Author's Note:
Hellow, so, I am aware of my chapter's delay and I know it can be annoying, however I am going through a few things and would like to state that I am trying to consistently write and although some situations do fall out of my control scope, I will try to do better.
Please bear in mind this chapter might have a few mistakes due to me writing it 90% on my phone, which I do not usually do for HLWC, however as I said I had a few issues these past weeks, so I apologize.
Hopefully next week I'll be able to post the next one if everything doesn't go to shit again.
Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the chapter ^^
Follow me on BlueSky: @shootystr
Story's music playlist: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzQy_skC__7d7RJhTb7P_1jphprcYV7v3&si=VIjUfaR08FBpxBvD
⚠︎ This chapter has no significant warnings.
♬ Rescue My Heart by Liz Longley ♬
"In the softness of the night, I embrace your love and surround myself with your darkness."
A breeze cold like ice yet red and blazing, carrying the scent of ashes and burnt flesh enveloping Evangelia's body, her long black hair that is usually silky and perfect is now half-burnt and messy, her obsidian eyes bloodshot red, and her clothes are ripped from the fight that took place moments before.
Silence.
Excruciating, infuriating, deadly silence.
And amidst burnt corpses, burning buildings and at the back the burning Blessed Forest, she stands, tears running down her face tainted with the dried blood of those she loves, surrounding her there's nothing left to even remember the cheerful street by, not a soul survived the battle.
If you pay enough attention you can feel the silent cries of the sprites, burning to death alongside the animals and people that tried to escape the god's wrath.
Soon the fire might reach her, for now, she is too consumed with grief to care about burning to death.
The skin of her thigh burns, her trembling hands touch the corpse in front of her, Alkaios peaceful expression doesn't match the pain he went through before finally having his last breath. His body is rigid and cold, colder than that breeze, colder than Evangelia's heart.
Who said everything would be fine? Who said she could do it? What's the point of more chances, if she ends up at the same spot once again.
Why is life so fleeting? Why do the gods who swear to love humanity watch as everyone burns at the hand of one of them? Is it amusement? Is it indifference? Or merely following the will of fate?
"It's going to be ok", she whispers, grabbing his freezing hand, caressing his face with her other hand, his empty pink eyes staring at the nothingness of death, his usually beautiful and shiny silver hair is dark with the ashes falling from the sky, and his cold torso is soaked in his own blood. Slowly she lowers her head, touching their foreheads together. "I'll go back, I'll save you", she whispers again, silent tears sliding across her red cheeks.
Evangelia closes her eyes, feeling the grief of losing the love of her life for the third time. Surrounded by the bodies of everyone she loves, having lost even more to get to that moment.
Rainier, Tove, Phillip, Helios, her father… And Alkaios, oh, Alkaios… Why, why is he dead again? Why didn't the Universe take her life instead? Why must she go through this again?
Watch as he shakes in pain, looking at her eyes with love and telling her everything will be ok and that she should survive no matter what, to be happy even without him.
Survive? Be happy? In a world where he doesn't exist anymore? There isn't such a thing. There isn't life without Alkaios, there isn't a world without him.
And even if there was, she wouldn't wish to live in it.
"You're a foolish woman", that damn voice, making her whole body and soul shake, she raises her head, staring at the figure in front of her, hatred burning in her eyes. "How many times do you wish to do this again?" The figure snorts, laughing at her pathetic resolve.
Ten times, three gone, but she still has tries, but no matter what the next will be the last. And she'll kill that monster even if she must give her life for it.
Suppressing it isn't enough, it needs to die once and for all.
And although she must bear this time curse alone and the Universe seems fine allowing a god to break the rules… She won't give up, because saving Alkaios is all that matters, holding his warm hand again, kissing his soft lips and seeing his bright smile, it all matters more than going out the easy route.
"I'll see you again", she says, her surroundings becoming dark as she releases her mana, a temporary solution, but time is all she needs, because she'll turn that damned god's game against itself. "I'll kill you even if it kills me".
As the darkness overtakes them, she can see the smirk on the god's face, it may think it'll win this game, but no matter the odds, she'll do whatever it takes.
Because there isn't another answer but to succeed.
Before she fully loses consciousness, she places a kiss on Alkaios cold lips, a promise, a kiss of life, because the moment she dies, she'll wake up in a time and place where he'll be warm again.
❥
"They're impressively well-behaved today", long blue hair, flowing like the ocean and muscles that are the envy of any Knight, today, Firuzeh is wearing her Spectre's uniform for the first time after months training under Noor, she was even more surprised to be also allowed to attend the engagement of the King and the Prince. So she's standing there, her hair braided in a single braid reaching her waist and her eyes focused on the ballroom. She's talking to Cypress, who nods in response to her words.
"Probably because of the strong presence of the other gods", he says calmly, sipping his white wine slowly. Firuzeh envies the man who is off-duty and able to drink alcohol.
"But don't you think they're too quiet lately?" Her question is followed by a tired sigh. "Or maybe they're upset at the situation".
"Well, I, for one, am enjoying the peace and quiet", Cypress snorts. "That fucker pisses me off, be awake or asleep he keeps nagging me about that damned tree".
"I guess you got it hard", she says, "She speaks a lot, but mostly about how my muscles are unsightly."
Cypress nods, placing his empty glass onto the tray of one of the passing servants. "Well, they're all narcissists, so who cares about what they think".
"Cheers to that", she says with a soft laugh.
Compared to the atmosphere in the Morke Kingdom, the Empire feels stifling to all of the Spectres, the awkward gazes as if they're savages, the whispers of disapproval and the fear once any of them looks back at them. Especially the halflings accompanying the King, both Firuzeh and Keres receiving gazes as if they're not human, as if they're bugs using human flesh.
After all, in the Exos Empire, halflings aren't seen as proper humans under the law, even if they are supposed to be seen as such, the loopholes in the laws make them less than 'pure breed humans'. And even if everyone claims to not have anything against halflings, they all look at them with disgust in their eyes.
Perhaps because the blessed species of their goddess aren't able to breed with humans, as such they don't see halflings as blessed humans as the Morke Kingdom does or even other Kingdoms as well.
"Did you see her neck?" A few nobles whisper, staring at her, "So unsightly".
However their gazes almost make the woman laugh, because there's nothing truly as interesting as insignificant humans pretending to be above someone due to differences they cannot understand.
"Hey, Dame Firuzeh, help me with that drunkard", Keres appears, her face showing complete annoyance as she points behind her where Noor is laughing and drinking another glass of red wine accompanied by the amused nobles who allowed themselves to be swooped in the mood of the ex-pirate and his stories of the Red Sea.
"How many drinks did he have?" Cypress asks, frowning.
"Four bottles", Keres says, shaking her head. "For a former pirate his tolerance is incredibly low".
"Are you returning with the King or with the Priests?" Cypress asks after Firuzeh leaves to take Noor back.
"I'll accompany the Priests with Hayun", Keres answers, "I didn't expect this party to be so long, I mean they did say ten hours, but damn these nobles have stamina", she complains, "I'm too old for this".
"You're twenty-seven Keres, not fifty", Cypress laughs, "The Priests seem to be having fun", he points to where the Priests are, chatting amongst themselves, getting along with the ones serving the Sun and Moon gods as well. As although they do have different religions, they all respect each other at the most superficial level.
Knowing your gods exist, there's no reason to discuss which one you should follow, as most do follow their personal beliefs and morals and the god that aligns with it the most.
Compared to the Saints that do not truly have a choice, Priests choose the Temples and gods they wish to serve.
Of course, they still believe the god they serve is the most correct or the best, but even so, due to all of the gods being tied with each other, they tend to not dislike other fellow religious followers.
There are exceptions, of course, but none of those are currently present here.
"They just enjoy talking about the gods with other Priests", Keres sighs, "They forget they're too old for this, then I'll need to be the one leading morning prayer because they'll be too tired to wake up in time. And especially due to the Light Festival tomorrow, they'll nag me to help the others with the prayer preparation. I just know it", she rolls her eyes. "Should I just pretend to be hungover?"
"You didn't even drink", Cypress points out.
"I can always start now".
"I thought you disliked the taste of alcohol", Hayun comments, appearing behind Cypress. "And even if you're hungover they'll still make you do the work".
"My hands are already full with the Castle affairs…", Keres complains even more. "I have so much paperwork that it makes me want to quit and laze around in a dark cave".
Hayun giggles, "That's quite extreme".
"Oh, I doubt you have even half of the paperwork I do, especially with the mana stone mines and the whole export situation with the Prince's store, I'm swamped with work", Cypress comments, grabbing another glass of wine. "If the King would even do a tiny bit it would help".
"You would have better luck getting Prince Nikias to take a break", Fleuri interrupts their conversation.
"Well, a workaholic boss is better than one that drops all of his work on you", Cypress says, frowning.
Fleuri laughs dryly, his eyes showing clearly how much sleep he's lacking. "Believe me, one day you'll eat your words".
"Why not ask the King to hire a second aide?" Hayun asks, "The Emperor of the Hai Empire has three".
"He might appear carefree, but I doubt he actually will trust anyone enough", Cypress says, shaking his head.
"Agreed, I doubt Prince Nikias would ever hire another aide, although the work is well-distributed between me, him and Lowe, it's just too much work." Fleuri sighs. "I need coffee", he mumbles, shaking the empty bottle of his previous extremely caffeinated drink.
"Just how much work can a Prince actually have? I know he administers the store and all, but besides that…" Cypress words are interrupted by Fleuri's sarcastic laugh.
"How innocent, I believe I have more work than the Emperor's aide", Fleuri snorts. "If I slept three hours per night it was a lot, and the Prince? I don't know how he sometimes runs with no sleep".
"That's too extreme", Keres says.
Fleuri nods. "It is necessary, and I must admit sometimes I do get too engrossed in work to notice I'm lacking sleep". He says, "However, the Prince overworks me to the bone".
"Fleuri, don't lie, I give you enough breaks, you just refuse to take them", this time, Prince Nikias himself is the one interrupting them, "Don't forget about your week off that you begged for me to respect, yet you kept coming to the office and organizing documents".
"That's because you never put them in the right files, so I just didn't want to have too much work after my rest" Fleuri's eye twitches. "And we had a busy week at the store. How could I…"
"My point exactly", Nikias comments with a laugh, the atmosphere surrounding him is lighter than usual, his eyes are more expressive and he seems to be in a good mood. "Don't complain about being overworked when you're a workaholic just like me".
"You're good at finding people that like working, your highness", Keres comments. "Lowe as well sends me a lot of letters asking about the Kingdom and work in the Castle".
"It's hard to not work too much when the boss himself is putting in the effort", Fleuri comments, clearly not happy with the conversation. "He makes us feel bad".
Nikias smiles, "I simply put in the effort needed, I'm the one benefiting from it anyway. I never required any of you to lose sleep over work", he tilts his head, thinking. "And I do recall giving you proper day offs and even overtime pay".
"You may not force us directly but it's impossible to do as much work as you give us in the time you require", Fleuri points out.
"Then ask for help", Nikias shrugs.
"To who?"
"I don't mind doing whatever you're unable to", Nikias says with a soft nod.
Fleuri sighs. "That's why it's impossible to get you to understand, your highness, when will you do the extra work? In the four hours you sleep? Or in the rare days off you take to spend with the King?"
"Yes".
"You're impossible", Fleuri shakes his head. "If you collapse, who do you think will be blamed?"
"Myself for being unable to manage my own body needs", Nikias answers with no hesitation, making Cypress choke on his drink and Hayun hides her snort behind her hand.
"Truly…", Fleuri comments, unable to insist on the discussion, he knows better than to try to make the Prince understand the problem behind his own words.
"Where's his majesty?" Cypress asks, changing the subject.
"He's discussing the conquests with Sir Anwar, Alkaios, Evangelia and Duke Burton", Nikias says, grabbing a glass of wine.
"What about Dacre?" Fleuri asks, looking around, knowing that the pink-haired man is always glued to the Prince when he is apart from the King.
"He escorted Jiwon back, he was feeling sick", Nikias shrugs.
"Well, you did drain all of his mana for that ceremony", Fleuri nods.
"What about the others?" Keres asks.
"Irene is with Seoah dealing with the transmission, Miyuki is running an errand for me…" Nikias ponders for a few seconds. "Gutierre went to deal with an emergency at the store, Raphael and Scarlet are taking care of security outside, oh, and Lowe is…", he hesitates, "Taking care of this party".
"Wow, you do work all of them to the bone", Keres says with an impressed nod.
"They have tomorrow off, it's hardly a difficult job", Nikias claims, his gaze fixated on where the King is chatting, they agreed to mingle with others in order to have better relationships outside of the Kingdom, yet part of him wishes to be with the King a bit more. "Well, I came to get you Fleuri, it's time for us to start with the greetings".
"Shouldn't Lowe deal with it?"
Nikias shakes his head. "You are better versed on the identities of the foreign guests".
Fleuri sighs, takes a deep breath and then nods. "As you wish, your highness".
After five hours of socializing, finally they start the official greetings, where before where the white altar are now two chairs with the flags of both nations behind each, Nikias taking his seat followed by Lyor, who smiles at him before sitting down.
''Are you enjoying the party?'' Lyor asks, placing his cold hand on top of Nikias'.
''Although I am, it is exhausting'', Nikias admits. ''Contrary to you, most of them have no reason to please me''.
Lyor stares at him for a few seconds before speaking: ''Perhaps they simply see me as more approachable'', his words make Nikias smile.
''Or they just see me as useless and pathetic''.
''I don't see why they should''.
''Well,'' Nikias says, looking around the ballroom, his gaze stopping near them where Fleuri chats with Lowe about starting the next step. ''Some prejudices work like that'', he tilts his head, looking back at Lyor, his heart beating slightly faster as their eyes meet. ''Even with the union of our souls, this party'', he taps his finger on the chair as Lyor caresses the hand he's holding. ''The success of my store or Alkaios' words…'', he trails off, turning his gaze at the sunshine colored ceiling. ''They'll always see me as him''.
''They don't matter, anyway'', Lyor says, bringing Nikias' hand towards his lips, placing a soft kiss that burns through Nikias' skin, his eyes still fixated on him. ''All that matters is that we're connected now''.
''Yes'', Nikias answers softly, his lips trembling as he averts his gaze, feeling his face turning red.
''That's a sight'', an annoying voice followed by an even more annoying individual, Nicholas Larchier approaches the couple. ''Who sees you might think you're actually in love''.
''Because we are'', Nikias answers, tightening his grip on Lyor's hand, who answers by circling his thumb on his skin, attempting to calm him down. ''You should await your turn for the greeting, Margrave Larchier''.
The man answers with a laugh, his shriveling cold eyes never leaving Nikias and Lyor's hands. ''I wonder….'', he mumbles, ''Do you believe one can see souls, your highness?''
''Perhaps if they're Saints'', Nikias answers, uninterested.
''Well, I very much would like to know how your little ceremony works, perhaps if you could…'' Nicholas smiles again, those damned eyes that hide intents Nikias cannot read fixed on him. But although he might not be able to read his eyes, he can tell by his words that he's hinting at getting more blood.
''I don't require your services yet, Margrave'', Nikias says coldly, not looking at the man. ''And I suggest not angering me at my engagement or I might never do''.
''Ha'', Margrave Larchier laughs. ''Very well, I'll attempt to exercise more patience''.
''My apologies, Margrave, but I'll need to ask you to take a step back'', Lowe says, approaching the three men.
And once the annoying man does as requested, Lowe starts announcing the greeting, assisted by Fleuri, who's holding the paper next to him with an expression that declares very much how he hates being there right now.
He always acts annoyed, yet does his job and even takes more responsibilities without being asked, Nikias thinks, amused.
Slowly they begin. A custom by the Exos Empire towards those who are already sovereigns, the greeting begins with those of low stance and ends with the ones with the higher stance, this was established by the Second Emperor of the Exos Empire.
Due to his wife's humble origins he decided to do said ceremony at their engagement to put the nobles in their places and show them how to exercise patience and respect. It was actually just a way to annoy them to death, he was in a lot of ways similar to his father, never backing down even as several criticized his way of rule.
For the greetings, they all approach the couple when their name is called, accompanied by their family, kneeling and saying 'It's an honor to witness', then, the next one is called, and so on.
While it happens no one can leave the ballroom, and silence must be absolute except by those allowed by the sovereign.
Of course, after 900 years, this ceremony doesn't go on exactly as planned every time, nor is it always followed through fully. Nikias, however, plans on following every tradition, therefore the long time expected for the ceremony to last.
Fleuri begins announcing the names, and one by one nobles of the Exos Empire and other neighbourhood Kingdoms do their greetings.
After two hours, Nikias' legs grow numb and his head begins to hurt, his expression, however, is serene. Lyor leans over, whispering towards the Prince: ''Do you want to take a break?''
He shakes his head softly in response. ''It's fine, it's not that bad''.
Lyor stares at him for a few seconds before lowering his hand, that was holding Nikias', towards the man's thighs, massaging it softly, making Nikias' blush, but it does help his numb legs.
In the eyes of the crowd of the ballroom, the two men look like a lovely couple, composed of a rumored Tyrant addicted to territory expansions, and an evil Prince that mistreats those he deems inferior to him, including his own brother, to the extent of threatening the man to make a nice speech at his engagement party. Of course, as unfounded as said rumors are, that is what everyone will read about this party in tomorrow's newspapers.
One more hour of greeting later, the ones Nikias' was waiting for, finally appeared. Although they received greetings from others from the neighbouring Kingdoms, like one of the Queens of the Saxum Kingdom, and the Crown Princess of the Gypsum Kingdom, those three guests still hold more authority than them regardless of their position as Princes.
Only beneath the Royals of the Exos Empire themselves.
Although Nikias invited all fourteen Princes, only three were able to come, or it's better to say only three wanted to. From the Hai Empire, born in a system that values war above anything else, courtesy of their patron god, the ruthlessness isn't solely in their Emperor that wishes to conquer the whole Continent if he could - which he cannot due to the law imposed by Aelius -, but also in his heirs.
A tradition of their Imperial family, rooted from the beginning of their days of success, is to give birth to a lot of successors and put them against each other in a bloody war where the last one standing will become Emperor. Even the children born from the Emperor's concubines are allowed to partake in the succession war, therefore all of the children are considered of pure blood, even if they're not children of the proper Empress.
The only way to escape the bloody war for succession is to marry another nation for an alliance, however this occasion was only allowed four times in the whole two thousand years of the existence of this Empire.
And the fourth time was fairly recent, with their fourth Prince who promised to marry the Crown Princess of the Eil Empire, this was only allowed because the Prince was seen as 'useless' for being born without one of his legs, even if he is a formidable mage, but such a trait is seen as useless in an Empire focused in weaponry, but useful in an Empire focused in mana like.
Perhaps that is why he is one of the Princes there, with the characteristic red eyes of the Hai Imperial family, long black hair in a side ponytail, humble yet elegant clothing, and his missing leg is substituted by one made of pure mana, which he maintains at all times, a feat very few mages would be able to pull off.
His expression is puzzling and seemingly kind, he lowers himself with no hesitation the moment his name - Koki Inoue - is called, perhaps due to being the only son of the Emperor's first concubine, and also for being seen as 'useless', he is quite smart in his political approaches.
''It's an honor to witness'', he says, his eyes focused on the couple, his smile is soft but the small nod he gives towards Nikias as he gets up again, makes the Prince feel slightly puzzled. If it was done in good or bad faith, he might need to see in the future to come.
The next Prince to greet them is the Seventh Prince - Ritsu Inoue -, contrary to the traditional black hair seen in the Empire, he has a more light brown tone alongside the usual red eyes, such was due to his mother, the fifth concubine, being of foreign origin, from the Abfluo Kingdom, who went to the Empire in a vacation and fell in love with the Emperor. He is known to be more carefree, and to have no visible will to take the throne, however his eyes show clear ambition the moment he kneels, refusing to break eye contact with the couple, his demeanor is more of a warrior than a Prince. His voice as he says the greeting is cold and almost sarcastic in tone, both his gaze and his demeanor are clear to Nikias', who makes a mental note to send someone to check on his activities.
But would the culprit even come? I'm not sure if it would be a smart or stupid move on their part. And even more, if they're manipulating the Time Cult from the shadows, they wouldn't display in their demeanor, would they?
And the last ones are the duo of twins, the only twins to be born in the Hai Imperial family's history, they're both more alike than Lowe and Raphael, even their moles are in the same exact place, their clothes are the same, and their way of moving is similar, as if they're more clones than individuals. Their eyes show no respect towards the couple, contrary to their respectful demeanor as they kneel and do their greeting.
It's hard to even determine who's the Tenth - Yuma Inoue - and who's the Eleventh - Yuya Inoue - Prince, perhaps due to their young age of only fourteen, but they seem to have come only to act like teenagers, as it was reported to Nikias that they trashed the room of the Palace they were staying at.
However Nikias wouldn't discard their involvement simply due to their young age or carefree demeanor, after all, there can always be someone behind their actions.
Their presence in the party is for recon and to see which Princes were willing to come to the Empire, especially considering the damage being done due to the smuggling of mana stones one of the fourteen Princes is involved at.
All of them are possibly the perpetrators, and Nikias made sure to monitor their every move, be it by using his Information Guild, or by making Miyuki place trackers in their possessions back at their rooms during the party.
The greetings end with the Emperor and Empress of the Exos Empire, and with that, the party itself finally begins, with more alcohol being served and the music turning a more upbeat tone, most of the guests take the ending of the ceremonies to leave, such as the Priests and those accompanying them, or even those who are too drunk to continue.
Nikias and Lyor stay put for a while, discussing shortly about the weather conditions in the Morke Kingdom, before they're approach by their entourage, announcing that their engagement party has come to an end.
''It was nice'', Nikias says, leaning over Lyor's chest, closing his eyes, they're both with throbbing headaches, but also relieved to have finally consolidated their relationship in front of so many people.
Now they're simply waiting for all the Spectres left to arrive so that they can leave for the Morke Kingdom where Nikias' will take part in the Light Festival, taking this opportunity to speak with more local vendors about the export of products from the Kingdom to the Empire.
This time, he's the only one from the Empire leaving, as he decided to give the day off to his Knights and servants, in a way to thank them for their hard work at the party and in the days to come.
It will become harder before it becomes easier, however a nice day to celebrate will cheer their spirits, and Nikias also believes he needs a break from acting like a Prince, for tomorrow, all he'll do is accompany Lyor, speak with a few vendors and enjoy the festival.
So that he can soothe his heart before drowning himself into his work once again.
After all, his life is still at risk, and his future uncertain.
❥
Darkness and silence overtake the Palace now that the Second Prince's engagement party is over, and that includes the room Crown Prince Alkaios shares with his now wife, Evangelia.
Who before the wedding was known as Evangelia Petit, acquired a new name days later at her second baptism at the Moon Goddess Temple, where her blessed name was given by the goddess, and now that she is officially a member of the Imperial Family, her name became Evangelia Pandora Chrysl.
It is weird to not think of herself as Petit anymore, a piece of her grieves her lost name, even if this is something that happened three times before. Even with all of the regressions, she still lived more as her father's daughter than Alkaios' wife.
Although many things differ from one regression to the other, her blessed name was always the same, and her marriage with Alkaios always followed the same paths.
Well, that was true for the first three times at least, as of now, they're not on very good terms. Evangelia can tell that Alkaios had second thoughts about the marriage, that he was unsure if she was right as his wife.
Even without knowing about everything she sacrificed to be next to him, even without knowing the harm he suffered in all three previous times.
Of course he would be oblivious, as she never shared any of it. She thought about it, open communication is one of the paths to a healthy and long relationship after all. But doing so would bring more harm than good, she learnt that in her second try.
Alkaios is a good ruler, a good person and a lovelier husband, but telling him the future made his mental health spiral, and he started suffering from madness.
In the end, telling him didn't help her, on the contrary, it was much easier pushing him towards the right path with her actions in her third try.
It is understandable that he is upset for her lack of communication, or the fact that she and Nikias are hiding a lot from him, or that he's unable to understand why she was so cold towards Rainier back when he told them about his relationship with the servant.
Any change to her plans could cause a ripple effect and her efforts to change the future will be in vain.
However, everything is already so fucked, that all she can do is try to get back the reins from Prince Nikias, who's actions make no sense to her anymore.
He changed not only his own future but everyone's, everything is so different from what she knows, that she's starting to become mad herself.
What if she must watch Alkaios die again? What if she must go back and live everything again, never able to save those she loves?
"The party was beautiful", she comments, taking off her clothes to put in her nightgown. Alkaios nods, doing the same, he doesn't look at her.
Since the wedding he's been acting cold towards her, sure, they still do everything they must as a couple, attending parties, sleeping together and even chatting occasionally about their plans, but other than that he doesn't act overly affectionate as before or even asks her about small things, except when they're in the public's eye.
Are we going to drift apart like this? No, I can't allow this to continue.
Evangelia takes a deep breath before speaking: "Alkaios, I love you".
Her words startle him, making the man turn to look at her, she hasn't put her gown yet, completely naked, the man blushes and averts his gaze immediately.
"I love you too, Angie", his words are sincere, she can tell he's being honest, but there's more to that phrase, there's a hidden but.
"Anything I hide from you is for our sake, everything I do is for our sake, however I can't continue with my resolve to have a proper future with you if you continue to misunderstand my actions", Evangelia says slowly.
"I don't wish to talk about this right now", Alkaios shakes his head, hesitant. "You're not sharing a lot with me Angie, we're united under the gods, why won't you trust me?"
"I do, I trust you".
"Yet I learn of your actions and wishes through others", he shakes his head.
"Alkaios, there are reasons, Nikias and I…"
"You're both hiding too much, you think I'm incapable? Angie, I do a lot for our sake as well", he says, pushing his hair back, his pink eyes appearing almost purple within the darkness of the room.
"If I were to tell you, things would change too much, there are things one must be ignorant of".
"How do you wish for us to be partners in love, in sovereign, if you do not trust me?" Alkaios says, his tone soft but his eyes show hurt.
"I promise you'll understand it all one day, just give me time, it's not something easy…", she takes a deep breath, her hands shaking as he holds the clothes she took off. "All I want is to be with you, to be able to love you forever", she feels a pang in her chest as she continues to speak: "I wish for you, as my partner, to understand that I never will do anything to cause you harm".
Alkaios stares at her for a few moments, in his soft gaze she can feel both his love and his resentment. "As long as you promise to be honest with me at some point, I'll attempt to be more understanding", he says in the end. "I do disagree with some of your points of view, but we are different people at the end of the day, and our duties to this nation and to each other are different as well, however…" he walks towards her, touching her face with care and placing a kiss on her forehead. "My love for you is not above the nation", his words may sound cruel, but Evangelia already knew that, because it's the fourth time she's heard it.
Although he says that, he still abandoned the future of the nation and died to save her, even if that wasn't the best choice to be made at the time, even if he was allowing his people to die. In the end, their love for each other will always be their priority, even if he doesn't see it or understand it yet.
"I know", she mumbles, closing her eyes as he places a soft kiss on her lips.
After the night ends and the sun slowly begins to rise, Alkaios silently gets up from his bed, careful to not awaken his wife. Dressing up as quietly as he can and leaving their shared room.
He walks towards his father's office, although they don't have a prior appointment, he's sure the man will not only be there but will grant his audience without hesitation.
And so it happens, as Alkaios stands there, in the broad office, staring at his father, who looks absolutely tired. His golden eyes don't shine like Nikias', they're imposing, cold, and slightly terrifying.
As a child, Alkaios always trembled in front of his father, now as an adult, he doesn't really feel anything anymore. He once craved the love and warmth from his parents, but that died down with age, and also as he realized the duty they carry as rulers of a nation as big as the Exos Empire.
When the lives of thousands lie in their hands, playing catch with your child isn't a priority anymore.
Presenting them wouldn't bring him happiness or heal his childhood scars, so he decided to simply accept and understand that it's not as if they don't love him, he just isn't their priority.
And that's ok.
After he realized that, he lived a less burdensome life.
"What brings you here so early, son?" His words are cold, but if someone looked very carefully they could see the worry in his eyes.
"Father", Alkaios says, hesitant, but it's not as if there is anyone who will understand him as much as his father, after all, who else is an Emperor with duties and still loves his wife? "What should one do if their wife hides important information from them?"
Magnus ponders at his son's words. "Marriage is both a contract and a promise", he says, looking into his son's eyes. "Where you share your most intimate moments with someone, hopefully, for the rest of your life", he continues: "There isn't a rulebook to marriage, even if someone created one, it wouldn't apply to all people or all marriages… As flawed humans we are sometimes selfish, uncaring and cruel, even to those we care about, but we can also protect, love and sacrifice our beings to them, one doesn't exclude the other. Son, what you and Evangelia have, is already half-way towards a good marriage, you compliment each other, you love each other."
Alkaios flinches with his father's words.
"Hiding something doesn't always mean harm or lack of trust, we sometimes hide what we deem hurtful to spare the other's feelings. As I believe she does, and so do you. You both share a heavy duty, and that can mean your secrets and lies will not always translate well into your relationship, and as partners you must convey your feelings and accept each other's decision, even if you do not agree with them fully. Marriage is hard work, be it to keep being in love, to keep understanding each other or to keep sharing a burden like the throne of an Empire." Magnus smiles softly, although the smile doesn't reach his cold eyes, it is sincere. "Your mother and I may not always see eye to eye, but we will always back each other's decision, even if we do not agree with it, because if we do not support each other as husband and wife, who else will?"
"Even if it may be harmful to the nation?" Alkaios asks.
"We all make mistakes, it is up to you to help her fix hers and vice versa. Carrying the weight together also means bearing the consequences of each other's mistakes together".
Alkaios falls silent, pondering his father's words, he can understand them, however deep down he's still unsure.
"Of course there are always exceptions, but I do not believe Evangelia would truly harm the Empire, she was always adamant in being a good ruler, just like you." The Emperor says softly. "Believe in yourself and in her, forgive her mistakes as she must forgive yours, and grow together, that's part of being a good ruler as well."
"What if I'm put in a situation where it is either her or the Empire?"
"Then you must judge which you deem more important, well that is my advice as your father, as an Emperor I must say you should always prioritize the nation. However we are humans, and we mustn't forget that, you can always step down if you do not believe you will do the nation's best interest." Magnus nods, "We are monarchs, but the chain of succession can always be broken, by our will or not, so do not take upon the burden if you aren't sure you can take it".
"I wouldn't put Nikias on the throne", Alkaios says, shaking his head.
"He's not the only one able to rule, son, and your mother and I can always stay in the throne until your children grow, and if none of them wish to take the throne, then we can simply change the sovereign".
"I know it's not that easy", Alkaios says.
"Politics never is, but our lives are too finite to trap ourselves in a future that will only bring us harm".
"Should you say that as an Emperor? You always told me to be a good Prince", Alkaios says.
Emperor Magnus sighs, "I am talking as your father, as Emperor of course I believe you should prioritize the nation, and even further I believe you should be righteous and always be the best Prince and future Emperor the nation deserves. However, you didn't ask me a question as Emperor, did you?"
Alkaios nods softly, pondering his father's words. "Will I ever be sure?"
"No, that's simply impossible".
❥
"A toast to our day off before working hell", Dacre says, raising his glass of wine.
The others present scoff at his words, yet raise their glasses anyway. After the Prince left for the Light Festival, all the Knights left stayed to have a small celebration of their own, of course after they cleaned all up it was already sunrise. Not that they'll prefer sleep over a good few - a lot - glasses of alcohol.
Dacre is the only one drinking wine, a habit he got after spending many nights talking and drinking with the Prince, while all the others drink whiskey or beer.
"Who gets drunk with red wine?" Irene asks with a frown.
Dacre laughs: "I don't know I never got drunk before".
"That's a lie", Jiwon says leaning back onto his chair, unable to even raise his glass, the only reason he went there is due to Dacre's insistence. "He constantly arrives drunk at our room after his "meetings" with the Prince", he says with a scoff, making air quotations with his words.
"They're real meetings!" Dacre defends himself, filling his already empty wine glass. "And I was never truly drunk".
"There's always a first time", Gutierre comments with a smirk.
"That smells like a challenge to me, old man", Dacre says, grabbing another bottle of wine, popping it open. "Let's see who gets drunk first".
"I wouldn't make a bet with someone that can accompany his highness", Raphael comments with a soft smile.
"Just how much do you two drink?" Irene asks. "I never saw the Prince drunk or with a hangover… Where's Fleuri when you need him?" She sighs.
"He said he would rather file the store's taxes than drink with us on his day off", Gutierre comments with a laugh.
"That sounds like him alright", Irene laughs, "Where's Lowe and his sweetheart?"
Raphael frowns, avoiding to answer her question.
"They broke up", Dacre says, opening another bottle, excited to out drink the other Knight. "Also, I think Lowe collapsed after the party was over".
"You're just a know-it-all aren't you?" Irene asks, pointing at Dacre, already slightly tipsy at her fourth beer. "How the hell do you know everything about everyone?"
He shrugs. "That's a trade secret".
"You should come work for the guild", Gutierre comments, slowly drinking his whiskey, uninterested in the one-sided competition the pink-haired started.
"Nah", Dacre shakes his head. "I like working directly with Nikias", he says, swirling his wine. "And I don't intend to work beneath an old man that can't even keep a marriage".
"Outch", Irene says with a scoff.
"It's ok, I deserve that", Gutierre says getting up from the table. "I'm going for a smoke", and then he leaves.
"Dacre, mince your words a bit better", Irene says. "You're too immature sometimes."
Dacre stares at her for a few seconds before smiling. "Irene, believe me when I say it, I mince my words very well", he leans back. "I met Gutierre's children and ex-wife a few months ago, and he did them wrong, pretending that isn't a flaw in his character would be a lie. The same with me being a slut, Jiwon having survivor's guilt, Miyuki having a diary with dirty thoughts and you swallowing yourself into your work to avoid facing your traumas due to being sold-off to an old man by your beloved family".
Irene is taken back by the man's words, blinking slowly before replying: "Dacre, I think you're drunk".
"Huh? No way".
"Do you speak like that to the Prince as well?" She asks, dumbfounded.
"Nikki doesn't show off his character flaws", Dacre comments opening his… how many were it again… bottle of wine.
"What is mine?" Raphael asks.
"Don't ask him that", Irene says.
"I want to know", Raphael shakes his head. "It's important to know how to grow better".
"You're too kind" Dacre says, "And tends to please everyone but yourself".
"That is true", Raphael nods. "Thank you".
"You've read my diary?" Miyuki asks, his voice is low and muffled, his head is lowered as he panics, staring at his practically full glass of beer.
Dacre smiles. "Miyuki, I haven't, but I can read faces very well to know what you were thinking while writing in it."
The half-vampire's face becomes red.
"And having a trauma isn't a flaw of character, everyone here is fucked in one way or the other", Irene says, grabbing another beer.
"That's true, but not everyone here works all the time to avoid it", he comments, shrugging.
"And what do you suggest I should do? Swallow in self-pity? Cry?"
"Accept it," Dacre says. "Accept you're a victim".
"I do".
"Sure".
"Forget it Irene," Jiwon comments. "He's like that with those he likes, consider it an honor".
She frowns, avoiding to say another word.
"What is our next mission?" After a lot of silence, Jiwon asks, trying to break the awkward silence his boyfriend built.
"Slave trade", Raphael answers. "We'll be working a lot until the New Year's".
"I don't understand most of the Prince's raids," Jiwon says. "I could sort of understand the one in the mines, since they were in his name and being used for illegal smuggling, but why does he care if there are slaves being traded? Isn't that legal here?"
Raphael nods, grabbing a glass of water. "Yes, halflings slavery is permitted in a few law loopholes, however they're being used as human experiments by the Time Cult, that's why the Prince wants to raid them".
"They have a lot of information about the Cult as well", Miyuki says, "And isn't it a noble thing? To save them? Even for ulterior motives?"
"Good deeds made with bad intentions aren't good deeds," Jiwon says, frowning.
"Do you think the ones coming out of hell care if their savior had good or bad intentions?" Dacre asks, scoffing at his boyfriend's words. "Just because you think you had it bad, doesn't mean you know everyone's situation".
Miyuki nods at Dacre's words. "If it weren't the Prince…", he murmurs, trailing off before his head hits the table, blacking out after his second glass of beer.
Irene pats the man's head, "I'll take him to the dorms", she says, getting up, slightly drunk herself. "And Jiwon, I understand the King is some sort of selfless man, but some people can't pick and choose who saves them, or even can be saved at all. To you, the King is your savior, therefore his actions are perfect, to us, the Prince fills those shoes, and he might not be perfect…" she groans as she grabs Miyuki. "But he's far from the bastard you see him as".
She leaves dragging Miyuki with her.
"Y'all brainwashed", Jiwon says, finally able to lift his glass. "All I see is a greedy man that sometimes helps others when it suits him".
"Welcome to the real world, Jiwon", Dacre says, opening the last bottle of wine available. Eight others lay empty on the floor next to him.