Alice was just about to respond to Melissa with a smile when she felt a jerk at her wrist. She nearly fell as she was pulled away from her spot. A gruff voice warned her to beware, but her ears were already red with a mix of rage and embarrassment.

“Sir, you misunderstand,” she corrected, trying her best to keep her tone neutral. “This,” she continued, pulling her wrist from his grasp roughly to motion to Melissa, “is Melissa Bellum, my newest knight and personal guard.”

“Forgive me, princess, but the witch seems to have put you under her spell.”

Alice struggled internally at how to respond, but her anger only built. Finally, she whispered, “she has not bewitched me, sir. Go on your way.”

“I won’t go until I am sure you are safe. Frankly, I don’t trust the vixen.”

“Then do not trust her! Trust me, your Princess, Lord, and employer.”

“Please come with me while we replace her in the dungeon.”

“She is free now, and a servant of the state just as you and I. Now,” her tone was growing steadily louder and she fiddled with her dress in an attempt to distract herself. It was to no avail. “Begone!” she shouted, looking up slowly to meet the insolent knight’s eye. Flickers of red and black danced around her fingertips. She didn’t know what they did or how to control them, but the knight didn’t need to know that.

“P-princess… Since when…?”

“Did I stutter?” she asked, her voice still dripping with leftover rage.

“No, you d-didn’t. Um… Call if y-you need anything,” he said, stumbling over his words. With a clumsy bow, he scurried off, followed unsurely by the guards he’d brought with him.

Alice watched them go intently, rooted in her spot. Once the last of them was gone, the flickers faded and she felt suddenly a bit faint. She felt her knees shaking, ready to give out at any second beneath her. To save herself of that embarrassment, she swiftly let herself drop down to a sitting position on the ground, despite its hardness.

“Well, I guess I’ll need to watch my usage for a little while. It’s a little...intense…”