“What?!”
Their hearts in their throats, they whirled around to find... a fancy little vanity table. No sign of Maxwell.
“Heehee! Tricked you!”
“You little monster...!” Tanya exclaimed, sinking back onto the sofa. “I nearly had a heart attack for a second there!”
“Good grief... Crafty little goblin,” Laplace sighed.
“Anyway, all jokes aside... I was just with him a moment ago.”
“What?! Really?!”
“Yes, in the underground laboratory.”
“Right, that place... I’m amazed he would drag you down there this late at night.”
“But what business would Lilium have with him?” Arianora asked, puzzled.
“Well, you see, Ari...” Laplace reached out and took her by the arm.
Then she rolled up the sleeve of her nightgown.
“Aah!”
“What...?” Tanya could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
“I came here... to stop this cruelty.”
Silver hair. Violet eyes.
“If I had to guess... I’d say you’ve got the blood of the White Dragon in your veins, don’t you?” Laplace asked quietly.
There, illuminated by the moonlight, was Arianora’s arm—covered in cuts and injection marks.
“Th... This is nothing! It’ll go away after a few days!”
“I’m afraid that’s not the problem here. Mon dieu... To think the old man hasn’t made a lick of progress in 300 years.”
Laplace recognized those marks on Arianora’s arm. It was like looking at a replica of her younger self. After all, she was dissected and injected in much the same way, once upon a time.
Maxwell, you bastard. You’re experimenting on the Princess, and this late at night? Shame on you. You think you have the right to lay a hand on a member of the Pajan royal family? Are you that entitled?
She clenched her jaw.
If only I’d let myself get mad... if only I’d stood up for myself... this little girl would never have had to suffer.
“Umm...?”
Confused, Arianora stared at Laplace. It was just so odd to see this venerable tournament champion getting angry on her behalf. To the Princess, this was simply another inescapable part of her everyday life.
She was only a girl, after all. As a girl, she would never have the right to ascend the throne. She was of no importance to this country—not until she was old enough to be used as a pawn in a political marriage, of course. And besides...
“Ari? You still with us?” Laplace asked after a moment of silence.
“Y-Yes, of course. What is it?”
“...I’ll bet it really hurt, didn’t it?”
The hem of Laplace’s black dress fluttered as she pulled the girl into her arms. It felt like she was hugging her past self.
Meanwhile, Arianora struggled to understand what she was feeling. It was such a simple question—so why did it make her heart ache so badly? Surely she was used to the pain by now.
Of course, this was a mindset Laplace was all too familiar with.
“Listen, um...!” Arianora began, though she couldn’t will herself to pull away from the embrace.
Why? Why are you both being so nice to me? And how are you both so strong?
But before she could ask, the door suddenly flew open.
“Who are you people?!” a woman’s voice called sharply.
“...Uh oh.”
“This doesn’t sound good, does it, Tanya?”
Standing in the doorway was a woman wearing a long white robe, her hair carefully concealed under a habit. Hers was the garb of a pure and pious lady-in-waiting.
Arianora hastily leapt away from Laplace. “No, Vis! It’s not what you think!”
But the woman—“Vis,” as she was called—didn’t bat a lash.
She was the personal attendant to the Crown Princess of Pajan, and she had just caught them red-handed.
✦ ✦ ✦
Naturally, their first reaction to this sudden intruder was for Tanya to use Wind Magic to apprehend the woman at the speed of light while Laplace snapped her fingers to seal her voice and prevent her from calling for help. Problem solved. And what a piece of cake, too! Well... mostly.
“Man, we’re lucky she didn’t call for the guards.”
“Magnifique! That was some excellent teamwork!”
Meanwhile, Vis glared silently at the women of Lilium as Arianora tried her best to explain.
“L-Listen, Vis! I’m really sorry! I, um... I invited—”
But Tanya and Laplace cut in loudly, drowning out her little voice:
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!”
“Hey, hey, hey!!!”
Startled, Arianora looked up at them. Laplace smirked.
“You know, Tanya, it sure was easy, forcing the princess to let us up here under threat of violence!”
“I know, right? It’s so much easier to break out of jail when you have a hostage!”
“Oui, oui! The princess was completely opposed to it, but we bullied her into it!”
“Yep!”
The princess stared, mouth agape, as the two women rambled at length, each in perfect sync with the other.
“Right, Your Highness?” Tanya winked.
Arianora stared blankly for a moment, then snapped to her senses. “R-Right,” she nodded. Tanya grinned back at her.
They couldn’t in good conscience have Arianora take the fall for letting a couple of intruders into her bedroom. For one thing, it would be pretty uncool of them; a disgrace to the name of Lilium. And for another, well... it would make things a lot more complicated. Thus, they chose to frame this as yet another crime they were committing.
Tanya knew it was for the best, and yet...
“Ugh... I’m gonna have to flee the country after this, aren’t I?” she sighed. “Man, that sucks.”
“Hahaha! Too late for regrets now, Tanya!” Laplace grinned. “Oh, that gives me an idea. Once I use my powers as a Sorceress to beat the stuffing out of Maxwell, why don’t you and I go on a little world tour?”
Just then—
“...What?” Arianora cocked her head. “Did you just say ‘my powers as a Sorceress’? Lady Stone Cold Stunner... are you... Laplace the Great Sorceress?”
“Oops.”
Crap. They’d both forgotten to keep Laplace’s true identity concealed. Arianora’s jaw dropped as she stared up at the once-infamous Wicked Dragonwhore.
But Laplace merely winked at her. “Indeed, I am Laplace the Great Sorceress. I bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you? Hmm?”
“Ah... wh...”
Arianora’s rosy lips trembled as tears filled her eyes.
“...out of... please...”
“Huh?”
Her small, pale hand clutched desperately at Laplace’s skirt—and she screamed:
“Please, you have to get out of here! Right now!”