Chapter 7: Six

The situation that Xavier was finding himself in should have been impossible. 

Being born in a poor rural village of the empire’s countryside, he grew up not knowing where the next meal will come from. An unprecedented drought in the year he turned twelve forced him to leave the village and find work as an errand-boy. 

That was when he met his benefactor—a master conman who took him in and taught him how to survive by exploiting other people’s weaknesses. Together, they travelled around the empire as mercenaries, earning their keep by accepting requests from anyone willing to hire them. When his master retired three years later, he continued his mercenary work alone until meeting Theo a year ago.

A conman like him would never dream of laying eyes on the royalty in person—much less being in the same room; breathing in the same air; and standing right in front of Her Highness. 

“I-” 

He tried to speak first, but his mind was too overwhelmed to form a coherent sentence on the spot. All this time, he had only caught glimpses of Princess Anastasia in painted portraits and heard of her from the mouths of others. He knew that she was beautiful; that she had her mother’s mesmerising lilac eyes which would sparkle with her gentle nature, and her father’s well-defined cheekbones that shaped the contours of her face perfectly. 

But seeing her peerless beauty in the flesh blew all his preconceptions out of the water. If the word ‘perfection’ had a personification, she would be it. Her milky-white flawless skin, a product of the sheltered life at the palace she had led up to now, contrasted pleasantly with her natural rose-coloured hair that fell to her shoulders in large curls adorned with embroidered white ribbons. The sparkling silver tiara above her smooth low forehead gave her a regal look, yet her slim, youthful body exuded an enchanting charm that captivated his soul. 

He forcibly swallowed his saliva and opened his mouth again, but was cut short by the ominous sound of approaching footsteps. 

Princess Anastasia also heard the footsteps and gave him a knowing smile. “You can hide under the dressing table if you don’t mind.” 

“...” Xavier didn’t waste another second and ducked beneath the small table, stuffing the excess cloth of his ball gown under his legs. 

“Please bear with it for a moment,” she whispered and pressed her legs against his beating chest, the underside of her midnight-blue gown blocking his view of the room. In such close proximity, the light fragrance of her perfume immediately filled the cramped space and wafted under his nose; the sultry undertones of rose were borderline intoxicating and he struggled to control his instinct to sneeze. 

A loud knock on the door punctuated the tense silence. 

“You may come in,” Princess Anastasia called out in a calm voice. 

The brass hinges of the door creaked quietly. “My sincere apologies, I didn’t know Your Highness is occupying this room at the moment. Please pardon my rude intrusion”

“Ah, Grand Duke, what honour do I have for your visit?” she replied meekly. 

The overpowering perfume lingering in the warm air was on the verge of making him gag. He carefully lifted a finger and jammed it against his nostrils, praying fervently for the man to leave as soon as possible.

“By any chance, did Your Highness hear any suspicious activity outside your room just now?” 

There was a slight uncomfortable pause after his question; Xavier could feel her shifting her legs nervously underneath her dress. He instinctively held her feet down for fear of being exposed accidentally, and she struggled to break free from his grip briefly before relenting.

“Suspicious activity?”  the princess finally spoke in a low voice. “I’m afraid I don’t understand your meaning.” 

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“...I see, then.” There was a hint of wariness in his voice, yet he turned around and opened the door again. “It’s nothing worth your concern, Your Highness. Please take care.”  

 

---

 

After the door closed shut, Princess Anastasia sat still for a few seconds before peeking under the table. “Mister, are you alive??” 

“...” Xavier crawled out of his hiding space like a pitiful bug and stumbled to his feet. “T-t-thank you, Your Highness.” 

“You’re welcome.” She flashed him a grin. “And you dropped this, Mister.” 

He stared agape at the blonde hair wig she had picked up from the floor and touched his head—it had indeed returned to his normal hair. 

This is beyond embarrassing. He had never felt such a strong urge to dig a hole in the ground and burrow himself away from the princess in that instant. 

“So you’re the one after the crown jewels?” she asked curiously, as if she had already seen through him. “No, it can’t be just you…if you don’t mind telling me, how many people are with you right now?” 

“...t-two,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Hmm, I was expecting more people than that, but it seems like you’re professionals at your trade.” She stood up and approached him slowly. 

Though he was physically taller and stronger than her, Xavier felt compelled to freeze in his spot. Her eyes met his squarely, and he instinctively felt a chill run down his spine. 

“Don’t move.” Her breath brushed his neck and her soft lips brushed his ear. Tip-toeing, she carefully set the wig in place atop his head, much to his surprise and bewilderment

“Your Highness, what are you...” 

“Listen.” She lowered her voice to a gentle whisper. “There are four guards stationed at the royal safe, two outside and two inside. Upon receiving the instruction, the two guards inside will bring out the crown jewels in one covered trolley and lower them down the dumbwaiter lift while the two guards outside move to the second floor to receive them. You have, I would say, fifteen seconds between the crown jewels reaching the second floor and the guards arriving.”

He shifted his gaze to the side. “...why are you telling me this?” 

“I’m interested to see whether two mere thieves can make off with the empire’s most precious treasure tonight, that’s all.” Princess Anastasia finished fixing his wig and stepped back with an amused smile on her face. “My servant will be here soon, so you should leave now. I wish you and your partner all the very best.”    

 

 

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