“But.. How did she end up with Reggie!” Matriarch Talia said as she seemed lost in her own thoughts. “I.. he was..” She went quiet for a long moment while I watched her. I said nothing, simply continuing to glance behind me every few seconds, my ears listening to the other room. I heard Tama speaking.

  “Nya! Tama loves you all!” She spoke in her imperious tone, her voice lighthearted, and yet the tone added so much power, as her royal advisor I literally felt it hitting me with every word she spoke.

  It was clear Tama was unaware of what was actually happening, Matriarch Talia seemed to be lost in thought. After almost a minute I’d had enough. My patience was fraying, and the weight of the situation pressed down on me like a stone. If I didn’t act now, everything would spiral out of control. “Enough! We need to stop her before she starts actually causing harm. She thinks this is a game!” I snapped at the matriarch, any fear drowned out by Tama.

  “Do not fear, for Tama, your wondrous empress shall protect you all!” Even knowing she was just playing, the words held so much power that I felt my fear bleed away like it wasn’t even there.

  Matriarch Talia looked at me as she seemed to regain focus and nodded. “You are right, we have to tell her before this gets out of hand.”

  “No!” I said quickly, my tails and ears perked up as I held out a hand. Matriarch Talia froze, and a look of suspicion crossed her face. My mind raced. If Talia told Tama the truth now, it would shatter her. I had to buy time, to find a way to ease her into the reality of her situation.

  “And why not?” She asked, her voice deceptively calm, she tensed as she looked at me warily.

  I held up both hands, the ball of void canceled as I said, “Please, let me calm her down. If she finds out she is actually a princess, this could be very bad. I admit, I have not known Tama very long, but I have felt a strong connection since the moment I met her. I just know she would hate that knowledge, and learning it before she is ready could be disastrous.”

  Matriarch Talia looked at me for a long moment before nodding once. “Calm her down, Saki. She is your responsibility just as you are hers.”

  I nodded, relief washing over me, though I kept my expression steady. One hurdle cleared. Now for the real challenge. I quickly turned around and rushed back out into the guild hall. The scene before me was somehow worse than when I left it. A crowd of people had gathered around Tama, and Tama was starting to look uncertain. “Nya! Why is everyone looking at Tama like that!”

  My heart sank. This was getting out of hand faster than I’d anticipated. I had to act quickly, but every move I made had to be calculated. One misstep and the fragile balance would collapse. Cursing under my breath, I ran up next to her as the guild people surrounded her. None of them were hostile, rather, they all looked at her in awe and wonder. This was going to get ugly quickly if I didn’t think of something.

  “My beloved empress, mighty ruler of our kingdom and treasure beyond treasures, it is my greatest pleasure to serve!” Tera’s voice cut through the crowd. At first, I didn’t see her, but looking down I found her still at Tama’s feet. She was kissing them still as if the other guild members were in awe, Tera looked like she was about to pass out from pure bliss.

  The thought disgusted me, that someone would so easily give their freedom away like that. I ignored her and looked at Tama. I had an idea, and Tera might be able to help unwittingly with it. It was risky, but I had no other choice. I had to play along, to steer this chaos in a direction I could control.

  “Alas, my empress Tama!” I said, really playing up the silliness of my words and tone. As I had hoped, Tama turned to me and smiled, her uncertainty gone.

  “Ah, Tama’s royal advisor! Tama has been awaiting your return, it seems these peasants wanted Tama’s attention!” She said, playing along to the game she thought we were playing.

  “Yes, my wondrous empress!” I intoned before continuing, “But, we cannot have this rabble!” I pointed at the guild members around us, some turned to look at me with anger but I ignored them. “Following you around like sick puppies!” Then I acted like I had an idea and looked down at Tera. “Tera, as a royal advisor to Her Great Majesty the Empress, I command you to make sure the others keep their distance unless allowed to approach!”

  While it was true I could have just convinced Tama to come with me and run away, it would not have fixed the issue entirely. This would instead be the first step to a more permanent fix. I had to establish control, to create a structure that would keep Tama safe without revealing the truth. It was a delicate balance, and I could feel the strain of it in every word I spoke.

  I watched as Tera’s brain seemed to work in real-time, processing the command, who it came from, and the title I now held. After a few seconds, Tera kissed Tama’s feet one last time before standing and bowing to me.

  “As Her Majesty commands,” Tera’s voice was much colder than even a second ago, I could feel the distaste at being ordered around by me. She smiled at me in a way that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was very unhappy with the situation. I smirked.

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  This was my chance. If I could keep Tera off-balance, I could maintain control. But I had to be careful—too much, and she might snap. Too little, and she’d undermine me at every turn. “Excellent, If you do an excellent job, as Advisor, I will make sure Tama sees you become captain of our royal guard!” I said as I held back amusement. I knew I was helping Tama, but I could get revenge simultaneously.

  “Nya, yea! Good work Tera!” Tama said as her tail wagged and her ears twitched in amusement.

  Tera beamed at Tama, her cheeks going red as she nodded. “It is my greatest honor, Empress, I ask only that you allow me to continue my service!”

  “Nya! Do what Saki said!” Tama said with a wide grin.

  Tera’s eye twitched, and I held back laughter. Revenge never tasted so sweet, but I couldn’t afford to get distracted. This was about Tama, not my personal satisfaction. Tera turned around to the crowd and drew her sword.

  “Get back!” She yelled as she stepped forward. Every single guild member retreated a few steps back. “Her majesty requires her space,” Tera continued. “Should anyone wish to speak to her, you may do so from a distance!”

  At this point, I was incensed. I wondered how far Tera would actually go. I needed to push her, to test the limits of her obedience. If I could keep her under control, the rest would fall into place. “Tera, I have wonderful news!” I said, barely holding back laughter at the way she tensed as I spoke to her. She turned to face me and spoke with clenched teeth, “And what, Royal Advisor Saki, would that be?”

  “As it turns out!” I said with glee as I spoke, “Empress Tama has a new dress code for her guards! Since clothes have a tendency to slow you down!”

  The realization and dawning horror hit Tera like a ton of bricks, and it took everything I had to not burst out laughing. This was dangerous, but I had to keep her off-balance. If she was too busy hating me, she wouldn’t have the energy to undermine Tama. “With permission from Empress Tama,” I looked over at Tama who was standing tall acting regal. As I looked, she giggled and nodded. “I hereby set the new royal guard uniforms of Empress Tama to nothing.”

  Tera stared at me with so much hatred I was sure I’d be dead if looks could kill. Instead, after a moment, she turned to Tama, showing utter devotion as she spoke. “Dearest Empress, please reconsider such.. drastic actions. I am certain that armor and clothing are an important part of an outfit.” She even fell to her knee and bowed her head as she spoke.

  Tama looked uncertain and glanced at me. “Nya! Is this true, Royal Advisor Saki? Do clothes give good things for wearing them?”

  I genuinely considered lying to Tama for a moment, but I refused it out of hand. This was about more than just humiliating Tera. It was about protecting Tama, about keeping her safe from the truth until she was ready. Instead, a few well-placed words could make all the difference.

  “Only if the person is slow enough to get hit. All your guards should be super fast and agile! If Tera is unable to go fast enough to not get hit, maybe she shouldn’t be a royal guard.”

  As I spoke, I beamed at Tera with an award-winning smile. Tera looked like she wanted to murder me more than anything else in the world. I was all here for it, the happiest day of my life.

  Fun time, however, was over. I wanted so badly to actually watch Tera undress herself in front of everyone. The level of pure chaos would be one I would remember for the rest of my life.

  But sadly, Tama came first, and this was our opportunity. So, with a heavy heart, I moved on to the next step of my plan.

  Tama opened her mouth to speak, no doubt about to agree with my declaration. I wanted so bad to let her. But I couldn’t. This wasn’t a game anymore, and I had to keep her safe. “Wait, Tama! This can wait until later. We have to go do our quest. I want to thank everyone for playing with us and meet me outside the gates. Don’t talk to anyone for me, okay? I promise I will be there as soon as I can!” I said quickly, preventing her from making an actual royal decree that royal guards needed to be nude. As funny as that would have been.

  Tama frowned. “Tama doesn’t want you to take forever again!” She said as her tail snapped back and forth and her ears furrowed.

  I sighed and looked irritated at her. This was the hard part—keeping her in the dark while guiding her to safety. “Tama, enough! The game was fun, but it's over. I’ll meet you by the gates. You can go run around the town a few times if you get bored.”

  Tama looked at me for a moment before a wide smile crossed her lips and she nodded. “Did Tama do good, Saki?” She asked earnestly, and I felt my heart sink. I had kind of hoped she had realized, but no, she still genuinely believed it was all just a game.

  I smiled at her and nodded. “You did wonderful, Tama. I’ll meet you there soon!”

  Tama giggled again, turning to the crowd she spoke. “Thank you, everyone, for playing with me! Tama had lots of fun! She will be back soon to play more hopefully!” And with that, Tama vanished, blinking away towards the city gate they had come in.

  She had been so tense, but she had played her part well. If she knew what had actually happened though... I winced at the thought of Tama’s face if she realized she had actually forced these people to do the things she said. No, it was best she didn’t learn of this until she was more mature.

  I turned to the crowd and Tera, who looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Bold of you to send your protector away like that, little fox,” Tera said coldly, an evil grin on her face. It was clear she was ready for payback. Shame she wouldn’t be getting any.

  This was it. The final step. I had to lock this down, to ensure Tama’s safety no matter the cost. “By Royal decree, I, Autumnal Sakilera, hereby under my title as Royal Advisor, command all of you into silence. None are to speak of what happened in this room, and none are to tell Princess Tama the truth unless she directly asks.”

  There were multiple cries of alarm and even some who yelled at me. I ignored them, I simply watched as the decree snapped into place. Many accepted it, but Tera did not. She strained and glared at me, stepping forward to attack me.

  “Teranthia Tulip, by my right as Royal Advisor, you are now my personal royal guard. As such, you are to serve me utterly. Should harm come to me, you will use your own life to protect it.” My voice strained as I forced the decree out.

  Without Tama here, making it was far more difficult, but I definitely felt the effect. Tera’s sword stopped, and she clenched her teeth. “I... hate... you,” she said with rage in her eyes.

  “You can be as angry as you want, Tera, but I won’t allow you to keep scaring her,” I said simply. “Now, gather your partner, and let's go.” Tera’s body shook with rage, but slowly she turned to Rylan. “Let's go..”