The moment they rounded the corner, Greta beamed and began to skip alongside Anissina. Wolfram was so startled by the transformation that he ceased to
pull against the hold the woman had on his arm. For her part, Anissina remained sunny and determined to get on with the business at hand.
“Did I do good?” Greta chirped.
“You did well,” said Anissina. “Those men should be ashamed of themselves.”
“I was afraid they’d want to see it,” Greta admitted. “I almost cried.”
“That would certainly have done the trick.”
“Wait,” Wolfram blurted, finally pulling his arm free. “Do you mean you lied?” His shock was more for Greta than Anissina. The girl looked hurt by his question.
If he hadn’t just witnessed her acting abilities he might have felt bad for doubting her. “Greta?”
“I never actually said this was my map,” Greta pouted. She crumpled the paper and shoved it into her pocket. “I haven’t gotten my map back yet. But I didn’t
think they’d believe me about lending it to Yuuri if I didn’t have it with me. So I let them think that I did. That’s not really lying.”
It was close enough for a stern lecture. Wolfram’s heart just wasn’t up to it at the moment. “Did you really draw your map based on something you saw in a
dream?”
Greta’s pout became downright mutinous. “I never said I drew it. I found it when I woke up.”
“Exactly where did you find it?” Wolfram couldn’t’ help his tone. He was getting a very bad feeling about this. Greta dropped her eyes and edged closer to
Anissina’s side. Wolfram recalled the woman’s presence just as she reached out to capture his arm again.
“That is a very poor way to show your gratitude,” she informed him. “I expect far better when you repay me for claiming to have left that sword.”
“You lied, too?” Wolfram demanded as he was pulled into motion once more.
Anissina looked back at him with an arched eyebrow. “What reason would I possibly have to lie about a thing like that? Accusing your own daughter of lying is
bad enough, but to accuse me? Really. I do hope you won’t ask for mercy during this experiment. I shall have none for the likes of you.”
Wolfram couldn’t help cringing and digging his feet in a little deeper, for all the good it did him. Whether she had lied about delivering Morgif or not, she had
apparently been quite serious about having an experiment with his name on it. And now she was put out with him. “I thought you were preparing to leave on a
trip,” he said frantically. “Surely you don’t have time for experiments.”
She gave a condescending sniff. “Naturally the experiment is in preparation for my trip. One of the ladies I wish to accompany me has reservations due to her
acute seasickness.” She watched all of the blood drain from Wolfram’s face and gave a sly smile. “Being the genius that I am, I have invented a headpiece to
conquer that inconvenience. Once you have powered it up sufficiently you may have the honor of testing it. Should you perform adequately, I might even be
persuaded to create a second headpiece for your own personal use. Unlike some people, I do know how to show my appreciation.”
Greta tugged her hand free of Anissina’s and darted off ahead with an excited, “I’m going to help with the pudding!”
Wolfram stumbled as his stomach dropped to roll around between his feet. She was going to kill him. The only saving grace was that Yuuri, the engagement,
and his feelings about the two were the last things on his mind.
.-.
Yuuri’s first reaction was relief that training to resist hoseki clearly hadn’t cured Wolfram of his seasickness. His second reaction was guilt for being so selfish
as to want Wolfram as flawed as he was. He wouldn’t wish that misery on his worst enemy. Well, maybe an enemy he was especially angry with, but even then
he would probably sympathize if he witnessed the suffering firsthand. He embraced his well-deserved guilt and pushed his way through the little crowd of
curious kitchen workers. Once he had a clear view he was forced to stand for a moment, confounded and rather impressed by how weird Anissina and her
experiments could be. Couldn’t she have found a nearby lake? Even the baths would have been better than cramming his fiancé into a pot and floating it in a
cauldron. His nose wrinkled. A cauldron filled with what looked like tapioca pudding but definitely wasn’t. No wonder Wolfram looked so green. Were they trying
to kill him?
Greta was leaning over the cauldron, a dripping ladle held up toward Wolfram’s pasty face. “Just one bite?” she asked eagerly. “I helped with the mashing!”
“The mashing of what?” Yuuri demanded. It smelled like smashed ants and sweaty feet poured over a decomposing animal.
Greta whipped around. The stuff dripping from the ladle wobbled dangerously but was too thick to splatter free. “Papa! Look, it’s working! He hasn’t thrown up
once!”
“Of course it’s working,” Anissina said in an insulted tone. She was standing off to the side, leaning against the pedaled contraption that had been used to
power her invention. “He has never had the stomach for pudding. That he can survive being floated in it proves without a doubt the effectiveness of my
invention.”
Yuuri tore his gaze from the frightening slop dangling off Greta’s ladle and looked at Wolfram. He hadn’t even noticed the invention. He should have. It was a
pair of earmuffs with a glittery silver tiara on top. He couldn’t imagine how she had convinced Wolfram to wear that, or to participate in this at all, for that
matter. Wolfram looked miserably sick and humiliated and exhausted. Their eyes met and Yuuri stiffened as if someone had jabbed him in the ass with a
sword. Who the hell did Anissina think she was?
“That’s enough,” Yuuri snapped. He stalked forward and caught Wolfram under the arms, lifting him out so easily he would have questioned it if he hadn’t
been so angry. “This experiment is over!”
“But he hasn’t tried the pudding,” Greta protested. She was staring sadly at the ladle, so she missed the look Yuuri shot her way. Anissina didn’t miss it. Greta
blinked when the woman moved to stand in front of her.
“Your Majesty,” Anissina said coolly. “My experiment was specifically designed to-“
“I don’t care,” Yuuri cut her off. “You will not be using my fiancé for any more experiments. I forbid it!”
Anissina’s eyebrows shot up, as did many among the spectators. She would have commented on that bold order if Yuuri hadn’t reached over to pull the
charged headset off Wolfram. “Don’t…” She heaved a sigh when Wolfram promptly choked and wilted. “...take that off,” she finished with annoyance.
“Honestly,” she huffed. “What did you think was preventing him from being sick?”
A maid hurried forward. “Here’s the bucket, Your Majesty!”
Yuuri glared the girl back. As if he’d let Wolfram throw up in a bucket in front of what appeared to be the entire kitchen staff and then some. “Where’s the
nearest bathroom?”
“Bath…?”
“Lavatory,” Yuuri grimaced. From the way Wolfram was shaking even a closet and a bedpan would do. The startled girl pointed at a doorway and Yuuri swept
Wolfram up and rushed him through the parting crowd of onlookers. This time he did wonder at how easily he carried him. Either anger made him stroner or
Wolfram had been missing even more meals than he realized. He suspected it was both when he finally found the right room and Wolfram succumbed to dry
heaves. Had there been anything in his stomach it would definitely have come out. Yuuri rubbed his back and tried not to wnce at the wretched sounds. He
should have been used to them by now.
Wolfram let Yuuri help him rinse and dry his mouth, then slumped miserably against him. He would have happily curled up on the floor, but Yuuri was warmer.
His pride was currently a battered whimpering thing. He’d soothe it later. He knew pride was what had kept him from being sick sooner, not Anissina’s silly
device. As if a sparkling headset could have any effect on his stomach. What nonsense.
“Why did you let her talk you into that?” Yuuri asked quietly. As angry as he was with Anissina, he knew she couldn’t have forced Wolfram into it. She was
scary and intimidating, but Wolfram was usually stubborn enough to stand up to her. “Did she trick you somehow?”
“She lied for me,” Wolfram mumbled. “Or confessed for me. I’m not sure which.”
“What-“
Wolfram groaned and pushed against Yuuri’s chest. “I’ll tell you all about it later. I need to lie down.” The floor would have to do, after all. He squirmed his way
toward it, but Yuuri’s arms tightened, pulling him back and down. His stomach churned at the motion and he would have complained, loudly, if a quick look
hadn’t found Yuuri beaming down at him.
“You can rest your head in my lap,” said Yuuri. He grinned a little wider at the insulted expression that spread over Wolfram’s face. Had this been payback that
look of his would have made it all worthwhile. This wasn’t payback, though. This was another fantasy made real. He had rescued Wolfram as surely as if he
had taken up a sword on his behalf. True, he’d probably be embarrassed later, especially if everyone teased him for sweeping Wolfram out of there like that.
But for now he was too high on satisfaction to care. Despite the scowl, Wolfram didn’t try to lift his head out of his lap.
As much as Yuuri’s smug smile goaded him, Wolfram couldn’t bring forth the energy to complain. He closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose when Yuuri began
to lightly pet his hair. As if he were a lapdog, of all things. He had a lot of nerve. And why hadn’t Yuuri told him that a thigh made such an uncomfortable pillow?
All this time he had thought he was doing his fiancé a favor by not letting him wake up with his head on a hard and dirty surface. He resisted the urge to shift
his cheek in hopes of a softer spot. It was only a matter of time before he had to acknowledge that his head had no business anywhere near Yuuri’s lap. Until
then he would be very still and let his fears and sense of responsibility keep company with his wounded pride. His dizzy head, shaky limbs, and quivering
stomach definitely had priority right now.
Yuuri’s right leg fell asleep at about the same time Wolfram did. He wasn’t expecting that. It had only taken a few minutes. He’d bet anything Wolfram had sat
motionless for hours while he slept with his head in his lap. Couldn’t he even do this right? Apparently not on his first try. Prickling needles began creeping up
his ankle until he bit his lip, straining not to let his leg twitch. Wolfram was a heavy sleeper. Maybe he could shift him over to his other leg. If he lifted him just a
little he could curl his legs in the other direction and-
A hard knock at the door had them both recoiling. Yuuri grimaced and clenched his teeth as hi sleg woke all the way up in one painfully clenching wave.
Wolfram swayed and slumped sideways so he was braced against the wall.
“Yuuri?” Conrad called through the door. “Is everything all right?”
Wolfram’s pride surged up so fast he nearly choked to death on it. Conrad wouldn’t let him stay in here. Yuuri would offer to help him back to his room and
Conrad would volunteer to support him. Conrad would support him straight to Yuuri’s bed. Conrad was on Gwendal’s side now. The traitor. Wolfram forced
himself up, took a stiff-legged step, and wrenched open the door. “Everything is fine,” he growled. He could have saved his breath. Conrad looked right past
him to Yuuri, who was cringing on the floor with is face twisted up as if he were the one about to be sick. Wolfram stared at him for just a moment before
turning away. He wasn’t even going to ask. “Everything is fine with me, anyway,” he muttered as he marched past his brother.
“Wait!” Yuuri blurted. His leg wasn’t done killing him yet. He tried to scramble up and failed miserably. Conrad caught him before he could sink back to the
floor. No, he really couldn’t do anything right. Not on the first try. And he wasn’t likely to get a second try any time soon if he didn’t get himself together.
Wolfram was the one who shouldn’t have been able to walk right out on his own, not him.
“Are you all right?” asked Conrad.
“My leg fell asleep,” Yuuri muttered sullenly. He flushed when Conrad’s lips twitched. “It’s not funny.” It certainly wasn’t kingly. “I’m fine. Go help Wolfram. I’ll
catch up in a second.” He was a little surprised when Conrad simply nodded and left him. He wished he had gotten a good look at Wolfram’s face before he
left. If Wolfram was in danger of stumbling or passing out it would be Conrad who reached him first. Yuuri wanted to be the one Wolfram leaned on. Gritting his
teeth, he stumped out of the room as quickly as his wobbly leg allowed.
He needn’t have rushed. They were standing in the hall just off the kitchen. Conrad wasn’t hovering close to catch Wolfram if he fell, though. He was holding
his wrist and frowning down at him, his voice a quiet and urgent murmur. Yuuri hesitated for a split second before hurrying over to them. The brother issues
would have to wait.
“Their involvement doesn’t change anything,” Conrad was saying. “The threat might not be as serious as we feared, but the fact remains that-“
“So good you could join us, Yuuri,” said Wolfram. As expected, Conrad’s mouth snapped shut. He didn’t release his wrist, though. Wolfram knew he’d end up
on the floor if he tried to wrench himself free. “Why don’t you talk to Yuuri about it,” he suggested casually. “This does involve him as well.” He was immune to
the reproving look Conrad shot him.
“What involves me?” asked Yuuri. He frowned from one to the other, Wolfram with his shuttered eyes and Conrad with his tightly pressed lips. “What’s going
on?”
Conrad’s stony silence answered one question that had been fueling Wolfram’s indignant anger. Everyone was pressuring him because they couldn’t pressure
Yuuri. Conrad wouldn’t even discuss this in front of Yuuri because he had already tried that and failed. Wolfram looked closely at Yuuri, who was frowning at
Conrad with suspicion, impatience, and…yes, growing anger. For him. Wolfram let out a sharp breath that would have been a laugh on a better day. When
had his wimp developed such a backbone? He was so pleased and proud of him that he shrugged off his own pride enough to extend his free hand. “Yuuri?
Would you mind walking me to my room? I’m still a little shaky.”
“What? Oh! Sure.”
Wolfram watched Conrad as Yuuri pulled his arm around his shoulders and looped his own arm around his waist as if it were the most natural thing in the
world. Conrad had released him the moment Yuuri moved, and the shock and consternation on his face made all of Anissina’s torture worth it. Wolfram
resisted the smut smile that tried to take over his face, but his eyes danced with amusement as he let his surprisingly attentive fiancé turn him away. He hoped
Conrad wondered and worried about this all day.
By the time they reached Wolfram’s room, Yuuri was determined to talk to Murata about his Maou side again. Whatever strength had let him carry Wolfram
earlier was long gone. He spent the last few steps to the room frantically worried that he wouldn’t be able to pick Wolfram up if he stumbled and fell. He should
have asked Conrad to go with them. He had been so surprised to have Wolfram actually ask for his help, to have him admit that he needed help, that he had
jumped at the chance to provide it. And he hadn’t liked the way Conrad was looking at Wolfram as if he hadn’t even noticed how pale his face was. Brother
issues were no excuse for stopping Wolfram in the hall when he could barely walk. Yuuri decided he would have to have a talk with Conrad, too, once he was
done with Murata.
There were no guards in the hall, and no sign of the blue uniforms he’d seen earlier. The room was empty and nothing appeared out of place aside from all
that black. Yuuri scowled anyway. They could have walked right into an ambush. He’d have to add Gwendal to his list of people he needed to talk to. And the
maids, he reminded himself, as he watched Wolfram crawl onto his black bed. He had meant to have the room back to normal by now. He folded the sides of
the blanket over Woflram rather than try to con him into getting up and under the covers.
“Are you going to sleep it off?” asked Yuuri. “Do you need anything?”
“Mh. Pull the curtains before you go,” Wolfram grumbled. When he had asked for Yuuri’s assistance he hadn’t expected to actually need it. Bad enough he
had leaned on Yuuri almost the entire way. He refused to ask him to take a nap along with him. The blankets would warm him up eventually. The light behind
his eyelids dimmed nicely. He dropped asleep so fast he didn’t even hear Yuuri leave.
It took five minutes of pacing outside Wolfram’s door before Yuuri worked up the nerve to do what needed to be done. He knew it was necessary. He couldn’t
leave Wolfram sleeping alone with his door unlocked and no guards in sight. If he stayed in the room he’d end up in the bed and the last thing Wolfram
needed right now was to be groped in his sleep. There was only option and he was man enough to face it. He was the king here, after all. Straightening his
spine, he knocked quietly on the door. Then he berated himself for cowardly hoping no one answered.
The door opened a crack and Lukas peered out. The boy stared at him with one wide eye before shutting the door again. Yuuri gaped. He was supposed to
be the king around here. What kind of soldier did that to his king? His fists clenched and he lifted one, fully intent on pounding the door down and teaching
that tattling pansy a little respect. The blonde slipped out and looked right past his raised fist with a manner just as polite as could be. Yuuri dropped his arm.
He didn’t need to hear the laughter to know he was being laughed at.
“Is there something I can help you with, Your Majesty?”
Yuuri felt his shoulders slump. Any kingly spirit he’d possessed had slunk away like a kicked dog. “You’re Daniel, right?”
“Yes, I am, Your Majesty.”
Pretty and polite and definitely laughing at him. Yuuri sighed and glanced past him to the closed door. “Is the other one coming out?”
“Lukas is indisposed at the moment,” Daniel said apologetically. “Did you wish to speak with him?”
“No,” Yuuri decided. He had a creeping suspicion the other one was naked or something. The blonde’s hair was mussed and Yuuri’s brain kept wanting to go
back to that liplock he had witnessed. If he had interrupted something he really didn’t want to know it for sure. “If you or another of Wolfram’s men is available, I
want one of you to guard Wolfram’s door. Just until I can get the regular guards down here.”
Daniel’s polite mask broke into surprise and concern. “Is he alright? Has something happened?”
“He’ll be fine,” Yuuri said quickly. “It’s just…” How much could he say without having Wolfram furious with him later? “Do you know Anissina? The experiments
she does?”
“Oh,” Daniel winced. He sent a sympathetic look at Wolfram’s door and then smiled at Yuuri. “Say no more, Your Majesty. We’ll see to it he isn’t disturbed.”
“Thank you,” said Yuuri.
“Not at all,” Daniel smiled. “As a member of his squad, his safety and well being are our top priority.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Yuuri said quickly, before turning on his heel and walking away. Daniel’s challenge was one he had no problem with. Wolfram’s men
should be loyal to him first and their king second. He was pretty sure Daniel had expected him to be insulted or jealous or something. He wondered again just
what Wolfram’s men thought of him. Not that it mattered. As far as Wolfram’s safety was concerned they were on the same side. That was good enough. Now
he just had to get Wolfram’s brothers on board. He had specifically asked for guards just outside that door. If Conrad couldn’t see to it, he’d have to take it up
with Gwendal. And if he got all flushed and intimidated he would just remind himself of that unguarded room he and Wolfram had just walked into. Murata was
right, he decided. He was getting more practice at being angry than he had expected.
.-.
Yuuri was the last person Gwendal had expected to come barging into his office without so much as a knock. Luckily he had been expecting Anissina to come
barging in on a return visit, so he wasn’t entirely startled. Gunter was startled. Gunter jumped and nearly tripped, but he’d been doing that a lot lately. Yuuri
didn’t even seem to notice. Still, all things considered, perhaps a bolt on his office door wasn’t out of the question.
“There are two guards permanently stationed just outside the royal bedroom,” Gwendal stated. This nonsense was getting entirely out of hand.
“Great,” Yuuri beamed. “Then it won’t be any trouble to have them relocated to stand guard outside Wolfram’s room instead.”
“Be reasonable, Heika,” Gunter pleaded. “It’s terribly inappropriate for the king to be running about in the soldiers, let alone sleeping there. Would you allow
Greta to move into the servant’s wing? It is simply not done.”
“It is now,” Yuuri said firmly. He turned his attention back to Gwendal. That black stare bit right through any anger he tried to maintain. He found smiling was a
much better buffer. Smiling made Gwendal’s eyebrow twitch. “Will you inform the guards of their new duty or should I?”
Gwendal narrowed his eyes, tightening his face in an attempt to keep is eyebrow still. “I will allow the royal guads to relocate temporarily. Only on the condition
that you will return to your own chambers before the ball. It is imperative that none of the visiting dignitaries see you anywhere near that wing. The good of the
kingdom must take precedence over your personal desires. Your Majesty.”
Guilt reared its ugly head and Yuuri felt his smile trying to slip away. He kept it firmly in place. If he couldn’t get Wolfram to move back into his room by then, he’
d at least make sure he remained guarded until the ball was over and the visitors left. Then he could move right back in with Wolfram, if needed. It was a fair
compromise. He didn’t like it, but as the king he could accept that appearances would be important once a bunch of stuffy nobles were milling around the
castle. “Agreed,” he nodded. “Please inform the guards as soon as possible.”
“I’ll do that,” Gwendal said stiffly. He didn’t trust how quickly Yuuri had capitulated. He watched suspiciously as Yuuri turned to sail out of the room. “By the way,
Your Majesty,” he called after him. “Don’t you have documents to sign?”
Yuuri missed a step, stiffened, and hurried faster for the door. “I’ll get right on that. I’m almost done,” he promised without looking back. He shut the door
behind him before Gunter could follow. Then he rushed toward his own office. He had completely forgotten about his paperwork. No using Wolfram as an
excuse to get out of work. It was said how quickly he had forgotten that promise to himself. But thanks to Murata the stack of things to read had shrunk
considerably. He decided to an hour of reading, an hour of mindless singing, and then he could take a break and check on Wolfram. And track down Conrad,
Murata, or one of the maids. Then he would go back to work for a few hours. That would still leave him with plenty of free time before dinner. He’d check on
Greta, check on Wolfram again, and maybe-
“About time,” Anissina drawled.
Yuuri froze just inside his office. She was sitting in his chair, staring at him over her folded hands with a small yet very worrisome smile. Yuuri had given her an
order earlier. Now he wanted to run away from her and hide under Wolfram’s bed. There was even a soft rug under there now.
“Close the door, dear,” said Anissina.
Yuuri jumped when his nearest escape path clicked closed. A startled look revealed Greta. She was watching him with eyes nearly as wary as his own. He
suddenly recalled that she had taken part in Anissina’s torture of Woflram. Was she going to help her torture him as well? He’d known the woman was a bad
influence on her, but he hadn’t dreamed it was this bad. His sweet little girl a sadist? Surely not. “Greta…?”
Greta stared at him for a long silent moment, then her face crumpled and she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and nearly knocking him off
his feet. “I tasted the pudding!” she wailed. “I didn’t know! It smelled bad, but they said it was supposed to smell like that so I thought it must taste great or why
would they cook it when it made the whole kitchen smell like that? But it tasted even worse than it smelled! Wolfram will never forgive me for trying to make him
eat that!”
“Nonsense,” Anissina said dismissively. “That pudding is very nutritious. Not a drop of it will go to waste. You’re to be commended for helping with the
preparation. Very few people have the stomach for that, you know. Once it congeals enough to be pickled it will make a marvelous donation to the poor during
my trip. If you stop crying and hurry back to the kitchen you might be allowed to help with the beets.”
Greta pushed herself out of Yuuri’s awkward embrace. Her teary eyes were wide and excited. “Beets?”
“For the pickling.”
“I’ve never seen pickled beets,” Greta exclaimed.
She was out the door before Yuuri could respond to her swift change in moods. He stared at the door, stunned that he had been abandoned in favor of beets
and horrified at the thought of how much worse that stinking slop would be after congealing and being pickled. Then it occurred to him that Anissina had just
encouraged Greta to run to the kitchen. He summoned enough confused anger to look her in the eye. “I thought everyone was trying to keep her out of the
kitchen.”
Anissina sniffed. “No one wants her sneaking down there at night to listen to the gossips. There is, however, nothing wrong with a young lady who has an
interest in cooking. She certainly doesn’t have much else to do around here. But Greta isn’t what I wish to discuss with you. This is.”
Yuuri winced when she lifted the sparkly earmuffs from her lap. Where was that empowering anger when he needed it?
“You stole the subject of my experiment and forbid me from using him again. How bold of you, Your Majesty.” She smirked, watching as Yuuri both blushed and
cringed. “I can only assume that you were unaware both of you owe me a debt of gratitude. While you were enjoying breakfast, I was saving your fiancé from
being sent away.”
“What?”
“Sent away,” Anissina repeated. “From the castle, if not the kingdom. With him out of the castle you would return to the royal chambers and there would be no
more worry about unknown people leaving packages outside your door. Luckily I was present to claim responsibility for that, and your darling daughter
admitted to being the lender of the mysterious map everyone is so concerned about. We should be thanked for that. Instead, you interrupt my experiment,
give me orders before witnesses, and make that poor girl cry. The extent of your ingratitude is shameful.”
“You left Morgif?” Yuuri blurted. “And the map was-“
“I wasn’t finished,” Anissina informed him. “It’s rude to interrupt with anything less than a heartfelt apology. The just course of action now is for you to finish the
experiment in Wolfram’s place. You do believe in justice, don’t you, Your Majesty?”
Yuuri winced. “Of course, but…I’m not seasick.”
“No, but you do have an excess of maryoku. I have already determined that my device works. Now I need someone to charge it enough to last the duration of
my trip. Aside from Wolfram, you are the only one who can do that on his own. You will do the honors, won’t you, Your Majesty?”
With a groan, Yuuri realized just how she had gotten Wolfram to agree to abject humiliation. She had appealed to his sense of honor. With a dash of
blackmail? “Did you really deliver Morgif?”
“What reason would I possibly have to lie about a thing like that?”
“For the sake of your experiment,” Yuuri muttered. “To get a willing guinea pig. Or two…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Pigs don’t have maryoku no matter what breed they are.” She rose smoothly and escorted him to the door.
“Can it wait till later?” Yuuri asked weakly. “I wanted to get some work done before-“
“I have a schedule to keep,” she said firmly. “Had you not interrupted me I might well be on my way by now. I’m sure you won’t show your gratitude by delaying
my plans even further.”
He would if he were a real king, Yuuri thought crossly. Since he was a wimp at the moment he should at least make the most of it. He shot a look up at her as
she propelled him down the hall. “Would Gwendal really have sent Wolfram away if you and Greta hadn’t taken responsibility for Morgif and the map? Just to
get me out of that room?”
Anissina smiled knowingly. “He would have tried. Somehow I rather doubt the Maou would have allowed his fiancé to be sent away without his permission.
Would you, Your Majesty?”
The anger was back, just like that. It was surging and empowering and if he had still wanted to refuse to help her he could have done so easily. He didn’t. He
gnashed his teeth and spoke through them. “Never!”
“Of course not,” she agreed in a smooth soothing voice. “Now, thanks to Greta and I, that is no longer a concern. There is no need for you to come to blows
with your fiancé’s brothers. But do hold onto that anger. It will make charging my device so much quicker.”
Maintaining his anger wouldn’t be a problem. Controlling it would be. She had said brothers. Conrad had been ready to send Wolfram away? Was that why he
had stopped Wolfram in the hall? Even with a harmless explanation for Morgif and the map, Conrad was still trying to split them up. He could understand that
from Gwendal and Gunter with their stiff old fashioned formality and adherence to rules and customs. But Conrad wasn’t like them. Conrad was supposed to
be on his side. Suddenly Yuuri hoped charging Anissina’s device took a lot of energy. He was going to have to talk to Conrad sooner rather than later and he
didn’t want to be enraged when he did it.
.-.
There was a card game being played in the hallway when Yuuri finally got back to Wolfram’s room. Greta squeezed his hand and he glanced down to take in
her excited expression before looking back at the improbable scene. Three blue uniforms, a gray, and a cute little maid in pink, all seated in a circle inches
away from the booted feet of two extremely rigid royal guards. One of the blues, who Yuuri immediately recognized as the boy Wolfram had healed during that
meditation trip, leaned back and said something to the guard behind him. The blank-faced man gave no response, but the comment drew giggles from the girl
in pink an dsnorts from the other two blues. The gray remained silent, probably because he had caught sight of Yuuri. He murmured something, and then
there was a flurry of motion as they scooped up coins, cards, and a shawl the girl had been sitting on, and the entire group hurried into the room across the
hall and shut the door behind them.
Greta let out a disappointed sigh. “Did I scare them away?”
“No,” Yuuri muttered, “I did.” He didn’t know whether to feel bad for spoiling their fun or justified. They shouldn’t have been having a party right outside
Wolfram’s door after Daniel had promised Wolfram wouldn’t be disturbed. On the other hand it didn’t seem right to ruin their fun just because he had moved
himself into their wing. He was still debating how he should feel about that quick retreat when he reached the guards and saw that Wolfram’s door was wide
open. Wolfram was sitting cross-legged on his neatly made bed, cleaning his sword and looking pale but steady. Yuuri hesitated in the doorway. Greta didn’t.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked, rushing over to the bed and climbing up to sit across from him.
“Of course I am,” Wolfram said stiffly. Then he smirked down at her. “But only because I didn’t eat any of that poison.”
“I did,” Greta grimaced. “It was so bad! I’m sorry I tried to make you eat it. Are you mad at me?”
“No. But I am-“ He stopped and looked past her to Yuuri, who was still hesitating in the doorway. “Come in and close the door. The three of us need to talk…”
He waited until Yuuri joined them on the bed before looking down at Greta and finishing, “…about your map.”
Greta’s face pulled into a stubborn pout and she dropped her eyes and began picking at her fingernails. “I didn’t lie about it…”
“No one is saying you did,” Yuuri said quickly. He had brought Greta along to prove to her that Wolfram wouldn’t hold a grudge about earlier, but he had also
been hoping Wolfram would know more about the claims she and Anissina had apparently made. “I just want to know how you got it.” And who had slipped it
under his door for her. And who had taken it from his room afterward.
“I dreamt it,” Greta grumbled, “just like I said.”
“The map was there when you woke up?” Wolfram asked in a voice carefully devoid of skepticism. Greta nodded, and he shot a quick look at Yuuri to make
sure she had given him the same story. Not a lie, then, yet certainly not the full truth, either. “Where was it? On your pillow? On the floor by your bed?” He
knew they were getting somewhere when Greta’s mouth pinched and she didn’t raise her head.
“On my desk…”
“So you woke up to find a piece of paper with a map drawn on it, lying on your desk.” He waited, giving her plenty of time to sneak a peek at him or Yuuri. She
didn’t. She clenched her hands in her lap and looked as guilty as could be. Just what he’d been afraid of. “What was on your desk when you went to bed,
Greta?”
The silence dragged on for so long that Yuuri was impressed despite himself. Had he been the one pinned down by Wolfram’s stare he would have sung like a
bird. Greta was made of sterner stuff. A fist full of anxiety clenched in his gut. Surely she hadn’t done anything that bad. She was just a kid. A sweet kid, who
according to Anissina had faced down Wolfram’s brothers for their sake. He finally broke and caught Wolfram’s eyes. “Maybe-“
“No,” Wolfram snapped. He understood how Yuuri felt, but this was serious. Far more serious than where Yuuri slept at night, not that his brothers would
agree. Not even Gunter had pointed out the problem with Greta’s story, and he must have realized it immediately. Wolfram hadn’t thought of it until a few
minutes ago, when he’d been watching his men annoy those unwelcome royal guards. Philipp had invited a maid to join their game, possible the girlfriend he
kept claiming to have. And it had struck Wolfram that not even the maids knew where he and his men trained when they were within the castle. Aside from
them, only Gisela could have drawn a map leading right to them. That Greta herself might have drawn it was impossible. Human girls couldn’t perform
magic…unless they had access to an object that was magic in itself.
Wolfram let out a long sigh and reached over to lift Greta’s chin so she was forced to look him in the eye. “Have you been in the treasure room, Greta?”
She looked from Wolfram to Yuuri, blinked, and then burst into tears. Wolfram winced at the sharpness of her wailing sobs. Yuuri cringed, and then winced as
well when she threw herself into his arms and nearly knocked him off the bed. His hands patted her back frantically as he stuttered what he hoped were
soothing words.
“It was just a piece of paper,” Greta cried into Yuuri’s chest. “Just a little blank piece of paper! There was a vase with roses on it and I was going to draw a
picture of it. But when I picked up the paper the picture was already there. Whatever I imagined was right there. My own magic looking glass just like in the
stories. It was mine. It wanted to be mine. Without me it was just a piece of paper…”
“Stop crying,” Wolfram sighed. He ignored the surprised and reproachful look Yuuri shot him. After her little performance earlier he couldn’t trust that her tears
were real. Even if the tears had been genuine, the wails were definitely an exaggeration. Thankfully she settled down to quiet sniffles, though she continued to
hide her face against Yuuri, who kept up his flustered ‘there-there’s. “You know you should never have been in the treasure room. There are dangerous items
stored down there. You should never have gone in there. You should never have touched anything in there. And you certainly should never have taken
something out of there. What do you have to say for yourself?”
With a long dragging breath, Greta pushed free of Yuuri’s embrace. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, put her shoulders back, and looked – not at Wolfram –
but at Yuuri. “I’ve been really bad. I don’t know why. I was just so…mad that you left. I know that’s your home and you wanted to see your mom an ddad, your f-
family, but…I’m your family, too! That’s why I went in there. Everything in there is yours and I was going to steal something of yours so I’d at least have that. I
know it was wrong and I did it anyway.” Her face twisted up and she scrubbed her arm over her face. “That’s why I asked one of the maids to slip the map
under your door. I knew I had to give it back, but I didn’t want you to know I’m the one who took it. Only I got you and Wolfram in trouble…” She dropped her
arm and turned pleading eyes on Wolfram. “I never meant for that to happen, I swear! When Anissina asked me about the map I was going to tell her the truth,
but she didn’t ask where I got it so I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to tell what I did. Only not telling the truth is the same as lying so now I’m a liar as well as a
thief and – I can’t even give the paper back because someone else took it this time! I can’t fix this. There’s something wrong with me and I can’t fix that, either.”
Wolfram opened his arms and held her tightly as she dampened his chest nearly as badly as she had Yuuri’s. These sobs were real, low and stomach
wrenching, and his throat hurt just to hear them. If he had paid more attention to her instead of wallowing in his own feelings after Yuuri’s departure she wouldn’
t have gotten so lost. He gave a shaky smile when Yuuri scooted over to put his arms around them both. If he felt bad, he could just imagine how hard this was
on Yuuri.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Greta,” said Yuuri.
“Nothing,” Wolfram agreed. “You’re just a kid. Young and confused and left alone far too much. We’re more to blame for this than you are.” He smiled when
she stubbornly denied that. “It’s true. You should have been given a nursemaid the day you came to us.”
“I’m not a baby!” Greta sniffled. “I don’t need a nurse…”
“Not a baby, no. But you are a very young lady. What you need now is a governess. And your dear Papa has already begun to search out the perfect one for
you.”
Greta’s head popped up, her teary eyes latching hopefully on Yuuri. “Are you really?”
“We’ve been talking about it,” Yuuri admitted. “Do you want a governess?”
“I need one,” Greta said soberly, sounding far too old for a moment. Then she ruined it by beaming and bouncing excitedly. “Beatrice says all young ladies
have a governess. They’re old and strict, but they keep you from getting in trouble because they know everything. Hers taught her to dance and swish and
peck!”
“Peck?” Wolfram asked sharply. He knew some countries considered a peck on the cheek or lips an appropriate greeting, but that certainly wasn’t the case
here.
“Like a bird,” Greta nodded. She darted her head down in a sneaking peck. “Quick so no one sees you eat. That’s how ladies get a glass figure. Some of the
ladies after her papa tie themselves up so they look smaller but her governess says real ladies eat like a bird so they don’t need to tie themselves. I’d never
want to have to tie myself up. I wish I had a governess now. She could teach me how to swish before Beatrice gets here…”
Yuuri and Wolfram exchanged a wary look over her head, but neither volunteered to ask what swishing meant. They promised to get her a governess as soon
as possible. Then the conversation turned back to the issue of the missing map, which according to Greta’s description would no longer be a map since it
apparently showed whatever the person holding it wanted to see. It had to have been taken from Yuuri’s room by one of the maids. If they were going to
recover it before anyone else got wind of Greta’s theft, they’d have to answer the questions of why, which maid, and did she realize what she had.
.-.
“A compromise?” Conrad demanded, staring down at his older brother in disbelief. If anyone should have been able to simply refuse Yuuri it was Gwendal.
“That is certainly preferable to caving to his every whim,” Gwendal pointed out. “At least this way he will be out of that wing in time for the ball. What have you
accomplished toward that end?”
Conrad snapped his mouth shut and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t understand what was going on with either of them. The castle was already buzzing
with tales of how Yuuri had boldly berated Anissina for using ‘his fiancé’ in her experiment. He had overheard two maids cooing about how strong Yuuri was to
have swept Wolfram away like a rescued princess…or a bride on her wedding night. By all rights, Wolfram should have been furious with Yuuri for being made
to look so weak. Instead he had almost appeared smug when he had asked Yuuri to escort him back to his room. The smugness was typical possessive
Wolfram claiming rights to Yuuri’s attention. The willingness to appear weak was not typical of Wolfram at all. Yuuri’s eager attentiveness wasn’t typical, either.
Conrad couldn’t quite convince himself that Yuuri’s concern was simply worry for a friend. He had a horrible suspicion that Yozak might have been right about
more than just the map and meddling. “Gwendal…”
“Enough,” Gwendal snapped. “I refuse to be lectured by you in regards to-“
“Do you remember when Wolfram came of age?”
Gwendal flinched back in his chair as if struck. His upper lip curled and his hands dropped beneath his desk to fidget furiously. “There is no comparison.
Wolfram is a full mazoku. He was always hormonal and temperamental. There is no reason to think Yuuri’s coming of age would be any worse than yours.”
“Except his has maryoku, far more of it than Wolfram did at that age. And he’s engaged,” Conrad felt his loyalties splinter and cut until he had to choke out the
words, “to our little brother.” In whose room he was suddenly insisting upon sleeping.
“Are you implying-“
“No,” Conrad said quickly. “Of course not. I’m just beginning to wonder if Wolfram is really the one we should be trying to convince. If Yuuri is suffering
hormone surges he might be pressuring him, without even meaning to. At least on the matter of rooms.” Because he couldn’t quite make himself believe Yuuri
might pressure Woflram on any other matter. As Yozak had pointed out, Wolfram was far more likely to be the one doing that.
Gwendal scoffed at the very idea, his body relaxing enough for his hands to return to the surface of his desk. “If he were pressuring Wolfram to do anything,
he would be sporting bruises and the entire castle would be hearing about it.”
“A few months ago I would have agreed with you. After this morning, I’m not so sure.”
“Pure stubbornness,” Gwendal scowled. “He insists he wants the engagement over, then he installs Yuuri in his room. He stood in this office, looked me right in
the eye, and insisted he’s prepared to accept the damage this engagement has done to his reputation. Then he turned around and did the one thing
guaranteed to ruin him even further? No. His selfish stubbornness hasn’t changed one bit. He wants things his way regardless of the consequences. And there
will be consequences. They’re going to marry whether either of them likes it or not. If you had hopes to the contrary you can give them up right now.
“Not this again,” Conrad groaned. “It would never work. Yuuri won’t marry another male. It just isn’t done in his world. I’ve told you that.”
Gwendal raised an eyebrow. “Yet you worry that he might be pressuring Wolfram? Make up your mind. And accept the facts. This isn’t his world, it’s ours.
Whether it was intentional or not, the fact remains that Wolfram is ruined. Yuuri will do right by him, even if I have to challenge him myself.”
This brought a wan smile to Conrad’s face. “You know I would counter your challenge on his behalf.”
“That should prove interesting,” Gwendal agreed. Especially if Wolfram challenged them both for interfering in his life. Shin Makoku hadn’t seen a three-way
duel in years. Leave it to a half-human Maou to instigate such nonsense. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“As will I,” Conrad laughed. He knew exactly what Gwendal was thinking. The only question was which of them Wolfram would side with – the one in favor of
marriage or the one opposed to it. It didn’t even occur to him to wonder where Yuuri might stand on the issue.
.-.
PART 11
.-.
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