Leaning back in the chair, he continued, “To be honest, I'm with you on this, Little Witch. Idon't like the concept of taking away someone's choice, I think it's not fair as well. However, sometimes there are rare occasions when it can be useful. Although even if I decided to choose an easier path, it won't be that easy to meet the young lord. I need eye contact to lure him and he is too aloof to speak with everyone. It's much more clever and easier to send a girl to him. He likes women's attention.”
Violette surveyed him. It was hard to say she believed him but she wanted it to be true – it would be for the better.
“And why do you think he'll listen tome?” She raised a brow.
She thought it's too presumptuous to hope he would want to speak with her when there would probably be many other guests, some of which would be much more beautiful women in grandiose dresses possessing the skills to charm men with a smile and a single sway of a fan.
“I'll be honest,” he said, leaving the back of the chair and moving closer, his elbows pressed on the surface and fingers clasped together. “You are pretty, attractive, smart and a witch. You are the bearer of all qualities he values and extols the most.”
She glared at him, trying to catch a ploy in his words. Violette considered herself a pretty and fairly attractive woman but it was bizarre to hear it from Dante. He tried to turn her cheeks scarlet several times, however she took it as an action to annoy her. No doubt he was messing with her then but he sounded serious now.
“And I'll make it easier for you to get his attention,” he continued, his gaze not leaving her. “I sent a letter to his estate that a certain duchess, Lady Nora, from distant magical places will arrive at the ball. It must intrigue him: he loves guests from high society, especially ones from new magic places.”
“And how might it help me?”
“Don't make me take my words about you being smart back, Little Witch.”
“I have to pretend I am a duchess?” She almost chuckled at this thought. “It's ridiculous.”
“Perhaps you are not behaving yourself as a duchess. There is some work to be done here. But you have a great personal trait most of the nobles share, which can help you to make him believe you're one of them – your pride. So don't be afraid to be a little bit arrogant to him. Can you handle this?”
Violette softly snorted, a smirk curled her lips. “Don't worry, I have a great example in front of my eyes. I was watching you for weeks, finally it'll come into use.”
“Careful with your words, Little Witch, I can think you're obsessed with me.” His eyes brightened with an unusual tone she'd never seen before in his eyes.
“Only in your dreams,” she huffed.
Leaning back in his chair, Dante summed up in a perfunctory manner, “So that's what we have. You'll charm this boy – make up something about the magic lands you came from, about itsextraordinary spells so that it makes him talk about his own interests in magic. Then casually mention you heard about a magic map to an enchanted place and make him show you it. Get as close as you can.”
“And what’s next? It's not like he'll gladly lend me the map to use.”
“That's where your extraordinary talent will get the use.” He threw his head back and folded his hands behind his head.
Violette's back straightened in surprise. “My talent?”
“Potion making.”
She lowered her brows with a grain of salt, waiting for an explanation.
“We'll put him to sleep. I was thinking about some potion or sleeping powder. Can you make something like this?” He gazed at her.
“Of course I can,” she reproved. “You can doubt me, but never my potion skills.”
“Great. I'm glad we came to an agreement with this.”
“But I do need ingredients for it,” she warned.
“Fine, then we'll go to town to visit a potion shop.”
Violette's brows rose. She didn't expect there to be magic shops after all these stories about how people don't trust magic here.
“If they have potion shops, why can't we buy some sleeping powder there? Don't they have ready to go potions?”
As much as she was happy to hear she will have a chance to brew a potion and use her talent for something useful, she couldn't understand why to choose such a hard way if it can be bought from the store.
“They have problems with some potions here, especially with sleeping ones, too many stories involving magic poisons,” he said vaguely. “It's forbidden to sell something that can harm other people.”
“Harm?” This way of wording took her by surprise. “There's many sleeping potions with different effects, some of them completely harmless and can be used just for a better sleep,” she retorted.
