With a mighty tug, the florid bed curtains were ripped to the side, the fine brocade almost tearing in the process. Bright sunshine spilled straight into Lionel’s eyes and forced a disgruntled moan out of him. Someone yanked his sheets away, exposing two naked bodies to the morning chill. A surprised shriek, a thud, and the subsequent staccato of galloping steps indicated Pricilla’s desperate attempt to hide in the adjacent room.

Wrinkling his nose, Lionel yawned like a cat and blinked several times, his muddled gaze finally focusing on the black-clad figure towering over him.

“Good morning, dear uncle,” he purred while smacking his lips. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your matinal visit?”

“Stop with the bullshit, Lionel! Do you realize how deep in trouble you are, you whoring little scut?”

Lionel leisurely stretched, throwing his uncle, His Holiness Primate Leopold, a hidden glance. Or at least he tried, for his eyes were immediately met by the cold blue gaze of the older man. The cleric's usually placid and controlled face was now flushed and distorted, indicating that its owner was fighting the urge to strangle his nephew. Ignoring the murderous glare, Lionel looked around and found a much-expected second visitor standing behind and a polite distance away from Primate Leopold, dressed in the same black outfit of the militant branch of the Church – the Night Brothers. The ivory-blond hair and smooth copper skin of this man, together with his fine, ageless features, culminated into an angelic appearance that would have made him a heart-throb for any lady in the palace. Unfortunately, the image of perfection was ruined by the jagged scar that ran across the second cleric's throat almost from one ear to the other.

Sobering up and assessing the situation, Lionel sat in the bed and gave his audience the most charming of smiles, trained and perfected by years of habit.

“I am afraid I don’t understand your point, dear uncle.” He then nodded to the man in the back. “Oh, and good morning to you, Father Ermin. You have been so quiet that I almost didn’t notice you.”

The eyebrows of the younger cleric twitched a bit but a second later he returned the smile and bowed politely. On his side, Primate Leopold gritted his teeth.

“Enough games boy! How in the name of the Two Gods did you manage to cause so much damage in just a few months?”

“If you mean the Southern campaign…”

“No, I don’t mean that fiasco. That is a whole separate shit-storm. I mean the troubles you brewed in Sefis. Your father is furious. He almost had another attack after learning about that little impromptu wedding you organized. You denigrated a member of the imperial family and ruined plans that have been in the making for years.” Heaving deeply, the older man leaned over Lionel, who thought with some bemusement that, if looks could kill, he would be long dead. “To top it all, you took over two months to return to the capital, frolicking around instead. And the moment you enter the palace you jump in bed with yet another whore before even reporting to the Emperor.”

Lionel swiped away the traces of spittle from his face and stood up, forcing Primate Leopold to take a step back. His sunny demeanor suddenly turned cold as a vicious smirk crept on his lips. Even the Saint's patients had a limit and, by the Gods, he was not a saint.

“Believe me, uncle dearest, everything I did was for our mutual benefit. Or do you mean to tell me that all those prayers have turned your brain into mush so that you can’t even grasp what is going on?”

“You-”

The angry outburst of the older man was cut immediately.

“Do you mean to say that I should have left my half-breed of a brother gain Pandad’s support for the Crown Prince? Don’t look at me like that, I have known about these arrangements for quite a while. As neither you nor any of your people did anything about it, it was up to me to intervene before the deal was completed. If I hadn't acted, all our plans would have been seriously hampered. So, instead of yelling, you should be thanking me.”

The old cleric just stood there gaping. Lionel massaged his neck without letting the men out of sight, while anger and the remnants of last night's drug made the blood drum between his temples.

“Additionally, uncle dearest, you would do best not to forget that your candidacy as the next High Pontifex depends on my wellbeing, so you should show a bit more… decorum when addressing your precious nephew.”

“Decorum?” Primate Leopold clenched and unclenched his fists several times before spitting his words into Lionel’s face. “Don’t talk to me about decorum! If you had any sane thoughts left in your head, you would have handled the matters more smoothly instead of turning everything into a spectacle. But that's what you always do - acting without thinking anything through!"

The middle-aged cleric, in black clothing and with a twisted expression, looked like a menacing demon.

Lionel yawned and wrinkled his brows, his impatience growing. Even after all these years, his uncle was acting like a mother-hen. No, he was hypocritically trying to imprint some useless values on him. Giving half an ear to the angry cleric's tirade, Lionel felt his usually well-masked anger bubbling up beyond his control. Maybe all those years of prayer and fighting against infidels on the Church's behalf had indeed turned his brain into mush. Or sand.

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"And you should pay more attention to your image," continued Primate Leopold. "Have you heard the rumors swirling around the capital? That half of the blond blue-eyed children in the past years carry royal blood? Do you know how hard it has been to clean up after you and keep your image intact? If you want to be the next emperor, you need to reign in your appetite at least until your butt sits securely on the throne! But as I have seen just now, this is too much to ask for. Who was the little slut this time? A guard's sister? A courtier's daughter? Someone's wife?”

“Why do you get so worked up?" Lionel huffed. "Because of a whore or two? Who would believe that the Lion Prince, the righteous young hero and most favored imperial son, is capable of such indecency? We have created a play for the fools and I've never openly acted out of character, never left a loose end. Without evidence, rumors are just funny little stories to pass the time. Besides, most of the hearsay is courtesy of that old bitch Nelini."

"Even so, any out-of-line behavior on your side..."

"Enough preaching, uncle! I know perfectly well what I am doing and how to silence unwanted voices, be it the easy or the messy way. I don't need you to do it for me."

The young man's icy tone made the cleric shudder. For a second, there was the voice of a true ruler instead of the velvety tone of a lecherous prince. This stark contrast caught the Primate by surprise.

On his side, Lionel stepped forward, moving past his uncle. Lionel’s bare feet made almost no sound as he crossed the room and stood right in front of Father Ermin, who averted his gaze in an attempt to ignore the young man’s naked body. Lifting a finger, Lionel traced the smooth curves of the cleric’s jaw, making him blush and flinch back.

“Still, for what is true, rumors can be manipulated to fit one’s narrative at any given time. For example, what do you think would happen if a word reaches the ears of the old geezers from the Synod that one of the candidates for the pontifex crown breaks his vows of celibacy and indulges in the company of men?”

“You… you wouldn’t!” Primate Leopold stuttered as all the blood drained from his face. "After all the years of running after you and cleaning up your messes, you dare threaten me like this?"

“But of course not, uncle.” Lionel chuckled and went to the door of the adjacent room. As he stood there, he threw back a look. “After all, what you and your brother-in-arms do in your confession time is of no interest to me. He being your lap-boy, you playing the bottom-bitch, who cares? Now, if you excuse me, uncle, Father Ermin, I am going to take a bath and prepare for the audience with the Emperor. Since you are already here, make yourselves comfortable. We should go greet my father together as one big happy family.”

Saying that, Lionel left the room, shutting the door tightly behind him. The instant they remained alone, Primate Leopold swayed and dropped to the ground on one knee. With the rustling of robes, Father Ermin dashed forward, kneeling beside him and frantically patting his back.

“I am fine, Er,” squeezed Leopold through his teeth as his fingers dug into the thick carpet. “That little snake is getting more vicious with every passing year.”

A double-tap on his shoulder prompted the man to lift his head. Beside him, the younger cleric flipped the bird in the direction where Lionel had disappeared. After that, his fingers started moving in a lightning-fast succession.

“Easy on the cursing there!” Leopold snorted and the creases on his forehead deepened. “The one you are calling a putrid dog-fucker is still my nephew and the imperial prince I am pledged to. ”

Ermin just shrugged and held up three of his fingers, then slowly bent one.

“Don’t lecture me!” Leopold angrily ruffled his hair. “There is no one better than him. Of those two, one is a bastard that neither the Church nor the nobles would recognize, no matter his achievements. As for Llewellyn… He has a brilliant mind but his body won’t last much longer. And what is worse – of his sons, his firstborn has inherited the same weak constitution, and the second one is too young to rule. I have no other choice but to give my support to Lionel. Otherwise, Limeria will crumble in the next five years."

Leopold's shoulders slumped as he mumbled in resignation:

"Honestly, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.”

Ermin gave him a wry smile and tapped himself on the back.

"Endure, huh? Well, at least I need to minimize the damage. Maybe... I could even bring some sense to him. He is still young."

The other cleric snorted shaking his head. Leopold, however, missed his less-than-encouraging reaction as he was squinting and rubbing his temples.

"Did you manage to see who the girl was? And spare me the lecture on how I should wear those weird lenses you've been playing around with."

Father Ermin's hands froze mid-motion. He clicked his tongue and pulled out a small slate and a piece of chalk from the pouch on his belt. Biting his lip, he hesitated but then dutifully wrote down a couple of words and handed over the slate.

Primate Leopold lifted the tablet closer to his eyes. For a second, his lips soundlessly mouthed the name. His face became as pale as the chalk letters.

"His own sister-in-law! " he moaned, looking at the ceiling. "Merciful Fathers, he was such a lovable child. Where... When did it all go so wrong? It's my fault. I was his teacher. I should have been stricter. I should have..."

Gentle hands smoothened the man’s messy hair away from his forehead. Leopold looked up to see Ermin’s face inches away from his. The younger cleric frowned and jabbed a finger in the other’s chest and then pointed to his own heart. After that, he clasped his palms together.

“Alright, alright, Er, don’t be angry. We are in this together.” Leopold sighed and his lips curved in a pained smile. “This old man's mistakes have caused you a lot of headaches.”

Ermin rolled his eyes. Then, out of nowhere, he flicked the Primate's forehead. Leopold just blinked at him as the other man carefully looked around, leaned in, and gave the reddening spot a small peck.

***

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