Amy

I noticed that something was off the moment home came into view, though it wasn’t until my tentacle reached out to grasp the doorknob that I realized just what was bothering me.

Why hadn’t Clara already opened the door?

“Get behind me,” I told Pauline, not turning to face her but rather using my tentacle to pull at the door’s knob to ensure that nobody would be opening it from the other side.

“What’s wrong?” Pauline asked, instantly on guard. She’d faced enough threats during her time at the academy to be used to such things, I suppose.

“I don’t know,” I confessed. “Maybe nothing. Hopefully nothing. It’s just that it’s odd that Clara isn’t here waiting.”

“Maybe she’s busy with something?” Pauline suggested. “If she knew you were going to be asking May for help with alchemy, she might have thought she had time to take care of an errand or something.”

“Perhaps…” I replied. “But just in case, be ready to heal me - or perhaps blind the enemy, depending on what’s on the other side.”

“Alright,” Pauline said, presumably getting into some form of combat position. I didn’t want to look away from the door to find out. Instead, I turned the knob and swung the door violently inwards, prepared to strike against whatever threat might be on the other side.

Except the person standing on the other side - out of range of the door’s violent opening, thankfully - was not some ruffian or dark-clad assassin, but an older looking woman with blonde hair down to her waist and the faintest hint of crow’s feet around her eyes.

We stared at each other for a moment in silence, with me feeling quietly awkward about the fact that I had several tentacles poised to strike and her just calmly taking in my appearance.

Then that silence was broken by a sigh, drawing my attention to Clara as she stepped out from behind the older woman. “This is why I wanted to answer the door myself, your Highness…”

“If you knew she would be coming in with tentacles bared, it might have been nice to have a little forewarning,” the woman replied, shaking her head. “But nevertheless, I suppose it’s rude for me to stand around and stare at the lady of this house. You must be the ‘Amy’ my darling niece got engaged to, yes?”

“Neice?” I asked, glancing between her and Clara.

“Not by blood,” the blonde assured me, a small smile playing across her features. “But her mother and I have been on good terms with one another since long before her birth, so I do consider her as such. Though as for whether she returns the favor…” The woman shrugged.

“O-of course I view you as an aunt!” came another voice as Firanna peeked her head into the parlor. “Though I do wish you’d told me you’d be popping in for a visit. I could have given Amy some forewarning.”

“And what would the fun in that be?” the blonde asked, smiling brightly. “I am - if you haven’t guessed - Queen Katherine. Considering your relationship to my niece I see no need for formalities such as curtsying, though - assuming you can curtsy, in the first place? I’ve been told a bit about your… unusual circumstances.”

“I can,” I promised. “The etiquette teachers showed me how, and I’ve found that this body is quite used to making the movements, so… Um… not to be rude, but… why are you here? I thought you’d be more interested in checking on Prince… I mean, Princess Jethroo.”

“Oh, I am quite interested in hearing her side of things,” the Queen replied, with a bright smile. “Her father almost fainted when he heard what she’d done, you know? I had to convince him not to come running here himself. Especially since he has little experience in such matters.”

“And you do?” I asked, curious despite myself.

“Not directly,” she confessed, shrugging. “But my brother went down a similar route. Did you know he was actually the one engaged to my hubby? But then he went and drank one of those potions. To this day, I’m not sure how much of it was for his own happiness, and how much of it was a desire to get out of my way. I’d always been a bit jealous of his relationship with Aaron, you know? Used to think that if I’d only been born a few years earlier, it would have been me engaged to that dreamboat… but in the end, I suppose things worked out for all involved. My brother certainly seems happy enough with his new body, at least, and since my dear Aaron has no interest in the bedtime company of men… Well, one thing led to another, and now here I am! Queen Katherine.”

“I… I see…” I replied, not quite sure what to make of that. To be honest, I was a little surprised that the nobles I met all seemed so accepting of trans folks - though, remembering Bridgette’s reaction to meeting a beastkin, I couldn’t help but think that they had more empathy for their own than those beneath them.

“Then… does that mean you’re alright with Princess Jethroo’s new form?” Pauline asked, peeking out from behind me.

“In theory,” the Queen replied, eyeing the brunette. “You must be the Pauline that my child has grown so infatuated with.”

“I - how did you…” Pauline trailed off. “I guess? But… I didn’t tell her to change herself, like that!”

“I know, dear,” Queen Katherine replied, a small smile on her lips. “Daphne was quite explicit about that in her writings. Though, even without that, I’d hardly assume it was your fault - it’s almost impossible to get that child to do anything she didn’t decide to do on her own. At most you might have put the idea in their fool head.”

“They?” I asked, only to flinch when the Queen turned her attention back to me and arched an eyebrow. “I mean… is there a reason you’re switching between ‘she’ and ‘they’?”

“There is,” she replied, nodding. “For while she most definitely seems to prefer being referred to as a woman in the present, there was no sign of it at all before. To be honest, I’m still not a hundred percent sure whether this is something she’s truly chosen for herself, or if she’s simply trying to appeal to Miss Pauline.”

“S-she seemed happy enough, being a girl?” Pauline volunteered.

“I’m sure she did,” the Queen replied, letting out a tired sigh. “And to be honest, if this is what she’s chosen, I have no intention of forcing her to shift back… But this is going to wreak havoc on her father’s attempts to find her a proper wife. Unless she’s into men?”

“She… um… didn’t seem to be,” Pauline admitted, blushing a little. “Is that a problem?”

“Not particularly. If anything, one might argue that it’s better to have a female heir - it means there will be no question as to who the baby belongs to, regardless of how faithful her spouse is or isn’t. Though whether she’ll remain the heir is another question, I’m afraid.”

“You mean she might lose the position?” I asked, surprised.

“It’s not for me to say,” Queen Katherine replied, pursing her lips. “But let’s just say that swapping her body around at the drop of a hat based on the tastes of her crush is not the sort of behavior one wants from a future ruler, who will be expected to make tough decisions and personal sacrifices.”

“Then you’d want her to stay a boy?” I pressed. “Even if it hurt her?”

“Of course not. I just wish she’d think before she acted - perhaps even consult with us. At the very least she should have gone to a faculty member for her potion, and not a fellow student. Who knows what could have gone wrong, there?”

“I suppose that’s fair,” I conceded, reluctantly. Not that I was entirely sure why I was even asking the question to begin with - it was none of my business, for one thing, and I still wasn’t convinced that the ‘princess’ didn’t identify as a man underneath it all.

“None of that is what I’m here to speak about, though,” Queen Katherine continued. “Though I might wish to talk to Pauline later, depending on how things go with Daphne.”

Pauline let out a little squeak behind me, causing the Queen to chuckle.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I hardly intend to force you into the role of wife or consort. Even if we were to overlook your common birth, the simple fact that you have no desire to stay by her side is quite enough to rule you out. Though, I will warn you - if you intend to pursue my niece’s future wife, there will likely be consequences.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. To be honest, I’d almost forgotten Pauline’s earlier confession to me - or rather, I’d been trying very hard not to think about it, and what it might mean - but there was no way I could ignore a direct threat to Pauline’s wellbeing.

“My, someone’s certainly protective,” the Queen noted, eyeing not just me but also my tentacles, which were now visibly twitching. “But you needn’t concern yourself - it wasn’t meant as a threat, so much as a warning. I mean her no harm, and as for my daughter… Well, she’d probably go after you Amy, if she went after anyone. Still, the fact remains that a commoner entangled with nobility is doomed to have a dangerous life. There will be those who wish to manipulate you, to use you to get closer to Amy, or perhaps even Firanna. Whether they succeed or fail, there’s a chance they’ll try to silence you after the fact, to secure their own positions. And that’s the best case scenario - it’s quite possible some will go straight to hiring assassins, rather than allowing a commoner to hold such influence over royalty. You’re more or less safe, here in the royal academy, under the official protection of the royal family. Most will write off any relationships you get into as youthful folly, in any case. Still, it wouldn’t hurt you to be careful.”

“I can take care of myself,” Pauline replied, firmly.

“What about me?” I asked. “I’m a commoner myself, aren’t I?”

“In the body of a duke’s daughter,” Queen Katherine replied. “You underestimate how much that means to the nobility. Yes, there will be many who look down upon you for how you act and think, but so long as you avoid making too many ripples they won’t view you as a threat to the royal family or their own way of life. No, your future headache is that most of them will see you as little more than breeding stock. Killing you would be a waste, in the eyes of most - especially since you have no siblings to carry on the duke’s bloodline.”

I grimaced. “This isn’t making me any happier about your husband’s choice to engage me to Firanna.”

“I’m not exactly thrilled with the arrangement, either,” Firanna added, from the back. “Though at least I’m willing to try.”

I winced. “Sorry, I just… I don’t know. I didn’t want to be pulled into any of this mess to begin with, and now I’ve got all these girls claiming they like me just because of the body I’m in and nobles treating me like breeding stock and apparently there are rumors flying all over the place that I’m not even aware of, and… to be honest, I don’t have the faintest idea what I’m supposed to do in this mess!”

“For starters?” the Queen replied. “I’d take it one step at a time. Figure out your own feelings, and then worry about everyone else’s after the fact. You too, Pauline - you still have a couple years before you graduate, so use this time to figure out what you want to do with your life.”

“I… Yes, I suppose you’re right,” I admitted, letting out a sigh of my own.

“None of that is why I’m here, though,” the Queen added.

“Why are you here, then?” I asked. “Not to be rude, but I’d have thought your first stop would be Daphne.”

“Oh, let her stew in her worries for a little longer,” Queen Katherine said, chuckling. “She deserves it for all the trouble she’s caused. Besides, working things out with my child is only one of the reasons I’ve come here.”

“The other being?” I asked, a dreadful pit developing in my stomach.

“Why to evaluate you, of course. The one who will be marrying my favorite niece. And I must say - strutting in here with tentacles and bunny ears, as you have, has certainly made quite the first impression.”