The Bored Young Lady and the Magic Assassin
"Alright, Miss. I'm Chloe."
Now that she'd shared her name, it was only fair to return the favor. Marian clutched Chloe's name like a treasure, murmuring it over and over—Chloe, Chloe—as if committing it to memory.
What should I do next...
While Marian rehearsed, Chloe pondered the best approach to her lessons. Twelve years old. Training to build resistance to assassins? Essential, no doubt, but Marian hadn't been raised from childhood as one like Chloe had. Keeping up would be a challenge.
As Chloe mulled it over, staring at the girl—
"Ch-Chloe... wanna play dolls with me...?"
"Pardon?"
"I-I have lots of teddy bears..."
An unexpected proposal. Doll play? Chloe's own twelfth year had been anything but leisurely enough for dolls, but on missions, she'd mingled with noble young ladies that age. By Marian's age, most had outgrown such games...
Ah...
Lightning struck in Chloe's mind. Rosetta had mentioned Marian was confined here, and from the moment Chloe entered, the girl had stared out the window. What else would a child gaze at the world outside for? Nothing to do but watch for the tiniest changes in the scenery to pass the time.
I was the same.
Chloe had been too. Around six, aside from assassin training, she'd lived in a dim burrow with only a tiny barred window. Until the next lesson, that sliver of outside was her entire world.
And Marian was a bastard child. While the legitimate wife's children lived, she was mere insurance against disaster. But to the wife and her trueborn heirs, her very existence as a backup was an insult. No one to play with properly, no dreams of social gatherings.
In other words...
She's undersocialized.
Undersocialized. Look at Chloe—rough childhood had left her swearing under her breath constantly. Marian, by contrast, had endured a rigidly boring, regimented life. How could she know how to play with others?
That's why she's suggesting dolls to a grown adult like me.
Like, It's been so long since anyone visited—I'll dazzle you with my finely honed doll skills from years of practice! Or something. Pity welled up, impossible to shake, but it also clarified the lesson path. For a girl who'd only known dolls into her teens, thrusting a sword into her hands for sparring was too abrupt...
Play-based lessons were ideal.
"Dolls aren't fun, right?"
"N-No! Dolls are fun..."
To ease into play lessons naturally, first crumble Marian's world.
"Hmm, doesn't sound fun to me."
"It, it's really fun... Just try once, and you'll wanna play with me every day..."
"It's not that I don't want to play with you, Miss. Just not dolls—something else."
"Something else?"
I'll play with you, Miss, but not dolls—I want something different. Marian's eyes sparkled as understanding dawned. She knew I hated dolls! Even the same meal three times a day for a week gets old; years with the same dusty dolls? No wonder.
"Like what?"
Thrilled, Marian bounced on her seat, looking up at Chloe. After a thoughtful pause, Chloe...
"What do you think this is?"
"Uh, um, well..."
"It's called a deck of cards."
She pulled out the pack of playing cards. To charm ladies at socials and boost mission success, her assassin trainers had beaten card tricks into her until they flashed even in her sleep. Long out of practice, but muscle memory made them effortless now.
"Cards?"
"Yes, want to hold it?"
"It's empty?"
"Strange. It shouldn't be."
Chloe took the empty pack Marian handed over—perfect, unsealed—and slipped four cards inside from an unseen angle. She closed it, shook it.
"Wh-What?!"
"Hear that?"
"No way...!"
First time seeing magic, judging by her reaction—pure delight. Handing over the rattling pack, Marian shook it too, startled enough to drop it when the sound confirmed.
"How many cards do you think are inside, Miss?"
"T-Two?"
"I say four. Wanna bet?"
"No way you could know..."
One, two, three, four. She fanned them out—exactly four. Normally, you'd match suits too, but Marian wouldn't know them anyway...
"H-How many fingers did I hold up!"
"Pardon?"
"Magic, right? I know, but you won't get this!"
Determined, Marian hid her hands behind her back, challenging Chloe to guess. Unfortunately, a full-length dressing mirror stood right behind her seat.
"Four."
"Now?"
"Three."
"Now?"
"Seven."
"Nope, eight."
"Liar, you switched to nine."
"Wha, how..."
"Because I'm actually an amazing wizard."
"An amazing wizard..!"
And so, Marian fell for her first con. But Chloe didn't stop. To win over girls this age, overwhelm them relentlessly.
"Miss, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"A full deck has fifty-four cards."
"That's a lot..."
"But right now, only four."
"Yeah?"
"Now we need to find the other fifty..."
The hidden fifty under the table slid into her palm, up to her lips. And...
"Urp..."
"Ch-Chloe!"
Something wrong—she gagged, drawing eyes. Then...
"Bleeech..."
"C-Cards from your mouth...!"
"Found the fifty?"
"N-No way... It can't line up that perfectly..."
Incredulous. "Two, four, six..." Marian spread all fifty-four on the table, hastily counting.
"Young Lady, Teacher..."
"Hand it over."
"Yes, Teacher. But those cards..."
"Just a simple pre-lesson test."
"I see. Here's the tea and cookies."
"Thank you. You may go."
"Then, excuse us..."
Meanwhile, the maid returned with refreshments. Chloe stood, took them, set them aside on the table...
"Twenty-two, twenty-six—no, four, twenty-six, twenty-four..."
Marian counted alone, no plea for help, grunting away. Slow, but blame the shock of her first magic show. Chloe waited—rude to snack without the room's mistress.
But...
Shall I snag one?
Mischief struck; Chloe palmed a card, hiding it. Waiting for the final trick to conquer Marian utterly.
Soon enough...
"I-I knew it. Fifty-three. Add fifty, it should be fifty-four, right?"
Marian approached, clutching the thick stack tight, interrogating Chloe. Your trick failed. Haha! Lame wizard. Her face said it all.
But the perfect trick stages its own failure.
"Huh?"
"Heh heh, distracting me won't work. Chloe. With me holding the cards, even you can't make more...!"
"Here it is."
"Wh-Where?"
Chloe leaned in, slipping a hand into Marian's glossy black hair, rummaging.
"Hmm, feels like it's here."
"Eek...!"
She poked Marian's ear lightly with the hidden card's edge.
"Found it. Now it's fifty-four, right?"
"N-No way...!"
Pulling it from the hair, showing it—legs gave out; Marian plopped down.
Time to seal it. At a social, she'd leave a fun impression for tomorrow. But today, as tutor, with Marian craving 'fun play'...
"If you take lessons from me, I'll teach you tons of fun tricks like this. Wanna be my student?"
"Y-Yes! I wanna be Chloe's student!"
The offer made, Marian nodded eagerly and lunged into a hug.
"Students have to do tough lessons sometimes too..."
"Study? I'll do it! Play with me! Teach me cards!"
Childlike, still dazzled by the magic. Chloe chuckled, offering a cookie from the plate. Marian grinned, munching happily.
Chloe popped one in too—for appearances—and...
"Ah...?"
The first exquisite sweetness she'd ever tasted. Tears rolled down her cheeks.