9

Meredith's mouth twists. "Things went wrong, at the end," she says. "I have to put them right."

The carriage falls silent for some time.

"This omen is important, I told you that," Meredith says at last. "I need you to listen to me when we arrive in Archa. In this one matter, if not in any others, I need your trust. I need freedom."

Several Days Later

"No," Princess Despina says, staring Meredith down from across her office desk.

While you never would have described Meredith as notably excitable, at the moment, she's particularly calm for someone with the point of a sword pressed against her neck. The moment you arrived in the office and revealed Meredith's identity, Letha backed her up against the wall with the weapon, not even waiting for the princess's command. Meredith, in the meantime, hasn't so much as raised an objection.

Princess Despina's gaze keeps straying over your shoulder to linger on Meredith, even as she's talking to you. "Aside from the obvious folly of granting a demon any kind of freedoms in the palace at any time, you do understand that she's asking to roam about unsupervised two days before my wedding?