She pointed down at her injured leg, her expression dark. "You know what happened when I dared to touch her? I insulted her in front of the entire court, questioned her authority, had her removed . And look—" She gestured to her ankle. "My leg got sprained. I don't even remember the moment it happened. One second I was fine, the next I'm in agony."
System 427's eyes widened in horror.
"Do you understand now?" Heena's voice was quiet but fierce. "If I had ordered her beaten, what would've happened to me? Broken bones? Internal injuries? If I'd tried to have her killed?" She shook her head. "The world's correction force would've crushed me."
The system floated down to examine her ankle, though he couldn't actually touch physical objects. "It's swelling," he observed quietly. "Pretty badly too."
