Chapter 24

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It was the same again. The glittering enfilades of the palace halls, the Emperor's aide-de-camp with a perpetually tired face, the luxurious and empty waiting room, the only difference - this time, he was alone. The princess must have learned about his forthcoming visit to the palace and contacted him by comm, and literally drowning him in her holoscreen charm, asked: "Wouldn't the Luminous Prince be offended if a certain Niazur could not accompany him to the palace, as she was very busy taking command of the Imperial Intelligence.

Of course, he assured her he wouldn't take offense, but only if he was compensated for the missed opportunity to spend time with such an enchanting creature as "a certain Niazur."

The usual nonsense, anyway.

In fact, during their conversation, he had been trying to think of a way to warn Artala that Non-Taer could be monstrously dangerous but hadn't come up with anything:

No matter what I say, that would require an explanation, and I can't give one. Alex sighed mirthfully, settling into the waiting room. At least not in a way that wouldn't screw me or Taer in the process.

He was still berating himself for his lack of foresight.

I should have thought of something to let her know. But in the end, all he could manage was a clumsy, "Be careful." Which didn't help at all.

About twenty minutes later, after a polite knock, the Emperor's aide-de-camp peeked into the room:

"Your Lordship, the Emperor is ready to see you. Please follow me." He waited at Alex's door and led him along the familiar route.

As in the first time, the audience took place in the same strange office with low ceilings and a green sphere occupying a noticeable part of the room. After waiting at the door until he was announced, Alex entered next.

His Majesty sat at the head of a large oval table and did not rise to meet him this time. Next to him, on his left hand, a thin, middle-aged man sat at the table. On the table in front of him were several infoblocks and a glowing wall of holo screens that almost completely obscured him, preventing him from seeing his facial features.

Must be a secretary. Alex decided, taking a glance around the office. Like the Emperor's adjutant, the stranger wore a black uniform with no insignia.

"I assume something is wrong, Lord Cassard?" The Emperor met him with a serious, even anxious look. "Something with the investigation? Do you need help?"

"Not help, but your approval, Your Majesty." Alex began his repeatedly rehearsed speech. "I know how a Prince Cassard should act in honor and justice, but I do not know how an Ergo-Seneschal of the Empire should act. Therefore, Your Majesty, I seek your advice and approval."

"I don't understand you, Lord Cassard." The Emperor frowned. "Explain yourself."

"A few days ago, the First Blade of my domain, Daim Diltar, was completely attacked. She was attempted to be kidnapped for unknown purposes. And I believe this was no random attack, Your Majesty. I think the attack on Diltar, the assassination of Baron Assaro, and the assassination attempt on me before the Onstum may all be connected events. Moreover, one of the attackers of Diltar, and possibly one of the organizers of the attack, was recently serving in a high-ranking position in the Imperial Security Service."

He paused, taking a breath and giving the emperor a chance to interject a word, but his majesty was silent, listening attentively to this speech, and Alex continued trying to sound as lofty and naive as possible:

"In such a situation, I, as the suzerain and patron of the Daim Diltar, cannot ignore the attack on my knight and the blade of my domain. Not only is it a crime, but the honor of the entire Cassard family is at stake. Using the power you have given me, I am going to begin searches of the Imperial Security Office in the capital city and, at the very least, interrogate the attacker's former superiors and subordinates."

Alex paused once more and continued in a calmer, even conciliatory tone.

"But I'm not sure that's a step the Ergo Seneschal of the Empire should take. So I've come to you for advice."

"That attacker, a former SS employee. What about him?" The Emperor asked with interest, completely unfazed by the speech. "Has he been arrested?"

"Unfortunately, no, Your Majesty," Alex admitted with annoyance. "He blew himself up with a plasma grenade. His identity and former duty station have been established from the tissue file."

"Is that so?" His majesty raised an eyebrow expressively. "And that's why you want to arrange searches and interrogations of the SS?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Alex nodded, and froze, inwardly shrinking, waiting for the emperor's reaction.

What he was proposing was obviously insolence, stupid and disproportionate. But he didn't expect to be allowed to do it, and most of the preparation for the visit had been devoted to finding something to say for himself without looking like a complete idiot who could even think of such nonsense.

No, that's not what he was counting on. He had counted on signaling, on signaling a threat, on tensing the conspirators, on depriving them of the luxury of quietly planning their next move. After all, the investigation into Taer's kidnapping was real, initiated by all the rules, on behalf of Prince Cassard as suzerain of Daim Diltar.

And I may be denied search and interrogation. But information about this request will inevitably leak out... Alex, who took care of the leaks himself, thought contentedly. The same Pell as my 'mentor' can't unknow about it. They'll realize that they've made a mess, and they'll have to scramble. Clean up the mess at the SS...

"Good." Suddenly, the Emperor nodded. "Go ahead. You need not doubt yourself so much. You are in your right. The case you are describing is the prerogative of the Ergo-Seneschal. It's up to you to decide what to do, even if it's about the SS. The head of any service can only be interested in clearing or confirming the good name of his department. I'm sure Lord Quezox will understand and cooperate fully when the circumstances become known to him."

"I..." Alex almost started to make a prepared excuse, but despite the shock, he stopped in time. "I'm very grateful for your support, Your Majesty."

The Emperor only waved it away in response:

"How is it going with Lady Pell, by the way?" Involved, he asked, casually changing the subject, and you could tell by the look on the Emperor's face that this was far more interesting than possible searches and interrogations by the Imperial Security Service. "I hope you're not quarreling?"

"No, Your Majesty." Without hesitation, Alex lied. "We have a very predictable relationship. Lady Pell helps me quite a lot with matters of protocol."

"Very good." The Emperor blossomed into a smile. "I never cease to be delighted by your friendship. Eh..." He dreamily raised his eyes to the ceiling. "If only all the clans could forget old quarrels like this... But I will not detain you with my sentiments, Lord Cassard. I am sure you have much to do now."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you." He thanked her awkwardly and said goodbye, heading for the exit.

* * *

When the door closed behind him and the adjutant, the holo-screen covering the "secretary" immediately disappeared, and his majesty reached for his cigarette case:

"I haven't seen a man so desperate to be rejected in a long time." The "secretary" broke the silence after they had both lit a cigarette. "And actually, you're being a little hard on him, your majesty." He added with an ironic reproach in his voice. "Just like that, siccing on Quezox... Morir is a mean man."

The Emperor shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent look.

"That Lord Cassard, or whoever he is, seems to care nothing... Maybe he can handle Quezox. What do you think, Aith?"

Aith only grimaced in response, making it clear that he was not at all thrilled with what was happening:

"It's up to you, but I wouldn't risk it like that." He shook his head. "One of them could do something really stupid before their time."

"Or maybe that's even better?" With a sly squint, the Emperor asked. "Nonsense will look more natural..."

The interlocutor did not answer, waving his hand at the emperor. He leaned back in his chair, letting out a gray jet of cigarette smoke into the ceiling.

* * *

Alex was walking backward on full automatic, trying to digest what had happened:

Do I really have to search the SS now? But how? By whom? He was increasingly floored by the realization that he had just, himself, created a huge pile of problems for free. What was I even thinking?

Finally, the door of his waiting room closed behind him. He could catch his breath.

"How'd it go?" There was a familiar voice.

The first blade of his domain, in a snow-white and immaculate uniform, was sitting at the snack table, putting her foot on her leg and scribbling something with a black marker stylus in a small notebook. "I hope all is well?" She asked, putting the notepad aside and looking at Alex with concern. "You look confused."

"Much better than I expected." He answered cautiously, not taking his eyes off her hands. Because of the grace with which they moved, Alex realized that he was facing Not-Taer.

It wasn't that this meeting had taken him by surprise. It was just that he hadn't expected to see her right here and right now, So it did catch him a little bit, and at a very unfortunate moment.

"It's always nice when reality exceeds expectations." She smiled at him. "Adds a slight sweetness to the routine."

Not-Taer's smile blew his breath out. It could probably wring the necks. Literally.

I wonder how it is the same person, in the physiological sense, smiles so differently?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"To what do I owe this surprise?" He asked aloud, heading towards her table but stopping at a respectful distance. Not that it makes any difference, though... He had seen the footage of Taer leaping ten times the distance in one leap.

"Well..." Not-Taer frowned unhappily. "Such a tone, like we were complete strangers. Have a seat." She pointed her hand hospitably to the seat across from her. "Take a breath. I promise I won't take up too much of your time."

"It's just that the end of our last meeting didn't leave the most pleasant aftertaste." Alex hummed, pushing back the chair across from him.

"You'd think." Lightly, Not-Taer brushed it off, watching him with an innocent smile. "It's just physical pain. Hard to believe it could touch you in any way."

"It didn't seem that way to me." He sat back down sincerely and shut up, signaling that he was giving up the initiative in the conversation and waiting for Not-Taer to explain herself.

But time passed, and she was still smiling silently, watching him with her hand on her chin, and it seemed like she could sit like that for an eternity.

"Interesting choice of model." After a few minutes, Alex couldn't stand it any longer, nodding at Not-Taer's notebook lying next to him. There were sketches of Lady Pell from different angles, which showed that: first, Not-Taer was a very gifted graphic artist, and second, that Nadina in her life was not so peaceful and happy as in these drawings.

"I'm impressed with active personalities." Not-Taer shrugged her shoulders indifferently, and her innocent smile began to melt away.

"The drawing is very expressive." Alex complimented her, making it clear that he was waiting for her to get to the point.

"A purely mechanical skill." Her smile finally dissolved into the sullen mask of a professional. "But creating something that doesn't exist yet allows me to take my mind away from the unbearable monotony of existence."

She sighed heavily and picked up the small briefcase at her feet, placing it on her lap:

"Here." She held out to him a sheet pulled from her briefcase with the scarlet monograms of the Cassard family. "Just sign it. I told you it wouldn't take long."

Taking the paper, which turned out to be a sheet of plastic, Alex quickly ran his eyes over the text.

It was an order in which "of the Great House Fyron, First Blade Cassard's own guard Daim Taer Diltar" was placed on indefinite leave until: "circumstances will not allow her to perform her duties to the fullest extent again".

It was a completely unexpected turn:

"What's that supposed to mean?" He raised an eyebrow, putting the order aside.

"Whatever you want." Not-Taer shrugged again, but despite her mask of seriousness, a laughing sparkle flickered in her eyes. "Like a civilized divorce?" She suggested with a sly look. "I have to move forward somehow, to redefine myself..."

"What if I say no?" Alex asked in the same half-joking tone.

"Why?" Not-Taer wrinkled her nose. "Besides, I can act through the Consulate Court. With your unpopularity there, it won't be difficult. Or worse..." She gave him a meaningful look. "I could indeed keep the title and position of the first blade of the domain and start using them..."

"I'm sure you'll be monstrously effective in that role." Without a shadow of irony, Alex replied.

"I will." With relentless seriousness, Not-Taer nodded. "But do you need to? And anyway..." She paused tiredly covering her eyes, massaging them slightly with her fingers. "Understand..." She finally continued with a heavy sigh. "I could stay on, continue to play the role of your head of security and first blade of the domain, and be literally perfect in both roles. But that's not what you want, is it? You've planned princess assassinations, monster rescues, and other games. And I don't mind games." She smiled tiredly and pressed her hand to her chest. "But let's at least not pretend it's serious then. Sign it." She offered, placing the black marker stylus in front of him with a look as dead tired as if they'd been haggling all day. "And play whatever you want."

Not that it's a problem... He'd already unofficially put her 'out of service' on 'health' grounds. And this was just a formalization of his own decision. If Taer gets back to normal, there won't be any problem getting her back on duty.

Unless, of course, she stages some sort of mass public murder with dismemberment before actually returning to normal. Alex corrected himself mentally.

But there was one question: Why would she do that?

Another long exchange of glances followed. Taer's face was completely blank. Alex strongly suspected that the new owner of this body could freely decide what emotions to show and what not. And that's why all these games of staring at her were of no use. The true intentions in her eyes could not be seen. But a long exchange of glances made it possible to notice a detail that had eluded him earlier: the right sleeve of her uniform did not bear the "Scarlet Branch of the Cassards" insignia.

"I see you've changed your uniform?" He asked, pointing to her right sleeve with his eyes.

"New role, new uniform." She smiled, turning so he could see her better.

There was no scarlet branch on her sleeve, but there was an emblem at her shoulder: three stylized intersecting vectors connected by a circle. Peleng, the emblem of Imperial Intelligence.

Wow. Alex thought, looking at the emblem.

He had felt completely dumbfounded three times today, and he didn't know how to deal with it. He knew that Not-Taer was staying at the princess's palace apartment, but he hadn't thought it might have something to do with the fact that Artala had recently been appointed head of Imperial Intelligence. As it turns out, I should have thought better of it. But why? Why?

Just questions, and absolutely no answers. In their conversation, Artala made no mention of the fact that she had "employed" Taer....

Although, we don't know what Not-Taer told her, Alex realized. Artala might think I know everything. Or that it was my request in the first place...

Lord Cassard and Princess were allies in some murky business:

And Artala clearly felt obligated. Even helped me with my check with the Inquisition. Could Not-Taer have taken advantage of that? Easily.

Though there were other options, worse. Like, for some reason, Artala didn't want me to find out about it from her...

"That was fast." That's all Alex could say.

"Reorganization." Not-Taer turned again, taking a more comfortable position at the desk, and the shiny emblem disappeared from view. "Many positions available."

"And which one was released to you if it's no secret?"

"Second Deputy Lady Director and Head of Department Four." She answered, bowing her head slightly as if introducing herself. "So there." She poked a finger under the epaulet on her right shoulder. "There should also be a pendant with two swords on it, but I'm still only a 'temp,' so I didn't get into that nonsense."

Second deputy, is that Artala's number two deputy or deputy deputy?

He didn't know what the fourth department did. But it would probably be easy to find out. At least the guys who served in House Fyron's intelligence department should know.

And he had plenty of those in his Arm.

"Is this a promotion or a demotion relative to your previous position?" Alex asked straightforwardly, not seeing the point in beating around the bush. "I want to know if I should congratulate you or encourage you."

"A slight demotion, technically," Not-Taer replied after a moment's thought and added meaningfully. "But, more work and more opportunities."

"And that's why you needed this?" He asked tapping his finger on the order lying on the table.

"Technically, I can combine." Not-Taer replied, and something in her tone and eyes added unspoken: If you change your mind, of course. "But it will be easier this way. No need to travel to the Tail sector, less reason to cross paths with you and risk you doing something stupid."

"I have to organize searches in the Security Service, and now Taer is suddenly working in the Imperial Intelligence Service. Alex felt that the situation was completely out of control, and he had a feeling that this was only the beginning. It was going to get worse.

Okay, okay... Mentally he pulled himself together, it was pointless to panic or worry here. Yes, Not-Taer was acting completely different from what he expected. So what? We need to focus on our own line of action. What was the original plan?

The plan was simple: find Taer, immobilize her with gas, as the informant from the Inquisition advised, perform a full biomedical examination, and show the results to the experts in induced reactions so they could tell what to do with it.

Because the induced reactions could, in theory at least, be reversed, and it was hoped that this would bring back the old Taer.

It was asked, Does he have a better plan?

I don't have a better plan. Alex admitted honestly to himself after a moment's thought. What changes in the plan from Taer somehow influence the princess to go into intelligence?

It was getting more complicated, at least the hypothetical complications with Artala. He was planning to kidnap not only the first blade of his domain and a beautiful girl but also her deputy.

And worst of all, I'm getting less time. One way or another she'll get rid of her First Blade duties, and that's it. She'll be mostly in the palace or at the Imperial Intelligence headquarters. There's absolutely no way to get her there anymore, so we need to act fast. With each passing day, the chances of success are getting slimmer and slimmer.

"I don't mind. In principle." He said with a raspy voice, and with a stark look at Taer, he pushed the order sheet away from him. "But only after we get some explanations and answers to some questions."

He needed to somehow lure Not-Taer out to a place where she could be 'taken'. The easiest way to do that was if she offered to meet somewhere else.

"Explanation?" Not-Taer defiantly circled her hand around the luxurious chambers. "Here? Well, be realistic."

That's it! It was exactly the reaction he'd been waiting for.

"This really isn't a good place to be." Alex agreed sincerely, remembering from the story with Nadine that his majesty was not shy about eavesdropping on guests. "But we could meet in a more private setting."

Not-Taer's eyebrow crept upward, and an ironic smile touched her lips:

"Is that an invitation to a date?"

"You could say that." Alex shrugged. "Or are you scared?"

"It's been too long since I've been able to be afraid." She shook her head and added with a predatory smile. "So I'm okay with it. On principle."

"Wonderful." Alex was sincerely happy, but Not-Taer immediately interrupted him:

"But you do realize I'll only agree to meet in a public place, right?"

"I see." Calmly, he nodded. It was quite expected. "What kind of public place do you prefer?"

She looked up at the ceiling and tapped her chin with her fingernail. Her fingernails were clearly longer than usual and painted a deep blue. Taer had never had that before:

I don't think Taer used any makeup or the bare minimum.

"You know I have an idea." She turned to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "A restaurant at the main temple of Twilight in the capital. I hope at least there you won't do anything stupid?"

"The restaurant at the temple?" Slowly repeated Alex not hiding his surprise. "Are you serious or are you joking now?"

"Here we go..." Not-Taer defiantly pouted her lips and made a resentful face. It came out very nicely. "I have a bad sense of humor, but not to that extent. I'm serious."

"And the temple has a restaurant?" Alex thought to himself incredulously: Damn, why is she so charming from time to time? No comparison with usual Taer, it's not even fair ... Or is she somehow affecting my brain?

He didn't feel as out of control as he had when he'd first met Liora. But Not-Taer had a way about her, the kind of person you just wanted to talk to without noticing the time: Why? Because I know she's a cruel, ruthless person with a very sadistic streak...

"All the major temples in Twilight have restaurants. It's part of the tradition." Not-Taer calmly explained, not at all surprised by his question. "They keep hoping that Twilight will stop by one of them sometime, or maybe even go there regularly. And conveniently, like temples, they're usually visited with a veil or mask, so there shouldn't be any problems with securing incognito. Quite a fashionable place, by the way."

He didn't like the temple option, but he couldn't say that directly:

"Fancy place? Isn't there gonna be a problem getting in? And I know you want a public place, but wouldn't it be too crowded to socialize privately?"

"I think I can get us a table." Not-Taer grinned at some of her thoughts and added seriously. "Don't worry about privacy. As long as we keep it quiet, it won't be a problem."

"All right, at the temple, so at the temple." Alex spread his hands. "I'm not going to argue with your choice. If you feel safe there, then so be it. We just need to decide on a date."

"Tomorrow?" With a kind of childlike directness, she asked.

"I'm to organize searches of the Imperial SS." Alex wrinkled his nose painfully. "I don't know how long that will take..."

And I certainly won't have time to organize the flooding of the main temple of Twilight with soporific gas! He thought with carefully concealed fury.

Not-Taer was expected to choose an inconvenient location. But the main, bloody, temple, the second most populous religion... She was absolutely not going to make it easy for him.

"Serious business." She nodded back understandingly. "The day after tomorrow, then?"

"I'd really appreciate it if you'd go to the meeting." Crushingly he shook his head. "The day after tomorrow will be much easier for me. What time?"

"Well, since it's a date..." Not-Taer laughed a little, a wide smile shining on her face. "Then, of course, it's in the evening. We'll get in touch and confirm the exact time on the day of the date."

"As you wish." Alex bowed his head respectfully, and after a short pause he added:

"But remember, it's my signature and your answers."

"I have nothing to hide." With a carefree smile, Not-Taer shrugged.

"So I'll see you then?"

"See you."

She folded the order neatly back into her briefcase and, with a two-finger salute from her temple, turned on her heels heading for the waiting room exit:

The tasks have been concretized. Alex thought, seeing off Not-Taer with a glance. To organize a search in the Security Service and to figure out how to gas the main temple of Twilight so that nothing would happen to me... That's all.

Her gait, just like on that record, was so eye-catching.

The door closed, and a wistful thought crept into my head:

Why don't just screw it? Who am I proving what to?

But he shook his head and rose resolutely from his seat to organize something he had never organized: Twice.

* * *