>>18363305“I speak, you listen. Nod your head if you understand.”
>[The captive nods her head, slowly, but her eyes never leave the floor. The Queen speaks:]“In just a few days, I will be facing off with the Farmer Girl once more, and... and I am not sure how it is going to go. Last time... the fury behind that woman’s eyes, I have not seen it for some time. I have known that fury myself, once upon a time. You... if something is to happen to me, or the dollmaker gets involved, or your former friend should grow unaccustomed to my daughter’s present presence, or the Princess simply gets in over her head, you are to protect her. There is something inside of me, Ogre. And I don’t know how to...”
“You and I, Lillith, are destined to collide. I have known this since the first day I laid eyes upon you. But she... she does not deserve that. No matter what the outcome is in the upcoming event, whether you win or lose, whether I win or... lose, you are to keep your promise to me now, and I will ensure that you are provided for without the Company at your back. You will have a place somewhere where you can do whatever it is you so desire. You want men, you’ll have them. Endless bodies to please you in bed or combat? They are yours. All the games or toys to play with? You will have them. A private gym, to maintain that form? It will be done. A fully stocked kitchen”--
>[Lillith gazes up for the time, meeting the deep, dark blue eyes of not The Queen, but Victoria Royale, a mother concerned for the safety of her only child.]“A kitchen, then? It will be yours, with no expense spared. Every ingredient, every utensil, every recipe your heart desires, I will provide it for you. But you must keep the Princess safe. She is all I truly have.”
[3/6]
