The blue eyed elder looked like he was trying to swallow something unpleasant and she could see the gears turning behind his eyes, trying to figure out what angle she was playing. "...Thursday," he gritted out.
Aya wanted to ask what time but she thought better against it. One of them at the back was particularly glaring at her at this point and those within the room were throwing curious glances outside at her.
Now would be a good time to feign some stupidity.
Her gaze shifted to the side and she tried to look as oblivious as possible. "Come to think of it." She scratched her head. "I don't know what today is again."
It was a bit surprising that they seemed to follow the same daily format as what she was used to.
The one that had been glaring at Aya stepped forward and the others strangely parted away for him to approach Aya.
The man was tall, sharp-featured, and dressed in a high-collared robe of deep green. His long black hair had streaks of white and was pulled back tightly from a wrinkled face to give a harsh look.
"Luna Aya," he said slowly, studying Aya with a look of fake concern. "Forgive me for asking, but… are you well? You see out of sorts this morning."
Aya's mouth opened before her brain could intervene.
"Oh… I thought you were a man."
Aya stopped and processed what had just come out of her mouth. She immediately wanted the floor to swallow her whole for the second time that day.
"Ah… Your voice is very… I meant to say commanding." Aya smiled. "I was only complimenting you."
She was making it worse with every word.
The woman's eyes locked onto Aya with a look that could have frozen water mid-pour. Her expression didn't change, but something behind her eyes tightened. A flash of fury that was quickly and expertly suppressed beneath a mask of cold composure.
[Elder Detected!]
[Seraphine Nighthollow]
[Elder Council Member. Mother of Alpha Dorian]
[Status: Despises you with the intensity of a thousand burning suns]
[This system notes that Host has a remarkable talent for making powerful enemies within seconds of meeting them]
[Truly gifted ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪]
Aya's internal scream was deafening.
'THAT is Dorian's MOTHER?!'
Aya had been in this world for half a day.
She had already gotten caught being aroused by one husband and now she had just called his mother a man to her face. If word got back to Dorian, that fragile 1% improvement in his hatred level would evaporate and probably plunge into numbers the system hadn't even invented yet.
'Shit. Shit. Shit!'
There was a beat of absolute silence as Aya did not know what to say.
Then Seraphine laughed.
It was a short, controlled sound that sounded very dangerous.
"The Luna is feeling unwell today, it seems," Seraphine said, addressing the other elders. "Perhaps she should rest."
The smile on Aya's face was still frozen.
It would have been one thing for her to have said this to someone she didn't know.
But the original Aya knew Seraphine. This was her mother-in-law and not the first time they would have met. There was no how it wouldn't be insulting for her to call her a man!
The other elders nodded along, relieved to have an explanation that restored the natural order of things. The Luna was confused. The Luna was ill. The Luna would go back to her room and stop asking uncomfortable questions.
While the other elders had already begun dismissing Aya, Seraphine was studying her with the look of a predator who had been watching the same prey for years and had suddenly noticed it moving in a pattern it had never moved in before.
The original Aya had been irritated by the council elders and she avoided their meetings when they had tried forcing her to attend at the start. Aya would certainly have never showed up outside their meeting hall demanding to know what day they would be meeting. And she absolutely never would have dared speak to Seraphine with anything other than constant sulking or shrill complaints.
This was different.
"How unexpected," Seraphine continued, turning her gaze back to Aya. "You have never shown interest in council proceedings before."
'Because the previous Aya was an idiot,' Aya thought, but outwardly just responded, "I had a terrible fever last night, and for some reason my head has been strange since morning…"
Aya's face softened. "I am sorry for calling you a man. I didn't mean to."
Seraphine flinched, a shock frown overtaking her face and that of the other elders, but Aya continued talking.
She touched her temple lightly. "I only woke up thinking I should be more… involved."
Aya glanced into the room. She also needed to watch what she said from there on.
"How... commendable," Seraphine said after a pause. The word sounded like it tasted sour in her mouth, and that puzzled frown still remained on her face. "I do hope you feel better soon, Luna."
Aya smiled again and she immediately turned and walked off before any of them could respond.
Her heart hammered in her chest.
[Host has successfully intimidated five senior political figures through the revolutionary tactic of... asking questions]
[Also, Host called Elder Seraphine a man to her face]
[On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed is Host to making enemies today?]
'That was an accident!' Aya thought furiously.
[A spectacular one!]
[Elder Seraphine's Current Hatred Level: 1000%]
Aya pressed her palm to her forehead and groaned.
[This system can confirm that making enemies of both husband and mother within the same morning is a new record!]
[Previous Host's record was three days]
[Host is an overachiever in all the wrong categories]
[ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ]
Aya shook her head and continued walking. She was frustrated, but beneath the embarrassment and the panic, something small and stubborn glowed in her chest.
She had not gotten the day there would be another meeting, but she would make sure to check every morning.
She was going to walk into that room, sit in that red chair, and make every single one of those smiling, patronizing elders deeply uncomfortable.
And she was looking forward to it.