Upon my return to the sanctuary, very early before even sunrise, I was delighted to see that Antonetta and Taleandril had returned from their missions. Ocheeva was very efficient when it came to advice and equipment, but Taleandril had much more confidence and experience in that regard.
"Ah, greetings, my brother, well done with that vampire, by the way."
"- My very dear brother, you look... um... well."
I was wet and had taken quite a beating from that thief, but they didn't need to know that. Among them, I could see a face I didn't recognize, a Khajiit. Probably the one I had heard about. The moment he noticed me, he walked over, wearing a very arrogant expression.
"- So, this is it? The new one? Looking all fancy in your new armor? Filthy monkey! You won't go far, I guarantee it! You're not even worthy of licking my boots! Hope you're useless like this, a silencer will take care of you!"
I didn't even have a chance to say a word before the Khajiit had already walked into the training room.
"- Don't worry, my brother, he's like that with all newcomers, but he'll eventually come to appreciate you."
"- Yes, my beloved brother, he actually called me a little frigid piglet the first time he saw me. I wanted to gouge his eyes out at the moment! Hehehe! Oh, but how did your mission go? They say you had to deal with a man from the Thieves Guild!"
I summarized a bit of how things had gone while keeping it brief. I had a strong desire to go rest and get some sleep.
"Your story sounds intense, my dear brother. As for me, I had to..."
Antonetta didn't get a chance to continue; Vincente had appeared out of nowhere.
"- I've heard of your success, my friend, splendid job. This will surely make our charming gray fox understand that he shouldn't meddle in our affairs."
I handed the necklace to Vincente, who looked at it and then stowed it in his vest.
"It's fortunate that you both are here, dear brother and sister."
When Taleandril realized that it referred to Antonetta and me, she retreated to our quarters.
"I have an amusing contract to propose to you, the last one on the list before you can take a few days off, perhaps... It involves driving a perfectly happy woman to suicide. You'll need to work closely together for this success to be possible... Are you interested, or maybe you'd prefer me to ask Taleandril? After all, you've had quite busy days."
"- I'm interested, and what about you, dear brother?"
Truth be told, I was very tempted to say no, but at the moment, the stupid thoughts of that Khajiit's insults were still lingering in my mind. And, naturally...
"- I'm delighted, my friend, truly..."
Vincente let out a small chuckle and continued.
"You must be wondering why simply killing her is out of the question? Because this woman is a decoy, a pitiful trap to make the world believe in our existence, a trap set by that dog Adamus Philida."
"-The pompous pig!"
Despite the similarity in name with Remus Philidas, the two were unrelated. Adamus Philida was a captain in the town of Chorrol, shouting to the world about our existence and trying to prove it by setting devious traps to push us into committing murders.
"- Adamus paid this woman to testify before judges in a few days at the Imperial City court that she knows about our existence. If we kill her now, it would please dear Captain Philida. So, here's what I've thought about: by pushing her to suicide, Philida will be the only one shouting from the rooftops that we committed the crime. People will see him as a madman, and who knows? He might be removed from his post, or worse... However, the woman, Karlota Minburg, is frequently under surveillance... But I'll let you consult Ocheeva, who's more skilled than I am at summarizing situations. May Sithis guide you, my friends."
Following the vampire's suggestion, we went to see Ocheeva, who was practicing with a dagger.
"- Karlota Minburg, you say? Yes, that rings a bell. A smiling woman, full of energy. I've seen her often in the Imperial City, but I couldn't tell you where she lives. She's not really the type of person I observe. You'll have to figure out her location on your own. She's married to a younger man, Patrick Minburg, and has a daughter and a son, both a bit younger than you. That's all I know. I'm sorry, but I don't have any useful information about this woman. You're on your own for this one. Help each other, good luck... And remember, no normal killing of family members. Act with subtlety. She's a red-haired Nord, you'll easily spot her. She usually sings while shopping on the main street of the Market District, at Jensine's shop."
After thanking Ocheeva despite the lack of valid information, I took a vial of Languorwine, a poison that artificially kills the afflicted person, along with an antidote that can revive her. It might come in handy. After that, we set off for the Imperial City, making sure to wear city attire.
"- Well, what's the plan now, my beloved brother?"
We had arrived in the city shortly before dawn, everything was still calm and the streets were deserted. We managed to find an open tavern serving breakfast.
I was quite hungry, so I grabbed some bread with jam, as well as some "croissant," a kind of exotic crescent-shaped bread that wasn't unpleasant in taste, even though it wasn't very popular. Antonetta followed suit but also ordered a hot chocolate.
We had a sufficiently large budget for our stay in the Imperial City, covering accommodation, food, and murder expenses. We would need to manage it wisely.
As my sister stirred her spoon, took a sip, and then began to talk again.
"We're not making much progress, how do you push someone to suicide without committing murder? It's beyond me, really!"
I pondered while eating my snack; Antonetta had a point. I had managed to drive that sub-prefect to suicide, but it had involved spilling gallons of blood, which left me quite disturbed.
"- Was everything to your liking, ladies and gentlemen?"
"- Oh, yes, thank you very much, kind sir."
"- That'll be eight septims... well, six for you, miss."
"- Thank you ever so much, my dearest sir, thank you."
Antonetta rewarded the elderly innkeeper with a broad smile, and he walked away as if on a little cloud, taking his payment with him.
A few moments later, he returned to us, looking sly, and whispered loudly enough for me to hear perfectly.
"- Your friend who isn't saying a word isn't part of the Imperial Guard, is he?"
"- Don't worry, my beloved sir, we are among civilized people."
"- Well, are you looking for... a Skooma dealer? I have a few addresses if you want. Just ask for 'a friendly animal' if you want to experience the magical flight that Skooma provides."
"- My dearest sir, I thank you, but... um... gladly, it will be a pleasure."
I signaled to Antonetta to agree. This chain of ordinary events had just given me an idea.
"Do you have something up your sleeve, my beloved brother?"
I smiled.
A few hours later, Karlota Minburg arrived. It was indeed hard not to notice her – she was singing cheerfully and saying hello to everyone, even people she didn't know. Antonetta made a disgusted face as I got up and began to follow her towards Jensine's shop.
A bell chimed as Mrs. Minburg entered the boutique 'Jensine's Good As New Merchandise.' She warmly greeted the owner, presumably Jensine, before scanning the shelves.
"- Oooh, what wonders! These are statues from the pre-Imperial period of Daggerfall!"
" -Exactly, they're recent acquisitions. I'll offer them to you for a thousand septims. You understand, Mrs. Minburg, that such raw art doesn't come cheap."
The hideous golden statue depicted a man with arms in place of legs and a heart-shaped head.
"- Let's be crazy and take it. I've always found good deals at your store, Jensine, and...
Excuse me, can I assist you, sir?"
I approached Karlota and examined the statue. After a thorough inspection and a few taps, I decided to scrape its surface with my fingernail. The gold stuck to it, revealing a dirty green layer beneath. I shot a reproachful look at Jensine.
"- Jensine, this is a fake! I didn't expect this from your establishment. I'm appalled."
"- I... I don't understand, Mrs. Winburg. I... I'll call the supplier, I'll take the necessary steps..."
"- Don't bother. I'll go elsewhere. GOOD DAY, JENSINE."
She threw the statue into a trash bin and signaled for me to follow her, leaving Jensine behind looking sad to have lost a valuable customer without understanding why. When the illusion would wear off in a few hours, Jensine would realize that the statue in the trash was indeed gold. You didn't have to be an illusion master to change gold's appearance to copper, but the reactions were always a treat.
"Well, my friend, allow me to thank you warmly. Without you, I would have been scammed. Scoundrels are really everywhere these days, it's terrible... By the way, I'm Karlota Minburg. I live in the Arena District, a bit to the north. I've never seen you around here. Where are you from? What's your name? What a chatterbox I am, it doesn't matter much... Anyway, feel free to visit me to talk about art. Have a good day!"
Then Karlota went on her way to Thoronir's shop, still singing.
"- Excellent work, my beloved brother, excellent work. I'll take care of my part of the job. Meet back here around noon, we can grab something to eat."
Antonetta waved goodbye and headed towards the sanctuary district. In the meantime, I followed Karlota from a distance until she arrived at her home. As soon as she knocked on the door, she practically pounced on her husband, kissing him all over.
"- My dear! Come, let's go for a walk! There are magnificent fruits at the Sundas Market!"
"- I'm coming, my love. Quick, before they're all gone!"
As he closed the door, he didn't notice an invisible figure slipping into their house. The couple seemed very much in love, and the plan might be more challenging to execute than expected.
While exploring, I saw a painting of their family. Apparently, they were very close-knit and united. The couple's bedroom revealed nothing useful, except perhaps a silly breakup letter from about a decade ago, in which Patrick Minburg accused his wife of not giving him enough freedom. That might be useful for Antonetta.
The children's rooms were much more fruitful, it seemed. The Minburg's daughter, Etoina, had a room covered in pink and dolls, but her diary revealed an interesting passion for morbid news stories and a desire to become a journalist for the Black Horse Courier, as her diary stated. As for the son, Loic, he seemed perfectly normal... at least recently. A document in his drawer revealed that he had been in jail due to an assault committed under the influence of skooma.
I left the house with enough information. I went to meet Antonetta at the same tavern as this morning, which was now bustling with customers.
"- Well, my dear brother, the daughter wakes up at seven and arrives at the Arcane University at eight. She's there until five in the evening, then she strolls around the Market District until eight and always passes by the cemetery, as it's a shortcut to her home. She spends her evenings at home with her family."
I took notes, and once I was done, I asked Antonetta to continue.
"The son wakes up at eight and arrives at the university by eight thirty. He failed a class last year due to heavy consumption of... Oh, you already know, well, he finishes his classes at five and discreetly heads to the inn outside the city to have some simple mead with his friends from the Arcane University. He usually gets back around nine, using the Commerce Road."
I asked her to keep going.
"The husband is alone at home quite often, spends the morning with his wife, but usually takes a two-hour stroll alone from two to five. He also sometimes goes with friends to The Floating Bowl tavern. Nothing much more to say about him."
I finished taking my notes and asked Antonetta how she managed to gather such information. She smirked and humorously stated that we all had our little techniques before asking what I had found out. I showed her my notes.
"Oh, oho, yes, we're getting somewhere, my dear brother. I love working with you. You're so... methodical! Alright, I'll take care of the son and the husband."
I made it clear that I particularly wanted to handle the son, as I wanted to test something. Antonetta reluctantly agreed; she was a bit disappointed, but if I didn't do it, I would have brought this raw meat for nothing.
"Well, we take care of the daughter, and I'll handle the father, and you take care of the son and the mother. It works perfectly for me... My dear sir, could we have some food, please?"
I was pleased to eat something substantial, like game with vegetables. My last proper meal had been a moderately ranked vampire, which left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
When it was time to pay, Antonetta called the owner over with a wide smile.
"It was delicious, yes... By the way, do you know where we could find a friendly animal?"
"-Of course, follow me, please."
The old innkeeper led us into the tavern's basement. Inside, he turned a hidden lever in a lantern, and a section of the wall rotated, revealing a massive stockpile of Skooma bottles. He was truly a trafficker, underneath his façade as a kindly innkeeper.
"So, are you satisfied, my friends?"
Splendid!
I ordered three bottles from him, which would cost me three hundred septims. I asked him how business was doing.
"Well, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I haven't been receiving any deliveries these days. My supplier must be scared to death to send me any merchandise."
Little did he know.
"Goodbye, my friends. Spread the word about me, don't hesitate to come back!"
"- Certainly, goodbye, my very, very dear sir!"
As we left, I discreetly concealed the bottles in my jacket. I asked Antonetta to remind me to report that good man to the Imperial Guard on our way out for forcing us to buy skooma. She said she would keep that in mind.
"You heard correctly, my dear madam. We'd like to buy..."
Antonetta glanced at the list I had given her, and the proprietor of Divine Elegance was eyeing us like strange creatures.
"A casual evening gown, with a good neckline and a sense of freedom, two black garments made of fabric, preferably worn and tattered, with hoods, a leather outfit like those worn by highwaymen, with a mask if possible... Oh, and I would also like a... a... attire that might be compared to that of a beggar who used to be rich, meaning beautiful but in poor condition... Is that possible, my dear madam?"
"- The evening gown is feasible, but the rest... it doesn't make any sense... Listen, would you mind giving me your names and addresses?"
I signaled for Antonetta to step back and locked eyes with the shopkeeper. She looked like she was enchanted, then with a snap of my fingers, she seemed to snap out of it.
"I-will-fetch-your-clothes-come-back-in-an-hour"
I thought for a moment and added something.
"My-masters-I-am-a-Sithis-larva-come-back-in-fif teen-minutes"
Antonetta and I left the shop. She was laughing so much that it became embarrassing. These charm spells always have the same effect the first time you witness them in action.
"- I must learn some illusion tricks sometime! It's much more fun than mysticism!"
Thirty minutes later, we returned to the store, and our costumes were ready. It was just before two in the afternoon. We still needed to decide on the exact time for our actions.
"I suggest, my dear brother, that we proceed as follows: I'll take care of the husband gradually throughout the week, and you deal with the son as quickly as possible. As for the daughter, we'll take care of her tomorrow or later... For the main target herself, I leave it to your skills as a... 'friend.'"
It was going to be quite a spectacle.