Lady Fari made a graceful curtsy, delicately holding the edges of her long skirts. Papagalino and I watched her warily.

"Lady Mono, I didn't realize you had already arrived at the castle," Lady Fari said obsequiously.

"I never imagined that a Royal Concubine would be dissatisfied with the work of my guards," the young woman replied sternly, without any unnecessary politeness. So she was the head of the royal guard! Her beautiful, slender body stood as straight as an arrow. Mono was the only woman besides me and some of the aviata servants wearing pants. It wasn't obvious if she was muscular under her clothes, but her sharp high cheekbones, strong neck, and well-developed shoulder muscles hinted at regular training. I couldn't help but admire her. People as determined as her always earned my respect.

"That's not what I meant at all..." Lady Fari stammered. Then she seemed to reconsider, frowned, lifted her chin, and proudly declared, "As a new courtier and a close associate of the Queen, I am outraged that a criminal is allowed to roam the castle as if she were the Queen."

Papagalino tried to step between me and everyone else again. I stopped him by taking his hand.

"I'm not a criminal..." I began to say. In my head, my speech sounded impressive, but in reality, it came out no louder than a mouse's squeak.

"Lady Fari, are you suggesting that the Concubine chosen by the Queen herself is unworthy?" the head of the royal guard interrupted me without even hearing me out.

"What are you talking about?" Lady Fari gasped. "Her, a concubine? She and her ragged parrot probably killed Rosso!" Her beautiful face flushed with indignation; her aviata maid, who had long realized her mistress had overstepped, shrank back into the shadow of the alcove to be less noticeable. "I went through rigorous selection stages among other candidates from my lands, passed countless exams and tests, I..."

"Enough, Lady Fari, no one cares how you got here," Mono said with a smirk, folding her arms across her chest.

"But..."

"The Queen herself offered Tibia of Santa Barbara the position of her Royal Concubine. Or do you believe the Queen is not intelligent enough to make her own decisions?"

Lady Fari nodded, making a submissive curtsy.

"Good day to you, Lady Mono," she said with feigned sweetness. She retreated in her white garments as quickly as she could, like a white cloud blown away by a hurricane.

Take a chance on THE EVENING STROLL

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