Leora stood in the grand hall, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised so high it looked like it might reach her hairline.
Her piercing gaze shifted back and forth between Lise and me as we stood side by side like a pair of scolded children. Aeliana, wisely, had excused herself to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"Well," Leora began, tapping her fingers against her arm. "Where do I even start? The giant scorch marks on my courtyard? The shattered statue of Zephara great-grandmother that's now a pile of pebbles? Or the fact that you two lunatics decided to have a full-blown duel in the middle of the day while I was trying to finish the royal accounts?"
Lise, ever the fearless one, scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "In my defense, I won the last duel against Zephara's minions, so technically, I was just upholding my honor as your most loyal bodyguard."
Leora's eyes narrowed. "Your honor?" she repeated, her voice dangerously calm. "Your honor would've been fine without you challenging my granddaughter to a battle royale during work hours."
"Technically," I interjected, raising a finger, "it wasn't during work hours. It was during the unofficial break period between morning tasks and lunch."
Leora's head whipped toward me so fast I almost flinched. "Ciara, I expect this level of nonsense from *Lise.* You, on the other hand, should know better. What kind of example are you setting for Aeliana?"
"She liked it!" I protested. "Well, okay, maybe not liked it, but she wasn't mad about it. That counts for something, right?"
"Wrong," Leora said firmly, pointing her finger at me like a dagger.
"I wouldn't say it was nonsense," Lise chimed in. "It was more like... a demonstration of skill. Ciara's not bad, you know. She's got potential."
"Not bad doesn't fix my courtyard," Leora shot back.
"I could help fix it?" I offered weakly, trying to appear helpful.
Leora ignored me, pacing in front of us like a commander before a battlefield. "No, no. You two don't get off that easily. A simple apology won't cut it. You've left me with no choice but to implement... punishment."
Lise raised an eyebrow, her grin unwavering. "What kind of punishment?"
"Something you'll both hate," Leora replied with a wicked smile. "Since you enjoy destruction so much, you're going to clean up the entire courtyard, repair the statue, and repaint the west wing of the castle—where the scorch marks somehow managed to reach—by yourselves."
"What?!" we both exclaimed in unison.
"You heard me," Leora said, looking far too pleased with herself. "I want the courtyard spotless and that statue looking like it just rolled out of the sculptor's workshop. And the west wing? I want it gleaming so brightly I can see my reflection in the walls."
"That's impossible!" Lise protested.
Leora smirked. "Then you'd better get started."
"This feels excessive," I muttered, crossing my arms. "Aeliana didn't even think it was that big of a deal."
Leora's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Aeliana's not the one responsible for the mess. You are. Now, unless you want me to add the throne room carpets to your list, I suggest you both stop complaining and get to work."
I groaned, exchanging a resigned glance with Lise. "Fine," I muttered. "We'll fix the courtyard. But the statue might take some time. It's kind of... pulverized."
"Good thing you've got all afternoon," Leora replied sweetly before turning on her heel and heading toward her office.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Lise nudged me with her elbow. "So, mini-Zephara, how's it feel to be on punishment duty?"
"Like I should've stayed in bed this morning," I grumbled.
Lise laughed. "Don't worry. I've got some tricks up my sleeve. We'll have this done in no time."
"Your tricks better involve a miracle," I muttered as we trudged toward the courtyard.
---
The courtyard was worse than I remembered. The scorch marks stretched across the stone, and the remains of the statue were scattered like confetti.
"This is... not great," I admitted, surveying the damage.
"You think?" Lise replied, picking up a chunk of stone that used to be a foot. "At least the statue's still recognizable. Sort of."
"Yeah, if you squint and tilt your head," I said, sighing.
We got to work, scrubbing the scorch marks with enchanted brushes Leora had conveniently "provided." As we worked, Lise kept up a steady stream of commentary.
"So, what's the deal with you and Aeliana?" she asked, her tone casual but her grin mischievous. "You've got the whole 'fiery protector' vibe going on."
"She's my fiancée," I replied, scrubbing harder at a particularly stubborn spot. "What do you expect? I'm going to protect her."
"Uh-huh," Lise said, clearly unconvinced. "You're not just a little overprotective?"
"She's mine," I said firmly, glaring at her. "End of discussion."
Lise raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Don't set me on fire again."
We worked in relative silence for a while after that, though Lise couldn't resist muttering sarcastic remarks under her breath.
By the time we finished scrubbing the scorch marks, the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky. The courtyard was finally clean, but the statue still looked like a pile of rubble.
"Think Leora will notice if we just glue it back together?" Lise asked, holding up a fragment of what might've been an arm.
"She'll notice," I said, shaking my head. "We're going to have to do this the hard way."
"Of course we are," Lise muttered.
As we started piecing the statue back together, I couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for Leora's ability to make us suffer without lifting a finger.
Next time, I thought to myself, maybe I'll think twice before accepting a challenge.
As Lise and I wrestled with what remained of the shattered statue, Aeliana appeared at the edge of the courtyard, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on her face.
"I leave you two alone for an hour," she began, her voice dripping with mock disappointment, "and this is what I come back to? Punishment duty?"
I groaned, wiping sweat off my brow. "Not helping, Aeliana."
"Oh, I'm not here to help," she replied with a playful grin, stepping closer. "I'm here to watch and maybe laugh a little."
"You're supposed to be the sweet and supportive one," I muttered, trying to fit a fragment of the statue into place. It didn't line up, and I growled under my breath.
"Sweet, yes," she said, her grin widening, "but supportive? Only when you don't bring this on yourself. What possessed you two to fight using all your power in Leora's courtyard?"
"Lise wanted to test me," I said defensively, casting a glare at the blue-haired demon, who was trying to balance a piece of the statue on her head for no apparent reason.
"And you agreed?" Aeliana raised an eyebrow. "You do realize you could've just said no, right?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Lise chimed in, balancing the stone precariously before it fell and nearly hit her foot.
"Clearly, Ciara has a reputation to uphold," Aeliana teased, leaning against a nearby column.
"Oh, don't worry," I shot back, trying not to smile. "I upheld it just fine. Lise didn't stand a chance."
"She cheated," Lise interjected, puffing her cheeks in mock indignation. "Purple flames? Totally unfair."
"Unfair?" I repeated, spinning around to glare at her. "You literally shot arrows of light at me! How is that fair?"
"Because I'm awesome," Lise replied with a shrug, tossing a piece of rubble over her shoulder.
Aeliana let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You two are like overgrown kids. Honestly, it's impressive how much chaos you can cause in such a short amount of time."
"Speaking of chaos," Lise said, pointing at the mess still surrounding us, "are you going to lend a hand or just stand there looking pretty?"
"Oh, I'll lend a hand," Aeliana said sweetly before crouching down to pick up a small, jagged piece of stone. She pretended to examine it for a moment before handing it to me. "Here you go, love. Now you're one step closer to fixing this."
I stared at her, unamused. "Very helpful, thank you."
"You're welcome," she replied, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Moral support and all that."
Lise snorted. "Looks like you've got your hands full, mini-Zephara."
"Keep calling me that, and I'll use my flames to weld this statue back together," I threatened, narrowing my eyes.
Aeliana chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. "You know, watching you two makes me realize just how much Leora must be laughing at your misery right now."
"She's probably watching us from a window," I grumbled, glancing toward the castle. "And taking notes for future punishments."
"Definitely," Aeliana agreed with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "But hey, at least you're bonding, right? Nothing says teamwork like fixing a destroyed courtyard together."
"Bonding," Lise echoed, smirking. "Sure. Let's call it that."
I sighed, shaking my head as Aeliana leaned down and pressed another kiss to my temple. Her teasing might've been relentless, but at least she was here. Somehow, her presence made the punishment feel a little less unbearable.
"Alright," I said, standing and dusting off my hands. "Let's get this statue done before Leora comes back to gloat."
"Oh, she's definitely gloating," Aeliana said with a grin, grabbing another fragment of stone and passing it to Lise.
Lise and I exchanged a look, and for once, we were in complete agreement: Leora was absolutely loving this.