Sienna had never seen anyone turn so pale, so quickly. Jacky Twindell looked physically sick under the scrutiny if the royal inspectors. The woman looked around, at the others in the group. Her eyes sought some kind of help, but it didn’t come because everyone averted their eyes.

Someone even muttered, "She caused trouble and she wants to pull us in. No way."

The ladies of the council would have shouted denials of Jacky’s identity if they could.

"Go on ma’am," One of the royal inspectors growled. "Tell us what the problem is and we will record it in our notes. The queen will personally reach out to you and explain herself." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The manager of the factory wiped sweat from his forehead. Some ladies trembled. The idea of the queen reaching out in person was almost a death sentence. She would reach out with her claws not her voice!

Jacky whimpered, her eyes rolled back and she crumbled to the floor.

Sienna sighed. Another student of her mother-in-law’s fainting academy. At least this one had the sense to apply it strategically. "Manager Phil, have someone pour some cold water on her. The tour has to continue. We cannot waste the inspectors time on fools."

The manager was not sure if moving ahead was the right decision, but when he noticed that the royal inspectors were ready to move on, he nodded. "We should move to the weaving hall."

Sienna’s short heels clicked against the polished floor, her chin tipped up with the kind of dignity that could make Mrs. Abernathy weep with joy. Machines were humming, weavers were in sync, all materials were handled carefully. The royal inspectors nodded with approval.

Everywhere she passed, Sienna had a serene smile, polite word, praise on her lips. She maintained it until the tour came to an end. Sienna had brought along gift bags with some honey, home made cakes and bee carvings. Every inspector got one, and so did the manager.

The inspection ended with grace. The reputation of the fox tribe and Elias was upheld, which mattered more than Jacky and her moment of shame.

As soon as the inspectors left, silence fell.

Sienna turned to Jacky. The woman had managed to rejoin the group just before the inspectors flew away in their ship.

The group was now standing in the entrance to the factory, nobody dared to leave.

The cold smile and sharp aura Sienna exuded made Jacky realize too late that the persona and etiquette meant for the royal inspectors had vanished.

Sienna’s eyes narrowed into something predatory. "Ah, Jacky, right? You are related to my mother-in-law, which makes us all family." She said sweetly, her voice dripping with venom. "You must have mistaken this tour for gossip hour at your local neighborhood bar. Allow me to correct you."

Timothy pulled his phone from his pocket. He was sure Elias would love to watch what was about to follow. The workers who were outside shifted nervously, even the manager felt sorry for Jacky. He had no idea what was coming, but his gut said it would be bad. Sienna’s face had changed quickly like two sides of the same palm. For a human, the matriarch could be scary.

Sienna stepped closer to Jacky, her eyes gleaming. "You claimed that I stink and insinuated that it’s because I am fat. My dear, I won’t even bother correcting your stupidity. If you lack a brain, no matter how much I shout, you are not suddenly going to gain wisdom. Now you, Jacky, your words carry odor. By that I mean they stink because of your breath. Real stench, not one of those stink of envy situations."

Jacky sputtered, ’I--I--you can’t say that to me."

Sienna covered her nose. "You actually spit when you talk as well!! Give us a warning first next time And don’t waste time explaining anything. You have been waiting for a moment to embarrass me since I arrived. You probably figured that with Elias absent, I am easy to bully. What is it that they say...’when the cat is away, the mice will play.’" She fanned the air with her hand. "Unfortunately for you, I am also a cat. I can easily deal with fools like you who think they are clever. The sad part is: your cleverness is as dull as an old knife. You have the imagination of a spoiled racoon."

The crowd gasped.

Sienna circled Jacky like a hawk. "If you had insulted something else about me, perhaps everyone would have laughed. Maybe they would have been shocked. But you chose the size of my body! The most obvious thing about me! Telling an elephant that its fat is the same as telling a fox that it has a tail. You are just repeating facts. Even my five year old daughter mocks others better than you." She shoved the woman’s head. "You must have poop for brains."

Again, the crowd gasped.

Sienna Jacky’s head again, and again. "On such an important moment, under the watchful eye of inspectors sent by the royal family, your stupid head decided to undermine me. Do you know why the inspectors did not find it funny? Because what is being done at this factory is important. Because there is a time to laugh and a time to do business. Because I am here representing the ruling power of the fox tribe while you are here as a decorative vase. Expensive, fragile and ultimately useless."

Jacky’s ears twitched furiously.

Sienna leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper that carried across the space. "And let’s be honest. If I truly stank, would my husband be sharing my bed? Would the queen sit next to me on different occasions? Would other beast men around us have resisted the need to cover their nostrils? I don’t even need to ask you for the answer because we both know it." She straightened, her voice rising like a drumbeat. "You insulted me in public, almost sabotaged an important event, and worst of all, offended the queen. That is the gravest mistake of all."

Timothy knew the pan was coming. If not the pan, something else. Whatever it was, Jacky Twindell was going to suffer enormous pain. And she deserved every bit of it.

The workers trembled.

One young woman mouthed silently: She’s going to kill her.