Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

Jovana barely had the time to think of a solution to distract the guards when she got to see the power of the intuition vial in full bloom. As people started to exit the Grand Hall after the concert, a young lord stopped in the middle of the corridor to admire how gorgeous Jovana looked. Another gentleman bumped into him.

"Hey, why don't you watch your step?" he said, and as the gentleman collided with the lord, he realized that someone else was picking his pockets.

The thief started running toward the exit, holding the gentleman's wallet. The lord shouted, "Help! Help! Guards! Robbery!" The two guards looked at each other as the young lord glared at them. "What are you waiting for? Get the thief!"

The guards couldn't help but shrug and chase the escaping criminal, with the young lord following after them. The corridor was free now, and Jovana could get to the top door. She took a deep breath, took out her powder mirror, and put her hand on the door handle.

'Game on, Jovana,' she mused, then turned the handle, opened the door, and went in. She walked inside the room, powdering her nose and acting as if she expected to find herself in an empty service room.

"How in the hell did you get in here, young lady?" The King's voice froze Jovana in place.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know where the bathroom was," Jovana said, then she turned around and widened her eyes in surprise as she exclaimed, "Oh my God, Your Majesty." Jovana performed a curtsy so deep that she almost dropped to her knees.

"How in the hell did you walk in here? Guards! Guards!" King Edward yelled, but there was no response from the other side of the door. Jovana glanced at Falcon and Caspian, who were both looking at her with surprise. The King turned to the Duke, "This is absurd, Lord Clifford. How is it possible that a random girl can walk in the middle of a secret hearing?"

"I really would like to know the answer to that, Your Majesty, but unfortunately, royal security isn't within my remit," Caspian answered, and the King turned to Jovana, looking furious.

"Wait a minute, I know you. You are the young Lady Stafford. It's a name that rhymes too much with trouble for my taste," King Edward said, and Jovana put on a frightened face.

"What? Oh! No! Your Majesty. I would never—" Jovana trailed off when the King's voice boomed across the room.

"Silence!"

"Your Majesty, she's just a frightened girl. Nothing to worry about," Caspian chimed in, feeling his heart beating uncontrollably at the sight of Jovana in the same room with them.

"I agree, Lord Clifford. Right now, I don't have the time to deal with all these problems and nosy girls," King Thomas said, then looked at Jovana. "Lady Stafford, sit down in that corner, shut up, and do your best to make me forget that you exist. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jovana nodded as she smiled, doing her best to give the wrong impression.

The King sat in the only chair in the room, like some sort of makeshift throne. He was skinning Falcon alive with his eyes. The poor scholar couldn't stand still. He shifted from one foot to the other and kept rubbing his hands together.

Right next to Falcon was the Duke. Calm and impenetrable, steady like a statue. The room was heavy with silence until...

"I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED AT THE GODFORSAKEN PARTY." The King's voice was loud, and his rage was terrifying, but Jovana had been through too much already. At that moment, all his menacing power ran down her skin like harmless drops of water. 'So this is the King, just an angry old man.'

Neither Falcon nor Caspian seemed affected by his outburst. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Last time we spoke about the operation, you didn't manifest the desire to hear a report. But if Your Majesty has changed his mind, I would be happy to oblige," Caspian said, and the King nodded at him.

"Proceed,"

"By Your Majesty's direct order, a special operation was carried out using a drug secretly developed by the Academy. This drug, the Wight's touch, was originally developed to allow spies to simulate death, but it was the perfect medium to cast doubts about the safety of Serendipity," Caspian explained, while Jovana mused to herself, 'So the plan was approved by the King himself?'

Caspian continued, "The operation wasn't designed to cause uncontrolled social panic. We didn't want people thinking the girl was dead. That's why we made sure Falcon was there to save her. I had no doubt that he would recognize his creation."

"The result?" The King asked.

"Exactly what we wanted. The girl went down, and Falcon saved her with perfect timing," Caspian answered.

"Very good," the King said, giving the Duke a proud look while Jovana's thoughts raced, 'Very good? This is not good at all. There are a lot of parts missing. He didn't tell the King about the salt or about me being there. I don't understand. Is Caspian working on a very complicated scheme, or is he just omitting details in order to protect me?'

"And what about the creator of this damned serendipity? Did you find him?" King Edward asked.

Jovana held her breath as she waited for the Duke's response, "The creator swallowed the bait. He will soon appear in front of you for judgment, Your Majesty."

"Excellent. I knew I could count on you, Lord Clifford."

'Wait. WHAT?' Jovana exclaimed in her mind, and as the information rushed through her mind, she did all she could to keep control of herself and remain invisible in the corner. 'All I have to do is keep blank eyes and a quiet smile. I don't even have to look at them. The more furniture-like I can be, the better,' Jovana kept chanting in her head as she showed the perfect social mask.

'I don't know what the hell Caspian was talking about! They were still speaking as if the creator was a male. I really hope he isn't thinking Eli might be involved. Or even worse, he knows it is me, and he's just trying to give me a false sense of security.' Jovana let her thoughts trail off as she snapped in her mind, 'No.' She took a deep mental breath without letting anything be apparent from the exterior, and she managed to control her fear and her doubts. Jovana kept her fists tight behind her back and her angelic smile on the front facade as she held on.