A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!
What Nathan expected when he was tasked as a double agent was stealthily stealing information through attending the enemy meetings or wrecking scouting missions from the inside. Instead, he got assigned to reading letters of palace staff. How could secretly reading and intruding on the private lives of citizens compare to the glory of fighting on the battlefield? As a new recruit in the intelligence network, he wasn't even allowed to attend the most important meetings.
But the Nathan couldn't complain or else he could see his identity being compromised. He just had to endure. Now that winter had come, he actually appreciated being inside the warm castle and not freezing outside on dangerous missions.
Most of the letters were from the servants, writing to their loved ones. The staff letters held mostly mundane content, but the recruit ended up finding out a lot about the lives of the staff. Who was having a baby. Whose grandmother had recently passed away. Whose child had gotten admitted to the academy.
Then, there were the far more juicier secrets. Apparently the royal cook, whose wife was the head maid of Prince Jason's palace, was having an affair with the head gardener's daughter. But royal cook's wife in return was having an affair with the head gardener! Nathan quickly learned how to master a poker face as whenever he met the people involved, he took care not to show any emotion. But none of the affairs or small palace grudges was the type of information he was looking for.
The recruit picked up the next letter. There had to be considerable skill in opening letters without letting the receiver know that the letter had ever been opened.
Hmm? This letter's insignia was different, unlike the Cuora nation's insignia that the common folk of Cuora would use. Was this one of the foreign dignitaries'?
Before the Nathan could open the seal, the letter was plucked out of his hand. He looked up to see the boss' viridescent-toned eyes glancing down at the recruit coolly. Nathan gave the boss what he hoped was a clueless, harmless smile before he reached for an innocuous letter. Damn, he cursed. Looks like he would have to find another way of gaining the information in the letter.
The first snowfall had come, so the citizens of Cuora were rushing back and forth to tighten down any last second cracks in their homes or stock extra food in case a blizzard made it hard to access the markets. Piper watched from her bedroom windows as the palace staff worked to keep the castle and its inhabitants warm and safe.
Watching the spectacle, Piper thought of the lack of response to the letters she had sent back home. She had been in the Cuora palace for three weeks now, yet not a single reply had ever come. Perhaps Queen Aphrodite was angry at her second daughter for taking the place of her eldest, or perhaps the queen was too worried about her eldest to even care for her second daughter. Not like her mother ever took much notice of her.
As such, Piper had no inclination of writing to the Cythera queen, but she did want to hear from her siblings. What was the situation like back in Cythera? Had Malcolm finished his knight training? Had Lucy managed to straighten out her teeth? Most importantly, was Silena and her bodyguard okay? Perhaps the snowfall was delaying the response even more.
Piper set outside the papers and stretched. The majority of the learning phase of the candidacy was over and the next phase would begin. Thankfully, Piper had caught up to the other princesses so quickly that her dissidents could not use lack of etiquette or education to pull her reputation down. In this second phase, each princess would get an equal amount of time to interact with Prince Jason.
She absentmindedly rubbed her wrist. Why had the curse chosen this man?
She wasn't sure what meeting Jason one-on-one was going to be like since she was always in the presence of others. If she had to describe what Prince Jason was like, the first word that came up would be honorable. He treated everyone equally and befitting of a royal prince. But the next word would be unreadable. Eyes were the windows to the soul yet his glasses made it hard for Piper to assess his inner feelings. If Piper was to guess, it felt like Prince Jason was deliberately being polite and appropriate in his actions, while keeping the majority of people away at arm's length.
Furthermore, as to the main reason as to why she was nervous about meeting Jason individually... Piper shook her head and slapped her cheeks in order to clear her hand. But she couldn't help that her cheeks were rosier than usual, especially not after accidentally walking in on Silena do that with Sir Beckendorf after all. No wonder why the curse only allowed the royal bloodline to hold one partner in their arms.
It soon became time for Piper's first dinner alone with Prince Jason. Partly out of nervousness and partly from wanting to be on time, Piper had come down to the dining room earlier than the set time. Each princess would get to eat with the prince two times a week. Piper had no idea what the other princesses talked about with Jason, but she had heard word that Princess Medea was pulling out the stops to seduce him, judging by the maids' gossip of Medea's flirty conversations. Perhaps that was why her assigned Cuora maids wanted to dress Piper up fancier than usual.
Every time Piper had met Jason though, Jason seemed to give off a scholarly air with his calm demeanor masked by his glasses. Through careful observation, she had gathered bits of information such as he played chess using war strategies, liked to read a broad scope of topics and preferred the use of a sword over bow and arrows. He preferred comfort over style. Perhaps that was the type of woman Prince Jason preferred as well? That suited Piper just well, since she disliked wearing heavy accessories, much to the chagrin of her mother.
Piper had taken care with her appearance this time, but she didn't place too much unnecessary jewelry, which disappointed her maids. Her maids were eager to showcase their mistress' lovely appearance but were stopped with a wave of the princess' hand. In the end, Piper settled for a blue dress that matched the sapphire earrings Prince Jason had given her. Her hair was mostly loose down her back, with white feathers and ribbons threaded in braids. Instead of a peacock that openly flaunted its feathers, she preferred a more restrained swan-like look. A simple silver necklace showcased her slender neck
"I'm sorry. Did you wait long, Princess Piper?" A smooth voice broke through the air. Prince Jason had arrived, dressed in a simple uniform that did not diminish his handsomeness. One maid with curly hair sticking out of her white cap nearly tripped when Jason passed her by, her face flushed. Had not the other maids steadied her, the curly haired maid would have fallen on the prince.
Piper smiled slightly at his courteous words as she rose up to curtsy. The prince was on time while she was the one who was early. "No, not at all, Your Highness."
There were a total of four maids waiting by the wall. Now that the prince had arrived, food was quickly placed on the table. Piper's eyed widened at the food. Somehow, the fare was better than it had been when she was eating alone or when eating with the other princesses. The vegetarian options usually included plain salad or boring grilled veggies, but today there was a plate of grilled tofu skewers and a dish of roasted bell peppers with baked eggs and melting cheese inside.
Piper's stomach stirred and grumbled happily at the savory smell. Embarrassed, Piper sneaked a glance at Jason. Surprisingly, the corners of his lips were slightly lifted up in a smile. The blue eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were clearly alight in amusement.
Rather than hide her embarrassment, Piper half-scowled, half-pouted. What gentleman? What scholar? All the information Piper had gathered about Jason fell into pieces. This man was black-bellied as they get. At least, she didn't eat beans for lunch or else her stomach would be releasing gas in addition to growls.
At her frown, Jason's grin grew wider. Behind Piper came several murmurs and gasps that the maids were quick to turn into coughs halfway. Prince Jason was already regarded as quite handsome, but his genuine grin made him feel more approachable.
"You could at least pretend to not have heard that." Piper said.
"Oh, what can I do? My hearing is too good, I suppose. And, I'm not a very good liar."
Piper nearly laughed out loud at this. The royal families were usually the best at hiding their true intentions, even better than some of the actors in theater troupes. At this small joke, both looked at each other and finally smiled for real, dropping their pretenses for once.
Clink! A cold liquid splashed onto her lap. Piper looked down where a maid had accidentally knocked over Piper's wineglass when the maid moved to refill the glass.
"I'm terribly sorry! It was a mistake." The maid quickly knelt, her face covered and arms splayed on the floor.
"It's quite alright. There's no harm done." Piper dabbed at the stain with her handkerchief, but there was far too much for the small square of cloth to soak up. Pity. The stain would be hard to get out of the pale blue dress.
"Here."
Piper looked up to see another handkerchief offered to her by the prince. "Oh, thank you, but I think it's much better if I just go and change my dress."
"Not for your dress but for your hands. May I?"
Piper could only nod, dumbfounded, as the prince, who never went out of bounds when interacting with all the princesses, picked up her wine stained hands and gently wiped each finger clean. She resisted the urge to snatch back her hands as the mark appeared on her wrist. Was he going to notice?
A small heat bloomed in her cheeks. It was the first time she had been this close to the prince for such a long time. His golden hair was clipped short and neat, military-style.
Out of the corner of Piper's eye, she saw three of the maids were behaving as though they were not seeing the scene before him, including the maid who had spilled the wine. But there was one maid who was visibly struggling not to frown. It was the curly haired maid who had tripped when Jason had arrived. Surprisingly, there was a hint of anger in that one maid's face. It's not my fault, Piper wanted to say. Prince Jason was doing it of his own accord.
"All done." Jason said softly.
But he didn't let go of her hand immediately. While holding her gaze with those blue eyes of his, Jason gently thumbed a circle around her wrist, which coincidentally was where her mark was. Did he know that the mark was there or was he just absentmindedly doing this to make her stomach flutter? Fuck, Piper cursed. Were her feelings being manipulated by that damn curse?
"Let's go have your dress changed."
Piper found herself being walked out of the dining room back to her quarters. What she was confused about was that her hand was placed on his arm as if he was escorting her to a ball.
"I'm sorry to have ruined your dress. I'll compensate you for another one." Prince Jason murmured so quietly Piper wasn't sure she heard correctly what he had said.
"But it was the maid who spilled the wine. There's no need to apologize." Piper said, surprised. She had clearly seen the maid knock over the glass, so why was the prince apologizing?
"Well, the physical action was done by the maid, but I the one who asked her to do so for two main reasons. One, it was part of the candidacy's assigned test to see if the princess would react in a dignified manner. Of course, I already knew you would pass but I had to do so for fairness' sake."
It was not uncommon for some nobles to beat their servants when they made a mistake. The Cytheran royal family at most would issue stern words for the biggest mistakes like stealing but would never whip their servants. Piper had also been expecting a test like that, but she didn't expect Prince Jason himself to administer the test.
"Then what's the second reason?"
"The second reason is that I wanted to talk to you without any prying eyes or ears."
Piper looked up at him surprised. She glanced around them and only saw Sir Leo who winked, a maid who had undergone knight training that Duke Jackson had entrusted her to keep her safe, and Jason's assistant, a young man she recalled as Sir Zhang. None of the other Cuora palace maids were allowed to follow. Piper recalled how there was that one maid who seemed a little too interested in what the prince and the Cytheran princess was doing.
"Then that one maid with the curly hair..."
"Your observations are astute. But I also wanted to hand you this."
Piper felt something being placed in her hands. Her letters!
"How did you get this?" Instantly, her alarms went off. If word had gotten out that the crown princess of Cythera was missing, then her nation could be in grave danger. Thankfully, the wax seals placed on her letters seemed to have not been disturbed.
"I would be careful in your communication, Princess Piper," Jason warned. Piper noticed he didn't answer her question about where he had gotten her letters. "Letters and information in the palace are being very carefully inspected. But be assured, no one has read your letters. I can attest to that."
Piper understood his meaning. In other words, everyone's letters were being read before they entered and exited the palace. No wonder there had been no reply back to her letters.
"Thank you...but have there been any letters for me? From Cythera?"
Jason shook his head. "I'm sorry. Letters coming into the castle are being inspected as well."
Piper felt an uncomfortable feeling rise up. Why were letters being read so strictly in the castle? She suddenly felt that the political machinations behind the candidacy were being manipulated into something larger. Piper swore to burn her letters the moment she could do so.
As they arrived in her quarters, Piper found that a separate vegetarian spread was already set in the dining room adjacent to her bedroom. The food was piping hot, as if they were just freshly made.
"Go and change your dress." Jason let go of her hand.
Piper cast him a searching glance before entering her bedroom.
Jason let his smile drop as soon as Piper's bedroom door closed, leaving him and his assistant alone in the small dining room.
"Frank," Jason ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness." Sir Zhang said.
"Capture that maid and prepare her for interrogation. While she was too clumsy, we can't be sure of it. And make sure there is no poison pill this time. If another one dies again before revealing what we need..." Jason let his threat linger.
"Yes, Your Highness. We'll be careful this time."
This time had been close, too close for his liking. There was poison in the original food in the dining room. If the maid he had assigned to pour the wine hadn't done so before they took a bite, Jason would have had to think quickly on the spot to make sure they didn't eat the poison. At the same time, he couldn't alert whoever was behind the strings in order to draw them out. Whoever poisoned them would just have to believe that the poisoning had failed because of unforeseen circumstances.
A cruel glint appeared in Jason's eyes. "Torture her if she doesn't speak."
"Yes, Your Highness. About the ones who haven't spoken yet..."
"Dispose of them."
By the time Piper appeared in a fresh dress, Prince Jason's demeanor was gentle again as though he had not just ordered the deaths of a few assassins. He smiled genuinely as he recalled how the mark had appeared as soon as his skin had grazed hers when he had wiped her hands.
After all, he couldn't frighten his future wife before they were even married.
A/N: Oh, dear, I just realized I kind of gave Jason yandere vibes this chapter.
A very 99.9% Piper-and-Jason-centric chapter. We had a little 0.1% Percabeth, if you even caught the two parts where it was mentioned. Had to pull into my SAT vocab to sneak one of them in. But no worries, we shall get back into our regular business of Percabeth soon.
I'm honored that so many would be willing to read my humble works. T.T Love you all~
Stay safe out there, and see you next chapter!