“No way! I’m not even going to entertain the idea! I refuse to work with Benjamin Stein, even if the sky falls down!” I shook my head so fiercely that my heavy, dangling earrings nearly tore my earlobes off. I really should’ve changed out of my work clothes before coming here. “In case you’ve forgotten, Mr. Herrence, I’m stepping away from fieldwork and moving to a strictly office-based role. We’ve already discussed this.”
William Herrence shifted his massive frame in his chair, the poor thing groaning under his weight as if it were alive. He froze for a moment, clearly worried he might break the furniture.
My boss was a calculating man, and his greed always triumphed over any other emotion with a landslide victory. It’s the only reason I hadn’t been unceremoniously tossed out on the street yet. Right now, Herrence wanted to raise his voice, tell me exactly what he thought of me, and remind me of my duties in a shrill tone. But he knew full well that I wouldn’t stay silent either. So, with a weary and slightly nervous sigh, he wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with a handkerchief, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into his pocket with a fidgety motion. He shot me a sideways glance before pouring himself a drink with a sharp, pungent aroma. He didn’t sip it just yet, though. Wise move. I could barely tolerate him sober.
“But, Adalinda, this is Benjamin Stein we’re talking about!” he exclaimed with a dramatic gasp, as if he were revealing some undiscovered wonder of the world. My direct superior was a decent man—kind and caring… in some past life, perhaps, and even that’s debatable. He loved the jingle of coins far too much, and for the sake of that sweet sound, he often disregarded the inconvenience it caused his subordinates. That was definitely not working in my favor right now. “This is a whole other LEVEL!”
Might as well hang a sign at the entrance declaring we’ve spun lies for royalty. A level, indeed!
“I’m sorry, but that means nothing to me and doesn’t change my decision!” I retorted for the umpteenth time that evening, pursing my lips primly and tilting my chin up defiantly. “I’m getting married in two months. How am I supposed to explain to my fiancé that I’ll be popping off to the palace to play the mistress of a royal bastard? My face will be splashed across every newspaper!”
“Oh, come off it! Don’t pretend I need to teach you how to keep a secret!” Herrence waved me off, pretending to study some terribly important document. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just a shopping list drafted by the esteemed Mrs. Herrence.
“Fine, let’s say I can keep my true identity under wraps,” I said slowly, nodding. “But how do I explain my absence? The contract is for six months!” I waved the papers in the air before slamming them down on the desk in front of him. “Surely someone else must suit him? The catalog of actresses is thirty pages long!”
Herrence sighed heavily and tapped his finger on the aforementioned catalog with an expression that suggested he wanted to execute it as the source of all his woes.
“Do you think I haven’t begged and pleaded with him to reconsider?” he shouted, losing the last shred of friendliness—and certainly any trace of calm. “I spent half the day shoving this catalog under his nose. The girls are stunning. We don’t keep anything less! And he just says to me, ‘I’ve made my choice!’” Herrence boomed, attempting to mimic Mr. Stein’s voice. “Why is he so fixated on you? Do you know him personally?”
Made his choice, has he? And of course, the opinion of this arrogant mystery man doesn’t matter to him in the slightest. He wants me! For what, exactly? I had some vague, unsettling theories about that, ones I had no intention of sharing with my boss. And they didn’t thrill me in the least.
“No more than you do,” I lied, staring down at my clasped hands resting on my lap.
“Then I don’t understand a thing…” Herrence muttered, casting another hateful glare at the doomed catalog.
“Just say no!”
“Yeah, right. As if! ‘We take on any job!’” he mocked, throwing my own words back at me.
My own fault, really. I came up with that slogan a few years back. It brought in jobs, money, and headaches. The first and last were mine to deal with, while the middle went straight to the boss. Truth be told, it hadn’t bothered me much until now—I loved my work with all my heart. But even love has its limits. And right now, we were standing at the edge, waving a battle flag. I wasn’t about to surrender without a fight.
“Well, then… I’ll have no choice but to terminate my contract with ‘Illusion.’”
I said it, but I didn’t believe it myself. I’d spent the last five years of my life at this agency. The mere thought of leaving tore at my sentimental, girlish heart.
When I first joined Herrence’s service at sixteen, expecting nothing more than grunt work, I discovered that my life wasn’t always destined to be a string of misfortunes and struggles. Sometimes, luck showed up. Unexpectedly, the knowledge I’d gained at the convent of Saint Agnes proved useful. Thankfully, it was one of the few monasteries that viewed magic as a divine gift rather than a demonic curse. Children like me were taught, not beaten to exorcise some supposed evil.
In short, a magician-illusionist was warmly welcomed at what was then still called ‘Herrence’s Services.’ By the way, the slightly mystical rebranding to ‘Illusion’ was also my idea.
That’s how my face ended up in the catalog of actresses. Despite what society whispered about us, there was nothing unsavory in what we did. We were performers, crafting illusions of what people wanted to show to those important to them but couldn’t achieve in real life for whatever reason. A family with a sweet thirteen-year-old daughter who plays music and reads poetry aloud in the evenings. Or a young man in love with a beautiful but married woman, not wanting to arouse suspicion among family and friends. Anything, really… I even spent three months posing as the young wife of an old ore merchant while he closed deals. “Being married,” as he put it, “is a sign of respectability and stability. Bachelors are flighty.” Right. And yet, in his entire life, he never married, claiming no one worthy had been born.
Of course, all these people hid their true selves from those who mattered to them. But who are we to judge someone for wanting to appear just a little better in others’ eyes?
It’s all an illusion, nothing more. No passionate kisses or steamy nights. Just a performance for the public. And I loved this game. Each time I slipped into a new role, it was like donning a new dress, parading it around to show off its finest features. And now… what? Five years of work down the drain? How depressing! I could almost hate this royal bastard with every fiber of my being!
“Linda, you’re not foolish. You know what breaking your contract will cost you. You’ll end up on the street. And if anyone finds out how you’ve been earning a living, you’ll never work again. Imagine if your future husband learns the truth.”
What? I hadn’t expected my boss to resort to threats! I was momentarily thrown off guard.
“You wouldn’t dare!” I hissed through gritted teeth, gripping the armrests of my chair with force.
“Are you sure?”
That old weasel! He’d absolutely do something like this. He wouldn’t dare tarnish my name outright—after all, the agency’s reputation is at stake. But he wouldn’t rush to stop any fabricated rumors either. And as for relationships, I’d be done for. I had no idea how Alan would take this news… I’m guessing not well. I’d have to leave the city, and I loved it with all my heart.
“And where would you even go?” Herrence mused, as if casually. “Back to the convent? Or somewhere else, perhaps?”
I shot him a glare, easily finishing the unpleasant thought for him. That snake!
“Fine…” I drawled slowly, almost hissing, and topped it off with a venomous smile that made my boss shrink back, his small eyes darting nervously around the room. “In that case… if I agree to take this job, I want for my work…”
“Anything you want!” Herrence interjected eagerly.
Big mistake!
“A quarter share in the agency!” I declared triumphantly. This miser would sooner keel over than agree to such terms.
“Have you lost your mind?!” Herrence sputtered, downing half a glass of whatever drink he’d poured to celebrate his presumed victory. Not so fast! “You… I… just… unbelievable!” he choked, either from outrage or from burning his throat with the alcohol. “How dare you?!”
“The same way you do,” I shot back, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at Herrence, narrowly missing his nose. “Blackmail isn’t the best way to negotiate,” I added pointedly, before calming down, sitting back in my chair, and smoothing the folds of my dress as I began to reason calmly. “But think of the profit from this job… We’ll make a fortune! And the reputation… just imagine. A whole other LEVEL!” I jabbed a finger toward the ceiling, and Herrence reflexively glanced up at the chandelier with slightly glazed eyes. “How could we not share the grand secret with future clients that our services have been used by members of the dynasty?
So what if they’re illegitimate? Such trivial details!”
“Swindler! Greedy leech! Thief!” Herrence hurled the epithets at me with waning enthusiasm, his trembling hands pouring another serving of whatever he was drinking as he loosened his suddenly too-tight tie. “I should’ve fired you ages ago. Just as Marishechka, my darling, advised.”
Fire me? Mrs. Herrence would sooner kick her husband out of the house than me out of the agency. She knows full well who the real breadwinner in their family is.
“And what about the mantra: ‘We take on any job!’” I fired back at my boss with his own weapon, not bothering to hide my smug smile.
He gave me a look that should’ve made any proper lady burst into flames. Unfortunately, there was far too little propriety in me.
“Fine! You’ll get your fifth of the share.”
“A quarter,” I corrected with a click of my tongue. “And no more fieldwork after this. This is my last job!”
“You s-s-snake!” Herrence hissed, but I already knew—he’d caved. “Deal. Now go get ready. The meeting with the client is in half an hour. And try not to mess this up.”
“Who do you take me for?”
“A cunning, greedy creature who’s bleeding me dry.”
Look who’s talking! But I held my tongue. Otherwise, this argument could drag on forever. And I had an important—and, more importantly, very nerve-wracking—meeting ahead.
Alright, Benjamin Stein, you wanted a lover. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself!