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Naya thought for a moment. "This line hasn’t existed long enough for me to say. I am heir because of my abilities, but I don't think it would be a problem for one of my siblings to be heir if they were more suited."
Prillu tilted her head, her eyes still guarded. "You'll never know that for sure, will you?"
Naya frowned. She didn't like where these questions were going. What did it matter if another one of her siblings were destined to be heir? "The tradition for the Land, before the Lox Empire, is that the heir is always the firstborn," Naya said, trying to get the conversation back in the direction it started in. "That is not necessarily going to change for my rule. When I’ve had discussions with my parents, the reason for me being the heir is not primarily because I am the firstborn, so I would assume that doesn't matter to them as much as competency."
Prillu nodded. "Continue."
"Guardian of Omegas."
"What does that mean?"
"Historically, Omegas have needed protection. It is part of my duty to guard them against that in the future."
"Your mother is seen as the mother of all Omegas, that is the term used to describe her among the people?"
“Yes.”
"So I don't see what you do."
"My mother is the empress. She helps Omegas feel safe. It doesn't mean she is responsible or able to address every single issues regarding Omegas across the Known Lands, especially as time moves forward. Not everyone who is an adult now understands what it was like then."
"And you do?"
“I have studied it." Naya shrugged. “It’s not a pretty history. But by understanding what happened, I can help to educate and help prevent it from happening again."
Prillu held her gaze for a long moment before returning back down to her parchment. "Carry on."
"Keeper of Peace."
Prillu simply raised an eyebrow as a question.
"When I was born, unprecedented peace was enjoyed by our people, first between Alphas and Omegas, and then between the Lox Empire and the Lands of Eiros. Many of the remaining resistance against my father at that time also ended. It was a time of peace, prosperity, and joy. Obviously, everyone wants that to continue."
"Would you say that your family and people believe you are successful in that?"
A slight tremble began in her hands, and the echo of screams resounded in her ears. Naya tried to remain focused. "Yes.”
Prillu's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't seem you are convinced."
Naya swallowed. She might as well tell them now before they found out more than she wanted them to. Maybe they would realize that she was not the perfect solution to destroy her people. "I don't think the people trust me as much as they would like to."
"Why?"
"I've made mistakes.”
“What kind of mistakes?”
Naya forced herself to stay relaxed and not glance at Akoro. “The kind a very young person makes when they’re figuring out that they have a lot of responsibilities.”
“And you think your people don’t understand that?”
Naya resisted rolling her eyes. “I think my people are more scared of me than they are in awe of me."
"We haven't seen any evidence of that," Prillu said firmly.
Naya shrugged. "I'm telling you what I believe to be true. You’ll have to decide for yourself what you think is."
Prillu scribbled on the wooden tablet for a while before looking back up. "So what are your duties? You have duties as a princess, but it's not noted anywhere what exactly those duties are."
