Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 256 : Distraction

'So, what do you think, is there a chance that he—'

'No, I don't think so,' Grace said, cutting off Candace. 'Isaac is too intelligent to do that. Plus, that guy rarely goes out of his way for something that doesn't directly concern him. He's very similar to his father in that sense,' added Grace.

Currently, she had a communication talisman pressed against her delicate face as she flew through the air, traversing Isaac's territory and catching up with the convoy led by Lilia and Anna.

'Did you arrange a good place where we can receive those guys without anyone noticing?' Grace wondered.

'Yes,' Candace confirmed before adding in a mischievous tone, 'Oh, I forgot to mention, today you're making an official statement in Zindal.'

'Why would I do that?' Grace frowned.

'It will serve as a distraction so the others can sneak in without being noticed,' Candace answered brightly.

'You're hailed as a great strategist, and this is the only distraction you could come up with?' Grace asked, her expression irritated.

She hated doing public announcements—not because she had stage fright; she had lived too long to be scared of large crowds. The thing is, she had never really been good at riling up people. She preferred to just move on to action; it was much more fun anyway.

Candace knew this. Still, the distraction she arranged required Grace to make an official statement before a crowd? Obviously, Candace was just doing this to amuse herself at Grace's expense.

'I mean, what better excuse is there to gather both the citizens and the clutter of spies we have here than telling them that the baron is going to make an official statement?" Candace replied in a serious tone, though Grace could still hear a trace of elation in her voice.

'And what am I supposed to say?' Grace asked through gritted teeth, imagining how satisfying it would be if Candace were standing right in front of her. She would have crushed her!

What she momentarily forgot was that, at this moment, Candace could hear her thoughts as clearly as if Grace were saying them out loud. This only made Candace's smile widen with amusement.

'Don't ask me, I'm sure you'll improvise and come up with a great speech,' Candace answered in an encouraging tone. 'Oh, and before you ask to cancel the event, I should mention that I informed the inhabitants of Zindal a few days ago. They've been eagerly awaiting this speech of yours, so you wouldn't want to disappoint them on the big day by refusing to speak, right?'

"....."

'Good, I'll be waiting for your arrival,' Candace added in a cheery tone before ending the communication and putting away her talisman.

Grace stared straight ahead for a long time after the connection was cut, a thoughtful expression clouding her features.

'I will kill her!' she thought to herself, but then reconsidered. 'No, if I kill her, then I'll have to do my work myself,' Grace reasoned, sighing in resignation.

'I'll find a way to get back at her later,' she finally decided with a small, determined nod.

With that, she continued flying in the direction Lilia and Anna had taken, her usual easygoing smile gradually returning as the cool wind caressed her face, lifting her spirits a little.

It wasn't long before Grace spotted the convoy of carriages below.

"What is this?" Grace wondered, a curious glint flashing in her eyes as they landed on Lilia, who was seated atop the leading carriage.

However, it wasn't Lilia's figure itself that caught Grace's attention, but rather the scarlet aura enveloping her.

Even from this altitude, Grace could feel a faint pressure emanating from Lilia, something that was quite surprising considering the significant difference in power between the two of them.

Of course, the pressure wasn't threatening to Grace in the slightest, but still, it was enough to pique her curiosity.

"Interesting," Grace murmured to herself, her smile widening slightly as she descended toward the convoy, eager to uncover what exactly was going on with Lilia.

However, she wasn't done being surprised. The instant the red aura emanating from Lilia's body touched the air around Grace, it surged toward her with alarming speed, like a predatory wave intent on harming her.

***

However, at that moment, Lilia's eyes snapped open, and the attacking energy flickered out. "How did it go?" Lilia inquired as Grace landed on the carriage roof.

"About as expected," Grace replied, sitting down next to Lilia.

Well, she hadn't anticipated spending more than an hour in the company of Isaac's granddaughter, but aside from that, everything had gone as planned. She was confident that Isaac would remain passive and turn a blind eye.

"I'm glad then," Lilia said with a nod.

Before Grace could ask about the energy that had surrounded her earlier, Lilia closed her eyes and resumed her meditation.

Grace's lips twitched in irritation seeing this, but she chose not to interrupt Lilia. Thankfully, as Lilia resumed her meditation, the familiar scarlet energy reappeared, but this time it moved around Lilia in a peaceful manner, without lashing out at Grace.

With nothing better to do, Grace decided to observe the peculiar energy surrounding Lilia.

A couple of hours later, the convoy of carriages finally reached the outskirts of Zindal.

At that moment, Grace contacted Candace, who instructed them to wait a few minutes before proceeding with the plan they had established with Alex before they parted ways.

The plan was as simple as it could be: sneak a carriage into Zindal one at a time without anyone seeing either the carriage or the people it transported. Anna's ability to become invisible and render anything she touched invisible was crucial for this operation.

Even with that, there was still a risk of being spotted. Zindal was simply teeming with spies. That's why a distraction was necessary to divert attention. Although Grace disliked the distraction Candace had come up with, she had to admit it was effective. As Candace had pointed out, what better distraction could there be than Grace giving an official statement at such a crucial moment?

It's important to remember that the Eswald heir competition was approaching. Since Grace couldn't participate, she had to appoint someone else as the branch leader. Only a branch leader was eligible to become a baron.

Most people would infer from the sudden announcement of an official statement by Grace, just over two months before the competition, that a new baron was being appointed. This would undoubtedly attract significant interest from both citizens and spies.

Unfortunately for them, they were bound to be disappointed as Grace had no intention of discussing this topic. In fact, she didn't even know what she was going to say and planned to improvise on the spot.

Once they received Candace's signal, Grace separated from the convoy and flew toward the city. It was time for her to give her speech.

Simultaneously, the plan to infiltrate Alex's new subordinates into Zindal was set into motion. Boarding a carriage, Anna, with a focused expression, activated her ability and rendered the carriage invisible. Without delay, she directed the horses toward the city.

***

As Anna approached the city gate, Grace gracefully landed on a raised platform set up in the city center.

When the thousands of people gathered around the platform saw her, they erupted into cheers.

"You're quite popular for someone who delegates all the city's administrative work," Candace remarked as she walked toward Grace with a light smile.

Grace shot Candace a glare and gritted her teeth. "I'll find a way to get back at you."

"Sure," Candace replied with a nonchalant smile. "I'll be waiting."

Seeing the relaxed smile on Candace's face, Grace could only sigh. For some reason, she was certain that any plan she came up with to get back at Candace wouldn't succeed anytime soon.

"Whatever, let's get this over with," Grace said, preparing to address the crowd.