The best place in the world is my bed.

It's warm, comfortable, and filled with beauties. There are no annoying nobles, stupid hunters, or pitiable refugees. Only friendly monsters crawl under my blankets. Problems and world-changing secrets are so far away I can almost forget them.

There are times when I ask why I'd ever leave such a wonderful place. Like now. Saints lend me strength and patience, why did I get out of bed this morning? Everything would be easier if I'd just ignored the invitation. I could have sent a letter about my intentions, rather, my lack of them.

Though it probably wouldn't have stopped this situation from developing. This Butterfly is persistent. She came here with a mission. If she hadn't caught wind of this meeting, I have no doubt that she'd have shown up at the estate. Would this conversation be easier somewhere more comfortable? Sigh. I doubt it.

"If you're really not here to play games, then answer her seriously," I say tersely, struggling to control my turbulent emotions. Who could blame me for being upset? Nothing makes sense. And now I'm wondering what strange capabilities those eyes have. "What do you mean you've seen enough?"

The Butterfly hums. I have to control the urge to yell at the nonchalant sound. "Alright, I'll tell you. Just so you know, I'm about to break centuries of tradition. I hope that counts for something."

Before I can retort with how little I care about her traditions, she waves me forward. Frowning, I step closer. I notice her arms rising but don't fight as she pulls me into a loose hug, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Could you ask your flying friend there to shield our words? This is just for you."

"Done!" Rolly shouts before I speak.

"Thanks~ Then, Lou." She turns her head, pressing her lips against my ear. What is she doing? Does she think such a small display will compromise me? As if I can feel anything besides the worms digging in my stomach. "I'll tell you my secrets."

"Start with the eyes."

"I was going to. I'm sure you've guessed they're artifacts."

"It's pretty obvious."

"Mm. They're nothing too special. In fact, they're very similar to the mana sight that Umphrieltalia over there has."

Oh saints.

She squeezes me as I stiffen. "Saints, you're solid."

I smack one of her hands that moves a little too close to my waist. "Can you stop messing around?" And I know she's messing with me. I can't smell the faintest hint of arousal from her.

"Aw. Can you be a little nicer? I'm nervous revealing myself like this."

I grit my teeth. "What am I, a stuffed doll?"

"Oh, you feel much better than a doll."

"…I'll throw you. Get back to what you were saying."

"Do I need to elaborate?"

"Tell me exactly what you've seen."

She leans against me in silence for so long that I wonder if I'm going to have to force her to answer before she sighs and leans into me harder. I barely notice her weight, but the gesture says a lot. What exactly, I'm not sure. "You've got all nine affinities. Really, I had to stop myself from asking if you were some kind of godlike elemental that swallowed the real Lourianne Tome."

"I guess those eyes of yours are defective. I only have seven." Was she overwhelmed by what she saw and got confused? And this is a problem. No wonder she chose the placating route. Ah, farewell peaceful life. Everyone in the kingdom will know my name soon. Every power will try courting me. Maybe I should just leave the continent?

"That's the other thing. See, these eyes are made with celestial diamonds at their cores. Understand?"

My arms twitch with the suppressed urge to throw this horrible woman off me. Saints preserve me. "You…you're..." I swallow. I don't want to say it. "You're a seer." A seer has her arms wrapped around me. This is worse than someone having a knife at my throat.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Oi, don't curse me like that. I'm not a full seer. How much do you know about the celestial affinity?"

"You can see the future, right?"

"Please. As if the future is something anyone has authority over. Seers are, hm. How to…ah. During my training, one of my teachers called it the language affinity."

"What?"

"Hold on, it'll make sense, I promise. Imagine that everything in the world has a voice. You've got two succubi by you. Have they explained how thoughts work? That living things naturally push their thoughts out into the world? Like fire gives off heat?"

"Sure. With the right spell, you can pick up on those thoughts, bypassing someone's natural resistance."

"As expected, those things are always competent. Why do you keep them around? You know they're eventually going to lock you in a room without windows and drain you slowly, don't you?"

"They'll try. Don't change the subject."

"Fine, fine. Imagine everything in the world is like that. The earth, the water, the air. They're always talking, sharing knowledge both primal and incredibly common. If you think court ladies gossip, you've never heard the breeze. And just like any gossip, when someone gives them an ear, the world chatters. All. The. Damn. Time."

My thoughts whir. "I don't understand. The wind talks to you? What does that have to do with telling the future?"

"Hey, Lou, come on now. Relax and think. You're a summoner. You know the value of information. The wind giggles and tells you it's going to blow over a couple buildings in a few days. You warn a village of a terrible storm and convince them to evacuate."

"You don't predict tragedies," I whisper with dawning realization. "The world tells you what it's going to do."

"There you go. Don't get me wrong. Seers do make predictions. But how hard is it to predict a famine when the earth tells you that it's lacking nutrients or there's a nasty pest in the soil?"

"That doesn't explain how they can know things happening far away."

"Doesn't it? Everything has a voice, Lou. The moon. The sun. The stars. How much do you think they see?" The arms around me tighten again, the fingers digging into me. "The shadows. They see everything. They whisper, constantly."

This woman…

Her fingers relax as I try to imagine her words. "They don't talk in Common either. Saints, my job would be so easy if the messages were straightforward like that. Instead, the elements speak in their own ways. Impressions, ideas, feelings, and movement." She bumps her head against mine. "Our heads try to turn all of that into something we can understand. That's where the so-called 'visions' come from. Our minds generating probable outcomes from the constant influx of information. What is and what could be constantly overlapping."

…no wonder they're all insane.

"Thankfully, these eyes don't make me a true seer. It allows me to imitate the real thing at a fraction of the power. Not enough to predict the future but good enough to give me an edge. For example, I knew nothing about you besides what was in the reports I gathered before I entered this room. But once I saw you, the world spoke. Not just the world. The whole saints-damned…"

She pauses, taking in a shuddering breath and letting it out slowly. "You asked me to be honest? Here's honesty. I'm terrified. Absolutely horrified that something like you exists and I have to make sure you don't sink this continent or something just as ridiculous. My head hurts because the world won't shut up about you. I really want to tear these damned eyes out of my head and find a dark corner to curl up in. Let someone else handle this mess."

She trails off again. Between her pathetic tone and the information she reveals…I feel a little bad for her. I thought she was messing with me, but her weakness as she limply leans against me might not be a ploy. Could it be she doesn't have the fortitude to face me? Is she so desperate for support, she's seeking it from the thing that terrifies her? I can't smell fear from her though. Is it an act? Or is it control? How strong is her will if it is?

"As for your affinities, like I said, the information I get isn't clear. It could mean you have them, it could mean others like you, whatever you are, have them, or it could mean you gain them. Which I would have said is impossible before today, but I've seen a lot of impossible in the last few minutes. Like this body of yours. This goes well beyond melding. Can that elf of yours do something like this for me? Or…not the elf? Oh, what the actual…forget it. You really aren't human. I should have retired three years ago."

Scary. The celestial affinity is too terrifying. She talks to stars and shadows? At least the mental affinity can be countered. How do you stop the saints-damned moon from ratting you out? And if I understand her correctly, it works for people too. My very being is sharing my most precious secrets with her at this very moment and I don't even know how to stop it. Can it be stopped? What is she even speaking with? My presence? My existence?

My headache is worsening.

Just as I'm really about to throw the not-seer off me, she lets go. I catch the faintest tremble in her legs before straightens. The voices of the Guiness sisters encroaches on our privacy, telling me Rolly has stopped whatever measures she used to keep our conversation private. The table notices the change as well and their gazes turn back to us.

The Butterfly smiles. I strain my sight, looking for a tell…and I find it. The tension behind the expression.

"I hope you can understand now that I'm very sincere about making this arrangement as comfortable for you as possible." Between the lines, I hear the real statement.

You're a monster, I know you're a monster, and I'm bribing you to leave us alone.

I look down at the scroll in my hand. Countess, eh?

"Fine." I raise my head to meet the royal agent's golden gaze. "But I've got conditions."

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