After Darius's body was put into a consecrated crypt, the people were quite lost about what to do. What they witnessed was unforgettable and, while the protocol stipulated a short period of mourning and even some public wailing, the late Emperor explicitly told them to be happy. Since they all felt embarrassed about throwing a festival immediately after the doors to the crypt were sealed, they went back to their normal lives instead. Meanwhile, the new Emperor of Metaka invited all the foreign guests to a state dinner. While there was still a lot of time before dinner, Darius the Twentieth was reviewing policies with Vettalia and Matilda. While Matilda had reluctantly agreed to hear Guad and Vettalia’s plans, she only attended a meeting if she could bring a guard. The new Emperor agreed instantly, not knowing that Matilda was accompanied by a Praetorian in disguise. However, the longer they talked, the less awkward she felt. Before she knew it, she was chatting with them like the family they hadn’t been in a long time.

"Soooo... Let's address a Dragon in the room." The former Empress took a deep breath. "What's the history of your conspiracy? From the beginning, please."

"I think we started this plan when we were six?" Darius smiled and looked at his sister.

"Yes. Just a few days after my seventh birthday." Vettalia smiled mournfully. "It was the day when Father told us about the schemes constantly plotted against the crown by the nobles from the south. We... We didn't pay much attention at that moment."

She stuttered and lowered her clouded gaze. Guad sighed and picked up the story. "Not before our mother was killed."

"I didn't know..."

"Of course, you didn't know." Vettalia smiled faintly. "Father never mentioned it. He even ordered for no one to ever mention it to you. He really loved our mom. Flora was as special to him as you were, Matilda. I even think you would have liked each other."

"I don't remember our mom that well..." Guad sighed with regret.

Matilda was lost. In her wildest dreams, she couldn't even imagine a situation in which she would sit with Guad and Vettalia and listen to their childhood stories. She felt awkward but, somehow, in a good way.

"Anyway!" Vettalia clapped her hands making her brother sigh sadly. "She died in an unexplained accident. Father never believed the accident-part bullshit and neither do we. He suspected the southern nobles but never found evidence. As children, we pledged to find the guilty..."

"About that later..." Guad interrupted his sister but Vettalia simply nodded in acknowledgment. "The next three wives... They were a disaster. A complete disgrace to anything we held dear as Metakans. Those stupid bitches were, of course, planted by..." He drummed his fingers over the edge of the table and continued with a disgusted face. "Southerners!"

"It was so obvious they wanted to raise a future Emperor that, now, it appears funny. All they wanted to do was give birth to as many children as they could carry all the while trying to get rid of us. And oh, protect themselves." Vettalia laughed. "Father hoped that the southern nobles would let their guard down and he would be able to find the bastards who killed our mother. He wanted to avenge Flora so much..."

"And those kids? They were horrible bastards who never saw over the tip of their noses. We killed them without remorse, one by one. Not as our younger siblings, no. When they made themselves a target as an adult - albeit, the minimal legal age of being a target. Father was lenient because he hated those southern bastards and, since we proclaimed it to be an inheritance feud, he overlooked it. Of course, no one could link us with the deaths of any Empresses as that would be suicide even if Father wanted to cover for us." Guad laughed.

"Then... He gave up." Vettalia painfully shook her head. "He withered with each day until he found you, Matilda."

"I..." She lowered her head in embarrassment.

"We never hated you. You loved him and never tried to exploit his love. You were the first of his new wives who wanted to bond with us. But we couldn't... We..." Vettalia's voice wavered.

"I know that you had to pretend..." Matilda smiled awkwardly.

"It's not that..." Guad shook his head in denial. "You look exactly like our mother. Matilda, you are the perfect look-a-like of Flora. Please, don't make that face! Maybe, in the beginning, Father wanted you to be her, but he wasn't stupid. He loved you for who you are and you gave him so much love and warmth. You were the wife he so desperately needed. When Cassmira and Leonard were born, Father started laughing again. We couldn't make him smile anymore because he saw in us the reflection of Flora. We also were deep into our conspiracy so reaching out to him would ruin everything. But he had you! You were everything we could hope for him. You never tried to attack us and did everything for us to become a family. Thank you, Matilda. Without you, our father would have died a long time ago from grief."

"I know it's hard to swallow but..." Vettalia wanted to say more but Matilda raised her hand.

"Actually, everything is starting to make sense now. While I didn't know about Flora or how similar I looked, I always knew that Darius's love was genuine. Thank you for telling me the truth."

"You took it much better than we expected..." Guad chuckled.

"I mean... Some scolding is in order when I join Darius, but I should prepare myself to meet Flora as well." Matilda chuckled.

Guad and Vettalia laughed while Matilda looked at them with a soft smile. After decades of perfectly pretended hatred, that everyone around them believed, they were sitting together and laughing.

"But you were telling me about the southern nobles." Matilda pressed the issue once their laughter died down.

"We had one chance to save Metaka. The succession war." Guad nodded. "When we were ten we made this vow. That we were going to be a menace to each other and pretend to hate each other for that one single purpose. To purge Metaka of the scum who killed our mother. We painstakingly gathered the evidence, interrogated their minions, and uncovered everything. We learnt, too late, about the plot of the Southerners who, foolishly, wanted to use the Union to gain independence. Fortunately, your friend came to the rescue. Without Emperor Theon, Empress Aoi, Cassmira, and Leonard, we would be in trouble or, worse, in the middle of a civil war. Again, you and your children saved Metaka. I know that Lord Theon wanted to save Mia and Tia Francesca, but we were in danger as well."

"With his intervention, Lord Theon threw a massive wrench into the well-oiled machine of our enemies. Believe it or not, they were still plotting against us until news about Dauntless' intervention spread across Metaka. That left some of the most vocal nobles exposed. The rest is history..." Vettalia smiled ominously. "We were ready to kill them all. Wearing white gloves. In adherence to the laws and traditions."

"But your soldiers... They should be fighting by now." Matilda said with pain in her voice. While she was happy about the death of the traitors, the death of the innocent soldiers weighed on her soul.

"I don't think so." Guad shrugged. "Besides, our generals have a full list of traitors to execute."

"General Mattias and General Irwin are extremely competent soldiers who loyally follow their orders," Vettalia explained. "They should still be occupied by their main objective, which is, basically, re-conquering the southern regions. They only had seven days so there should be no way they already met."

"And even if they somehow cleared the south, they will be waiting for our return," Guad added. "We explicitly ordered them to wait for our return before the final battle."

"Shouldn't you tell them the truth now?" Matilda nervously curled a strand of hair on her finger.

"Well..." Vettalia hesitated. "We will need some help."

"That's true." Guad sighed. "While the core of our armies are loyal, there are some elements who will protest. You saw the initial reaction of the ordinary people and officials. They weren't happy with the way we resolved the succession war. I think that only the presence of the Gods and immediate recognition of Lord Theon Avalon silenced the people. We have broken tradition, after all. Some traditionalists in the army may take it poorly, as well."

"Hmmm... Navy?" Matilda looked at Guad.

"The same as the army," Vettalia continued while Guad slowly shook his head.

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"Honestly I have no idea how to solve that problem. Nothing short of a miracle..." Guad's eyes went wide and he abruptly looked at Matilda. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Ummm... Could you ask the Gods for help?"

"Gods? But I don't... Oh, right..." Matilda blushed awkwardly. She had not embraced the fact that she befriended Goddess Hestia. It was far easier to think about her as the Empress of a friendly nation than a Goddess. "I could ask Lady Hestia but I think she would want something in return."

"I don't think we can pay..." Guad made a sour face.

"I mean, some amount of money will be needed, but she, more likely, would like to be recognised as our Goddess. She doesn't care much about wealth..." Matilda rolled her eyes and chuckled. "No! Not because she is wealthy enough, you silly! Goddess Hestia never cared for such things. Neither did she care for lavish temples or big ceremonies. According to tradition, her symbol is an ever burning flame. This is where money would be involved: providing fuel for her sacred flame. Hestia is mainly the Goddess of family; however, right now, her influence is much wider."

"I don't mind introducing her to the wider population of Metaka, but..." Vettalia looked awkwardly at Guad, who cleared his throat.

"She is the Empress of Arcadia... It's fine and all since we are allies but it's still awkward as hell to pray to the wife of the ruler of the neighbouring country." Guad nervously explained. "Also, I know that she can most probably hear us, so that's not helping..."

"While I admit you have a valid point, I don't think that would be a problem." Matilda shrugged. "We can ask all her allied Gods for help. But, despite your fears, I still believe that Hestia is going to be one of the more popular. Come on! She is a deity that blesses the well-being of families!"

"But the scriptures..." Vettalia furrowed her brows.

"Lies." Matilda huffed dismissively. "The Arcadian church of Hestia treats them as parody texts written by the faithful of some jealous deity. They don't acknowledge them at all."

"What about Hestia then?" Vettalia perked up in surprise.

"What about her?" Matilda huffed in agitation. "How would you feel, Vettalia, if someone wrote such nonsense about you and spread it far and wide?"

"I would be so embarrassed that I would hide for... Oooo!"

"Exactly!" Matilda opened her hands in an irritated gesture, implying that Hestia had hidden for centuries before she, just recently, returned. "It's unfair to let people believe such nonsense but Hestia chose to show her true self instead of censoring lies."

"I think we should outlaw such terrible lies..." Guad shook his head in disgust. He had no problems believing in Matilda's words, especially after seeing Hestia's behaviour personally. The false-Hestia's worship was disgusting.

"I think that doing what Arcadia does is far easier." Matilda picked up her tea and took a sip. "Theon criminalized any faith, cult, or sect not recognised by the allied deities. Punishment for breaking this law is exile from the Empire of Arcadia and being marked as an outlaw."

"He is not fucking around, isn't he?" Guad paled. That was just a death sentence with extra steps.

"Nope. He is allergic to bullshit. His words, not mine." Matilda nodded slightly and smiled. "But, he is right. The stakes are too high. Theon told me that he was sent to Nilmerthis by Eriar, the Silent Guardian, a hidden and, according to Hestia and Zeus, the most powerful deity of our world. Theon is bound to fight the Gods of Chaos and Void, their cultists, and true demons."

"Okay... I see. He doesn't want the cults of those entities to spread in Arcadia." Guad nodded. "I don't want to have anything to do with them as well. Gods of Chaos and Void? They sound nasty."

"Also don't speak about them and don't dwell on them because that's how they find and corrupt people," Matilda warned. "I'm protected from their influence by Hestia and Eriar. But, even so, I don't tempt fate."

"So, in fact, we NEED to ask the Arcadian Gods to protect us!" Vettalia panicked.

"They are already spread across Arcadia and Iceleon. Adding Metaka will only strengthen them and our alliance. If, and only if, you are honest about it, you are honest?" Matilda looked at Guad and Vettalia inquisitively.

"Of course! Emperor Theon is from a world where long-lasting alliances were something normal. I'm more concerned about our local breed of idiots, sometimes called nobles, and wether the future generations won't destroy everything." Guad leaned back in his chair with a grim expression.

"We have time to make everything right." Vettalia's face turned vicious. "Theresa Iceleon just purged most of the nobles of her country, if not all of them. Lord Theon treats nobles as high-tier public servants. The Union of the Southern Nations is on the brink of a civil war because Luie Vetulia tried to hide his stupid son, Derek, after his escapades. Kirinalli Estaria divorced him and married Hector Breonia and, not surprisingly, Kirinalli's demeanor shifted and she became a distinguished lady. It's interesting because, during her brief marriage with Derek, she basically lived in a separate room and couldn't stand Derek. D'ester Aswal and Kirinalli Estaria became best friends. Right now, everyone blames Derek for all the Union troubles."

"I don't see the connection between Metakan nobles and the current political situation of the Union..." Matilda admitted after a thoughtful while.

"It's easy. The Union was the last significant force that could bail out our megalomaniac nobles when we reduced their privileges and rights. I expected them to fight back, so it's a good thing they won't have any external allies. I believe that copying Arcadian solutions will serve our country's best interests. Never again will Metaka fear the nobles’ uprising." Vettalia's voice was cold.

"All right. That leaves us with the following agenda: first and foremost, we are going to confirm the alliance with Arcadia and Iceleon. After that, our negotiation of the full terms of the alliance and the projects in Iceleon and Metaka, and, most probably, listen to what Lord Theon would like to disclose to us. Then, we have to ask the Gods for protection." Guad crossed his arms.

"If Lord Theon asks, we are going to tell him about our plans concerning our nobility. There is no point in hiding something he won't object to anyway." Vettalia said and watched the two of them nod in confrontation. "That leaves us with the last issue: What are your plans, Mother Matilda?"

"I... I don't know, honestly." Matilda leaned back in her chair and rested the back of her head on the back stand as she looked at the ceiling. "There was a time when I wanted to run away to Arcadia and hide in Avalon... But... I don't need to anymore, right? You don't plan to... You know?"

She focused on Guad as she spoke the last words. The new Emperor smiled widely.

"While, I must admit, you are a beautiful woman, I would never force you into marriage. Before you jump to the wrong conclusion, no, I won't marry you even should you desire it. I'm sorry Empress Matilda but you are too similar to our Mother." Guad sounded apologetic as he shook his head in denial. "You had no idea how happy I was when you were standing alongside our Father. I could imagine that you were her. You, also, tried to love us as your children and didn't hide Cassmira and Leonard from us. While I know that you hoped to form a bond between us, a bond that would save their lives, I don't think you suspected how strong that bond was."

"I didn't..." Matilda smiled sadly. "Wait... Why has no one tried to kill me?"

Vettalia exchanged an amused gaze with Guad and they started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Matilda asked with a wooden voice.

"My loyal soldiers prevented fifty-three attempts on your life." Guad chuckled. "But I think Vettalia's people covered you even more."

"Ugh... I honestly stopped counting after two hundred." Vettalia covered her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "You were a glowing target. However, thanks to you, we managed to pinpoint most of the anti-royal conspirators."

"What about Cassmira and Leonard?" She asked terrified.

"Targeting them would be a suicide. Besides, most of the conspirators deeply believed that we would take care of the twins. Even despite our clear declarations! They were crazy..." Guad shrugged his arms and made a disgusted facial expression. "You are safe now, even if those people somehow get away with their lives. Do you still want to move to Arcadia?"

"I would like to stay with my children... But now I can travel between the countries, right? I want to freely visit Darius's grave."

"Of course. That's without discussion." Guad nodded with a smile. "I ask because I would like you to pass your Imperial Crown to my wife. I would very much appreciate the gesture because that particular crown belonged to our Mother. While Father's other wives received their own versions, it was much simpler, by the way, that you got hers. I know its significance to you..."

"Because I got it from Darius?" Matilda asked to be sure and sighed briefly after his confirmation. "I never considered it something permanent or even personal. For me, it was a symbol of Darius's power. I would have objections if you would have asked me for the jewellery or other memorabilia Darius gave me..."

"No! No! I would never...!" Guad waved his hands in panic. "Just the crown. That would mean a lot to me, Empress Matilda."

"Of course. I can give it right away and once you marry... Oh... Ooooh!" Matilda finally put two and two together. "You are ALREADY married!"

"Well... I'm forty-three years old." Guad smiled and opened his hands in a powerless gesture. "Not everyone is as young and beautiful as you, Empress Matilda."

"Pfff..." Matilda chuckled. "So? Who is it?"

"I don't think you know her..." Guad stared very carefully. "She is the younger daughter of Baronet Ian Wendel. We met ten years ago and I fell for her completely."

"You are right. I never met her but I think you imply that I wouldn't know her family." Matilda chuckled. "Captain Ian Wendel was raised to a lesser noble by Darius about fifteen years ago in recognition of his loyal service and bravery during the extermination of the feral goblin tribes."

"I..." Guad blushed.

"Do you really think that I would discriminate against her just because she is a lesser noble? I was a slave until your Father bought me and set me free, Guad!"

"I deserved that... But the stupid bigotry of our nobles-"

"Then it is one more reason to show them their place." Matilda interrupted him and crossed her arms while Vettalia nodded. "Theon will help you to put them in line if you need any help."

"I think I can at least talk with him about it. But, contrary to the water project, we aren’t incapable of doing something on our own."