Clarissa Beheads The Villainess

[16] Loathed Princess

  
"Wake up, I made breakfast." Josie knocks on the door. A few more knocks and Clarissa finally rolls out of the bed feeling the stiffest she's ever been.

She drags her feet to the door, the rat has already left by the time she opens it. Having to use the toilet first, Clarissa ends up back in her room moving like a sloth.

Taking her time, she brushes her teeth and combs her long hair. Then she puts it into a single braid, leaving a thin portion out by each side of her face.

During missions she'd usually do her hair like this, it wasn't till now she found the reason to do so.

Now with the morning grogginess having worn off, the floorboards greet her nimble and quick footsteps to where breakfast awaited. Astaroth already finished and was just sitting there.

"Good morning Clarissa."

"Morning." She greets him and sits down. A stack of buttery pancakes with a glaze of honey immediately started making its way down her throat and to her stomach.

Watching her eat he sucks his stomach in to ask with rushing hesitation. "Did I upset you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

She nods her head.

Astaroth made an unsatisfied expression, curling his lips inward and then slouching against the chair that wobbled as he did so. "We'll leave right after breakfast."

"You got a plan?"

"I know the inside of the castle a bit, I should be able to get us around without getting caught."

"The Princess enjoys taking afternoon strolls outside of the Golden castle to bully commoners. Want to make a bet that she'll show up today?" Clarissa takes the last bite left from her breakfast.

"How are we supposed to find her in these places?"

"The crowd. People hide when she shows up."

"Why not provoke her? She'll surely show up then." Josie shows up with another rat. "This little rat is one of our spies, write a note and it'll be brought to the castle."

She scurries off and returns with a small notepad and pen.

"Write something you think an angry fellow would say to the princess."

Clarissa snatches the pen excitedly, writing down— 'Princess Freya is royalty scum and deserves to be treated lower than a maggot'

"That'll definitely get her gears turning." Astaroth approves.

She still has her suspicions with Freya's case. But it didn't really matter, whoever she is, she's still the face of the person that took away her Peanut.

The rat at Josie's side takes the note and runs off.

"Now you two are free to do whatever for a little while. It shouldn't take long for that note to get to the princess."

"Thank you." Clarissa slides her chair backwards and gets up, so does Astaroth.

"Do you want to roam around outside?" He asks her.

"Yes."

"Good. Better than you two sitting here doing nothing, I'm already tired of your faces."

"We'll be back to get our horse." They wave and leave the black-snake inn after retrieving their things from the rooms. Outside, Clarissa walks ahead of Astaroth to the market.

Without drawing suspicion, she listens to the banter of the people, the sound of footsteps and the very minor changes since she was last here.

"Have you heard!? Because of the Princess' bad attitude she can't find a lover."

"You know it's bad when not even her status is desirable standing alongside her personality."

"Why are apples so expensive nowadays!?"

"My children have been gravely ill... Their skin is rotting and the clerics can't even save them with magic!"

"Clarissa?" Astaroth taps her shoulder and she stops.

"What."

"Do you want anything?"

"No." Her eyes trail off to a stall selling fresh bread. "No..."

"The bread over there looks really good, I'm going to go get some for myself." Light blue pupils followed the direction of hers, and he teases. Not getting any sort of response, he walks to the stall and buys two warm sour bread.

"Here you go."

"Thanks..." She takes it and starts eating.

While the two are eating, they move to a quiet area where the crowd is thin and sit beside each other on a large chopped log.

"If you don't mind me asking again, where are your parents?" Astaroth turns to her.

"Outside of the Golden kingdom, like Katherine's. My parents are blacksmiths, but also adventurers."

"That's nice."

"Do you resent your parents for abandoning you?" She asks next.

"I don't think about them. I live my life the way I do now because they abandoned me, downside is I do just live with a giant dislike for people in general. I'd rather be thrown out than live with people that don't want me."

"Either ways are hard. You can't guarantee a life after getting thrown out, but the same can be said if you live with a family that can't love you."

"You sound like you've had that experience."

"I have. I had different parents in my old life."

Clarissa notices the market's crowd beginning to disperse, quickly. "It must be the Princess."

A carriage stops from a distance, easily noticeable by the gold that gave it form and recognized itself as royalty. The golden-haired princess is seen stepping out.

"Who wrote this note!" She screams, raising it with her left hand, pointing at it with her right. There was no one near her, all had ran into hiding, but she knew they hid.

"I said, who. Wrote. This. Note!" She repeats, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it with the heel of her golden laced shoes. "I will find the jealous hussy who wrote this! And if it's a man he will have his penis cut off in public for everyone to see!"

"That's ruthless." Astaroth shivers, and notices there was no presence at his side. "Clarissa!? Shit."

Instead of getting up to look for her, he sits there and continues watching the princess rant.

"I think she can handle herself."

 
  

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