"What's that supposed to mean, "canceled"?!" Kykla shouted at the screen in front of her.

"It means that Her Highness sends her apologies," the Vanaery on the other end of the call answered calmly, "but that she will not be able to see you in the following days."

"DAYS?! Have your people lost all sense of etiquette?! First the maid you gave me disappears without a trace, and now this! I already was so considerate to grant Her Highness a day of rest to recover, and now you are telling me that the talks are suspended indefinitely?! Yet you refuse to give me a reason?!"

"I deeply apologize, Lady Ambassador," the Venaery answered with a bow, "but I've told you all the information I myself was given."

"How long are you planning to keep me on your planet?! If the Princess is not available for whatever reason, let me talk with the Queen or King! You can't just expect me to sit here idly without even knowing how long I am supposed to wait!"

"I understand that you are upset, Milady, but as I said, that is all I am able to share with you."

"Then give me someone who knows more! If by tomorrow I don't have either an appointment with somebody else or at least a reason why the talks are suspended, I will claim delay!"

"...I will impart your concerns Milady. Is there something else I can help you with?"

Kykla ended the call without answering. She then took off her translator and with it, her fake anger.

"That was no ordinary servant, was it?" she asked her handyman. "Going by the mannerisms at least."

"Yes," Qeylo affirmed, "if memory serves right, that should've been the Star Palace's steward."

"I see. Interesting that they refuse to tell us what happened. An attack on the princess would after all be a decent reason to interrupt the negotiations."

She stood up and started to pace around the room.

"It's a bit annoying that we don't know whether or not she is dead."

"If Kayla's last report is to be believed, she should be," Qeylo continued her thought. "And by the time I placed her corpse and the message, it should've already been too late, even if she was found immediately."

"Then we just need to be patient," the Tystrie Matriarch concluded with a nod, "and make sure not to raise any suspicion. Were you able to arrange a hospital visit with the prince?"

While the primary reason for killing the princess was to stop her from uncovering the Tystrie's true circumstances, the added benefit was that now, her brother was the sole heir to the throne. And since he was still a child, it would be easy to influence him into being a more... beneficial ruler. At least, more beneficial to the Tystrie. And while she didn't know how he had ended up in the hospital, it was the perfect excuse to finally talk to him.

"Unfortunately, he got transferred to the capital yesterday."

"Of course. Well, try and arrange the visit anyway, it's not like we've got anything else to do until the announcement. It'll probably take them a few days to clear up the disarray, and then we'll know whether the attack succeeded or not."

"Very well," he said with a bow. "But shouldn't we also make plans for the case that she somehow is still alive? Just to be sure."

Kykla nodded.

"You're right. Well, even if she survived, she'll be out for a while. Either they don't let us talk to the queen or king, then I'll claim delay, or they let us, then I'll claim insult at the first chance. In both cases, we'll get concessions that buy us time until we get a new trade agreement."

She paused and thought for a moment. While the High Priest had bet everything on this agreement, she now knew there was zero chance of it still happening. But the concessions should give them enough time to come up with a new solution. That wasn't for her to decide, though. But there was something else she'd need to deal with.

"However, assuming that she indeed survived, there would of course still be the problem of the princess snooping around. She wouldn't stop just because she was out for a while. And now that our scapegoat is gone, we can't just try and kill her again. Since we now know that she never planned to form a treaty with us, the best course of action would probably be to cut off contact with the Vanaery after that and look for a different target. But we'd need to justify that somehow. We have to find a way to discredit her in front of the Alliance. Luckily, her current behavior could help with that. Maybe..."

A knock on the door interrupted her train of thought.

"Yes?"

One of her servants entered.

"Milady, there is someone who wishes to speak with you," the smaller male announced.

"Oh, really?" she asked sarcastically while fetching her translator. "Do you also have any useful information? Like, maybe tell me who the "someone" is?"

"Um, well, uh, it's not a Vanaery."

"Alright, now we know who it is not. Can you now maybe tell me anything that will justify not firing you once we are back home? Name? Species? Rank?"

Granted, knowing that this ominous visitor was no Vanaery was actually quite a big deal. She wasn't aware of any other ambassadors on Hohmiy, and negotiating with multiple people at once was considered bad manners. And the princess knew that. As such, the fact that another species was invited at the same time certainly was not nothing. But it didn't excuse her servant's incompetence. How did she hire someone who didn't even know how to announce someone?

"I-I deeply apologize, Milady, b-but I don't know their species. And their name... was too long, I couldn't memorize it."

"...huh?"

After some quick preparations to make herself presentable, Kykla ordered the servant to call her mysterious "guest" in. She was now getting really curious because she was certain her servants knew all species in the Alliance. Maybe one that the Tystrie rarely had contact with? Her first thought would be the Krahwol, with whom they had zero contact ever since they had stopped exporting metal. Meaning the still somewhat young male would've never seen one in his life. Still, she was fairly certain that to qualify to accompany an ambassador, a servant needed to know them regardless. And how bad was his memory to not recall a name, just because it was a bit longer?

The door opened and... someone... entered. A someone who very distinctly was not a Krahwol. The person was small, notably smaller than even the male Tystrie accompanying her, and only about half the height of Kykla. They had a frail frame and a pale appearance that lacked any form of scales, shell, or fur, bar a very large patch of silvery hair with a yellowish hue on the top of their head. Two arms and legs each, similar to her, but unlike the Tystrie, thinner limbs and no tail. The two eyes were rather big, with an intricately patterned blue circle in the middle. Their clothes seem to be close in style to what the Vanaery had copied from the Moravi, supplemented with a pair of gloves and some strange plates that were strapped to her feet with a complex set of straps. There was no denying it: the person in front of her did not belong to any species in the Alliance. And she was very obviously not a Kiroscha. But there were no known species besides the Kiroscha who weren't in the Alliance. Which could only mean one thing:

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A new contact.

Kykla desperately tried to stay calm. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She could not afford to screw this up!

The unknown alien, despite their short height, had a strong presence and dignified demeanor. But there was also something else. Something that, deep down, irked some primal instinct in Kykla. But she couldn't really identify the feeling and chose to simply ignore it. The point was, her visitor was likely not just a messenger, but someone of influence. And while she wasn't prepared to host a foreign noble, she would not allow herself to let this chance slip by.

"I apologize for letting you wait. I am Kykla, representative of the Tystrie. I would greet you in turn, but I hope you can forgive my incompetent servant for not being able to deliver your name."

"There is nothing to apologize for, I have taken no offense," an incredibly soft voice answered. "I am well aware that my name can be confusing to those who are unfamiliar with the naming style of my people."

While she had already assumed it, the response made it clear that she was talking to a noble. These speech patterns and the regal aura she was radiating weren't something found among commoners.

"As such, allow me to introduce myself: I am Nadine Valentina Esmeralda Anastasia von Klot of House Heydenfeldt. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Kykla."

...On second thought, I may have treated my servant too harshly.

"As I already stated," the alien continued, "I completely understand that my name can be confusing to those not used to it. You are free to refer to me as "Lady Nadine"."

Then why even have a name that long?

"Then I shall do exactly that. Allow me to once again welcome you in the name of the Tystrie, Lady Nadine. May the light of the Goddess shine upon you. I'm afraid I do not know of your people's dietary needs, but if there is still something I can offer you, please speak."

"That is fine. Some unpurified tap water will suffice."

That wasn't the kind of answer Kykla had expected. And judging by his confused look, the same could be said for her servant. With a gesture that essentially said what are you waiting for?!, she signaled him to follow the unusual request.

She then led her guest to a pair of couches where they took seats across from each other. Lady Nadine was so short that, once she was fully seated, her feet no longer touched the ground. As she sat down, the furniture seemed to make some sound of exhaustion. Great, was she seriously given faulty products? She could only pray to be spared the embarrassment of having it break under her guest.

Shortly after, the servant brought in her drink.

Kykla observed her thoroughly. The noblewoman took a sip without any hesitation. And yet, her hand seemed to slightly shake when she put the water container on the table in front of her. Was she not immune to the calcium after all? But why order it then?

"It is a shame we couldn't meet on a better day, but I'm afraid the downpour won't stop any time soon."

"Yes, I was informed about this world's seasons. But I don't mind, compared to the rain on my homeworld, this is but a light drizzle."

Was she bragging? If not, Kykla didn't want to know what heavy rain looked like on her world. But that at least meant she wasn't in a sour mood.

"To be completely honest," Kykla changed the topic, "meeting a newly contacted species is the last thing I expected from this visit. I am pleasantly surprised. Though I must ask: is there a reason why you haven't contacted the Tystrie yet?"

"None other than time," Lady Nadine assured her. "We, the species human, contacted the Vanaery purely by chance. We by no means plan to favor them over the other members of the alliance."

"Oh, I didn't mean to insinuate that. But I thank you regardless. I then understand that to be the reason for your visit?"

"Indeed," Lady Nadine affirmed after taking another sip. Her hand was still shaking. "I was meant to meet her Highness today, but alas, the meeting got canceled. Even worse, I wasn't even given a reason why."

"I see. I'm in the same situation, actually. But it is hard to be angry about that considering it allowed for this meeting to happen. May I ask: are there other representatives of the "humans" on Hohmiy?"

"Just me," the alien noblewoman clarified. "It is the first time my people meet extraterrestrial life by the way. It is truly a joyous occasion, in all my twenty-four cycles, I never experienced anything close."

Well, that was perfect! Since the Vanaery weren't cutting a dash right now, this was her chance to win this new species over! Even if they later talked with the other species later, the first impression always stuck. If this went well, the Tystrie's trouble might be a thing of the past!

Just as she finished her train of thought, she realized that Lady Nadine had just emptied her water container. She had really drunk all the water with everything in it.

"Is there an issue?"

Crap, she had been staring!

"A-apologies, Lady Nadine. I was simply marveling how manifold life in the universe can be."

"Because of this?" she asked while tapping her water container. "Well, I agree. I too was surprised to hear that the Vanaery remove all these precious nutrients from the water."

...what?

"Though I guess they aren't exactly nutrients to them, am I right?"

Something in her tone had changed.

"Truly a strange whim of evolution for a planet to bring forth a species that can't drink its own water. Sure, not all water on my planet is drinkable either, but this is really something else. I mean, just grabbing the wrong water once and ending up hospitalized, if not worse. Just imagine, being locked in your room, laying on the floor, alone, after having poisoned yourself with what was meant to be a harmless drink brought to you by your trusted servant. Wouldn't that be a terrifying thought?"

Kykla felt as if her heart skipped a beat.

"Y-yeah..," she answered after a way too long pause.

"I apologize, my description might have been a bit graphic. Oh, by the way: While you of course brought some of your own servants, wouldn't common courtesy dictate to also give you some? Are the Vanaery really that negligent towards their guests?"

"N-no, I was given one. B-but she seems to have disappeared."

"And someone like that gets hired by the palace?" The alien noblewoman shook her head. "That kind of carelessness is borderline... criminal."

"I-I totally agree. But, while I am grateful for your visit, I am sure that you still have duties to attend which I don't wish to keep you from."

"Yes, you are right. I hope we can speak again though."

"I'm sure we will."

As the visitor left, Kykla deflated. With shaking hands, she took off her translator.

"She knows. I don't know how much, but she knows."

"With all due respect, Milady," Qeylo chimed in, "I think that sounds a bit paranoid."

She slowly turned her head toward her handyman.

"You're not the one who thinks here, I am. You are the one who gets stuff done when I need you to."

She stood up.

"I have lived longer than you ever will! I've been a politician all my life, I know how to pick up verbal cues! You heard how old she is! While I don't know how long humans live exactly, a noble with that amount of life experience doesn't say those things by accident! Even the water she asked for! This wasn't a visit to establish relationships, this was a THREAT! She doesn't want partners, she wants PUPPETS!"

"But... even if she has a suspicion, there is nothing that could lead back to us, our plan-"

"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT! Proof is only an issue within the alliance, it means nothing to her! Didn't you hear what she said?! She is the ONLY representative of her species on the planet! During a FIRST CONTACT! Do you have ANY idea what that means on how much trust she has among her people?! She might even be the right hand of their royalty! She doesn't need proof, if she tells them what she thinks of us, that'll kill any chance of a relationship with them! Imagine them joining the alliance, and we're the ONLY ONES not profiting from it! Our people would be done for!"

Spent, she slumped back into her seat.

"I understand your point, Milady. However, if she were to die on Hohmiy, while being a guest to the Vanaery... things would look different, right?"

Kykla thought for a while before answering. Would she really order another death? Well, she had already done it once. She did what she had to for her people, all she could hope was for the Goddess to acknowledge that.

"Let's say I agreed... how would we go about doing this? None of your "friends" are in the palace, if they were, there wouldn't have been any need to go through all the trouble with the maid in the first place. We don't know her species except for the fact that calcium doesn't kill her. And lastly, how do you plan to make sure it looks like a Vanaery did it? If ANYTHING leads back to us, our people are doomed."

Qeylo nodded.

"Regarding your first concern that is indeed difficult. I would need to call in almost every favor and threat I can, and then I wouldn't have any friends left on Hohmiy. And I doubt I'll be able to make a usable amount of new ones."

She shrugged.

"Your "friends" did a great service to us, but we were able to do it without them before. Besides, no matter how this goes, we'll have cut all ties with Hohmiy anyway, so nothing lost there."

"Very well. About your second concern, there are types of poison that can kill any species. No matter how different she is, she is still organic. And I know a particularly deadly one that has no known antidote, and even better, it is available on this planet. It of course can't be bought by just anyone, but that's actually part of my plan and will resolve your third concern."