ARYA

⁴ [ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵 ]

[ 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 ]

On everything I looked at - the walls with royal imprints as designs, the plug outlets, the clocks, the flowers hanging, the rugs—my cipher, "QAI" was plastered. Africa was nearly done with their fourteen days of mourning, a royal procedure only done when the reigning monarch died, in honor of my late father—the king that never truly was.

Not that I wanted Dad's legacy forgotten, but Doe Castle had grown more alive now that the looming sorrow had lifted. As for me, I was slowly gaining my footing, my mind finally grasping the reality that I was monarch and could ultimately decide my own path. My first "Queen's decree" had been to keep all my ladies-in-waiting, rather than just one. That way, each lady didn't have to devote themselves entirely—they could still live their own lives, coming and going almost like regular employment.

My thoughts drifted to Tyler as I walked the halls that early morning, dressed casually in pink bunny slippers and matching pajamas. Where was my personal assistant? And my on-call lady? They were doing a poor job keeping track of my comings and goings.

I wandered further down the unfamiliar hallway, peering into the wide-open room doors. Many quarters were vacant, others simply furnished with small beds and sparse decor—likely staff accommodations, I realized. An odd thumping noise grew louder as I moved down the corridor. Wet, rhythmic smacking...almost like silly putty being rapidly slapped against a surface.

Finally, I identified the room the mysterious sounds were coming from. The door was cracked slightly ajar. Sliding off my slippers to muffle my steps, I tiptoed over and gasped, eyes going wide at the view through the slit. It was Tyler - MY Tyler - clearly...pleasuring himself?

I had witnessed renderings of male anatomy in high school health class, but never the real thing until now. Flushed and tingling with a strange new heat, I watched Tyler's movements unabknownst to him, an array of unfamiliar yet insistent desires blossoming inside me. Suddenly fearful he might catch my gaze at any moment, I carefully backed away and rushed to find the nearest wall phone.

"Hello, IT," a feminine voice answered.
"Hi!" I chirped breathlessly. "This is Her Majesty."

I could hear shuffling on the other end, as if the IT worker was scrambling to compose themselves properly. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty. How may I assist you?"

I smiled coyly, even though the woman couldn't see. "I would like to request a private Wi-Fi network that only I can access. If, in the future, I decide someone needs access—like maybe a future husband—I'll make sure they get it too."

The line went silent for a long pause. "Sorry for the wait, ma'am," the worker finally replied. "I was just verifying this request. I will have a new secure network and password set up for you by 10pm tonight."