.
.
She looks at herself in the mirror.
Hair? Check.
Dress? Check.
Decollétage? Mary takes a moment to jiggle her breasts into place, pressing her forearms against her chest and giving a satisfied nod at her cleavage in the reflection.
Check.
She moves. Her dress swishes dramatically with the movement, billowing out behind her as she descends the staircase. Without looking, she instictively grabs a poker from the wall and marches into the bedroom.
"Prince Geordo~~" She smiles sweetly, holding the poker in her hand, as Geordo is mid-lean toward Katarina, one straight arm against the wall while his body is bent over hers, cornering her. "Any closer and I may be forced to defend our Katarina's honor."
"Mary Hunt." Geordo's eyes narrow. "Surely you don't expect to best me with that poker?"
"Oh~~. But my prince, surely you don't expect me to throw dirt in your eyes and shove this poker where the sun doesn't shine~~?"
"Katarina, my apologies," Geordo says, straightening, while Katarina blinks beside him.
"Eh? Mary? I think Geordo wanted to tell me a secret or something, he wanted to talk to me alone-"
"Don't worry about all that," Mary says, and she tosses the poker.
xXx
.
"I propose an alliance," Mary says. Keith fidgets. Mary had aggressively cornered him, not unlike Geordo did to Katarina just a few moments ago.
"Alliance?" Keith says. Mary nods.
"Just a few minutes ago, that black-hearted prince had Katarina's back against the wall! And while you and I are rivals, I'd say until we eliminate that one we'd both be better off."
"Fine. An alliance, then," Keith says. "But what about Alan and Nicol?"
"Alan is an idiot, leave him to me. As for Nicol he's been looking at arranged marriages, he's already taken himself out of the running. And we can count out Raphael and Sora," Mary says. "Sora's too old and Raphael's too busy."
"I see."
"We need to get her to break her engagement," Mary says. "Convince her that she's got no business being the fiancée of a prince."
"I think Nee-san is already aware of that," Keith says. Mary shakes her head.
"Just be sure to keep reminding her."
Mary struts down the corridor. Servants turn their heads, giving her a wide berth. Mary is cunning and powerful and so much smarter than simple, stupid Keith, like idiot Alan, the alliance is the best way to keep him under her thumb.
Not that Keith is much competition, anyways. Katarina and Keith are siblings!
...Except Keith cunningly used that to his advantage, securing free hugs and cuddles and even let himself be fed by her!
Sora once said Katarina and Keith sometimes shared the same bed. Mary bristled. She will have to talk more with Sora.
xXx
.
"Um, ano. I don't know...why are you asking me this?" Maria says, after Mary asked her, in her informed opinion, which of the two annoying blonde boys posed a bigger threat? "I mean, Katarina is already engaged to Prince Geordo, so I think he has an advantage. Then again Keith is her little brother, they live together..."
"And spend nights together, and sleep in each others' beds!"
"I don't think they've done that since they were kids," Maria says, and she lowers her eyes, blushing. "But I do understand how nice that could be...sharing the same bed..."
"Wait a minute." Mary rears upward. "Don't tell me you have feelings for Katarina too?!"
"I'd just be happy staying by her side. Whoever makes Katarina happy would make me happy, too."
"You're too selfless," Mary says, frowning. "As expected from our Maria."
xXx
.
The whole Fortune Love thing had come as a shock. "Think of it," Mary says. She points. "Don't you want to be with someone who wasn't programmed to be in love with you?"
"Programmed?" Katarina sets down her teacup.
"I was a side character," Mary says. She holds out her arms. "I was an 'NPC.' I was a shy wilting flower waiting for my fiancé to betray me."
"Those stupid writers," Katarina says. Mary leans forward.
"But we broke out of the game, see? I don't care about Alan! I could give a crap if he falls for Maria! That's why you should be with me!"
"Eh?" Katarina says. Mary claps her hands on the table.
"Be with me," Mary says. "My Green Hands will make you blossom just like I did those flowers in your garden."
"M-Mary! I don't know what's gotten into you! F-first of all, we're all good friends, nobody loves me, I'm not the protagonist! A-a-and secondly it was a reverse harem, it wasn't yuri-"
"Well this is real life, we can make it yuri."
"Nee-san!" Keith bursts through the door.
xXx
.
"I thought we agreed to an alliance?!" Mary says.
"I thought we agreed to an armistice until we broke her engagement!" Keith says.
"First of all, Keith, I already know about that little stunt you pulled with Katarina in the bedroom, so on that note, you were the first to break our agreement," and Keith reddens, embarrassed, which gives Mary all sorts of satisfaction. "Secondly, our Katarina didn't respond to either of our overtures, so on that note everything is moot."
She sweeps the table, laying a scroll flat on the tabletop. On it is a list of all her rivals, their pros and cons and potential weaknesses. GEORDO read one. PRINCE. ENGAGED. His weaknesses are snakes. His danger is a threat level 1.
Mary frowns. In terms of threat level, Geordo's was only second to Nicol's, who often caused a visceral reaction in Katarina, the telltale flushing of the skin and thrumming of her heart. I better keep pushing Frey toward him. No one is a match for the Devilish Count.
xXx
.
This is what is written on Mary's chart:
GEORDO STUART. PRINCE. ENGAGED. GOOD AT SWORDFIGHTING. WEAKNESSES = SNAKES.
KEITH CLAES. FOREVER LITTLE BROTHER. TRIES TO BE A CASANOVA. FAILS.
ALAN STUART (this was left blank because Mary couldn't stop laughing. She laughs again, then wipes her eyes).
NICOL ASCART. HOT. SO VERY HOT. TROUBLE.
SOPHIA ASCART. WILDCARD. WILL WINGMAN HER BROTHER. WANTS A THREESOME? EVEN MORE TROUBLE.
RAPHAEL WOLT. NOT ON HER RADAR. OVERWORKED. TOO BUSY TO MAKE A MOVE.
SORA. (And here she remembers how Sora pushed Katarina on the bed, pulling off his glasses and hovering over her all sexily. Her quill hovers over the paper.)
IS A BITCH. WILL CUT HIM.
"You forgot Maria," Alan says. Mary huffs.
"Maria is too much of a sweetheart. She's just happy being by her side, she's basically taken herself out of the running."
"Well that's the same as Nicol," Alan says. Mary rolls her eyes.
xXx
.
Mary forms alliances.
"You want me to interfere with Geordo?" Sora smirks, a lock of light hair falling messily over his eyes. "You don't have to ask twice."
"So long as it's mutually beneficial," Mary says, and they share a firm handshake. Not surprisingly, her grip is firmer than his.
She rolls out another scroll.
First is her alliance with Alan, which is the most durable and most obvious. They both agreed that they would help each other become the main contenders, even though currently the main contenders are Keith and Geordo.
Second is her alliance with Keith. He's hampered by being her brother but hopefully this would be a way to get her into the backdoor.
She's already spoken with Sora a number of times; Maria is neutral. There's no point asking Sophia.
There's a rustling in the courtyard. Mary's ears perk up. Quickly she hikes up her skirt and rushes forward.
Katarina is sitting on the lawn having a picnic. In front of her, Keith is blushing, holding out a fork of food.
"Ooh! That looks yummy! Let me try!" Katarina says, and she opens her mouth. "Ahhh!"
"I'll take that," Mary says, and she plucks the fork from Keith's hand.
"Oh, did you want to try it too, Mary?" Katarina says. Mary preens. Keith blushes and glares.
xXx
.
Nicol brings a bouquet of roses.
"Nope!" Mary intercepts. "Katarina is allergic!"
Alan brings a box of sweets.
"They're from both of us," Mary says, pushing in front of him and grabbing the box to give to her, smiling sweetly.
Maria brings a basket of freshly baked sweets.
Well. Maria is nice. Mary lets her.
xXx
.
"Mary Hunt," Geordo says. His smile is forced. "It's as if you're trying to keep me and my beloved from being alone."
His eyebrow twitches. Mary flicks open a fan, covering her mouth demurely.
"Oh ho~~, Prince Geordo. I simply wish to protect an innocent from getting defiled."
"Eh? Defiled? Who's getting defiled?" Katarina says. Geordo frowns.
"Thank you," Keith says, breathlessly, after Mary tags him in. "I couldn't get to the carriage in time - did he do anything?"
"Oh, he simply tried getting fresh with her, you know the usual. Trying to kiss her and whatnot. You really need to keep a better handle on your sister."
xXx
.
"You're one real tough lady, you know that?" Sora says, apropos of nothing. Mary frowns.
"Who said I was a lady?" Mary says, and Sora throws his head back and laughs.
"No," Sora says, grinning. "You're no lady."
Mary bristles. He has that look on him again, that stupid, sexy look he puts on when he's trying to show he's dangerous.
"Hey," Sora says again, as Mary keeps walking by him. She stops and turns.
"Good luck," Sora says. "One rival to another. I think you have a better chance than all the rest of us."
"And why is that?" Mary says. Sora shrugs.
"You're the only one of us who'd knee a prince in the balls."
xXx
.
"Ne, Mary?"
"What is it, Alan?"
"According to Katarina, you and I were in love in the original game."
"Yeah, hardly. You get romanced by Maria, while I fold like a wilting flower, crying over our ruined engagement while you and she get married."
"I can't imagine you as a wilting flower," Alan says. "I remember you being a lot more shy when we were younger. What changed?"
What did change? Mary frowns, thinking about it. "Katarina got me out of my shell, I think. No one liked me. I tried to be quiet and stay out of everybody's way. But then Katarina was kind to me, and I realized I could be myself to make friends."
Alan nods, looking out the window. "It's the same with me," he says. "I can't imagine you being a wilting flower. You're more like someone who'd cut their rival at the knees."
"If it gets down to the two of us, I'd go for the jugular, not your knees."
"What are you gonna do if she doesn't choose either of us?" Alan says. Mary considers.
"I guess we'll just get married."
"Yeah. I guess."
They fall silent, looking out the window.
"I'd be okay if you wanted to date someone else while we were married. Like if you wanted to have an affair with another lady," Alan says. Mary smirks.
"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing."
They laugh. Outside, the clouds move, letting a streak of sunlight peek through.