The System buffered, its digital ears drooping slightly. "Well... yes, but—"
"Secondly," Heena continued, her thoughts cold and calculated, "what could he possibly extort from me? I am a kicked-out, penniless daughter who just got thrown into the mud. There is absolutely zero leverage he can use against me, and no grand favor he can wring out of my current status. I have nothing left to steal. Third, I am going to drop my family surname anyway. I was kicked out of the estate. I am just Heena now. Using my real given name is perfectly fine."
"But Host!" the System wailed, completely hung up on the societal implications of this gender-reversed world. "Partnering? Marrying someone new? You just got here! We don't know his background!"
"Shut up," Heena ordered sharply, cutting off the AI's dramatic rambling. "Just shut up and see what this man says."
In the quiet of the physical room, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
