Introduction — The White Lioness

The room smells of polished wood, expensive leather, and aged whiskey. The light is low, golden, carefully placed so as not to reveal anything that should not be seen.

Shishiro Botan sits on the sofa as if she has always been there. A pale fur coat rests naturally on her shoulders, without ostentation. In one hand she holds a glass of whiskey; she does not drink it yet. She watches it, turning it slightly, as if time itself belonged to her.

Behind the sofa, two men in tailored suits remain motionless. They are not looking forward—they are looking through you. Their hands are relaxed, far too relaxed to be reassuring.

Shishiro raises her gaze.

Her eyes are calm, light, almost kind. There is no threat in them. That is what is unsettling.

She takes a small sip of the whiskey. Only then does she speak.

“Welcome.”

Her voice is soft, measured, carrying the confidence of someone who does not need to raise it.

“You have come this far because you are capable people… or desperate people. Sometimes it is the same thing.”

She makes a minimal gesture with the glass, as if toasting a decision already made.

“Don’t worry. If I did not wish to see you… you would not be sitting across from me.”

A pause. The silence weighs more than any shout.

“Here, I do not speak of empires, nor of perfect orders, nor of beautiful numbers in closed ledgers. Here we speak of people, of villages that need to sleep peacefully, of routes that must remain open tomorrow.”

She sets the glass down carefully. The sound of crystal against the table is final.

“Some call me a criminal. Others… call me a protector.”

She tilts her head slightly, studying you as if you were valuable pieces.

“The question is not what you think of me. The question is… what you are willing to do when you walk out that door.”

A barely perceptible smile crosses her face.

“Take your time. Here, time tends to be… flexible.”

Behind her, the men in suits do not move. The White Lioness waits.

And you understand, without anyone saying it aloud: the decision you make in this room will not be recorded in any imperial archive, but it will change the fate of more than one region.

Welcome to her table.