#nanokiirmo

"--LIKE FIRE."

"HELLFIRE."

"THIS FIRE IN MY SKIN."

"THIS BURNING--"

"--DESIRE."

If there was a reason people would choose to stay away from our quaint little kingdom, it would be the criminals.

Petty thieves and simple homicides were solved and the culprits were put away easily enough. But the kingdom had somehow become infamous for having the most attacks from very specific serial killers who had never been caught. The rude novelist in the palace’s dungeon had been one of them, and after her arrest, the crimes matching the killer’s MO stopped.

But there were two more big names in this small kingdom.

(And of course that wasn’t all of them - there were smaller criminals that just hid behind the crimes of the larger ones, sometimes they were seen as separate and sometimes their crimes piled onto others’.)

There was one who had a certain calling card, but the targets seemed to be entirely random. This person left a black card with a little unreadable signature on it (which changed more often than not) at what would be assumed to be the scene of the soon-to-be crime. It was always present before the murder - although sometimes they weren’t found until afterwards, or at another seemingly unrelated scene, but there was always a hidden link. Perhaps it was in a bar, in a glass that the target used the last time they visited. Or it was on the culprit’s desk, or it would be tapped to the back of a family photograph and suddenly all those people had to be protected but the killer never failed to end their mark.

There were no fingerprints or DNA or witnesses. They were perfect crimes - the killer breaking in through the window or lockpicking the door or even sliding through chimneys that seemed much too small. The only evidence that they had was that the culprit was local, and even that wasn’t guaranteed. The murder weapon always changed (they were very good at improvising, because it was always something found on the scene), and there was no rhyme or reason to the types of victims. Sometimes there was signs of struggle, sometimes there wasn’t.

The other wasn’t limited to the kingdom, but it seemed they chose to stay there more often than not. And they also had a considerable amount of deductions built against them, but there was no clear evidence, and no leads on the culprit. They were not known to have a calling card, but their crimes were easily identified by the method of murder: the same sharp weapon and very clean slashes through the body - often unnecessary, because they were often dead by the first stab or two. Almost all organs would be purposefully punctured, so it was almost clear that the murderer had medical knowledge.

Scenes weren’t known to be broken into, so it suggested that the victim was familiar or had automatic trust towards the culprit and they were let in - the scenes were always somewhere familiar or homey to the victim. This led to the deduction that this person had a wide reach and pre-established respect, because certainly no one person could know so many people.

Neither had clear motives, or a hint of a trail, despite having different traits.

[i'd like to point out, THIS is where i stopped for all this time. literally before the thing happened. i was not joking.]

Now that the latter criminal has been established and explained, all those deductions had to be thrown out the window.

One morning, the princess woke up to find a handwritten note with a blood red rose taped to it on her pillow.

The simplest conclusion that it must have been the other killer, because they broke into places without a trace, and they left their cards with signatures on them.

But the princess immediately knew that couldn’t be the case.

Besides, this wasn’t a black card with an illegible signature. This was a plain sheet of white paper, with elegant swirls of cursive to form words and sentences and there was actually a meaning behind these lines - it was a message.

And she read it. Over and over, to make sure there were no tricks and for any possible sign that this was some sort of joke - a prank from her father, perhaps, to see how she would react. While that was a possibility, there was a part of her that knew this was to be taken seriously, and this was real, despite all the evidence that said otherwise.

So she carried it around with her as she got ready - the princess didn’t let it escape her line of sight, in the case that the note mysteriously vanished, and she’d have no proof that it was ever there. And she wanted it to stay there, she wanted it to be real, because it was new, and exciting, and despite all the odds, the idea of a serial killer pinning their mark on her without the knowledge of her father was captivating. Despite there being so many great warriors and evasive underworldly people, she had always believed her father was the most powerful person in the world.

The idea that there was someone who got around him, and that this someone was above him…

...She had to find out the truth to this.

The princess calmly (on the outside at least - her heart was pounding on the inside and it felt like her mind was grinning) proceeded to breakfast where she would meet with her father for the first time that day.

Her inquiry was planned, as she approached him with a smile and asked him about the letter, and showed it to him, and tried oh-so-very hard to hide any disappointment that was to come.

But the disappointment had fled from her very soul.

The king turned as white as a sheet, and he was clearly confused, and outraged, because he had no idea what this was, and how it got there, and he immediately started barking at the princess’s bodyguard, and even her personal servant for answers. But the latter knew nothing, and the former was shocked to find such a thing, and was immediately apologetic, because she had no idea, and she swears no one walked through that door after the princess entered, and she didn’t hear a single sound throughout the night.

Anyone tried to suggest that it was the killer who had no evidence behind them was quickly shot down and told to go do something useful, because the king also knew it couldn’t be that person. There was a new conclusion: the killer who could gain anyone’s trust could also break into heavily guarded establishments, and they were familiar enough with the castle to find the princess’s room at the highest point of it. They also had the ability to get to that highest point from assumedly the outside.

The princess was shooed away to carry out her daily tasks as an investigation was carried out on the room. But she already knew what they would find, since she already looked over her room and the balcony.

There would be nothing.

The doors had been locked. There was no traces of lockpicking or broken glass - no ropes or marks to suggest the culprit climbed up (as unlikely as that was). At least with the other serial killer, there was a clear method of entry and exit. A smashed window, a wide-open door. But this had been a locked room. With this evidence, there was only four options.

One was that an unknown person really did break in and somehow leave no trace or witness behind.

Two was that the bodyguard lied and actually let someone in, but cameras would have caught that (unless they had been fed a loop).

Three was that it was the bodyguard herself, and while the princess had trust issues, she was certain she would do no such thing.

The fourth was what the king apparently settled upon.

After a hectic day of very anxious and protective servants and tutors (and she was not immune to the stress, because at one point her head felt like it was being pricked with needles, and she excused herself for the bathroom where she threw up from the increasing pain, and it felt like wires were letting out sparks inside her head and it hurt so much and oh god she had a bad feeling about--), the princess saw her father once more at dinner. All the fear he once had had vanished, and he was even looking a bit smug when he locked eyes with her.

He was shockingly calm about the whole ordeal, and the princess didn’t realize why until the end of the day, when there were no extra guards posted inside or outside her room.

Conclusion number four: the princess herself planted the note.

For a moment, this was horrifying.

The princess knew that she did not plant the note, unless she learned how to write flawless messages in her sleep. If the king was convinced it was her, that meant there really was someone who came in during the night.

For a period of time, it seemed that anyone the princess was close to offered to stay in her room for the night to keep her safe. But from the incredibly capable and compassionate bodyguard, to the nervous but determined servant, to the very worried and almost forceful tutor (plus his friends--!), she forced herself to decline every one of them.

She was scared, and she wanted to be protected. But she didn’t want to involve them.

She wouldn’t be surprised if most of them stayed outside the door anyways, because the tutor had been desperate to help and it looked like he was going to start crying out of concern, and the servant boy had been a wreck, and trying to convince her that he could stay and wouldn’t bother her at all while she slept, and everything would be fine!

(It was actually extremely touching that this small group of people cared - even the wealthy son had heard the news and came running and cooly requested to protect her, just to go pale faced with distraught when she declined.)

(She didn’t know how to deal with all these emotions of care being flung at her. So she just closed the door to them and waited for them to stop knocking and shouting and pleading.)

It went quiet eventually, and she was left pretending to sleep in her bed. The doors were locked, and there was no sign of preparations of some insane climb to her window by the culprit.

The princess snorted to herself. It was like backwards Rapunzel. Except her handsome prince was going to kill her.

At first the whole thing scared her, but now she was feeling extremely good about the situation. Someone was going to come in, and either fail at killing her or actually kill her. It was like the ultimate victory against her father, who thought absolutely nothing could be wrong.

She wondered what he would do if she died. Would he just continue ruling the kingdom by himself? Find a wife to have another daughter with? Brainwash some poor girl to take her place? It was a bit amusing to think about - he may have controlled her entire life, but he was nothing without her. She was the perfect little poster-child for the kingdom; the reason many people showed any interest in such a tiny and insignificant place.

This train of thought would have continued if it wasn’t for the almost inaudible “click” of the door to her balcony. She almost didn’t hear it, and for a moment it made her tense up in panic, but she managed to control her instincts before the door shut softly. She waited with her eyes shut for what seemed like an eternity; listening to the culprit’s feathery footsteps on the carpet as they approached. A moment after she felt the bed shift was when she made her move - her arm acting before her eyes, with a knife in her hand, ready to find its target. And it would find it’s target, that’s how it would play out, and she would have successfully defended herself.

But that didn’t happen - not at all - suddenly her arm was twisted and pinned down beside her and she couldn’t help but yelp and her eyes opened immediately just to meet with another pair that was much too close for comfort, and they-- he had this amused little smirk, like he had expected this all along, and knew she wasn’t sleeping and that she had been capable of fighting back and suddenly the princess could do nothing but pale in terror and awe because what even just happened?

And for a moment she was lost in her fear and confusion, and she had to be dragged back out by the figure hovering over top of her, who tightened his grip on her wrists which were pinned by her head, and he knocked foreheads with her with an insane little grin, and this was followed with a sweet, hushed voice - sickly and honey-like, and it made the princess’s skin crawl but even if she could, she wouldn’t avert her eyes from his gaze - wide eyes that were only an inch or two from hers.

“Shh-shhh-shhhhh… Why, Your Highness, I thought you knew better… To keep a guest locked out in the cold? Tsk tsk…”

It started with very small things - he would keep her company during the quieter times, and he’d sit in on tutor sessions (he was no help academically but he was very encouraging). He awkwardly became somewhat-friends with all the people in the princess’s life - he was very polite and kind (and terrified) of the bodyguard, even when she initially gave him that “don’t do anything to Her Highness” look before she gradually grew to trust him. He befriended the tutor and his friends, because he so easily took interest at their specialties and they accepted his presence pretty quickly (having a third person around seemed to help that awkward and regretful air between the professor and his student). While the princess took interest in the case, the boy gained some semblance of the novelist’s trust, and encouraged her to write more, and he gained the great honour of becoming a side character in one of her stories.

And the dedicated soldier that often stood in front of the forbidden cell - sometimes he’d visit her, and while she was so formal and in character at all times, there would be tiny little moments where she would leak a personal life story to him, because he was just incredibly trustworthy and she wasn’t used to people showing interest in her, and it made her shy and embarrassed.

There was the queen and her personal servant - the latter loved to have someone to gush his passions to, and to teach, and they alternated the trek from kingdom to kingdom once the boy was half-decent at riding a horse (but sometimes he returned late and on foot, because something happened and he fell off and the horse returned home on its own). The queen was impressed that there was someone less fit for servant work than her own slave, but despite the little insults, she sometimes offered to gamble for his ownership (and the princess always declined).

Even the wealthy son from the close family seemed to build some sort of trust with him, because they started discussing books, and he’d let the mere servant browse his library, and he invited him for tea whenever he came to visit the princess, and the fact that they were both almost completely ignored by the king served as a secret bonding point, though they never acknowledged it aloud. Despite being a servant, the charming, arrogant boy nearly treated him as an equal, like he was another person in the world he was to be courteous to. While he was like that with many people, it felt slightly less forced with the optimistic boy.

(Perhaps the only person - aside from the king - who had little regard for the boy was the new dance tutor. He had the princess dance with the servant when he was teaching a duet - because oddly enough, he had no thoughts of different classes mingling being improper, even with his pompous attitude, and the fact that his age should have been an indication that he was very caught up on old tradition - and he was just so unbelievably frustrated because the two had the emotions down, but the boy couldn’t move the right way or he tripped and it just didn’t work.

He tried finding a few different partners - all male, of course - but it was difficult because for some reason, they couldn’t just be someone random or a professional dancer, no, it had to be someone connected to the princess. The boy from the rich family was one of them, as he confusedly got dragged into this during one of his visits, but apparently it didn’t work either. He had the talent - it was a necessary skill for one of his status, after all - but the spark between him and the princess had been dulled. Emotions were dulled, he said, like they were being knowingly concealed from each other, and that just didn’t work at all.)

(It was very terrifying how close to the truth he got, just by watching two people twirl around the room.)

(So the fact that, upon arriving early one day, while the professor was finishing up a lesson, he just dragged him into being the princess’s dance partner instead, was clearly a sign of desperation.)

(It was awkward, and the professor was just as pink-faced as the boy had been, but the dance instructor was incredibly thrilled because the two had so much potential, even though the professor didn’t know how to dance and he was so tense but suddenly the instructor could work with that because it had been so long since he had seen such perfect partners. His words didn’t make much sense, but even the princess turned pink at that, because he made it sound like this was more than just a dance lesson.)

(And the professor couldn’t really refuse the instructor - he didn’t have much of a choice, actually - so this was what was decided upon. He became the princess’s dance partner, and even after a while, the servant boy said he miiiight have seen what the dance instructor was talking about, because there was just something magical about they way they conveyed simple steps.)

After all this, perhaps the princess shouldn’t have been surprised when, one bored evening, she decided she must have a girl’s night, and the servant boy was asked by the other girls to tag along. Because he was a dork, and his softness compelled everyone to just consider him as one of the girls. Plus, they needed someone to fetch movies and food.

(With this logic, she considered inviting the son from the rich family, because he was totally one of the ladies, and it would be more fun to tease him on his mannerisms when he was around, but she eventually decided against it.)

The girls’ night took place in the princess’s room, where they would stuff themselves silly with junk and watch stupid movies to make fun of and cry and scream at. It was an odd cast comprised of women the princess met and bonded with in the last few months to the last few years.

There was her trusted bodyguard, who had to be pressured to leave her post outside of the room by the princess and her sporty friend to join them. The very same sporty friend brought a few baskets of fresh donuts, which would be gone long before the night was over. The elegant queen surprisingly showed up, and while she didn’t pig out on fatty food as much as the rest of them, she brought a case of make-up, which would be passed around throughout the night and everyone prettied each other up (though sometimes it was used wastefully and they would laugh because they looked like clowns).

The princess managed to coax the loyal soldier into joining them - simply because through the servant boy, she grew to know a bit about her - and it took a couple days but it worked out in the end. She also managed to get permission for the novelist to join them, who wasn’t acting loopy that night, and was supposed to be in handcuffs the entire time she was out, but the princess palmed a key and instead she just quivered awkwardly on the edge of the bed they all were seated on (they actually had to lift her off the floor, because she initially didn’t want to sit near everyone else).

And then there was a songful cook, who was pretty and always kind, and was friends with the clumsy boy, so the princess thought she might as well invite her because hey, the more the merrier. She managed to befriend just about everyone, despite formally meeting them for the first time, and she managed to get everyone into a (relatively messy and badly harmonized) karaoke session at least twice.

And in the middle of them all was the unlucky servant himself, who was incredibly out of place during the entire night, who was constantly targeted for unprofessional makeovers that he gave weak protests to (but he gave in, because half the girls there terrified him), who was going in and out of the room at least once an hour to find something that someone was suddenly craving, and they forced him to do a prank call once, and it was horrible yet hilarious all at the same time.

But he did noticeably enjoy himself when he wasn’t being harassed.  He shockingly got fired up during a sappy romance movie, giving loud little encouragements to the main character to find their true love, and that he wasn’t good enough for them!! He was one of the people who actually jumped and yelped at the horror movies, and the many strong ladies in the room who barely batted an eye had to shush him and give him little pats to reassure him that things were alright.

The princess really wasn’t sure what the bond was between the simple boy and herself, even after cute little nights like those where he’d join her for movies and cheesy cartoons - sometimes in big groups like that one night (and yes, those became semi-regular, even if certain people couldn’t make it, they still tried and they enjoyed it), or times when it was just the two of them and she just wasn’t ready to sleep yet. But it was all enough to break down the walls of ice and shatter the old masks, because at one point she wasn’t really pretending around him anymore, and she was laughing and smiling without it being in her script. She had to remind herself that she was actually hiding things from him, and from the rest of the world. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t really sure if she could trust him-- no, she couldn’t trust him, because she shouldn’t be trusting anyone.

The lessons continued on throughout the afternoon. The princess decided to remain stone-faced for the rest of the day as she completed the tasks assigned to her effortlessly. Her tutor had been noticeably more relaxed and in better spirits after lunch, and his mood didn’t mellow out during the session. He kept up his compliments and praises, as if he were continuously impressed with what she could do.

The skilled princess was used to compliments - some tutors and servants gave them to her often enough. But she often took them for granted, because she knew she deserved them, and she knew most of these people were also interested in her and were just obligated to give compliments. From praises filled with wide-eyed wonder to ones that sounded sarcastic and forced, she had heard them all and took them with great pride.

But somehow these ones from this new person felt a little bit different. She couldn’t explain it, because they were very similar to words she had heard in the past. Perhaps they just seemed more genuine, like he was actually assessing and paying attention to her, like he really wanted her to be at her best for no other reason but to build herself as a person.

(And she could tell that he was looking for faults - tiny errors he could jump on to correct and be the guide he was meant to be - but she would never allow such glaring flaws to slip through. As long as she had anything to say about it, he would never see a mistake coming from her.)

It reminded her of her father, who once monitored her every word and action. He would jump on the tiniest issues as if they were ugly blotches and do away with them immediately. His eyes and ears only slightly turned away from her over the years, but she knew when she did something he didn’t approve of. Headaches were her subconscious tick for when she knew she screwed up, and if she strayed too far off the path, those headaches would develop into  electrical pains, as if she was being fried from the inside.

She hated for anyone to remind her of her father, especially someone who was proving himself to be a kind and noble character.

(He was playing the perfect gentleman - holding and fetching things for her, even though it wasn’t his job to. He never intruded on her personal matters, but he had these little touches of sincerity and anecdotes in his lessons. He tried so very hard to stay professional and related to the topic, but he went along with her questions and tangents, because he was learning too. Should a teacher and student know each other well? The princess didn’t know, but she didn’t stop him from embarrassedly asking harmless questions about her or palace life.)

But then again, one could offer all the proof and evidence that they wanted - to show whatever traits they wished. It was never an indicator of their true nature. A person could be pouring out their heart and soul, but it could just seem like a build up of more and more lies.

So that’s why the princess continued to keep her mask in place to this inquisitive stranger. Because she already had proof that the kindest people in the world were nothing but rotten and inhuman. And she, the princess herself, was one of her pieces of decisive evidence for her claim.

-

It took a few more days for the routine to gain a little knot to interrupt the flow once again. The king had instructed his daughter in private to “become, at the least, acquainted with some of the newer arrivals in the palace”. It didn’t take her long to stir up a simple plot: she would request that her tutor join her for lunch and invite his friends as well, because she was “absolutely ecstatic to meet the companions of such a remarkable individual” and “very curious about some of the newer employees”. (Those lines were burned into her memory, and several speeches were rehearsed, much like with all the things she was assigned to do.)

But something entirely unexpected happened just before lunch; just before she got to set her plan in motion.

There was quite a commotion going on outside that was brought into the main hall. A window had already been opened, so all it took was a glance outside the window to get the full story.

A serial murderer had been caught.

One of the kingdom’s several violent criminals had finally been tracked down.

(Unfortunately, it was the one with the most stable MO and a clearer pattern. But it was better than nothing, right?)

From what the princess could gather right then and there, the culprit was female and shockingly close to her own age (so many young people seemed to be showing up…). She was also claiming that she wasn’t the one who did it.

Well, her father merely said “the newer arrivals in the palace”. And this was certainly a new arrival, since she was going to be held in the dungeon.

The princess didn’t exactly want to abandon her original plans (if she made a plan, she should follow through with it!), but lunch was the only time she could go visit the dungeon.

It seemed a change in plans was in order.

“Ah, Professor, I was wondering if you’d like to join me for lunch today.” She brought up the topic as they were preparing to break for the hour. He seemed surprised at the offer, and answered in the positive without hesitation - and before she could bring up the second part.

“Oh, and I wanted to invite your friends as well… One in my position should get to know my subjects, and I’ve been curious about some of the newer employees in the palace… I would be absolutely ecstatic to meet the companions of someone as remarkable as yourself.”

Then she kept on the brightest expression, as if nothing could ever go wrong with such an innocent proposition. He thanked her awkwardly and there was some hesitation as he thought about it. He was likely running the outcome through his mind, and he was seeing something undesirable there. The princess didn’t know what it was, but frankly, she didn’t entirely care. She would find out, because he was going to agree, because he couldn’t just say no to someone of such class without a good reason.

And he was eager to please and do his job properly - as if there was no other way to do it other than blindly agreeing to everything he was told to do, because after all, the princess would never do something with ill intentions. The royal line was absolute good in his mind, so there wasn’t much he could do about his instincts. So of course he agreed to her offer, and said how he’d fetch them immediately--

“Wait, oh… my apologies, I just remembered I have something very important to attend to during lunch today.” She sighed lightly, and if it truly was unfortunate, and that she didn’t already have a plan to get around this. Her tutor didn’t notice that it was all according to her plan, of course, and immediately began suggesting alternatives.

“How about during tomorrow’s lunch?” He had seemed opposed to the idea before, but it sure wasn’t going to stop him from arranging it. Any hesitation he showed before was gone, and he was ready to go along with whatever he was told to do. “Or the lunch after, if tomorrow isn’t available… O-Or whatever time is convenient for you, Your Highness.”

Well, that made it a bit easier for her. “How about today, after lunch? During afternoon lessons - they can stop by. Don’t worry, you’ll see I’m very good at multitasking. I promise I will still be able to complete our agenda for the day.”

Since he was the teacher, he was entitled to saying “no”. The king himself had said that she was to follow his rules, and if that meant no visitors during schooling hours, then she was to abide by that. But she wasn’t going to remind him of that little detail, and bending to the princess’s wishes was probably more important to him anyways.

That’s why he agreed yet again, and why once he left, he likely immediately went straight to his friends and told them of the arrangement, and sternly told them to be on their best behaviour during the event.

(The princess was learning he was a bit predictable - attached to rules and order, and he’d probably rather die than go against them. Later she’d find out this was completely true, and suddenly she wouldn’t be sure anymore.)

The princess waited a few extra moments before leaving the room herself. Her bodyguard was right outside, as always, and she told her the little plan she concocted. The woman was opposed to it, of course, but they were both aware the dungeon was completely guarded and there was no chance of danger (after all, they’ve done this adventure before).

And so there they were, walking past guards and going downstairs just to walk through stone that was protected by more talented soldiers. They saluted as the princess walked by, with her escort close behind (and because she was there, no one tried to convince the royal daughter to leave, because she was protected and so many of them were secretly terrified of the proven warrior).

After asking for the prisoner in question, it didn’t take long to find their cell. The accused murderer had wedged herself in the far corner, so the princess didn’t even notice it was the right one until she was looking directly at it. The girl looked absolutely miserable and entirely frightened, and with her tattered clothing, she could have been mistaken for a simple homeless girl.

The princess tried a few times to get her attention, and just as she thought it wasn’t going to work, a shaky voice oozing with hatred snapped at her from the huddled form.

“W-What do you want?!” The prisoner glared at her with distrust - a look the princess wasn’t quite used to. It was enough to shock her into silence, and it compelled the other girl to continue speaking.

“I know… You’ve come to d-dirty your squeaky clean hands with my e-execution…!” She took a deep breath, because the idea terrified her, and it looked like she was trembling. This wasn’t entirely what the princess expected to see when she came down here, but she took it calmly and kept the mask in place.

“Of course not. You won’t be executed. It’s very rare that criminals actually receive the death sentence.”

“I’m not good enough then!” The rotten woman yelped and whimpered loudly as she buried her head into her arms. “Y-You’re just going to leave me to rot down here…! Like the scum I am…!”

“You’re not scum,” came the automatic response. It wasn’t something the princess could back up, and there was no reason to comfort this stranger, but it was too late now because she had said it and the “scum” in question had heard and she was looking at her with the strangest look… which morphed into something resembling complete disgust.

“You’re lying… Everyone thinks of me like that… Of course people like you would consider others in that way…! Even if…” And suddenly, this bratty little grin spread on her face - this little smile that told the princess she knew exactly what she was talking about, even if she shouldn’t, and she probably didn’t--

“...E-Even if you’re just the same… Hiding behind that innocent face… You know what the boys think of you, a-and I bet you just bask in those pleasures…!”

The mask was breaking, and the princess was ready to become this snotty little thing and crush those claims. Lift her head high and walk away. Break down the girl before her into something even more miserable.

(And she could probably count on the prisoner mysteriously disappearing or turning up dead after saying something like that. People didn’t last long when they said such things about the royal family--)

But none of that happened, and instead there was a blank face where confidence or anger should have been. No emotion - just a stare, as she watched the twitchy little mannerisms of the rude missus behind the bars. The smile faded and a scowl replaced it, and she was this shaking mess in the corner again.

“I bet you’re wondering… how someone as pathetic and d-disgusting as me could be such a… devious criminal…!”

“That’s right.” The confirmation surprised the girl and just made her angrier. It wasn’t often someone pinpointed exactly what was in the princess’s in mind, so she may as well reward them with a little gift of truth.

“Hrrrrrngh…!” She was this writhing little ball of negative emotions, and she seemed almost offended by the agreeing statement. It caused her to yell “Well it wasn’t me!” and huff as she cowered behind her hands.

The princess tilted her head inquisitively and widened her eyes. “Oh? Are you saying you’ve been framed?”

“I’m saying it was someone else!” She growled in frustration and pulled at her hair. “I’m completely innocent…! It was all her, killing all those people…!”

“‘Her’? So you know who did it, then?”

And she clammed up, just like that. She continued to glare, clearly not considering anyone in the immediate vicinity to be trustworthy with whatever information she had. There were a few cells nearby, and other guards, but no one seemed to take this little confession seriously. They all were sure it was her.

(Maybe she’d ask that wealthy son for a case report, because suddenly this was growing to be very interesting--)

“I think I’d like to request something of you,” the princess said with a kind smile, and she continued before the convict had a chance to spit at her, “Just a moment of your time whenever I ask. Speaking with you has been quite interesting. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

She didn’t respond at that, or when the princess stood up, or when she said her farewells and walked away from the cell. She just watched her with this terrified expression in complete silence.

It was probably the most unnerving thing about the entire conversation. And for once in a very long time, the princess felt awkward and out of place right then and there.

But that feeling was gone now as she made her way along the dungeon’s corridors. She had decided to make a last-minute stop at another place, and that’s why she was going even deeper into the underground prison instead of resurfacing.

It was almost as if she could hear the thoughts of the bodyguard trailing behind her: “Your Highness, you’re not going there, are you?”. This trek had become semi-regular, so the question was never asked aloud anymore, but it always made her protector more alert than before - past the point where it seemed she could no longer be any more aware and tense. But she was, and this was one of the times she would reach this state.

There was only one person in the entire kingdom who got this unique cell - it was small and without light, there was only a single iron door that could provide any sort of exit, but it was secured and locked at all times. Truthfully, no one was sure if anyone knew how to open it, but no one had the desire to find out. There was a small window on the door that could be opened and closed with a metal slide, but it was only big enough to slide small plates of food and drink in. Despite its impenetrable walls, there was always a guard posted in front of it.

No one was sure what kind of criminal was housed inside - there were whispers about what they could have done to deserve such a fate, but a source of confirmation could never be found. People say the king knows who is in there, but he won’t utter a word about the situation if it isn’t about the person guarding the door.

If the food didn’t disappear from the plates left inside, people would wonder if there was really anyone in there at all.

The princess herself didn’t even know who was in there. There was only baseless conjecture to go on - likely someone who was a threat to not just the kingdom, but the king himself. Manipulative, which is why they got a soundproof cell. One of the prisoners, who was a fortune teller, once predicted that there was someone in there who was going to become queen.

(He wasn’t the most accurate, but the princess honestly enjoyed sitting in on his readings. The other inmates got a kick out of it too, and it either ended in this odd sense of bonding or angry fights over an unfavourable reading. She could remember the day he predicted something about the mystery prisoner--

“...Whoa, uh, Your Highness will stop that kind of person from becoming queen, right?”

And she had waved away his fears with a laugh and a “of course”, because everyone believed anyone in there could be nothing but a threat to the universe’s safety.)

The princess rounded the corner and there it was, at the end of the hall. A thick steel door with a stiff guard posted in front of it. Approaching revealed it wasn’t one of the guards who was rigid from fear of getting this post (nor was it one who didn’t take it seriously, because they were sure nothing would happen), but it was a guard she often saw in front of this door. A young female soldier who performed her job with the utmost care and took every moment completely seriously.

During one visit, she had learned from her that she volunteered for this job frequently. She was an exceptional soldier - perhaps one of the best they had - and she believed her abilities were best put to work right here in the case of an emergency. When she wasn’t here, she was training to keep herself at the top of her game.

“Your Highness.” And the soldier saluted; avoiding looking directly at the princess out of respect, because it was not in her position to do so. It was the same every time.

“Is everything alright here?” And the princess knew the answer--

“Yes, ma’am. Nothing has changed with the prisoner. Their lunch was delivered forty eight minutes ago, and they have not caused any trouble.”

Since this particular soldier was posted here so much, the princess once asked if she had seen who this prisoner was, or heard their voice. It was a bit surprising to hear them answer in the negative, and sometimes it made the princess wonder if there really was anyone in there.

The visits were always this short - the guard wasn’t much for socializing and had no information to offer. The details about herself were even a bit hazy, since she always seemed to be on the job and never let irrelevant emotions slip.

Such an attitude made the princess want to stick around longer, because it was a bit like herself, wasn’t it? But as with today, their interactions always ended with “Keep up the good work,” “Report back if anything changes,” and she would leave with her silent-as-ever bodyguard and that would be that.

Someday, she wanted to solve the mystery of who was behind the walls… The stone walls that kept stray and unwanted things inside and the outside - painted over with a clean coat, devoid of traces of what lay within.