15 Stanint IV

Guinevere had prepared a very strong hangover tonic while they were away. Though the handmaid had drank a bit with them once they returned from the pub, she didn't get nearly as wasted as they did. She got a bit buzzed and they chatted the night away, then the woman left the room to rest in the servants' quarters.

So, when Calluna awoke with her head resting on a shirtless and tanned chest – the crown prince was surprised, to say the least. After further inspection, however, she found that her own clothes were still in-tact, which was somewhat of a relief. If she were being completely honest she couldn't say she'd have been upset if they had actually done anything, though.

She looked up to see Vincenzo's still-resting face, his long dark lashes casting a shadow over his skin. Soft brown hair tumbled over his shoulders in waves, and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was relaxing.

'He really is quite handsome,' the girl thought to herself.

It was a little embarrassing that she didn't really remember how they ended up in such a position, but she knew for certain they hadn't overstepped any boundaries. She was ready to shrug the incident off, as it wasn't really a big deal to her since during her college years she had plenty of similar experiences; but mischievous look made its way onto Calluna's face when she realized he probably wouldn't remember what happened either – and that meant she could tease, and maybe even fluster, him a little. He was only twenty-four, which felt like a kid compared to her… well, in her old thirty-two year old body.

'I'm going to pretend that we did it,' she thought, choking back a laugh, 'and I'll make him believe it for an entire day before I tell him.'

Calluna carefully unbuttoned her corset a bit, and made herself look disheveled by tugging her sleeves off her shoulders and messing up her hair. She took a thumb to her red lips and smudged the remaining lipstick to make a mess of it, then finished by rubbing the remnants of cherry onto the side of Vincenzo's mouth. He stirred slightly at her touch, but didn't wake fully. Finding his shirt beside him, she grabbed it and tossed it haphazardly to the floor as though it were thrown in a fit of passion. Considering it a success, she curled herself up at his side once more and rested her head contentedly on his chest.

Evidently the Captain was a very heavy sleeper since Calluna had fallen asleep again before he even woke for a first time. It was nearing midday when he finally rose to consciousness, bright late-morning sun pooling in through a window near the bed.

"Uh-" Vincenzo's voice sounded as though it caught in his throat, and he nearly jumped at the sight before him.

Calluna stirred awake and internally gave herself an evil laugh, as she was about to bully the poor man. She looked up at him through hooded lashes and smiled sweetly. "Good morning, V."

"Good… morning?" He replied, visibly puzzled.

"I suppose we should get dressed?" The prince replied nonchalantly, moving to get out of bed.

"I, um-"

His voice cut off as the blonde left the warmth of the blankets and her form was revealed; the unkempt hair, messed makeup, and loose corset. She purposefully continued to undo buttons unabashed, which made Vincenzo shoot up into a sitting position. His usual confidence was completely gone, and his long tangled hair framed a very confused and worried expression.

"What are you staring at? Didn't get enough yesterday?" Calluna mocked with a devilish smirk. "Hop up, get dressed. We've got to meet with the Baron and my head is pounding, so it would be best if we got Guinevere's tonic as soon as possible."

With nothing but a "mnh" of agreement, the man hopped out of bed and collected his shirt from the hardwood floor with his brows furrowed the entire time.

Seeing his puzzled expression only made her want to tease him more, leading to her saying: "Need help putting it on?"

"Um, sure," he responded with a nervous smile, coming over to stand in front of her. "I feel like we should talk about wh-"

"We can do that after the party, for now we need to focus on what we came for," Calluna interrupted again, helping him button his shirt up.

Their morning ended as quickly as it came, the topic of work and their meeting with Baron Shen easily brushing the warmth of the previous night to the side.

-

"How does it taste?" Guin asked as she poured another glass of green liquid for Calluna and Vincenzo.

"Pretty good!" Calluna replied, drinking the entire cup in one shot.

Vincenzo was still shaken from earlier, however, and just nodded quietly when the woman asked about her tonic. Calluna stifled a snort at his lukewarm reaction and continued to drink the smoothie. She had always loved the taste of power drinks and things in her previous life, as she often had to have meal replacements since she worked such long hours.

"Do either of you know what Baron Shen is going to ask?" Calluna wondered aloud, getting somewhat anxious about the meeting. He seemed very standoffish when they spoke upon her arrival, so she only had a basic plan for what to say to him.

"I don't know him well enough, sorry miss."

"Hmm… he loves tradition and the societal order of things. I feel that convincing him you will do well as a woman may prove difficult, especially since he's met you before, but I'm sure you could find a way. You've developed a very intellectual way of speech that I'm sure he's bound to find promising," Vincenzo said. He was a lot more matter-of-fact than usual, but Calluna was pleased with his response nonetheless.

It motivated her to think harder about what was to come.

As the trio sat and enjoyed breakfast together, albeit mostly in silence, Calluna was able to begin formulating arguments in her head. It had always been a ritual of hers to take twenty or thirty minutes the day of an important meeting to clear her mind and prepare herself even for unwanted outcomes. She decided that if Baron Shen was unwilling to give his approval, she would promise that within her first six months of being sovereign, she'd prove her worth to he and his townspeople.

Calluna heaved a worried sigh, then turned to one of the maids in the dining hall where they sat. "Has the Baron even returned from his appointment yet? It's an hour past noon already."

"Not yet, my Lord."

"I'd like to get on with this tour as quickly as possible so that I can return to Lukas, I actually miss him a lot," the prince divulged sadly.

"I'm sure he misses you, too. Perhaps we can find an alchemist or mage to call on him so you can check in?" Guinevere offered.

"Wait- what does that mean? Call on him?"

"Oh-" Guin laughed awkwardly, "sorry, I forgot. Anyway, alchemists and mages can call on people by briefly connecting consciences with two individuals."

'So... like a phone call? Sort of?' Calluna pondered, bringing a thoughtful hand up to her chin. 'Maybe I will look into it. I remember Fyodor mentioning we have a court full of alchemists.'

"Hmm... I am worried about him, but we can save that for a bit later. I'm sure the Baron won't keep us forever," the prince replied after some thought.

"As you wish."

They then sat in a less comfortable silence as they waited for their host to return, each of them appearing to be somewhat nervous. Vincenzo, though attempting to remain cool, was shaking his leg subconsciously beneath the table. He smiled his signature charming smile each time Calluna looked at him, but immediately went back being silent once she turned away.

She enjoyed seeing him shaken up for the first time, but missed the confident and fun atmosphere he usually carried with him everywhere. She vowed to tell him the truth as soon as they finished their discussion.

"Crown Prince, I apologize for the delay. I was held up, there was a quarrel for some noble family's land that needed to be resolved," a familiar voice announced behind them.

"Welcome back, Baron Shen," Calluna greeted as she rotated to face him. She stood from her seat and walked toward the man, smiling warmly. "Did it go well?"

"Yes, I was able to help them work something out," he replied, returning her smile with a strained one of his own.

"I see, well that's good news. Would you like to eat before we go and begin the discussion? I don't plan on keeping you long, but best to be refueled after a difficult morning," she said softly.

Baron Shen's expression lightened upon hearing her concern. "Perhaps you're right. I will have the maids take you to the meeting chamber while I eat, and I will be there shortly."

"See you then."