Eleonora read the letter twice. First, to understand the meaning of the written words; and second, to understand the deeper implication of those written words. At last, she remained confused.
Was it a note of gratitude? A plea for assistance? Or a threat disguised as jest?
Eleonora was leaning towards the last one.
'Wow. You must have really made an impression,' Talia said, finally taking the chair next to hers. 'Can I come with you tomorrow? I'd like to meet him too,' she pleaded with her puppy eyes.
'I'm not going there.' Eleonora let the letter drop on her table as she pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees and glared at the words. 'He said he'll snap my neck.'
Talia took hold of the letter to inspect it. 'Where? He says he's forever indebted.'
Eleonora shook her head, refusing to believe it. 'It all seems very suspicious. Why would someone who is entitled to use the royal emblem not have other apothecaries to help him? Why would he need to deliver this letter in secret? Also, how could a mere soldier use this emblem as a seal? It's fake!'
Eleonora rummaged her head for ideas to dispose of the letter before anyone else found out of its existence. She could use it as a fuel for making breakfast in the morning and pretend to never have read it or received it. But hasn't this same soldier who's written this letter brutally murdered the guards just because they possessed a fake royal crest?
Was this his elaborate scheme to catch her with this fake emblem, prove her guilty, and kill her too for witnessing his crimes? She gasped, horrified and convinced of the idea.
'But it looks real.' Talia hovered over the envelope, inspecting it from every direction. 'You'd be facing things worse than death if you ignore it and it turns out to be real. And it looks like it is real.'
'Why would a mere soldier — even if he was a one of the royal army — be allowed to use that emblem?' Eleonora argued.
'What if he wasn't a soldier?'
'Isn't that worse?' Eleonora hugged her knees tighter. 'Nobility is full of entitled people who think of us as slaves. Why would one of those want to repay his debt to someone like me?'
Talia chewed on her lower lip. 'Maybe he is one of the nice ones.'
'There are no nice ones.'
'Look at it this way,' Talia shifted her chair to face her conflicted cousin. 'What if it turns out he's truly grateful to you for saving his life and truly wants to compensate you for it? Think about it. What if he bestows you with a bag of gold coins? I've heard nobility often does that. If that happens you will be able to afford that journey to Thera that you keep thinking about. I'm sure Aunt Margaret and Uncle Hugh will happily move to Thera with you. No one will recognise you there, no one will call you names anymore. You will be able to live a normal life. Like everyone else.'
Eleonora watched the sincerity on Talia's face and her resolve to not believe in the authenticity of the letter faltered. Talia was right. This might not be a con. If the stranger wanted her dead, he had enough time last night to do that.
More importantly, if he was influential enough to use the royal emblem at his will, there would be no need for him to prove her guilty to take her life. All he had to do was simply say the words and it would be done. Eleonora grimaced thinking of the joy the villagers would feel if that were to happen. She strived to stay alive to cause them misery by her existence.
And if — it was a big and doubtful if, but if — the stranger actually rewarded her, she could finally be free of all the loathing. She could leave Valon forever and move to Thera. Ever since that incident in the village, Eleonora had been saving copper and silver coins every instance. Hugh knew of her little treasury; Margaret often contributed to it after a good season for the crops so that one day they could leave it all behind. But the three of them knew it was a false hope and that 'one day' would only exist in their daughter's mind, as their meagre savings would never be enough to afford that one way trip.
But here was an opportunity. Eleonora looked at the letter painted with rich, black ink. If what Talia said actually happened; she could finally be free.
'What do you think?' Talia pouted.
'I think,' Eleonora said, the wheels in her head running at full speed now. 'We should reach the market district early — earlier than the soldier — to inspect the area and look out for threats. We can watch from afar until he gets there. If things look suspicious we can make a run for it before he sees me. It will be like we were never there. But if what he says in the letter is true, and his friend is truly in need of help, I can appear in front of him like I never planned anything else and treat his friend and let him pay his debt to me.'
Eleonora was smiling proudly as she reached the end of her masterplan.
'Heavens, Eli!' Talia said, smiling proudly herself. 'You would make an excellent criminal.'
'You mean a sleuth or a spy,' Eleonora corrected.
Talia shrugged. 'They all have the same set of skills. It doesn't matter.'
Eleonora nodded in agreement, too proud of her newly found plan to care for titles.
There was a lingering fear in the back of her head that it was only her naive optimism, her wishful thinking that was bringing her joy when the possibility of her plan taking a wrong turn was several times higher. But what was she to do? Refusing to go when the royal emblem commanded you to, was also worth treason.
And honestly after being trapped at home, with only her occasional unpleasant trips to the village to pick some herbs for experimentation, a brief visit to the heart of Ilyndor, the capital city of Valon, didn't sound like a bad idea.
At best, she would be saving a life, meeting the eye-changing stranger again, and getting rich. All while touring one of the places she always wanted to visit.
At worst, she would be conned and freed from this circle of life.
'We'll leave at 2 in the morning. It will take hours to find a cart to take us to Valon and it will be better if the villages don't see me. I don't want to cause problems while you're with me.' Eleonora explained to Talia. She nodded.
'And if things go wrong,' Eleonora peered at her cousin, intensely. 'You are to abandon me and run away first.'
Talia was taken aback, insulted and outraged. 'I would never do that!'
'You have to,' she stated with conviction, leaving no room for argument. 'You will need to tell Mama and Papa about my whereabouts when they return.'
'Also,' Eleonora tilted her head like she was thinking something deeply, then smiled with evil mischief. 'If I die, spread a rumour among the villagers that as I took my last breath, I swore that my spirit shall haunt them all their lives. And beyond.'