The unedited fresh out the press chapter you've been looking for! I'm so sorry and this will be heavily edited later for now I hope you can enjoy Princess to Queen chapter 16!

Chapter 16
Pigs with Pearls

Sesshomaru nearly sighed as Kagura clung to his momoko in an effort to beguile him. He'd seen this tactic many times before and was getting annoyed with how freely she was touching him. So he turned the tables. Casually, while still talking business with his father and Naraku, he pulled her hands from his fur and played with them lightly in his own. The talons she called finger nails were colored and decorated with little diamonds and trinkets that would get caught in everything if she actually tried to do anything.

"What delicate fingers you have and the skin, so soft. One might think you'd never worked day in your life."

Kagura giggled and her talons tightened in his arm.
"Well one has to keep up appearances. No one wants to buy beauty from a beast I always say."

"I do remember hearing you were the beast in beauty."

"How dare you!"

"It is true. Your company has the best products the market has to offer."

"Oh you said... I thought-"

"Kagura," Sesshomaru leaned in covering her near impaling hand with his, before lifting it up and kissing it gently. "Tell me more about how you came to be so much of a royal."
And once she got started talking about herself Sesshomaru found he didn't have to say much was as Sesshomaru had expected. While she, and her family acknowledged that he was powerful Kagura could not help but feel superior because, for reasons unknown to her he was not the heir to his father's company. For that reason, she self concisely felt that she could control him in some way. She did not consider him any kind of threat and so she spoke freely, more freely than she would have had she considered him an equal. This suited Sesshomaru just fine. As much as he hated to admit it, arrogant people were easier to manipulate.

Kagura spoke of her plans to expand once they were married. She spoke of the mines she would buy the places they would go. As she continued she slowly forgot her shy act. She began to get more and more demanding and arrogant.
"Of course you'll have to ditch that school for peasants. Teaching is a job for the weak and the poor. We shall be neither my love. Anyway there are far too many girls there, hussies and mistresses in training. I will expect you to be loyal and what better way than to remove temptation."
Sesshomaru had reverted to saying hn every once in awhile to keep her going. Finally, she slipped. "Yes, I can see it now. The wedding can take place right after we take care of some business here."

"I thought we were your business here." Sesshomaru said further baiting her by then leaning slightly back and away from her.
"No! It's not that. You are our main business here we just have to find... An old employee who ran away with some money." She reached for him but Sesshomaru continued to act suspicious, lightly dodging her hands. "If this employee is so important why haven't you called the police?"

"We didn't want to cause a scandal. The employee stole an item that is very, personal to my family and we wanted to keep this as quiet as possible. I'm sure you can understand. Please Sessy. Don't be upset."
She grabbed for him again and this time he let himself he caught.
"Shall we offer assistance?"

"Oh no, that's quite alright-"

"I insist." He kissed her hand slowly. "An enemy of yours is an enemy of mine." He declared looking into her eyes."

"W-well I suppose."

"Good now tell me all you know about this runaway employee."

An hour later the arrogant, overbearing, Kagura was trapped in his web and she was thoroughly convinced he was in love and so was he. After they left, Inutashio gave a sigh of relief.
"You cut it close there Sesshomaru but I can see that you and Kagura really hit it off. Maybe now you'll listen to me more often."

"Hn."

And Sesshomaru headed home in a ball of light to think about what he'd learned. The story Kagura told him was that a jealous desperate employee stole an heirloom in an attempt to ransom it. When they realized they were outmatched they ran and the clan had been looking for them ever since. Until they got that item she could not be the official matriarch of the clan and was merely considered a place holder. So Sesshomaru had sweetly offered his sympathies and assistance in the matter. And then he distracted her with compliments until they'd left. Now the only question was how to bring them down.

Meanwhile, Rin was getting scolded by her father about safety and responsibility. He'd heard the wolf tribe didn't know where she was and so had been worried.

"They are there to protect you Rin! Why would you run off like that. I know it's been awhile since you've met but that is no excuse to avoid your fiance."

Rin opened her mouth to reply.

"Yes, yes I know he was a little mean when you were younger but little boys do that to girls they like. He's grown up now and you have to as well. So, because I want you to get to know him better and I heard she is in town and I need you to be safe. I'm sending you to the compound to stay with the wolves again tomorrow."

"Father, please just listen to me. I know you think Koga is safe but he's a cruel sadistic monster. He made sure you'd never know but he abused me physically and mentally as a child. He and his wolves would hunt me and when I couldn't Rin anymore they'd kill some pet I loved instead. They tried to break me, they did break me. I don't want to go back there father. We have someone else who can help protect us now. We don't need the wolves he's stronger than them. Please daddy give him a chance don't make me go back to the wolves."

The speech took a lot out of Rin finally telling her father after all these years holding in the trauma for so long. Her knees gave out and she buried her face in her hands.

"I-"

There was a crash, a scream, cries of pain and then silence. Chapter 16