Second Female Leads' Playbook

All twenty soldiers surrounded us and attacked us at once. Georgia and I immediately took out our sword. We stood back to back and started to defend ourselves. Georgia made used of her enhanced speed and sliced through all those soldiers in front of her. While I made used of my enhanced agility and side stepped attacks coming my way. A twist of my wrist, a stab through the waist, a hop to the sky and attack while the attackers were taken by surprise. Sword flashing and blood splashing, there were too many attackers. It's very apparent after a few spar between us and the attackers that all our attackers were seasoned soldiers from Orion Manor. The two of us could not handle all of them. We were just new graduates. 

We took down some of them, but we were injured as well. There were sword wounds all over my body, over my arms, shoulders, back and legs. My accuracy was dropping. Blood dripped down my hand. But the attackers kept coming and coming. Maybe even a whole squad had come. That's not supposed to happen. Most of the soldiers should stay at where they're stationed at all time. 

A backhand stab from my attacker slashed my forearm, I dropped my sword and was immediately captured by one soldier. My hands were immediately shackled by power suppressing handcuffs. I took a look at Georgia, she's not any better than me, wounds were over her body. A while after I was captured, she went down as well.

"It's just two little girls, you took that much time to capture them?" Ralph stomped out from behind the soldiers. 

"We apologize, Master Ralph," one man who was apparently the captain said. He was squeezing his hand into a fist behind his back, like holding back his anger. That captain certainly didn't like Master Ralph. 

"I wonder if that wimp would agree to exchange his gloves and potion for one of you." He smirked. "I know he is really close with one of you. Is he willing to sacrifice the sword for you?" He laughed evilly. 

We're trained to not expose our secrets at conditions like this, so the two of us were just staring at Ralph without giving anything away. Even though we might be scared. Even though we might know the answers to his question.

"Come on, let's go find your master." 

Ralph made a huge ruckus when he entered the inn. "Come out, wimp. Carlisle! Come down and see who I have captured." He then proceeded to laugh hysterically. 

Everyone in the inn came out of their rooms, Carlisle included. He had a poker face, not one ounce of emotion can be procured from his face. 

"See!" Ralph waved his hand and we're brought forward by our captor. "See who we have here!"

"What do you want?" Carlisle asked without any apparent emotions. 

"Now, don't say I am not a good brother. I know you're close with one of them. Playing chess with her. Feeding her food. Give me your enchanted copper gloves and potion then you have the girl."

Something akin to worry flashed in Carlisle's eyes and then he disguised it. "It's just a pair of copper gloves and a bottle of potion, you couldn't have bought them yourself? You have to steal them from me? Is Orion Manor that poor?"

"Are you insulting me?" Ralph quickly slapped me across my face, followed by slapping Georgia's face. 

Carlisle furrowed his brows for a second and then said, "Fine. You don't have the money, brother I can give it to you." He had a gracious smile on his face. "But you have to keep to your promise."

"Of course. But you can only save one. Which one will you choose?" He scrutinized the two of us. "This?" He pointed his finger at Georgia. "Or this?" Then his finger switched to me. 

"Janus." Janus went back their room and returned with a box and a tiny bottle. 

Carlisle walked towards Ralph and the two of us. Finally, without sparing a glance to my side, he grabbed Georgia her hand and said with some anger, "Now release her."

Something pricked at my heart. Why did my heart feel painful suddenly?

"Of course, my dear brother." Ralph took the things from Janus and waved his hand to tell the soldier to release Georgia. "I hope you won't lie to me."

"All the people in this inn are acting as an eye-witness." Without looking at me, Carlisle walked away with Georgia in tow. 

"How does it feel to be left behind? Your master discarded you. For your colleague. How does it feel?"

Even though I knew this would happen from the start, it still hurt immensely. It felt like when I was small all over again, all my relatives praising Georgia, choosing Georgia. Even though I had the same power as Grandmother, she loved Georgia more. 

"Hmm?" He slapped me on the face again. Such an immoral man. 

I looked up and faced him in the eyes with nothing on my face that could betray me and said, "I am just a tool. Master Carlisle can discard me anytime he wants." 

Which is the absolute truth. Hadn't I learned about that already when he told me to stay in the cage and complete my mission? Why did my heart still seem to hurt at this truth? Why did my heart ache when he chose Georgia over me? Hadn't we had everything planned?

"Sometimes, you have to fool your enemy into believing you have fallen into his trap," he had said. 

"Ralph will plan to capture the two of you when he knows I have the potion and the gloves."

"I will save Georgia."

I had asked for a reason, shouldn't the two of us be the same? But what did I get? A reply to put me in place. 

"You're all just my tools, is it your place to demand answers from your master?"

Contrary to what Ralph believed, all those gentleness, the time we spent together was all fake. A way to fool him into believing Carlisle had someone he cared for more among the two of us. Because Carlisle knew Ralph was eavesdropping on us through the guard who had the power to hear within a certain radius of him. That's why Ralph could always be a step before us. It's all because Carlisle gave them the permission to eavesdrop on us. When normally, Ralph couldn't even get within 1 kilometer of Carlisle. 

It's all part of our plan, even the part where I was captured. 

And Ralph had fallen right in.