Chapter 27 - Coincidences
The next morning, Lilly was headed for the barracks. She had been notified earlier that day that Victor had finished most of his investigations and that he wanted to speak to her again.
‘I really hope he’s sensible enough to get to the truth, and not twist it in his favor,’ Lilly thought, feeling her nerves tensing on her way to his room.
‘With everything you’ve given him, I’m sure they won’t dare to charge you with anything. And it’s not like they’ll be able to arrest you if you resist. If they remember anything from the past, they know messing with the holder of the flame will cause nothing but problems,’ Myndia replied reassuringly from the amulet.
Lilly nodded, feeling reassured by having Myndia by her side. She arrived at the door where two guards were standing, watching her approach. One of the guards told her to wait while he notified the prince.
‘Will he just leave, then? Once the investigation is over?’
‘Probably. I’m sure he’s a very busy man, being the king’s right hand and all. This might even have been a light vacation for him.’
Lilly doubted he was taking it so leisurely, considering the potential ramifications of his actions here. She hoped Adelia would be able to stay behind without making much of a scene, in the case that he left and wanted her to follow him.
The guard came back out and bowed to Lilly. “The prince is expecting you, Lady Lilly.”
Lilly simply nodded and walked in the door, finding the room to be very similar to her last time here. It seemed a bit darker and lacked the reassuring presence of Adelia, but otherwise, nothing had changed.
Victor sat by the dining table, which was filled with documents and writing utensils, staring at her as she entered. “Lady Lilly, I’m glad you could see me on such short notice. Please have a seat.”
Lilly smiled politely and sat on the chair he gestured to. “I’m not usually very busy, so it was no bother. I’m eager to get this all over with, as well.”
Victor studied her for a moment with what seemed to be a hint of pity. “I can imagine. Being under investigation must be quite stressful. But I can tell you right now that you’re found to be innocent.”
Lilly was surprised by the sudden declaration and felt her shoulders lighten significantly. “Really? Just like that?”
Victor nodded, but without sharing her excitement. "Just like that. But that’s not really why I’ve brought you here today.” He leaned forward and clasped his arms in front of his mouth, looking serious. “I have good reason to believe that the attack on this city was orchestrated by this Eolanathel.”
Lilly felt her body tensing as soon as he mentioned the attack. ‘Why is he bringing it up like this? Is he trying to figure out how much I know by blaming it on Eolanathel? He’s got some nerve!’
Lilly tried to look surprised, keeping her responses simple. “What do you mean?”
“We think he had one of his assassins attack Lady Selene while coordinating an attack with Dortfell, telling them to attack once she was unable to protect the city.”
Lilly nodded in feigned realization. “So that’s why the assassin was able to escape so easily! I thought it was strange. But what would he gain from it?”
Victor studied her expression, but for some reason, he still had that hint of pity on his face. “Well… It was never meant to succeed. His plan, from the very start, was to have you save the city and destroy Dortfell’s fleet.”
‘... That makes a dangerous amount of sense… doesn’t it?’ Lilly asked silently. She knew Eolanathel was doing what he could to keep the peace, and that would be a perfect method. But he would have to have known about her, and that Eolande would stop the attack.
‘It would only make sense if Eolande was on his side from the start, but that’s hard to believe,’ Myndia responded, making the connection Lilly didn’t want to.
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“I find that hard to believe, Prince Victor. How would he have known about my powers? Only one person I wouldn’t trust with my life knew about it back then, and he seems like an unlikely source,” Lilly responded measuredly, thinking back to Gallus learning of her secret. She trusted him, but not with her life.
Victor took a deep breath, seemingly finding it hard to approach the next part. “I think you know what I’m insinuating, Lady Lilly. Do you think it was a coincidence that she was there to save you both when the assassin struck?”
“Elly was there to keep me safe, she cares about me!”
“It was the first time she had been protecting you from a hidden position, right? At least that you know of. Would you call it a coincidence?”
“I’m sure she had been protecting me many times before! Only then did she have to reveal it,” Lilly responded, denying his claims firmly.
“Right, right. And it’s also a coincidence that she ended up being so close to the inheritor of the flame, is that right?” Victor countered, both trying to convince and attack at the same time.
“Yes, my grandfather asked them to take me on an adventure into the forest to scare me away from being an adventurer. It was a complete coincidence.”
“... Who initiated the contact between them?” Victor asked, seemingly making a genuine question instead of a leading one for once.
“Gra… My grandfather went to the adventurers guild, where the situation was overheard by Thoren, the guild leader. He… offered to do it for free… but there’s no way they knew about the flame at that point!” Lilly exclaimed, knowing her answer made it seem less like a coincidence.
“And there’s nothing that could identify you as an inheritor of the flame? Especially not to someone who was part of exterminating all of them in the past… Right?”
Lilly wanted to answer right away, but stopped to think instead. ‘Plenty of people have red hair, right? Maybe not as red as mine, but… Well, the librarian guessed it pretty fast… Would she have known about the amulet?’
Myndia helpfully replied to her thoughts. ‘Our hair is quite unique, but as I’ve told you, I have many descendants. It’s not something that could be used to identify the holder of the flame, only enough to make a vague guess. I can’t answer about the amulet, though.’
“Plenty of people have red hair. She would have to know abou–”
A memory of Eolande kneeling in front of her parent’s grave came to her, where she told Lilly that she knew her parents. Did she know her grandmother? Her great-grandmother? Had she noticed the amulet many generations before meeting Lilly?
Victor looked at her silently, letting her come to her own conclusions. But Lilly trusted Eolande too much to consider it seriously. It wasn’t supported by anything other than theories and coincidences.
“... This is all circumstantial. An elf could know anything if you theorize enough, given their long lifespan. And I consider her someone I could trust with my life. I even have, many times already. What evidence do you have that says Eolanathel planned it all out like that?”
Victor sighed lightly, tapping his fingers on the table. “Lady Lilly, the coincidences are building the evidence by themselves. Your godmother is closely tied to every major faction in this case. The only thing I don’t understand is why she let Eolanathel die, and what she plans to use you for…”
“Go fuck yourself!”
The words were out before she could stop them, made raw and visceral from the rage she felt.
Victor looked shocked, stopping all motion. “Lady Lilly?”
“You’re making everything sound so perfectly planned out, huh? Let’s not pretend anymore; I know the king made the decision to sacrifice Thundrel! He cooperated with the assassins to have them infiltrate Dorfell from the inside, sacrificing Selene and the city in the process! That’s why General Dahn imprisoned himself, and why you’re here spinning this yarn of lies to me! You’re scared of the consequences!”
‘Lilly, please don’t say anything more!’ Myndia urged, but it only served to fuel her frustration.
“You want to make it seem like Elly is using me to attack the crown, is that it?! You want me to think about that bastard's last words, calling me a monster? I’m not buying it! And you’re free to figure out why he wanted the flame stopped; I’ll gladly show you!”
The temperature in the room rose threateningly, but it remained stable under what was left of Lilly’s control.
Victor looked like he couldn't believe her words, raising his hands defensively. “Sacrifice Thundrel? What are you talking about? Under no circumstance can I imagine my brother making such a decision, especially without my knowledge! Let’s calm down and figure this out, please!”
“More lies! Even Adelia knows about it! how could you possibly try to convince me otherwise?!”
But Victor seemed intent on continuing to deny everything, shaking his head and looking deep in thought. “No, there’s simply no way. You tell me she thinks her father would do such a thing? Why would she ever believe that?”
“She figured it out on her own after confronting General Da–”
The words stopped, interrupted by the terrible thought that she had been part of a deceitful act from the very beginning. That was one coincidence too many.