Rimelion: The Exploiter

"Can we go now?!" Lisa squealed, her voice brimming with excitement. It might've been adorable—if I wasn't currently being smothered.

I mumbled something in protest, but let's be honest, I wasn't putting much effort into it. I had... two good reasons to let it slide.

"This conduct directly violates imperial protocol!" the attaché declared, his voice crisp and authoritative. "Such behavior toward nobility constitutes a grave breach of court etiquette. The Imperial Court expects representatives to maintain decorum at all times, regardless of circumstances."

At his outburst, Lisa loosened her hold just enough for me to breathe again, her head tilting in confusion as she glanced at him. "What's wrong?" she asked, blinking innocently.

I had to fight back a grin as I finally got a proper look at her. She was wearing a fiery red mage outfit that looked like it was designed for a battle and a catwalk. The plunging neckline, the high-cut sides, the long thigh-high boots—sorry, I mean fire boots—screamed sexy.

Thanks, game.

The attaché, however, was having none of it. His face turned a shade of red that almost matched Lisa's outfit, and he trembled as he pointed a shaky finger at her. "This is no way to treat imperial nobles!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the room barely reacted.

Lola was scribbling notes like she was oblivious to the chaos, Lucas was engrossed in rearranging the map pieces, and Mila? Mila just glared at the Lucas like he was considering making him the map's next casualty.

Lisa cocked her head and released me entirely. Then, with a sudden shift into serious mode, she dropped into the most elegant bow I'd seen all day. "I apologize, esteemed lord," she said, her voice full of exaggerated sincerity. It was fake politeness, but damn, she sold it. "My behavior is inexcusable, but I will correct it at once."

The attaché froze. "The bow is acknowledged, though it scarcely mitigates the earlier impropriety," he stated, his tone clinical and precise. "A full report of this incident will be dispatched to the Imperial Court for formal review."

Meanwhile, I straightened up, brushing myself off and trying to regain a shred of dignity. "I'm sorry, Lisa," I said, clearing my throat. "The teleport will be ready tomorrow evening."

But, of course, Mr. Fancy Clothes couldn't resist jumping in. "No, the teleport will be ready around tomorrow afternoon," he corrected, puffing himself up like a rooster announcing dawn.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Ah, I wasn't talking about that," I said, turning to Lisa with a small smile. "I meant my personal one." As I shrugged, I gave her a playful wink. "I promised to bring her to a powerful... let's say mage."

Lisa's face lit up like me at the Patrick's. She nodded enthusiastically, practically vibrating with happiness. "Yay! Thank you, cute princess!" she chirped, clasping her hands together.

"Personal teleport?" Mila asked. His gaze narrowed slightly, as if calculating the potential. "It would be advantageous."

Oh, yeah, it would. Too bad the Prince was sleeping like he just ran a marathon and only three times a day. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the door swung open, and Katherine sauntered in, her presence as subtle as a meteor strike.

"Ahoj, people!" she called out, her voice bright and cheerful.

The attaché mumbled something under his breath—probably another complaint about decorum—while Lucas immediately yelled his usual over-the-top greeting and moved a horse-shaped figure on the map. Mila, the disciplinarian, promptly plucked it off and put it back outside the map boundary without so much as a glance at Lucas.