Liz, Rosa, and the Ring
“It’s only right that I should take it. I’m older than you.”
“Then you shouldn’t be so selfish. Treat your little sister.”
Liz and Rosa glared at one another over the ring and the necklace laid out on a table. Hiro looked on from a chair by the wall.
“He already gave you that bracelet, did he not?”
“He did, but...that’s not the same thing!” Liz sounded defiant, but she nonetheless moved her arm guiltily behind her back.
Rosa snorted. “If you truly believed that, you wouldn’t be hiding it. You get a bracelet and I get a ring, is that not fair?”
“No, it’s not! The necklace is way more your thing!”
Rosa reached for the ring, but Liz smacked her hand away, snarling like a wildcat. Hiro, who had been watching their argument in silence, belatedly regretted not buying two rings.
“You settle this, Hiro,” Liz demanded. “Who should get it?”
“Agreed.” Rosa nodded. “You have to choose one of us.”
“Erm...you know, I really didn’t put all that much thought into this, so...” His gaze wandered off to the side.
Liz refused to take his mumbling for an answer. “Just hush and pick one of us already!” she said, leveling an impatient finger at him as she leaned forward to stare him in the eye.
“I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t really mind... Ha ha...”
Rosa sighed. “How can you be so decisive about policy, yet be unable to assert your way out of a paper bag when it comes to matters of the heart?”
Hiro could only say that he was out of his depth. Personal feelings had no place on the battlefield; there, he steeled his heart and did what had to be done. There was no room for doubt. This, however, was a different kind of contest entirely. Giving the ring to Liz would sour Rosa’s mood, which could easily come back to bite him, given how dependent he was on her support. Giving it to Rosa, meanwhile, would jeopardize his relationship with Liz and might even affect her performance on the battlefield. Even emperors had ruined themselves trying to navigate the female heart. Hiro would have to choose carefully, thoughtfully, and decisively, or he would suffer the same fate as his predecessors.
He rubbed his chin as he studied the pair. What to do? Liz’s eyes practically screamed “Pick me!”—she would certainly sulk if he turned her down, and that could cause all sorts of problems down the road. Rosa, meanwhile, was taking a seductive approach, crossing her arms to emphasize her ample bust. On the face of it, she looked calmer than her sister, but her smile very much did not reach her eyes. Much like Liz, it sent shivers down Hiro’s spine to think how she might take revenge if spurned.
With his decision made, he drew a deep breath.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you take turns?”
There was a beat of silence, and then both princesses expelled heavy sighs. Hiro couldn’t blame them for being dissatisfied, but that was the goal—better to have both of them roll their eyes than pick one and have the other at his throat. He wasn’t running away from the problem; this was a necessary step in his plan. That bore repeating: he was not running away.
The rest of the plan went like this: First, by stepping back from the argument, he would pit them against each other. Once they had settled things between themselves, he would step in to tie everything up with a bow. Then all three could put all this behind them and go to the banquet with no hard feelings.
“He’s useless. Let’s decide this ourselves.” Liz boxed with empty space. Her fists made a whooshing noise as they tore through the air.
Rosa paled. “Sister dearest, you seem to be inviting me to my death.”
It was hard to fault her trepidation. Rosa might have had some martial training, but Liz had a Spiritblade’s blessing. Their battle wouldn’t be much of a contest.
“Well, how would you settle it?”
“I say we let the Divines decide.” Rosa flashed a grin as she produced a gold coin. “One toss. Heads, I win; tails, you win. Does that sound fair?”
Liz nodded meekly. Rosa curled her fingers as though holding a flagon of ale and set the coin atop them.
So they toss coins in Aletia too, Hiro thought.
With a sharp ping, the disc went spinning up into the air. It came down again to land in Rosa’s hand.
“Heads.” She smiled. “It seems I win.” With a smug smile, she claimed the ring. Liz looked on in dismay.
Sensing the time was right, Hiro stepped in. “I’m glad that’s settled. Come on, we still need to get dressed for the banquet.”
Liz rose wordlessly to her feet and shoved him out of the room. He looked back in confusion just as the door slammed shut in his face.
“Go and think about what you’ve done,” came a voice from the other side. “And learn to make a decision while you’re at it.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”
Her anger radiated even through the door, leaving him trembling like a rain-soaked puppy.
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