[Edited]

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"I thought a lot about this, but don't you think it would be a great idea if we made a joint mission with the Rota knights? Both them and our knights shall venture inside the tree of beginning and collect data about the insides of that place." Catherine said confidently. You felt Aaron's grip on your hand tighten at the mention of the tree of beginning. That must have triggered past memories of his father who disappeared in that very place.

You couldn't understand why it had to be you - the most inexperienced person among the knights - who constantly had to stop Catherine and her crazy stuff while everyone else just stood by and watched her get away with it quietly: "Are you completely out of your mind?!"

"You even dare to suggest something like that?! People have gone inside the tree of beginning and never returned!" You added, watching the red haired advisor and how she seemed to be amused by your reactions. But you weren't up against her alone this time, Aaron took your side as well: "I have to agree with Y/N. The idea is foolish and way too risky."

Turning to face Aaron first to smile at him, then over to prince Luntian, you stared the blond in the eyes as you waited for his opinion. He sighed and flashed his advisor an unreadable expression. "Catherine, I thought we had already discussed this."

"My answer is no. There is no way we will risk the lives of people like this, especially ones of people from other kingdoms. Do you have any idea of the consequences?" Luntian shook his head and seemed disappointed. You had the impression that this wasn't the first time the red-head voiced this idea of hers. She gritted her teeth and had no choice but to accept the prince's decision.

"Now that this has been taken care of, we can end our meeting. Do you have any questions?" The green eyed royal once again let a sigh roll off his lips before giving you and the other knights short glances. Doni indeed seemed to have one. "Is there a balcony we're allowed to use? We need to write a letter to our queen and send our messenger Pokémon today if possible."

"Of course. Catherine will show you the way whenever you need to." Prince Luntian said and smiled as conclusion of this meeting. Finally, this all had come to an end. It was a tiring and draining experience you hoped not to need to go through again any time soon.

Everyone got up from their chairs and slowly but surely left the hall. Catherine and the prince discussed something before she was allowed to exit. You were happy that Aaron didn't let his childhood friend get away with her insane ideas this time, but you were still worried about Kai. The maid who drank the very same drugged juice ended up in a rather bad condition, so you hoped Rouen managed to find a capable doctor.

"Y-You're so brave, Y/N!~ I admire how you were able to defend us like that in the presence of prince L-Luntian!" Liliana tugged your knight coat, expressing herself rather excitedly. This girl was just too pure for her own good. Fotula sped her pace up a little so that she walked next to the silver haired female, adding a comment of her own. "Yes, I didn't think you would actually say anything about the drugs." You blushed out of embarrassment, telling the girls that they were giving you more credit than you deserved.

"Well that's to be expected from my girl-bestie.~" Doni hummed, sounding more like a dad complimenting his daughter than a friend. He ruffled your hair, sticking to you on the other side, but his head was soon shoved away by Aaron who originally walked next to you. Camilla was quick to react as well: "You mean my best friend. No way I'm handing her over to you, Sir Salvatore!~"

Everyone joked around and laughed, enjoying themselves. You had just then noticed that Aaron was still holding your hand. And despite his Lucario walking right behind you and witnessing everything, you didn't hear a single word leave his mouth. You turned around to check on him, only to see him... sulking? Despite him being annoying 98% of the time, you still considered Lucario a part of the group and couldn't stop yourself from wanting to raise his spirits:

"What's that I see? What kind of gloomy aura are you emitting, Lucario? Aren't you going to praise me, too?" It was obviously meant as a joke to tease him, and he took the bait almost immediately, fastening his pace to catch up with the rest of you: "You wish, brat. I haven't fallen so low yet."

Noticing how the nine of you made your ways rather cheerfully back to your rooms - even though Loraine and Myron remained silent during most of the time - you ended up thinking that staying in Grona might not be as bad as it first seemed. As long as you all would stay together that is.

* * *

"Catherine, before you go, could you check on the maid and see if she has gained consciousness again?" Prince Luntian requested before his red haired advisor was able to leave the room. Walking through the corridor, she reached inside the pocket of her dress she had personally made for certain purposes. Inside it was an Old ball she felt she would need soon. The red-head reached the end of the hallway, taking a right turn down many stairs which led to the canteen. That place was also used to hold prisoners captive for a shorter amount of time and where the maid was currently being held.

Only one guard was stationed in front of her cell, something that in Catherine's eyes was considered a grave mistake. "Who's there-... Oh it's you, Ms. Catherine." The man who at first was a little surprised by the sudden visitor watched as the royal advisor freed her partner Pokémon. It was a large Pokémon resembling a blue-green bell with two arms coming out of its sides. It had a hollow body and a yoke attached at the top. The creature's eyes were round and red. One couldn't possibly overlook this steel-psychic type Pokemon since it was almost as tall as an adult human of average height.

"Has the maid awakened?" The red haired female asked, using her fingers in order to play with her locks. The guard had been told orders by the prince himself and was hesitant to speak to the royal advisor. "N-No, but she has received treatment, so she should be waking up soon." Catherine could see the worry in the man's eyes, and what more did she love than to play with someone's mind: "Then, could you tell me first about it when she does?"

"I-I'm sorry, but I was told that I should inform prince Luntian first of all people." The guard swallowed hard, tensing up even more when the red haired girl stepped closer to him and put her arms around his neck at first, then traced her index finger down the side of the man's face until it reached his jawline. "Pretty please.~"

"N-No, I'm sorry." The guard apologized again, trying to pull his face away from Catherine which was easier said than done since there were bars of metal behind his back. The redhead's blue eyes which until then had looked so pure changed appearance in a matter of seconds. She took a step back from the man, allowing him to breathe normally again as she raised her right hand. The Pokémon who floated behind her emitted a strange sound at that signal before it's red eyes started glowing.

In that moment, the guard gasped for air, soon feeling as if he was being suffocated in some way. He fell on his knees and stared at the Pokémon until his expression looked like the one of a lifeless person. Catherine smirked in triumph as she approached the guard who still kneed on the floor and got down a little herself, cupping the man's chin and forcing him to look straight into her crystal blue orbs. "I'll try again: You will tell me and no one else when this girl comes back to her senses. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am." The guard answered in a monotonous tone as if he was being controlled or possessed by something. Catherine grinned at the man innocently before turning around to face her Pokémon, walking up to it after her business was done here. "Now that that's been taken care of, why don't we go check on our beloved Rota-friends?"

* * *

"...and so, it's essential to let our queen know that we're alright by sending a message to her. We usually use Aaron's Pidgeot for jobs like these." Doni had just finished explaining the importance of keeping queen Rin informed when her knights were on missions, especially ones that were held in other kingdoms. You were all sitting at a round table on the balcony, or well, most of you were: Loraine and Myron were sitting at a table by themselves while Aaron's Pidgeot, Lucario and your Lucario who you had let out of the Old ball were conversing about their own private matters.

Camilla snorted once she saw Doni ready himself to use the quill pen he held in his dominant hand in order to write on the paper that was exposed on the table: "And you're going to write the letter? Your writing skills have seen better days." The blond knight playfully pouted at the girl's remark and soon had to endure everyone else's laughter. Camilla smiled before shuffling closer to him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek when no one was watching: "Let me do it. You can spell what I need to write."

Doni grinned before making some space for the chestnut brown eyed female on his chair, soon gesturing her to take a seat next to him. Camilla took the quill pen out of the blond's hand and sat where he wanted her to. The blue eyed knight started doing his part of the job while the other wrote. You couldn't help but smirk at how casually they were touching each other - not in a weird way - and at how close those two had become. You would notice that every time they were together.

Liliana who sat between you and Fotula, across the working couple, blushed out of embarrassment just by watching them being all lovey-dovey. The ravenette next to her simply observed the silver haired female's cute expressions.

Aaron placing his hand on your thigh gained your attention. He leaned closer to you and looked like he wanted to say something: "Y/N, I wanted to ask you if after this you'd like to-..." But just before he could finish, something very annoying appeared.

"Whoopsie.~ Hope I'm not interrupting.~" Catherine's head popped up between yours and Aaron's, creating distance between the two of you. Everyone's smiles had been turned into frowns or simple, emotionless faces. The red-head wasn't discouraged at all though: She wrapped her arms around Aaron's neck from behind him, grinning at you maliciously. "I see you've found the balcony on your own.~"

"Yeah that means your job here is done. You can leave." Camilla stopped writing for a moment to look up from the paper and properly tell that woman off. She didn't know that that sort of reaction was just what Catherine wanted: "My, my.~ Someone isn't in a good mood. Are you writing letters?"

"We are. That's why we need to concentrate, so could you please-..." Doni was trying to sound as polite as he could while feeling extremely uncomfortable around the royal advisor, but he wasn't given the chance to finish his request. "Aren't you two sticking to each other a bit too much? Oh wait.~ Doni, is that your current victim-..."

Before the last words could leave Catherine's mouth Camilla stood up, fists clenched as she glared at the taller. "If you say one wrong thing, I will smash your face." Your best friend's threats weren't just words. She was especially furious after having heard Doni's story, so there was no stopping her if she'd actually try to do something.

"How violent.~ Then I guess I'll simply observe." The red haired female hummed dramatically, finally letting go of Aaron. You thought she was going to leave, given the fact that she was approaching another table, but she only went there to grab a chair. What irritated you most was how she squeezed herself between you and Aaron, being all touchy-feely with him.

There was nothing you could do in this position and Aaron was thankfully putting up a small defense at least. The mood had gone from wonderful to most unbearable in no time at all. Both Lucario who were minding their own businesses along with Pidgeot were now looking in your direction too. Your Pokémon seemed to be saying something to Aaron's while pointing at the red haired advisor: "So, you're not alright with my Y/N being with your master, but she's fine?"

"I admit that I prefer your mistress over that... person..." The male creature was a bit hesitant when replying, also because humans could understand him as well. You weren't paying attention to them but stared up at the sky, mentally praying to Arceus to bestow you with patience.

"Oh right, has granny Letitia stepped down already?" Catherine asked, noticing the name 'queen Rin' on the paper. Camilla didn't know what the red-head was referring to so she continued writing as unbothered as possible. Aaron answered the older female's question. "Please don't speak that way about the fallen. And yes, since our queen Letitia passed away because of sickness, queen Rin took over her role."

Hasn't queen Rin been ruling the kingdom for years now? Catherine is the royal advisor of Grona's current prince, so she must have heard about former queen Letitia Momoko's passing. The only reason why she would say such a thing was to get on your team's nerves even more. Probably. "That's terrible... My condolences.~"

Catherine tried to make everyone think she was actually interested in what you were doing, so she leaned over Aaron a bit to get a better look on the letter Doni and Camilla were writing. She supported herself by placing her hand on Aaron's thigh in the process. Both you and the male Lucario were eyeing the red-head closely, not wanting to cause a scene by complaining to her. You had caused enough ruckus already during the two days you've spent here.

"Ah yeah, does that maid still work at the castle? What was her name again... Jamie Ku-something?" The red haired female hummed, glancing back at Aaron since she knew he would never ignore his childhood friend. "You must mean Mrs. Jenny Kumiko. She still works there."

"That's nice to hear." Again the advisor faked to be genuinely glad about the matter. You almost lost it when you saw her do something in the corner of your eye: Catherine had slid her hand down in an inappropriate place between Aaron's legs. The others couldn't see because the table hid her actions, but you sure could. And thankfully someone else stopped her for you:

Aaron's Lucario jumped on top of the table, startling everyone else in the process. He enveloped his paw in his aura and pointed it at Catherine's neck as if it were a blade: "Raise. Your hands. Immediately." Those words alone were enough to make the red-head do as she was told. Aaron's face had gotten very red by then, even though he was trying to hide it by putting his hand in front of it.

"Sheesh, you people are so sensitive.~ No fun.~" Catherine then stood up and fixed her dress, pouting what seemed to be innocently. "I have work to attend to. I hope you can still have a good time without me.~"

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A/N: Who else likes Catherine? :)))

Catherine Fletcher:

Thank you for Reading!