Wriothesley's POV
"No."
"But-"
"Absolutely not." Neuvillette frowned.
The girls had been trying to convince him to bring them back to the Court for over an hour at this point.
They have tried just about everything from pleading to threats, but for once Neuvillette wouldn't relent.
"But we will be needed if you want to find those bottles of Promirdial Seawater."
"I can find them myself."
"We will be needed for the arrest-"
"No, you will not be."
"But-"
"No but. They have tried to kill you once already. I'm not going to give them a chance to try again."
"We are not affected by Primordial Seawater."
"Guns and other weapons are still just as effective."
"We are more than capable of dealing with some weakling waving around a gun." Veleda mumbled.
Sounds of agreement followed from all around and Neuvillette's frown only deepened.
"Girls-"
"How about we just stay with Lady Furina while you and Papa round up all of them?" Trow offered.
"You might as well stay here then." Her offer was declined without hesitation.
"I would rather stay with Lady Furina!"
"Me too!"
"I second that!"
"Dad, please!"
"It's more fun with Lady Furina!"
"We promise not to run around!"
"Well just stay inside."
"Please?"
All of them started speaking at the same time.
It looks like they decided that trying to overwhelm him was their best shot.
It seemed to be working too.
"Girls-"
While this was going on, a few of them whom I noticed had run off earlier returned with a stack of canvases.
Our eyes met and they held up one of the canvases to me at an angle in which Neuvillette wouldn't be able to see them.
The canvas had something written on it.
Just what-
What the hell?!
It took everything I had not to express my shock less Neuvillette notices.
The canvas read:
Help us convince him or we'll corrupt Dad.
They'll do what?
Then they held up the second one.
We'll ask him to read our books.
Oh, just that?
He's already-
The third canvas was raised, interrupting my thoughts.
Not the ones we keep at his house, but the ones we have at home because he doesn't want us reading them. We don't know exactly what's in them because we were never allowed to finish reading them, but they are rated 18+ in human terms.
18+?
Wait...
That-
They mean-
F*ck!
Absolutely not!
Neuvillette can't go around reading those!
Why do the girls even have those?!
Why didn't he just confiscate them?
I shook my head at them frantically and they raised a fourth canvas in return.
If you don't want him reading them, then convince him.
Damn it!
Seriously?!
Who taught them how to threaten people?
Surprisingly, as if they could read my mind, a fifth canvas was raised.
Dad taught us how to threaten people.
Neuvillette!
Look what you've done!
Come on!
How am I supposed to convince him?
Out of nowhere, one of them pulled out a sixth canvas. The others seemed surprised by this and looked at the canvas questioningly before they all nodded and turned it to me.
Veleda said something about pillow talk.
Yeah.
Nope.
I'm done.
I'm just gonna delete that last one from my brain.
Not happening.
Not a chance.
Especially since he banished me to the couch.
I can't even cuddle with him! What pillow talk?!
Not that I had any chance to try had I not been banished.
Do they even know what they're saying?!
But fine.
I'll try to convince him.
Anything to keep him away from those books.
And after this is over, I'll make sure to confiscate every single one of them.
Tsk!
Children should stay innocent.
I can't have them with books like that lying around their house.
Having decided that, I walked over to Neuvillette and took hold of one of his hands that he had been clenching behind his back in an attempt to hide his wavering attitude.
Our eyes met almost instantly a hit of surprise flashing within his.
"Neuv dear. Could you come with me for a moment?"
There was a moment of hesitation but in the end, he allowed me to pull him away and out of the children's sight.
"Wrio-"
His words cut off when I kissed the back of his hand.
While he was stuck staring from shock I linked our fingers before holding his hand against the wall and leaning closer.
"Let's give them what they want this one time. They went through quite the scary thing after all. What do you say, love?"
"T-That- Wrio- That-"
"I trust that you can protect them if something unexpected were to happen. You won't betray that trust by not believing in yourself, right?"
"W-Wrio please-"
"Come now, my lovely dragon. Won't you do this? For me?"
Those last words we just soft whispers right next to his ear.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Before I knew it our positions had been switched and I found my back against the wall.
"You tempt me, Wriothesley. Do not provoke me like this or you will come to regret it." He growled.
By the time his words reached my ears, he was already gone. Vanished to god knows where.
When I went back to the girls I found the cheering pulling along a very confused Claude.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him out of the little party they were having.
"What's with the celebration?"
"I'm not sure how you managed, Your Grace, but Monsieur Neuvillette allowed them to go back to Court and stay with Lady Furina. Oh, on that note, I have also been told to stay with them just in case."
Just in case what?
Just in case someone comes after him too?
Or just in case Lady Furina were to cause a mess with them?
And...
This is good to know.
A new way to persuade the hydro dragon.
It works wonders it seems.
Though...
What did he say before he left?
My brain had failed to process his words back then and now I forgot.
Great.
Just great.
I'll have to ask later.