Chapter 10: Some Things are Lost in Translation

She could spend hours browsing through all of this and not get tired. To her delight, a section of the library was dedicated to books on law and governance, with case files and newspapers in them. 

No, it would be too rude to ignore Logan and read through these. She forced herself to give it back to him and sit silently. 

"I'm glad you like it," he said. "I asked for Laurel's advice. She said you would need a comfortable and fluffy chair on which you can read, so I ordered it. It should be in transit as we speak."

Ellis gave a small smile. "Yes, a fluffy chair does help. May I ask why you have so many cushions in the room?" she asked. 

"Dorian had to buy a lot of pillows when Laurel first came. She likes to sleep amongst them. She told me that you would like it too." He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. 

"And you don't like them?" she teased. Cats do love pillows, especially sleeping on them or tearing them apart. 

"Surprisingly, I do. I was used to sleeping on the hard ground, but now I feel much better. It's like sleeping on a cloud!" He sounded so excited that she had to laugh.

Her laugh seemed to encourage him. His eyes twinkled with excitement. "I have a lot of gifts prepared for you. I started buying them when I found out that I would one day have a bride. I always tried to imagine what you would be like... but you're so much better." He dipped his head in shyness. 

Ellis felt a twinge in her heart. Having someone wait for years and then exceeding expectations. That was new for her. She was the one pandering to everyone on Earth. It felt nice. 

"I don't want to toot my own horn, but I am somewhat amazing," she commented jokingly. 

His face scrunched up into a frown. 

"You have a horn you don't want to blow?" 

With the meaning lost of him, Ellis remembered that everything was working in translation. Idioms weren't easily translated into other languages, so Logan was confused. She committed herself to be as transparent in her speech as possible. 

"Okay, let me say that again. I don't want to praise myself too much but I am amazing. But I don't know how to be an Empress. I am not cut out for monarchy," she told him softly. 

"Oh, you don't understand. You care about such things. That means you are a good Empress. And don't worry, ours is not solely a monarchy. We have a unique system. I'll introduce it to you later."

Right, she couldn't imagine being okay with a system that supported slavery, so.

"What was the last Empress like?" she asked softly. 

"As a mother she was phenomenal, but as an Empress... she didn't care." His jaw tightened. 

It seemed Ellis had hit a sore spot. "She was your mother, wasn't she?"

"She was," his voice was low and reluctant. 

Ellis decided not to pry further. She put her hand over his in a gesture of comfort, startling him. He turned to her, his eyes wide with surprise. Ellis pulled away immediately, thinking she had done something wrong. 

"Did I make a mistake?" she whispered. 

"No," he said quickly. "It's just... I know we look very different and you fainted on seeing me. So, I was surprised that you would be okay with touching me."

Right, obviously she had hurt his feelings. Who wouldn't be hurt if someone fainted on seeing them? 

"Apologies about that. I found out I had been taken from my perfectly good life half-an-hour before that. I was a bit shocked and hungry." Her cheeks flared in embarrassment and he pulled at her curiously. 

"Why did you face do that?" He slowly inched his hand forward and pressed it against her cheek. "I've never seen anything like this." The utter fascination on his face mirrored hers with his features. 

"It's... a reaction to my embarrassment." She felt her ears become warm, as well. His head tilted to the side and he carefully pressed the lobe between his fingers. 

"It's hot!" he exclaimed. "Do you need a doctor?" he asked carefully. 

"No need," she waved it off. "It'll go away soon."

He chuckled slowly and ducked his head. "I hope it doesn't. I like it. You smell good."

Ellis mulled over those words in her head. What did those two statements have to do with one another? But after a moment of curiosity, she decided that it was better if he didn't know. 

"Don't be embarrassed. I knew I would seem strange to you."

Ellis was about to say something about the other creatures being more stranger but stopped herself. They were Logan's subjects, so she shouldn't be rude. 

"I hope I don't seem rude. I just... I'm prickly when I find myself in such situations." Not that she had ever been in such a situation. 

"Well, you've been nothing but kind. I haven't seen an abducted human take on the situation so well. You've kept your fainting spells to the minimum and you haven't tried to run or hit everyone near you." Logan seemed fascinated with her. 

"I wouldn't say I am kind. I care about the feelings of others because I was brought up in that way. And I don't know enough about this place to try and escape. Moreover, have you seen the people around me? You're all really tall and strong. And Laurel is so tiny that I would never hurt her."

"Kind and intelligent, then," Logan said proudly. "I was delighted to find out that you were studying the law. That means you have strong ideas and an ability to see through bad policies."

Ellis didn't know what to say. "Well, I did study the law, but I specialized in protecting the rights of people on Earth. You could say I was protesting against the government and how they treat people more than following blindly." And that was no good in a monarchy. 

"That sounds wonderful!" Logan exclaimed. Ellis didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. It seemed Logan liked everything about her, even the bits that threatened his position in the galaxy. Well, she would have to see if he could stand her opinions as decidedly. 

It was often that people found it hard to accept how aggressive and opinionated she was. Maybe she would have to tone it down a bit, slowly make him understand what she was talking about.