Relief flickered across the Queen's face for just a second before she schooled it back into firm resolve.

  "Good." She nodded once, sharp and decisive. "Now tell your men to stand down too."

  The KTB agent scowled but jerked his head toward Dodeka and gave a nod for her to bark out the order. Dodeka then shouted:

  "Hold fire! For now!"

  A few of them hesitated...but after another glare towards the Queen? They reluctantly lowered their weapons slightly.

  Dodeka nodded in approval, her expression unreadable.

  "And now," she continued, gesturing to the Queen with her gun, "Escort her and the Princess out of this building safely, but make sure no one else escapes. Keep them locked in this museum. We'll handle them after we get those two out of here.”

  The agents exchanged uneasy glances at that, a few of them looking like they wanted to protest...but ultimately, they knew better than to defy Dodeka's orders.

  Grudgingly, the agents stepped forward, grabbing the two by the arms roughly as they led them towards the exit.

  "...Don't try anything," one warned.

  The Queen just nodded stiffly, holding up her head high, not willing to show her fear, or even annoyance at being manhandled like this.

  "What are you going to do to everyone else?" she asked.

  Dodeka's grip on the pistol didn't waver at the question. If anything, it tightened even further as she replied coldly:

  "Kill 'em."

  The Queen flinched at this as if she were slapped. "WH-WHAT?! After all this time I've spent trying to build bridges between our races? After everything I just said about unity?”

  Another KTB agent scoffed, her expression callous.

  "Your race has done far more harm than good. They'll always look down on us and anyone else who isn't white no matter what we do. This is the best way to deal with all of this."

  The Queen's lips pressed together in a tight, furious line, clearly struggling to find something to say to that.

  Dodeka, on the other hand, didn't seem to have the same problem. Her jaw tensed visibly, her knuckles white as she gripped her gun tightly, ready to escort the two royals out of the museum.

  The Queen, meanwhile, kept her gaze trained forward, still struggling to find words, but finally managing to get out:

  "And even so. People can change. The younger generations might be different. There has to be another way to work through all of this. I'm willing to be a bridge for that to happen."

  Her voice was firm and defiant despite the situation. This made the agents scowl even further, and the one holding her arm grumbled under his breath:

  "Still clinging to your dreams? The younger generation is no better; did it even come to your mind that bullshit can be passed down, hmm?"

  The Queen's expression darkened at that, clearly frustrated now. But before she could retort, the Queen bit her lip, holding her tongue this time.

  The other agent on the other hand let out a mocking sound, a sharp, dismissive huff as he gave a wry, bitter laugh.

  "Yeah. Don't even get me started on what those brats think of us. They're all the same as their parents and the ones before them. They can try and disguise it all they want but deep down, they're just as much as racist filth as all the others, "

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The words cut short as a sharp THWAP filled the air.

  A tense silence hung over the room following that sound, all eyes immediately darting toward the source of it.

  The KTB agent that had been talking stumbled to the side, a red handprint now marking his cheek.

  No need for a guess as to who had done the action.

  But even so, the Queen was fuming.

  "How dare you...you racist bastard.”

  The agent flinched at the unexpected blow, glaring at the Queen now, his lips twisting into a snarl as his fennec tail puffed out in anger.

  "You're really gonna defend your racist kind, 'Your Highness'?"

  The Queen held his gaze unflinchingly, her voice cold and hard.

  "I'm not defending bigotry and prejudice. I'm defending every innocent white person out there. We are not all the same. You're only continuing the cycle of hatred and violence by behaving like this yourself. The cycle has to stop somewhere."

  The agent scoffed. "I mean...can't be racist if you're dead, am I right, everyone?"

  The KTB agents holding the two royals nodded in response, as well as the other KTB agents surrounding them.

  The Queen's face paled at that, her breath hitching as the weight of his words truly sank in.

  "You...you'd really kill them all?" Her voice was barely above a whisper now, her usual steel faltering for just a second.

  Dodeka didn't even flinch, just held up the gun again and leveled it straight at her forehead without hesitation this time too:

  "Yes."

  Her tone was utterly devoid of mercy or remorse; cold like ice itself somehow also.

  "Fuck yeah, we would," another agent joined in.

  Dodeka then cocked her head slightly before adding: "...Any last words for your people?"

  Silence stretched between them.

  Until finally?

  The Queen swallowed hard, but when she spoke? It wasn’t fear coloring those syllables anymore…

  It was fire.

  "Then do it. But know this , killing these people won't erase the oceans of blood you've spilled either.” She tilted her chin up defiantly before topping off with: “And one day? You'll all wake up realizing what you did today makes YOU no better than those who hurt yours in the first place!”

  The agent scowled in frustration, clearly annoyed at the Queen's unwavering spirit.

  "You don't get it, do you?"

  He leaned in a little closer, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You have no idea what your kind did to us for all those centuries, how they treated us like trash. How they enslaved and murdered millions just to keep themselves in power. All the lives lost because of your people's greed and selfishness and hatred. You can talk all you want about unity and working together now. You'll never understand the pain and heartache we've gone through, and STILL go through. The Fennec race is fed up, and now we're going to fight back our way."

  The agent then pulled out a switchblade and went up to one of the bound security guards. He then cut deep into the guard's side and with a ruthless slash, cut the guard's stomach wide open.

  The Queen gasped, the color draining from her face as she watched the guard cry out in pain, blood staining the floor around them as guts threatened to spill out. An agent slapped a gloved palm over the guard's mouth, muffling those blood-curdling screams.

  Meanwhile, none of the agents looked away. They were comfortable with the display of brutality. The agent that cut the guard's stomach open cut downwards, letting those innards escape their prison.

  The Queen gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with anger. The scene that was unfolding right before her eyes was something she never dared to imagine possible, and it horrified and infuriated her at once.

  This kind of barbarism was beyond unforgivable, but she was a leader. She had to keep her head steady, at the very least.

  "S-stop..." She managed to force out, unable to tear her gaze away from the gory sight.

  "Stop?" An agent echoed her with mock concern. "But we're just starting." He gestured widely with an open palm and a sinister grin to show off the mess he'd made of the poor guard. He then leaned in close to the Queen, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper.

  "Your kind has no idea what pain and suffering feels like. You have no idea what it's like to be helpless, at the mercy of others. Well? Now you do."

  The Queen was snapped out of her state by Dodeka's gun butt hitting her shoulder.

  "You and your daughter are coming with us."

  She then began to walk out of the room with Trixie, the agents holding the Queen and the Princess following suit, leaving only Courtney and the Xerosi assassin on the floor.

  The Xerosi assassin let go of Courtney and dusted her kimono off. "And my business is done."

  "What do you mean done?" Courtney muttered with a scoff.

  "The Queen and Princess are dealt with. Therefore, I am no longer liable to keep them as hostages any longer. So my mission is done, and you get to live for another day.”

  Courtney scowled, her fists clenching tightly. "Tch. Well, I guess I should be grateful for that, huh?" She rolled her neck, wincing at the loud cracks that escaped. "But don't get comfortable. One day this will come back to bite you."

  The assassin shrugged with a smirk before disappearing into thin air, leaving Courtney by herself with only her teeth on the floor keeping her company while chaos ensued on the first floor…