The paperwork is endless, and the Queen is not working again today. It had been a long time since I realized this fact, but the reason it felt fresh every time was simple. The presence I felt behind my back was far too distinct.

Lisette, sprawled out on the office sofa, said while swinging her legs in the air. Her voice was light, almost playful. I could feel the energy of blood diffusing through the air, and in the next moment, a dart was fashioned at her fingertips. An arrow made by rolling blood like thread. It was an excessively sophisticated shape.

I did not stop my pen. I turned a page of the documents piled on the throne, catching my breath as I finished signing. The reason I didn't dodge, even though I knew she was aiming for my forehead, was simple. I had already learned many times that the more I dodged, the more persistent she became.

My brow furrowed ever so slightly at those words, but I did not lift my head. The Queen was always like this. She tossed out demands that were neither orders nor requests with a casual laugh. With a face that treated pain like a game.

The air split. I finished my calculations as I felt the trajectory of the incoming dart. I tilted my head half a beat late, and the arrow made of blood grazed my forehead before embedding itself in the wall behind the throne. A red trail slowly trickled down.