Finally, Some Satisfaction

It took ten days. Ten days of riding with a band of men who saw Lilith as a worthless little princess; hundreds of miles, two hundred forty hours, five inns, half a journal's worth of inappropriate behavior recorded, and five hastily written letters to the Emperor-- and they were there.

The Magic Tower's capital, named simply Capital, was stunning. Cobblestone lined every street, along with little market stalls stationed between shops. The buildings were a delightful mishmash of different cultures, ranging from rigid Imperial architecture to airy Ustoffic columns that mixed the indoors with the outdoors, to art nouveau Nescan buildings with stained glass windows Diane could stare at for hours.

This all had been built in only thirty years-- incredible. Capital was busy as well, with streets crammed to the edges with people walking, talking, selling their wares. Diane's clumsy carriage had trouble navigating these streets, and her guards bristled at the lack of decorum.

It was perfect.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life," Mina marveled, and Diane couldn't help but agree.

"It's like a fairy tale." Diane craned her neck to better see the sights through the window. "We're gonna have to explore all this once we get settled." A pause, and she looked at Mina. Happy, carefree Mina. "I may or may not already have some tasks for you to complete."

All that happiness vanished in an instant. "Seriously? We just got here."

"I just need a few extra things." Just one or two magical items that would make Diane's life a little easier. "And then maybe I need you to befriend the staff at our dorms in the Castello, but that's really it."

Mina stared at her in disbelief. "Uh huh, as you say, My Lady," she answered, voice dripping with sarcasm-- she caught herself just a few seconds too late. "I am so sorry, I--"

Best to stop her right there. "You can joke with me when it's just us. Goodness knows that we've been through enough together to develop some mutual trust." Diane glanced out the window to the knight riding his horse next to her door, Sir Bertrand. They'd both weathered the inappropriate staring from every other member of their party, and if nothing else it strengthened their bond. Relationships forged through fire, and all that.

Turning back to Mina, Diane noted warmth in her smile. They shared legitimate solidarity together, and that... It wasn't a bad feeling, having someone to trust. At least enough to help accomplish Diane's goals. "Thank you, My Lady. Truly."

"You can thank me later-- I just need you to return from your errands before sunset tomorrow."

"Oh?" Mina asked, suddenly concerned, "Are you... planning something?"

If Diane smirked, well, it wasn't like she had to control her facial expressions around Mina. "I have a little show planned for the both of us-- I just need one letter of permission for it to happen."

________

When Diane wrote to Emperor Gladius throughout her journey, she did so with the explicit request that he send his response to her new home at the Academy's Castello dormitory. That 'Castello' was just another name for 'Castle' didn't go unnoticed, but Diane had bigger fish to fry.

His response had come, sent for as soon as Diane entered her new quarters. The space was lovely, an airy set of quarters fit with a bedroom, dining room, study, and foyer, decorated with Etiennese rococo aesthetics. It even had windows in every room, located to ensure that the whole area was brimming with sunlight in the daytime. That wasn't the point, however. Diane ripped open the envelope with alacrity, unable to stop herself from smiling at the short response:

'Do what you want. Behead them, arrest them; just handle it yourself.' Just below the text was the imperial seal.

Wonderful. As soon as Mina returned from her errands (commissioning a convenient disguise and secure storage from a local magical artisan, not to mention grabbing a few chocolates), Diane turned to her from her cozy little desk in her study, the Emperor's letter pinched between her pointer and middle finger. It was time. "Mina, I want you to call the guards to our foyer. Tell them that I want to have a chat regarding expectations for their behavior going forth."

Mina bowed. "Yes, my lady. Before that, may I share my report with you?"

Oh? Something to report already? "Of course, go on."

Standing up, Mina looked Diane directly in the eyes and stated, "The artisan wants to meet you."

Diane frowned, intrigued. She'd just used a little information she'd happened to remember from the dating sim-- Cyrus had been an artisan who'd made it big throughout the game due to his eye for detail and ability to imbue magic into everything he'd made. Was he not known yet? "Send him a letter confirming that I'd be interested in meeting later this week. In the meantime," Diane gestured to her letter with an outright grin, "We're both in for a little treat."

The guards took an entire fifteen minutes to assemble, every single one of them looking displeased with the order. They didn't even bother to hide their contempt at this point, and Diane would have been angry if not for the knowledge that that contempt would become something so much more enjoyable soon.

"Gentlemen," she began, striding around the ragtag group in a lazy circle, feeling for all the world like a predator circling its pray. "As we complete this journey to the Magic Tower Sovereign Territory, I just want to ensure that we all have a mutual understanding of one another." She finished her circle where she'd started, directly in front of the group-- Marron was at the front center, looking unimpressed.

"Yes, My La--"

"I wasn't finished talking," Diane snapped, the smile on her face serene. "Throughout our journey, I've been in contact with the Emperor. Do you know what I've been telling him?"

Murmuring amongst the group; the knights turned to one another with fresh concern, while Marron simply stared at her, aghast. So he'd figured it out. "I've told him about your penchant for gambling on the state of my mind," Diane continued, "And the way Sir Bertrand and others attempted to spy on Mina and me whilst changing, among other infractions. I sent several letters, and this," she brandished Gladius's letter to her like a knife, "Is His Majesty's response." She handed the letter to Marron. "Sir Marron, confirm its authenticity."

Marron hunched over the letter like a man starved, and when he began sweating bullets Diane knew that she'd won him over. "Marron, is that the Emperor's handwriting? His seal?" Any imperial knight would know it-- the Emperor hand wrote every single letter of congratulation to those who'd entered the imperial knightage.

There was a long pause, during which all of Marron's poise and machismo collapsed. He looked up from the letter to Diane with a fresh pair of eyes, full of newfound understanding. Even from her lesser vantage point, Diane smiled down at him, a benevolent ruler toward her contrite servant. "Yes, Madam."

The table had turned-- the rest of knights, all five of them, were confused. Diane had taken down their head, and now all they could do was flounder, unsure whom to follow. "Everyone," Diane clapped her hands together, snapping them back to attention. "I can only assume that you now better understand your circumstances. Now then," she stuck out her hand, pointing downward. "Kneel."

Marron knelt. The rest, still hesitant, followed suit. "Mina," Diane called, turning to find Mina standing stock-straight, staring ahead with a fearful stiffness to her-- "Please get two chairs, and then fetch us those chocolates. We're going to finish these knights' training."

Fifteen minutes later found Diane and Mina sat in fine chairs from the study, enjoying high end chocolates. Diane's troupe of knights were still kneeling in front of them, expressions petrified. This exercise accomplished several things: it ensured that Diane's knights knew who was boss, and it established for them the implicit reward of loyalty. To be a commoner with the favor of the Crown Princess was to be treated as an equal, and that was a priceless gift.

Mina was born of low blood, and here she was, sitting above the imperial knights: that insult would not go unnoticed. "Isn't this chocolate just delicious?" Diane asked, "I heard that the Magic Tower was well known for its sweets, and I'm glad to confirm it."

"Yes," Mina ground out, blatantly uncomfortable with this shift in authority. While Diane lounged, comfortable in her seat, Mina's posture remained perfectly straight. Rigid with nerves.

Diane sighed. Fine. She'd get to the point. "Boys," she called to her knights, "You may look up at us."

Six furious pairs of eyes flicked up toward Lilith, a satisfying fire behind them. This was what she'd wanted. "You all look livid," she grinned, sitting up and crossing her legs-- comfortable in her chair as if it were her personal throne. "I want you to know this feeling well. Feel it in your blood and bones." A collective seething from the six knights; the atmosphere felt more akin to wild dogs and their new owner than that of knights and a princess.

She could work with that. "This is roughly the same feeling that I harbored throughout our travels together. Look at my maid-- see how she sits above you now." Mina whipped her head toward Diane, panicked. Diane just winked back at her-- a tacit, 'trust me.' "You knights have spent your lives fostering your skills, working toward a better life than this." Diane's grin warped into a twisted smirk, shark-like. "Just as I was raised to be above you, as Crown Princess. Imagine my frustration when the men I trusted to protect my servant and me turned out to be slobbering dogs."

Sir Bertrand looked up, mouth open to speak, but one look from Marron shut him right up.

"You've spent less than twenty minutes in this position-- I spent ten days tolerating your disrespect. Remember that."

Diane propped her head up with her fingertips. "This is an issue of forgetting your place. Remember this: I am the future Empress of Etienne. This position with me can be an opportunity for you and your families, as is the case for Mina; conversely..." she trailed off, watching her six knights collectively flinch. "Conversely, I have the Emperor's explicit permission to have you all beheaded. Read the letter and confirm it for yourselves. All it takes is a snap--" she snapped her fingers, "Of my fingers. Do you understand?"

In perfect, terrified unison, the knights uttered, "Yes, Madam." Now this shoddy group of mercenaries began to resemble something decent.

Some of the harshness of Diane's expression bled out, leaving an unreadable blankness. "Good." She took a deep breath, before, "In several days, you'll be seeing the imperial carriage come to the Castello. When it does, I want you to count the number of knights still with it. Compare it to the number of knights that left on this journey, and calculate a rough estimate of the casualties. Report those to me."

That would take care of all the questions surrounding her sanity-- going ahead of the imperial carriage had been a strategic decision.

All six knights brought their fists to their chests, just above their hearts-- confirmation. "Before that, I have one order for you." Diane went quiet; analyzing her new knights. Confirming their submission. No one dared to speak against her. "Move my things into the apartment. Tomorrow, you'll be organizing them. Perhaps by then you'll have learned to respect your master."

Once more, Bertrand opened his idiot mouth: all it took to shut it was Diane lifting one hand and positioning her fingers to snap.