The rest of the peace conference passed without other incidents. While Empress Aoi was unaware of the assassination attempt, Janet and Rhys could make an elaborate guess of what was going to happen next. Especially when the Emperor dispatched Morrigan.

•••

Hector Breonia was looking outside the window of his cart and wondered if he made a mistake. Since they left the peace conference he was in a gloomy mood. All those visions were quickly fading, and yet, the lone images were engraved in his memories.

"Do you think we did the right thing, uncle?"

"I... I just don't know." The older man was sitting and staring into the distance. "We may have just wasted the only chance our Union could have to rule Aderon."

"I... Why did we stop?" Hector suddenly realised and moved towards the doors.

As he opened the doors and looked outside, he noticed a single woman wearing the Arcadian black armour. A sudden chill ran down his spine. She was just standing in the middle of the road but his most elite soldiers were not daring to approach her. However, as his eyes got used to the darkness of the late evening, Hector noticed at least one hundred Arcadians. Their distinctive-looking armours betrayed them as the Arcadian Royal Guards, called Praetorians. Upon seeing him, the woman stepped forward and slowly walked towards him, interrupted by no one. She entered his cart and the doors closed on their own. Hector couldn't remember when he sat down, or when he stepped back from the entrance, or even why he was so helplessly scared. The woman's red eyes were cold as she looked down on him as if he was a vermin and unworthy of her time.

"I will make myself clear." Her voice was incredibly pleasant despite being cold and angry. "I was sent by my Master, Emperor Theon Avalon, to bring you a message. Before you get any wrong ideas, I want you to know that you are alive only because Empress Aoi deeply believes that our nations can be friends."

Hector's eyes went wide from fear as he saw her fangs. His heart was beating like crazy. However, he had not even dared to take a deeper breath so as to not make the Superior Vampiress any angrier. She sat down and her eyes shone with barely hidden fury. She tossed a large scroll that painfully slammed into his chest and hit the ground with an ominous thump. Hector, still paralysed by fear, couldn't lower his gaze from the Vampiress' face.

"Read it." She ordered quietly and he grabbed the scroll with a shaking hand.

As he nervously read through the content, weapons and insignia of the most elite assassin unit in service of the Kingdom of Vetulia appeared in her hands. She put everything on the table between them, filling it almost completely. He tried to split his attention between the message and the Vampiress, but the contents of the scroll were far more alarming and important. The more he read the more his head spun. Shock, anger, panic, and fear washed through him in interchanging waves. He felt betrayed and furious. He shook his head and looked at the Vampiress whose face was as perfect as the myths claimed.

"What's the meaning of this?" He asked as he started doubting everything he believed. "You expect me to believe that?!"

"That's not my problem. My Master does not care either." She said it with such fury in her voice that Hector almost curled up in fear. "Arcadia does not care if Derek Vetulia wants to kill you. But listen to me very closely, Mortal. When you raise your hand on any of the Empresses of Arcadia, don't expect to get away with it."

"What are you saying?!" Luie almost cried in shock and wrestled the scroll from Hector's hands.

He read it a few times, crying and repeating: 'No, no, no...' under his breath. Hector immediately understood that Derek had set up his own father. He clenched his fists and felt his nails digging into his flesh but he felt no pain. The warm blood trickled down on the floor and the table between him and the Vampiress as he loudly gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath and extended his hand towards the table on which were placed various pieces of evidence of the assassination attempt.

"Why are you telling me this now? Why didn’t you bring this up during the negotiations?" He asked, too stunned to think clearly. He looked closer at the Vetulian insignia and weapons. His thoughts drifted towards his home and his wife whom he probably was not going to see anymore. D'ester... His eyes suddenly widened. "My wife! That bastard..."

"Your wife is safe." That one statement, with adamant certainty from that woman, was like a cold shower. Hector looked sharply at the Vampiress, who continued, "My Empress believed in the peace conference more than you ever had. It would greatly sadden my Lady if anything bad happened to D'ester Aswal."

"I... Want to believe it." Hector took a deep breath and looked at his Uncle who was shaking and rocking back and forth, reading the letter again and again. He couldn't force himself to be angry at that poor man. "I guess you didn't know, Uncle... What will happen now?"

The last question was directed at the Arcadian envoy. It wasn’t hard to guess what emotion was painted on her face.

"What would you do if you learned that someone tried to assassinate your wife when she tried to establish peace between neighbouring countries?" She replied with a question of her own.

"I would..." Hector hesitated just for a moment. He felt his tears falling but he couldn't help it. "I would declare war."

"A war?" She laughed and Hector knew that behind that laughter was mockery and amusement. "The armies of my Lord are vast and undefeated. You have no idea how close your laughable Union was to annihilation. Admiral Sparrow had her trigger finger ready to send you into oblivion and there was nothing that would save you. Not your military, not your gods, nothing... You can't declare war upon an enemy that can't fight back. That is not a war. That's a slaughter, Mortal. But no, My Lord is merciful."

Each of her words was akin to a hit from a whip and Hector knew that she was telling the truth. There was a cold realisation in his heart that during that conference he achieved something great. As he was sitting in front of the woman wearing the Praetorian's armour he realised how petty and stupid he was. He prayed to all the Gods he knew to save him and his soldiers. The primordial fear of death and a cold realisation that there was nothing he could do to save himself was devastating his mind. However, he must find a way to live. To save D'ester.

"So now it's time to name a price for your transgression." She said and snapped her fingers. The droplets of Hector's blood that lay on the table rose in the air, forming a bigger droplet that was dropped into a half-empty water jug. She then took out a much smaller piece of paper and put it on the table. "Nothing changed about the peace treaty negotiated by Empress Aoi."

Hector's heart beat faster as he looked at the Vampiress in anticipation. She purposefully dragged her monologue. Hector knew that she enjoyed their fear, but it was slowly made clear to him that she did that for their benefit. Whatever truth he believed just changed. Truths and laws that, so far, were as if carved in stone were shattered. As the understanding dawned upon him, he noticed her smile. The Union never stood a chance against Arcadia. The Union lost the war the moment they decided to attack Arcadia. Everything suddenly made sense: the sadness of the Empress when he was one step from declaring war, her amusement when she entertained his ego, and how she treated him as her equal. The calmness of Cassmira and Leonard. Finally, the absolute faith of Mia and Tia that, whatever would have happened, they were safe. Hector shivered. Oh, how stupid he was...

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"I see that at least you understand... You believed that you played with fire but you failed to notice it was a sleeping Dragon." She laughed and he lowered his head. "Let's return to the subject, shall we? The very idea of killing the Empress is an offence punished by death."

"N-... No!" Luie dropped to his knees and cried. "You can't demand the death of my son! I beg you, anything else, please..."

"Do you think that I am asking, Mortal?" Her voice was furious as she lowered her gaze toward Luie Vetulia.

At first, Hector wanted to intervene and refuse that outrageous demand as well. It was a reflex. But... But that bastard wanted to kill him as well. Knowing Derek's ambitions and inflated ego, Hector could easily guess what was his plan. After framing Arcadia for killing Hector and Luie, Derek would have declared war on Arcadia. D'ester who would become the Queen of Breonia and Aswal after Hector's death, would have to marry Derek and seal the unification of the four kingdoms. He pursed his lips and looked away. However, he wasn't going to say anything, even if he wanted the head of Derek as much as the Emperor of Arcadia, only because of the respect he had for Luie Vetulia.

"I know that his crime is serious and there is nothing we can do to atone for it, but have mercy... He is my only child." Luie begged but his words fell on deaf ears.

"He is no longer a child." The Vampiress pointed out.

"He will always be my child!" Luie's voice was shaking as he was sobbing. "We will imprison him, forever. You will never hear about him anymore..."

"I will tell a story, Mortal." She ignored Luie's begging. "During the war with Cridia, my Lord sent his envoys to Berna with the peace offer. Bernans, in their hubris almost rejected his offer, but then a wicked plan was born in their hearts. Influenced by their petty gods they sent the youngest princess of Berna to Avalon. As my Lord's armies besieged the capital of Cridia, she arrived with their diplomats and one of their Gods. Jukk'nala..."

Hector carefully listened to the story which they had only vaguely heard. Their spies brought only a few pieces of low credibility information that were eventually discarded as improbable.

"They were welcomed with the highest honours in Avalon. However, all our hopes were for naught. As my Lord and his sixth wife welcomed Bernans, a disaster struck. The hand that was extended with the peace offer was violently rejected when Jukk'nala, one of the most powerful gods in the Bernan Pantheon, tried to kill Queen Lavender." Her voice hung in the air. Hector understood immediately why she was telling that story. "Until that moment, my Lord believed there could be peace between our nations. But once Jukk'nala raised his hand at Queen Lavender, it was a declaration of war. At the end of a very short duel, Jukk'nala was dead."

Hector slowly swallowed and felt a growing pit opening in his stomach. The voice of the Vampiress hung in the air. Only Luie's sobs were interrupting the heavy silence.

"The heart of Jukk'nala was buried within the unconsecrated graveyard of the Righteous Dungeon. There will be no rebirth for a wicked god that wanted to kill my Lady. He will lay in the darkness, serving my Lord until the end of time." Her voice was emotionless and cold. She finally tilted her head and smiled softly. "Even the gods of Nilmerthis can't escape the wrath of my Master. What makes you believe that Derek Vetulia can get away with the same crime?"

"Who do you think I am to believe in such a lie?!" Luie cried as he slowly stood up. "You are a filthy monster... A Dungeon monster... I..."

He stumbled back and heavily sat on the cart sofa. Luie was breathing heavily, and suddenly, he looked at Hector. His eyes shone with hope.

"Tell her! We can't allow her to hurt my Derek!"

"Have you forgotten that Derek wanted to kill me?" Hector tried to speak calmly.

"It's a lie! I won't believe that Derek would hurt you!"

"I was silent because of the respect I have for you, Uncle. But don't involve me in that futile defence! There is enough evidence to declare war on the Union. I won't send our people to their deaths for a man who tried to kill me!"

"But..."

"You have already tested the limits of the patience of the Emperor enough, King Luie Vetulia. You are receiving a chance to quietly and painlessly kill Derek. In his benevolence, my Lord will let you put him to rest, allowing his soul to find solace in the afterlife or return to the reincarnation circle. If you defy him, Derek will be executed and his soul will join Jukk'nala in eternal punishment. Such defiance will mean war. How many people have to die for the sins of a single man?"

"She is right, Uncle," Hector replied with a similarly cold voice. "I won't allow Derek to hurt D'ester and ruin our nations. If you won't do it, I will publically announce what he tried to do."

"You will destroy the Union!" Luie scowled in horror. "Because of you-"

"Cease this hypocrisy, King Luie Vetulia! Don't dare to accuse me of the deeds of your son! It was he who destroyed the trust upon which the Union was born!" Hector yelled as he slowly stood up and stepped aside from the shocked man. "Don't ruin the last remains of respect I had for you!" He looked at the patiently waiting envoy of Arcadia. "The Kingdoms of Breonia and Aswal-"

"That won't work, young King." She dismissed him with a smile. "You represented the Union and as such, Arcadia won't be talking only with the two Kingdoms as long as the Union exists. This is an internal dispute within the Union."

She slid him a piece of paper and he slowly picked it up. He read an update to the peace treaty but he knew that he was going to agree with those outrageous demands. It was a punishment, a light one, to be honest, considering everything. The Union was going to provide one ton of iron ore each year for the next ten years to Arcadia. It was an unthinkable amount, close to the yearly production of the entire Union. Of course, after they execute Derek Vetulia. Emperor Theon Avalon will know whether they killed that man or not. He has not demanded any proof of Derek's demise.

"Why?" Hector asked, knowing fully well that if he had even a fraction of the Arcadian Emperor's power, he would use such an excellent excuse for the invasion.

"Isn't that obvious?" The Vampiress laughed. "The Empress Aoi believed in peace. I advised you to start doing everything in your power to maintain that peace, otherwise, you will face the wrath of the armies of Arcadia."

Hector shivered. His previous doubts were gone. How delusional he was to think they could win that war. A wasted chance? He shivered thinking about his audacity when he dared to demand something from Arcadia. Gods...

"There is one more thing, Luie Vetulia. Those assassins brought this." She dropped the pieces of some kind of weapon on the table Hector hadn't recognised. However, seeing how his uncle's eyes went wide, he became even more infuriated.

"So you know what it is..." Hector felt the burning anger. "I trusted and believed you, Uncle! Did you hide a secret weapon from us? How can I ever be sure if you haven't plotted with Derek all along?!"

"Hector... This is not what you think!" Luie looked at him with a terrified gaze. "That weapon was sealed! It was hidden from the world so its horrifying power couldn't be unleashed upon the world! It's called a musket and was created by the Hero John Oliver during the Age of Heroes. He left it in case we ever needed to protect our people from the Enemies of the World! It's too dangerous to be used like that!"

Luie was shaking his head and clearly was on the verge of going insane. However, Hector already emotionally distanced himself. He couldn't find any more of the trust and love he felt for that man not so long ago.

"But now it's destroyed..." Luie extended his shaking hand towards the remnants on the table.

"It's nothing but a toy compared to the weapons my Master already possesses. But be sure, Hector Breonia, that if Derek has more of them, your life is in danger." She stood up. "You have one month to comply with the demands of my master. If you even think of attacking Arcadia or our allies, you all will die."

"Wait!" Hector extended his hand to stop her, but before he touched her, he fearfully took it back. "What's your name?"

"I'm Morrigan of Avalon, Mortal." She said and vanished.