"But that's not–" started Emily
"Emily." I stopped her. I'm starting to understand what's going on here.
"Oh my, there's no need to continue keeping secrets from me, my king. My loyalty is yours now" said Sera. "Besides, I already know you had a spy, didn't you? Was it Daphne?"
". . . You're not allowed to punish her for it." I said, after some thought.
"Aha, I knew it. That explains everything. How clever of you. With information from my meetings, it's no wonder you countered me so perfectly."
"No, I–"
"Daphne." I stopped her and beckoned her over.
She obediently trotted over to me. I led her a few steps away and gestured for her to bend down. Then I cupped my hand around her ear and started whispering.
"I am recruiting you to this lie. You don't have to lie, but you can either tell Sera that you were my spy or you can tell her that she was beaten by a misunderstanding and her own neuroticism." I whispered in Daphne's ear.
Apparently, the elves assumed that since I arrived naked, I wanted to make an important request. Since that is their custom, it was the obvious explanation for my nudity.
When I asked to live 'here', they thought I meant the palace, and when I asked for 'something to wear', they thought I meant the crown, and I was just being subtle about it.
I'm pretty sure that if Sera knew the truth, that she played herself, she would be crushed.
Daphne's ear was turning red. When I released her, she fell to her knees, flushed and panting a little. It is a pretty embarrassing situation for the elves.
"What did you tell her?" asked Sera. "More secrets?"
"I told her she doesn't have to lie to you now." I said. Technically-not-lies are some of my favorite lies to tell.
"Wonderful, I'm so happy that you are beginning to trust me," said Sera. "Daphne, I'm so curious, how did he convince you to ally with him?"
"He whispered in my ear. . . and I fell in love," said Daphne, dropping her head.
"Well, that's understandable. Don't worry. Of course, I wouldn't dream of punishing you for your loyalty to the man we now call our king."
Understandable huh? That information may come in handy later.
"Anyway, my king, what is it that you plan to do next, now that you have the full support of the elves and the amazons?" asked Sera "Apart from the fairies, you rule the entire sacred forest."
"Are you going to conquer the fairies too?" asked Alex.
That idiot. Everyone with any sense shot her a dirty look, there are two fairies right here. It's less of a problem since I have no intention of conquering the fairies. After all, I was reluctant to try conquering the amazons, and the elves conquered themselves for me.
Lily and Iris came over to look at me, clearly trying to read my face.
I doubt I would be very believable if I said I didn't want to conquer the fairies. I have been very busy with conquest, so to speak, lately. But even if I convince Lily and Iris I don't want to conquer them, this conversation could still cause me some problems. Maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut.