lisa tried not to fidget as the royal carriage bounced along the cobblestone streets toward the palace. The plush velvet seats and gold trim still felt foreign to her, a reminder of how far she'd co from that little nim girl in Lessmark who couldn't even cast the simplest spell.
[And yet, here I am. On my way to advise the queen. I an, unofficially, of course.]
She adjusted her formal academy robes, specially tailored to accommodate her horns and tail. Margaret had insisted on the upgrade a few weeks ago, declaring that "if you're going to play politics with humans, you might as well look the part."
"ACK!"
The carriage hit a particularly deep rut, nearly sending lisa flying off her seat.
"Careful there!" the royal guard sitting across from her warned. "These old streets weren't built with comfort in mind."
"No kidding," lisa muttered, steadying herself. "You'd think with all the taxes we pay, they could at least fill in the potholes."
The guard—Terrence, if she rembered correctly—chuckled.
"Been saying that for years, miss. The new queen's more focused on the outer defenses than street repairs, though. What with the darian war and all."
"Guess so."
lisa nodded, her mind already drifting back to her conversation with Raven the night before.
[Secrets, huh?] she thought, staring out the window at the passing buildings. [So, the device lets you see specific things like that... intimate mories, private thoughts, things people would normally keep hidden.]
It made sense. Isabella's self-pleasure sessions, Jaylin's fantasies about Margaret, the random citizen's sexual encounters. All intensely private monts that no one would willingly share.
Well, aside from Isabella.
[But if that's the case, how do we "turn the effect off," so to speak?]
The carriage turned onto the royal road, the ride instantly smoother as they passed through the outer palace gates. Guards in the queen's colors stood at attention, barely glancing at the familiar royal carriage as it rolled by.
[Maybe we need to share a secret of our own? Or collect a certain number of mories? Or maybe there's a specific mory the disc is looking for...]
"We've arrived, Miss Blackfla," Terrence announced as the carriage slowed to a stop in front of the palace gardens. "Her Majesty's waiting in the eastern gazebo."
lisa nodded her thanks, taking the guard's offered hand as she stepped down from the carriage.
[Another day, another nim crisis to manage,] lisa thought wryly as she followed the stone path toward the eastern section of the garden.
She spotted Queen Aria before the monarch noticed her approaching. The young queen sat alone in the white marble gazebo, a delicate tea service arranged on the table before her. Without her formal regalia and all that, Aria looked surprisingly small, almost fragile in her simple white and gold dress.
lisa knew better, though. More than probably most people. There was nothing fragile about Aria.
"Your Majesty," lisa called softly as she approached. "Thank you for the invitation."
Aria looked up, her gray eyes sharpening as she registered lisa's presence. She smiled. Just a little, but a smile nonetheless.
"lisa. Right on ti, as usual." She gestured to the empty chair across from her. "Please, join ."
lisa slid into the seat, giving Aria a shallow bow of her head. They'd long since dispensed with the more formal court etiquette during their private etings.
"Tea?" Aria offered, already reaching for the pot.
"Please."
As Aria poured the steaming liquid into a delicate porcelain cup, lisa studied her carefully. The queen looked a little tired.
"Trouble sleeping, Your Majesty?" she asked, accepting the cup.
Aria's eyes flicked up, surprise briefly crossing her features before her royal mask slipped back into place.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Only to soone who's used to paying attention," lisa replied honestly.
Aria sighed, setting the teapot down with a soft clink.
"The burden of the crown, I'm afraid. Particularly these days."
"The nim arrests? The war?"
"Among other things," Aria said, her gaze drifting toward the carefully manicured roses. "The court is... divided on how to proceed."
lisa sipped her tea, waiting. She'd learned early on that patience was essential when dealing with Aria. The queen would speak when ready, not before.
"So of my advisors are calling for executions," Aria said finally, her voice deliberately neutral. "They believe a public display would discourage further... unrest."
lisa kept her face carefully blank.
"And what does Your Majesty believe?"
Aria's eyes settled back on lisa, searching.
"I've yet to decide. Which is partly why I asked you here today."
lisa nodded slowly.
"You want the nim perspective," lisa said. It wasn't a question.
"I want lisa Blackfla's perspective," Aria corrected. "You've proven yourself... uniquely positioned to understand both sides of this issue."
lisa couldn't argue with that. As much as she hated to admit it, she had indeed beco the unofficial liaison between the nim community and the crown. Not by choice, certainly not by election, but simply by circumstance.
"Well, before I offer that perspective," lisa said carefully, "perhaps you could update on the situation?"
Aria nodded, lifting her cup.
"We've detained twenty-three nim in total. Koros and his inner circle, thanks to you, plus various supporters who were directly involved in the planned attacks. Searches of their hideouts revealed weapons, incendiary devices, and detailed maps of noble residences."
"Including Javir's," lisa added.
"Yes." Aria's eyes hardened slightly. "Had they succeeded, the death toll would have been significant."
"I don't dispute that," lisa said quickly. "Their plans were inexcusable."
"And yet, you have reservations about proper punishnt?"
"I... have reservations about what constitutes 'proper,' Your Majesty."
[Rich of to say, given that I would have definitely off'ed Koros if my dad hadn't stepped in. But yeah.]
As Aria leaned forward to respond, the shoulder of her dress slipped slightly.
[Oh.]
Without thinking, lisa reached across to adjust it, her fingers accidentally brushing against the queen's bare skin.
The world tilted.
Suddenly, lisa was looking through Aria's eyes, staring down at a piece of parchnt on her desk. It was a list of nas—the arrested nim conspirators—with annotations in Aria's precise handwriting. Her elegant fingers tapped thoughtfully against the page as she considered.
"Executing them would send the strongest ssage," Lord Caelum's voice ca from sowhere to her left. "The people need to know that treason, regardless of race, is punishable by death."
"And what ssage would that send to the nim population?" Aria—lisa—heard herself ask. "That even plotting against humans is worthy of death, while humans who abuse nim rarely face punishnt at all?"
"Your Majesty, with respect, these creatures were planning mass murder. They forfeit any claim to your rcy the mont they decided to target innocent families."
Aria's jaw clenched, a flicker of anger rising in her chest.
"They are my subjects too, Lord Caelum. All of them. I will not make this decision hastily, nor will I allow the court's prejudices to cloud my judgnt."
The vision faded, and lisa found herself back in the garden gazebo, her hand still outstretched toward Aria's shoulder. The queen was looking at her with mild confusion, apparently unaware of what had just happened.
"Is sothing wrong?" Aria asked, adjusting her dress herself.
lisa withdrew her hand quickly.
"No, sorry. Just... noticed your dress was slipping."
Aria nodded her thanks, apparently accepting the explanation. There was no sign that she had experienced anything unusual from lisa's touch—no disorientation, no change in expression beyond mild surprise at the gesture.
[So it is one-way,] lisa realized. [Unless both people touched the disc.]
That would explain why she and Jaylin had exchanged mories when they touched—they'd both handled the artifact. But Aria hadn't, so she remained unaware of the brief intrusion into her mind.
[Then... Wouldn't that an...?]
But, Aria's words took her out of her thoughts.
"As I was saying," Aria continued, "there are those in my court who believe only the harshest punishnt will suffice."
lisa took a slow breath, carefully considering her next words.
"Your Majesty, if I may speak freely?"
Aria gestured for her to continue.
"Executing the nim conspirators would be a mistake," lisa said bluntly. "It would create martyrs, not examples."
Aria's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Go on."
"The nim who follow Koros do so because they feel powerless and they're angry. Executing him and his followers would only prove their point—that humans will always choose violence against nim when given the chance. That there's no way to bring both sides together."
lisa leaned forward, her voice low and urgent.
"But... I think a public trial, where their cris are laid bare, where your rcy is displayed alongside your justice? I think that tells a different story. It says that even nim who commit terrible acts are still entitled to the sa legal protections as humans. It says that your rule is defined by fairness, not vengeance."
Aria studied lisa with unreadable eyes, her fingers tapping lightly against her teacup.
"You make a compelling argunt," she said finally. "Though I'm curious why you're raising this specific concern today. The decision on their fate isn't scheduled for another week."
"I've been thinking about it since their arrest," she improvised. "But after seeing how tired you look today... I thought perhaps the decision was weighing on you."
It wasn't a total lie. The decision clearly was troubling Aria, based on the mory lisa had just witnessed.
Aria's lips quirked in a half-smile.
"Perceptive as always, lisa." She sighed, setting down her cup. "The truth is, I've been considering similar points myself. Execution would be... politically expedient. But I'm not convinced it would be just."
Relief flooded through lisa, though she kept her expression carefully neutral.
"I believe your wisdom will guide you to the right decision, Your Majesty."
"Your confidence is appreciated, if perhaps misplaced," Aria replied dryly. She straightened in her seat, her posture shifting subtly from casual to royal. "Now, let's discuss the actual reason I called you here today."
"It wasn't the nim arrests?"
"That was one matter, yes. But there's another situation developing that requires your unique expertise."
lisa fought the urge to groan. Of course there was. There was always sothing.
"I'm at Your Majesty's service," she said instead.
As Aria began outlining the latest political crisis requiring lisa's attention—sothing about nim laborers in the northern mines—lisa found her thoughts repeatedly drifting back to the mory she'd witnessed.
Aria had been genuinely conflicted about the executions, weighing justice against politics, rcy against deterrence. It wasn't the calculation of a cold tyrant, but the deliberation of a ruler trying to balance competing interests.
[Maybe there's hope for this kingdom after all,] lisa thought, a small smile playing at her lips.
"Is sothing amusing about the mining dispute?" Aria asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Not at all, Your Majesty," lisa replied smoothly. "I was just thinking that I'm starting to like you a little."
"..."
Instantly, Aria blushed deeply.
"P-Please, refrain from making such vulgar statents," she muttered, looking away.
"Sorry, sorry!" lisa giggled. "My apologies, Your Majesty."
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