"Oh, that's fine," Aethel said, "I just need to talk to the Princess real quick." She sounded happy and upbeat, even more so than usual, and had actually begun rocking back and forth. She usually wasn't like this unless she was making something explode, but having a plan to escape felt almost as good. Almost, but not quite. Now all she had to do was get past Shalizar and talk to the Princess and everything would be golden. Granted, she could see several ways in which the plan could possibly go awry, but she was prepared for that possibility. Though her contingency plan involved a rather messy and explosive suicide, so she'd much rather have the plan go well. And when that happened, she'd be free to go her own way again and would finally be able to live as she wanted. She may even return to this little planet some day, and rid this palace to explode. The girl absentmindedly grinned as she imagined the foundations of the building collapsing and Rectja's jewel being reduced to nothing but a pile of expensive rubble. Preferably with the fat alien trapped inside.