"I did not stop a war with paper," Elara corrected him gently, her hands resting flat against the heavy furs of his coat. "I stopped a war by finalizing my operating parameters."
Suddenly, the tiny blue system mouse popped into existence, sitting on top of Julian's shoulder, right next to his silver hair. It was shivering slightly in the cold, but it had a massive, beaming smile on its face.
"System update complete," the mouse squeaked happily. "The Empress Regent has successfully installed: Humanity."
Elara ignored the mouse. She raised her left hand, brushing a snowflake from Julian's cheek, the cheap silver ring flashing in the pale winter light.
"Let us return to the capital, Prince Consort," Elara murmured, her voice soft, warm, and entirely her own. "I have a highly optimized empire to run. And I believe we are currently overdue for our face-to-face interaction."
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