Chapter 12: A Royal Pain and a Not-So-Silent Scheme
It had been a few days since the sparring session turned comedy show between Tiara and Chris, but Tiara's irritation hadn't subsided. Every time she thought about his smug face, her blood boiled.
"How dare he call it a draw!" she huffed, pacing the drawing room. "I was clearly winning!"
Lily, seated by the window, tried to hide her amusement. "My lady, you've been ranting for an hour. Perhaps some tea would help calm your nerves?"
"Tea won't fix this, Lily!" Tiara declared dramatically. "The audacity of that man! I should'veâ"
"Should've what?" a familiar voice drawled from the doorway.
Tiara froze mid-rant and turned slowly to see Chris leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and that infuriating smirk firmly in place.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Paying my respects to my favorite dueling partner," Chris said, stepping into the room. "And possibly offering a rematchâif you think you can handle it."
Tiara narrowed her eyes. "I don't duel cheaters."
"Oh, come now," Chris said, feigning innocence. "It was all in good fun. Besides, you were the one who kept teasing me about the goose."
"That's because the goose had better footwork than you!" Tiara shot back.
Felix, who had just entered with a tray of snacks, snorted so loudly he nearly dropped the tray.
Chris gave him a flat look. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I'm on the side of entertainment," Felix replied, setting the tray down and retreating to a safe distance.
Chris turned his attention back to Tiara. "All right, no swords this time. Let's settle this like civilized people."
Tiara raised an eyebrow. "Civilized? You?"
"Civilized," Chris confirmed, ignoring the jab. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch of candies. "Whoever eats the most of these without making a face wins."
Tiara eyed the candies suspiciously. "What's the catch?"
"They're sour," Chris admitted with a grin.
"Fine," Tiara said, crossing her arms. "But don't cry when I win."
---
Five minutes later...
Tiara and Chris sat at a table, each with a growing pile of candy wrappers in front of them. Lily and Felix watched in fascination as the two popped candy after candy into their mouths, their faces slowly contorting into increasingly ridiculous expressions.
Chris's eye twitched as he forced himself to chew another piece. "This... is nothing," he said through gritted teeth.
Tiara's eyes watered, but she refused to back down. "Is that... the best you've got?" she countered, her voice strained.
Felix leaned over to Lily. "Should we stop them before they pass out?"
Lily shook her head. "Let them be. This is... oddly entertaining."
By the time the candy pouch was empty, both Tiara and Chris were slumped in their chairs, their faces red and their mouths puckered.
"Draw?" Chris croaked.
"Fine," Tiara muttered, too exhausted to argue.
Felix clapped his hands. "Well done, both of you. Truly an inspiring display of maturity."
"Shut up, Felix," Tiara and Chris said in unison.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the Everhart estate, Lilith was busy putting her latest scheme into motion.
"I'll show her," Lilith muttered, arranging a basket of flowers with practiced precision. "Everyone loves a kind and thoughtful gesture. I'll deliver this to Lady Tiara personally, and she'll look foolish for doubting my sincerity."
Her maid hesitated. "My lady, are you sure this is wise? Lady Tiara isn't exactly... easy to deceive."
Lilith smiled sweetly, though her eyes glinted with malice. "Don't worry. It's just flowers. What could possibly go wrong?"
---
Back in the drawing room...
Just as Tiara and Chris were recovering from their candy battle, a servant entered, announcing Lilith's arrival.
"Wonderful," Tiara said flatly. "Just what I needed to ruin my day."
Chris perked up, clearly enjoying the prospect of watching another round of Tiara vs. Lilith.
Lilith entered the room, her silver hair shining and her expression as sweet as honey. "Lady Tiara, Your Highness, I hope I'm not interrupting."
"You always are," Tiara muttered under her breath.
Lilith approached Tiara with the basket of flowers. "I wanted to personally bring you these as a token of goodwill. After all, it's important to nurture positive relationships."
Tiara glanced at the basket, then at Lilith. "How thoughtful of you. Are they poisoned?"
Lily choked on a laugh, and Felix turned away to hide his grin.
Lilith's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "Of course not. I simply wanted to brighten your day."
"Well, they're certainly bright," Tiara said, picking up a particularly garish orange flower. "Bright enough to blind someone, perhaps?"
Chris leaned forward, clearly enjoying the exchange. "I must say, Lady Lilith, your dedication to diplomacy is... admirable."
Tiara smirked. "Yes, admirable. Almost as admirable as her ability to make everything about herself."
Lilith's cheeks turned pink, but she kept her composure. "I only hope you'll accept these flowers in the spirit they were given."
"Oh, I'll accept them," Tiara said, handing the basket to Felix. "Felix, be a dear and place these in the far corner of the estateâpreferably somewhere the gardeners can't see them."
Felix nodded, his expression perfectly neutral. "As you wish, my lady."
Lilith's smile froze, and she quickly made her excuses to leave.
As soon as she was gone, Chris burst into laughter. "You're ruthless."
"And you're repetitive," Tiara shot back.
But despite her words, she couldn't suppress a smile.
---