"Under Special Agent Lukas Schmidt's leadership, the operation has been a success, rescuing three missing St. Kevin’s students along with Sir Thomas Blackwood. Everyone is reported stable. It's a huge relief, even as the search for the remaining—"

  A feminine voice interrupted the broadcast. “Eydis Von Ap… Apfelhof?”

  Eydis silenced her phone and slipped out her earbuds. Rising to her full height, she dipped her head slightly to meet the gaze of the speaker. “That I am."

  Taking in the woman's sharp white coat and the impeccably tailored suit beneath, Eydis added, "And to whom do I owe the pleasure?”

  The doctor's ocean-blue eyes narrowed, as if irritated, as though she had expected to be recognised. “Dr. Melissa Le Bleu. Follow me.”

  Prideful, Eydis noted, lips twitching.

  She followed Melissa through the cold corridors of her clinic. By contrast, the doctor’s office was unexpectedly refined. Natural light spilled across white walls, framing a view of swaying leaves through the glass. It was strange for the season, and stranger still given they were ten floors up in the middle of Alchymia’s central business district.

  The doctor motioned to a plain examination bed and snapped on a fresh pair of blue latex gloves. “May I?”

  “You may.” Eydis settled into the cushions. “Though I suspect my saying no would make little difference."

  The doctor blinked once.

  "Close your eyes," Melissa said curtly, offering no further instructions.

  Eyes closed, Eydis felt a gentle touch at her scalp. A soft, warm blue glow seeped through her lids, beginning at the back of her head and filling her with an odd sense of serenity.

  Her body loosened and her thoughts slowed. Against her will, she envisioned minty ocean waves rolling across pale sand.

  Healing without elixirs or potions…

  Intriguing.

  When the session ended, a nurse escorted her for a second round of scans before returning her to Melissa’s office.

  The doctor was already reviewing the results. “All done. You’ll stay here for fifteen minutes so we can monitor your reaction."

  “As you wish, Doctor.” Eydis took a seat and studied Melissa.

  Why is everyone in this realm so incredibly striking? she thought. Or perhaps it was only the Gifted. They all seemed to shimmer just slightly, like their magic had soaked into their bones.

  Melissa was no exception. Wavy azure hair tied into a loose ponytail, with a few strands framing those piercing blue eyes. She wasn't what Eydis pictured a doctor to be. She was young, in her mid-twenties, slender, and most unexpectedly...

  “In all honesty, I was starting to suspect you’d transcended the need for medical care. My professional pride was teethering right here.” Melissa held her thumb and forefinger barely a millimeter apart.

  Especially that attitude. Delightful.

  “Who knows, Doctor.” Eydis said. “Perhaps I was avoiding what you might uncover. My mind is… densely occupied.”

  Melissa looked up from the X-ray. Her expression was less detached now, more calculating. “The fractures are gone. Completely. Given the severity of the initial injuries, this level of recovery is… unusual.”

  Eydis smirked. “Stranger things have happened, don’t you think?”

  “Not as strange as St. Kevin’s sudden investment in a more competent Gifted doctor. Would you care to explain, Miss Von Apfelhof?”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  And that, of course, was why Eydis avoided checkups. As her power returned, her body had grown stronger, efficiently healing any lingering injuries.

  Hmm.

  Eydis breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Well, that saves me the trouble of limping into a second clinic.”

  “You’re welcome to,” Melissa said flatly. “But the results won’t change.”

  “Oh? Is that so?”

  “Unless you think I doctored them.”

  “Doctoring by a doctor. How poetic. But no, I wouldn’t dream of doubting you.” Eydis let the pause stretch.

  “Still,” she said, “if someone needed a favour, say an ambitious politician with a daughter to protect. A missing signature here, a softened detail there. Small things with excellent returns. That would work, wouldn’t it?”

  Melissa’s grip tightened on the X-ray, eyes narrowing.

  Eydis’d found the nerve and pressed just hard enough. Pride, wounded precisely where it mattered.

  “Do you really think I have the time, or interest, for gossip? My record speaks for itself. You’re a student. Don’t mistake theory for experience," Melissa snapped.

  Textbook deflection. Attack the speaker, avoid the argument.

  “It’s only a theory, of course. You’ve done well for yourself, Doctor—St. Kevin’s valedictorian, Rhodes scholarship recipent. But Tiffany’s errors aren’t exactly subtle. If they ever come to light again, questions will follow. Questions about who lent a hand, who looked the other way, and who stood to benefit most from the silence.”

  Melissa’s eyes lit faintly with magic before dimming again. “Since when is treating a patient a crime?”

  “It isn't. But we both know that isn’t what people will talk about. What’s true rarely matters. What people believe does.”

  Melissa went rigid, clearly understanding the implication. “I believe our session is over—”

  “Just one thing.” Eydis raised her phone. “Thomas Blackwood and his circle are trending again. Over a million views. Your name appears too. Only once or twice, but it’s there.”

  Melissa’s jaw clenched. “Whatever connection I have to the Blackwoods is private. My professional life stands apart.”

  “Of course,” Eydis said. “But that hasn’t stopped the speculation, has it? Your age alone makes for easy headlines.”

  Melissa’s eyes betrayed the sting.

  Eydis went on. “Tiffany’s record is still clean thanks to the Blackwoods and the school’s discretion. But favours like that have expiration dates.”

  “Are you blackmailing me?”

  “Blackmail?” Eydis blinked. “Doctor, how could I? I’m only a student with no leverage at all. I’m simply noticing things out loud. Surely you’re not intimidated by that.”

  Melissa set the scan aside carefully. A hint of challenge surfaced in her eyes. “Then tell me, as a fellow alumna… what exactly has our ‘Talented’ student figured out?”

  Eydis let her voice dip. “It would be such a shame, wouldn’t it, if that impeccable reputation of yours took even the smallest hit by association? Especially now, Thomas elevated to the city’s golden boy, his heroism still headline news. Makes one wonder why the celebrated physician wasn’t the one at his bedside when he needed care most.”

  Melissa’s eyes widened, then snapped narrow.

  Eydis slid off the edge of the bed and tugged her oversized sweater straight. "Well, look at the time. My appointment’s over.” She offered a small smile. “Thank you, Doctor. I feel remarkably… enlightened. Your attention has been truly illuminating.”

  She didn’t wait for a response and left the office.

  If her hunch was correct, Melissa Le Bleu would be among the attendees at the gala, a well-connected and respectable public figure. Well-connected enough to see this masquerade not as an opportunity but as a simple favour, and, most importantly, now just slightly off balance.

  The Queen’s gambit was in motion. Envy would play its part.

  From what she’d gathered, the event was tightly secured, with high-profile guests attending from all over the country. Since it was a masquerade-style “anonymous” fundraiser, they weren’t using the usual ID checks. Instead, entry was granted through invitations embedded with access chips. Reporters would be stationed at the front gate, but the real screening wouldn’t begin until the inner door, where an AI scanner would start verifying physical features.

  Melissa was shorter, but the tech could be fooled. Eydis had a plan for that. All she needed now was to remove the doctor from the equation before securing the invitation. And it was just her luck that Thomas Blackwood had sent his trusted family doctor to watch over her. If this plan failed, she might have to resort to... a much more violent method.

  ‘Wouldn't you say so, Envy?’

  ‘I certainly hope this doctor fails to see the logic you present, Your Majesty. I’m vibrating with anticipation for some action, as your power courses through me,’ Envy hissed with glee.

  ‘Woof woof,’ Cerberus barked enthusiastically, probably already tasting the power coursing through Melissa.

  Now that her power was stronger, Envy could operate further away from her physically. The seed had been planted; now, she only needed to wait for it to sprout.

  Outside, a floating holo-screen hovered over the city square. Reporters surrounded Thomas Blackwood, who delivered humble statements about his heroic rescue. The missing St Kevin’s students appeared to remember nothing, having likely been brainwashed by the creature.

  But more importantly, the poll ticker at the bottom showed him as the current frontrunner for Senate.

  Envy coiled in pleasure. ‘I suspect tomorrow… the real performance begins.’

  ‘Tomorrow,’ Eydis said as she descended into the underground metro, weaving past the gathering commuters.

  Dr. Melissa Le Bleu, MD