"Firstly, if you kill me, you know exactly what'll happen with your master. And I don't think any of us want that, do we?" Luna asked sweetly. She would use the woman's same tricks against her. If Luna didn't miss her guess, her power over these other girls relied mostly on being in control at all times, and Luna had just dramatically flipped that.
There were whispers, hushed but aggressive. So there was something abnormal going on with Lukas. She hadn't known that before, but it was nice information to have. Not that she hadn't already suspected it.
"Secondly, I'm guessing you lot aren't all of his maids. You're a faction, aren't you? So let's make this clear and get it out of the way. As for me, I would prefer not to take a life. Because expensive clothes stain easily. Luckily, it won't have to be my hand that does it. You think you can manipulate him, but I'm in a higher position and closer to him, much closer. For now at least. So you would do much better to wait to make your move, right?" Luna leaned forward, lacing her fingers together in front of herself. "After all, at least one out of the group of us is completely indispensable. And I think we all know who that is.
"Now, I would be willing to bet that the people in this room are the most skilled of Lord Warwick's maids, correct?"
There were nods throughout the room. The last person to nod was the Beastfolk sitting across from Luna.
"So why don't you all present your request, and then we'll consider a trade," Luna continued smoothly. "How does that sound?"
"You are a smart woman," the catkin said. Her voice was gentle. Luna's guard immediately went up.
"But you are a human, are you not?" she continued.
Luna's heart sank.
Yes. Yes she was.
And humans, everywhere aside from Alaxia, were at the bottom of the totem pole. The weakest and most despised race, their standard wage was hardly any better than a servant's, and they never even got a chance to prove themselves, no matter how apt they were at something. Stories. Legends that were far from Luna.
Had been far from her. Now she was living in them.
How would that be, marked as she was by Lukas? From the maids' reactions, Luna was nearly certain that he had a habit of picking up women. There were other possibilities, but she just didn't know enough about the customs of the greater Empire to be able to postulate beyond that.
Maybe she would ask him. It would also be a good way to cast a hint of doubt on this group of maids, especially if she ever needed them gone. Lukas wasn't stupid, after all. If she came out from a dress fitting worrying about him having other women, whether in the past or present, it wasn't a stretch to assume that the maids helping her had planted the fear in her mind, and from there, it was a possibility that they did it maliciously, which suited her perfectly.
Yes, she would ask.
"As a human, I'm sure you know your place," the catkin spoke again, haughty and imperial now. "You are-"
"As a servant, I'm sure you know your place," Luna said in a cold tone. She had to struggle a bit to force out the words properly, as she wasn't familiar with speaking this way, but she managed it, near perfect. "And that's beneath even me. Not to mention the fact that Lord Warwick has chosen me. Does it hurt you to think that he could have you any time, but he always searches elsewhere? He ignores you. Because you deserve to be ignored. Now, I could just stiffen my posture and ignore your words like all the others, and you'd have no choice but to treat me as another noblewoman. But I'm not doing that. Yet. So get to your offer, or else maybe I will."
"Your life now depends entirely on Lord Warwick's pleasure," the maid hissed, clearly irritated. "So shut your mouth and listen."
"One tyrant to another," Luna said indifferently. "But go on."
The woman ground her teeth for a moment, then straightened her posture and finally said what Luna had been waiting to hear.
"Then allow me to enlighten you on this tyrant's preferences."