the previous evening without success. Her plants do not speak to her, the smell of lavender has dissipated, and the sanctuary tells her nothing. The tomb of her ancestors is silent and reminds her of the court. Only smaller, adorned with some gargoyles.

The elderly Herbalist Witch and the playful Wall Witch are there with her. Delphine told them about the President's call without explaining what she concluded in Ampra.

“Indeed, the Sixteenth Witch is a reliable source.” The Herbalist Witch seems troubled. “She spends a lot of money to know who casts a spell and when.”

“But my barrier surely confused her. And I have not to mention the seals. She could estimate the value and the location, but nothing precise.” The Wall Witch folds her arms. She nods satisfied.

“Your barrier failed to prevent a spell from being cast. And not just any magic.”

“Girls, that is, sorry, noble witches. Calm down.” Delphine fans herself. She does not want to hear an argument.

The two apologize and remain silent.

The song of the cicadas is the only noise that passes through the air for a few moments while Delphine thinks about the situation.

“Holy Wall Witch. The fact that the Sixteenth Witch couldn't be more precise demonstrates the effectiveness of your barrier and seals.”

“Sure! With the budget you give me, I can only improve my art.”

A hint of pride shines through the Witch's voice. Delphine wonders how good her skills are. In the novel, she is one of those witches who barely appears. She was a function, more than a character. Her purpose is and ends in being the first line of defense of the palace.

Yet, in front of Delphine, there is a proud girl. The Third Witch is certain that she has fulfilled her duty with expertise.

“Holy Wall Witch, is it possible to bypass the seals? I mean... in the same way, as the poison was introduced by exploiting Viola-Maria, unsupervised by the gendarmerie.”

“Well, yes. I could. You could, too.”

“Even the Herbalist Witch?”

The Witch in question makes a perplexed expression.

“No, not her: she is a Witch of the lowest category.”

The Herbalist Witch starts to open her mouth but changes her mind.

“So, a Witch like the Second Witch, or maybe the Fourth Witch of the Empire, could?”

The Wall Witch huffs. She is visibly uncomfortable.

“All witches from a thousand and below could, Your Holiness. Plus, a handful of barrier experts, like myself.”

“Speaking of which…” the Herbalist Witch holds out two staffs that she holds.

Observing them, Delphine understands that they are two pieces of a single-colored stick.

“Your son broke it, Your Holiness. They were the catalyst for the spell.”

The Wall Witch approaches with eyes wide open.

“This changes everything!”

“Hmm, you sure?”

“Indeed! If they used a catalyst, that means anyone could have brought the stick. The spell then released from inside the object. In this case, the culprit could also be the butler!”

“Do not be silly. Massimiliano is male but a faithful servant of House Delphine. Is not that so, Your Holiness?”

Delphine nods at the Herbalist Witch. She turns to the Wall Witch, the shortest of the three.

“It couldn't have been anyone. It's a 10,000,000,000 Lire spell. The President herself has narrowed the number of suspects.”

The two witches fall silent.

“Massimiliano told me about the open sanctuary, the wand,” continues the Herbalist Witch. “Lavender, the smell of which invaded the labyrinth, is one of the ingredients used by the Second Witch. With that capital, your sudden change of clothes, and the choice of sanctuary… I suppose it was the opening spell of a portal.”

“Old lady, cut it out. If such a portal had opened, we would have noticed.”

Delphine quickly understands the implications of a portal. Is it due to the ‘arrogance’ of claiming to be a better Delphine than the author's?

The portal summoned me. The Second Witch, or someone claiming to be her, found a way to summon me after the poisoning. Ironic?

I wouldn't be surprised by something meta. Perhaps the author is bored or in the mood for jokes.

“This is serious,” insists the Herbalist Witch. “It could all be solved with a simple change of clothes.”

“Uh, terrifying clothes from another world.”

“Wall Witch, please. Herbalist Witch, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness. I think it could have been something else. Maybe not, but you have to be careful. The sanctuaries are located at ancient natural crossroads. Here is where our ancestors made deals with demons.”

“Ho, you silly old woman. Demons have no interest in coming among us. As long as we pay, no demon will have anything to complain about.”

The discussion ends, and Delphine changes the subject. She has already decided. Meet this Second Witch would be a good idea as soon as possible, leaving the bickering to the subordinates.

“Coming to another matter.” Delphine stops fans herself and closes the peacock fan. “I have decided that the engagement ceremony will still take place despite the attempted poisoning of future engaged couples.”

“Your Holiness, it is hazardous.”

“Wah, what's this? I heard it from the servants. But I didn't believe it.”

The Herbalist Witch summarizes the matter. The Wall Witch nods. She ties a bow on the lock of hair hanging from her hat.

“So, there's going to be a party!? Wow.”

“It's a pretext. I will unmask the conspirators in front of all the guests. The President will have to take part against her son, since in public.”

“The President can do whatever she wants.” The Herbalist Witch's gaze is serious.

“We are friends. I doubt she would publicly defend her son. We have to force them to betray themselves.”

“All witches are friends. But it is a lie. Your Holiness, how do you plan to do it?”

Delphine reopens the fan. She crosses her arms thoughtfully.

“Viola-Maria is shattered, she confessed. I will pretend to give her a second chance. As long as the matter remains secret, there are no risks. In public. I will announce the crime and hit that little prince with a cold shower.”

“Merciless.”

“Diabolical.”

The two witches seem satisfied with that plan. It includes three elements typical of witches' common pastimes: the humiliation of non-witches, intrigue, and ruined lives.

Delphine wonders at that moment whether they are this way by nature, have become this way over time, or whether it is a side effect of ancient trade with demons. The fact is, witches often find this type of farce amusing. They have erected a society based on them.

But who proposed it? How should I consider myself?

The question dies, replaced by a more pressing thought.

“Wall Witch. I need you to increase security measures for the event.”

“Sure, but against—”

“No one should cast spells that cost less than 10,000 Lire.” At that moment, Delphine's mind returns to the murdered young man, to her call with Coralla. “Wait, 15,000. Yes, fifteen thousand is the minimum spend.”

“Do you also want to apply an intermediation rate? It is your property. You have the right to it.”

The Third Witch has no idea what the subordinate is telling her, but she shakes her head, pretending to understand.

“It won't be necessary. I'm confident that everything will take place ‘quietly’.”

The other two witches giggle. Delphine ends the meeting.

“The Delphine Banks branch in Ampra called to advise. 7,500 Lire in gold tokens are sublimated. I guess you had your reasons, My Holiness.”

7,500 Lire are less than 10,000.

Delphine looks at her husband at the dining room table, illuminated by the sunlight beaming through the windows. She sees that the man is as tired as she is. Perhaps they should each retreat to their room and sleep. However, as treasurer, the husband was called to talk about finances.

If I have to throw an engagement party, I want to know how much I can spend.

That thought was the basis of the meeting. A base soon slipped away, dissolved by the thought that 7,500 Lire were enough for her to kill a stranger on the spot.

Different rates? Infernal discounts? Bots and spreads on some great stock? Maybe packages of securitized securities, returns on investments, natural affinities, or who knows? Delphine cannot know. The big book says little about these technical aspects, and she does not know.

“My Blessed,” Delphine stumbles, embarrassed by that nickname. “How much is the available capital?”

“For capital, considering fixed assets, working capital, and… look, a study should be done. It is early for the six-month study.”

“I mean, the family treasure. How much money can we spend immediately?

“52,000,000,000 Lire, approximately. Minus 7,500 Lire in gold tokens.”

Delphine sits more comfortably on the bench.

“You repeat gold tokens as it matters.”

“It matters. Demons do not accept securities, banknotes, and silver as a payment method.”

“Fine. I used magic. I admit it.”

Delphine does not want to talk about it with her husband. Not that husband. A man she barely knows, of whom she knows a handful of paragraphs in an endless book.

“My Holiness, do not make fun of me. We are all shaken by what happened and—”

The door of the room slams open. Grullo enters with a gendarme in tow.

“Your Holiness, Your Beatitude, excuse me. The Noble Prince Crisante has disappeared!”

“What!?” Judas seems to choke on his words.

Delphine observes without saying anything.

“My Holy Lords, the fact is that some servants heard him talking to himself. We thought it was about the imminent departure, but…” Grullo stops.

Delphine looks at the two. Judas bows his head.

“We expelled him to send him to reform with his uncles, My Holiness.”

Grullo resumes.

“We do not know how. The Prince escaped surveillance. We fear he may have received help.”

“I do not care.”

Delphine says this with her hand on her heart. She does not care. Crisante? Noble Prince? As far as she knows, he is an annoying child, and, in the novel, nothing of importance concerns him.

Ergo, it can't be anything serious.

Judas gives her a disapproving look, but Delphine looks at him impassively.

The man gets up.

“Your Holiness, I'm going out to look for him.”

The Praetor-Duke leaves the room. Grullo and the guard remain uncertain in the doorway.

“Go ahead with him. We have done here anyway.”

There is a constant coming and going in the building. Servants and gendarmes are looking for the little Prince. Delphine advances through the corridors indifferently, heading towards her daughter's room.

Two guards guard the white wooden door of that room. It's almost evening. Delphine cannot stand the day anymore and drags herself along tiredly.

“Your Holiness.” The two gendarmes bow, saluting.

“Go ahead, you're no longer needed.”

The two gendarmes remain stunned, their faces perplexed.

“Go, go. Do not worry. Instead, look for Crisante.”

“As you wish, Your Holiness.”

The guards bid farewell.

Delphine watches them for a few moments, illuminated by the sunset.

Letting out a sigh, she opens the book she brought with her. She marked a page by making a tab in the corner.

But during that party, in which the witches toasted the future imperial couple, something came out of the darkness. The plan hatched by Clea to conquer the city of Celce moved quickly, and the Witch of Conspiracies set the city on fire. That night…

Delphine closes the book. In the novel, the evening of the daughter's engagement party coincides with the fall of Celce. After the damage to Eggrio, Celce will be the first victory of the revolution, the one that will alarm the entire Parliament.

There is a fundamental difference, however.

In the book, Delphine is oblivious. She didn't know of having been poisoned by her daughter, of being close to death, of having no hope on the day when she clashed with the People's Witch.

That is unless I hit her first before it becomes a real problem. But after she destroys Celce.

First, I will anticipate the party.

In this way, the game will be closed immediately, with the two major enemies eliminated. All that will remain is to focus on the problem of poison. As well as transport into a parallel dimension.

Delphine knocks on the door. A meow of pain comes from beyond. Delphine knocks again.

“Viola, what are you doing?”

“Um, nothing, Holy Mother.”

The cat hissing. Silence follows.

“Holy Mother, do you need anything?”

“I spoke with the Witch Judge of Ampra. We have considered various possibilities. We concluded that forgiveness is the most feasible.”

There is a moment of silence. Steps. The door opens, and Viola-Maria arrives on the threshold wearing a night dress.

“Were you asleep?” Delphine knows she is up to something with the cat. But she covers it up.

“Yes, Holy Mother. The cat woke me up.”

“Did you get what I said?”

“That you want to forgive me. I would be grateful, Holy Mother, and I wouldn't mention it to anyone.”

“Good, I see you understand.”

“Gossip is poison to witches.”

Poison is poison to witches.

Delphine keeps that thought to herself. The plan moves too smoothly. She does not want to risk ruining it with her hands.

“Viola. I spoke to the First Witch. She doesn't know about the conspiracy. Therefore, she doesn't know about her son. We are organizing your engagement party. You will have to keep quiet for him too.”

Viola-Maria's face radiates with a smile. The girl starts to make some sweet talk that Delphine finds unbearable.

“Ho, Holy Mother, you are always so good. You are the best Mother in the world. Thank you."

“Be thankful for your social position, Viola.” It was meant to be a joke, but the statement comes out sour.

In any case, Viola-Maria does not seem to understand and continues to thank and genuflect. She even jumps around her neck to hug her, but Delphine steps aside, merely patting her in return. To avoid arousing suspicion, not for anything else.

The Third Witch leaves. Viola-Maria closes the door happily.

Delphine walks away. She needs a bath before dinner, after which she will go to bed. But the Third Witch does not feel relaxed. She knows that Viola-Maria faked it. She faked everything, even her gratitude.

But what can she do? Spread the word and condemn herself and Coralla's son?

No. She can't do anything. And I have her in my hands.