"Seriously, what have you done?!" I yelled at him in horror. "How could you do something like this?!"

"Shut up!" Papagalino snapped at me. "Can't you see? We're disposing of the body."

"Everything must be done correctly!" I exclaimed in horror and resentment. "We need to turn her body over to the police. Her parents deserve to bury her!"

"Yeah, right! And then they'll bury us at the castle!" he scoffed.

"But we didn't do this!" I protested desperately.

"Nobody cares! We'll be punished regardless. If she were just some ordinary girl, a peasant, nobody would give a damn! But she's the QUEEN'S DAMN MISTRESS! They won't leave a stone unturned at your interrogation!"

"But this isn't right! This is so wrong!!!" I exclaimed, tears welling up in my eyes. I gazed out of the carriage window in horror, as we glided smoothly above the endless forest. "I don't understand why you did this. There might still be traces of her blood here."

"We'll say you cut yourself with those damn nail scissors, or I was doing my damn nails in your damn carriage," he suggested nonchalantly.

"What about forensic examination???" I asked frantically.

"What nonsense are you talking about? What examination?" he replied dismissively.

"It feels like I've stepped into some twisted Baroque period," I muttered to myself, trying to process the situation. I knew where I was, but I had to push my thoughts away to keep from losing it and just force myself to function like it was all real.

"Are you seriously suggesting we just tell them she ran away? Well, it could work. Maybe she didn't want to be a mistress! Who even wants to be some old crowned hag's mistress???" I protested incredulously.

"But don't you dare say that to her face! Crazy girl from the woods!"

"Don't you dare call me that, you parrot!" I retorted angrily.

Tears started streaming down my face.

"Don't cry!" he said somehow softly.

"I'll decide what to do myself!"

Papagalino plucked a feather from his head and tickled my nose. I sneezed, and we both burst into laughter, teetering on the edge of hysteria.

"What do you suggest?" I finally asked, trying to regain composure and sanity.

~~~

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