I'm not petty, I'm determined

...Bastard.

She sat alone in her room and kicked her feet in a sudden tantrum, just remembering Phoenix's grin.

"Ooohoooh that insufferable man!!"

How dare he get one over on her like that!

And he did it so obviously, too! And she had to sit there and pretend not to have noticed! Otherwise he'd have known he won that exchange.

She kicked her legs even harder. "Oooohoho how infuriating!"

She just needed to think of a suitable comeback for him!

So he'd know that even if he was successful in scoring one point off of her, she could still strike back.

It just so happened that he kept piling up points and she hadn't gotten any back yet.

"BUT I WILL!"

She continued her fit of anger against nothing for several more moments until eventually she slumped down onto her bed, drained of all energy and ire.

But he's so good at it and I'm still so confused but this world...

She felt like a child playing in a match against an adult.

She groaned and rolled over in bed, feeling her anger fade into defeat.

A maid stood transfixed at the door.

"...Ah...."

The empress stared, doe-eyed, up at the maid.

"You just got here?"

"...N-No?" The maid stammered. "I uh. Um."

"...Your lunch will get cold if you wait much longer, Your Majesty." The maid informed her instead, quickly.

'Lunch...?'

She leapt out of bed and hurried after the maid into the dining hall. Food was a good distraction from embarrassing herself in front of the serving staff for the umpteenth time in two days.

When she arrived there, she found Lyov, looking relaxed and confident. He'd taken off the armor he wore before and was instead wearing a form fitting, long sleeved shirt with leather sleeves, and pants that...clung...a bit too snugly...in her opinion.

For as many layers as he had on his shirt, why did he have only one in his pants?

Phoenix sat - no, lounged - directly across from Lyov, golden eyes sweeping over to her as soon as she arrived.

She...turned away...in a completely non-suspicious fashion...!

...And found herself staring right into the bespectacled blue eyes of Alex.

She yelped, jumped, and nearly fell onto her dainty imperial hindquarters.

Fortunately, the man immediately reached out and steadied her before she could fall. "M-My apologies, Your majesty! I hadn't meant to startle you!"

"Uuue...No, it's okay..." She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She focused on the fact he was still holding her hand in his, to steady her. "Uh. So...this is a...pleasant...surprise...?"

He chuckled sheepishly. "Pardon the intrusion. I was invited by Lord Rosereave to join your private banquet this afternoon. I didn't wish to overstep any boundaries, but...it was a very generous offer, and I wanted to meet you on a more informal occasion, I suppose..."

She glanced back.

Phoenix was...grinning...

"Please do come in, Alexander." Phoenix spoke smoothly, gesturing grandly. "Lunch will be served soon and I'm certain Her Majesty is...absolutely starved."

She huffed at him, sending a sharp glare in his direction.

He was utterly unaffected.

I'll get you for this. She sent him the message with her eyes, knowing he understood perfectly what she was telling him.

Lyov gave her an odd look.

Alex gave her a sympathetic smile.

She took her seat at the head of the table, and...as infuriating as Phoenix was, it was...

Nice.

Nicer to have three men as company at the table than simply sitting alone this time.

Maybe...Phoenix knew? That she liked not being alone...?

Or maybe he just enjoyed causing her trouble.

One or the other.

He seemed the type, either way.

Lyov smiled at her as if there were stars sparkling around her. Alex fidgeted and wouldn't look at her.

Phoenix propped his cheek on his hand and grinned at her. "Isabelle," He said, not even pretending to be formal now, "do you remember who Alexander is?"

"Obviously." She scowled at him. "He's a botanist. You're teasing me."

Phoenix smirked, tapping a finger against his lips.

"Darling, I haven't said anything that would constitute as teasing."

"Ugh!"

Phoenix sighed fondly, chuckling under his breath.

Lyov looked between the empress and Phoenix, puzzled. "Her Majesty is very close with the Imperial Concubine...are you two childhood friends, perhaps...?"

Phoenix smirked at Lyov. "No. That's not why we're close."

...Lyov's brows furrowed even deeper in confusion, but he said no more.

...I should...find a way to make Lyov understand that I...have a sexual relationship with Phoenix but...

It's hard for her to understand she has a sexual relationship with Phoenix.

How would she make someone else understand??

She glared at Phoenix. Rather than be offended at her uncalled for ire, he seemed amused.

"Tell me, Lyov, have you seen Her Majesty in the nude, yet?"

Alexander choked.

The maid serving them lunch tripped on the rug and dropped an entire tray full of drinks.

Isabelle herself went scarlet.

Lyov stared at Phoenix with wide eyes, utterly disbelieving.

Well. Now the glare was well deserved.

The smile grew larger.

"Now now, why the shocked looks? We're all devoted concubines to our beloved empress, after all."

Alexander continued to cough. For a moment, Isabelle worried he'd suffocate.

Eventually the poor gardener regained his speech and breath though, face still read. "I-...I'm not..."

"Not?" Phoenix prompted.

"I'm not..." His face was blushing. "A-Ah, I...I'm only a...botanist I-"

"Hm~" Phoenix made an airy sound. "My mistake~"

She stared at Phoenix for a long moment.

....Can the Empress execute a member of the Imperial Harem?

He seemed to know what she was thinking, and his eyes twinkled in mirth.

"Lyov." She said, deliberately, determined to change the subject.

"Y-Yes, Your majesty?"

"Where are you from?"

"The port town of Melenith, Your majesty."

The man looked surprised by the question.

"Melenith....what was it like, living there?"

Lyov brightened at the question and spoke rapidly and passionately.

He used his hands when he spoke too.

He looked as if he loved to talk.

"You don't understand a word he's saying..." Phoenix whispered in her ear suddenly, sounding too smug. "You see his lips move, but it's like music in a foreign language..."

She flicked her hair, a waterfall of blonde, hitting him straight in the face.

Phoenix made a pleasant sort of hum as he played with some of her golden locks idly, twirling them around his fingers.

He was right. But she didn't like it. Plus Isabelle should...probably...know about the random fish names Lyiv had said and the whatever...festival did he say-

"I don't know what you're talking about, Phoenix." She whispered back fervently.

"Nor he."

...Gah!!

How can he just be so...so...!

He was just the worst!

She ignored him, and continued to pretend to be invested in a story about a boat that carried...baked...fish...she thought...when she started paying attention it seemed to be a boat with baked bread and potatoes.

A girl could easily get confused when listening to so many nautical terms at once, couldn't she?

Phoenix never stopped grinning.

I'll get you. Somehow.

Lyov, bless him, didn't seem aware she didn't know what he was talking about, so it was all fine.

"The Basteid Boat Festival is held once every five years in celebration of the creation of the current dock system, which was commissioned by the seventh generation queen, Elsabert the Builder. The Basteid are carved from-"

Phoenix made a distraction by 'accidentally' knocking over Lyov's drink. Lyov gave an alarmed shout as the wine splashed all over his lovely finery.

He bolted from his seat.

"Phoenix what the hell! Oh, you've stained everything-!"

The poor man panicked, frantically dabbing the dripping wine from himself while muttering things under his breath.

"Here, let me get you out of those so the maids can clean them~!" Phoenix said, all too energetic. As if he actually cared.

He hooked a hand in Lyov's arm and hauled the poor man to his feet, tugging the man's shirt off with alarming skill.

"F-Forgive me, but I can take my own clothes off-"

"Shush!" Phoenix snapped his fingers, summoning some maids as if by magic.

In moments they were swarmed by attendants who encircled Lyov and stole away not only his overshirt but his varied undershirts - stained via bleed-through - until Lyov was left without a maid cloud around him.

And without a shirt.

It made her head hurt to watch them.

They'd just...formed a mob so fast...like ants...!

Phoenix's hand slipped down to squeeze the blond man's tush, making him yelp in alarm, and then shove Phoenix away.

"Y-Your Imperial Concubine! To touch your Empress is one thing but...!"

Phoenix's mouth curled in a devious way, before he trotted back to his seat.

A misbehaving cat who knew he wouldn't be punished for smashing yet another vase on purpose. "Don't fret, Lyov, I didn't sully you in the eyes of your beloved Majesty. Our Empress is far too tolerant a woman to be dissuaded something so slight."

He turned a sunny smile to her.

She squinted back at him. Hard.

"Now Alex...." Phoenix was really just going to take over the entire lunch, apparently. His arm slithered around the poor botany assistant. "I heard quite interesting rumors about how you spent the morning after Her Majesty visited...."

He whispered something in the poor man's ear that made Alex go so red Isabelle was worried he might faint.

Phoenix looked delighted.

Alex, meanwhile, tried to squirm away, but there wasn't anywhere for him to go. Phoenix had a hold of one of his wrists and an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

Alex turned his head and mumbled something, apparently too shy to look at anyone when he spoke.

"What was that...?" Phoenix murmured in his ear, leaning closer.

Alex was visibly red all the way to the tips of his ears, now. But he was looking at her.

"....I want...to give you peaches." He mumbled, glancing at her with hopeful blue eyes. "I'd like to bring you peaches more often, Your majesty."

That didn't seem like a reason to be blushing at all, but...still. A smile grew across her face. "Really? I'd love that! The peach...thing that you gave me before was delicious!"

He lit up, beaming like a little ray of sunshine.

Phoenix propped a cheek on his hand, glancing between Alex and Isabelle as if watching some amusing television.

...The smug bastard.

She couldn't tell what he was scheming or how this was entertaining him...

But she was going to find a way to throw a wrench in it just to spite him.

Somehow.