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wlw-lovestruck-fiction · 1 year

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Ruelle covertly (or not so covertly) ruining Vo’s day (by which i mean life) whenever Piama is upset by Vo overlooking her or treating her like crap. Then returns to Piama and pretends nothing happened and what do you mean it isn’t my fault that happened and gets some tsundere fluffing? With or without MC in the relationship as well (can decide if poly or just ruelle x piama)

Written by: Squirrel

Being invisible has its perks. Ruelle has never taken this for granted. Albeit wanting to disappear from a situation or not be seen due to her introverted nature, her ability to vanish from sight has always been a blessing. But never before has it been used so nefariously. Not even in mistress Xenia’s most devious schemes.

Ruelle had been sent to find MC. She found the queen in her chamber with Piama who was trying, and failing, to explain that she hadn’t been crying. With her usual civility and good nature MC let the obvious charade go and instead focused on soothing her friend. Meanwhile, Ruelle took careful note of Piama’s every word.

Second only to Xenia’s, Ruelle’s mind is like a steel trap. What she hears she can recite word for word. Unfortunately for lady Vo.

Galen looks from Ruelle to the box as Mako personally, carefully unloads it. It’s a rare day when the quartermaster is so quiet and cautious. The starseeker looks at the box, then at the princess, “You’ll need to put them somewhere cold before they wake up, smoke doesn’t keep them calm.”

“I know,” Ruelle replies.

Curiosity killed the cat, not the pirate. Galen pockets the coin just in case Ruelle has any second thoughts, “What are these bees for, dare I ask?”

“I never mentioned bees. You never sold any bees. Bees never came through her majesty’s port. That’s why I paid you double,” Ruelle says grimly. Upon remembering her plan, however, she smirks just a little, “You’ll hear about it. Give it a couple of days.”

“Hopefully not at your funeral.”

The following morning Ruelle is sitting at breakfast with MC, Amara, and Lyris. Piama comes in looking rather frenzied. She takes her seat and Lyris pours her favorite tea.

“Good morning.”

“Not for Vo it isn’t. She was attacked by a horde of mountain bees yesterday evening,” Piama says. Her expression is strange because it is a perfect border between being appropriately delighted the old woman got what she deserved and upholding appearances that her aunt is bedridden for the foreseeable future.

MC grimaces, “Mountain bees are wicked. Do they come to Lysende often?”

“Not unless they are brought here,” Amara remarks, “I’ve been trying to trace their origins since last night with no success.”

Ruelle feels eyes on her. Sure enough Lyris is looking at her out of the corner of his eye. It is no accident that she’s at breakfast with them this morning. Usually the autumn princess is deeply engrossed in running errands for the spy mistress. Lyris isn’t stupid. He sees the correlation. Everyone else is simply too blinded by concern, not for Vo’s welfare, for the safety of the rest of the population.

“Who else was hurt?”

Piama has to finish chewing a bite of pastry, “That’s what’s so odd! Only aunt Vo was attacked. Everyone else was fine.”

“Gideon determined her dress had been sprayed with a honey perfume. No one would have detected it but the bees,” Amara chimes in.

“How odd. Ruelle, don't you wear honey perfume?” Lyris smirks, tossing a very pointed look in her direction. Ruelle doesn’t so much as flinch. She rolls her eyes, “I don’t wear perfume. What’s the point of being invisible if they can smell you from across the corridor?”

So the mystery of the mountain bees was never solved. But more importantly, Vo never learned.

They’d courted. Dated. Kissed. But that had all lead up to one thing: the end. Piama had determined they weren’t meant to be. Something Ruelle respected, with much effort and agonizing. The twinges in her chest aren’t ghosts haunting her. It feels too familiar knocking on Piama’s door the night of some fancy event for spring.

“Piama?”

The door opens just a crack. Piama huffs, “What do you want?”

It’s a mood and a tone no one knows better. Ruelle gently leans her hand on the door. It’s gentle enough Piama could easily hold her back but the same pressure lets the princess know Ruelle wants to be let in. The door swings open just enough for Ruelle to slip inside.

There is no dress laid out on the bed. The balcony doors are open and there’s a multitude of papers and books on the bedspread. Some of which Piama hastily turns over so they can’t be read. Ruelle can’t help her rugged smile knowing full well what they are.

“What are you doing up here alone? There’s some fancy shmancy to do in spring-”

“Vo didn’t invite me.”

“Okay-”

“No Ruelle. It’s not like autumn where everyone just shows up anyway because there’s only a few of you. Unless you were invited you don’t show up to spring events. You look desperate and uncooth.”

Like a match on kerosene Ruelle’s sense of justice is burning again. But she suppresses her wicked imagination for now.

“Put on the dress you would have worn. Fix your face and your hair, however you think it looks pretty. I’ll be back in about an hour.”

Piama squints at her, “Why? What are you planning?”

Ruelle pauses on her way out, “You couldn’t have gone to Vo’s thing because you are attending a very important, private date with a suitor who shall remain nameless. I’m off to find a potion and Sevastian and we’re going to make sure everybody knows about it.”

Once Ruelle is gone Piama bites her thumb. She looks at the poetry she’d been pondering and unfortunately it all seems quite clear. She’d been so bored she was organizing her poetry, some of it safe for mixed company some of it not. But one common strand connected all of it. It all conjured the same welling of emotion and mental imagery.

Before, Piama hadn’t been able to work it out. She just couldn’t put her finger on who it was her heart was pining for. A tall dark stranger had never been her type. But, Ruelle isn’t a stranger and she’s not all that tall.

In the morning Ruelle doesn’t appear at breakfast. She doesn’t want it to become obvious. She’s fairly sure Galen, Lyris, and Sevastian are onto her as it is but being the good friends of Piama that they are, they've been enjoying playing their parts.

Instead Ruelle remains invisible nearby enjoying the idle chatter with a bittersweet smile. She’d told Piama the person she was with all evening was Sevastian who had consumed a potion to appear as someone else. In reality Sevastian was predisposed so it had been her. Of course she’s not about to disturb Piama so the painful truth will only plague her.

Chatter fades to silence as lady Vo makes her way over.

“Good morning.”

It was, Ruelle thinks to herself.

“Good morning.”

“Piama, may I speak to you?” Vo seems passably civil. That’s as close to pleasant as she gets without being overtly sickeningly sweet.

The two leave and Ruelle follows. They aren’t fully out of earshot when Vo turns on her niece.

“Do you think you’re clever? Making up a ruse about some suitor?”

“I was with someone all night-”

“Wonderful! Just what I need, my niece not only being a fool but an easy one at that,” Vo hisses, “I did not invite you because I needed you at home not making a disgrace of our family.”

Piama’s face is red hot with anger. Her hands ball into fists full of her skirt, “I was dancing with them all night. They went to my door and no further. Guards saw us-”

“Yes, so did Duchess Luana. It was no one important, just one of your friends in disguise. Honestly, are you trying to make yourself as unattractive as possible?”

Footsteps grow closer, quickly. Ruelle has to put effort into making noise she’s so accustomed to moving silently. As soon as she rounds the bookshelf Vo looks completely composed as if she wasn’t spitting venom just moments ago.

“Speak of the devil-”

“And she’s already here,” Ruelle cuts Vo off, “Her majesty is summoning you both.”

As they round the corner the hate Vo was just spitting is nothing compared to the collective loathing of every person at brunch. That collective loathing is nothing compared to the cavernous pit of animosity that is growing ever deeper within Ruelle.

Piama is sadly accustomed to this. What would have any other spring princess in tears, Piama proudly shrugs off and hides just how hurt she really is. But her friends can see it. They can see it in the little tilt of her eyebrows when she tries to smile and the way her mouth becomes narrower as she fights back tears. Her hands clasp together and her posture becomes absolutely perfect, for a time.

At dinner Amara makes her way to the table.

“What is it Amara?”

“Lady Vo has been poisoned.”

“Oh no-”

“It’s nothing fatal, just uncomfortable,” Amara hesitates, “She’s coughing up frogs.”

“Frogs?” MC asks. Meanwhile Lyris grabs for a drink to hide his smile. Sevastian doesn’t care and smirks openly.

The captain of the guard nods, “And the occasional snake. Again, nothing dangerous just unusual. Gideon is scrambling for a cure.”

“It sounds magical.”

“He thinks your magic might be able to help.”

MC doesn’t want to help. Objectively spring and Altadellys might be better off without Vo but MC is the queen. She can’t be making that harsh a judgement. She doesn’t want to be known for being ruthless. So she’ll heal the old woman and advise her to speak less. That is how Vo seems to do her worst damage.

Slipping away nonchalantly Piama makes her way to mistress Xenia’s door. She shudders but knocks anyway. The spymistress cocks her head slightly when she opens the door, “Princess Piama. How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Ruelle.”

“It just so happens I am as well. If I find her you’ll be the first to know.”

Piama goes to her room and ties a ribbon to the balcony window. It’s an old method of communication they used to use. In mere minutes, Ruelle is climbing in with the ribbon in hand.

“What’s wrong?” Different colors mean different things. Pink is the utmost urgent and usually a safety issue.

Closing the balcony doors Piama pins Ruelle with her eyes, “You’ve been poisoning Vo.”

“Why would I do that?”

“She’s been particularly unpleasant lately. But that’s nothing new, it’s just what she does sometimes. She’ll stop-” Piama cuts herself off, “Don’t try to change the subject. I know it’s you.”

Ruelle sets the ribbon on Piama’s vanity and sits on the end of her bed with a smirk, “You have proof?”

Frost that smile, Piama fights not to bite her lip. She can’t help how flustered she gets and nobody does that better than Ruelle.

“When we were younger you said if you ever really hated anybody you’d make them cough up frogs. It was one of the first spells you ever learned. Now Vo is coughing up frogs.”

“Don’t forget snakes.”

“It is you!”

“I deny everything. Mistress Xenia can attest to it, plenty of people can conjure up that sort of trick. Besides, if I did then you’re suggesting I’m doing it to defend you,” Ruelle stands, “And you don’t need defending flower power. Your bark is just as bad as your bite.”

Piama’s whole face flushes in a mix of emotions too complex to pick apart even if she had time. She points at Ruelle accusingly only to have the autumn princess chuckle softly. On her way back to the balcony Ruelle touches Piama’s cheek, “Don’t worry, I’m sure when Vo learns to be sweeter she’ll stop coughing up frogs.”

“That won’t happen-!”

But when Piama turns, Ruelle is gone and the balcony door is open. All that’s left is a tattered purple ribbon tied to the door handle. One that Ruelle has obviously held onto for some time. The thought makes Piama’s stomach flutter, and her heart warm.

#answered #anonymous #women of lovestruck #lovestruck #reigning passions #ruelle of autumn #piama of spring #ruelle x piama #fluff #light angst #fluffy angst #miscellaneous monday

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