A shadow darkened over her brother’s features.

“Take a sip of your drink.”

Jovine blinked at him, baffled by his direction. “Did you hear what I said?”

His sharp eyes trained on her fiercely. “Do as I say.”

Unable to shake the image of the way that man had looked at her, Jovine lifted the cold glass with unsteady hands. It was unfathomable to think anyone could recognize her. Not only was she in disguise, but it had been a momentary glance with someone she had never met. It was beyond comprehension to believe such a short glimpse could lead to recognition.

She took a sip, staring at Elias with wide eyes. Choking down the iced, bitter liquid, her throat burned from the acid taste. She released a flurry of coughs as her eyes watered from the harsh aftertaste.

Elias clicked his tongue in disapproval and swiped the coins from the wooden table. “Stand tall, walk slowly, and follow me.”

Without giving her a moment to react, Elias fluidly rose as he tipped the rest of the acrid ale down his throat. He slammed the glass down and moved towards the back without looking her way. Startled, Jovine abruptly stood and shifted to scramble after her brother when she recalled his instruction.

Panic would give her away.

Clenching her jaw, Jovine straightened her shoulders. Digging her toes into her worn-out shoes, she took measured steps. Her eyes were solely centered on Elias’s head as he calmly led her through a door nestled in the furthest corner of the tavern. Jovine held her breath until a gust of stale air puffed into her face.

Elias finally turned to her in a shadowed, littered alleyway. “Who recognized you?”

“I-I don’t know,” she muttered.

“Describe it for me, then,” he snapped.

“It was a man. Old. Graying beard. Large frame,” she detailed from her shaky memory. He had left too swiftly for her to gauge anything else.

Strangely, her brother’s grim expression cleared. “I see.”

“Lias, no one should have recognized me, but I swear —”

He grasped her elbow and swiveled his eyes through the streets ahead. “We need to get back.”

“Who was he? Do you know him?”

“The night is getting deeper. It’s best to move now.”

Frustration simmered deep in her chest until it boiled up to the surface. Jovine wrenched her arm away. “ELIAS.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He met her fuming eyes with distant surprise.

“I am tired of your vague explanations and half-truths,” she gritted out. “You’re hiding something from me. You’re not telling me a damn thing about anything! You say we’re leaving to be rebels. I get some far-fetched tale of political coins and a gamble for the throne. You bring me to a city so far gone. And not a single word or reaction from you. I tell you I’ve been recognized, and you act as if it’s nothing. What games are you tangling me in?”

Elias tilted his head, looking at her with vacant eyes. “You always choose the most inconvenient times to come out and play.”

Jovine’s breaths stuttered out in rage. “Don't jest with me —”

“Empress Jovine de Tristaine,” he enunciated firmly. “As the name states, you are an Empress of this Empire. You cannot tell me you are that dull to miss the point of all this." He advanced on her slowly. "How long will you keep closing your eyes? How long will you remain weak and ignorant?”

Remorse and a lethal hit of self-loathing pierced her. Lips trembling, she whispered, “Why do you think I’m doing all this? Do you think I don’t know how pathetic and despicable I’ve been? Do you think I don’t see how much I’ve let myself go? I see it all. I see myself, and I hate the woman who stares back.”

A tick fluttered in his jaw as he allowed her dejected words to dwell in silence.

“It’s why I need help. It’s why I called you.”

His eyes softened for a breath. “Words aren’t enough when you can see it for yourself,” he said quietly. He took her hand and pulled her along until she followed. “Trust me, Vinnie. My infuriating habits would fail to tell you what you need to know.”

Regretting her outburst, Jovine stuck to her brother’s side as he led her through crowds of bodies still lingering in the dimming streets.

“The man who recognized you,” Elias mentioned as they passed the last open shop and traveled into a quieter, more familiar part of town. “If I’m not mistaken, he won’t pose a danger. It’s unusual he would know you by a glance, but you’re safe, Vinnie. When the time comes, I’ll tell it all to you.”

Elias ushered her through a trek too rapid for her to give a proper response. When he finally slowed his steps, she realized they were closer to the Capital and surrounded by buildings she knew. Piece by piece, a sliver of her brother’s intent shone through.

A direct explanation wasn’t needed — the plight was clear enough to her.

The cities and towns were lined in unmatched hierarchy. From the Capital to the rural lands and hidden slums, the ghastly differing conditions were solely based on wealth. As they traveled through the Empire and into the deepest parts, her people were seemingly abandoned and left with scraps while the Palace and the Capital basked in abundant comfort and luxury. It was repulsive to witness the contrast. The towering houses of gold, the cleaned streets, even the scent of the air screamed in prosperity.

The people were right to resent and hate. The truth was explicit enough to cut her.

As her mind spiraled into darker thoughts, Elias stopped in a town that was close to her heart. It was the Haven — a city established long ago by the late Emperor and his vision to look after the broken and lost. Orphanages, shelters, centers for food distribution, counsel for those in need — it was a place of second chances and one of the shining lights in the Empire. The late Emperor and Empress had great plans to expand its reach, and Richard had exceptional purpose to carry on his parent’s legacy. Although her duties were tied to the Inner Palace, even her own personal funds were donated to the Haven. It was near and dear to a great cause.

But the sight before her shredded every matter of her being.

“Do you see, Jovine?” her brother whispered.

She saw it all.

Broken wooden posts that used to host free meals for the hungry. Shattered windows that used to distribute clothes and food to those shivering in the frost. Trashed buildings that used to boast loud, screaming children running around in glee.

Everything was caved in. And destroyed.

What have you done?

Richard, what sins have you hidden from me?