Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Observation Without Observing

Chapter 19: Observation Without Observing

Youssef knocked softly on Chloe’s door. She was asleep, but he had to wake her.

"Knock, knock... time for training, little one. Let’s start with Observation Animencor. Chloe... it’s afternoon.”

Groaning, Chloe stirred, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The thought of mastering Observation Animencor stirred both excitement and apprehension.

“Alright, Trabelsi,” she mumbled, swinging her legs over the bed’s edge. “I’m up.”

Despite her fatigue, anticipation bubbled beneath the surface. The weight of her role, the stakes of this training, were clearer than ever. She took a deep breath, smoothed her emerald gown, and opened the door.

Trabelsi handed her a blindfold. “Cover your eyes with this.”

Curious and determined, Chloe tied the cloth around her head, plunging herself into darkness.

“What’s the next step?”

“I didn’t mean right now! Stand on the table then cover your eyes.”

Flushing with embarrassment, she quickly removed the blindfold and stepped onto the table, heart pounding.

“Sorry. I was just eager to start.” Her eyes scanned the colorful toys spread before her.

“What do we do with these, Trabelsi?”

He explained: “First game: I’ll hide the ball under one of these three cups. You have to guess which one—blindfolded.”

Chloe nodded, breathing deeply, then covered her eyes. As Trabelsi shuffled the cups, she strained to catch every sound—the clink of porcelain, the subtle shifts beneath each cup. The world narrowed to this moment.

This one.

You’re wrong. Nice guess, though. You were supposed to know the first location. Your confidence is good.

Alright, let’s try again.

The cups moved.

The ball is under the cup on the left.

I haven’t started shuffling yet. I moved it to the middle. Let’s start again.

Trabelsi shuffled slowly, making sure Chloe could hear every sound. The ball settled beneath the middle cup.

Here.

Okay. Now I’ll go a bit faster.

Chloe braced herself as the cups blurred, the sounds clinking rapidly. But she focused, tracking the rhythm, the energy.

She hesitated between two cups, then pointed.

This one.

That’s right—the middle again. But do you think I moved the ball during the shuffle, or just swapped the other cups?

You didn’t move the ball. Just the other cups.

Good progress.

He added another challenge: five cups, two balls, starting positions visible.

Rightmost and leftmost.

One right. Let’s try again, but there will be a trick. We will go slow this time.

Left cup... but the other ball... it’s gone.

Good job, I actually removed it without telling you. Now I will go a bit faster.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Trabelsi shuffled faster now. Chloe focused, heart racing, energy attuned to the balls beneath the cups.

She pointed to two cups.

Here and here.

Wrong. Try again.

Though frustrated, Chloe regained her calm and tried again, eventually catching one right.

You slipped both balls under the middle cup, not quite right, but that’s progress.

Chloe laughed softly, the challenge igniting her fire.

Another round, I trust you’ll figure this one.

She guessed confidently, only to realize the balls were hidden in his hands.

Your hands?

Right.

Alright. Let’s keep going.

After several tries, Chloe didn't succeed at all of them but had fewer wrong ones each time.

Trabelsi nodded approvingly. “You’re still far from mastery, but you’re learning.”

Chloe smiled, exhausted but resolute. “Thank you for your patience, Trabelsi. I know this isn’t easy.”

She glanced at the clock. “But I can’t miss the royal lunch. Lady Chay’s less-than-perfect manners won’t improve if I’m gone too long.”

“It’s training time, not lunch,” he said firmly. “Forget Lady Chay for now.”

Chloe’s stomach knotted. “But my classes—others will notice.”

“Did you forget the midterm rest week? And what royal lunch? You’re a royal student, no royal lunch is required. Is your Lady Chay personality clouding your memory?”

She bit her lip. “I suppose I’m still clinging to the role.”

Trabelsi reassured her: “Focus, Chloe, focus.”

Relieved, Chloe nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

He then sent her out to fish—a test to practice motion and patience.

Hours later, she returned, tired but determined. Trabelsi was preparing dinner.

“Good catch,” he said with a smile. “You’re still in progress. Be patient.”

She smiled back, the warmth of the cabin comforting.

As they cooked and ate couscous—a traditional dish from Trabelsi’s homeland—they shared stories and hopes.

Chloe asked about his service to the royal family.

“As a butler, I’m just a teacher,” he said quietly. “Low rank. It’s frustrating being judged every moment, because I am in the Secret Police.”

Chloe understood. “It’s the price we pay. Two lives, one person.”

She asked what drove him to serve and train her.

“I believe the kingdom is stable, for now,” he said. “I follow orders. Operation Closer is important. I’ll give it everything.”

They talked about origins and loss—the Great Illness that changed their world.

“As Lady Chay I come from the royal family,” Chloe said. “But my true origins are complicated; after all, I come from the Secret Agency.”

Trabelsi replied, “I know, it’s complicated.”

Despite the seriousness of their conversation, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Tell me more about your country," she asked, eager to learn from him, to share in his experiences. "I've always been curious about the—"

Trabelsi said:

“It’s gone. The Great Illness... wiped everything. That was 800 years ago. But I still carry it in me.”

Chloe: "I think Queen Seraphina might have African roots too. I heard whispers in the masquerade — Zambia."

Trabelsi: "Oh yeah, the masquerade. That night I was going to end you before anything bad could happen."

Chloe's eyes widened, a mix of shock and relief flitting across her features. She takes a sip of water, trying to compose herself. "You were... going to end me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why?" The question lingered in the air, heavy with the weight of her fear and curiosity.

"You were too close to the king. If the Doctors caught you, they’d use it as proof the king was colluding with the Agency. They would’ve dethroned him. And a war would’ve followed."

Trabelsi's words hung in the air. "I see," she murmured, processing his words. "But how was killing me, or stopping me, going to prevent that?" Her question was tentative, the vulnerability of her position laid bare.

"Killing, hiding the body, same thing. I still remember it like it happened yesterday. I was ordered to stay in line as a sniper for the whole day. It was a top secret mission to protect the king. I was all day in the same spot. When it came time, I had to shout my Animencor-infused bullet. Master Aurelius Wren saw something in the future with his Observation Animencor—he said the crown was in danger, by a rogue spy. His Observation Animencor was so powerful that he saw that from the morning. And in the night, I was ready. My bullet was laced with reverse Observation Animencor. It would’ve erased your existence."

Chloe’s pulse quickened.

"But when I saw the future, it was you. I was choked. Master Aurelius Wren never failed in predicting the future. He told me to eliminate any threat. I hesitated for a moment. I tried to stop you from going there, using a clone of myself made of my Conqueror’s Animencor, because I can't leave my position... and that was the best decision I made. You didn’t reach a dangerous position. Master Aurelius Wren predicted that I would hesitate, that I would stop you, and he gave me the honor to train you. It's still a mystery why you were in that position..."

Chloe's heart raced as she listened to Trabelsi's story, her chest tightening at the mention of her being the potential danger. "Master Aurelius Wren... I owe him a debt of gratitude, then," she said softly. "And you, for not following through on that order." She swallowed hard, the weight of her mission pressing down on her once again. "But what if he was wrong about me? What if I'm not... what if I fail?" The fear in her eyes was real, a stark contrast to her usual confidence. She took another deep breath, steeling herself. "I won't, though," she said, her voice firm. "I won't fail." Her eyes locked with Trabelsi's, a silent promise passing between them. "Now, let's clean up. We have much to discuss and prepare for. I have to understand Armament Animencor tomorrow."

Trabelsi refused to teach her more that night. “You want to destroy your hands again?”

Chloe agreed reluctantly but promised readiness.

She lay in bed, thoughts swirling—her spy identity whispering to push harder.

The castle was silent. Outside, the kingdom slept under the moon’s watchful eye.