cunning heroine

Outfits? Done. Decorations? Set up. Materials? All laid out neatly in the classroom, waiting to bring the Maid Café to life.

The only thing left? The food.

"So," Claire clapped her hands together, looking around at the group. "Who's up to get the pastries, drinks, and maybe some extra treats?"

"I have to take care of some final things for the Gardening Club," Lillian said, smiling apologetically. "Tessa's helping me, so we can't go."

"My drama club needs me," Camille added with a shrug. "I've been putting off their script rehearsals for the festival, and if I leave them alone any longer, they might set something on fire."

I blinked. "That's… oddly specific."

"They are dramatic," Camille admitted, smirking.

"Alright, enough with the excuses." Diana's voice cut through the conversation like silk laced with steel. She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, looking far too pleased with herself. "Why don't I just go with Sera? It's about time I got some alone time with her anyway."

I turned to look at her—big mistake.

Diana's emerald-green eyes met mine, sharp and knowing, filled with that unreadable glint of amusement she always carried. The same eyes that had probably won countless negotiations and definitely seen through more lies than I could count. The manipulative and cunning heroine herself.

Nope.

Claire, completely ignoring my internal panic, tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Your family owns a café, right? Do they sell pastries?"

"Of course," Diana replied smoothly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Who do you think designed our café? Obviously me, the brains behind the success."

Claire chuckled. "Alright, that settles it."

I held up a hand, trying to insert some level of personal choice into this. "Where's my opinion in this?"

Before I could protest further, Diana had already linked her arm around mine, pulling me in with that all-too-confident smirk of hers.

"Do you really not want to go?" she purred, tilting her head slightly. "Because if not… I'll just have to make you do something else for me later."

Oh no.

I stiffened, my brain already spiraling into worst-case scenarios. Knowing Diana, whatever alternative she had in mind was way worse than going on a simple errand run with her.

She's bluffing. She's totally bluffing…

Then she batted her eyelashes—BAT her EYELASHES.

My heart skipped a beat.

"F-Fine," I blurted out quickly, looking away to avoid further damage to my dignity.

Diana grinned like she had just won a high-stakes gamble. Which, to be fair, she had.

"That's my good girl," she purred, and my soul nearly left my body.

I could practically hear my dignity crumbling into dust.

What did I just get myself into?

Before I could even process my life choices, Claire waved us off with an exaggerated sigh. "Alright, alright. Enough flirting."

I choked on air. "W-We weren't—!"

"Yes, yes, sure you weren't." Claire smirked, looking entirely too entertained. "Just go already and bring back good stuff, okay? No slacking off, no secret rendezvous, no scheming world domination."

Diana placed a hand over her chest, feigning offense. "Why, Claire, I'm hurt. I would never."

I gave her a flat look. "That's a lie and you know it."

Camille chuckled, adjusting the frills of her maid outfit. "Just don't let her convince you to buy the entire café, Sera. You know how Diana is."

"That was one time," Diana muttered under her breath. "And it was a good investment."

I sighed, knowing there was no escape from this now. "Let's just go."

With a final round of knowing smiles from the group, Diana and I left, the door closing behind us. As soon as we stepped out into the crisp afternoon air, I felt an odd sense of doom settle over me.

This was not going to be a normal errand run.

Soon enough, we were walking arm in arm through the bustling streets of Fiore—like a married couple out for an afternoon date.

Which was exactly the problem.

I glanced around, noticing the subtle but undeniable stares being thrown our way. Some people whispered behind their hands, others merely raised their brows, but either way, I felt very aware of how close Diana was to me.

"Say…" I muttered, attempting to shift slightly—only for her grip to tighten. "We're getting quite a few looks."

Diana hummed, entirely unbothered. "Are we?"

"Yes," I hissed. "And you're really close."

She shot me a smug grin. "So?"

"So?" I repeated incredulously. "I dunno, maybe because we're still in our academy uniforms, and this entire city knows our school is full of nobility and powerful magic users?"

Diana shrugged. "And?"

And?!

I groaned, resisting the urge to smack my forehead. "I don't know, maybe the fact that you're holding me so intimately like this is causing a bit of a spectacle?!"

Her grin widened, clearly enjoying my suffering. "Let them look." She leaned in, her voice turning just the slightest bit sultry. "I can be as close to you as I want. They can watch all they want. Because, in the end…"

I shivered as her breath tickled my ear.

"…I'm the one who has you wrapped around my finger. Or, well, my arm, you could say."

My brain short-circuited.

I froze, my cheeks instantly heating up. Words? What were those? Language? Never heard of it.

Diana chuckled at my reaction, her grip on my arm tightening as she pulled me even closer. "Hmm? No witty retort, Sera?"

I struggled to form an actual response.

"I—You—Just—" I cleared my throat, choosing to ignore the way my heart was beating too fast for comfort. "Can we just focus on the errand?"

Diana sighed dramatically, as if I had just deprived her of the most fun she's had all week.

"Fine, fine," she relented, though her smirk never faded. "By the way, you never asked me what the name of my family's café is."

"Oh, right." I seized the opportunity to change the subject, desperate for anything else to focus on. "What's it called?"

Diana's lips curled in pride. "It's called The Velvet Petal."

I stopped in my tracks.

Hold on.

"EH?!" I practically choked on my own breath, staring at Diana like she'd just told me she personally built the entire city of Fiore with her bare hands. "Wait, wait, wait. Your family owns The Velvet Petal?!"

Diana's smirk only widened, her eyes twinkling with obvious amusement. "Surprised?"

"That's an understatement!" I exclaimed, still struggling to process this new revelation. The Velvet Petal. The same Velvet Petal I had just visited with Lillian. The cozy, elegant, ridiculously charming café that had practically oozed romance.

Oh.

Oh no.

Lillian had definitely known about this.

I suddenly recalled the way she had smiled knowingly when she'd suggested we go inside. Had she planned for us to have our date there—Diana's family's café?

I felt betrayed.

And, worse yet, I could already see the moment Diana put two and two together.

Her gaze sharpened, flickering with intrigue. "Oh?" she hummed, tilting her head. "You know the place?"

I immediately looked away. "I mean—uh—who doesn't know it? It's famous."

Diana's smirk grew even more dangerous. "Oh, sure, sure. But…" She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You're telling me you've never been there before?"

I gulped. "I… may have."

She raised an eyebrow, waiting.

I gave her a weak smile. "…Once."

Her eyes glinted. "With who?"

I froze.

"Oh. Ohhh." Diana grinned like a cat who had just caught a canary. "Wait a second. You're telling me…" She gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "You went to my café. With Lillian. On your date."

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

"I—it wasn't intentional!" I sputtered, my face flaming. "She suggested it! I didn't know it was your café!"

Diana let out a low chuckle, and it was the kind of chuckle that sent warning bells blaring in my head. "Well, well," she murmured, tapping her chin. "How fascinating."

I groaned, realizing I had just given her ammo to torture me with forever.

This was bad.

Very, very bad.

The moment we stepped into The Velvet Petal, I felt a new kind of panic settle deep in my bones.

I had barely recovered from the embarrassing realization that I had unknowingly taken Lillian on a date to Diana's family café, and now here I was—standing beside the cunning Student Council Vice President, who was definitely going to use this knowledge against me at some point.

As if to drive the point home, one of the café's managers—an older gentleman with a polished uniform and an air of practiced elegance—immediately stepped forward and gave a low, respectful bow.

"Lady Diana."

I stiffened.

Oh. Oh. So this was real. She actually owned the place.

Diana gave me a side glance, clearly enjoying the shock still plastered all over my face. "What? Did you think I was lying?" she teased, her lips curling into a smug smile.

I ignored her, crossing my arms and muttering under my breath, "I was kind of hoping."

The manager, seemingly used to Diana's antics, straightened and folded his hands behind his back. "Welcome back, my lady. What brings you here today?"

Diana waved a careless hand. "No need for the formalities," she said, her voice effortlessly authoritative. "I need a bulk order of pastries, drinks, and anything else that could be useful for our academy's festival. Enough to supply a fully functioning café stall."

The manager nodded once, all business. "Understood. Shall I prepare a sample selection for you to review?"

Diana glanced at me, her grin turning sharp. "Oh, actually, that would be perfect. Sera here just happens to be an expert in taste-testing, isn't that right?"

I narrowed my eyes. "That's not a thing."

She gave me an innocent look. "Sure it is. And, since you've already dined here before with a certain princess, I trust your opinion."

I almost choked. She was never going to let this go.

The manager, blissfully unaware of my suffering, simply nodded. "I will have the chefs prepare an assortment of our finest pastries and drinks. Please, have a seat while you wait."

Before I could protest, Diana looped her arm through mine and effortlessly led me toward one of the private booths by the window. "Come now, my dear Sera," she cooed, clearly entertained by my misery. "Let's make this feel like a proper date."

I nearly tripped.

"It's NOT a date!" I hissed, attempting to pull away, but her grip was ironclad.

"Hmm," she hummed, ignoring me as she sat us both down. "If you say so. But I can't help but wonder… if you looked this flustered when Lillian brought you here?"

I groaned, burying my face in my hands.