"I'm experiencing temporary disorientation," Elara said. The lie came easily. "Clarify: beastmen can serve as guards. They wear uniforms and carry weapons. But they're not equal to human guards."
"Of course not, Your Highness. They're property of the Crown. It's an honor for them to serve in uniform rather than in the fields or the mines. The collar—" She gestured vaguely at her own neck. "—keeps them obedient. Reminds them of their place. It's always been this way."
Collar. Elara looked back at the fox-eared guard. Now that she knew to look for it, she could see it—a thin band of metal around his neck, barely visible beneath his uniform collar. Seamless. Permanent.
Shock collar, probably. Hidden beneath ceremony and protocol.
They dressed them up in fine uniforms, gave them swords, placed them at attention throughout the palace. Made them look like soldiers.
But kept them leashed.
"I need information," Elara said. "About the laws governing beastmen. Service regulations, ownership protocols, punishment systems. Everything."
The servant stared at her. "Your Highness, I really think we should summon the physician—"
"Everything," Elara repeated. "Now."
As Elara turned to walk toward her chambers, she paused mid-step.
Her eyes moved back to the two human guards flanking the entrance. They stood at ease, relaxed, confident. Hands resting casually on their sword hilts. Shoulders square but not tense.
She looked at them for several seconds. Calculating.
Then she spoke, her voice flat and cold. "You two. Pack your things and leave this palace. Now."
Silence.
The courtyard seemed to freeze. Even the servants stopped moving.
The servant girl beside Elara gasped. "Your Highness? What—"
Elara didn't look at her. She kept her eyes fixed on the two human guards, whose relaxed postures had gone rigid with shock.
"Your Highness," one of them started, stepping forward. "With respect, we are assigned to this post by—"
"I said leave," Elara repeated. Her tone didn't change. Clinical. Emotionless. "Before I return from my chambers, you will be gone from this palace."
The guard's face flushed. "Princess, this is highly irregular. We cannot simply abandon our post without proper orders from—"
Elara turned away and started walking. Dismissed them with the movement. As if they'd already stopped existing.
"Your Highness!" the guard called after her. "You can't just—this is not how—"
She ignored him completely. Her bare feet carried her forward across the white marble, silk robes trailing behind her. The servant girl scrambled to follow.
Elara glanced back once, not at the protesting guards, but at the fox-eared beastman she'd first observed. His ears were perked forward now, alert. Confused. His tail had lifted slightly.
She gave him a single, precise nod.
His eyes widened. For a fraction of a second, he hesitated. Then his ears flattened again—not in submission this time, but in focus. He moved.
So did the others.
The beastmen guards broke from their rigid positions. Twenty-one of them, moving as one unit. Their military training showed through instantly—coordinated, efficient, no hesitation once the order was understood.
Two wolf-eared guards reached the human knights first. Their hands went to the humans' sword arms before either could draw their weapons.
"What—get your hands off me!" one human guard shouted, trying to pull away.
The wolf guard's grip didn't loosen. His ears were pinned back, but his stance was solid. Professional.
"Unhand me immediately!" the other human guard snarled. "Do you know what you're doing? You're—"
A fox-eared guard stepped behind him, removing the sword belt from his waist with practiced efficiency. Disarming without violence.
"This is outrageous!" the first guard yelled, loud enough for Elara to hear even as she kept walking. "You'll be punished for this! All of you! Princess Elara has no authority to—"
Elara didn't turn around. She reached the doorway to the inner palace and paused only long enough to speak to the servant girl, who was staring back at the scene with her mouth open.
"Ensure they're escorted beyond the palace gates," Elara said. "Their belongings can follow later."
"But—but Your Highness," the servant stammered. "The protocols—the chain of command—you can't just dismiss royal guards without—"
"I just did."
Elara stepped through the doorway into shadow. Cool air from the interior corridor washed over her. Behind her, she could hear the human guards still protesting, their voices rising in anger and disbelief. The sounds of boots on stone. Firm hands guiding them away.
The beastmen guards said nothing. They just worked. Methodical. Efficient.
The servant hurried after Elara, wringing her hands. "Your Highness, please, this will cause problems. The Guard Commander will—the Emperor will—"
"Let them." Elara's voice remained flat. Empty of emotion. "Find me someone who knows the palace's administrative structure. I need detailed information about guard assignments, personnel records, and disciplinary protocols."
"Your Highness, I don't understand. Why did you—"
Elara stopped walking. Turned to face the servant directly.
"Same uniforms," she said. "Same weapons. Different treatment. Inefficient system. Poor resource allocation." She tilted her head slightly. "I'm correcting it."
The servant blinked rapidly, clearly lost. "I... I don't..."
"The beastmen guards responded faster. Moved with better coordination. Executed orders without question." Elara stated it like she was reading data from a report. "The human guards hesitated. Argued. Wasted time. Poor performance metrics."
"But they're... they're human, Your Highness. The beasts are—"
"Property that follows orders better than free soldiers who question them." Elara's expression didn't change. "Interesting variable."
She turned and continued walking. The servant followed, stunned into silence.
Behind them, the sounds of protest grew fainter as the human guards were escorted away. The fox-eared guard who'd received Elara's nod stood at attention in the courtyard, his ears forward, his tail slightly raised.
For the first time since being posted there, he didn't look afraid.
And in the cool shadows of the palace corridor, Elara's mind was already working. Already processing.
She'd made a move. Disrupted the established order. The human guards would report this. Their superiors would react. There would be consequences.
Good.