It turns out, I am an absolute promise breaker. It was already midday when we finally stopped our activities and I reluctantly allowed him to rest. I left him completely exhausted on the bed, requested that a bath be prepared for me, and went to clean myself up. It was only when I was getting ready and dressed for the day, choosing my outfit carefully, that Arvid finally woke up from his exhausted sleep.
"You lied to me," were the very first words he told me, his voice still rough and accusatory. "I knew you would, and yet I still let you manipulate me anyway. And you squeezed me completely dry."
He was genuinely sulking, looking at me with reproachful eyes.
"Good day to you too, honey," I told him cheerfully as I adjusted the last pleat of my lehenga and carefully pinned the shawl portion in place to keep it from slipping.
"Want to go at it again?" I asked him jokingly, but he looked at me completely flabbergasted, his eyes going wide with something between horror and disbelief.
"How much stamina do you possibly have?" he asked with genuine wonder and a touch of fear. "I mean, I'm a trained warrior and I've trained rigorously for the best years of my life, building endurance specifically. But this level of energy is completely beyond me. It's genuinely inhumane."
"You already seem to know the answer to that question," I told him casually as I checked my reflection critically in the mirror, adjusting a few stray hairs.
"Exactly right—because I'm not really a fully human being anymore, am I?" I said almost absent-mindedly. "Or am I still? I don't really know for certain what I am now."
I turned to face him more directly. "My body has been gradually changing as time goes on, as I've accepted and integrated more fully with what was placed inside of me. I'm noticeably stronger than any human should be—I can lift things that would require multiple men. All my senses have become dramatically enhanced beyond normal human capability. And honestly, I increasingly feel like I'm not human anymore in any meaningful sense."
Arvid didn't respond or speak for some considerable time, clearly processing this revelation.
"You never told me any of that before," he said finally after a long pause, and there was a note of hurt in his voice. "You've been changing and you didn't share it with me."
"Oh." That was the exact moment I realized with some guilt that I actually had not discussed this ongoing transformation with him at all. "I'm sorry."
"I just didn't think it was particularly important to mention," I explained honestly. "And I genuinely thought you already knew or had figured it out yourself. I mean, I broke a solid wooden table completely in half with my bare hands back in Kami. That's not exactly normal human strength."
I walked over toward where he still lay in bed. "I don't exactly remember when the changes started happening, but it's definitely been occurring slowly and progressively over time. I am surely changing into something fundamentally inhuman, something other."
I paused for a second to gather my courage, then reached out and gripped his chin gently, making him look directly at me. "Perhaps I'm actually becoming the terrible monster that all the Draga people are so afraid of," I said quietly. "What would you do if that's true? Would that realization make you hate me? Would you reject me?"
"Nothing in the world could make me hate you," Arvid replied immediately, not breaking eye contact for even a moment. He was repeating back my own words that I had told him during a vulnerable moment some time ago. "If you're a monster, that's perfectly fine with me. I'm one too, in my own way. Let's be monsters together then."
I smiled warmly at his unwavering acceptance and bent down to kiss him tenderly on the forehead.
"Rest up properly," I instructed him. "I made something specifically for you to use on that captured elf during interrogation. It's sitting on the dresser over there."
I pointed at a glass vial containing a milk-colored substance. It was a truth serum I had carefully prepared, though I honestly wasn't entirely sure if it would actually work on elves. Their physiology might be too different.
"I promised to meet up with your cousin sisters for lunch," I explained. "So I need to leave first. I'll see you later this evening."
I affectionately ruffled his hair and then left the room.
"You're seriously unbelievable," was all he managed to say in response as I departed.
---
As I walked through the castle grounds toward Princess Harusha's residence where the lunch was scheduled, I unexpectedly encountered Prince Yarun along the path. I greeted him warmly, addressing him respectfully as uncle, and he returned the greeting in his characteristic nonchalant yet still respectful manner.
"I see Your Majesty has taken quite a liking to my gift," he observed after looking over the outfit I was currently wearing with an evaluating eye.
"Yes, I absolutely love this lehenga," I replied to him with genuine enthusiasm. "It's incredibly comfortable, easy to put on without assistance, and still manages to look appropriately regal and beautiful. It's perfect."
He seemed to fall into thought at my enthusiastic answer.
"I see. In that case, I would like to introduce you directly to the seamstress who made those specific clothes," he suggested thoughtfully. "That way in the future, Your Majesty could easily commission and get additional clothes made directly from her workshop. Her shop is located in the merchant district, and this particular seamstress is genuinely the best artisan there is in all of Arpa. Since she is so absolutely talented and her work is in such high demand, only a privileged few can actually get their clothes custom made from her. She's very selective."
"Please do arrange that introduction, Uncle," I said eagerly. "When would be a good time for me to accompany you there?"
"Well, I personally can spare any day that works for you," he replied. "But given what has happened lately with the assassination attempt, it's been absolutely chaotic both inside the castle walls and outside in the city. Security is heightened everywhere. So I'm genuinely not sure if His Majesty would approve of Your Majesty going outside the protected castle grounds right now. It might be too dangerous."
"Don't worry about Arvid's approval," I assured him with confidence. "If I ask him nicely, he will agree to it. Besides, I've been wanting to take a proper leisure walk through the merchant district anyway to see it properly. I'll ask Arvid to come with me as my escort. That should satisfy any security concerns."
"Already have your husband wrapped completely around your finger, huh?" Prince Yarun said, and I could detect what might have been a joke in his tone. "Your Majesty is really quite talented at manipulation."
But the completely flat way he delivered that line initially failed to make me understand that it was actually meant as a joke. I stared at him blankly for a moment. I only realized his intent after about a full minute of processing, and then I let out an genuine laugh at my own slowness.
He looked somewhat embarrassed by the awkwardness but nevertheless joined in my laughter, his stern face cracking into a rare smile.
After that pleasant exchange, I bid him a friendly goodbye and continued on toward my actual destination.
I was heading to Princess Harusha's personal residence inside the castle complex, where I had been scheduled to meet Arvid's three young cousin sisters for lunch. This meeting had been suggested in a thoughtful letter sent to me by Princess Harusha herself, Arvid's caring aunt.
In her letter, she had explained that since I needed considerably more knowledge about the complex workings of the inner courts of Arpa—understanding both the noble families and the Imperial family dynamics—her three daughters would be invaluable help in familiarizing myself with the culture, customs, and essential knowledge I would need as empress.
I had agreed readily and enthusiastically to the proposal. I was genuinely thankful that they were thinking of me and my needs in the first place, making efforts to help me succeed. So this was the arrangement we had made together: once a week, I would gather with Princess Harusha's daughters to learn systematically about Arpa and my role.
When I was finally allowed through the gates into the small private courtyard surrounding a charming two-story building—a modest palace named Jasmine Palace—I immediately understood the name's origin. The entire structure was abundantly covered with climbing jasmine flower vines, exactly as the name suggested. White blossoms covered nearly every available surface.
I was finally able to pinpoint where that particular sweet fragrance I had loved so much ever since arriving in the South actually originated. I took in the beautiful white flowers and their intoxicating scent with a greedy, deep inhale, filling my lungs.
"Sister! You're here!" I looked quickly toward where that youthful, vibrant voice had enthusiastically come from.
There was a girl who appeared to be approximately fifteen years old, standing with an absolutely wide, welcoming smile on her pretty face. She was accompanied by two personal maids, and she walked directly toward me without any hesitation. Then she latched onto my arm affectionately like it was the most normal and natural thing in the world to do with someone she'd just met.
"Let's go inside, sister," she said with enthusiasm practically dripping from her voice. "My younger sisters are already waiting eagerly for you inside. They're so excited to meet you!"