The Kingdom of Coflar is a small nation bordering France and Belgium. It is small in size but rich in history and tradition. It has rolling green hills, vast fields, and a pleasant climate, known as the Rose of Western Europe. Its people know nothing but full bellies and clear skies, desiring not great crusades nor passionate revolutions. As a result, its aristocracy has endured even to the present day.

Near the capital of the kingdom stood a grand estate. A golden metal gate opened the route between tall hedges, a red brick path leading to a wide fountain. In the center of the fountain stood angels of pristine marble, carrying horns that unleashed torrents of water. Beyond that stood a grand château with white and golden walls supporting an angled orange roof.

And within these storied halls...

Bob pushed open a large wooden door, painted white and pink with a golden handle. He blinked for a moment as the sun shone through the full length windows. His vision cleared to reveal the green bushes spotted with pink and orange roses in the garden beyond. A clear contrast to the room in front of him. Pink embossed wallpaper with golden designs. Pink chairs with a great deal of lace, also pink. A pink desk with golden highlights. A golden chandelier with pink lights. Golden lamps, golden plates, a golden pen with a pink center.

Bob silently swallowed to calm his stomach.

"MINION! There you are! What took you so long?"

Bob almost flinched as the piercing shriek drove into his brain, turning his headache from a dull ache to a sharp stab. For once he was thankful for the featureless pink mask resting over his face.

"My most sincere apologies, Mistress."

Bob gave a humble bow to his current boss's daughter, Lady Anita Laflèche de Albifort. Her dark hair was tied up with pink ribbons and a golden comb, curled locks of hair draping down the sides of her face. She had sharp, green eyes that pierced one like an eagle eyeing its prey from atop a high perch. High cheekbones and a sharp chin added to the effect. The air of a person in charge, a piercing gaze that tolerated no nonsense, on the hunt for any sign of weakness.

Or at least it would, if she would cut down on the fluffiness of her pink dress. Really, was that much lace truly necessary? But Bob held his tongue. He was a man who knew his limits and the fashion of high society was most certainly not within them. That none of her classmates dressed like her either was simply proof of his lady's sublime tastes.

Lady Anita slammed shut the fan in her hand.

"Nevermind that! Why on earth is there a dirty peasant inside my mansion?!"

Bob glanced at the man standing to the side. Fully dressed in a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase. He had neat, trimmed hair and simple round glasses. Bob looked around but he couldn't find any other individuals in the room, much less the peasant his lady mentioned.

"My most sincere apologies, Mistress. I will make sure it doesn't happen again. But now that the notary has arrived, may I suggest we proceed to business?"

Lady Anita tilted her head.

"Notary? What's a notary.." Lady Anita coughed, extending her fan to hide her mouth. "I mean, what would the great Albifort estate need a notary for, minion?"

Bob suppressed a sigh.

"He must verify your signature to grant me power of attorney, Mistress."

Lady Anita stared into space for a moment.

"Huh, what kind of power is that? Didn't you say you don't have any powers, minion? I do not appreciate being lied to."

Bob took a deep breath through his nose.

"It is to fulfill your will, my Mistress. Power of attorney will allow me to act on your behalf, so that I may deal with the paperwork you ordered me to handle."

Lady Anita tilted her head.

"Paperwork? What paperwork? We are beyond such peasant trifles, my minion."

Bob's arm trembled as he held in the reflex to move it to his face.

"Mistress, you wished to purchase the Mode par Éclipse did you not?"

"Huh? Why would I want that?"

"You wished to prohibit a certain customer from having a dress tailored did you not?"

Lady Anita blinked a few times. Bob took another breath through his nose and then leaned in to whisper in Lady Anita's ear.

"Miss Corriveau, Mistress."

Lady Anita jumped up and smacked Bob over the head with her fan.

"MINION! I told you never to speak that vile name in my presence!"

"My most sincere apologies, Mistress. You instructed me to purchase the Mode par Éclipse after meeting...a certain thieving vixen there."

Lady Anita ground her teeth, clenching her hands into fists.

"Damn that thieving cat! First she tried to steal my beloved Prince Lionel, now she dares to show up with the same dress as myself?! I'll ban her from every store in the country!!!"

Bob nodded.

"That is what we're trying to do today, Mistress."

Lady Anita glared at him.

"Then stop trying to do it and do it, Minion!"

Bob grit his teeth.

"I just need you to grant me power of attorney first, Mistress, and then it will be done right away."

Lady Anita whacked him with her fan.

"I don't care about Attorney or whatever powers she has! I want that vixen to pay!"

Bob glanced at the third person in the room. Bob's stomach boiled and his face grew warm. The sympathetic expression on the man's face hurt more than a thousand whacks by a fan. But the man slowly nodded and opened his briefcase, withdrawing the documents therein. Bob walked over and took the papers, bringing them back and laying them on Lady Anita's desk.

"Lady Anita, if you sign these papers you will purchase the Mode par Éclipse."

Lady Anita sat back down and looked at the papers for a minute, then glanced up at Bob.

"And then I will make the vixen pay?"

Bob nodded.

"And then you will make the vixen pay."

Lady Anita smiled and sloppily signed her name at the bottom of the sheet. Not even close to the line. And in pink ink. Bob took the paper and brought it to the notary. The notary sighed but stamped the sheet. He then placed it in his briefcase and, with a brief nod to Bob, hurried out of the room.

"Really Minion, why did you have to make that so difficult? With all that time you wasted you could've bought a hundred stores!"

Bob's eye twitched. But Lady Anita ignored him, standing from her seat to look outside at her garden.

"Ohohohohoho, I will show that vixen what it means to oppose Anita Laflèche de Albifort! I'll ban her from every store in the city, and then I will humiliate her in front of everyone at the graduation party! Then I will marry Prince Lionel..."

Lady Anita stopped for a moment, squirming about and holding her sides with a bright red face and closed eyes.

"And then I should get rid of that eyesore. Oh, I've got it! Daddy's doing that thing with the rocket, I'll ask him to tie her to it! I'll send her to the moon! Ohohohoho!"

Bob nodded.

"Then I should begin my work, if that's all Mistress?"

Lady Anita nodded.

"That's right, what are you standing around for Minion?! Get to work enacting my genius plan!"

Bob bowed and strode out of the room. Once outside the door he held his temples with a single hand and heaved a huge sigh. A single indulgence, then Bob strode back to his own office. A simple office, clear of any adornment. Or so he desperately wished were true. The mansion had but a single supplier of furniture and decor after all.

He sat at his desk, uncapped his pen, and began to write. He had much to do.

10 miles past the Kingdom of Coflar's borders stood two figures. They were standing behind a tree at the edge of a clearing deep within the forest. The night was dark, the crescent moon providing little light.

Still, that mattered little to Mister Dapper Tiger, his feline eyes six times better than a normal human's. He brushed the fur on his chin with the claws of his right hand, then took a quick sip from the cup of tea in his left. Many wished to know how the man gained the features responsible for his moniker but all he ever said on the matter was a good tailor and a tour in the jungle.

"Naught but an abandoned warehouse, Your Highness."

Prince Lionel grimaced.

"She's here. She has to be."

Mister Dapper Tiger adjusted his monocle. True, a warehouse in a clearing in the middle of a forest with no roads was more than a little suspicious. But no less suspicious than an anonymous letter delivered to the Prince's dorm room claiming to know the whereabouts of his kidnapped sweetheart. Mister Dapper Tiger certainly believed Miss Adèle Corriveau might indeed be close by. After all, what better reason to kidnap the girl than to bring His Highness to such a secluded location?

A rustling bush. Mister Dapper Tiger focused his sight. A silhouette, too dark for even him to make out more detail. But moving into the warehouse.

"There is someone there, Your Highness. Please allow me to scout ahead."

Prince Lionel shook his head.

"I will not keep Adèle waiting."

Mister Dapper Tiger sighed and shook his head. Ah, to be young again. But who was he to question a young man's resolve?

"Very well, stay close. Please do not act before my signal."

Lionel nodded and the two were off, crouching low as they jogged towards the warehouse. They looped around to a wall with a window and stood against the wall next to said window. Mister Dapper Tiger held his hand up to stop Lionel and pressed his ear against the wall. After a few moments he peeked into the window, then nodded to Lionel and slowly pushed on the frame. A spot of luck, as the window was unlocked. Mister Dapper Tiger pulled himself up onto the windowsill, pulling up Lionel with both arms. He leapt to the floor of the warehouse without a single sound, then helped Lionel get down as well. Both looked around the room. It was full of empty boxes covered with tarps. A thick layer of dust coated everything in the room, cobwebs growing from every corner. No sign anyone had been there in years. But Mister Dapper Tiger was not so easily fooled. He motioned Lionel to follow as he stalked towards a certain part of the room, where the dust was slightly piled up. As if someone had swept dust onto this particular spot. The tigerman pressed his claws on the floor, gently sliding until they found purchase, and pulled open a hidden door.

The two crept through dark hallways with dim incandescent lights, sticking to the shadows whenever possible. But they found naught a soul until they had reached a large, cylindrical concrete room, filled with men covered in black armor with an orange crest on their chest plates. The room was massive, and the reason was clear. With a metal gate for a roof and a huge missile in the center of the room, the purpose of this room could not be mistaken. And neither could the man at the center of the room. Black groomed hair with orange highlights, a thin black mustache, and a bright orange suit with a pink rose adorning his breast. Lionel could not forget Duke Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort if he wanted to. Nor the person the Duke was talking with. Lionel took a step forward before Mr. Dapper Tiger pulled him back, whispering into his ear "wait." Lionel grit his teeth.

How could he possibly wait?

There, tied to the rocket, was a young girl, in a simple dress. A simple green hairband adorning her straight, golden hair. A cute, round face with big blue eyes, tears welling up in them. It was none other than Adèle Corriveau, the love of his life.

"W-Why are you doing this?"

"Bwahaha, do you not understand? Fear not, for this noble Gaëtan shall elucidate, young peasant! You see, this missile is aimed at none other than the Coflar Royal Palace!"

The girl glared at the Duke.

"Why would you do that?! Are you not a noble of Coflar?! How could you harm His Highness' family?!"

The Duke slapped the girl. He then jabbed his finger at her.

"Do not dare speak to me in that tone, you insolent cur! They all look down on me! The world looks down on me! But when those fools in the palace are gone, I shall take my rightful place as king! And when the people cry out for war, I shall lead them in glorious conquest against this nation and Coflar shall rise! For my name is Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort and all who stand before me shall pay! And you, young peasant, have committed the greatest crime of all! You have angered my little darling, and for that you shall pay as well."

Lionel looked behind him to demand permission to act, only to find the beastman missing. He looked around the room until he noticed two large silhouettes in a dark corner of the room. He focused in. There he saw Mr. Dapper Tiger, calmly sipping his tea next to a pile of unconscious men and giving him a thumbs up. Lionel waited not a moment longer and stepped into the light.

"Duke Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort, you are under arrest!"

Adèle's face lit up in a bright smile.

"Lionel! You came for me!"

Lionel flashed her a smile of his own.

"I will always come for you, my love, wherever you go."

Duke Gaëtan twirled his mustache with his left hand.

"Quite touching, young prince, but you were foolish to come alone! Minions, deal with this cur!"

A moment of silence. The Duke let out a cough.

"Minions, I said, deal with this cur!"

Another moment of silence.

"Minions?"

Duke Gaëtan began looking around. A light came on in the corner of the room, revealing the Duke’s minions. And Mr. Dapper Tiger giving an elegant bow.

"Your Grace. My apologies for the delayed greeting."

Duke Gaëtan turned back to Lionel, his eyes sunk into their sockets.

"Oh."

No one noticed one minion exiting the warehouse, a briefcase in hand. A certain briefcase containing the coordinates for conveniently abandoned missile silos. A minion shaking his head.

"So you ignored all my warnings but immediately came running for the girl. Do you know how hard it was to delay that launch? How long I had to wait in that bush? Heroes are so annoying."

After her father's arrest and conviction, Anita Laflèche de Albifort was taken into custody. She was soon cleared of wrongdoing, but given her treatment of Adèle Corriveau she was exiled from the capital. The King and Queen were reluctant to cut her off entirely, however, and she was allowed to keep the allowances her father had given her. It is said that to escape her grief she threw herself into work, investing her funds with surprising success. Today she is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. She also became a prolific and beloved author, redefining the romance genre for generations to come. Though many have reached out to her, she never returned to public life, and so the details of her remarkable comeback remain a mystery.