Her expression firms, losing all of its uncertainty and vulnerability, all of its softness, and Lily becomes hard even for the Demon Queen to read. She gives off an impeccable air of a respectable child - submissive to the woman leading her about, well behaved, but confident before everyone else. Quiet and unexceptional, too, oddly easy to forget, like a passingly interesting and refined piece of furniture.

(She doesn't know how she feels about seeing other people, because Lily can't read herself either when she's like this.)

A neat trick, if she doesn't lose herself in it. Something to keep an eye on.

She's a lot easier to control like this, too, and will eat whatever the Demon Queen gives her without protest. 

...Yeah, she'll have to train the girl out of this. Not conducive to her plans.

After dinner, back to the library.

Her masks weaken, and she starts watching the Demon Queen with barely disguised wariness once they're alone again - it's unclear if she's reacting to her own obedience or if she picked up on the Demon Queen's displeasure. (Or... The wariness she's been watching with this entire time becomes more apparent, at least; that, too, is unclear.)

((If she doesn't train Lily out of that - the Demon Queen might, someday, need to watch her back for a small knife held by an exceptionally obedient girl.))

"Your hiding is exceptionally practiced, child," she says when there's no one else around. "But I prefer honesty."

...Why does she want to make the Demon Queen happy with her. That's bad and weird and not good. Why is she happy about yet another compliment. Why is she upset she might've done something wrong. Why is her brain doing this.

"Why should I care what you prefer?" she asks, sharply, burying her reaction to the Demon Queen's words, though less of her reaction to her own reaction.

"Because, child, you are utterly within my power."

That hits her like a shock of cold water, and her thoughts tumble over each other in a brief panicked reorientation. She masks a lot of that, though not all, and then even more sharply than before - "Don't think I'll be a challenge if you know what I'm thinking."

"The exact contents of your thoughts matter less than that you continue to in fact have them."

"Then why say you care about honesty?"

"Do not lie to me that your head is empty."

- She hesitates. "What will you do to me if I do?"

"Whatever is required to provoke a reaction."

She looks hunted, a deep fear lurking under what cracks through to her expression. "Why?"

"To be sure your hatred is not lost."

"I wasn't even masking at you!" she protests, trying to buy time while she scrambles mentally for an argument that'll let her keep her mental privacy in general. 

"Then it is the presence of others you object to?"

...She isn't going to get out of this without explaining her brain, is she - she's too weak to just defend herself -

"I don't want people knowing things about me unless I let them. It's - worse - with strangers. Or the more people there are."

"Then I will ensure we have sufficient time alone for me to be comfortable."

Her breath rushes out of her, relieved, though she's still shaking a bit with the aftermath of her fear. But... "You won't let me hide from you?"

"Not for long."

"You won't have to worry about me not hating you, then."

"That will not be why I do it, so long as I have other options."

She wavers -