Chapter 16
Regret of a princess:
I want to know what I am heading in to.
For if I do not, I am weak.
But sometimes my perseverance bites me in my Fae damned ass.
I should have done nothing.
Irushed to the desk at the end of the room and started rifling through his drawers, my eyes devouring all that I could find. “Start snooping, Your Royal Highness. We do not have all day.”
Queen Alora snorted but walked to the open shelving behind me. “We are going to detain him for information, Princess Trixie. There is no real need to…snoop. He will tell us all he knows shortly.”
I waded through reams of paper, grumbling, “It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. It may help if he tries to lie to us.”
“I am sure you remember what the troll looked like.” She sighed long and hard. “Believe me, he will talk.”
Pausing in my search, I looked back at her over my shoulder. “So we are simply going to torture everyone?”
“Hopefully, he is intelligent enough not to resist.” The Queen of Merfolk picked up a small figurine off the top shelf and examined it. “He is a successful business entrepreneur. I do not think he is unwise. There may be hope we will not have to.”
I sighed and dropped the ledgers I held and walked to the small closet. “You are all extremely vexing individuals.” I opened the closet door wide and scanned the contents. A black, fur coat hung in the corner, the newest and shiniest item inside the cramped space. I quickly checked its pockets and found coin but nothing else. I pushed it aside and inspected the back of the wall, only seeing more coral, before straightening back up and staring at that flashy coat once more. “This merfolk is extremely vain.”
“We already know that,” Queen Alora mumbled absently, while she…pocketed the figurine she had been looking at.
I pulled the coat off its hook and showed it to her. “Have you ever seen such a shiny, black coat before? He would look utterly silly in this.”
The Merfolk Queen snorted, eyeing the offending item. “Yes, I would have to agree. That is a bit much.”
“It is soft, though.” I petted the black fur gently. “At least, it would be comfortable.”
The door opened suddenly.
And the star entered his office, still in his show attire.
I quickly hid the coat behind my back, even though it was too late. The merfolk would know we had been going through his possessions considering where we were standing in his office.
Jeremiah stared at the two of us, his attention ticking back and forth. His lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in here?”
Queen Alora stepped around his desk and stated evenly, “We have come to talk with you, Jeremiah. We have questions we would appreciate having answered.”
As unobtrusively as I could, I slid my foot back and kicked the closet door shut as best I could.
Of course, itbangedclosed.
I bit my lower lip with my fangs.
That did not work out as planned. Unfortunately so.
His gaze slammed onto mine. “Really? Who are you?”
Queen Alora moved in front of me, cutting off his gaze. “That is unimportant right now. But if you would, I’d like for us to take a walk together so we may discuss an issue we are having.”
I leaned back against the closet and waited.
This was not going to go well. She had to know that.
