"Phantom Thief Capture Plan II?"
Chevreuse frowned, examining the document in her hand.
Turenna, who was slumped on the table beside her, chimed in, "Another capture? Last time Lady Furina got caught. Are they planning to catch Lady Focalors this time?"
"The treasure's location is the Fortress of Meropide."
Turenna: "...?"
The other team members: "???"
This is what they call "luring the prey into the trap, Chevreuse thought.
The Fortress of Meropide was indeed an ideal location—isolated, easily defended, and nearly impenetrable. Seal off all the exits, and even a phantom thief would have no hope of escaping.
Assuming Luna is just an ordinary phantom thief.
If she were the Phantom Weasel, certain death would be inevitable. But the Phantom Thief White Cat possessed limitless possibilities. Her raw strength alone could shatter any barrier.
Though she'd never resort to brute force within the Fortress of Meropide. Her conscience wouldn't allow a criminal to escape justice.
"What are our orders, then?" Turenna pressed.
The Fortress of Meropide fell outside Fontaine's jurisdiction, rendering the Court of Justice's "Forced Protection" measures ineffective. Without the Duke's consent, neither the Maison Gardiennage nor the Special Task Force could enter.
"Stand by outside."
"Huh? Stand by?"
The Special Task Force had always been the ones pursuing the phantom thief. Now they were being told to stand down?
This makes no sense!
"Why?"
Chevreuse closed the document. "The higher-ups made the call. How am I supposed to know? If those are our orders, we'll just stand by outside."
After all, the Phantom Thief White Cat was bound to escape anyway.
Late at night, Chevreuse sat at her desk, flipping through investigation reports.
A hand brushed her shoulder, followed by a soft, whispered voice.
"Good evening, Miss Captain. It seems you're preparing something new again?"
Chevreuse didn't bother turning around. Only one person could infiltrate her bedroom so silently and tease her like this.
"Should I call you Luna or White Cat?" Chevreuse asked casually, flipping the page.
Luna rested her chin on Chevreuse's head, smiling faintly. "Whatever you prefer. You can even call me 'darling,' since we've already exchanged 'rings' and 'married' in the church, right?"
Chevreuse sighed. "Did you come all the way here just to say that?"
Besides, the 'rings' were actually handcuffs, and the 'marriage' was entirely Luna's idea.
Even though they had indeed made a deal.
And the price Chevreuse paid was herself. Yet she wouldn't regret it as long as Phantom Thief White Cat kept her end of the bargain.
"How heartbreaking! A newlywed wife so indifferent."
"Stop calling it a 'marriage' every chance you get."
Luna cleared the desk and sat on it, looking down at Chevreuse. Her fingertips lightly traced Chevreuse's lips, then brushed across her eyelashes, her touch as gentle as if she were cherishing her.
Throughout it all, Chevreuse offered no resistance, simply accepting her actions in silence.
After all, this was part of the bargain.
"Have you been thinking of me lately, Miss Captain?" Luna asked, sitting back on Chevreuse's lap and wrapping her arms around her neck.
Chevreuse glanced at her—the familiar mask, the familiar smile...
The restlessness in her chest made Chevreuse avert her gaze.
"Yes, I've been thinking about how to capture you," she replied.
Luna tilted her head slightly. "Is that so? Then it's quite simple—just take me to bed. If you can make me lose my composure, you'll have countless opportunities and moments to capture me."
She gently cupped Chevreuse's cheek, applying slight pressure.
"Look at me," Luna whispered.
Chevreuse sighed softly and met her gaze again, their lips brushing together.
"Trusting you would be falling into your trap," Chevreuse breathed between kisses.
Luna pressed her cheek against Chevreuse's, her eyes closed. "Then I must have you ensnared very tightly, Captain Chevreuse. Otherwise, why would you have made such a life-altering bargain with me?"
"..."
Chevreuse didn't respond, her fingertips twitching slightly, unsure where to place them.
After savoring Chevreuse's warmth for a moment, Luna slid off her lap and casually picked up a document from the table.
"[ Phantom Thief Capture Plan II ]?"
"Don't read that," Chevreuse said casually.
"If you really didn't want me to see it, why didn't you hide it better?"
Luna settled back into her chair, her raised toes brushing against Chevreuse's thigh. "Don't worry, I understand the rules: you didn't let me see, I just happened to peek."
"And everything you say next is just you talking to yourself, which I accidentally overheard."
Chevreuse ignored Luna's theatrics, leaning back in her chair. "The Court of Justice wants to capture the Phantom Thief White Cat."
"If I were them, I'd want that too. It's hard to sit comfortably on that throne when a dangerous, terrifying thief is running wild."
Luna flipped through the documents, a smile playing on her lips. "But they don't realize the beautiful Captain has already securely chained Miss Phantom Thief—using herself as the handcuffs."
"No more freedom, no more doing as she pleases. Instead, she gets everything Captain Chevreuse has to offer... a perfect exchange, don't you think?" Luna purred, sounding utterly satisfied.
Chevreuse crossed her arms. "So you can ignore this plan."
After all, it violates their agreement.
Agreement One: The Phantom Thief may only steal treasures from the guilty.
But what if the treasure is bait used by the Court of Justice to lure the Phantom Thief out of hiding?
"As I said before, the Court of Justice's affairs are none of your concern. Let them handle their own problems," Chevreuse stated flatly.
Luna smiled faintly as she set the documents aside.
"What if I want to play along?" she asked.
"...Then I wouldn't be surprised."
The Phantom Thief White Cat would never ignore a challenge directed at her.
Luna lightly hopped off the table, lay down on Chevreuse's bed, and closed her eyes. "Don't worry. If I confirm that this treasure doesn't belong to someone guilty, I won't accept it."
"However, to cut costs, the Court of Justice might very well use treasures from their evidence vault as bait, right?"
"After all, everyone knows the Phantom Thief White Cat will return the treasure."
But they didn't know the price for this was entirely borne by Chevreuse.
Chevreuse didn't deny the possibility, nodding slightly. "Just keep your end of our bargain."
"Of course I will," Luna purred, "because I want to keep kissing you, Miss Captain."
Chevreuse turned her face away. "...It seems I've truly got you tightly restrained."
Even if it was in this manner.
Luna chuckled softly, then said, "Alright, let me catch a few minutes of sleep here? Rushing all the way here has been exhausting."
Who would believe that?
How could someone who had left both her and Navia in the dust possibly be exhausted from travel? But Chevreuse quickly noticed that Luna did indeed seem to have fallen asleep.
Completely unguarded.
As if any opportunity would do.
Chevreuse silently rose to her feet, walked to the bedside, and stared down at Luna. She reached out her hand.
"..."
Then she pulled the blanket up and tucked it over Luna's body.
"Aren't you going to do something else, Miss Captain? Like fulfilling your long-cherished wish—to arrest me?" Luna whispered with a sly smile.
I knew this rascal was just pretending to be asleep and tired.
But Chevreuse didn't mind. She cut straight to the point: "Would you let me arrest you?"
"No."
"That's settled then. I understand. All your tricks are useless against you. Only by defeating you can I make you willingly surrender to my arrest."
Luna lifted Chevreuse's hand and gently kissed her fingertips.
"May I take this as a sign of your tenderness and affection?"
"...Suit yourself. Letting you lower your guard wouldn't be a bad move either."
Chevreuse pressed her fingers lightly against Luna's lips. "So dishonest," she murmured.
Luna removed her mask and placed it beside her pillow, smiling slyly. "Then allow me to lower my guard for a while."
With that, she closed her eyes and settled down to rest.
Chevreuse sighed softly and turned to leave. She hadn't showered yet.
When she returned from her shower, Luna had indeed vanished, leaving only a card on the bed.
And deliberately left on the pillow, one or two strands of golden hair.
As if to declare, This territory is also mine.
Was marking territory the true goal? Chevreuse thought absently, picking up the card.
The card read:
[I'm heading back now. After all, there's a lovely Cake Lady waiting for me at home.]
Cake Lady? Who?
Chevreuse felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.
Jealous? No. Absolutely not.
... Or at least, it shouldn't be.