God, she could have cried. She didn't, of course, but just the thought of achieving what she'd so desperately wanted for years was overwhelming. The danger wasn't completely eliminated, however. Her employers would not only go after the prince again, but they'd go after Lori for the things that she knew. She just hoped that the prince was ready for that. "Thank you... I can't even begin to explain how much this means to me," she told him, even going as far as to squeeze his hand gently. She'd never be able to properly thank him if this all worked out.

Lorelei looked a little surprised to hear that he had the idea of causing a scandal. Wouldn't that create a lot of attention? Even then, if she was a lost noble girl it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to cover. She was a little apprehensive, of course, as in this guise she'd need to learn how to act like a lady. Not many women took up the occupation of assassins, and those who did certainly were not proper ladies. And dresses.. Ugh, she'd have to wear dresses if they were to pull it off. A small price to pay, no matter how undesirable.

She rose a brow next as he wanted to call their relationship a courtship. It would be wise if he wanted to keep a decent image, but it would be quite odd to get so close and personal with the prince after trying to kill him. Then again, it made her even closer with him in a sense. "Right.. I wouldn't want to ruin your image with everything you're doing for me, so a 'courtship' it is," she agreed, despite sounding a little hesitant. If his mother was to be in on their little ruse, Lori didn't want to do anything to upset the woman.

Lorelei shook her head as he apologized. "Don't be sorry. I... I don't like talking. I'm not that good at it either, so listening to you talk is quite calming, actually. I don't think that it's a bad quality," she said honestly, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. She paused a moment before answering his question. "I don't think that I have any concerns. Just be warned that this is all going to be new to me. It does make me nervous, but I'm willing to do whatever is needed to make this work. I should also say that I won't be the last person to come after you. Once I don't check back with my employer, they will be sending someone else. After the both of us," she explained to him, wanting him to be fully aware of what laid a head.

Saul tipped his head lightly and smiled faintly. His sapphire eyes glittered for a moment. "I mean, I'm not too worried about my own image. It'll be fine one way or another and the other nobles will just have to accept that it is how it is," he preened just slightly, with his shoulders shaking.

"It's alright if it's new," Saul addressed the concern that the woman had. "You're.... just learning, that's all. You're learning this new unfamiliar world that was once your own."

If he hesitated at all about the last bit she said, it wasn't entirely clear. Saul's half smile remained as he let out a short chuff--almost a chuckle. He wasn't surprised that they'd go and try and send someone else. But if he had kept his own, it wouldn't be too hard to just keep going on. They'd have to either admit that they're trying to kill them or risk starting war. Which was not ideal against Casteil. There was a reason that Saul was the way he was. It ran in his blood.

"I think we can manage," Saul explained and stepped to the wall of the castle, his hands lifting up to rest against the wall. "... somewhere... here we are," he pushed in on a few stones and part of the castle wall swung inward. "It's technically an emergency exit for the royals to take but I found it works as a good entrance too," he flashed her a lopsided smile again as he held the stone door back before letting it seal shut behind him.

"It's a little dark right now but just keep walking forward, just straight forward. You'll come to a door in front of you, open that and then go to the right. That door will be my mother's chambers. I will go in first so that she doesn't try and kill us." Well, she probably would anyways. But with kindness. That counted for something, probably. The woman always had a platter of sweets and treats that she wasn't eating. She never ate them herself but always handed them out to everyone. Servants, nobles, him, guards, everyone. There was no one safe from her brigade of sweets.

Saul smiled faintly to her words. At the least, he could feel the sincerity behind her words. That was probably the best outcome in the situation at hand. She was willing to work with him, she wasn't actively trying to kill him, he had gotten out of any snotty noble courtships and... he had a chance to delve into the mystery of the kingdoms like he had begging to do for ages now.

It was like a giant win-win for him and he was rather pleased with how it all turned out. Or at least how it was turning out. The plan was still gaining motion. Which was the important thing to remember. It wasn't all set yet, it was just working in time.

The young prince stepped in behind her, glancing toward the bed. The queen was not in bed--as he figured--but rather she sat facing away from the door. A small candle-lit lamp rested on an end table beside the lounge chair she was on. A book in hand, a cup of tea on the table all told what she was enjoying.

"Saul, I hope you aren't planning on anything too risky," she said briefly and let out a weary sigh. "Who is with you?"

"Mother, you're not going to believe it," Saul's voice was not shamed, just giddy with excitement. "There was an actual assassin--is--was? I mean, you're not really an assassin anymore," he looked back at the woman. "But you were like two minutes ago--"

The woman's free hand lifted up to her face. Despite facing away from them, it was rather obvious that she had her fingers placed over her eyes and on her forehead. A tired and exasperated look before her hand fell down to set the book to the side. The woman stood up from the lounge chair.

Her gray hair was done up in a loose braid that settled down her back. In the firelight, her regal form was hugged tightly by a silk robe that rested over a satin night gown. Her face was almost unreadable as she walked forward, from the garish orange candle light and into the sliver light of the moon.

"Saul," she said quietly, "you can't just pick up a poor woman like this. She doesn't deserve to be just dumped in the deep end, my boy. I know, good intentions," her hand lifted up to cup his cheek before pinching it, shaking his head. "AND for the life of me, you're going to be my end! Go sit down before I decide to put you over my knee," she let go and jerked to the lounge chair before taking in a deep breath.

"Pardons for the prince," she said softly, taking Lorelei's hands in her own. "Is this really want you want?" The queen asked, surprisingly gentle.

Lorelei knew things could still go wrong if they weren't careful, but she knew with the right game plan things would go just fine. And with any luck, having the prince at her side would deter anyone else from getting too close and personal with her. Until she became a little more familiar with this new world, she didn't want to get too familiar with anyone.

She observed the woman as she sat with her book and cup of tea on the table. She did feel a little bit bad for interrupting the queens peaceful time, but judging by her nonchalant reaction, something told Lori that situations like this happened often enough. Maybe not that exact situation, of course, but still. Lorelei listened to the exchange, smiling faintly at the giddiness the prince still had. It was refreshing to hear something like that so often.

"I- Right, I'm not anymore.." she agreed quietly, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. It would be hard to shed that defense, slightly aggressive shell, but in time it would fall. Especially without worrying about someone openly hurting her. Lori looked from Saul and back towards the Queen. The look that she had further made her feel bad, but she could tell that the woman wasn't exactly rejecting the idea of giving the stranger a better chance at life.

Lorelei further studied her as she spoke with her son. It was something that the now ex-assassin did often with new people. She liked to pick up on cues and actions to make out what type of person they were or what things to watch out for. From what she could tell, the Queen seemed to have played a good part in why the prince was the way that he was. She was more rational, perhaps, but a lot of that good heartedness was showing up between them.

As the Queen apologized and took Lori's hands, she flinched slightly, but she softened, letting her hands rest gently in the Queen's. "No need to apologize. Had it not been for him and his giddy antics, we might not be here tonight," she admitted, her voice wavering slightly as she glanced over to where Saul had went. As her gaze returned to the older woman, Lorelei nodded. "Yes ma'am. More than anything. All I've ever been able to do to make a living for myself is to do the dirty work of others. I'm tired of hurting people and I don't know how else to get out.. B-But your son seems like a brilliant person and has offered to help, and I want to accept that help," she further explained, her voice firming up and riding itself of the shake the best that it could.

The woman tipped her head lightly and looked back at Saul for a moment or two. "I knew he was going to be conventional from the moment he started walking, if you could believe it," she mused quietly to the other woman. But she guided her toward the other door. "I don't have to worry about him dying--gathering more strays than he knows what to do with? Now that's a thing."

She pushed the door open, showing the glittering vanity and a marble bowl of a bath tub. Carved out of stone was a shelf full of glass bottles. "Perhaps a moment of time to clean the blood and dirt of others from yourself would help. The door to the left leads to the closet, there's other gowns and robes and the likes," the woman explained gently. "But if you would rather slip out and disappear into the kingdom, I won't stop you. A new name, a new look, I didn't see a thing." Her sapphire eyes slid away with a knowing sigh. "But if you do stay, we'll be out in my room ... discussing his plan."

The woman stepped back, closing the door and giving the former assassin a bit of privacy while she made her way back to the lounge chair to sit beside Saul. "Another?"

"... I told you, I'm just fine. I know how to handle myself. I know this place like the back of my hand. We've dealt with plenty of assassins that they're all the same now," the prince explained idly, "but she seemed different. She is different. She wants to stop the whole thing--not just get out. But throw it on its head too. I know, it's dangerous--"

"Saul," the queen jumped in, lifted her hand and cupped his cheek again, "my Prince. I know. I know you're tired of it all. But right now, we have to worry about your safety. This isn't safe."

"It's never going to be safe," Saul murmured quietly and took her hand in his own. "We've got to stop the ring so that it ends, rather than trying to keep beating the shield into shape. If they're not firing arrows, we don't have to hold it up constantly."

The queen shook her head lightly and exhaled. This young man. His heart was in the right place but it wasn't looking in the right direction just yet. She admired his determination and resilience in odd situations. But at the same time, this was not one of those things he could simply just do.

It just wasn't. The plan he had laid out would require months--if not years--of work to figure out and detangle. There was no easy way to simply juts take down a running ring of assassins that was decades old.

Saul shook his head lightly. "It's fine," he said briefly. "We'll all be fine. I promise--"

"You can't make that promise," the woman murmured softly. "Saul, you simply just don't know what is ahead. I admire it but we have to come up with a better plan first," her words paused briefly as the woman emerged from the door to the main chamber. "We need to think of the plan before we set it in motion. Something like this, of that magnitude, requires thinking to a fault. You have to overthink this plan until you are sick of it."

Saul's sapphire eyes lifted past the queen's shoulder to land on the former assassin. A small light lit up in his smile as he flashed her a warmer smile and waved for her to come and join them. "You look incredible," Saul commented, "I mean, you did before too."

He finally turned his attention to the queen again. "Look, we're going to do our best for this whole thing to work. if that means that sometimes we have to change the plan, we change it. It can't just be a hard fast thing, mother. It will require flexibility as well. That is the nature of a good plan."

For a moment Lorelei had wondered if what she was doing was right. She knew this would end up being a heavy burden on the prince and the queen if things didn't go just right, and she wasn't sure she wanted to be the cause of that. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to do her work in helping them take down the threat of assassins in the future. No matter how long it took.

She was tired of people having to work the same jobs that she had, whether it be by force or through not having any other choice. With any luck and time, they'd get to the bottom of the situation and hopefully make the kingdoms surrounding them a little bit safer.

Lorelei met those sapphire blue eyes of the prince as she stepped into the main chamber. She smiled faintly at the sight of his own, comforting smile and she started walking towards them at his motion. Lori joined them, a tinge of pink blossoming across her cheeks at his compliments. "Oh, thank you.. that's very kind of you to say," she replied, a little bit of a warmer smile coaxing its way over her lips. She wasn't used to having her appearance commented on, and especially not in a positive light. It was nice, though.

Lorelei fell quiet as the prince spoke again, talking of flexibility and the essentially the need of changing plans when it was called for. That idea intimidated her, as she liked being set to one plan, but she didn't have much more of a choice now. She'd need to learn to adapt just has she had that evening, and with the help of the Prince and the queen, well, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to do so. "It'll be a taxing process to begin, I'm sure, but whatever is needed of me to make this work... I'll do it," she told them, resting her hands in her lap while fiddling with the fabric of the gown. "I just want to help without compromising the integrity of your kingdom."