novelraw Chapter 97: Karolina
Chapter 97: Karolina
Outside Fischer's room in the Pink Pavilion, Anna stood with her arms folded, still dressed in her traditional Nari attire. Only after the door had shut completely did she cast a cold glance at the brown-haired girl beside her, who was busy rebuttoning her blouse.
"Inside the Pink Pavilion, discussion of any political matters is forbidden. So is any attempt by anyone to dig up information or secrets that shouldn't be dug up. That is our law of survival. You are an outsider, so I won't do anything to you this time. If you were one of our girls, I'd tear your tongue out to teach you what happens when you run your mouth."
The brown-haired girl was entirely unfazed. If anything, she shot the breathtaking woman an irritated glance.
"You're the ones who told me to complete a mission. So what now? How am I supposed to get Schwari intelligence if I can't—"
Before she could finish, Anna had already raised a single forefinger and placed it before her own tantalizing crimson lips, silencing the girl without a word.
An unseen pressure seeped into the corridor. She stared directly at the girl, and in absolute silence something terrible bore down upon her — the girl on the spot began to shiver as if some horrifying creature had set its eyes on her.
"Here, these things are not discussed."
It seemed to be a final warning. Anna slowly lowered her finger from her lips, and the oppressive force gradually receded. The brown-haired girl pressed her lips together. Fine beads of sweat had broken out on her back, yet she remained visibly agitated and defiant.
"Whatever deal the Master struck with you is none of my concern. I am in charge of the Pink Pavilion's operations, and I will ensure it follows the rules that keep it alive. Whatever intelligence you want to gather, whatever information you need — do it outside the Pavilion. Seduce them, drug them, I don't care. But if you cause trouble in here again, I won't hesitate to show you what real pain feels like — especially with that marvelous trait of yours. Isn't that right, Karolina?"
"Don't call me by that name!"The name at the end of Anna's sentence struck the girl like a blow to an exposed nerve. She clenched her teeth, glanced at the firmly shut room door beside her, and glared viciously at the beautiful woman.
"You damn whore — I'll get the intelligence and finish the mission my own way! Keep your nose out of my business! I'm not one of your Pink Pavilion girls!"
Anna showed no anger at the insults. She watched serenely as the girl adjusted her blouse and stalked away, then let out a mocking little smile. She lifted a hand and summoned a nearby attendant, instructing them to bring a complimentary bottle of wine for the guests in that room.
Just as she finished giving the order, the room door opened and the Schwari gentleman stepped out. He surveyed the corridor. Upon discovering that the brown-haired girl — Karolina — was nowhere to be seen, a flicker of disappointment crossed his face.
'Still a naive romantic, this one. He actually took a liking to that sort of girl. Coming here in search of innocence is a bit foolish, though.'
Anna arranged a faint smile on her lips and addressed Fischer as he emerged.
"Is something the matter, sir?"
"Ah, nothing. Could you point me to the washroom?"
'Using the washroom as a pretext to hide his real purpose — how transparent.'
Anna smiled and gestured down the corridor in the other direction. A gentle, lotus-like fragrance wafted along with her movement, so refined it made one wonder whether a true lady had been placed in the wrong setting.
"The washroom is in that direction."
"Understood."
Fischer had more or less confirmed that the brown-haired girl was the Witch he was looking for. But the moment he stepped outside she had vanished. He had intended to play the part of a smitten gentleman and ask where she'd gone, but the sight of the woman before him made him abandon that plan.
His instinct told him this woman was no ordinary person. Better to proceed with caution. Thus far, Fischer's instincts had never led him astray, and being careful cost nothing.
Anna hid a smile behind her hand, then turned and departed.
Fischer drifted toward the washroom, wandering through the Pink Pavilion for a while. The place was enormous. That damnable medicinal odor pervaded every corner. Fischer quietly covered his mouth and nose, but he found no trace of the Witch — and ultimately had to give up.
He returned to the room, only to discover Tlander lying in a small bed in one of the side chambers, eyes glazed and unfocused. The door to the chamber was wide open. Beside him, a lady sat up, smoothed her hair, and tossed Fischer a flirtatious glance as she lit a cigarette.
'How long was I even gone?'
'How is he done already?'
Fischer stared at Tlander — forehead glistening with sweat — and sincerely considered advising him to exercise restraint before he ended up with some truly dreadful medical condition.
"Ohhh, these ladies... heavenly..."
"Oh my, we had a wonderful time too. Mr. Tlander is so impressive — he deserves a proper reward."
Several ladies planted grateful kisses on him, nearly sucking the soul right out of Tlander. Meanwhile, a few women behind Fischer gently took hold of his fingers. When he turned, a dainty foot extended from ahead and hooked the hem of his trousers.
"Come on, Sir Andrew, won't you have a drink with us?"
"..."
The ladies who had been at his side earlier had clearly felt the firm muscles beneath his clothes. He was obviously nothing like the soft and pliant Tlander. Now they were eager to sample what this gentleman had to offer — even the cologne was something they could temporarily overlook.
But Fischer had nothing left to gain here. He certainly wasn't going to indulge for real, yet leaving immediately would raise suspicions. So he humored the women with a few drinks, then feigned drunkenness, collapsed in place, and pretended to sleep for a long while. The frustrated ladies poked at his motionless body, visibly vexed.
By the time he "woke up," several hours had passed. Fischer sat up with a staged look of alarm and checked the time, acting as though he had an emergency.
He stood, walked over to Tlander — who had by now endured who knows how many rounds of "blitzkrieg" — and dragged him out of that den of tenderness. Seeing him still in a daze, Fischer gave him a light slap to bring him around.
"Mr. Tlander, you've had far too much to drink. How are we supposed to discuss business like this?"
"Ah yes, business to discuss. My apologies, Mr. Andrew."
Tlander was supremely cooperative. He had already had his fill of pleasure several times over; being told to leave now posed no issue whatsoever.
He patted his own head, turned to the ladies around him, and said with a somewhat foggy air, "Store today's wine for me. I'll come back and finish it next time. Just settle the bill with the money I left on deposit."
"Of course, Mr. Tlander."
One lady stepped out. The remaining women attentively helped him dress; another produced a scented handkerchief to dab the sweat from his brow. The service, it had to be said, was impeccable. Fischer straightened his own clothes and waited as the unsteady Tlander was escorted out of the room by several of the ladies.
At the main entrance, the conservatively dressed Anna walked over with a smile, personally presenting a bill to Fischer — who appeared to be the more lucid of the two — and then curtsied.
"I truly apologize for the earlier incident. The discount has already been applied. Next visit, I guarantee nothing like that will happen again. Mr. Tlander's wine has been stored on ice, ready for whenever you gentlemen return."
Fischer studied the flawless beauty for a moment. For some reason, he suddenly had the feeling that something about her was strange — though he couldn't put his finger on what.
"Thank you."
Fischer replied in halting Nari, then took the dazed, wobbly Tlander off the ladies' hands and prepared to flag down a carriage outside to send him home.
Not long after they departed, the brown-haired girl Karolina — now changed into a different dress — descended from the second floor. She threw a glare at Anna as she passed, then dashed out of the Pink Pavilion, heading in the direction the two gentlemen had gone.
"Sister Anna..."
A nearby lady noticed the girl following the men and moved to intervene, but Anna, standing in place, stopped her with a shake of the head. Watching Karolina's retreating figure, she smiled placidly.
"She isn't one of our girls. Once she's outside the Pink Pavilion, what she does is her own affair. You all go wash up and change. Come back tonight for work."
"Yes, ma'am."
Fischer, supporting Tlander, walked a good distance. His roadside silhouette paused almost imperceptibly. He glanced back over his shoulder, barely noticeably, frowned, and then hailed a carriage from the curb.
"Get in. Go home and rest. Can you walk?"
"Mm-hmm, I'm totally fine now... ahhh, bliss."
"'Bliss' my foot — your soul's practically been sucked out. Keep this up and something bad will happen sooner or later!"
"Don't care... felt amazing..."
Fischer couldn't fathom what kind of sorcery the Pink Pavilion's ladies practiced. They seemed to have mastered some secret art that reduced Tlander to a quivering wreck, utterly unable to resist the temptation. But one thing was clear: they were professionals — or rather, too professional.
After bundling the boneless heap that was Tlander into the carriage, Fischer stood on the spot for a while, deliberating. Then he headed toward the main street, walking slowly, surveying the roads and scenery around him like a foreign visitor taking in the sights.
He dawdled in front of a tobacco shop for some time before finally buying a pack of Saint-Nazareth's local cigarettes. As he stepped back out, a small figure suddenly seized his sleeve from behind and pulled him into the gap between two buildings. He "panicked" on reflex and shouted in Schwari.
"Who's there?"
Before him stood a brown-haired girl in an ill-fitting dress, pressing a finger to her lips in a quiet "shh." At the same time, her left hand rested lightly against Fischer's waist.
"It's me, sir — from the Pink Pavilion earlier. My name is Karo — Karolina."
"Ah, it's you."
Fischer let his cheeks flush slightly. His sturdy frame relaxed, though Karolina could clearly sense his nervousness. Even so, one of his large hands slowly drifted onto the back of hers.
Deep in her eyes, a flash of revulsion surfaced — but she forced a stiff smile onto her face. One soft hand hooked his collar, and his breathing grew audibly heavier, as though he were desperate for the girl.
It was the first time Karolina had experienced a man's pursuit. The sensation turned her stomach, yet at the same time, some unnamable feeling stirred within her.
After a moment of silence, Fischer spoke in a tense voice.
"Up ahead... there's a place to rest. We could talk there. Would you... like to come?"
Karolina smiled silently, privately gleeful at how easily the mark had taken the bait. But outwardly, she suppressed that flicker of satisfaction expertly.
She nodded with a blush, clutched the edge of Fischer's sleeve, and murmured shyly.
"Mm."
'Hmph, that damn woman Anna — fine, not inside the Pink Pavilion, not inside the Pink Pavilion. Isn't this simple enough?'
'Can you really expect a lust-addled man to be on his guard? How foolish!'
So Karolina thought — completely oblivious to the fact that the seemingly smitten Schwari gentleman beside her had eyes growing ever deeper, quietly studying her with the gaze of a beast that swallows its prey whole and hides every trace of the hunt.
The quarry was already in the bag.