Chapter 17 - Tea Party

As she sat there in front of the two royals, Lilly considered her options. The documents she had brought would undoubtedly help clear her name, but it would be showing her hand to the king, at least partially.

‘If they didn’t know I’ve had contact with the clan before, they certainly do now. So is there any reason to hesitate?’ she wondered, looking down at the table thoughtfully.

‘They know Eolande has deep ties with both you and the clan, so I would consider it known by now. Feel free to hand over everything.’ Myndia replied to Lilly’s internal thoughts, catching her slightly off guard.

Lilly looked back at Victor and nodded. “I have several documents proving he was using a fake identity, as well as a written confirmation from the current leader of the clan of assassins, Eolantas. I believe that should be enough to clear my name, even without looking for witness in the city.”

She handed the documents over the table, and Victor graciously accepted them. “That certainly saves me some trouble. At least if the documents are real, which will be a bit of a pain to confirm… I expect to get back to you in about a week, Lady Lilly. Please don’t leave the city before then.”

The restriction surprised Lilly, making her think through her plans. None involved leaving the city, so she felt it would be fine. “I’ll come to you first if anything requiring my presence outside the city comes up. Is that all for now, then?”

Victor nodded while putting the documents in a folder. “Yes, that is all for today. Thank you for your time, Lady Lilly.”

Lilly got up from the chair and bowed. “It was no bother; I knew an investigation would be unavoidable after what happened.” She looked over at Adelia with a smile. “I’d love it if you would join us for some tea at our place during your visit, Adelia.”

Adelia’s face lit up at the thought. “I’d be delighted, Lilly! Would you care to join me in my room after this meeting?” she asked, looking hopeful.

“Uh, right now? Sure, I have no other plans,” Lilly responded, noting the joy in Adelia’s face at her response.

“Great! Uncle, can we leave now?” she asked, clasping her hands together in a begging gesture.

Victor smiled fondly. “Of course. Didn’t you hear me say we’re done for the day?”

Adelia got out of her chair and bowed to Victor. “Thank you for letting me sit in on your meeting, Uncle. It was very interesting to see how you work.”

Victor waved his hand as if it was no bother. “I was happy you showed an interest, Lia. Who knows, you might follow in my footsteps one day. You certainly have the mind for it. And your brother might need a trusty advisor, like your father has in me.”

Adelia looked hesitant. “I think something more research-related would fit me better. But we’ll see what the future holds!” she exclaimed, deciding that was the end of the conversation. She nearly ran to the other side of the table, taking Lilly’s hand and pulling her along to the door.

Lilly looked behind her and waved at Victor before they went through the door. She looked back at Adelia, finding her behavior to be quite interesting.

“It’s so hard to end conversations with Uncle; he always keeps them going unless I pretty much run away.”

“That sounds awful,” Lilly responded, following her without much choice. “You don’t have to drag me along, Adelia; I’ll be right behind you.”

Adelia seemed to realize what she was doing and let go of Lilly’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Lilly! That’s just how I bring Claude with me. He’s so stubborn, and when a quick exit is required, I need to drag him along.”

Lilly felt slightly sorry for Claude, the mysterious butler Adelia always brought with her. He seemed almost like a second half of Adelia, one with more common sense and adherence to the rules.

‘But Adelia probably needs one…’ Lilly thought, finding her a bit eccentric—but in a good way.

The two quarters were quite close, so they reached the next one right away. Lilly had been there before when Adelia used it during her last visit, and little had changed. She saw Claude in the process of preparing tea, and the table already being set for two. They had clearly planned for Lilly to visit.

“It’s nice to see you again, Claude. I hope she doesn’t cause too much trouble.”

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Claude turned to her with a very slight smile. “Likewise, Lady Lilly. She hasn’t caused too much, no,” he responded, making it clear that some trouble had been caused.

Adelia ignored them both and sat down on the couch. “I would say I’ve been quite good, actually. That time I snuck here to visit during the funeral was unavoidable, so I don’t think it counts.”

Claude glanced at Lilly before looking thoughtful. “I’ll give you that one. My condolences, Lady Lilly.”

Lilly nodded in response as she walked over to the couch. “Thank you, Claude. I was surprised to see her there, but I really appreciated it.” She smiled at Adelia, who smiled back warmly.

“I’m sorry about the investigation, Lilly. I wanted to tell them to trust the reports, but they were adamant. But Uncle is an honorable man, as far as I know. I believe he will look at the evidence and come to a fair conclusion.”

Lilly felt relieved to hear it. She thought anyone sent from the royals would be biased against her, but if Victor was a fair man, that might not be the case. “That’s a relief. I think the evidence should clear my name rather easily, then.”

“I agree. But I’m not sure if revealing your relationship with the assassins was a good idea. Father will be even more suspicious of your knowledge now.”

“I considered it, but I found the chances of him already knowing to be quite high. Especially with Elly being as involved in my life as she is,” Lilly replied honestly, taking a sip of the tea Claude had just poured for them both.

Adelia nodded. “Prioritizing keeping your name clear, it’s a good idea. We need all the support we can get once the war is finished, after all.” She looked at the cup of tea and sighed.

“... Isn’t gathering allies going as well as you had hoped?” Lilly asked, sensing something weighing on her mind.

“Well… My second brother might have been in on the plan as well. I had hoped to gather him as an ally, which would help us greatly. But with this, it has become challenging. All the generals besides Dahn were convinced it was for the best, and Dahn has few allies to call on…”

Claude continued as Adelia took a sip of tea. “We’ve been visiting some nobles around the nation to measure their knowledge and responses, but it’s difficult to figure anything out without revealing too much. The same issue we had while confronting you.”

Lilly nodded but furrowed her brows. “So, things are moving slowly? The leader of the clan of assassins agreed to testify against the king. Would that help us much?”

Adelia’s eyes lit up, quickly calculating the change in their chances. “That would help a lot! If we can prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Father did sacrifice this city, I know several people would side with us! I was worried it would be our word against his.”

Claude also seemed relieved. “That would at least cause Duke Aulemberg to give his support. And several Protectors of other grand cities as well, most likely.”

That made sense, Lilly thought. If one city could be sacrificed like that, why would other Protectors support the king? “But there’s one thing we haven’t discussed. Who will take the throne if we win?”

Adelia looked somewhat bashful as she stared at her tea. “Well… I was somewhat hoping… that maybe you would…”

“No! What?!” Lilly yelled and rose from her seat as soon as she understood what was being suggested. “Not a chance in any possible situation! I refuse! Adamantly! Why wouldn’t you take it? Or one of your brothers?”

Adelia looked surprised by Lilly’s strong denial and tried to placate her. “Fine, fine, it was only a suggestion. I just don’t feel like anyone else in my family is fit for the job. And you have all the qualities I would want in a ruler! You don’t seek power, you respect those below you, you have significant battle prowess, and you have a good heart!”

“What’s with you and my heart? Lots of people would do what I have done! The only one I can admit is true is my strength,” Lilly replied, still in shock.

“Lilly, you’re doing everything you can to make things right after what my father has done. You sacrificed your secrets for the sake of the city, revealing powers that would scare any enemy. And once they came knocking, you defeated them! ”

“Okay, fine, I have a good heart. So do you, and so does everyone I care about. The only thing you lack is strength, but why is that even important?”

“... But I don’t want to.” Adelia whimpered, sounding like a spoiled brat.

“So you’re asking me? What about your brothers, then?” Lilly asked, feeling frustrated.

“They’re both similar to Father, willing to make sacrifices if they think it’s justifiable. My oldest brother is the crown prince, but he has never cared about those below him. And my second brother wants the crown badly. They both lack two and a half of my desired qualities!”

“... Where does the half come from?”

“They have mostly good hearts.”

“Well, at least you don’t dislike them, then. But how would we decide who gets the crown? Doesn’t it just go to the crown prince?”

“In an abdication, those involved can be implicated as well. It depends on the thoughts of our supporters, but it will probably become a debate. Or a fight.”

“Then you bite the bitter fruit and take the position if it’s handed to you. Find a reliable husband somewhere and accept your duties,” Lilly ordered, feeling like some tough love was needed here. She had no intention of saying those words to herself, or accepting them from anyone else.

Adelia pouted. “If the cards land in that order, I will accept it, reluctantly. But then you better accept an advisor position!” she exclaimed, firmly pointing at Lilly.

“Fine, fine. A remote advisor position,” Lilly corrected, not feeling eager to live in the capital. She felt that it was an acceptable concession to make.

“Then it’s settled. Nothing may come of it, but at least we have our plans in order…” Adelia still seemed reluctant, but she accepted Lilly’s words. Perhaps she respected Lilly more than she knew.