Inside the Rose Hall of the Sacred Tree Palace, an artificially glorious sunset arrived right on schedule. Through the curved dome's mirrored surface, it bathed the room in a languid golden-red glow.
Queen Brynnhild's gaze drifted from the glimmering dome to the ever-blooming rose bushes. Her near-perfect nostrils flared as she breathed in the faint, elegant fragrance that wafted through the air.
Then the most powerful, influential, and prestigious elector in the Galactic Empire wore a look of sorrow.
Several communication screens hovered beside her, blinking silently. The most prominent bore a code from the direction of Law City, marking it as top priority.
It flashed with a frantic urgency, radiating the agitated fury of ants in a hot pan.
But Queen Brynnhild merely turned her head slightly, treating them as no more than gnats to be ignored.
The garden doors slid open silently again, and Giafil Lamut and Ostana Barr entered together.
The Hmph-and-Ha duo... Brynnhild recalled someone's description. She didn't quite understand the allusion, which came from Earth society, but she could always appreciate its faint humor.
She paused, then really did snort with laughter.
Giafil sighed and lifted a carefully packaged but decidedly unpretentious food bag from behind her. "Your favorite sponge cake soaked in wine, from Crown Rabbit Court in Redbud City. I heard they didn't even close during the worst of last month's emergency."
Brynnhild nodded. "What admirable dedication. I'll grant the owner a title... Wait, Gilly, I've told you before that I don't like you trying to soothe me with food. Do you really take me for a child? I've been a mother, after all."
The acting commander of the Starrealm Knights sighed. "You can look at it another way. I'm not trying to soothe you. I'm just finding something to use as a