27 Leigboury III

It was a restless night for the crown prince, seeing as how not even Wesley's sleeping solution could subdue the anger swelling inside her chest.

"You look dreadful." Guinevere stated flatly when she came to rouse Calluna.

"I've had a lot on my mind, Guin! Cut me some slack," the blonde pouted, sitting herself upright in the bed.

"Me giving you slack won't make the horrendous bag under your eye disappear," the brunette responded with a teasing lilt in her tone. "Hurry out of bed, you've got a busy morning."

"Wow," Calluna sighed. "You're already this brutal so early in the morning? Isn't it exhausting?"

"It's all for your own good," Guin giggled, giving Calluna an affectionate and playful peck on the cheek. "You're always lovely, but it's my job to make you even better."

Their banter slowly faded into comfortable silence as the handmaid tended to Calluna's makeup and wardrobe. The crown prince noticed quickly that Guinevere had selected an ensemble that was even more masculine than usual; and though it looked great, she couldn't help but wonder why.

"You're making me look extra tough today," she observed aloud.

The handmaid continued to tie Calluna's hair into a tight, braided bun, "Mhm."

"How come?"

"What do you mean, 'how come'? Naturally I'm dressing you in a way that will intimidate the governor. He's terrified of strong women," she replied without missing a beat.

Calluna's eye widened. She hadn't even considered that, nor had she thought ahead far enough to come up with such a simple and effective idea. "This is why I love you, Guin! You're so clever."

"I certainly try my best for you, miss," the maid said softly.

-

Breakfast was simple and quick, which left Calluna and crew very little time for discussion before their discourse with Governor Allen. They were informed that Sir Allen requested the prince enter alone, however. Though it was an off-putting thing for him to ask, they decided as a group it would be best to comply.

Calluna was ushered into a round room that was presumably the governor's office. There were extravagant golden tapestries hanging from the wall, and a wide window inhabited the space between each of the decorations. Ornate statuettes were laid on the curved bookshelves lining the bottom of the room.

It was a beautiful chamber.

Well, all except the rotund middle aged man sitting at the desk that sat in the center.

The infamous governor had splayed himself lazily in the plush seat with arms crossed over the wooden surface. He was large in build and stature, and his eyes were tinged yellow by the early signs of liver failure. He glared at Calluna as she walked in, obvious disgust creeping onto his face at the sight of her more androgynous attire.

"Hello, Governor. It's nice to see you." Calluna greeted with a pinched smile.

The man didn't even try to hide his contempt. "I know what you're here for, and I'm not interested."

"It's for the good of Killia that you reconsider."

"My ass."

She was stunned. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I'm not going to endorse a useless wench like you playing king," he replied, standing from his seat to tower over her. "So you might as well leave."

Calluna crossed her arms and stared up at him. She took a moment to observe him now that they were essentially toe to toe. His balding skull was shiny with a layer of thin sweat, and moisture had begun to bead on his top lip as well.

"Are you really so against me becoming king? Why are you in such a hurry to send me away, Governor?" She narrowed her eye at him. "You're acting awfully suspicious; are you perhaps… hiding something from me?"

He was taken aback by her straightforwardness and confidence, but proceeded to double down. "What? Of course I will reject your efforts; and even if I were to hide something, I have no reason to fear you."

Calluna's vision began to blur red with each additional word that feel from the man's lips. She clenched her fist in frustration and took a step toward him. "Maybe I'll have to give you a reason to fear me."

She didn't stay put long enough to observe his reaction thoroughly, but she did notice that his body stiffened as she left. Once the threat escaped her mouth she stormed from the office. Her arms flung open the double doors and she pressed through them, knocking over the guards that had been standing outside. Calluna didn't even stop to apologize; she even walked directly past Vincenzo and Wesley without a word of explanation.

 "How dare you take advantage of my hospitality and my wealth, then threaten me?!" Governor Allen's gruff and angry shouts pierced the through silent hall behind her. 

She stopped in her place, spun on her heel, and began to march directly toward him once more. He was standing, bewildered, in the doorway of his office. Her stomps echoed with determination and anger.

"Hospitality? What a joke!" Calluna fumed once she stood face to face with him. "You allowed royalty into your home just to disrespect me, and to spit on the hand that will be feeding you. Now, where's the hospitality in that?"

His large frame trembled with rage and his face flushed red. Calluns watched as he started to raise his hand in preparation to hit her, then immediately went into autopilot. In her previous life, she had taken mixed martial arts lessons starting from age five all the way to twenty five.

So, seeing someone about to attack, her body reacted on instinct. Her fight or flight response was almost always to fight regardless of the situation.

Calluna's thin arm swung out to grab the man's wrist; and though she was successful and managed to soften the blow, his fist still made impact with her temple. She had completely forgotten how frail the body she inhabited was. Fortunately, despite the blow received, the cocktail of rage and adrenaline pulsing through her veins gave her the power to press forward. 

She kicked out one of her legs and thrust it behind the man's knees with all her might; the prince managed to make him lose his balance just long enough for Vincenzo to move beside her. He swiftly kicked the governor in the chest, and as soon as the captain's boot met Allen's sternum, the middle-aged man stumbled backward and fell.

He began to writhe around unpredictably, his limbs flailing wildly in an attempt to find purchase on the smooth floor beneath him. Vincenzo hurriedly began to pin his arms to prevent him from causing damage, but before he had even managed to do so Governor Allen's body fell limp.

Calluna turned her attention to Wesley, who was sitting beside their target's head. Evidently he had pressed a cloth over the middle aged man's mouth and nose.

"Did you just… chloroform him?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Chloroform? I don't know what that is, but I did just use an alchemical mixture to knock him unconscious," Wesley replied, pressing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Captain, tie him up," she instructed.

The guards that had been sat watching the whole thing go down seemed to be unsure about what they were meant to do. Calluna gave them a sympathetic frown and waved them off. They did as told, leaving the scene without trepidation.

"What are you planning to do with him?" Vincenzo asked curiously as he apprehended the large man with ropes.

"It depends."

Vincenzo, "Huh? What does it depend on?"

"I'm going to do to him whatever he has done to this missing girl, Scarlet."

Wesley and Vincenzo both cocked a curious brow in her direction.

"I'm going to have Flora escort me to the attic immediately; we need to find out what's going on."

Calluna heaved a relieved sigh after all the excitement died down and her adrenaline levels started to return to normal. There was a lot going on, and she has once againmade an extremely rash and emotional decision.

No matter how many times she ran over the events in her head, however, she couldn't find even one remorseful cell in her body.