"Become the strongest being in existence," Lucille said, her green eyes alight, "alongside my husband."
A silence held the room for three heartbeats.
"How...?" Alastair's brow creased. "You... you want Greenvale? I'll give it to you. Take everything. The duchy, the title, the lands, all of it."
"Oh, no," Lucille giggled. "'Papa.' Greenvale is yours."
His mouth opened.
"Despite your incompetence and your corruption as a Duke, you know this land better than anyone alive," she continued, pacing a slow step along the side of his bed. "The vassals are loyal to you. The infrastructure runs through you. And the last thing I want is to be stuck here ruling a duchy when there's a world out there that needs conquering."
She stopped at the foot of the bed and turned back to face him.
"So why don't you rule in our absence? You can keep your bitch ghost wife as an advisor, and you can keep the twins too. You'll make a lovely family, it'll be almost like nothing has changed."
