In the serene silence of her office, Princess Lily sat alone at the wide ebony table, a chessboard laid out before her like the old friend it was.
The pieces were carved from dark jade and pale ivory, and their surfaces were worn smooth by decades of solitary play. She moved a black knight forward, then leaned back in her chair, her red eyes narrowing as she studied the board.
Two days had passed since Benjamin Mark’s sudden evolution... Two days since the golden light had flared through the castle almost like a second sun, but Princess Lily still could not make sense of it.
"Evolving so soon..." she murmured in the empty room. "I believed he was fairly transmigrated here weeks ago. Should we be worried?"
But her question hung there unanswered.
Then Princess Lily sighed and advanced a pawn, anticipating her own counter-move already, before her ornate door opened without warning.
"Good morning, Oba-chan!"
Usagi had hopped into the room with her usual innocent bounce, her long silver ears flopping happily. She wore her usual short lavender yukata that barely reached mid-thigh, the hem fluttering with every step she took.
Princess Lily only glanced up with a calm expression. "Any news on how Benjamin Mark is doing?"
Usagi fluttered her eyelid and tilted her head.
"Ara? Why is Oba-chan asking me?" then she slowly walked to the table, as her voice dripped with endearing innocence. "It’s not like Usagi-chan is the leader of this entire intelligence network in Shishi-no-su, no?"
She pulled out the opposite chair and sat down, then reached across the table and reshuffled the board with astute and experienced fingers.
A crafty smile curved her lips as she glanced at the bored-looking princess.
"You still have this sad habit of playing chess with yourself?" Usagi asked, already setting up the pieces. "You have Silverøse and me, or the others to call for."
"Hmph." Princess Lily rolled her eyes but leaned forward anyway. "You always beat me easily, and I always beat Silverøse, so it’s nigh pointless."
And their game began.
Usagi moved first, moving her pawn to king’s four, and Princess Lily responded. But within six moves Usagi had already claimed two of Lily’s pieces.
"About the god-touched, Benjamin Mark," Usagi said casually, not even looking at the board as she advanced her bishop, "I believe you think so too—he is definitely an anomaly. Leaving aside his exceptional growth... don’t you think he knows how to fuck?"
"H-How uncouth!" Princess Lily’s cheeks flushed pink. She was already losing again, and was in a difficult position. "He was like a predator, yes. But there are some things better left unsaid."
"Oooohhh?" Usagi’s eyes sparkled. "Spoken like a wise ten-thousand-year-old hag."
"What did you just call me?!"
"I win." Usagi toppled Princess Lily’s king with a gentle flick, then she began resetting the pieces without waiting for permission.
Princess Lily could only sigh in defeat, her bunny ears drooping low. "So? How are those tree dwellers dealing with their god-touched disappearance...? And isn’t that masturbation?"
Usagi was now not even looking at the board anymore; she was idly playing with one of her own ears, tugging at the sensitive fur there.
"Of course they’re stirring really hard." She responded, "But they can’t realistically barge into Shishi-no-su looking for Benjamin Mark. On the chance he wasn’t here, it’d be a serious problem for them, you know."
"Onee-sama timed it perfectly." Princess Lily giggled despite herself. "With the alliance of the races, and the problem with the demons, Queen Elara cannot possibly move the way she would."
Usagi nodded absently. "Indeed. Her Majesty is insanely shrewd. When she calls me for some of her brief scheming, I simply shudder. As expected of the Queen of Shishi-no-su. She’s dangerous in the best way."
"Incidentally, Usagi," Princess Lily said, finally gaining a slight advantage on the board, "are you absolutely certain the tree dwellers do not know of your snooping and infiltrations? The legendary mage, Lotus, is there too, no?"
"Haha!" Usagi laughed in a bright and delighted way, then suddenly turned the game around in three moves. Princess Lily’s king was cornered again, much to her disappointment.
Then Usagi reshuffled the pieces once more, ignoring the Imaginary tears brimming in Princess Lily’s eyes.
"Just who do you think I am, Lily?"
"My goodness, Usagi! I have told you several times to address me as Princess Lily or Lily-sama...!"
"Lily-chan, I’m not called the Silver Shadow because it’s merely grand." Usagi’s voice abruptly dropped, suddenly turning serious. "I’m the Shadow Bancho for a reason. I’m not trying to brag, but only the demons surpass me in espionage and intelligence gathering."
Princess Lily smiled a little, seeing a small opening to win. "I know, I know. But you see, Lotus and that Sara are... well, rather unusual."
"...In any case, they definitely are. I for one wouldn’t like to get on their bad side." Usagi maneuvered Princess Lily into yet another trap, her fingers dancing across the board without watching.
"But there’s nothing to worry about: all the races and nations in Elyndor severely watch each other. Queen Elara suspects all of them for the abduction of Benjamin Mark. And regarding our own barrier, most of these kingdoms also do suspicious things like erecting barriers that keep perception to little or non-existent. Queen Elara cannot say for sure if Shishi-no-su or Steelwood took their god-touched."