AT THE PARAGON HALL
"My lady, you planned it perfectly. Ms. Nox marrying that man unfolded precisely the way you saw it," Fay said, smiling.
Fay thought her lady was young, yet her mind was exceptionally sharp. However, Nyasia's gaze stayed on the desk, where a drawing paper lay. Her fingers continued brushing across it.
"Still, you were too kind," Fay added, her mouth curving into something unpleasant. "She knew you were dying from poison. She's vicious. Now, she's finally married to a criminal."
"Father felt sorry for her, to be honest," Nyasia replied. "But when I mentioned that the governor's wife had invited me back to her manor, he quickly changed his mind."
Her father still had a duty as a marquis, and in the ruthless order within the Rashet Clan, Mirelle's reputation was a liability. In truth, Nyasia had been the one to write to the governor's wife first: a brief note about her past generosity. Nyasia had taken a gamble that the wife would respond. And she did.
"You must left a good impression, my lady," Fay said, her smile joyful again.
Nyasia shook her head faintly.
"Who knows what a governor's wife truly thinks. But she's very clever," she said. "Back then, she didn't need to fuss over rumors spread by a nobody like a maid. Yet she escalated it. Why?" Her voice stayed steady.
Fay gasped. "Oh, she wanted to come into contact with Rashet Manor."
"She's always wanted to build a connection between us and the governor."
Nyasia was sure the Nebres family, headed by Governor Igan Nebres, was monitoring the eight great clans—the Rashets among them. She guessed the governor's wife knew what was happening within Rashet Manor. That there was a hidden daughter. That the Nox women were ambitious.
"Maybe on that day at the dress shop, she was sizing up who's the better schemer—Mirelle or me. Then she picked the winner." Nyasia held a smirk. "Turns out I was competiting for an acting role I didn't even know existed. And I got the lead."
How could her lady figure that out? Fay thought. She had always known the lady was extremely smart, only her frail, sickly body had hindered her from being a competent heiress.
Before Fay could react, the entrance of the pavilion was suddenly opened. It was Lea, striding in as the other women watched her enter. Nyasia calmly put down the brush and turned to Lea.
"My lady, Ms. Nox and that man's carriage are… killed today. Right after the wedding."
"Killed?" Fay said.
Nyasia's brows creased.
"How?"
They met robbers along the way," Lea continued. "I don't think they were robbers. It must have been orders from someone."
Nyasia gave an unamused smile.
"Like someone from the palace?"
She wouldn't be surprised if they were the same assassins who had gone into the annex building to kill the maid. But would Mrs. Nox and Maryan send a message from the palace and have Mirelle killed?
...
STRANGELY, MIRELLE'S DEATH caused no uproar within the Rashet Clan. She had never been fully acknowledged as a Rashet member, anyway, as Mrs. Nox was not recognized by the elders. To them, Mirelle was merely the marquis's distant niece, the daughter of a dead merchant.
Even so, it would have sparked more gossip among the nobles, who were always eager to discuss any shortcoming of the eight clans. But a rumor had surfaced that the Finance Minister was involved in fraudulent activities, and the nobles found that far more interesting.
Expectedly, there was a tense scene at the royal court. Several nobles testified that Minister Kissell had mismanaged funds meant for flood control and border defenses. He denied vehemently the claims for a few days, then escaped the capital one night.
"Just a few weeks ago, the emperor and the finance minister had a good relationship. But what do you expect? The evidence is damning, and now he's finally escaped. Tsk," one nobleman said. But he wasn't truly sad. After all, a vacant seat like the finance ministry was highly sought after.
Strangely, the Grand Duke had been quiet after the Kissells, long trusted allies of the Varyns, had revealed themselves as criminals. It was if the duke accepted this news without protest.
"A sensible, practical man," remarked one of the emperor's advisers. "I had thought him too young, too impulsive where his heart was concerned. Lady Kissell is beautiful and well-regarded, after all. But in the end, he is the duke. He can't associate himself with a woman like that."
Yet among the Tenusa nobles, they knew what lay behind the sudden investigation against the finance minister. In fact, it was now clear to them that the emperor, even after granting a marriage decree to the duke, would not want him to marry anyone other than the princess. Now, they were fully convinced that binding their daughters to the powerful duke would only bring ruin.
"You said the duke once rescued Nyasia when she fainted?" Ezekias asked after hearing the latest report from the capital.
"Yes, my lord," Basil replied to Marquis Rashet inside the grand study. The marquis stood by the window.
"And he acted as if he didn't know her at the banquet?" Ezekias asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The duke was likely just being polite. After all, she has only just debuted. It would damager her reputation if he acknowledged her when she had ever only known the Rashet Manor."
Ezekias didn't answer. He had played along, acting grateful to see the duke, but inwardly he remained wary. The Varyns and the imperial family always had a historied, complicated relationship. And the current duke was vastly different from his father.
As if reading the marquis's thoughts, Basil said, "The duke's intentions are not always clear, my lord, especially regarding matters connected to old allies. But it's important to note that the Kissells were great friends of the late duke—not the current one."
Ezekias sighed.
"A dangerous man," Ezekias said. "As a fellow politician, I respect him. As a potential son-in-law, I despise him."
Basil said nothing.
"Draw up a list of noble families. I need to arrange my daughter's marriage," Ezekias said with certainty. "Nyasia must never end up with a man of power and ambition."
Basil simply gave a short bow.
...
MARYAN WAS BACK at the Jade Temple for at least two weeks. This was a necessary choice. She chose to be here, observing her fast in grief over Mirelle's death. Though she and her mother had not ordered Mirelle killed, her sister's fate taught Maryan a harsh lesson: that person from the palace was truly angry about what had happened. First, Nyasia had survived. Second, she had walked away from the banquet unharmed.
Mirelle could only curse under her breath as she knelt before an unknown statue, her hands pressed together in prayer. But despite all of this, she was still sure that she would eventually gain the Third Prince's favor. She was now a Rashet daughter, and that person still favored her. She only needed to be patient.
The silence broke with footsteps.
Maryan turned.
Her headmaid, Lani, was approaching. "My lady, young master Levon has arrived. He wants to pray as well."
"Pray?" Maryan frowned. "What is he playing at? It doesn't matter. He won't find anything here."
Even if the poison had come from this place, proof would remain out of his reach. Tsk. She would have to send word to that person about this. This was an annoying development.
*