Lupine's Diamond (girlxgirl)

Chapter Four

The tea was good, Freya had to admit. The chefs and cooks that the Ambermores hired were certainly very good at what they did, even if this was only a cup of leaf water. The chefs had also sent her with a couple of simple desserts which she believed was called 'high tea'. Freya was particularly a fan of what Victoria had called a berry tartlet, which she explained to be a smaller tart, though the exact same in terms of flavour.

These particular tartlets were blueberry flavoured, and practically melting in Freya's mouth. After so many years without her aunt's tarts, Freya had forgotten just how good they could be. Victoria however didn't seem to be eating much. She sipped her tea thoughtfully and watched Freya with intrigue.

"Why the necklace of all things?" Victoria asked suddenly.

Freya knew that she had to lie. There was no way that she was going to tell Victoria about Corvus and the Kingdom. It was bad enough that she knew her alias, but it would only become worse if she found out Naja's alias and all about the Kingdom and its many clients.

"It's worth a lot," Freya replied simply, thinking on her feet.

"I thought you said that you didn't want fortune," Victoria countered.

Freya cursed mentally. "I don't, but if I can sell it I can..." she thought quickly, then remembered her excuse at the party. "...Pay for my mother's medical bills."

Victoria was silent for a moment while she processed this newfound information. Newfound by Freya's guess at least. Knowing Victoria, she was just going to wait for Freya to slip her last name and she'd suddenly have records of every speeding ticket to doctor's appointment that Freya had ever received. That, or she already knew exactly who Freya was and was simply acting like she knew nothing. Knowing Victoria, it was most likely the latter.

"Your mother," Victoria responded thoughtfully. "I see...what's her name?"

Dammit. "Juliana," she said after a moment, choosing to use her mum's name before she could think of another one. "What does it matter anyway. I'm just some stupid thief."

Silence filled the room as suddenly as Freya ceased speaking. Freya found the silence deafening. Victoria seemed to be formulating a response, though with great difficulty. She had to be stupid if she hadn't taken two seconds to make sure she wasn't followed. Only someone lacking intelligence would forget the first rule of being a thief. She wasn't new to the industry by any means; only new to the Kingdom. She was sloppy and was too confident. Her ego needed to be knocked down a couple pegs, and Victoria had done that flawlessly.

Freya got up from her chair. "Is there anything else you need, Ms. Ambermore?" she asked.

"I...no," Victoria said.

"Then I will return these—" she picked up the plate of desserts and both teacups. "—To the kitchen. Does Ms. Ambermore have any more questions?" The last statement came out as a sneer, though Freya did not intend it.

"No,"

"Good. Enjoy your day, Ms. Ambermore."

---

Freya stood in the supply closet while Naja spoke with Corvus. Naja was on the phone with him of course, while Freya stood awkwardly--back in her Élaine disguise of course--trying to act as if she wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. Freya was only able to hear Naja, but from the sound of it, the discussion was becoming very heated. From the bit that Freya had heard and actually understood, Naja was demanding that Corvus at least give them some time frame for when their prize was arriving.

"It would make the job that much easier," Naja was saying. "If we knew when to expect it, then we would have adequate time to prepare. None of this beating around the bush, not knowing if we'll be here for two days or six months. Something Corvus." Naja was silent while Corvus responded. Judging by her scowl, she didn't like what he had to say. "So what? How does that affect this job? So you haven't kept her in the loop, but that doesn't stop you from telling me when it'll all be finalized!" Naja waited for him to respond again, before letting out a huff. "He wants to speak with you." she told Freya, passing her the phone.

"Lupine," Corvus said, his voice gravely through the phone.

"Corvus," she responded.

"I take it you also want to know when your prize will be arriving?"

"That is correct, sir," she responded, hiding her eagerness.

He paused for a moment. "I'll contact Naja in one week.No less, no more. Be there Lupine, I mean it. I will not be passing on this information twice."

"I understand, Corvus,"

"Good, now put Naja on the line,"

She silently passed the phone to Naja, feeling defeated. Despite how many times she'd scored a prize for the Kingdom, he still didn't trust her. There was a reason that something as simple as giving out her alias one time was enough to make him demote her, and have Naja handle all the information, along with the burner phone. Sure, she was the youngest of the group, but that shouldn't mean anything. She had succeeded and failed just as much as the other members, and yet she always received stricter punishment. While she had been brooding, Naja had finished the call with Corvus and was looking at Freya with a look of pity, as if she knew something Freya didn't.

"Let's get on with it then," Naja said briskly, the look she had been giving Freya shattering and floating away like a feather on a breeze. "Ambermores are hosting another party and we are to clean this house from top to bottom before they get here."

They left the closet and hurried to fetch their supplies for the dining room. While it was Naja's turn to mop the floor, Freya was to polish the table and silverware; and what a task it was. The table was at the very least four to five metres long, while each place setting had three plates, two bowls, three forks, two spoons, and one knife. There were twelve of this place settings, each requiring to be organized and provided with a serviette. It was not a task for the faint of heart. Thankfully, Freya was never one to back down from a challenge. 

The image in this chapter's banner is some art done by [someone. The tag did not stick, so I do not know who you are. Please tell me if this is yours and I will update it with your tag]. Thank you so much for your fan art! It is very well done. 

Hope this chapter was enjoyable! It went through quite a bit of editing before I posted it, so I do apologize if there are any issue on that end. Please comment any fixes or inconsistencies.

~Alley