A bad omen

"Irene, I don't think you need to worry about Claudia as much as you did before." - Martina closed her eyes and reached her hand to her forehead, starting to massage it with light movements of her fingers. Now the woman wanted with all her might to behave calmly and sensibly, but it was difficult. — At least you can now not worry about Duke Lemberg... Irene noticed that Martina had a slightly excited expression on her face and could not contain her curiosity, even though she anticipated a not very positive answer. - What do you mean?.. - the blonde in response looked at her with a look that was now very serious. This immediately made it clear that the situation could be not just bad, but catastrophic. “Lately, this madman keeps asking about Lady Rodriguez, and every time he talks about her, there's a strange glint in his eyes. - she said gloomily. Irene let out a surprised breath and jumped up sharply from the sofa she was sitting on, assuming a standing position. Her golden eyes instantly flashed with enthusiasm, letting it be known that the girl had an idea in her head. Martina immediately understood what Irene wanted to propose to her, but despite all her desire, she was forced to refuse. - Have you already forgotten how Lilith Rodriguez asked not to interfere in her affairs? Offering her cooperation again is a hopeless option... - But she is in danger! - shouted Irene and after a moment she lowered her head gloomily, sitting down on the couch again and frowning. - I'm sure that a smart woman like her understands this herself. However, if she is taking such a risk, there must be a really serious reason... - said Martina, supporting her chin with her hand. Irene paid attention to the pensive woman and also fell into thought, but could not come to a concrete conclusion. Lilith Rodriguez was a person who avoided most people, and her motives were unclear. In addition, Benjamin Lemberg also belonged to the circle of those with whom Lilith avoided any contact. It's possible that she didn't plan to attract the attention of this scumbag, but her plan got out of hand. "I can't find the answers to my questions about Lady Rodriguez..." Irene said, a shadow of sadness running across the lower part of her face. Martina nodded in response, fully agreeing with her friend's words. Suddenly, Martina reached out to a pile of papers lying on the table to her left and began to sort through them. Irene could only watch her shenanigans with a tinge of surprise on her face. Martina very quickly reread the text and meticulously looked through the papers until she found what she was looking for. She silently pushed one of Irene's letters, waiting for a reaction to her find. "Is this... Information about Lady Rodriguez?" Irene's eyes widened in shock, and Martina perfectly understood why. - So. This is all that I managed to collect and, as you can see, there is practically nothing here. - Martina took a blue pen in her hand and dipped it in ink, and then poked it directly at the place where there was a photo of a woman with black eyes and snow-white hair. Martina circled the photo and then put a question mark next to it. - How can we help the one about whom we know almost nothing? And what if she deliberately withheld all information about herself? It was quite clear to Irene why Martyna had such questions, but she herself did not know the answer to them. If you look at the biography of Rodriguez, which was written down on paper, you get the impression that such a person does not exist at all. But if you think about it this way, Lilith was a mysterious woman in her own right who practically did not get close to anyone, did not tell anything about herself and hated when someone crossed her personal boundaries. She was very reserved and never allowed herself to open up to others, as if she had a certain role in a play and had to play her plot character perfectly. It seemed that she deliberately imposed a whole bunch of prohibitions on herself and was wary of something, or maybe someone. — Although I couldn't make friends with her... But I don't want her to suffer a terrible fate. — answered Irene honestly, sadly looking at Lilith's photo. Hearing the girl's words, Martina turned her attention to her again. - She even opened a relief center for beggars without expecting a return... She does good for ordinary people and doesn't expect anything in return. - I understand you, I also would not want an innocent soul to suffer. Although she looks cold, she does not look like a wicked and hypocritical person. Martina said calmly, finally calming down her excitement. And after a second, a cheerful smile shone on her beautiful tanned face, and her positive energy seemed to add confidence to Irene as well. - Do you want to make your brother happy so badly? - This... At first I really wanted to help Lady Rodriguez only because he fell in love with her so suddenly, but then I myself realized how wonderful she is... - Irene smiled awkwardly and her cheeks reddened a little from shame, because at first she pursued her own goal and wanted to get close to Lilith in order to use her. Maybe that's why she refused to make contact? After all, she is very smart and for her to see through deception is just a small thing. "I really regret that I wanted to use her..." "Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming you in any way, it's just a little funny." - Martina cheerfully winked at her, thereby finally dispelling the unpleasant atmosphere that was there recently. "So... We need a plan." And while Martina and Irene were thinking about their further actions, one question still sounded in the head of each of them: Who is she, this Lilith Rodriguez. *** Lilith approached the alley she needed with a slow but sure step. Her face and hair were hidden behind the hood of the black cloak, and only her eyes revealed the woman's true identity, but even that was not enough to recognize her. A wig and a cheap mask also completed the look, so it was difficult to tell whether she was an aristocrat or a beggar. Her low-heeled boots clattered loudly with each step, but she didn't care. She reached into a deep inside pocket and fumbled for a small object, clutching it tightly between her fingers. — "And here he is." - the thought sounded in Lilith's head when she saw with side vision how a male figure flashed near her location. Her hesitation lasted only a few seconds and she began to slowly approach the target, almost without revealing herself. Her steps became so quiet that they were almost inaudible, but she could feel her own pulse echoing loudly in her ears. For some reason, she had a surprisingly bad feeling today. Rodriguez carefully began to sneak up on the man whom she had been tracking for a long week, and when he was about to return to her side to check if no one was suddenly watching him, she put a syringe to his neck. The sharp part was ready to pierce the skin at any second, and the green substance inside the tiny glass compartment glistened dangerously in the moonlight. "Who are you?..." the man asked with stuttering and visible fear, and Lilith resisted the urge to stab this bastard kindly, as such an action would have serious consequences. All the same, in a physical confrontation, she is no match for him, and her only chance for success was the poisonous substance in the syringe. — I came to return the money that you, a devilish swindler, brazenly stole from seven women. she hissed menacingly, making it clear that further conversation would be without ceremony. - I don't advise you to fumble, otherwise I will insert a syringe into you and you will die on the spot in agony. It will be a horrible death, believe me. "Hey, you don't need to be so abrupt, let's just calmly discuss everything... If you want, I'll give you half of the money, even more than half!" offered the man, realizing that he was caught red-handed. Lilith looked at the back of his head with open hatred, listening with displeasure as he tried to buy off her with money. Money will not help you. Either you return everything you stole or I will kill you without any hesitation, take your pick. — Lilith decided to put psychological pressure on him in order to finally achieve the desired result. And her action really lived up to expectations, because the man, hearing her words, sighed hoarsely from fear and reached into his pocket. She watched his actions in detail to see if he would accidentally reach for a weapon, because then she would be killed on the spot. However, everything went exactly according to plan. He pulled out a small bag of coins, which jingled, indicating that the money was there. - You made the right choice. Without letting the man say a word, she used the syringe that was still attached to his neck and injected him with the substance. He yelped in surprise and his body went limp with surprising speed, so Lilith grabbed the pouch from his hands and took a few steps back so his body wouldn't accidentally fall on top of her. Since she had given him quite a large dose, he would have had to be prostrated for at least twelve hours by her reckoning. The substance wasn't lethal, so he wasn't in any danger, but Lilith wanted to get him arrested so no one else got hurt. "Now it's the turn of the Imperial Knights... I hope these fools will take my hint and take on this rogue." - Lilith quickly bent down and placed the note next to the unconscious man, which she had prepared in advance, and then straightened up to her full height again and examined her work. "And now we need to wait for the morning and figure out how to return the money to the women he robbed..."