17 3.5

He gave me a grin that was more bared teeth than joy and started his attack, impotently firing every shot he could to destroy my skin, straining his approximately five brain cells to come up with the most scathing creative insult he could conjure, a last-ditch effort to preserve his leaking pride.

"I would think that you were in on the thief's plan, but I heard that your presence was so unappealing that she jumped out your window to get away from you. Is this the first time you managed to get a woman into your rooms? I bet you were trying to impress her with a grand gesture of heroics, only to get robbed by your damsel in distress. Simply pathetic," He snarled.

My face warmed, informing him that he had hit far to close to home for my comfort. Trying to regain my composure, I returned the volley with an extra dose of venom. "At least I didn't have a priceless family heirloom stolen from under my literal nose." His face faltered at that.

"Not to mention being the one member of the Matten family who will never amount to anything. Even with all the nepotism available to you, you still couldn't manage to get a rank greater than First Lieutenant? Isn't the next lowest rank in your immediate family major general?" I smirk, tilting my head ever so slightly to ensure my strike hits as hard as is physically possible. "Are you really in any position to judge me?"

I turned around with a flourish, sure that I had managed to win this fight. As I opened the door, he found his voice and screeched one last insult before I was through.

"At least I have a job! Have you ever done any good for this kingdom?" The door slams behind me, cutting off any further remarks he may have been attempting to make. It does a good job of hiding my flinch as the comment hits its mark.

I find myself back in the gardens, and take a glance at the midnight sky. The almost purple color reflecting off of the ebony night has always fascinated me, and the stars seem to be especially clear tonight. The beauty of the moment almost let me forget how useless I was.

Rufus had a valid point, though I doubted he knew how hard it hit. I haven't ever done anything good for my country, my family, even for the handful of people I loved. At this point, no one has any expectations for me that verge past lukewarm. They can't even marry me off to make a foreign alliance, because who would have me?

I wander around for a while until I unintentionally reach the path where I had taken a walk earlier in the night, back before everything went to hell. It instantly reminds me of our unnamed thief, the one who had managed to become a threat to national security simply by stealing a few baubles at a ball. At least she was doing something with her life, even if it was criminal activity on a national scale. Theivery was a far greater achievement than spending your life as a useless book addict.

Maybe if I catch her, I can do some good? Maybe if I track her down, I can have something in my life to be proud of?

And maybe I should just go to bed and figure out my next plan of attack in the morning.