"The nobles are restless, my Prince," one of Terence's allies reported. Terence and a few of his noble allies were walking through the palace after returning from holding a secret meeting in the city. James controlled most of the palace which meant it wasn't safe to discuss their plans there anymore. "It's only the end of July, yet many are already returning to their territories due to lack of supplies. This is the shortest social season in recent history."
"Has there been any word back from Trent?" Terence asked despite already anticipating the answer.
"None, my Prince," another noble said, annoyedly. She gave a sigh, and explained, "Trent is deflecting any talks about returning to the capital, even secretly. They intend to fully comply with the Crown Prince's orders."
The first noble spoke up, "Even the commoners are getting restless. If you could be the one to bring Trent back and solve this crisis, I'm certain-"
"Careful, Count," Terence warned and shot a glare at the man beside him. "Remember where we are."
"…Apologies, my Prince." The Count coughed and stopped talking. The walls of the palace had ears that remained unfriendly to them.
"Just remember for next…time?" Terence's words trailed off as he was distracted by something out the windows they were passing. He and his posse stopped to look out the window, and Terence asked, "Was there an order to redecorate the gardens?" The gardens surrounding the palace were normally quite beautiful this time of year. They only required the gardeners to tend to it sparingly. So Terence was quite confused as to why there were so many workers outside pulling up all the flowers. "Hmm," Terence hummed to himself as he made his way through the palace and outside to the workers.
One of them saw Terence approaching, and greeted, "Greetings, Prince Terence!" The gardener hastily bowed and appeared very uncomfortable with what they were doing.
"What's going on here?" Terence asked, becoming more and more skeptical as he watched the sad workers continue their work. "Was there a blight infecting the flowers?"
"No, Prince, all the flowers here are perfectly healthy." The gardener sadly watched as another handful of perfectly fine flowers were torn up from the soil and tossed into a bucket. "The Emperor has ordered that all flowers are to be removed from the palace grounds."
"What?" Terence and his allies all looked at the gardener with bewildered expressions. "My father ordered this?"
"Yes. The chamberlain told us the news this morning, though the palace gardens are quite large which is why we're still working on this one despite being past noon." The gardener bowed their head apologetically as if embarrassed by their slow pace.
"Did the chamberlain give a reason for the order?" Terence quite liked the gardens of the palace and felt it was one of the only beautiful places left in this otherwise horrid place.
"None, we are just workers who follow orders," the gardener replied and gave another bow.
The Count spoke up, "Surely these flowers could be planted elsewhere?" His eyes were drawn to the buckets filled with pulled flowers that were haphazardly thrown in.
"We were told to burn them once finished," the gardener answered, sadly.
"Burn!?" Terence couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes, once we finish pulling all the flowers from the gardens we are to bring them to the center courtyard and burn them in a massive pile." The gardener pulled down their straw hat and wiped the sweat from their brow with a light-brown leather gloved hand that was caked with dirt. "Supposedly, wizards will be the ones to light the fire, and there're whispers of some kind of ritual that will take place."
"A ritual?" Terence had no idea what his father was thinking, but he was getting a bad feeling it couldn't be good. Ever since his brother married the Saintess, and she started living in the palace, Marcus had started acting strangely. He was becoming paranoid about 'something' but refused to answer when Terence brought it up.
Unnaturally shifting the tone of their voice, the gardener said, "If you'd like, you could probably ask the Emperor yourselves for more information." They adjusted their thick brown overalls, and mentioned, "He'll be in the throne room as an important guest has arrived."
"Hm, keep up the good work," Terence nodded and turned to leave with his allies.
"What could the Emperor be thinking?" The Count pondered aloud. "The gardens have always been one of the key features of the palace. That girl also seemed to really love flowers to the point I feel bad that they have to ruin the gardens."
"Girl?" the other noble asked with a cocked eyebrow. "That was clearly an elderly man who grew up tending to the palace gardens. He even had wispy grey hair."
"You should get your eyes checked, Baron," the Count retorted, "Clearly, they had long black hair."
"What are you two talking about?" Terence was already getting a headache trying to keep track of James and Marcus, but now his allies were bickering over nonsense? "That person was bald. Look, they…?" When Terence turned around to point them out, the gardener they had just been talking to was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Where'd they run off to?" the Baron wondered as she looked around.
"…It's quite strange," Terence muttered as a thought crossed his mind.
"My Prince?"
"When we arrived, there were no carriages outside the palace indicating a guest, so how would they know the Emperor is in the throne room with one?" An eerie wind blew through the garden and rustled Terence's cloak as if beckoning him back to the palace. "Who was-"
"Prince Terence?" Interrupting Terence's thoughts, the chamberlain emerged from the palace and bowed as he greeted Terence. "Welcome back. How was your outing in the city?"
"Fine… Where's my father." Something tickled the back of Terence's neck.
"The Emperor is in the throne room attending to Countess Sanguine," the chamberlain replied.
"Countess Sanguine is here?!" An important guest had arrived.
"Yes, her carriage just arrived a moment ago and I led her to the throne room myself."
"…There's no way a gardener would know this," Terence muttered to himself.
"Prince Terence?" the chamberlain asked and gave Terence a confused look.
"Take me to the throne room!" Terence had a bad feeling about this as the wind laughed at him. "I must speak with the Countess at once!"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
***
"Countess Lucina Sanguine greets Arlexia's Brilliant Sun that shines over the empire, and the Great Lion that all show reverence, Emperor Marcus Arlexton." Lucina was wearing a pristine Hellhound knight's uniform of sturdy boots, black pants, and a white shirt covered by an ornately decorated red gambeson with her wizard's robe on top as she took a knee and bowed to Marcus. Aside from herself, Marcus sat on his throne with James sitting next to him, and a few nobles were gathered by the entrance discussing various matters while failing to hide their interest in Lucina's presence. James arrived in the throne room as soon as Lucina entered the palace to know what she was up to, and why he never received a report on her coming to the capital. Did she outride his shadows? How was she here so fast?
"Countess…" Marcus' voice was weary and gruff, and his eyes had bags under them as if he wasn't getting enough sleep. He sat on his throne with a tense posture that was ready to rise at a moment's notice. "To what do I owe your presence without prior notice?"
"Of course, Your Majesty." Lucina didn't know what was happening but pressed forward with her plan. "I've come to offer myself to solving an issue that has been plaguing-"
"Speak plainly, Countess," Marcus said in a low voice that held no joy at Lucina's embellishments.
"…I've come to inform you I will be heading north to Lorn to aid Duke Einbore in repelling the demons on our northern borders." Flattery was one thing, but overly embellishing her words seemed to make Marcus annoyed. Lucina needed to tread carefully.
"North?" Marcus repeated to himself before falling silent. Lucina stole a glance at James, but even he was looking worriedly at his father which meant he also didn't know what was wrong. Marcus slowly stood up from his throne and asked, "You seek to solve Einbore's troubles that even years of his efforts could not?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lucina heard Marcus' footsteps descend the stairs and approach her. "I will aid the Duke in pushing the demons back so that he may once more rejoin society without worry for his duchy."
"And what would you ask in return for this effort?" Marcus stopped once he was standing directly in front of Lucina. His eyes drilled down into her, analyzing her, scrutinizing even her slightest movements.
Lucina kept her cool, and answered, "Serving Your Majesty is-!?!" A large hand grabbed Lucina by the hair and hoisted her to her feet.
"Do not take me the fool, Countess." Marcus' eyes were filled with anxiety as he held Lucina by her hair and brought his face mere inches away from hers. James rose to his feet upon seeing his father's strange actions, and the nobles near the entrance all silenced their whispering. "A dog does not whine without cause. I asked you to speak plainly before, and now I am ordering you to get to the point. What do you want?" Something wasn't right in the imperial palace.
Lucina held in her urges to kill the Emperor and paint the palace red, and replied, "…If I solve Duke Einbore's issues then I would like the Royal Grace on Olivia to be lifted early, Your Majesty."
"What!?" James shouted and started approaching Lucina. "You dare come here and ask for-"
"Silence!" Marcus bellowed and shot an angered glare at James to shut him up. Even Lucina flinched under the thunderous voice Marcus held as he forced order in the room. Slowly, he turned his gaze back to Lucina, and asked, "And why should I grant your request, Countess?"
Lucina recited the information Jeremy had found, and told Marcus, "In the past, one of the Dukes of Relsh had a royal slave; during Your Majesty's grandfather's rule. After putting down orcs that sought to take root in Urldrusk, the king at the time lifted the Royal Grace as a reward. If I aid Duke Einbore in pushing back the demons of the north, I would ask the same so that I may fully own Olivia." She was getting uncomfortable being held by her hair but kept her thoughts down. Olivia was still too kind and wouldn't like a bloodbath, Lucina still had to worm the idea into Olivia's head before she could do that. "I already have some Hellhound knights in the north as a warband helping the Duke, so I will be traveling by myself."
"…" Marcus silently watched Lucina struggle in his hand. The Harbinger of Zulm was begging in his grasp. "I see." He was in control of Zulm's chosen. "Very well, I will grant your request, should you prove successful in alleviating Einbore's troubles." He released Lucina's hair and watched her fall to her knees with a sick, satisfied smile on his face. "My hound is asking for it, so who am I to deny a good hound its treat?" After pondering for a moment, Marcus added, "Take Solomon Kor with you."
"…Elder Solomon?" Lucina raised her gaze to see Marcus pleasantly smiling to himself as he had just found a way to get rid of an annoying pest.
"He is a powerful member of the clergy, and Alm's cult, so he will prove useful to you in combating the demons." Marcus leaned down to speak directly into Lucina's ear. "And should anything befall the 'Elder' then it would be seen as an unavoidable part of securing the north. Understand, Countess?"
"…All for the glory of Arlexia, Your Majesty!" Lucina had no idea why Marcus was so blatantly inferring that she should take this opportunity to kill Solomon, but she wouldn't object to it. "I will depart once Elder Solomon is ready!"
"Then leave us, and return with glory, Countess," Marcus commanded and waved his hand to dismiss Lucina.
"Father?" James spoke up once Lucina had left the throne room. "The Royal Grace is a major leash around that dog's neck! Getting rid of it would only lead to trouble!" Why was his father acting like this?
"The only trouble I'm worried about is the infestation that has befallen my palace," Marcus retorted without turning to look at James. His eyes watched the doors Lucina left from. "An infestation you brought and I have to cleanse."
"Does this have to do with the changes in the gardens?" James asked, trying to figure out what Marcus meant. "I haven't touched them in years, the gardeners are doing just fine managing them. What kind of-"
"The Saintess planted flowers last week," Marcus spoke in a distant voice as his mind wandered elsewhere.
"…Yes? She was always cooped up in her room, so when she asked about the garden I let her plant a few things to make her happy." Why was Beatrice being mentioned?
"That woman is a conduit for all this!" Marcus barked at his son for being so foolish. "I originally let you marry her as a way to control the temples and snub Duke Ordrin, but now I'd rather have Olivia in these halls than that…thing!" What did Marcus see Beatrice as? The anxiety crawled behind Marcus' eyes like a cancer.
"Thing!? She's the woman I love!" James shouted back. The nobles who were originally talking at the entrance all left upon seeing Marcus and James start to argue.
"She's the reason the wards around the palace have weakened!" Marcus turned to James and explained, "This palace is a place free of that monster's influence thanks to the wards and abundance of magic items prepared and maintained by the Wizards. They have stood the test of time for centuries, but now falter with the presence of that Saintess living within our walls."
"…What are you talking about, Father?" James knew the imperial family had always been at odds with the temples and didn't revere the gods that their people did. It's not that they thought the gods didn't exist, there was plenty of proof of their power, but they refused to bend the knee to them as the temples do.
"Something you will come to understand once you take the throne," Marcus replied. "It is something that only the ruler may know so that information does not leak out of these walls and make its way to the temples. A guarded secret between an Emperor and the Wizards." Marcus put his hands on James' shoulders, and advised his son, "For now, simply do as you have been and keep working on producing an heir with her to completely solidify your position and our line's future."
"Of course, Father." While he was unnerved by the look in Marcus' eyes, James remained complacent since his future as Emperor was secure. The fact that his father revealed the existence of a secret that only the current ruler knows about 'proved' his worth for the throne. All he had to do was make sure Beatrice's child was his, and thanks to him bribing the maids to mix contraceptives into her tea, James would make sure his was the only child to be born. If anything, he held a small semblance of thanks for Lucina since she would be taking care of Solomon for him. All that was left was Derik and Andrew, and Andrew was sorting himself out as he had to return to the wizard's tower to help with some kind of 'breakthrough' they recently discovered. For now, though, he had to send new orders to his shadow knights in Solfin.
***
"Countess!?" Terence arrived at the throne room just in time to catch Lucina leaving it and heading for the palace entrance.
"Hm?" Lucina looked back over her shoulder before turning to partially face Terence, and greeted, "Hello there, Little Panther. What can I do for you?" She was blatantly showing disrespect by not properly greeting him.
Terence raised a hand to stop his allies from voicing their dissatisfaction at Lucina's greeting, and asked, "You usually remain in Solfin, so I was curious as to what brought you to the palace."
"Just some business with His Majesty." Lucina wanted to quickly return to her mansion in the capital so she could teleport back to Olivia and share the good news, so she was trying to brush Terence off.
"Is it related to Lady Olivia?" But Terence walked up to her and refused to relent. "I pray she's in good health, despite all that's happened to her."
"She tried to kill the Saintess, Prince," Lucina dryly pointed out.
"Indeed, and it must not be easy for her to live with the one who betrayed her, as well." Terence matched Lucina's glare. "Who knows how long she'll have to suffer?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Lucina playfully replied and gave Terence an unnervingly blissful smile. "She's already wrapped around my fingers~. So, unfortunately, you won't be able to play the knight in shining armor that comes to a fair maiden's rescue." She chuckled, and muttered loud enough for him to hear, "If anything, she might even try to kill you if you did~."
"…You truly are sick, Countess."
"Thank you~, it's one of the things Olivia said she loves about me~!" Lucina giggled like a school girl which made everyone uncomfortable. "I just hope she can understand my absence for a while so I can take care of some things," she said in a sarcastically sad tone.
"Your absence?" Terence asked and looked over Lucina's knight uniform. "Did my father deploy the Hellhounds somewhere?"
"No, I just asked to play in the north for a bit to help Duke Einbore." Lucina gave a dismissive wave of her hand, and mentioned, "I'm even taking Elder Solomon so that we can play together." Her eyes flicked up to Terence. "Would you like to come, too? I'm sure it would be a fun time for everyone if you did." Lucina's words bled hostile intent that wasn't lost on Terence.
"I will pass and let you have your fun, Countess." Terence made a motion with his hand and one of his allies scurried off to do something. "I hope you have safe travels to Lorn. Will you be taking the Hellhounds?"
"No, I'll be traveling alone with Solomon." Lucina knew what Terence was planning so she deliberately mentioned she would be alone with only Solomon, and looked forward to the trip.
"I see." Terence gave a practiced smile. "So, your Hellhounds will be in Solfin."
"That's correct, good job listening!" Lucina teased.
But Terence paid it no mind, and moved to end the conversation, "Well, since you have much to do, I won't hold yo-"
Lucina suddenly closed the small gap between them and pretended to adjust Terence's cloak, but whispered, "Feel free to send some people to play in Solfin, Little Panther. I'm more than willing to clip what claws you have left~."
"…You're being rather blunt, Countess." Terence stood firm as he watched Lucina pretend to mess with his cloak. A few onlookers whispered amongst themselves at the scene. "Just because your people are in the palace, don't believe you can speak how you wish here."
"You sound overly paranoid about something, Little Panther. I'm just letting you know that you should pick your battles better and you insult me," Lucina sarcastically advised. "My Hellhounds are no pushovers, even without me around."
"…Lady Olivia will be freed." Once Lucina was done, Terence also pretended to find and fix something wrong with Lucina's uniform. "I can promise you that, Countess."
"Then we have the same goal," Lucina agreed despite Terence not believing her. "But~…" She looked up at him with eyes drowned by obsession. "I'll be the one whose arms she runs into when that happens. The look on your face will be priceless when that happens, too!" She gently pushed herself away from Terence and waltzed toward the exit, before calling over her shoulder, "I can promise you that, Little Panther~."
"…My Prince?" Terence's allies were still with him and were hesitant to speak.
"Count?" Terence spoke to the Count while his eyes still watched Lucina leave. "Send new orders to the shadows." His fists clenched as he couldn't get Lucina's cocky smile out of his head. "We're moving up the timetable. The Lily must be plucked before the Hound returns."