"Try this vest." Amelia suggested.

Lina took it and put it on over her tunic, and then smiled, "Wow. Yes, this hides it nicely."

"I still don't get why you're hiding it." Amelia, who wasn't even trying to hide her bump, said. Already she was wearing the empire waisted gowns that Saillune royals did when expecting even though she didn't need to.

Lina sat down as she conceded, "I guess the people we don't want to know already know."

She let the words hang ominously. Susan had telepathically communicated to the others about their spy and they were doing their best to prevent that spy from learning that they knew about him. Unfortunately, communicating through Susan was clunky and awkward. Even though it wasn't constant, there were still times when Lina was sure she was being watched, so she did her best to avoid saying as much outloud. "I'd still like to keep it under wraps as long as possible. It just seems like tempting things." Lina said.

"It's unfortunate for you that you're showing more than me."

"Hey!" Lina yelled.

"Either that or my breasts being bigger make my bump look smaller."

"Oh, you are asking for it!" Lina hissed, and then she wiped her forehead. "I could have sworn I opened that window!"

"You did." Amelia said as she started fanning herself, "But it's late spring, it's hot, and we're pregnant. Looks like your blessed pregnancy isn't magically cooling you off!"

"You don't have to rub it in!" Lina shot back.

"It's easier to suffer when someone else is suffering with you." Amelia said knowingly. "And I'll take being hot over morning sickness any day. Worse comes to worse we can do an ice spell for our baths."

"Layering up likely isn't helping." Lina added, but she kept the vest on. "Damn, and summer hasn't even started! Oh, it's going to be a long time till fall!"

"I never thought nine months was such a long time before." Amelia said as she rubbed her belly, "Now it seems as though things are moving so slow."

"With this delegation thing hanging over my head and me being so busy with the school things have been moving fast enough." Lina commented, "I'll be glad when this is done. I am not liking the diplomatic aspects of my new position."

"You're not wanting to retire already, are you?" Amelia asked.

"No, I like the other tasks I have. I guess there's a duty with every job that sucks."

"You'll settle into the role of diplomat." Amelia said.

"Says the person who was born to do this."

"Even I had a lot of training. You'll get used to it." Amelia said confidently, "When are they coming again?"

Lina shrugged, "Some of them have arrived at the palace. Whenever the final one gets there then they'll head over. The Eternal Queen thought it would be best if they didn't announce their visit ahead of time so that the delegation can get a real feel for what our school is like."

"That makes sense." Amelia said, "Well, I guess we'd best go down for breakfast."

"Right," Lina said as she grabbed a hanky and wiped her forehead with it.

"Survival always needs to be your top priority." Lina explained as her Battle Tactics course hit its stride. "You hear a lot of stupid sentiments, such as never back down and never retreat. People who follow those ideas end up dead. You aren't always going to be at the top of your game, and getting a favorable playing field has to be part of your strategy."

"But if you back away, then you have no honor." Cuchulain said. "Honor comes from standing your ground."

Lina wanted to smash his head into the desk. Being told how to fight by someone who had no experience in a real battle was aggravating. Nerys stepped in before she could, "Keep thinking that way, you'll join my friends who were buried with honor. Really, that nobility stuff is what your enemies feed you to keep you down and fighting on their terms!"

Lina started fanning herself as she hoped that she didn't look as though she was sweating as much as she felt she was as Kara said, "Your bitterness makes it impossible for you to move beyond your hurt. You have to learn to let go."

"This is what keeps me alive!" Nerys shot back, "And I don't care to be lectured by people who have no idea what they are doing and would lead us all to our demise in the name of some silly ideal."

Lina was about to reign the discussion back when the door opened and Jeeves walked in, "The delegation is here, ma'am."

Lina brought out her handkerchief again and wiped her face down, "Thanks. Show them in. And could you open the windows in the back? It's about to get rather stuffy in here. On your feet, kiddos."

The kids stood up as Aliciane walked in and stood by the door. An important looking man followed her as Lina stood to attention. "Welcome. Please find a seat in the back and feel free to observe."

Lina managed to get the words out before her breath caught in her throat as she recognized Sylphiel. Sylphiel glanced at her as she smiled and then walked to the back of the room. Lina wondered how Sylphiel had managed to become part of the delegation and what she was doing in Zeferia when she recognized a second, and far less welcome person. Guloisa. Lina's hands curled into fists as she wondered who the hell had let her come, but now was not the time to ream anyone.

I want to know everything that bitch is thinking! Lina projected to Susan, who did not reply.

The diplomats continued to file in, and then Gourry and the rest of her staff followed them. Finally Aliciane announced, "Announcing our illustrious sovereign, The Eternal Queen."

The Eternal Queen entered, and Lina bowed respectfully. She stopped before Lina and asked, "Is everything well?"

"It is, your majesty." Lina said. It was a lie. If Guloisa was in her home then things were definitely not well. But that would have to wait. The Eternal Queen clasped her shoulder, and then moved to sit down. Once she was seated Lina motioned for her students to sit, and then took a deep breath. "Welcome to the Luke and Milina's School of Sorcery and Swordplay. I am Dame Lina Inverse, the headmistress, and this is our class on Battle Tactics."

Lina had hoped that they would have arrived during a different class, but at least it was during class time and not lunch time. In the back, one of the delegates raised his hand, "Yes?" Lina asked.

"What sort of battle tactics?"

"Battle tactics that keep you alive while you're facing a Mazoku." Lina said, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was from Dils.

"Given all of the rumors about how you plan to attack Kalmaat, it just seems awfully suspicious."

"Mr. Gelo," Sylphiel said politely but firmly, "Perhaps we should observe the class before we draw conclusions."

"Of course." Gelo said oily, "You may proceed, Dame Inverse."

Lina nodded, "The power differential between a Mazoku and a human is astronomical. And there are ways that it can be overcome. However if the cards aren't in your favor, then you need to find the quickest, safest way to get out."

Lina waited for Cuchulain or Kara to challenge her, but now that they had an audience it seemed as though both were quiet. Lina continued to lecture, and was stunned when, once again, Gelo raised his hand. "Excuse me. I can see you prepared this remarkable spectacle about fighting Mazoku, those monsters under the bed that you take so seriously." He laughed, and looked around to see if others would join in. No one did, "But how can we be assured that this is a genuine class and not some play you put on to quiet our suspicions?"

Lina shook her head and opened the desk drawer and pulled out her lesson plans, "Well, if you'd like to go through these…"

"One moment." Susan said as she jumped to her feet. A few people gasped, but Lina trusted that if Susan was speaking out, she had a good reason, "Ambassador Gelo, could you show us what is in the contents of your right vest pocket?"

The Geo reddened, "I am not on trial here young lady, and I will not be bossed around by some little girl!"

"But you are subject to my commands while you are in my kingdom." The Eternal Queen said, "If Susan believes we should check your pocket, then I am interested in what we will find."

"Just the documents that our spies stole from this school!" Gelo said as he pulled them from his vest, "Detailing your plans to attack Kalmaat!"

"So you weren't planning to plant these forgeries in Dame Inverse's book while you perused her lesson plans?" Susan asked critically.

"No. I was returning these documents that our spies stole from your school detailing your plans to attack the Duchy of Kalmaat to you." He said indignantly. "I was going to drop the ball after lunch. This whole school is a farce! Are we really supposed to believe these stories about Mazoku and a mere human girl being able to defeat them…"

"Excuse me, Ambassador," Sylphiel interrupted, "If I may. I was there when Dame Lina defeated Hellmaster Phibrizo. I can vouch for the stories being true and for the dangers that the Mazoku race pose to humanity."

Ambassador Gelo sputtered, and then changed track, "And how did she defeat him?"

There was an awkward silence as Lina pleaded with her body to not start glowing. Then Ambassador Gelo continued, "By using a spell that could well have destroyed the whole world! A spell she was warned to never use!"

"Which is it, Ambassador Gelo, are we lying about the threat of Mazoku, or do you agree that they are a threat and take issue with our methods to destroy them?" Han asked as Lina felt the glow start. She hoped that everyone was too distracted to notice.

"The threat is greatly exaggerated, and you are using this as a smoke screen to plan an attack on Kalmaat! Just like your daughter set fire to Galia City and killed thousands."

"Xellos set fire to Galia City, and he tricked me into thinking it was one of Gaav's minions." Lina corrected even as her head felt heavy as a few people started whispering. That she hadn't realized she was being duped still rankled, and she wasn't exactly wanting to rehash her actions here.

"Xellos, the Mazoku that you were in league with! Who is to say you aren't still in league with him?"

"Are you seriously suggesting that the just and noble Kingdom of Saillune would ally themselves with a kingdom that is in league with Mazoku?" Amelia asked indignantly.

"Princess Amelia, considering your uncle hired a Mazoku for a royal sorcerer…"

Amelia reddened, "Dame Inverse slew Kanzeil, and my uncle only hired him at my cousin's insistence. And my cousin made that pact so that he could steal the throne from my father! Neither my father, sister or I would ever make such a hideous bargain!"

"If I may," Sylphiel interjected, "I was in Saillune and on the periphery of the incident. My Uncle told me much of what happened. Kanzeil was there to assassinate Prince Philionel, Saillune was hardly in league with him. And the entire time I have known Dame Inverse I have never seen her with Xellos."

"Then I guess the Kingdom of Lyzeille is knee deep in this as well!" Gelo said.

One of the ambassadors that Lina was unfamiliar with said, "Lately where Zeferia goes, Saillune does as well. But Lyzeille is so far from here that relations between their kingdoms are barely existent. There would also be no benefit for Lyzeille to attack us. I'm having a hard time buying your version of events, Ambassador Gelo. Especially when troops have been observed building up on your side of our border, and not on the Zeferian or Saillune side."

Lina exhaled in relief as the glow started to abate as a different ambassador said, "While two years ago I would have said these stories about Mazoku are preposterous, Ralteague was hit hard in the demon uprisings. It does seem as though they are a legitimate threat."

"Which is why we formed this school." The Eternal Queen said, "And it has been established by those outside of our kingdom that the menace that the Mazoku race pose to our society is genuine. Let me assure everyone here that we have no wish to expand Zeferia's borders or to wage war with our neighbors. On the contrary, we see the need to join our forces to fight the Mazoku threat together. Waging war amongst ourselves just makes us easier targets for them. Which is why I invite each of you to send a representative to stay and observe how we run our school, like our neighbors in Saillune are, so that they can implement such schools in their own countries."

Lina's eyebrows about hit her hairline at the thought of hosting a bunch of strange diplomats indefinitely. Sylphiel, meanwhile, inclined her head, "The Prince of Lyzeille is very interested in starting such a program. I would like to observe, if I may."

"As would I." a few others said, and Lina felt herself groan at the thought of having a bunch of diplomats observe her at her work for who knows how long.

"Unfortunately I have other matters to attend." Guloisa said, "But I will allow my aide to stay."

Lina wasn't sure if she had dodged a spell or not, but for the moment she wasn't going to complain. The sooner Guloisa left, the better.

"We are at the point where we break for the day." Lina said as she wiped her face once again. The open windows helped, but only a little, "You are free to join us for dinner, which will be at seven. Until then you are free to talk to our students, and we will find rooms for those of you who want to stay and observe our school."

"We can even do a workshop on the weekend on how to get schools started in your countries." Leia suggested.

"Right." Lina said, and she added it to her endless To Do list. But then, what else was she going to do with the extra time she had at night? "Class dismissed."

Aliciane started ushering everyone into the downstairs parlor as Lina hung back to gather her stuff and collect her breath. As the people filed out, she sensed as Gourry came to stand beside her and wrap a protective arm around her and she looked up to see that she was alone in the room with him and Guloisa.

"Being the ambassador from the Elmekian Empire suits me." She explained.

"Congrats." Lina said dryly.

"I even have a nice home of my own now, so I won't be staying here. Well, at least not until it's time for the baby to arrive."

Lina's eyes narrowed, "Why would you care about Amelia's baby?"

Guloisa chuckled and reached a hand out to grab Lina's belly. Lina batted it away. "That wasn't very nice." Guloisa said as she reached her hand out again.

"Touch me and you'll end up on the wrong side of a Dil Brand." Lina snapped.

"I know what you're cooking. And you're mean for not letting me get to connect with my grandchild."

"I never cared about being nice." Lina spat.

"You will let me attend the birth." Guloisa stated.

"No." Gourry said firmly.

Guloisa raised her eyebrow, "Do you think you can keep me away?"

He looked at the ground, and for a moment Lina feared he was going to wimp out and leave the task of telling Guloisa off to her. Instead he looked back up and met Guloisa's gaze and said quietly but firmly, "These games aren't going to continue for another generation. I will do what I can to see make sure of that and to see that my child is not harmed by you. And yes, that means keeping you away from the beginning."

Lina grabbed his hand. Finally, he was standing up to her! Guloisa, meanwhile, smiled, "Try and stop me."

She walked out of the room, and Lina and Gourry looked at each other. "The Eternal Queen better have a damn good explanation for this." Lina said as she reached out and wrapped him into a hug.

Gourry nodded as he returned her embrace and stroked her hair, his face a stony mask. After they took a moment to comfort each other he said, "We'd better join the others."

Lina managed to catch a bit of Sylphiel's conversation with Zel and Amelia as they walked into the downstairs parlor.

"Well look at you!" Sylphiel said to Amelia as she reached a hand out, "May I?"

"Sure!" Amelia said and Sylphiel gently touched her stomach.

Lina debated between joining their conversation or walking to The Eternal Queen. Lina wanted to check in with her to get her feel on how things were going. And while she was curious about how Sylphiel had managed to become an ambassador for Lyzeille, she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to Sylphiel or not. Given the feelings that Sylphiel had for Gourry, now that she was married to Gourry and pregnant with his child, it seemed as though the opportunities were ripe to hurt her. But before she could talk to either of them, one of the diplomats from the Coastal Alliance kingdoms blocked her path.

"That was a fascinating class, Dame Inverse."

"Thank you."

"We were wondering if you would like to come down to Triton to help us get our own school started."

Lina relaxed a little. At least everyone in that room hadn't figured her condition out! "Well, right now the timing is not good. Perhaps sometime next year I can see about making arrangements."

"You don't understand, Dame Inverse. You can be headmistress at our school. We'd double your salary, give you a bigger castle."

"Huh?" Lina said, surprised. "No way!"

"Think about it."

"Zeferia is my home." Lina said. "I'm not leaving it no matter how much you give me!"

"Thank about it." He said as he patted her on the shoulder before he walked off.

Lina shook her head and looked at Gourry, but before they could say anything the delegate from Ralteague walked up to them. "This is a lovely school, Dame Inverse."

"Thank you." Lina said.

"I am confused about this whole business with Xellos."

Lina gritted her teeth, and wondered if she should just give the group a presentation with her reasons and motives. "What do you want to know?"

He then proceeded to interrogate her about her reasons for allying herself with him, an interrogation that continued through dinner. Once it was over, Lina couldn't read if he was satisfied with her responses or not. She did know that she was mentally exhausted from rehashing her actions during one of the most trying periods of her life and wanted only to escape to the sanctuary of her bedroom.

"You ready to go?" Gourry asked.

"Yes." Lina said, and nearly groaned when she saw the Eternal Queen. Somehow she managed to suppress it.

"Well done, Lina. Overall I am satisfied with how things went."

Lina slumped forward in relief a little. At least she wouldn't be awake the whole night worrying about whether or not she was pleased, "Thank you, your majesty."

"I'll let you get some rest. Tomorrow morning we will talk."

"Just one thing." Lina said, "Why did you allow Guloisa to come back here?"

The Eternal Queen looked around to make sure she wasn't being overhead, "Emperor Gregory appointed her as the ambassador from the Elmekian Empire. Protocol dictated that she come. And given that she now resides in the ambassador's residence, the threat of her casting a binding spell to prevent herself from leaving here was small."

There was a lot Lina wanted to say, but given that the Eternal Queen was her sovereign, she knew she was in no position to say it. Finally she shook her head and settled with, "I hoped that there would be a better explanation."

"If I had a better explanation, then that would mean something rather bad is brewing." The Eternal Queen pointed out. Lina had to bite back the fact that Guloisa still could have ordered a hit on Gourry for all they knew and that she wasn't welcome in their home under any circumstances. But then, when your home was a gift from your sovereign, and your continued occupancy of it depended on keeping that sovereign happy, it wasn't as if Lina actually had much control over who was and wasn't allowed in her own home. Suddenly Lina wished she had opted for a simpler life and the freedom that would have come with it. The Eternal Queen grabbed and squeezed her hand, "I hope you have a pleasant evening."