The Atonement of a Writer

15. Cherufe

His hands were held high above his head, and on his proud face was a fatherly smile. He was the very picture of a benign king. In a booming voice, he announced, "Today is a joyous day! Today is the day that marks the end of a terror!"

The crowd roared in approval.

Somewhere down below the proceedings, a young man sat alone in the shadows. He didn't hear the announcement, but he knew about it nonetheless.

A derisive snort escaped his lips. Nobles and royalty--he hated them all.

One day, there will be a reckoning.

~*~

Lili was, once again, in a carriage, heading towards the royal palace. Only this time, Killian was with her--he'd insisted--and her mood was much lighter than before.

She had, for whatever reason, finally done it. Aside from the capybaras, the animals they hung out with--like the monkeys, for instance, and the ducks and geese--seemed more receptive towards her after her initial success. Now, all that was left to do would be to find out just how exactly she did it with the capybaras.

...And, of course, the summons from the palace. That was a huge problem itself, since Lili actually had no idea what was happening. Right now, Arielle and Colette should've been quietly fighting each other in the dark, but no such thing was happening. Instead, Colette had summoned her with an official stamp and everything and even kidnapped her only to let her escape easily. It gave her nothing but a foreboding sense of unease.

She and Killian arrived at the palace to be greeted by who she supposed was one of Colette's ladies-in-waiting. Or was she her maid? Honestly, Lili couldn't tell anymore.

"Please come this way, Lady Dumont. Her Highness wishes to speak with you..." The girl quickly glanced at Killian, "...in private."

Killian nodded, like he understood. "I'll leave you ladies alone. There's something His Highness and I need to discuss anyway."

She was walking into the snakes' lair.

Colette was waiting for her, perfunctorily sipping her tea in the room. To anyone else, she looked like an innocent princess, but in Lili's eyes, she was the perfect picture of someone casually plotting her next step in the road of Ambitious Villainway. It wasn't that Lili didn't sympathize with her--she really did understand why she did what she does--but Lili liked her better when she was not her target.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Lili gave a tiny curtsy, not wanting to accidentally offend anyone. Not that anything she did would change Colette's desire to kill her, she mused. The royal family, except for Clovis, hated the Dumonts in general. "Thank you for having me."

"It is a pleasure to have you, Lady Dumont," Colette replied courteously. "Please, come sit."

And so Lili sat. Colette, to her surprise, began talking about the tea served and the different kinds of pastries on the table. Lili wished she would just stop beating around the bush. She really, really didn't follow all the tea talk.

"Your Highness, you are very knowledgeable."

Colette gave an appropriately self-deprecating smile. "I have been fascinated by tea since I was young. You must think me boring."

Yes. "No, not at all, Your Highness. It all sounds very interesting."

Colette took her words as they were: obligatory praise. "Now. You must be wondering why I called you here."

Lili nodded. Finally.

"Have you ever heard of a Cherufe?"

Suddenly, Lili could see where this was going.