Tamed || Wriothesley x Reader

Chapter 49

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"So, you found her, but failed to arrest her."

Wriothesley sat with his arms crossed, leaned against the edge of his desk, a cold stare plastered upon his face. At times he could be patient, only with given situations, but to others, people thought he came off as the most impatient man on the face of Teyvat.

He stared at the guards, visibly seeing as one of them trembled in fear. He sighed, cracking his neck slightly to relieve just only a fraction of the stress he was feeling.

One of the guards spoke up. "W-Well... Sumeru isn't exactly our known terrain... we didn't expect the weather to be as hot as it was, let alone for so many people to become troublesome for us..."

"That's not the problem." Wriothesley replied, his tone low and a deep growl hidden within his throat. "I'm paying each of you for a simple job that you have failed at accomplishing."

These guards that he was speaking to weren't exactly Fontaine's "normal" guards. The three that Clorinde had sent to him were more-so fit of the "undercover" status. Since Wriothesley had claimed that there was now a wanted criminal outside of Fontaine, he took it upon himself to deal with the situation. The Chief Justice approved of this matter, but not because it was something that concerned a dire situation, but because Wriothesley admitted that this was merely something of his own personal interest.

But alas, it seemed like you weren't going to make things easy for him.

"Your Grace, if I may ask..." A guard looked back at Wriothesley for a quick moment before taking his eyes off of him. "...Wouldn't it just be better if we recover the stolen item, and then leave the criminal alone? When we encountered her, she seemed to be confused about the crime committed... she was adamant that she didn't steal—"

"Are you going against my orders?"

The three guards flinched at Wriothesley's tone, making all of them not dare to open their mouths.

He spoke once more, giving a silent sigh. "The point is that she committed a crime in Fontaine and fled to Sumeru, thinking that her name would somehow fade away. However, I am the Warden of the only prison here in Fontaine. That means it is my job to deal with any criminals— no matter how far— with the utmost clarity. Understood?"

"Understood." The three of them replied in unison.

"Good. Now, when do you plan on trying again?"

The guards took a moment of silence before one finally spoke up. "...In four days time."

Wriothesley clicked his tongue. "Need I remind you how serious this is? The shop owner has lost business because of this matter."

"R-Right..."

"Then, I'll ask again. When are you going back?"

"...Tomorrow. We can start preparing... right?" The guard looked back at the other two, who hesitantly nodded their heads.

"Good." Wriothesley straightened his back and walked over to his seat. "I trust that this time, she will be brought back. Unharmed."

With those final words spoken, the guards nodded and took their leave.

As they exited his office, a strange sense of relief coveted them.

"Who does he think he is?" One guard said, knitting his brows together.

"He thinks this is such a simple task..." The other replied.

"It's best not to get upset." The last spoke. "The sooner we can get this over with, the better."