The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 181: Not a Challenge to a Duel

Flicker obviously did not want to leave me alone with Aurelia.

Don't worry, I'm not going to tear out her heart, braise it, stick it on a skewer, and munch it while strolling through a market, I informed him at the same time that Aurelia said, "Have no fear, Flicker. I have no intention of doing any untoward to a soul in your care."

Neither my snark nor her gentle smile seemed to reassure him. He eyed both of us as he stood, smoothed his robes, and walked down to the lake, casting many a wary glance over his shoulder.

What does he think we're going to do? I asked, half-amused and half-exasperated. Get into a physical fight in the middle of a garden? Your pointy nails against my blobby appendages?

With an effort, I stretched out a piece of myself and waved.

"My starlight against your soul glow?" she suggested.

Silver light against black. What would that look like? Besides a crushing defeat for me, I meant. No way could a Black-Tier soul stand up to a star goddess.

"That was not a challenge to a duel, Piri," she warned, and the moment we'd shared was gone.

I would never have mistaken it as such, I replied with as much dignity as a floppy dome on a garden bench could muster. But you wished to speak to me, my lady? Perhaps it would be best to do so before his absence is noted?

The muscles under Aurelia's jaw worked. "Must you turn everything into a threat against those I love, Piri?"

I was scanning the garden, searching for a higher perch that would bring me to eye level with her. Inferring her facial expressions from the underside of her chin and the side of her jaw was not conducive to controlling this conversation. That was why it took several moments for her question to register.

A threat?

I wracked my memory. If I'd had eyelids, I'd have blinked multiple times in rapid succession to show how perplexed I was. When did I threaten her loved ones? (Recently, I meant.)

"Yes, a threat. You just threatened to expose Flicker, did you not?"

A tilt of her head indicated the clerk by the water's edge. His back was angled squarely at us, demonstrating just how hard he absolutely was not eavesdropping. It might have been more convincing if he hadn't been holding so still, as if the faintest rustle of fabric might cover our voices.

Oh, Flicker. You still have so much to learn.

I beg your pardon, my lady. I do not believe I threatened him. It was certainly not my intention to do so.

"Good. So long as we are understood on that point."

If I'd had arms, I'd have flung them up in frustration. This was why I'd always hated interacting with Aurelia. No matter what I did, she jumped to the worst possible conclusion. Compliment Cassia Prima's gown? I was making a veiled insult. Smile at Cassius Secundus? I was trying to seduce not only the father, but also the son. Take Cassia Quarta to the top of my pagoda so we could enjoy the view over the roofs of the capital? I was corrupting her, or plotting to push her over the railing, or planning to devour her as a mid-afternoon snack.

Sometimes – not always, I'd be the first to admit, but sometimes – a compliment was just a compliment. A smile was just a smile. And a tea party on top of a pagoda was just a way to entertain both myself and a rambunctious fox kit of a child.

I have no intention of harming Flicker, I told Aurelia, suddenly very tired. The raw ache of my barely-healed soul pulsed, and all I wanted to do was end this conversation and return to my box for a good, long rest. It's up to you whether you believe me, but if you keep us out too long, you're going to be the one who gets him in trouble.