A Transmigrated Princess's Guide To A Fluffy Royal Life!
Chapter 12: Part Of The Plan (II)

Chapter 12: Part Of The Plan (II)

"Someone from the Council is with us," another whispered. "High-ranking. We were told they’d delay the prince."

The air grew colder in the cell. Evelisse didn’t move, but her tone dropped, sharp as a dagger. "Council?" she echoed. "Since when do I share plans with the Council?"

Both men stiffened.

"The messenger said it was all part of the grander design," one muttered. "We thought it was from... you, sir. Through... other channels."

Evelisse folded her arms under the cloak. ’They really believe I’m this Arkrael guy... and now someone’s hijacked his—my—identity?’

"And what exactly did this messenger say?" she pressed.

The shorter man swallowed. "They wore Council robes. Full mask. Voice was distorted. They came to us three days ago. Said the plan had changed. That we weren’t to make the demand directly anymore."

"The original order was to kidnap the princess and demand the royal gemstones," the taller one interjected. "Mana-rich stones sealed in the castle vault. Only summonable by the whole royal line... it was perfect leverage. That’s what you—this master—wanted."

Evelisse’s stomach turned. ’What kind of plot was this Arkrael actually tangled in?!’

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

"But then this messenger said," the shorter one continued, voice trembling, "that a better opportunity was rising. That we’d draw the royals out by letting ourselves get caught. And if we stayed quiet, stayed captured... we’d see results. Said our ’master’ was watching the kingdom shift from the shadows."

’That’s why Lucien couldn’t break them,’ Evelisse thought. ’They weren’t resisting for loyalty. They were stalling. Playing along. Buying time for someone else.’

"Clearly, you underestimated your enemy and overestimated your own intelligence," Evelisse sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "You became pawns in someone else’s game."

Both prisoners cringed in terror, bowing deeply, their foreheads pressed to the dirty stone. "Forgive us, Magister! We were deceived! They knew so much—about the royal gemstones, the mana sealed within the castle that requires the entire royal family’s unity to access. We believed only you could know such details."

She took a slow step forward. "And you never saw this master?"

"No," both said quickly. "Only the messenger. Masked. They said they were a shadow’s shadow. That we were tools for a bigger hand."

Fluffy’s voice whispered in her mind. "Princess, we’re four hours and thirty minutes in. You have thirty minutes left before the rune fails."

’Perfect,’ Evelisse thought sarcastically, frustration bubbling within. ’I never wanted to play detective. What happened to simply enjoying tea parties and being a pampered little girl?’

Fluffy chuckled softly in response. "Consider this a growth experience."

’Sure, Fluffy,’ she muttered internally. Then aloud: "Do you fools realize what you’ve done?"

The men flinched again.

"You followed a ghost’s instructions over mine," she said icily. "You let someone twist my name, bend my mission into a mockery, and handed yourselves to the enemy under the promise of glory."

The short one dropped to his knees. "We didn’t mean to betray you, Magister! We thought they were your agents!"

Evelisse’s illusioned voice thundered. "If you had followed the original plan, we wouldn’t be in this mess. You’ve exposed the operation, endangered the flow of information, and worst of all—you’ve failed me."

The taller one knelt beside the other. "Please... give us a chance to make it right. Let us prove ourselves!"

Their heads bowed so low they nearly scraped the stone floor. Evelisse didn’t speak for a moment.

’Fluffy, thoughts?’

Fluffy’s avatar appeared on her vision, brushing its tiny paws together. "We don’t break them out. Too risky. But... give them a tool. Something that only activates if they’re actually useful."

’Like a spy hotline?’

"Exactly. I’ll grant two emergency talismans. They’ll only work once a week, and only if they call with new, verifiable intel. That way, if the real mastermind shows up, you’ll know."

’Deal.’

She reached into her cloak, pulling out two small glowing shards that pulsed with soft purple light.

"Take these," she said. "They’ll connect you to me—once a week, no more. Call only if you have something valuable. Call too often, and you’ll regret it."

The men grabbed the talismans like lifelines, eyes wide.

"Thank you, Magister! We won’t fail again!"

"We’ll prove our loyalty!"

She gave them one last cold look. "Pray you do. The one who manipulated you... they’ll come back. And when they do—I want to know. Fail me again, and the masked master’s wrath will be nothing compared to mine."

She turned, letting the illusion swirl dramatically behind her as she stepped into the shadows, leaving the prisoners to their trembling prayers.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

At the sealed exit of the dungeon, Evelisse came to a halt at the iron-reinforced door and raised her hand to feel it.

The heavy door loomed, its bolts still fixed tight from Lucien’s orders. The guard on the other side was likely armed and alert.

’Fluffy, I need a distraction. What’s this guard’s weakness?’

Fluffy scanned quickly. "He’s obsessed with insects. Specifically, a rare emerald-streaked beetle called the Pixie Beetle. Keeps a scrapbook. Has a pet name for it."

Evelisse smirked. ’Perfect. Let’s give him a show.’

Her body shimmered. Wings sprouted, delicate and translucent. Her limbs thinned. Colors shifted to a soft, iridescent green with gold flecks. A perfect mimic of the Pixie Beetle.

She buzzed softly, fluttering once.

Then tapped the door softly.

Footsteps shuffled on the other side. A guard’s voice echoed. "Huh? Who’s there?"

Moments later, it creaked open.

The guard peered out, and his eyes widened like saucers.

"Oh... oh my stars. It’s beautiful."

Evelisse, now a bug, buzzed in place.

"A Dungeon Pixie Beetle?! How did you get down here? Wait—did someone lock you in?!"

The guard bent down and stared at her in awe. "I’ve been looking for one of you for years... You’re said to bring luck to the royal family."

Evelisse hovered in the air and gently landed on his shoulder.

He practically squealed. "A sign! It’s a sign! I’ll take this as a good omen! Fly free, beautiful creature! The castle welcomes you!"

’Fluffy,’ Evelisse thought as she zipped out the door, ’it’s actually working, isn’t it?’

"Of course. Beetles are statistically underrated among dungeon guards and are sometimes known to bring good luck."

’What if he was into snakes or dragons?! I could’ve ended up as a crawling reptile!’

"You’d still have been pretty. But hey—he loved it."

Evelisse shot through the stone corridors, weaving between flickering torches, passing guards who never noticed a thing.

The sky above was painted in soft strokes of moonlight and cloud, but Evelisse didn’t stop to admire it. Her tiny wings fluttered furiously, each beat pushing her insect-sized body closer to the safety of her tower.

’Just a little more!’ she thought, buzzing past the sleeping guards on the parapet. Her body strained, the illusion rune flickering with the final embers of its power. ’Almost there—’

As she slipped through the half-cracked window, the moment her tiny insect legs touched the silk-draped bed, a pulse surged through her body. The illusion shattered like glass, her real form snapping back with a forceful tug that made her collapse onto the mattress in a heap of limbs and tangled hair.

She groaned into her pillow.

"Note to self," she muttered. "No more turning into beetles. Ever again."

Fluffy materialized above her shoulder like a floating furball lantern. "But you were such a lovely emerald sky dancer," he teased. "The guard even waved goodbye."

Evelisse rolled over with a grunt. "I’m going to scrub that memory from my mind. I was nearly stepped on in the corridor."

"You weren’t! He bowed!"

"And I was disguised as an insect, Fluffy! A bug! That’s not glamour—it’s trauma with wings."

Fluffy giggled, flipping upside down mid-air.

But Evelisse’s smile didn’t last long. As she lay on her bed, the memories of the dungeon scene replayed in her head—the prisoners, the masked master, the Council’s interference, and the strange timing of Lucien being called away.

’Something’s not right. Someone hijacked Arkrael’s name to manipulate them. And if that person is in the Council... then they’ve got access to everything. Including Lucien’s schedule.’

She turned her head to the window, watching the moon tilt past a curtain of clouds. A chill traced her skin.

’This isn’t just about me or the kidnapping. Someone’s after the gemstones. And they don’t care who gets caught in the fire.’

"Fluffy," she whispered, pulling the blanket over her shoulder, "did I do the right thing?"

"Would you rather have left them to rot, completely clueless?"

"No. But... they’re not the real enemy. Just pawns. Scared little pieces of a much darker game."

"You’re starting to sound like Arkrael."

She rolled her eyes. "Don’t curse me like that."

Fluffy floated closer and booped her forehead gently. "You did well today. And next time, you’ll do even better."

"Next week... I am going back to being cute and clueless. I am not built for Sherlock missions or villain cosplay."

Fluffy’s tiny chibi form blinked into view above her. "You say that now..."

She groaned, pulling a pillow over her face.

But beneath the exhaustion, something flickered in her chest. A thrill.

A little voice whispered:

’I actually... enjoyed that.’

And with that sleepy, strange confession, Evelisse drifted off into the first real rest she’d had in weeks.