Elara studied her servant's face, trying to understand the emotional calculus. "You valued being seen more than you valued safety."
"Yes."
"That seems illogical."
"Probably. But emotions aren't logical, Your Highness." Lisa met her eyes. "Which you already know, I think. Because you don't really have them, do you?"
The observation was direct enough to be almost confrontational. Elara considered deflecting, then decided against it. Lisa had been honest. "Not in the way others do. No."
"I thought so. Everyone's noticed, actually, though no one says it directly. Dimitri and Mira whisper about it sometimes. The beast knights watch you differently than they watch others. Even the merchant crew has commented that you're 'an odd one.'"
"That's probably accurate."
