>>5299099>>5299274Cassandra has to take several deep breaths at the voice’s insistence before unfolding the now slightly crumpled letter and resuming.
“We imagine this is the point where you will attempt to tear up this letter, Cassandra, but we beg you to please summon up whatever modicum of self-control you can manage and finish it. After all, this is not about you, myself, or our relationship, but about your daughter, my granddaughter, about whether it is right for you to keep her from her birthright, her people, and her ultimate happiness, all out of a selfish desire to spite us.
“We both know she deserves better than the fate she currently has in store: living amongst the crass and the uneducated, growing dimmer by the day and struggling just to get by until one day one of those mistrustful yokels puts a spear through her chest. Meanwhile, here, in her rightful place, she would want for nothing. She would be surrounded by knowledge and those who would help her to apply it, be dressed in glittering jewels and fragrant silks while eating nothing but the finest foods from the earth and sea. She would not have to fear for her safety; she would not have to fear anything because in time everything will be known to her.
“In short, she could live as an earthly goddess under our care or as a pauper under yours, and were that the only thing at stake, were it just her life and not millions of others, I might honestly leave that choice to you. However, the world needs Cecelia, needs her gifts more than you can possibly imagine. So, I will be candid in saying I am not above forcing your hand.
“The killers you’ve gathered around yourself as your aids, the dark secrets you wish to keep hidden, all can be made known to the ears of whoever we deem appropriate: be it your people, your fellow barons, foreign diplomats, or the tradesmen who could, with but a single writ, choke the life from your district. Our words are truth, and that truth carries with it a terrible weight that you shall not be able to withstand.
“So, I beg of you, heed my words and surrender the child to my dignitaries who will arrive in four days’ time without delay. Do not seek to bar them entry. Do not attempt to harm them. Doing so will only invite a crueler and more terrible fate upon yourself.
“With hopes that you will see reason,
Gloria”
[“…”]
Cassandra just hovers there as if in shock.
> What to do?> [] Try to comfort her. How?> [] Convince her to go back out to the party.> [] Other. Write-in. 