"I can work with you, giving you information about the supreme empress's whereabouts," the queen said.
Her voice carried a strange mix of confidence and calmness
Almost as if she had been expecting me all along.
And yet there was a weight to it.
A sense that what she said was more than just idle words.
I cut her words, leaning slightly forward.
My eyes narrowed as I weighed her carefully.
"Wait, how do I know from the start that you aren't deceiving me?"
There was a small pause.
She tilted her head, the faintest hint of a smile forming on her lips.
But…it didn't reach her eyes.
She looked at me steadily and said,
"If I tricked you, the empress would have already killed you by now."
Her words hung in the air, sharp and undeniable.
I couldn't argue with that logic.
She had a point.
An uncomfortable one that made me reconsider the tension coiling in my chest.
I nodded at her slowly.
And feeling the weight of the moment, I said,
