A Beast's Tale

Chapter 28

“Did you miss me?” Clavis asked later, bursting into my office the same way he’d burst into my room earlier to steal Ivetta - for the head maid, I reminded myself.

I glanced up at him, but otherwise said nothing.

“So, what do you think of the new Belle?”

“What I think is inconsequential, so long as she does her job appropriately,” I answered.

“She’s cute,” he continued. “Cute like a little bunny rabbit. It’s going to be hard to keep an eye on our little dove and our new little rabbit during the goodwill gala, but if we don’t, they’re likely to get eaten up by our special guests.” He flopped down in a chair, not even bothering to pick up any paperwork from my desk. “Did you know she’s only eighteen? Ivetta, that is. Belle’s twenty-two.”

I looked up at him again, irritated. Ivetta’s age was not common knowledge. As far as I knew, Leon and I were the only people in the palace who she’d entrusted with that information.

“What does that matter?”

Clavis shrugged. “I bet she’s a virgin. Ivetta.”

Of course, Nokto would choose to walk in at just that moment.

“I suspected as much,” he said, his crimson eyes glittering.

“It’s just a guess,” Clavis said dismissively. “But she’s only eighteen.”

“Really? She acts much older,” Nokto mused.

Clavis sighed. “Can’t you just picture her in a ballgown tomorrow night?”

“Do you intend to work today, or will you just be daydreaming?” I asked sharply, choosing to focus on my anger instead of that image.

He looked back at me with a grin. “A little of both, I hope. But I do have news.” His smile faded, and his golden eyes became sharp and serious. “The informant is one of the cooks. No ties to Obsidian, but he used to work for Baron Flandre. And he’s a member of the anti-war faction.”

“Odd that you should mention Flandre,” Nokto said casually, although his eyes were now completely focused and serious. “I just found out that he, too, is a member of the anti-war faction.”

“I see.” I sat back in my chair, considering this information. “Flandre will be at the ball. We’ll keep an eye on the informant for now. He may be more valuable to us if he thinks his cover is intact.”

Clavis nodded. “I agree. My bet is that he’ll try to make contact with Flandre as soon as possible. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“That may be too much, with the foreign princes around. You get the cook, I’ll get Flandre,” Nokto said.

“Leon and I will be handling Gilbert. Silvio and Keith don’t pose too much of a threat right now, but I’ll have Luke watch them,” I continued. “After the goodwill gala, we’ll move on the informant.”

I could have easily stayed in my office all day, with all the preparations that had to be made, but I went to the library at two thirty as usual. Ivetta and Belle were kneeling on the floor, talking as Ivetta worked, and Ivetta stood up immediately when she saw me and held out a hand to help Belle up. I let myself into my library and took my seat, smiling to myself. It would be good for Ivetta to have some female companionship. She had a friend among the maids, Theresa, but they didn’t cross paths very often, and I knew she had no time for friends outside of work. And, as friendly as she and I had become, as much as I enjoyed talking to her and spending time with her, I should not be her only confidante. Maybe it would be easier for me if that changed.

Belle was not long in following me into the back room, though I clearly intimidated her. We had very little interaction over breakfast. Socializing was not my strong point, and she’d been too overwhelmed to do much talking.

“Hello, Prince Chevalier.”

I met her frightened brown eyes. “What do you want?”

She swallowed, but held her ground. “I look forward to getting to know you better in my role as Belle,” she said, reciting a line that had obviously been rehearsed.

“Ivetta has been coaching you,” I commented, smirking.

Just the mention of her name eased some of Belle’s tension. “Sariel suggested I talk to her, since she already knows all the princes pretty well.”

“Did he inform you about the goodwill gala?”

She nodded.

“Then you will understand when I tell you to get out and stay out.”

Her brown eyes widened, and I smirked again. She didn’t know how to respond to me at all. Little did she know that I was actually trying not to be too harsh. It didn’t come naturally with anybody other than Ivetta.

“You will need to remain hidden from the foreign princes as much as possible. My library is not the place to do that.”

“Oh,” she said, exhaling deeply, and then she nodded again. “Yes, I understand.”

“So get out.”

She frowned, but headed for the door. “Goodbye, Prince Chevalier.”

Hopefully, that would take care of the little rabbit during the goodwill gala. Now for the little dove. She wouldn’t be so easy. I’d been debating how to handle her and the gala for the past two weeks, and I’d decided to wait until the day before. She was going to argue with me regardless, but I hoped that the immediate shock would throw her off enough for me to win this without too much trouble.

This would have been easier if her mother were dead. Not that I wished such a tragedy for Ivetta anymore. I had an idea of how hard that was going to hit her. Now that the gala was upon us, I needed her mother to hang on until it was done and over. I would already be at my limit managing my brothers, the foreign princes, and Ivetta.

“Prince Chevalier, you didn’t chase Belle away, did you?” Ivetta asked sternly when she arrived with my tea.

“Stay home tomorrow,” I said, ignoring her scolding and not looking up from my book.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, your highness. The goodwill gala starts tomorrow.”

I looked up at her. “And your mother?”

She paused, and then said honestly, “I don’t know.” A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “I’ll figure something out.”

“You never answered my question,” I said.

There was no need to elaborate. She knew me well enough to understand my statement.

“As long as I have to, your highness,” she said quietly.

“Little doves are not known for their stamina.”

“Prince Chevalier, I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. And anyway, I don’t get any more rest at home than I do here.”

I was all too aware of that frustrating fact. Sometimes, I contemplated locking her in my room to force her to stop working. But, knowing her, she would just spend the whole day cleaning and re-cleaning the same four walls, instead of giving in to her exhaustion and just sleeping.

“But perhaps you could help me with something else,” she continued. “I have been assigned to the foreign princes for the duration of their stay, and I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about them.”

No. That was the worst possible scenario.

“I’ll have your assignment changed,” I said sharply.

“Please don’t, your highness,” she said, stubborn as always.

“Are you giving me orders now?”

“It’s just a request, your highness. The head maid already resents me enough. I really don’t want to upset her further.”

“I don’t want you going near them,” I said bluntly.

Her green eyes widened in surprise. I was usually very subtle when I expressed any concern about her, in an effort to help maintain distance between us, but this was important. And it was important enough that I felt the need to physically demonstrate the strength of my resolve. I stood up and walked over to her, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared down at her. She wasn’t intimidated by me anymore, but I needed her to know that I was not backing down on this.

“You’re a foolish, stubborn little dove,” I said, standing so close my breath ruffled a stray hair that had slipped across her cheek.

I should have known better than to allow myself to get this close to her. It was hard to maintain an air of authoritative control when I suddenly wanted to reach out and brush that hair away, allow my fingers to caress that cheek, bend in just a little closer and kiss those full, pink lips.

She stepped back, blushing. Caught again.

“Maybe so, but this little dove can take care of herself, your highness.”

“Not this time,” I said firmly, the realities of the topic at hand helping me to refocus. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Then maybe you should explain it to me, your highness,” she snapped, irritated.

“I am the head of foreign affairs, and you are my personal maid. Letting you anywhere near them would be like throwing you into a lion’s den.”

She pursed her lips, unable to refute my point. “But if they already know about me, or if they find out, I’m not very safe at home, am I, your highness? Not if somebody truly wants to get to me. And if that were to happen, I’d be a lot more interested in protecting Mother than protecting myself.”

I clenched my jaw. She, too, had a point.

“That doesn’t mean you have to be assigned to them,” I said tightly.

“No, your highness, but there’s also some logic in it. As your maid, I can be much better prepared to handle them than anybody else. And if they’re so dangerous, I don’t want to put somebody else at risk.”

“Stop thinking about others and think about yourself for a change,” I snapped irritably.

She shook her head, nonplussed by my tone. “You know that’s not in my nature, Prince Chevalier. And besides, any special treatment is going to make them more suspicious, too. If you really want to help me, you’ll tell me about them.”

I sighed, frustrated. She should not win this, for multiple reasons, chief of which being that a maid should not even be allowed to argue with a prince in the first place. But we were far past that point, and she was as determined as I was, with frustratingly valid reasoning. I went to the door and locked it, and then I went back to my chair.

“You may as well have a seat. This will take a while.”

Her green eyes lit up, much to my dismay, and she settled in front of the door, tucking her legs up beside her as she often did while reading. I didn’t want her to be excited about this, and I didn’t like her sitting on the floor. But I’d already lost much of my credibility by giving in to her. If she was going to insist on going through with this, it would be on my terms, and I needed to maintain an air of superiority.

We talked for over an hour. I not only told her about the princes, but I also gave her background information on each of the three countries and their relationship with Rhodolite, answering most of her questions along the way. There was a lot that I withheld from her, of course. I’d always been careful to keep her from seeing or hearing anything that could be used against her, and it was all the more important to keep her as safe as possible now. But I told her enough to make clear the serious nature of the situation, and her wide green eyes drank in every word. Her excitement faded as the minutes passed, replaced by a cautious nervousness.

Finally, when I’d said all I was going to say and she’d asked all her questions, she stood up and unlocked the door.

“Thank you for telling me all that, Prince Chevalier. I’d better get back to work now.”

I wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t changed her mind after our discussion, although I’d held out a small hope that she would.

“Is the head maid having you come in early tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yes, your highness. Six o’clock.” She made a face just thinking about it. That caught me off guard. She’d never shown me such a completely natural, charming expression. “And I’m to stay until she dismisses me. Also - no, I probably shouldn’t tell you that.”

“Say it anyway,” I prompted, intrigued by this new side of her.

She bit her lip, but she was trying not to smile. “The foreign princes are to be my primary concern until and unless she says otherwise. I believe her exact words were, ‘Prince Chevalier will have to do without his favorite maid tomorrow.’”

I smirked. “Oh, really?”

“Breakfast at nine o’clock, then, your highness?” she asked, smiling mischievously.

I chuckled. “Yes. I’ll let her have you for most of the day, but if I call you, I expect a prompt response.”

“Of course, your highness. I would be derelict in my duties if I did otherwise. Speaking of which, I should get back to work.”

Back to work. I’d rather see more of this interesting new aspect of her personality, but it would be best for her to leave early to make arrangements for her mother. Hopefully, she could get some extra sleep tonight, too. She needed to be as clear-headed as possible when handling the foreign princes.

“You’re done for the day,” I said. “Go home.”

She double-checked the clock. “It’s only four o'clock, your highness.”

“I’m aware.”

“Then I guess I’ll be going. Goodbye, Prince Chevalier.”

She was still smiling when she left, but my smile disappeared with her. She hadn’t asked about the goodwill gala because she hadn’t even known about it. And she was having problems with the head maid. That old woman had always been a thorn in my side, but the way she was singling Ivetta out was especially concerning. She didn’t just dislike Ivetta. She hated her. Assigning her to the foreign princes was proof of that. I scowled and left the library. Since I usually couldn’t be bothered with my servants, Clavis was in charge of them, in addition to his own. Firing the head maid right before the goodwill gala would be disastrous, but I’d have Clavis keep a close eye on her for the time being.