The third week of lessons confirmed one thing.
Princess Veronica did not get bored easily.
If anything, she became more inventive.
Yesterday, Clara's lecture notes had turned into a flock of paper birds halfway through Chapter Two.
The day before that, every ink bottle in the room had decided to explode simultaneously.
Today, Clara suspected the floorboards might turn into water.
Clara closed her notebook slowly.
This was not sustainable.
Teaching while dodging magical sabotage required impressive concentration, but it did absolutely nothing for the learning process. And more importantly, it entertained Veronica far too much.
Which meant Clara had to give her something better.
Something interesting enough that the princess would choose not to interrupt.
Clara leaned back in her chair, thinking.
Veronica was brilliant.
That much was obvious from the rare moments she actually engaged with the material. When she answered questions, her reasoning was sharp and annoyingly precise.
But she hated being told to study.
She hated authority.
She hated boredom.
And above all-
She hated losing.
Clara's lips curved slightly.
Ah.
That would work.
****
The next afternoon, Clara arrived earlier than usual.
The palace library was quiet, sunlight spilling through tall stained-glass windows and scattering colored light across the long study table.
Clara placed her satchel down and removed a small wrapped bundle.
Inside were skewers she had prepared in the palace kitchen that morning.
Fruit first.
Then sugar.
Then patience.
Cooking sugar to the right temperature had taken three attempts and a minor burn on her finger, but the result was perfect.
Each skewer was coated in a flawless shell of hardened syrup.
Clear.
Glasslike.
The kind of sweetness that shattered when bitten.
She arranged them carefully on a chilled silver platter she had borrowed from the kitchen.
A faint mist curled off the metal.
Clara stepped back, studying the result.
They looked like jewels.
Good.
If Veronica valued anything, it was spectacle.
***
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Clara quickly returned to the desk and began organizing examination papers.
The doors opened without ceremony.
Princess Veronica entered like a storm that had decided to take human form.
Her silver hair was half-pinned, half-falling loose down her back, and she looked mildly irritated- likely because something somewhere had failed to amuse her today.
Her eyes scanned the room automatically.
Searching.
Calculating.
Probably deciding which object to turn into an insect first.
Then she noticed the platter.
Veronica slowed.
Her violet gaze sharpened.
Curious.
Clara kept her attention on the papers.
Hook taken.
Good.
The princess approached the table slowly, like a cat examining something unfamiliar.
And valuable.
***
There, resting on a chilled silver platter, was a row of skewers. They looked like oversized jewels- vibrant red berries and golden citrus segments encased in a thick, crystal-clear shell of hardened sugar. A light mist curled off the platter, keeping the "glass" from melting in the afternoon heat.
"I didn't give you permission to bring treasures into the chambers, Clara," Veronica said, though her voice lacked its usual bite. She walked closer, the light from the stained glass catching the shimmering surface of the fruit.
"These aren't treasures, Your Highness. They're Tanghulu," Clara said, not looking up from the stack of examination papers she was organizing. "And they aren't for you. At least, not yet."
Veronica reached out a slender finger to touch the translucent coating.
"Don't," Clara said firmly. "The sugar is tempered to be incredibly crisp. If you touch it with warm hands before you've earned the right to eat it, you'll ruin the 'snap.'"
The Princess pulled her hand back as if burned, her violet eyes flashing. "You forget yourself, Tutor. I could simply order the guards to take the tray."
"You could," Clara agreed, finally meeting her eyes with a calm, unshakable gaze. "But I'm the only one who knows the exact ratio of the syrup. If the guards take them, they'll just be sweet fruit. If you earn them, they'll be the best thing you've tasted in this palace."
Clara tapped the blank test paper in front of the empty chair.
"The test covers the three chapters on the Southern Trade Alliances. For every section you answer with perfect accuracy, you get one skewer. If you fail a section, I eat one in front of you."
Veronica's jaw tightened. She looked at the glistening, ruby-red berries- so perfect they looked like they had been dipped in liquid diamond- and then at the daunting pile of paperwork. The silence in the library was broken only by the faint clink of the ice settling under the platter.
"You are a very lucky woman, Clara Valeria," Veronica hissed, snatching the quill so hard the feathers ruffled. "Because if these taste even half as good as they look, I might actually let you live through the week."
For the next thirty minutes, the only sound was the frantic, aggressive scratching of the Princess's quill. Veronica didn't even look up to summon a phantom or a bug. She was a woman possessed, her eyes darting occasionally to the Tanghulu as if drawing strength from the sugar.
When she finished, she shoved the papers across the desk with a triumphant smirk. "Correct them. Now."
Clara scanned the pages. It was flawless-possibly the best work the Princess had ever produced. She had even corrected a minor error in the textbook regarding the spice tariffs.
"Exceeds expectations," Clara murmured, sliding the silver platter toward the Princess.
Veronica didn't hesitate. She grabbed the first skewer and took a bite.
CRACK.
The sound of the sugar shattering was sharp and clear. Veronica's eyes widened, her entire body relaxing as the tart juice of the fruit mixed with the cooling sweetness of the shell. It was a texture she had never experienced- the aggressive crunch followed by the soft, yielding center.
"Fine," Veronica mumbled, her cheeks slightly puffed out as she reached for the second skewer. "I suppose the Southern Trade Alliances aren't completely useless. But tomorrow, I expect those honey-cream centers you mentioned."
Clara smiled, hiding her relief.
"Do well on the History of the Conquest, and we'll see."