"Father. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
He didn't look up from the document he was reviewing. "I'm told assassins breached your chambers last night. Three professionals, vanished without a trace." His tone was conversational, like he was discussing the weather. "How unfortunate."
"Yes. Very unfortunate." Elara remained standing, hands clasped in front of her. "Which is part of why I requested this audience."
"Oh?" Now he looked up, eyes sharp and assessing. "Elaborate."
"I wish to leave the palace. Not permanently—not yet—but for an extended period. Three to six months initially." She kept her voice level, professional. "I need to oversee the implementation of the preservation magic with the merchant guilds. The contracts are finalized, but the technology requires field supervision, particularly during the initial rollout phase."
The Emperor leaned back in his chair, studying her. "You want to leave the capital entirely."
