Whether in terms of wealth, strength, or influence, Evelyn's side could not compare with the group opposite them.
Upon arriving at Hamunaptra, the American leaders began to urge their local workers to excavate: destructive excavation, seeking only to enter quickly and loot quickly.
After all, this was what they were good at.
"Mr. Muska is supporting us." A man with thick lenses and a cowboy hat chatted smugly with Mori Tsukisa. Indeed, with so many workers and an investor providing the funds, they didn't have to do anything themselves.
They just had to wait to grab the treasure, go back to the United States to sell it, invest, and find women.
"Muska?" Mori Tsukisa's ears twitched.
She didn't have much to do either. Evelyn, like a hardworking little bird in a hurry to move, had dived into the passionate work of archaeological research with 'her' Mr. OConnell; Jonathan had run off to the Americans' team to banter, trying to get friendly while fishing for secrets.
Only Mori Tsukisa, who was like a Child, was left.
After all, no one would order a girl of a Child's age to do any work; she could just play around—with her maid and cat.
"That's right, Mr. Muska. You don't know him?" The bespectacled man looked the young girl up and down. "You're from Britain, so it's understandable if you don't know Mr. Muska, but you've been here locally for a long time, haven't you?"
"Mr. Muska is a big businessman. I heard he also has connections with the mil... military."
The man talked eloquently, describing the benefactor as if he were one of a kind, with far-sighted investment vision and an extremely sharp nose—and then he invested in... these guys?
Mori Tsukisa returned his gaze with complete disbelief.
"Of course! After the island nation's defeat, Mr. Muska came to Cairo. That tiger from the Far East is not to be trifled with." The man pushed his glasses and came to the shade of a boulder with Mori Tsukisa to cool off. "If you ask me, with so much wealth, he could live well anywhere."
"Mr. Sheikh even collaborated with him before."
Sheikh?
Mori Tsukisa suddenly looked up and asked, "Mr. Sheikh knows that Mu... what was it again?"
"Muska! Muska!" The bespectacled man emphasized twice with dissatisfaction, his American accent taking on a high-and-mighty British tone. "You have to remember his name, little girl. Looking at your jewelry, I'll assume your family in Britain is fairly wealthy and influential."
"Then being respectful to this generous gentleman won't do your family any harm."
"Don't let a spoiled young lady's temper ruin your father's business."
The man took off his bowler hat and fanned himself with it, beads of sweat sliding down from his temples. The scorching sun had turned his neck bright red.
"You're going to attend The Ball and mingle with the young elites. If you mention Mr. Muska, they'll look at you with respect. He's a big shot with far more influence than us."
Nagini opened a black parasol to the side, silently standing behind the young girl to provide her with a patch of shade. Hearing the man's words, she curled her lips in a cold, indifferent smirk.
Influential?
Who could be more influential than Mori Tsukisa?
But at the thought that such 'influence' might be similar to her own curse, Nagini couldn't bring herself to be happy again.
Her affectionate gaze once again quietly stroked over Mori Tsukisa's black hair.
"Your expression right now says 'I want to hold an umbrella for you forever,'" Arrietty poked her little head out from Mori Tsukisa's black hair. "How disgusting. Don't look at Her Majesty like that."
The Little Sprite's provocation didn't receive a heated response.
"Yes, you're quite right. I want to hold an umbrella for her forever."
Instead, it was a direct hit.
"Tch." The huffy Red Hair retracted back inside.
"What umbrella?" Mori Tsukisa turned her head. She had nothing left to talk about with this bespectacled gentleman; he seemed to have impatiently blurted out everything she wanted to know. The rest would have to wait until she returned to verify it.
She moved her feet, stepping away from the boulder.
"Arrietty asked me, and I said I wanted to hold an umbrella for you forever."
Master and servant strolled along the ancient ruins, the path lined with collapsed pillars and stone tablets.
"Hold an umbrella for... 'you' forever?" Mori Tsukisa tapped her cheek, her large eyes blinking at Nagini. "Saying it like that isn't moving. You have to say it differently."
"Say it differently?"
"Let me teach you, let me teach you! I'm telling you, Aria used to praise me, saying I'd definitely make a good actress!" The girl turned sideways and snatched the black umbrella, then took two steps back to face Nagini.
Both had black hair; the taller one had hers pinned behind her head, looking dignified and quiet. The shorter one had hers tied at the nape of her neck with a leather band adorned with small gems, her lush hair forming a single thick strand that dangled down past her waist.
The less-than-scenic environment didn't stop Mori Tsukisa from acting out her whims.
The girl set down the black cat and gave its backside a light kick with the top of her foot, as if a middle-aged, bearded director not far away was shouting at her: 'Get the cat out of here! Get the cat out! It's in the shot, it's in the shot! Yes, that's right, perfect!'
'Positioning, lean to the right, show the side with the beauty mark, smile, a slight smile!'
Then the clapper loader snapped the slate shut.
'Scene fifteen, Camera C, Take one!'
'ACTION!'
And so the performance began.
Before Nagini could awkwardly interrupt, Mori Tsukisa held up the black umbrella and looked up delicately—her misty eyes were filled with warmth and intimacy, and her slightly upturned lips looked as if they were coated in a layer of shimmering gold dust. When she tilted her head, that beauty mark at the corner of her eye flirtatiously greeted its prey... Hi.
Nagini.
Mori Tsukisa took another step forward, getting closer to the taller woman.
In comparison, clearly it was the woman with the'snake' attribute who should have been more charming, but under the shadow of the umbrella at this moment, it was obviously Mori Tsukisa who was exercising absolute dominance.
She looked up at Nagini, her lips slightly parted and her eyes shimmering under the woman's increasingly strange gaze.
The girl's slender fingers, like classical carvings, tugged at the hem of the woman's clothes, and then she drew closer... she took another step forward.
A fire suddenly flared up in Nagini's heart!
Her limbs felt stiff and weak, yet they were filled with blood eager for action; she could see a strand of black hair on the top of Mori Tsukisa's head being blown back by the wind, slightly curling into another strand.
Her waist twisted subconsciously; the surrounding yellow sand and ruins seemed to be framed within a giant lens, with the focus solely on the young girl's face before her.
Everything else gradually blurred.
Nagini didn't know why, but she wanted to lean down.
To lean down slightly, and get closer to the girl tugging at her hem.
—She's tugging at me, she wants to be close to me, she's unhappy, she's anxious.
—Why don't I take the initiative, take the initiative to get closer to her... —Lean down... get closer... —And then... what should I do?
"Sen! Getsu! Sa!"
Murderous intent practically overflowed from that shout.
Nagini snapped awake, staggered back two steps, and snatched the umbrella from Mori Tsukisa's hand, her head almost burying itself in the sand.
A deep flush covered her originally cool and fair face.
Bastet crouched speechlessly under a stone statue, staring fixedly at them. On the black cat's backside, there was still a ring of yellow sand that hadn't been shaken off—
It seemed to be the result of having just been lightly kicked by someone and rolling twice.
"Can't you check the occasion before you indulge in your 'little hobby'?"
The girl pouted, her two hands snapping together vertically in front of her like a door closing.
"CUT! Very good! One take!" She mimicked the gruff voice of the non-existent middle-aged male director again... Nagini kept her head down, the black umbrella held steadily in her hand.
A trace of a smile secretly curled at the corner of her lips.
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.