"An Assassin...?" Selena jolted, "Are you sure?"

"Well, there's a guy hiding in your closet with a sword in hand and is closely observing your movements from within. Unless that's normal around you, I am pretty sure that he is an Assassin."

"This..." Selena felt disturbed, "Can you see his face? What else does he have? Anything that can prove who hired him?"

"Hmm... He's wearing black clothes with a scarf around his face but thanks to the radar, I can see his face clearly, but unfortunately, we have never met this guy before." Soul replied as he showed her live feed of the person in question. There was indeed a man in the closet. He had opened the door of the closet slightly and was carefully observing Selena. He had a sword in one hand and looked extremely concentrated at the moment, ready to jump out, kill and escape in one go as soon as he gets the chance. With Soul's radar, she could see his face which had a glaring scar on his cheek. Unfortunately, he didn't have any identification on him or any letters saying who sent him. He didn't even have any money on him. This assassin was a professional.

Selena calculated her chances of survival. The Assassin can use Wind Elemental Magic, which means he can run extremely fast or even fly. Even though his skills were not as good as Rhys, he was still too formidable for Selena to handle, and given the fact that he was on alert, surprise attacks may not work on him. In fact, if Selena even hinted that she knows of his existence, he would probably jump out and kill her before she calls for help.

Selena gritted her teeth. She had been meaning to learn defense combat from Rhys to avoid exactly this kind of situation, but she was too busy preparing for the Royal Court Case.

"Soul, please tell me you have a plan." Selena was desperate. She truly couldn't find a way out of this. If this situation continues, she will definitely die today.

"I-I am sorry... Everything was too sudden. If you had removed the ring before going into the room, then maybe I could have warned you in advance. But as things currently stand, I can only offer you some guidance at most." Soul replied as he frantically tried to think of a solution.

Selena clenched her fists. It seems today she would probably die. She was not giving up though, but every part of her brain told her that there was no way to escape this situation. The enemy was simply too strong.

"..."

"..."

"Calculating..."

"Eh? Who?" Selena was surprised.

"Protect the King... Destroy the enemy. Calculating chances of winning..."

"The Chess Program...?! That's weird, I didn't activate you...!" Soul was surprised after hearing the electronic female haughty voice. He had created the Chess program to defeat Lady Nina back then. The program was capable of calculating over a million moves per second and it utterly annihilated Nina so such extent that she went home crying.

"Master's Life is in danger...!! Bypassing Social Protocols to ensure the survival of the Primary Host." The Chess Program replied.

"But... this isn't chess." Selena replied with a confused look.

"Everything is like Chess...!!" The program replied, "Everything has patterns, everything moves according to those set pattern. The only thing is, it is pretty complex compared to a normal game of chess, I can only calculate up to a thousand moves ahead per second instead of million."

"A thousand moves ahead...?!" Selena was shocked. "Soul, can it do that?"

"Calculations require data of previous moves... Acquiring memories of the host's previous actions to create better results..."

"W-Well..." Soul replied hesitantly, "I-I am not sure. But now that I think about it, you couldn't have tied the game of chess back then if that Nina had played logically. I think the Program actually held Nina's Emotions into account while creating the moves you needed to win. Maybe... it can give a proper solution to our problem."

"This..." Selena was surprised, but before she could react, the Chess program spoke again.

"Calculations complete...!!"

"Eh?" Soul and Selena were both shocked at how quick it was.

"Result: Possible patterns available - 32. Best Pattern is number 16, which has a 34% chance of survival. Transferring data now..." The Program replied as it transferred information into Selena's head.

"This..." Selena almost stumbled after reading the information.

"What's wrong?" Soul asked.

"Why don't you read it yourself?!" Selena replied in anger.

"Er... Okay." Soul replied as he requested the Chess Program to transfer data to him too.

"Pattern No. 16:

1.) Do 100 squats within one second for building up your leg muscles.

2.) Allow him to attack first then dodge his attack at a speed of 320 miles per hour to not get fatally wounded.

3.) Escape the room.

4.) Run out and command every maid and butler to lay down their life for their King.

5.) Find Guard Rhys while everyone is getting slaughtered.

6.) Guard Rhys is fully capable of taking down the Assassin. As long as you find him, you are safe."

"..."

"Er... yeah. I mean, without giving the program proper explanation on how the rules of chess differ from the ones in real life, it was bound to produce these results. Proper calibrations are only formed after numerous trial and errors."

Selena "..."

"Don't be mad at me...!! I didn't even wake it up...!! It is only trying to save you. I can't help it if it is so stupid."

"Nevermind, I will think of something." Selena replied in an irritated tone. "Sigh... At least she's trying. Never thought I would be counted as a King in this scenario and----" Selena suddenly stopped.

She lifted her hand and immediately felt her pocket. 'I still have that...' she thought as she formulated a plan.

"This... This could be possible."Selena thought as she turned her gaze to look at the prepared tea and teacups by the maids.

"What's going on? What are you planning on doing?" Soul asked.

"Soul... Can your lie detector detect the emotions of people? Like Surprise, tension or anger?"

"Er... Yes. All emotions register a different pulse and blood flow depending on the emotion. Why?"

"Okay, I am about to try something. I need you to keep me updated on the Assassin's emotional changes as soon as they happen."

"What are you planning...?"

"Just... trust me and do it."

"This... fine. What's the worst thing that could happen, we could die at most right?"

Selena "..."

Chess Program "Does Death count as Checkmate?"

Selena again "..."

***

"Just a few more steps..." The Assassin thought to himself as he continued observing Selena. He was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. He had killed many people for money but he never laid his hands on children before so he was a bit squeamish about it. But the other party paid him quite a huge amount to assassinate this girl. If he was not tight for money, he would have definitely passed up this job.

While he was thinking, he was also observing Selena and carefully planning his next move. Getting inside the mansion wasn't easy. It will be more difficult to leave if the girl managed to scream before she died. He was waiting for her to drop her guard considerably before attacking. But he couldn't get the chance yet. The girl never turned her back to him completely so he could not sneak up on her. It was almost as she was wary of him.

'No, that's not possible...' He shook his head. Even trained soldiers were not aware of his existence when he hid. It seems the girl is naturally wary of her surroundings. Considering the fact that someone was after her, it wasn't that surprising.

'Damn... do I have to wait till she approaches the Closet or till she sleeps?' the Assassin thought. But before he could choose, Selena suddenly moved.

She approached the table where the tea was kept. She sat down on a chair facing the Closet and poured tea. However, she was pouring two cups instead of one.

'Eh? Is she expecting someone? Damn, it seems I can only kill her in her sleep.'

"This is a particularly hot day... Can I offer you some tea?" Selena asked with a smile as she stared directly at the closet.

The Assassin felt his blood run cold. He was found out. He wanted to quickly escape but he needed to finish the job first. However, since she was aware and revealed it, she must have some hidden guards nearby ready to pounce. Many thoughts raced through the head of the Assassin as he tried to think of a countermeasure.

Selena was not in an easy position either. The only solution to the matter at hand where she can be alive is to persuade the killer. She needed to talk to the assassin for that first and at the same time make sure that the Assassin did not panic and make a move on her as a result.

"Please calm down. If I wanted you dead, you would have died by now..." Selena kept talking and continued.

"I hope you won't do something foolish, otherwise the scar on your face may not be the only one you have."

The Assassin was shocked. 'H-How...? How did she know I have a scar on my face?' He panicked. According to his sources, the girl did not have any magic, so the only possible answer was that she has a formidable expert with her, who is probably hidden as well. 'But if that's true, then why hasn't she attacked me yet?' he thought. 'Could she be bluffing?'

"You are probably wondering why your head hasn't rolled yet..." Selena seemed to read his thought process. The Assassin was alarmed now. The Girl may not have magic but she could not be an ordinary person to predict his thoughts.

"Well, it's simple. I rather not have blood on my carpet, it is pretty expensive..." Selena spoke as she looked down.

The Assassin almost spat blood. 'You don't want blood on your carpet? Who are you trying to fool? The whole damn country has heard how you beat your teacher to a bloody mess in this very room.'

"Also..." Selena continued as she flicked her wrist and a coin appeared in her hand.

"I rather not use this coin on someone like you..."

'That's...' The assassin felt his throat become dry at the sight of the coin. It was a coin with the Emblem of the Valentinus Royal Family on it. 'The little girl is someone favored by the King?'

The assassin suddenly remembered that Selena had gone to the Royal Court today and possibly met with the King. He wasn't aware of the result of the case but if what Selena's has brought up is true, then it means that she is under the protection of the Royal Family. If he actually dared to kill her, even despite the hidden expert, he would be hunted down for all eternity by the Assassin Squads of the Royal Family.

The assassin was panicking now. He was torn between completing his mission or abandon it and simply run away. If he managed to kill her, the Royal Family may take some time to find him since the only witness who saw his face would be dead, but knowing the Royal Family's resources, he was well aware that they would find him eventually. If he simply escaped, he would still be found, but earlier since he left the girl alive. However, punishment not might be as harsh since he did not kill her. He was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"It seems you are not interested in the tea..." Selena continued as she sipped her cup of tea, "Perhaps, I can offer you a solution to your current dilemma instead."

The Assassin's eyes glowed, 'Could she be... offering me a deal?' By now, he was convinced the expert did not exist and Selena was bluffing, but it didn't matter anymore anyway since she had achieved the goal of delaying the killer's attack and showing him the Royal Emblem coin. In a way, both of them had a knife to their throat, the only difference is the time it will take for each of them to die.

Sensing the assassin's determination waver with Soul's radar, she decided to go for it and asked.

"How about... I hire you to kill the one who hired you?"

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