Opportunities don't announce themselves.
They appear in the quiet—between the words that matter and the ones people are afraid to say.
The Queen had lingered longer than expected. A diplomatic visit, she called it—though her eyes never stopped scanning her daughter.
And then she spoke.
"Lala… may I have a moment alone? With him."
Lala blinked. "With Scourge?"
"Yes." Her voice left no room for refusal.
Lala hesitated, looking toward me. I let a warm ripple move through her spine.
"It's fine," I said through her lips.
She nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
The Queen's eyes locked on mine. "Materialize. I won't talk to a whisper in her head."
I had been waiting for this.
Liquid shadow peeled away from Lala's body, pooling onto the floor and rising—shaping bone, muscle, skin.
Within seconds, I stood before her in human form: tall, deliberate, dressed in nothing but the living weave of myself. My eyes mirrored her own golden hue.
"Better?" I asked.
Her gaze swept over me, analytical yet unflinching.
"You're not Devilukean technology. And you're not just a parasite."
"No," I said. "I'm something you don't have a name for."
"You know I could order you destroyed."
"You could try," I replied, taking one slow step forward. "But would you? If you thought I made her safer?"
Her expression didn't shift, but her heartbeat betrayed her—slightly faster, sharper.
"Safer from what?"
"That's the problem," I said, letting my voice soften. "From the things you can't see. From hesitation. From enemies who don't bring armies, but rot the mind from within."
Silence. Then, she tilted her head. "Protection comes in many forms."
I closed the distance until only a breath separated us.
One filament slipped from my hand—so fine it could pass for a shift in the air—and brushed her wrist.
Not planting. Not yet.
Just marking.
Her pupils contracted at the faint pulse I sent—a rhythm meant to feel familiar, safe.
She didn't pull away.
[System Log – Royal Influence: +6%]
Status: Warming
"You think you can protect her better than I can?" she asked.
"No," I said, meeting her gaze. "But I can protect the parts of her you'll never see."
For the first time, she smiled.
"Then I will watch you. Closely."
She left before Lala returned. No orders. No accusations.
But she didn't break eye contact until the very last moment.
And I knew then—
She had already started letting me in.