"A princess wouldn't need collateral," Ashiko corrected reflexively, because her grandfather had always taught her to never let anybody think more or less of her than she actually was. "She word have clout enough that you couldn't dodge, even if you wanted." She shook her head lightly, breaking away from that casual, normal rebuttal and trying to force back the formality she had been clinging to before. She didn't quite succeed if the faint wryness clinging to her voice was any indication.

"Yes, I'm sure you are utterly aghast at the sheer number of weapons attached to my person that you saw, in great detail." Still, she took the paper and committed the instructions to memory.