Aisling sprang to her feet and drew her wand.
"What are you doing?!"
Roy immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"Sorry, I was wrong. It was just a joke."
Aisling put away her wand irritably.
"You're still so funny, aren't you?"
Aisling clearly was not complimenting him, and Roy lowered his head apologetically.
Aisling sat down heavily in the seat beside Roy. Looking out at the dark, deserted grounds ahead, she calmed herself for a moment before speaking slowly.
"What do you want me to do?"
Following Aisling's gaze toward the grounds, Roy put away his usual flippant attitude and answered seriously.
"I want to flush out the mastermind. It'll also help clear you of suspicion."
"Clear me of suspicion? You don't suspect that I really did it? I used similar Dark Magic to attack you before."
Roy shook his head, his tone certain.
"No. I believe you're not that kind of person. Besides, there's no grudge between us."
Aisling did not refute him, tacitly accepting Roy's claim.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to fake an attack on you. But before that, we need to put on a show."
Roy explained his plan to Aisling in detail: how they would first pretend to have a conflict, then release false information after the staged attack to lure their target out.
Aisling hesitated after hearing him out and asked Roy in return.
"What if the attacker behind it all doesn't react at all?"
Roy shrugged and explained indifferently.
"Then you lose nothing. Not only will you completely clear yourself of suspicion, but you'll also get a bottle of Felix Felicis from me for free."
At the mention of Felix Felicis, Aisling took the small bottle from the pocket of her thick coat, placed it in front of Roy,