Keel watched his younger brother angrily storm away. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
How could Myriem still not know that his 'wife' was a man?!
Keel stepped away and turned around, but didn't move. Ina dropped out of the shadows a moment later, bowing in preparation for her expected orders.
Ina waited. After a long moment, she looked up and saw Keel staring blankly.
"...Your Highness?"
"My younger brother is an idiot," Keel said flatly. Ina simply bowed her head.
"... As your Highness says."
Keel frowned at her. Ina hid a sigh.
She couldn't scorn Myriem, neither could she defend him. Keel's complicated feelings towards his younger brother never failed to make her sigh helplessly.
"Will your Highness return to his study?" She prompted, hoping to get him out of his disbelieving reverie. Keel shook his head slightly and then gave a sharp nod, and Ina followed him to his study.
Keel was lost in thought, frowning as he contemplated what to do. Recalling Myriem's coldness, a wave of hopeless incredulity caused him to sigh.
[I'm doing you a favour here, foolish younger brother.]
Younger brothers were younger for a reason, Keel determined, putting it out of mind. It was Myriem's problem, what did Keel have to care? Keel entered his private study.
He took two steps in before he looked up and froze.
Fien reclined casually on Keel's chaise lounge, lounging comfortably with her legs up on the cushions. Snacking on his favourite blood oat bites in his private study, Fien gave Keel a welcoming smile.
"Keel Ani-jaan!" she greeted cheerfully and waved at him, but remained in her disrespectful posture.
Keel's brow twitched, and his fist clenched as he watched his younger sister spill more of his favourite snack on the carpet than in her mouth.
She didn't even like blood oat bites. She was just being a nuisance.
Keel took a deep breath. "Fien-chi."
Fien smiled sweetly, wiggling her toes at him. "Is Ani-jaan not coming in?"
Keel eyed her toes in disgust. His private study had become her playground so easily. It truly made one despair. Keel turned and gave the guards at the door an accusing look. They shivered and looked down, but didn't move to remove her at all.
[Sorry, your Highness, but we're scared of her more than you] they thought in unison. Ina politely shut the door on their faces and they sighed a breath of relief.
At the center of this farce, Keel's face stiffened and turned cold. He turned his back to Fien and warily walked to his desk, seating himself without a word.
Fien lay down, reclining her body over the arm of the chaise to look at Keel upside-down.
"Ani-jaan, guess what? Havine Aji-jaan's first commander's wife is pregnant with their third child," she babbled. "Do you think it will be a girl or a boy?"
Keel didn't reply. He stiffly opened a scroll and began reading the expenditure report of his trip to the Country of Aselan. He had to confirm the total before sending it to the Ministry of Revenue, and he couldn't allow a single mistake.
"You know who else is pregnant? One of the siren maidens who came with the Siren Princess recently. Her name is Miya and she's my new friend. She's said to be handsome, and she has more muscle than you." Fien stuck her tongue out at him. "Who does Keel-ani think she slept with?"
"Stop this indecent talk. Where are your manners?" Keel scolded coldly. He sent a look to Ina. [Where are her attendants? Fetch them at once.] Ina nodded and left, silent as a mouse. Fien didn't spare her a glance, pouting at Keel.
"It's not indecent, it's important! Who do you think?" Fien pestered. Keel ignored her. Most of the meals had been sponsored by the Aselans, so the total spent was less than what he was allotted, leaving a surplus of tens of thousands of coins.
"Keel-ani, Keel-ani!"
Keel would rather create a deficit and demand repayment from the Ministry of Revenue than return the excess. If he returned the leftover coins, that would set a precedent for his future military expeditions to be allocated less money than they were due. It was simply a matter of where the excess money should be hidden.
Fien sulked. She got up and stood in front of his desk, getting crumbs all over the study floor. When Keel didn't look up, she continued in a wronged tone, "All you older brothers are so boring. Aren't I your baby sister? How could you be so cold to me?" She looked at him with wide, teary eyes, but Keel didn't look up.
So Fien looked down. Though everything was upside down, Fien's calculative eyes took in every document, every paper on his desk with ease.
Keel, noticing her prying gaze, stiffened and internally panicked, checking his desk quickly to determine if there was anything sensitive out, but then recalled she had snuck into his office heavens-knows-when. She had already seen anything and everything on his desk, her intention was just to apply pressure on Keel.
She could smell weakness, after all. He let her look without flinching or pausing his movements as he faked financial records.
Fien, as expected, didn't display a reaction to the contents on his desk. Instead, she leaned over and propped her head up on a stack of books, giving her a great view of Keel's inhospitable face.
"Ani-jaan, aren't you curious about our new sister-in-law?" Fien didn't wait for an answer. "I am. Sirens are so mysterious."
Keel flipped a page. "No."
"Is it because she's ugly?" Fien asked. Keel didn't respond. "I want to see if she's prettier than me."
Keel knew very well that Fien couldn't care less. "Jani is prettier than you." Jani was his horse.
Fien sniffled pitifully. "Ani-jaan, you're so mean!" Her crocodile tears disappeared as fast as they came. "Ani-jaan, I want to meet her."
"No." Keel didn't even think about it.
"But-"
"Not allowed. Not negotiable." He shut her down.
Fien pouted. "But I just want to say hi-"
"Fien-chi, I prohibit it." Seeing her about to make a fuss, he gave her a harsh look. "If you continue to make a nuisance of yourself, I will put it in writing. You are not allowed to see the Third Princess of Aselan."
"I don't care!"
"You will care. Don't forget that I am your older brother," he slammed the document down and stared her straight in the eye. "By my word, Fien, you are not allowed to visit, speak to, associate with, communicate with, or otherwise make a nuisance of yourself to the Aselan Royals. Do you understand."
He could not risk Fien seeing Julien at this point. Especially since Myriem still didn't realize Julien was a man.
Fien sniffled, upset. After a long moment, her tears disappeared and she gave Keel an innocent look. "Keel-ani is so silly."
"Rude behaviour is unladylike."
"I'm not the one being rude. How could Keel-ani forget his decorum? So silly."
Keel frowned slightly, but didn't display any other reaction.
"Keel-ani is so dumb, haha!"
Keel gave her a cold glare. "Fien." His warning, acerbic tone did nothing to stop her giggles.
Fien leaned in, voice dropping. "Keel-ani isn't the Siren Princess's husband. Why does he get to control who she sees? Who let you be so rude to Myriem-ani, speaking for his wife over him?"
Keel kept quiet. It was true, he had no place to determine who Julien could or could not see. He was simply so used to saying no to Fien that he didn't think about it.
Fien gave him a bright smile. "I'm so dumb for forgetting that I should be asking Myriem-ani instead of you, silly me!"
He couldn't help his brow from ticking. Like hell she 'forgot'.
Fien cocked her head, eyes wide. "Keel-ani isn't marrying the Siren Princess. But why does Keel-ani feel the right to control the Siren Princess's affairs?" Fien leaned in closer to Keel, who was a statue made of stone.
"Is it because... you two are close?"
Fien's meddlesome, knowing eyes were no different than the sun. Both made his skin burn uncomfortably, prickling and itching, desperate to get away.
Fien let out a scandalous gasp. "Perhaps your hearts align!" Fien was quiet for a long moment. "Or maybe it's your pockets."
"Don't talk rubbish." Fien wasn't about to get any information from him.
Fien innocently said, "I sure hope not, after all, Myriem-ani would be very upset with you." She paused and then gave a frivolous smile. "And sister-in-law."
Fien fluttered away from the desk, dancing carelessly to the door. "I have to meet this new Aji-han myself. I'm a woman, so I know how fickle our hearts are. And I'm the little sister, so I have to make sure Siren Aji-han will treat my dearest, bestest big brother well." She intentionally didn't clarify which brother she was talking about.
"And who knows? Maybe we will become friends," Fien smiled at Keel and with a dramatic bow, left his study.
Keel let out a large sigh once she was gone. He looked down and realized he had cracked the pen in his hand. He threw it away, tense and annoyed.
Fien was a wildcard, but so far, he could rest assured that she didn't know enough. Though she had made friends with the siren servants, Keel had confidence in Julien's ability to choose his servants wisely.
The problem was that if Fien demanded she wanted to meet the Julien, Myriem preferred to give Fien what she wanted rather than incur her wrath and pestering. But after a moment of thought, the knit in Keel's brow released. Myriem was stupid, but he wasn't brainless. He would fear an alliance between his future wife, the Siren Princess, and his devil of a younger sister more than anyone else.
Fien could try as she liked, Keel thought assuredly. It wouldn't get anywhere, because the 'princess' was already firmly on his side.