Chapter 10: A Request from the Queen
FIRST, we went straight to Torpan to ask for her help in tracking down the culprit. As it turned out, she was more than happy to drop whatever she was doing in order to help us (and by “us,” I mean Kirion).
Strangely enough, however, we managed to find the missing hair ornaments the very next day. According to Ray, he had discovered them sitting on the ground outside the castle, tucked away in a quiet spot generally devoid of foot traffic. And miraculously enough, the entire collection was completely intact, all three boxes’ worth.
“Thank you so much, Ray!” I exclaimed, beaming at him. Honestly speaking, I had half a mind to hug him—but obviously that wouldn’t go over well, so I refrained.
“’Twas nothing, my lady,” Ray replied playfully, genuflecting before me in true knightly fashion. Together in the room with us were Patricia’s three servants as well as Kirion, who looked incredibly relieved to hear that the stolen items had been recovered.
“I’m amazed you managed to find them out there,” I continued. “How’d you do it? Surely there’s no way it could have been a coincidence.” After all, it wasn’t the sort of place you’d visit unless you had a good reason to do so.
But Ray didn’t respond. Instead, he turned away as if he hadn’t heard a word I said. Uh, hello? I’m talking to you!
“Maybe it was your scent?” Mona suggested. “See, I was wondering why you always smelled like flowers, but once you told us you’re a Flowerfolk, it all made sense!”
“Wait, what? I smell like flowers?”
“Yeah! I mean, to be fair, we Dragonkin have a really sharp sense of smell—probably sharper than either humans or Flowerfolk—so it’s possible we’re just quick to pick up on other people’s body odor...”
At the phrase “body odor,” I shifted uncomfortably. Granted, in terms of odors, I could do a lot worse than flowers, but still... Hoping no one was paying attention, I covertly brought my nose within range of my armpit. Note to self: check frequently to ensure I don’t stink.
“Regardless of our innate olfactory abilities, I couldn’t possibly have caught a tiny trace of her scent, you know, obviously. I’m not a dog,” Ray shot back flatly.
“Right. Obviously,” Mona snorted. Her choice of emphasis seemed to have further implications to which I was not privy.
Regardless, I wasn’t going to press the issue. I concluded that Ray must’ve simply found them by chance, or perhaps one of his subordinates found them while on patrol and tipped him off. Once we took the matter to Torpan, she’d instructed all the servants in the castle to aid in the search, so maybe the culprit got cold feet about the theft and chose instead to dispose of the evidence in a secluded location. For this reason, I was pretty sure embarrassing Patricia was not their motive. After all, if that was their goal, surely there were countless other more effective ways to go about it.
That said, with no way to find the culprit, we would never learn the truth, and so we had no choice but to stay on guard in case an enemy of the Princess was lurking somewhere in the castle.
“I’m just glad we managed to find them,” Rebecca remarked.
“Sorry for all the trouble,” I apologized with a weary smile.
“You must be exhausted. You’ve been searching nonstop since yesterday! Why don’t you get some rest?” she suggested.
“Yeah!” Mona chimed in. “And eat a good, hearty meal while you’re at it. You eat like a bird!”
“I do?”
The three of us often took our lunch breaks together; at some point they must’ve overheard me asking the canteen worker for smaller portions. That said, my requests were by no means drastic—two pieces of meat here, half a bowl of soup there—so I didn’t consider myself a particularly light eater. If anything, Dragonkin had oversized appetites! But nevertheless, Rebecca and Mona seemed quite worried for my health.
“What is it? Do I look pale or something...?”
“No, not at all. It’s just... You mentioned you’re a Flowerfolk, so I can’t help but be a little concerned,” Rebecca explained. “I mean, we Dragonkin tend to view Flowerfolk as small and fragile—like a flower, you know? But maybe that’s just because we’re more on the brawny side.”
“Yes, they say Dragonkin are a hardy tribe,” I replied. “Now that I think about it, perhaps Dragonkin and Flowerfolk are on opposite ends of the spectrum, with humans, Merfolk, Shadowkin, and Treeborn somewhere in the middle. Though I don’t think we Flowerfolk are quite as frail as you imagine us to be. In my opinion, we’re really no different from humans.”
“You sure about that?” Rebecca asked dubiously.
I laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve never once thought of myself as weak or delicate. I’m not even that tired right now. I do appreciate your concern, though.”
Meanwhile, Kirion and Sari were having a cheerful conversation as they admired the recovered hair ornaments. Naturally, Kirion was his usual friendly self, but personally I was surprised to see that Sari was actually smiling for a change. To think someone can actually melt her icy façade... Wait. Am I seeing things, or is she blushing?
Upon further contemplation, it occurred to me that Torpan was quite smitten with Kirion, too. Perhaps he had some sort of natural talent for charming the aloof, uppity type... Maybe he was a con artist in his past life.
A few hours after the accessories were found, I received a special request from the Princess: “My ringlets were a hit at the tea party—and Her Majesty said she wants you to style her hair, too! Could you come with me to her chambers tomorrow morning? Oh, and she wants you to do the same for her three attendants, too.”
“Of course, Your Highness. It would be my honor,” I answered promptly.
And so, the next day, the two of us plus Kirion set off for the Queen’s royal chambers.