Heena looked down at him, her dark eyes completely unreadable.
"I didn't defend you. I defended the time and effort I am wasting on you," Heena replied coldly, turning her back on him to leave. "If you want to survive the capital, Your Highness, learn to tell the difference between the people who flatter you to keep you weak, and the people who strike you to make you strong."
As Heena walked out of the moon gate, leaving the boy staring thoughtfully at the medicinal vial in the dirt, the digital lion materialized next to her shoulder.
'[Host, that was an absolutely flawless psychological manipulation,]' the System praised in awe. '[You just completely severed his emotional dependency on the Empress. He is going to be incredibly loyal to you now.]'
