CHAPTER 382: UNITED IN CELEBRATION, PART TEN

The interrogation room still smelled like arousal, even after the guards had dragged the fake assassin away.

"A kitsune," Silviana said for the third time, like saying it enough would make it less insane. "They sent a kitsune disguised as a nim to kill me."

"It’s brilliant, actually," Aria admitted, though she looked like the words physically hurt to say. "If we hadn’t caught her, every kitsune in Yalmir would be blaming the nim right now."

"They still might," Melisa pointed out. "Just because we know the objective truth doesn’t mean everyone will believe it."

The Matriarch’s nine tails moved sporadically, each one moving independently like they had their own anxiety to work through.

"We’ll need to make a public announcement immediately. Show the citizens exactly what happened."

"That could backfire," Aria said. "Some might think we’re covering for the nim. Making excuses."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"We use the festival," Melisa cut in. Both leaders turned to look at her. "Think about it. We have one week to show unity between nim and kitsune. If we pull it off right, the Shadow Mages’ whole plan falls apart."

"You’re putting a lot of faith in a performance," Silviana said, but there was something considering in her tone.

"The only thing that can move hearts better than politics is art, right? Plus, Rakia’s already working on it. Feels like all we need to do is... adjust our ongoing approach, is all."

Silviana thought about it.

"Fine," the Matriarch decided. "No big announcement. We continue with the festival plans. But we also increase security. I want guards at every event, every rehearsal."

"Agreed," Aria said. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check on my delegation."

As the queen left, Silviana turned to Melisa with a look that could only be described as predatory curiosity.

"That spell of yours. Where exactly did you learn that?"

"I, uh, invented it."

"Invented it." The Matriarch’s eyebrows rose. "A spell that makes someone so aroused they can’t lie. That’s quite the achievement for someone so young."

"Thanks?"

"I’d love to discuss it more sometime. Perhaps over drinks at the springs again?" Silviana smiled. "For academic purposes, of course."

"Of course," Melisa squeaked.

[This woman is going to be the death of me.]

---

{Isabella}

Isabella’s pussy was still throbbing from the brothel visit as she walked through Yalmir’s merchant district with her mother and Armia.

They’d left Sirah back at the Velvet Tail, completely wrecked and possibly having a spiritual awakening about the nature of pleasure. Watching that massive darian warrior get topped by Yuki had been fucking hilarious. And hot. Mostly hot.

[Girl went from "I don’t receive" to "please don’t stop" in like ten minutes. Iconic.]

Then, they’d picked up Armia, who was walking beside Isabella with a suspicious look.

"You’re grinning like an idiot," Armia muttered beside her.

"Just thinking about Sirah’s face when Yuki made her cum for the third time."

Armia’s cheeks went red.

The shop they were walking to was exactly the kind of place Isabella loved.

Cluttered with half-finished experiments, books stacked to the ceiling, and the distinct smell of magical residue mixed with burnt paper. The shopkeeper, an elderly kitsune with four tails, looked up from whatever she was tinkering with.

"Can I help you?"

"I’m Isabella Summer," Isabella announced, pulling out one of her prototype wands. "I invented these. I was wondering if you’d be interested in stocking them."

The shopkeeper’s eyes narrowed as she examined the wand.

"You’re with the Syux delegation."

"Yeah, and?"

"The one traveling with that nim. Melisa Blackflame."

Isabella’s smile tightened.

"She’s my cousin, actually."

The temperature in the shop dropped about ten degrees. The shopkeeper handed the wand back like it might bite her.

"I’m not interested."

"You didn’t even look at what it does!"

"Don’t need to. Not buying anything associated with nim. Not after what they tried to do to the Matriarch."

Isabella wanted to argue more, but Kimiko’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. They left the shop in tense silence.

The next three shops went exactly the same way. The moment Melisa’s name came up, doors might as well have slammed in their faces.

"This is bullshit!" Isabella exploded after the fourth rejection. "My wands are revolutionary! They’re literally going to change how magic works! And they won’t even look at them because of some racist conspiracy theory garbage!"

"The fear is real," Kimiko said softly. "Even if the cause is fabricated."

"It’s still fucking stupid!"

They found a small park and sat on a bench. Isabella’s tails whipped back and forth in agitation while Armia sat unnaturally still beside her.

Through all the annoyance, she noticed the look on Armia’s face and decided to ask about it. She needed some form of a distraction. Any.

"You’ve been quiet," Isabella said, poking the darian’s arm. "Like, more than usual. What’s wrong?"

Armia stared at her hands folded in her lap.

"It’s nothing."

"Bullshit."

"I said it’s nothing."

"And I said bullshit. Come on, what’s eating you? And don’t say it’s about the shops because you’ve been weird since yesterday."

Armia’s jaw clenched.

"It’s Sirah."

"What about her?"

"She’s..." Armia struggled for words. "She’s everything a darian is supposed to be, isn’t she? Strong. Confident. Commanding. Takes what she wants. Even with one hand, she could probably break me in half."

"Okay, and?"

"And I’ve spent my whole life trying to be seen as human!" The words burst out of Armia like they’d been building pressure for days. "I’ve spent years learning etiquette and swordsmanship and magic, trying to be refined and civilized and everything a proper lady should be. Then she shows up and she’s just... unapologetically darian. Hell, a little too darian, with the whole taking Melisa against her will thing. And yet..." Armia sighed. "And yet she doesn’t seem to care."

Isabella blinked.

"Wait, are you jealous?"

"No! Maybe. I don’t know." Armia’s head dropped into her hands. "Haven’t I been trying to distance myself from all that? The violence, the dominance, the whole darian warrior thing? But then I see her and part of me thinks... what if I’ve been doing this all wrong?"

"Okay, first of all," Isabella said, turning to face Armia fully, "you’re overthinking this. Second, who says you have to be one thing or the other?"

"Society."

"Fuck society! You think I care what society thinks? I’m out here inventing magic wands and fucking my mom on the regular. Society can eat my entire ass."

Despite everything, Armia snorted a laugh.

"That’s different."

"How?"

"You’re kitsune. You’re supposed to be... like that."

"And you’re darian. You’re supposed to be whatever the fuck you want to be." Isabella grabbed Armia’s face, forcing her to make eye contact. "Look. You want to be seen as a lady? Be a lady. A lady who could also absolutely destroy someone in combat if needed. You want to be seen as a darian? Start getting stronger or something. If you don’t want to be seen that way, that’s fine too."

"That’s not how it works."

"Says who? You’re literally making your own rules here. That’s the whole point." Isabella let go of her face. "Besides, you think humans don’t have warriors? You think they don’t have noble ladies who can sword fight? Please. Half the human nobility are trained killers in fancy dresses."

Armia was quiet for a moment, processing.

"I just... when I see her, I feel small. Inadequate."

"Babe, she’s almost seven feet tall. Everyone feels small next to her. That’s just physics."

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know what you meant. And I’m telling you it’s bullshit. So what if you’re not the biggest, strongest darian all of a sudden? You’re you. And that’s enough."

Kimiko, who had been quietly watching, added:

"She’s right, you know. There’s no one way to be anything. Even among kitsune, we’re all different."

"But everyone expects—"

"Fuck their expectations," Isabella interrupted. "Seriously. Life’s too short to live for other people’s ideas of what you should be."

Armia took a deep breath, then another.

"I guess you’re right."

"When am I not right?"

Armia raised a brow, as if to ask "do you really wanna know?"

"Anyway," Isabella quickly said, "I think someone out here has got to appreciate a good world-changing invention when they see one. Come on, ladies, let’s keep struttin’!"

Kimiko and Armia exchanged a look. Up ahead, Isabella walked forward into her entrepreneurial future with a little more hip sway than normal.