Trouble Looming

"My apologies for shoving you!" Even when she was surprised, Francessa still felt bad for shoving the poor woman on the floor. The appropriate behavior in such circumstances would be to have her restrained and escorted from the premises, not smacked down like an errant fly.

As the mystery woman fell onto the floor with a squeal, the liquid spilled onto the floor and bubbled suspiciously, as though eating through the floorboards.

Francessa stared blankly at the sight of the curdling liquid. Was this witchcraft? She quickly stared at the woman who quickly got up, all coy seductiveness gone from her face. Instead, her face was twisted with rage and she leapt on the bed with a snarl, hands outstretched, preparing to wrap fingers around her throat.

Francessa immediately leapt from the bed in a panic, dodging her hands. "Surely there must be some sort of misunderstanding! I apologize for shoving you, but there's no need for this overreaction! Please calm down!"

"Shut your mouth Jasper!" The woman shrieked in reply.

Jasper? This woman must have been confused to mistake her for a man. Surely her sickness and the poisoning didn't ruin her looks so much right?

If she had the time, she would have taken a good long look at the mirror and freaked out at the change. However, as she was trying hard to avoid strangulation, Francessa didn't have to realise that she was in a male body clad only in boxer shorts.

She grabbed the pillows and flung them at the angry woman, and then ran straight for the door with unsteady legs. Somehow, they felt a lot longer than she was used to, and she stumbled - and that was enough.

Before she could reach that last elusive step to freedom, she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head, and her world started to swirl. She slumped down on the floor, her bare knees slamming painfully on the floorboards with a loud thump.

"Why…help me…please…" she asked weakly, a hand reaching out for the woman, her sight blurring as she tried not to lose consciousness.

"Don't take it personally, Jasper," the woman panted as she put down the lampshade that was used to brain Jasper. "But don't blame me for giving the Crown Princess what she wants."

=====

Meanwhile, the real Jasper was still unleashing his tyranny all over the household. Sure, he should have been spending more time worrying about how to get back to his old body, but he wasn't the Crown Princess' most favored spy for nothing. He could roll with the punches life dealt him, even if one said punch was motherhood in a female body.

This was the first time he got to order household servants, and have them frantically obey his commands. As an illegitimate son, he was often at the mercy of servants and his father's lawful wife and legitimate children.

It felt good to be treated with respect. He smirked behind his fan. At his feet, Lilian was rolling on the floor like a dog. He knew stopping her would be the right thing to do, but the floors were already scrubbed clean. Let her have her fun.

"My lady! We have a visitor!" Mindy exclaimed as she hurriedly made her way to the drawing room, where her lady was sipping tea. Her daughter was pretending to be a worm.

"Oh?" Jasper said, lounging on his chair as he took another sip of tea. He was going to purchase a new sofa with better cushions. "Who is our guest?"

"It's Mr Jackal!" Mindy said, which explained nothing.

"I see," Jasper said, but he did not see. He had no idea who this Mr Jackal was, but surely he could play it by ear. "Send him in then."

"Mr Jackal is here?" Lilian asked, immediately getting up in excitement, clapping her hands. "Yay!"

Huh. His daughter liked this mysterious Mr Jackal, which is a point in his favor. There was no way any mother would let a child interact with someone unsavory. Jasper eyed Mr Jackal as he walked in. He was a handsome man in his twenties with tanned skin, and he was dressed smartly, with a clean pressed shirt and tie, paired with a brown coat.

"Lady Francessa!" He beamed at her delightedly, "I heard the news - I'm so glad you're well!

"Thank you," Jasper said demurely, pretending to look away coyly. It was best to play the part of a polite lady, until he could figure out just who Mr Jackal was to Francessa. Was he a suitor? "I see news travels fast."

"And hello Lady Lilian, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm happy because Mama is back," Lady Lilian said proudly. "Do you have cakes?"

"Lilian!" Jasper scolded in surprise.

"Of course I do!" Mr Jackal replied cheerfully, giving her a bag of small cupcakes from his coat pocket. Lilian eagerly took it with a big smile.

"Thank you Mr Jackal! You're the best!"

"You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble," Jasper said cautiously. Such beautiful cupcakes wouldn't have been cheap, and this Jackal didn't seem to be a titled lord that could easily splurge on such frivolities.

But still, he clearly bribed her daughter with food to end up in her good books. Suddenly his good opinion of him was dwindling fast.

"It's no trouble," he smiled at her, waving an errant hand at his objections. "Bianca loves making these treats for Lilian. And with your miraculous recovery, we have more reason to celebrate! She wanted to visit, but she's busy with the store."

"Still, it's too much trouble," Jasper said, mind whirling at the new name. Was Bianca his wife? His daughter? No matter what, he had to at least pretend to offer some form of reward. "Let me compensate you and Bianca for your time and effort."

"There's no need!" Mr Jackal hastily assured her. "After years of friendship and help that you've given me and Bianca, this is the least I could offer."

"If you are sure," Jasper replied, taking a look at Lilian who had a half-eaten cupcake in her hand and crumbs all over her face. She gave her a gummy smile..

"Mama, for you," Lilian said, brandishing the cupcake in his face. Crumbs dropped all over his dress.

Jasper looked at the spit-covered cupcake and shuddered internally. He wasn't going to eat the spit of some random child, even if she was very cute.

"It's Lilian, you can eat it all," Jasper said gently, and Lilian didn't need any more encouragement to stuff the rest into her face.

Mr Jackal blinked, puzzled. It was rare that Lady Francessa would let her daughter get away with such poor table manners, and she wouldn't have let her daughter eat a whole cupcake, because it would ruin her appetite for dinner.

How strange. But then maybe a near-death scenario had made her more lax.

"Lady Francessa, are you sure you're feeling fine?" Jackal asked. "We need to discuss the task you gave me."

Jasper stilled. What was Mr Jackal referring to?