The words echoed louder than they should have.
"You will become Kaelith's bodyguard during her stay here."
For a moment, Imeena said nothing.
Not because she agreed. Not because she was stunned.
But because she was calculating how far she'd need to run to slam Lara Daemara through the nearest wall before the guards reacted.
Her hands twitched. The golden glyphs beneath her gloves flared faintly, as if her chains already knew a storm was coming.
"I beg your godsdamned pardon," Imeena said finally.
Lara's grin widened like it was feeding on her fury.
"You heard me, chain witch."
"I'm not a babysitter."
"Oh, you'll be more than that." Lara stepped closer, voice light but dancing with mischief.
"You'll be her escort, her protector, her shadow. Wherever Kaelith goes, you'll go. You'll carry her books, stab her enemies, and smile for the diplomats if you can manage to remember how facial muscles work."
Imeena stared. "You're joking."
"Unfortunately for you," Lara said, "I never joke during council meetings."
"But she's—she's the daughter of Malvoria." Imeena's voice sharpened, disbelief clashing with fury. "You're asking me—me—to guard the demon heir? Do you know who I am?"
"I do." Lara's tone dipped, just slightly. "I know exactly who you are, Cromwell."
The name wasn't an accident. Lara said it like a challenge. Like she knew it wasn't the one Imeena had been born with.
Imeena's jaw locked.
"I'm not qualified for this."
"Funny," Lara drawled, "didn't seem that way when you were taking down my generals like you were doing a morning stretch."
"There are more qualified soldiers," Imeena snapped. "More obedient ones. More presentable ones. You've got half a regiment of silver-plated palace darlings trained for exactly this kind of duty. Why not send them?"
"Because," Lara said, stepping closer now, her grin fading slightly, "none of them survived ten generals."
Imeena narrowed her eyes. "So that's it. You want your sister's kid wrapped in the safest coffin you can find, and you think I'm the sharpest nail."
"I think," Lara said, her voice calm but firm, "you are the only one who won't flinch if something tries to rip her apart."
"I also don't care if something does."
Lara paused. "Yes. I'm counting on that too."
Imeena blinked. "What?"
Lara crossed her arms, her posture relaxing as her voice dropped to something quieter, cooler.
"Look, I don't need someone who'll babysit her with heart eyes and shield spells. I need someone who'll see what's coming before it lands. Someone who understands how threats move. How politics disguise poison. Someone who doesn't hesitate when it counts."
She looked Imeena straight in the eye.
"And someone with no sentimental ties."
"You want me to keep her alive because I don't care if she dies?"
"In short: yes."
The audacity of it almost knocked Imeena back a step.
"That's sick," she muttered. "Even for a demon."
"Thank you," Lara replied, cheerful again. "Compliment accepted."
Imeena shook her head. "No. No, absolutely not. I'm not doing this. I work alone. I answer to my own chain. I'm not about to play glorified arm candy to some glittery half-demon princess—"
"She's not glittery," Lara cut in. "She's actually very sharp. And extremely stabby. You two will get along like fire and brimstone."
"I don't care if she farts lightning and breathes celestial gospel," Imeena said through clenched teeth. "I'm not your damn pawn."
"You're not," Lara agreed. "You're Kaelith's."
"No."
"Final offer."
"Then you'll have to throw me in a cell, because I'm not—"
"Done," Lara said brightly, spinning on her heel and nodding to the guards at the far side of the chamber. "Take her."
The two guards moved instantly—silent, swift, blades sliding free.
Imeena didn't flinch.
Her chain glyphs surged to life, golden light snapping through her skin like fire drawn to breath.
"I dare you," she whispered, her voice laced with ancient magic. "Come one step closer and I'll show you what I did to your generals was mercy."
The air in the room shifted.
The council stirred at last—some murmuring, others stiffening in their seats. The tension cracked like old wood.
And then Lara raised her hand, and the guards halted.
Not because they feared her.
But because they feared what Imeena might do.
Lara turned back to her, amusement glinting again. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about."
"You're insane."
"Possibly," Lara agreed, unbothered. "But that's not relevant."
"I don't take orders from monsters."
"Neither do I. That's why I retired."
"You're not retired if you're dragging mercenaries into diplomatic bodyguard service!"
"Oh, I'm very retired," Lara said with a wide grin. "You should've seen the council's face when I walked in and said me and only me would be selecting Kaelith's security detail."
Imeena exhaled sharply, furious.
"You're blackmailing me."
"I'm offering you purpose," Lara said, suddenly quieter. "Don't make it uglier than it is."
Imeena took a slow breath, forcing her heart back down into her chest. Her chains flickered—tamed now, reluctant, but still coiled around her spine like a thousand judging eyes.
"You said she's staying here?"
Lara nodded. "At the academy. Public classes. Private diplomatic meetings. She wants the full Celestian education."
"And you think someone's going to try something."
"I know someone will," Lara said flatly. "We've had whispers. Pressure from certain noble houses. Internal resistance to the Unified Accord. They're not stupid enough to strike directly. But they'll probe. Test the edges. Wait for her to trip."
"And you think I'll stop them."
"I know you will."
Imeena looked at the council. None of them spoke. None of them even blinked. Their silence felt like pressure.
One false move and they'd make her disappear.
She looked back at Lara.
The demon captain had stopped smiling.
"Fine," Imeena said. Her voice was low. Bitter.
"But if this goes sideways, and I end up with a blade in my back because of some petty demon-politics-turned-princess-assassination plot, I will haunt you."
Lara grinned again, victorious.
"You'd be a terrible ghost."
Imeena turned away, her coat swirling behind her.
"You don't know the half of it."