Master of Minds, Master of Me

One week has gone by in the blink of an eye. And it’s kind of excruciating to pretend that we are not desperately in love. That we have to hide and sneak around. But I guess it’s partly fun too, since I love teasing her during her classes, tormenting her with my visions.

We are still doing the same routine during weekdays. We work together in the greenhouse after dinner, and then she comes to watch me train, as always. Of course, every time she has been there, I have hidden her identity from others. But now it’s the weekend again, and she is once again reading her book under my office window, the most beautiful flower in the garden.

During this week, we have talked about her past. I try my best not to ask everything at once, just little by little. She talked about the civil war and everything she knew about the Palace incident, which wasn’t much. I know I haven’t done anything yet, but I hate the fact that my suffocated hatred toward the Palace, combined with my illusion mana taking control, ended up causing all that. I was supposed to be a great ruler of Barham, not the crazy psycho who ends up destroying it.

When I’m finished with my work, I open my window, jump down, and walk toward her. I immediately sense worry in her mind.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Felix! I just thought about the thing with Hilver! Should we do something about it before it happens this time?”

My heart eases, realizing that it was only that she was worried about. I sit next to her with a smile.

“I already dealt with that. There is no war coming this time.”

“There isn’t?”

“No. Our relationship with Hilver is much better this time. There is only one downside to that.”

“What?”

“Because of that ambush in the canyon, we were able to gather all the evidence against the Callums. This time, we can’t do that. So I have to get it in some other way. I have made Theodore watch over Florentia here at the Palace, since last time it was she who saw me sneaking to your room after the war. So I hope to catch her red-handed. If we can find a reason to imprison her, I’m sure she will spit out all the information she has.”

“Actually, that brought something to my mind that I was meant to tell you. Lady Florentia has been acting rather odd.”

I don’t like the sound of that.

“Odd? What do you mean?”

“She just acts differently than last time. I know from experience that not everything goes exactly the same way every time. But her behavior is still pretty weird.”

“How did she act the last time?”

“Well, she was always very silent. She never said anything and stayed hidden in the corners, pretty much just like me. And she was like that for the first weeks. This Monday, when some candidates were spouting their usual nonsense, bullying, and stuff, this time she answered them and stood up for herself. And the way she talked was different, more confident, more coiled.”

“That’s unsettling to know. She must be scheming something. Let’s just hope that it means she will cross the line soon, and we can snatch her and her father.”

“I never paid much attention to how everyone treated her. I never listened to what others talked about. But they really are rather ruthless sometimes.”

“Can you blame them? We both know that she is guilty of plotting treason with her father.”

“I know. I just have a weird feeling about all of this.”

I kiss her forehead.

“Don’t worry about it. I trust Theodore and the guards watching her. If something happens, we will know.”

“I guess you are right.”

“So, shall we go to the training grounds?”

“No. I’m not coming this time.” She says it so nonchalantly, like teasing me on purpose.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“I just have some other things to do.”

“Like what?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “Just things.”

I grab her throat and make her face me. She just smiles at me. So clearly, she teased me just to get this reaction out of me. What a scheming pretty flower.

“I thought you wanted to obey me. So tell me, what other things?”

“I need to do the assignment for our economy class next week.”

Oh right. I forgot that they had that. I pull her closer, and her lips part.

“I guess it can’t be helped then.” I brush our lips together, but then let her go and get up.

“I’ll see you later then, pretty flower.”

One step, two steps, three steps. And I feel her grabbing my sleeve and pulling me back. I can’t help but chuckle as she wraps her hands around my neck and kisses me. When she withdraws, she whispers under her breath.

“Jerk.”

“You can’t just tease the teaser, you know.”

“I can always try. So, see you at the secret garden after dinner?”

“You think you can finish it before dinner?”

“Yes. I have already done it once, so I just have to write it again. The book I was reading just now was about the project, just to freshen up my memory.”

“Remember that there is no need to push yourself too much.”

“I could say the same to you. You train all the time, either with your magic or your sword fighting.”

“I know. I just want to make sure my mana stays under control. After we are past the hard part, I hope I can ease up on it a little.”

I kiss her forehead.

“Love you, Lo.”

“Love you too, Felix.”

I head toward the training grounds. I spend my time there, and after that, I head back to my office. I guess I should work until my pretty flower is free from her assignment. I finish writing one contract and open the cabinet where I store them.

A sudden shock hits me as I see one contract glowing, telling me that someone has broken it. I haven’t opened this cabinet this week at all, so I have no idea when that happened. I grab the glowing document to see which one it is.

Florentia Callum

My eyes widen as I stare at the contract in shock.

What?

Theodore broke the contract? But how? Why? When? He never broke the contract last time. So what changed? Does it have something to do with the fact that Florentia acted differently during classes?

I immediately grab the communication stone in my panic, but at that moment, someone knocks on the door.

“Come in.”

Ted walks in.

“Your Highness. I’m delivering this week’s report from Florentia’s guards.”

I’m more than eager to have it this time. I skim through it. There are a couple of things that catch my eye. She pestered one guard, claiming there was someone in her bathroom. And she broke a mirror during the night, and they had to fetch a maid to patch her up. She even requested a sewing machine.

These things definitely did not happen last time. Today she has been in the library all day, so they really haven’t managed to watch her doings since she has been tucked into one corner spot out of sight. Very suspicious, if you ask me.

“Thanks, Ted.”

I was just about to let my mana flow into the communication stone, but suddenly it starts to vibrate.

I swear my soul left my body for a while. Theodore has never contacted me first. Am I dreaming or something?

“Theodore?” I ask hesitantly, since I still don’t believe this.

“Who else would it be?”

“I don’t know. Maybe someone stole your communication stone or something. Or maybe you had amnesia and called me just out of curiosity to see who would answer the stone.”

“Cut the crap. It’s me. Where is she?”

“She? Do you perhaps mean Florentia?”

“Yes.”

Okay. I’m really dreaming. There is no way Theodore would ever contact me to ask about her. Maybe when we started over this loop, we ended up in some alternative reality or something.

“She is at the library, has been all day. They have an assignment, so even she is allowed to be there this weekend. Why do you ask? Missing being a wet nurse? Honestly. I’m a little disappointed that the first time you ever contact me, you miss some woman, not me. I’m hurt, Theodore.” I can’t help but tease him.

“I was just excited that she started doing some mischief since she hasn’t been in her room all day. So I might get out of this babysitting duty sooner rather than later.”

“Riiiight…” I say in a way that makes it clearly obvious that I don’t believe him, not one bit.

Then I get an idea, just wanting to test him a little bit.

“Actually, we have some trouble watching her. She has been sitting in a corner behind bookshelves, so no one has been able to watch her at all. So we are not sure if she is doing mischief or not.”

“And you are asking me to do it? Even if it’s not in my contract?”

Okay, something is definitely going on here. The Theodore I know would never even suggest a thing like that. But let’s play along, since I’m curious as fuck how this will work out.

“Yes, obviously. I was just about to contact you regarding that before you called. So can you do it?”

“This babysitting is already a disgrace to my talent. It’s pathetic. And you think you can make me work even more?”

He didn’t exactly say no.

“Of course I’ll pay you. How much more do you want?”

“No money will mend the huge hole in my pride that you have made.”

“Okay, well, maybe something else then? Just say what you want.”

He falls silent for a while. Oh. My. God. Please, someone, call the doctor. I’m literally going to have a stroke soon if he keeps acting this weirdly.

“Let me use my magic everywhere in the Palace.”

“What? Why?”

“Not your business.”

“Not my business? It’s my Palace. So of course it’s my business.”

“I promise I won’t do anything to harm the Empire or the Royal family.”

I rub my face with my hand, not knowing what the actual fuck is going on. I know Theodore. I know I can trust him. But there is definitely something odd going on. I guess the only way to find out is to just play along. Let’s call it an experiment of mine.

“Fine. I allow it. So just watch her and make sure she isn’t doing anything she isn’t supposed to do.”

“Yes.”

The stone grows dark.

Goddammit. I forgot to ask about the contract thing, accuse him of breaking it. But let’s ask later. I need to eat dinner and then go to my pretty flower. Let’s hope Theodore will find some evidence against Florentia, since there is no way she is there just doing an assignment. She didn’t do that last time like this. She did the bare minimum.

I really want her out of the picture, fast, so I can give all my time and focus to something that really matters. And that’s obviously my pretty flower.