A/N: The letter in which Rien recieved from Fritz in this chapter can be seen below in the "author's though" section. I've made this chapter shorter to allow for that (also been tired recently), as it's pretty important :> foreshadowing foreshadowing foreshadowing I hope you understand dear reader...
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"Hmn." Her imperial highness smiled, her smile curving upwards. "Miss… Rien, right? You're cuter than I was led to expect."
That—what?
I coughed and almost dropped my pen. "T-Thank you, your Imperial Highness."
"Mn." She drifted past me and took the seat to my right. "How casual. 'Thank you?'"
A slight chill prickled down my spine. "I apologize, your imperial highness—eh?!"
I bit down my yelp as the princess's burning icy fingers slipped beneath the edge of my skirt and seized my bare thigh. Her sharp nails bit into me as she twisted my skin.
Ow, fuck—
She dug her fingers deeper into my leg. "Mind your tongue, Ms. Rien. Do not presume familiarity where none has been granted. Should I hear such carelessness again, I will correct you more thoroughly. Do you understand?" Her voice was cold but sweet like blueberry lemonade.
Correct—????? Oh dear god.
Her faint scent of refined lavender cut through the subtle burn of woodsmoke, filling my lungs.
"Y-Yes, your Imperial Highness," I managed.
Goddamnit, Inspector Aerel, you absolute bastard—a warning would've been nice. You could've told me ahead of time that the princess was a fucking sadist—
The princess smiled. "You can drop the 'Your Imperial Highness.' Just Milady will suffice. Or Lady Mel, if you prefer."
"...Yes, Milady," I said weakly, my expression twitching.
"Mn. Too slow. Besides, I don't like that expression on your face." Her breath ghosted against my neck.
This time, she dug three fingers into my thigh, twisting my skin. Fuck, that hurts—ow, ow, ow. Oh my god it might've been better to be arrested than to have to protect this crazy princess—
"Oh." Abruptly, she withdrew, as though the thought had only just occurred to her. From her pocket, she produced a small envelope. "Inspector Aerel asked that I deliver this to you."
I swallowed, forcing my hands steady as I accepted it. I tried to even out my expression too, but from the way Lady Mel looked like she was judging me, I assumed that wasn't working too well. "Thank you, Milady."
Oh?
I looked down at the heavy, rough envelope.
I recognized the bright red wax seal. It was a lion's visage mid-roar with sprouts of pine trees around it. That meant it was sent from Majorie's journalist guild.
And I also recognized the untidy scrawl of the address and recipient on the page.
[To: Rien De la Fontaine]
Pfft~
Fritz's writing was as messy as ever. I… didn't expect them to get back to me so quickly, though.
I grasped the letter by the seam and ripped it open.