It had been a few days since Armand woke up. He had immersed himself in paperwork since, seeing whatever reports he could on what happened in his absence. Marshal Staufer figured that he'd wanted to see that sort of thing, so he had some prepared while Armand was recovering. Eris mentally cursed herself for not thinking of that.

Still, she helped Armand in a different way. The boy's muscles weren't what they were before he fell asleep, so she sparred and danced with Armand to get him back in shape. Eris also made sure Marshal Staufer's cooking staff got paid a bit extra out of her own pocket to make especially good meals for Armand.

The boy made sure to send letters to his family, informing them that he was awake and making a full recovery. Armand even exaggerated his rate of recovery just to keep anyone intercepting or reading the letter from trying anything.

Eris and Armand ended up missing the rest of the festival. But the two of them didn't care all that much. They were content to focus on Armand's recovery over all other things.

However, neither Armand nor Eris put their guard down. It might seem like this was a time of peace for them. But the two had more than enough experience with Foldzar politics to know that peace was an illusion.

A letter came to Eris. She looked at its sender.

"Karl Hapsburg," the girl narrowed her eyes. "He's never written to me before? Why is he writing now?"

Then, a thought came to Eris that made her chuckle.

"Maybe he's mad that I haven't written to him?" she pondered.

Eris opened the letter and read it. Anger flashed through the girl, combined with a helping of murderous intent. She rushed through Marshal Staufer's house to where Armand was. The boy sat in the solar and turned the moment Eris opened the door.

"Eris, what happened?" Armand asked, seeing the girl's expression.

The Hapsburg wasn't even trying to hide her anger.

"I received a letter from my cousin," Eris said.

She walked over to Armand and handed him the letter. He took it before reading.

"To my dearest cousin, Eris Hapsburg,

It saddens me that, even after all this time, you are going to go through with that sham of a marriage with the Concord boy. I would think that being around his family would have put you off of that, but it seems to have had no impact. When I heard of his incapacitation, my heart was filled with joy. I both hoped that his injuries would be fatal and that you would finish the job if they weren't. However, it has become clear to me that you have no intention of doing your duty to your family by eliminating our ancient rival once and for all.

I will pay you a visit soon enough, to give you my full reasoning and convince you to kill Armand Concord. Expect me to arrive in the capital in a few days from when you receive this letter. Do not show it to that Concord bastard. He should not know that I am here. If I am lucky, I might be able to kill him myself. Do not show it to anyone else either. This talk should just be between us.

From your beloved cousin,

Karl Hapsburg."

Armand put the letter down. A frown crossed his face.

"It seems that your cousin wants me dead," Armand said.

"Yes. He always was against our marriage," Eris replied.

Her hands clenched so hard they turned white.

"Karl, your days are numbered! I'll take your head for this! You dared to...hold on, am I doing something that would make Armand mad? Karl's my cousin, even if he hates Armand. Should I really try to kill him as my first resort? Would Armand approve of it? Karl's had years to change his mind, so he should die. But, then again, I never got a chance to try to convince him. He doesn't even know Armand himself. Armand would want to go a more peaceful route, and we might actually be able to pull it off," Eris thought.

Armand's mind contemplated a similar but different topic.

"Knowing Eris, she's plotting Sir Karl's death right now. Normally, I would just kill him after finding out about a letter like that. But he's Eris' cousin, someone she's actually known since she was a child. I should at least try to reconcile with him. If that's impossible, then so be it."

He looked at Eris, gazing right at her eyes.

"Eris, would it be possible for us to convince Sir Karl to change his mind?" Armand asked.

"I'm not sure," Eris admitted before sighing. "He was already dead by this point the last time around, and I haven't seen him in a long time. I don't know him as well as I'd like."

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Armand nodded.

"Then, perhaps you could get to know him better? If he can be convinced to not kill me, you should at least try," he said.

Eris forced a soft smile. She pushed down her anger as best as she could.

"It's exactly as I thought," the girl contemplated before speaking. "If we weren't in Marshal Staufer's house, I'd suggest just shooting Karl the moment it becomes clear that he won't be persuaded."

She held up her hands with quickness.

"Assuming that is the case," Eris clarified.

Armand nodded.

"That might be why Sir Karl wants to meet you here. Even if he doesn't suspect you, he'll suspect me," he said.

"And there are ways you could have found out about his arrival, even if I didn't show you the letter. I know Karl's at least somewhat smart. He'll have at least considered the possibility," Eris added.

Then, a little candlelight shone over Eris and Armand's heads.

"I wanted to see if he'd give up on wanting you killed if he got to know you, but that requires me convincing him. If you were just there with me, he'd suspect treachery," the girl said. "In fact, he might even wait until you're out of this house to come here."

Armand nodded.

"Then, perhaps I could start leaving at certain times to establish a pattern? We could have some sort of signal that you could give when Karl shows up. When I see the signal, I'll sneak back and find someplace to hide in case you need backup?"

"That's a good idea. The signal should be something that isn't obvious but you'd be able to see if you walked by," a grin crossed Eris' face as an idea entered her head. "Perhaps we could keep the front room's curtains open? Then, I could close it when Karl arrives. He would think that it's me hiding him from outsiders."

"That's a good idea. Good job, Eris," Armand said.

The girl's grin widened. Joy pulsed through her body, even overwhelming her anger at Karl for a brief moment.

"Armand praised me! I didn't think I'd ever be so happy to hear him compliment me! I can't let this go to waste! I have to keep impressing him with my plans!" Eris thought.

She then leaned against a table, trying to look cool.

"My main thrust at getting Karl to not want you dead is convincing him to just give you a chance. After that, it'll open things up so we can work together to convince him. If one of us can't do it, then both of us can," Eris said.

Armand nodded. His face had turned grim.

"I hope he'll be willing to talk at all. If not...you'd have to be a fool to spill blood in Marshal Staufer's house, but does he have a horse or a carriage? I could sabotage it," Armand suggested.

Eris waved it off.

"I've sabotaged carriages before. So, you can leave that to me if I can't convince him," she said.

Armand shook his head. His expression was dead serious. Eris noticed this, and her grin faded.

"Is everything alright, Armand?" concern crossed the girl's face.

The boy sighed.

"Eris, you might be a monster. But there are things even you shouldn't have to do," Armand thought before speaking. "If we have to kill Karl, I should do it. You shouldn't have to kill your own cousin, Eris."

He clenched his fists so hard they turned white.

"I know that families fight each other at times. Succession crises can get horrible. But you shouldn't have to do that. And if I can take the burden of killing Karl off your hands, I will," Armand continued.

Silence overtook the room. Eris fidgeted with uncertainty.

"Dammit, Armand. Why do you have to be such a kind man? I...I don't know how to handle this. Karl is my problem, but..." she thought before speaking. "If that's the case, then why are you asking me to take your side over Karl's? He's my own flesh and blood."

Armand shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to, Eris. I know that you will take my side. Karl is your blood relative, but you barely care about him," he said, a hint of anger in his voice. "That's the sort of person you are. Even if you care about me or your parents, I doubt you care about anyone else as anything other than a useful tool."

Eris' heart clenched.

"Armand really thinks that little of me...no, he just knows me too well," the girl thought.

"You're right. I don't," she stated, not even bothering to deny it.

"But if you want me to give you a logical reason, I have one. Your parents want you to marry me. Your father is the head of your branch of the Hapsburg family. By defying his will and planning my death, Karl is betraying your family," Armand said.

Eris shrugged.

"I suppose that makes sense. But what it boils down to is that I want something, and Karl wants something else. So, if he can't be convinced, he has to die," the girl replied.

Rage flashed across Armand's face, but he forced his feelings down. Eris cringed away. She felt a sudden surge of guilt for making Armand mad. However, the boy just shook his head. He looked down, sadness crossing his face.

"The reasoning matters too, Eris. But I doubt you'll ever understand that," Armand spoke before thinking. "I shouldn't have pushed for Eris to understand morality so quickly. If I want to redeem her, it needs to be a far more gradual process. Otherwise, she'll spit in the face of redemption."

Eris, meanwhile, felt sweat pour down her brow. Her guilt was welling up more and more. The girl felt a twinge of disappointment in herself mixed in with it.

"What am I doing? I should have known that Armand would get mad if I talked like that. He might love me, but he's a good person. And..." Eris thought, but she stopped herself.

After a moment of mental silence, the girl continued.

"I hate to admit it, but I like that about Armand. I like that he's a good person. I like his kindness. I don't want him to end up like me. So, maybe I should let him be my hero? I can't just say it, though, or Armand will get suspicious," she thought before speaking. "Well, I suppose that you have your reasons. So, I might as well indulge you."

Eris shrugged.

"Indulge me in what?" Armand asked.

"Taking away the 'burden' of killing Karl from me. We might not have the opportunity to decide who kills him if we have to, but if we do, I'll leave it to you," Eris answered.

The boy nodded with grimness.

"Did Eris just concede this to me, or does she have another motive? Well, in any case, it's decided now," Armand thought before speaking. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Eris' expression turned sympathetic. She didn't have any empathy for Karl since he declared his intention to kill Armand, but Eris felt sympathy for her fiance.

"I hope so too," she said.

While Eris' words were honest, and a part of Armand believed her, he was under no delusions that her hopes were for different reasons than his own.