“Have you considered just lying?” Aurelia asked. Lucian stared at her, unamused. “Just lie to her, to the public, until the trial’s over. You don’t have to follow through.”

  Lucian didn’t quite know why, but he’d come here to the cottage after making sure Lydia settled into the mother-in-law suite. He had talked through what happened with Aurelia, partially because she’d asked, but largely to see if he was missing anything. He had a rough plan, but… it was a major step. He’d wanted a sounding board. And Aurelia knew the truth about who he was.

  “If I do that, and if Denzel sees it in the paper, he might think I’m pulling some major treachery,” Lucian said. “And with the emperor dead… one thing could lead to another, and there could be a civil war by lunchtime.”

  “He is dead?” Aurelia said. She tilted her head. “You never told me that. That means… I was right,” she said enthusiastically, grinning widely in pride. “100% right.”

  Lucian raised a dismissive hand. “Let’s stick to the subject at hand.”

  “And now you’ve come to seek out my advice again, because I’m so helpful,” she continued, her smile growing.

  “I just figured you might be able to relate to someone that only thinks about what they want, even at the expense of their own family,” Lucian said flatly.

  Aurelia’s smile fell to be replaced by what seemed like genuine hurt, and she looked away without words. Lucian realized a step too late he’d just killed any enthusiasm she might have to help. He felt torn between apologizing, and the conviction that what he said wasn’t wrong. Awkward silence persisted.

  “…no,” Aurelia eventually said, breaking the awkward silence. “I can’t relate. She sounds like a pleasure-seeker. A hedonist. I find comfort in simplicity, like books. I’ve met her like, though. She deliberately seeks out intense things like drugs and potent medicaments, new experiences, looking to fill something that can’t be filled.”

  “I’d agree,” Lucian said.

  Then, that awkward silence returned. Lucian was about to get up and leave.

  “By the way… I think this is as complete as I can make it,” Aurelia finally said, producing her booklet and handing it over. Lucian took it. “Hopefully, this will help you use your Formless Essence to mimic our transformation. From what I hear, you’ll be able to consult the entire monastery soon enough. They can fill in any gaps. There are better teachers than me among them.”

  Lucian opened the booklet, skimming through the pages filled with her fanciful handwriting.

  “Have you thought about how to face your fear of dark magic?” Aurelia asked.

  Lucian paused. Guilt arose—he hadn’t, not in the slightest. It wasn’t just that he was busy. He’d thought about plenty of other things. This, though, he kept forgetting about, kept avoiding. It’d even happened today at the hands of Cyril, yet he still tried to ignore it, forget it ever happened.

  “I can guess your answer from the look on your face,” Aurelia noted. “It’s like I said. Subconsciously, you don’t want to face your fear. Without even realizing it, you’d run from it at every turn. I related to your fear, back in the Palace of Ten Thousand Poisons.”

  Aurelia watched him passively. Her advice on fear had been very on-point, he had to admit. It helped him after dealing with Cyril.

  “And on the subject of my fear… they’d kill me, you know,” Aurelia said. “My brothers and sisters. My confession would see me executed.”

  Lucian scoffed. “I think you underestimate how much affection they have for you.”

  “Or perhaps you underestimate how awful I was,” Aurelia answered without missing a beat. “If I told them everything, they’d execute me. So, in a sense, you’ve given me the same ultimatum that you first did. ‘Kill yourself,’” she said quietly.

  “I think you’d survive,” Lucian said. “The way Dorothea treated you… she’d protect you, surely. Most of them would. And if you were sincere, I might… might do the same,” he said, surprised at himself.

  “Hmm.” She sounded unconvinced, and looked off to the side. The silence came back, but it didn’t feel quite as awkward anymore. Eventually, Aurelia faced him again. “I think you need an example on how to face that fear.”

  Lucian raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “Right now, you can still use my help, like it or not. My divine beast form is necessary,” Aurelia said. “If you learn how to transform as we do, the situation changes. You’ll be more powerful than I am, even.”

  “Could be.” Lucian nodded hesitantly.

  “Once you master that transformation, I’ll show you how to face your fear.” She tilted her head. “Perhaps that’ll give you some motivation.”

  Lucian narrowed his eyes. Given what she’d mentioned earlier, he had some clue, but… “What does that mean? What are you going to do? You can’t just stop there.”

  Aurelia smiled. “I can’t? That’s how you talk all the time, though.”

  “What?”

  “Half-finished thoughts. Vague, mysterious statements. ‘I’m going to use the Jeweled Eye to go back to the past.’ ‘I’m going to find some dragons.’ ‘We’re going to the Palace of Ten Thousand Poisons,’” she imitated. “And then when we ask follow-up questions, you smile like we’re children asking you where babies come from.”

  “I don’t do that,” Lucian protested weakly.

  “I think you do. How does it feel, not knowing what I mean? Well, get used to it. I’m not telling you, because you were mean to me,” she said with a certain sass. “Even if you were right in what you said, we had a deal—no being mean in exchange for my total cooperation—and you broke it.”

  Lucian couldn’t help but laugh. She was right on both counts, but he’d never admit it. “Alright then. Keep your secrets.”

  Even if she did genuinely confess to the monastery, she probably had some trick in mind. She wouldn’t possibly put herself at risk, right? This was just another ploy, surely. His trial must’ve inspired her to have one of her own. Drama queen…

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Still, he was glad he’d talked this through with her. It helped clarify his plans. He had no clue about what hers were, though.

  “One more thing. Help me out with something,” Lucian said. “I need to lie a little. Iron out the details with me.”

  “Okay,” Aurelia said, not arguing. “What do you need?”

  ***

  “You were right about Lydia,” Lucian said.

  Cyril stared at Lucian, both of his hands on his desk. His gaze kept wandering to the figure standing behind him—Brutus. There were newspapers across his desk. They all had incredibly dramatic headlines. The entire city was in a tizzy. Lucian even had someone come up to him and say that they were on his side, unbelievably. The impact of Lydia’s testimony was undeniable.

  “What has she done? Did she threaten to come to me if you didn’t comply with whatever whim she had?” Cyril asked, his voice dark and hoarse. Lucian nodded, and he chuckled. “You should have known better. You know her. You know what she is.”

  “Was what she said true? About the Heavenly Body?” Lucian asked.

  “She did it to you and Cate,” Cyril said immediately, and Lucian felt surprised that truth came free so easily. “I had no regard for that fanatical cult. I expelled them from my territory. She did half of what she accused me of doing, you know. She weaves truth with lies very elegantly, that woman. That… blight,” he said, shaking his head.

  “What about Dinah’s ship?” Lucian asked.

  Cyril’s eye twitched. That was the first reaction he’d ever gotten from Cyril. The duke said forcefully, “Why are you here? Have you reconsidered cooperating with me? I’m afraid what I originally offered is off the table, considering the mess you’ve caused me.”

  “This entire time, you’ve claimed to have done what you did for the good of the nation,” Lucian said. “I always had some begrudging respect for that. You’re a piece of shit, no doubt… but shit is good fertilizer.”

  Brutus snickered.

  “And?” Cyril raised a brow.

  “Emperor Condar is dead,” Lucian revealed. Cyril tapped the table, staring flatly. “Wow. You’re not even a little shocked?”

  “I knew yesterday,” Cyril said. “How do you?”

  “…circumstances,” Lucian said vaguely. “Right now, Algard has the imperial palace on lockdown. Once the news gets out, the Empire of Riverra will be in an utterly untenable situation. The succession is—"

  “I’m familiar with the politics of the empire I’m a core part of,” Cyril interrupted. “Get to the point.”

  “I want you to announce the news, and then facilitate a mediation with Heavenwatch Monastery,” Lucian said. “Now, I know what you’re thinking. Your alliance with Heavenwatch is just on the surface, it’s not actually real. Well… truth is, they’ve been using me.”

  “Using you?” Cyril repeated.

  “When I arrived, a monastic named Aurelia reached out to me, had me collaborate to expose Metterand,” Lucian explained. “The True Divine Beast has reincarnated. I’ve not yet met them, and they’re staying very secretive… but they’re fighting against the demons, and they know more than you could possibly imagine.”

  Lucian couldn’t tell if Cyril knew he was making this all up or not. The duke just stared.

  “What they want, currently, is to hold a mediation so this civil war never happens,” Lucian said. “I talked to Theobald about this, and he said that the news would be sufficient to delay the next hearing. Think of it like… a truce.”

  Cyril leaned back. “After revealing a major weakness like that, you ask for a truce?”

  “I do,” Lucian said. “Because I want to know if your talk about doing the best for the nation was just talk, or if you practice what you preach.”

  Cyril stared, his expression unreadable. Then, he let out a long sigh of what seemed like relief. “I need to speak to a monastic, ensure this isn’t some ruse.”

  “Done,” Lucian said. Should he rely on Brother Crane, or Aurelia? Considering she knew the backstory, Aurelia was probably the better fit. “Make no mistake, though,” Lucian cautioned. “Not giving up on this trial. Just don’t want a civil war.”

  Cyril entwined his hands. “What did Lydia ask of you? Suing for your title back? I knew she would, but it seemed impossible you wouldn’t bite.”

  “Denzel’s the better fit,” Lucian said. “You’re not entirely stupid. Above all, he needs your support right now to bring Algard to the table.”

  “Hm. You thought ahead,” Cyril remarked. “How unlike you. But you haven’t thought ahead in all respects. I’ve known Lydia my entire life, Lucian. If you honestly think I won’t be able to make her recant…”

  “I don’t know, Cyril. I’m much less emotionally invested in her than you seem to be,” Lucian said. “Who can tell what way things will go? When you’re ready to meet the monastic, come down to the lobby.”

  At that, he stood and left with Brutus.

  I’ve done it, Lucian realized when the door shut behind them. Cyril has no idea what he’s in for.

  On the way out, the Martial Prince grabbed his shoulder.

  “Good work, kid,” Brutus said. “That must’ve been tough, staring him down like that. But you stood your own until the end. That’s the first step to overcoming that fear. It was almost like you weren’t afraid of him at all.” He squeezed his shoulder, then released. “Proud of you.”

  “Yeah, almost…” Lucian agreed, somewhat offput by the intensity of this man’s affection when he’d nearly been murdered by him not too long ago.

  “I’ll attend this mediation,” Brutus said. “Don’t fret.”

  “…don’t you have an army without a leader?” Lucian asked.

  “Ah, they’ll manage without me,” Brutus said dismissively.

  Lucian felt bad for Hazel, his vice-commander. The things she probably dealt with on a daily basis…

  ***

  “The judge was pretty annoyed. I think he wanted to hear the rest of Lydia’s story. But… yeah,” Theobald said with a nod. “He understood the circumstance. If the supposedly dead emperor pops back to life, I think we’re going to have quite the situation on our hands. Both you and Cyril could face repercussions. But… the hearing has been temporarily suspended.”

  “Thank god…” Lucian sighed in relief. After hearing only a few words from Aurelia, Cyril had agreed to the mediation, and went to the judge right away. Soon, there’d be a public announcement.

  Lucian pointed at Theobald. “In the meantime, I need you to do what we discussed. The taming of the shrew. Keep watch on Lydia.”

  “I know, I know,” Theobald said. “Heavens… she nearly ruined everything. I had no idea.”

  “Well, we know now,” Lucian said. “Keep in mind you need to do exactly what I said without variations. Cyril knows that Lydia is wavering. I told him deliberately, because I want to trap them both in one.”

  “Matricide and patricide in one,” Theobald remarked. “If my daughter didn’t like you, I’d reconsider defending you.”

  “Helen doesn’t like me, she likes—” Lucian cut himself off. “Well…”

  “Who? Who did you just say?” Theobald stepped in closer.

  “She likes no one,” Lucian called out, turning around immediately. “I have to go.”

  The mediation came early, but it gave Lucian the chance to make up for his mistake in ignoring Lydia. He wouldn’t miss the chance. Even still, he was going from one brand of crazy to another.

  Prince Algard. How would this end?