"They were trying to kill me. I responded appropriately." She looked at him. "Should I be concerned?"
Dimitri stared at her for a moment, then looked away. "No, Your Highness. I suppose not."
But his expression suggested otherwise. Elara noted it distantly. Dimitri was uncomfortable with the executions. Understandable—he wasn't military, hadn't been trained to view killing as a tool rather than a trauma.
She'd need to be careful about how much direct violence she exposed him to. Useful administrators were harder to replace than she'd initially calculated.
They reached her building. Inside, Lisa was waiting in the entrance hall, face pale.
"Your Highness—I heard—the assassins—"
"Dead," Elara said simply. "The false information you provided led them directly into an ambush. Well done."
Lisa looked like she might be sick. "I... they're really dead?"
