Memoirs 482 - Daring rebukes

“Sir Leon, what do you mean by that?”

The crown prince’s voice remained controlled, but only just. His shoulders had gone rigid beneath his black-and-gold armour, and one hand was clenched tightly enough that the leather of his glove creaked.

“Are you trying to curse my father?” he asked. “To curse me? You speak as though he’s already dead.”

“I am not cursing anyone, Your Highness,” Leon replied. “His Majesty entrusted me with conveying his final wishes. Dame Iyana can confirm that.”

The prince’s gaze moved sharply to the Second Sword.

Dame Iyana gave a single, curt nod.

For several seconds, the prince said nothing.

His eyes shifted towards the empty chair behind the crescent-shaped desk. The composure he had carried into the room seemed to fray around the edges as he looked at it.

“Where was this?” he asked. “Where is my father now?”

“I don’t know, Your Highness,” Leon said.

The prince turned back to him.

“You don’t know?” His voice rose. “You stand in my father’s chambers and speak of his final wishes, yet you can’t even tell me where he is?”

“Your Highness, please calm—”

“Don’t tell me to calm myself.”

Leon closed his mouth.

The prince drew a breath through his nose. He seemed to realise how loudly he’d spoken, because his gaze briefly moved to Dame Leandra and Dame Iyana.

His jaw tightened.

When he spoke again, his voice was lower, but it trembled with the effort of keeping it there.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I will,” Leon said. “But there are parts of it I don’t understand myself. And you may not like what I have to say.”

The prince’s expression twisted.

Leon hesitated.

Maybe he should have waited.

The prince already had an empire in chaos clawing at his heels for some semblance of order. Officials scrambling to maintain stability after the disappearance of their ruler and the deaths and injuries of so many others. Nobles offering help while some no doubt searched for ways to further their own interests in the process.

Leon wouldn’t have been surprised if his father was among them. And now Leon was adding yet another burden.

But such was his duty. This couldn’t wait. His Majesty had entrusted the task to him, and Leon would see it done.

His gaze moved, almost despite himself, towards Scarlett.

She had lowered herself fully into the chair beside the hearth again, hands folded in her lap. She was watching him with open attention now, her amber eyes narrowed slightly.

The crown prince noticed, and his gaze followed Leon’s, settling on Scarlett.

“Does Baroness Hartford have something to do with my father’s disappearance?”

“No, Your Highness,” Leon said. “Not to my knowledge. I looked at her because some of what I’m about to describe may be familiar to her.”

The prince continued staring at Scarlett.

“Is it?” he asked.

Scarlett met his gaze.

“I cannot answer before hearing what he has to say, Your Highness.”

“Then why did Sir Leon look to you?”

“I was waiting for him to reach that part as well. However, I imagine it is because he is aware that my knowledge extends to several of the matters about which he knows very little.”

“What matters?”

“I’ll explain everything I know,” Leon cut in. “Your Highness, if you would allow me—”

The prince barely seemed to hear him. His eyes remained fixed on Scarlett, the anxiety in them sharpening into frustration.

“My father named you the Revenant Flame of Graenal,” he said. “You proved yourself more capable than all the mages and knights who failed to protect those entrusted to them. Why weren’t you there to protect him?”

A small frown appeared on Scarlett’s face.

“His Majesty’s protection was not my responsibility.”

“Are you claiming that as your excuse?” The prince took a step towards her. “Every servant of the empire has a duty to defend the emperor and his blood, whatever the cost.”

“You are overestimating my abilities if you think I could have changed what happened, Your Highness.”

“Am I?” His voice rose again. “We all saw what you did. If you could destroy those Vile-damned creatures so easily, what stopped you from doing it before they took my father? Why was the supposed hero of the empire not at the emperor’s side when the man who granted her those honours needed her most?”

His words rang through the chamber, leaving a heavy silence behind them.

Scarlett kept an impassive expression.

The prince’s fist clenched tightly at his side, and his lips parted again.

“You—”

“Your Highness,” Scarlett interrupted, “do you intend to continue behaving like a child for the remainder of this conversation? Such conduct is unbecoming of your station.”

For a moment, the crown prince seemed not to understand what she had said.

“…What?”

“I have only recently regained consciousness,” Scarlett said, her expression unchanged, “and have yet to be informed of most of what occurred during and after the attack. However, if His Majesty is missing, I can only assume the empire is facing several immediate crises. With the First Princess still evading the efforts of your own forces—”

Dame Leandra’s posture stiffened.

“—and the Second Princess far too young to shoulder any meaningful responsibility, every burden of succession now falls upon you, the heir to the throne. In such circumstances, you are not afforded the luxury of being ruled by your anxieties. You may grieve. You may be afraid. You may even be furious. But none of those things can be allowed to govern your conduct while the empire waits to learn whether its ruler still lives.”

The prince stared at her.

“You are a member of the imperial family,” Scarlett said. “Carry yourself as one.”

Silence fell again. This time, it felt different.

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Dame Leandra’s good hand settled on the hilt of her sword. Irritation was plain in the set of her mouth, but she made no move to speak or interfere. Dame Iyana remained impassive beside her, eyes resting steadily on Scarlett.

Leon stood where he was, unsure what to do. He had heard Scarlett speak with open contempt towards plenty of people who outranked her. He had seen her threaten powerful nobles and argue with individuals most others would have done anything to avoid offending.

But this was the imperial family.

She was reprimanding its heir in the emperor’s own office.

This was very different from the time she had faced down Princess Regina, Skye, and the others. Those confrontations had been between enemies — or at least something close enough to it.

Here, Scarlett was supposed to be the prince’s subject.

The crown prince’s face slowly reddened.

“You forget your place, Baroness.”

For as long as he’d delayed speaking, the words came out almost too quickly. He seemed to realise it, but the frustration had already broken through.

“You think saving lives during the attack grants you the right to sit there and instruct me on how I should act? You are a servant of the empire. It is not for you to—”

“Indeed,” Scarlett cut him off. “I am a servant of the empire.”

Dame Leandra took one step forward.

“Baroness—”

Scarlett’s gaze didn’t leave the prince.

“That is precisely why it is in my interest to speak,” she said. “There are few things that would frustrate me more than watching an incompetent royal diminish the station I am expected to serve.”

The prince went completely still.

Leon felt his breath catch.

Even Dame Iyana’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Scarlett regarded the prince for another moment.

“Fortunately, Your Highness, you have not yet demonstrated yourself to be incompetent.”

A faint crease formed between his brows.

“These circumstances are a test,” Scarlett continued. “Perhaps the first truly meaningful one you have faced. They are neither fair nor forgiving, but if you intend to rule one day, you would do well to rise to them. Otherwise, you will only lend credence to those who once whispered that the First Princess might have been better suited to inherit the throne.”

Dame Leandra’s sword shifted in its sheath.

“Enough,” she said. “Do not speak Her Highness’s title so carelessly.”

Scarlett finally glanced towards her.

“No,” the crown prince said quietly. “…At ease, Dame Leandra.”

The Third Sword paused.

The prince’s eyes remained on Scarlett.

Something in his expression had changed. The colour was already beginning to recede from his face. The anger was still there, as was the shock, but beneath both, Leon could see that Scarlett’s words—especially the last part—had struck exactly where she intended.

The prince knew those whispers existed. He had to, if even Leon had heard them.

They had never been common, but it was no secret that Princess Regina had proven more gifted than either of her siblings from a young age. She was intelligent, capable, and had spent years dutifully carrying out responsibilities that even officials twice her age admitted to struggling with.

The one area in which the crown prince had always held an advantage was experience with practical leadership. But there were likely those who believed Regina could surpass him there as well, given the chance.

It didn’t matter that the princess herself had repeatedly expressed support for her brother’s claim. Whispers like those rarely concerned themselves with what the person at their centre actually wanted.

The prince’s clenched hand slowly relaxed as he studied Scarlett. Finally, he drew himself upright. The strain didn’t entirely disappear from his face, but he forced it back beneath the same composure he had entered the room with.

A trace of approval entered Scarlett’s eyes.

“What,” she asked, “is the appropriate response when one of your subjects speaks beyond her station?”

The prince blinked.

Leon almost did the same.

Scarlett simply waited.

The prince’s eyes narrowed. When he spoke again, his voice was measured.

“Baroness Hartford, neither your recent service nor your position grants you leave to address a member of the imperial family with such disrespect. Whatever your intentions, you have overstepped the bounds of your authority.” His gaze hardened. “I will allow you one chance to retract your words and apologise.”

Scarlett inclined her head.

“Of course, Your Highness. I spoke out of turn. You have my deepest apologies.”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of mockery in her response.

She had deliberately provoked the prince, forced him to regain control of himself, and then given him the opportunity to reassert his authority over her.

All while barely able to stand.

When would this woman stop surprising Leon? Why did she insist on being so impossible to predict?

There hadn’t even been any attempt to hide what she was doing. She had simply decided the prince needed correcting and acted accordingly. Whether that was admirable or insane, Leon couldn’t tell.

The crown prince faced him again.

“Continue, Sir Leon.”

Leon eyed Scarlett for a second longer before turning his attention back to the prince.

He began with what had happened the moment the hollow creature had touched him, recounting what followed as clearly as he could. He described the strange place he and the others had been dragged into, how he had eventually found Dame Iyana, and the threats they had seen there.

Scarlett appeared particularly interested when he reached the part involving Vail. She leaned forward slightly as Leon explained how they had discovered the Nametaker fighting three members of the Royal Guard, seemingly trapped in that place since long before the attack began.

Then he told them about finding His Majesty in a glade alongside a woman wearing the late empress’s appearance.

Leon repeated what the emperor had told them about the Empyreal Barrier, the supposed deal behind its creation, and the reckoning the man had to face.

When he finished, the crown prince turned towards Dame Iyana.

“You truly saw my mother?”

The Second Sword was silent for a time.

“We saw someone with Her Majesty’s appearance,” she eventually said. “I don’t believe it was truly her.”

“How can you be certain?” The prince looked between her and Leon. “Sir Leon said my father described it as both a vessel for this Eidolon entity and my mother.”

“I can’t be certain.” Dame Iyana shook her head. “Call it instinct.”

The prince looked ready to press her, but there was clearly nothing more she could give him. Eventually, he turned back to Leon.

“My father never shared any of this with me,” he said. “Eidolon. This deal. The reckoning you mentioned. All of it is new to me.” His gaze drifted towards the sun-shaped window behind the desk and the night sky beyond. “Whenever I asked about the Empyreal Barrier, he told me Lady Blackwood had designed it. I don’t understand what any of this was for. What threat did he believe he was holding back? The Hallowed Cabal?”

“He didn’t say,” Leon replied. “I can only repeat what His Majesty told us.”

The prince’s eyes moved to the empty desk.

“And his final wishes?”

Leon drew a slow breath.

“His Majesty left several things for you and your sisters in his private chambers. There is a concealed compartment behind the relief on the western wall. According to him, its wards will only permit the three of you to open it. There are letters addressed to each of you. There are also documents intended specifically for you. His Majesty said they would help you assume his responsibilities.”

“What sort of documents?”

“He left a sealed declaration naming you imperial regent should he fail to return and the Imperial Diet decline to begin succession proceedings. The Keeper of the Imperial Seal was entrusted with a corresponding document that can be used to verify the declaration before the Diet. There are also orders recognising your authority, addressed to the ministries, the imperial legions, the Ustrum Assembly, and the high nobility.”

The crown prince absorbed that in silence.

“How long had my father been preparing for this?” he eventually asked.

“We can’t say.”

“And you still can’t tell me whether he is alive?”

“No, Your Highness.”

The prince’s mouth tightened. “What was the last thing you saw of him?”

“After he delivered his final words, Her Majesty took hold of him. Dame Iyana and I were forced out of that place soon afterwards, and we returned to the palace along with everyone else.” Leon paused. “His Majesty made it clear that he didn’t expect to return.”

The prince turned towards Dame Iyana, studying her closely.

“Do I have your sword?”

The Second Sword placed a fist against her breastplate.

“You are the Crown Prince and His Majesty’s appointed regent. My sword remains at your command.”

He looked to Dame Leandra.

“As does mine,” the Third Sword said.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer.

“You would not prefer my sister to me?”

“I serve the Crown, Your Highness. Not any one individual.”

A small measure of tension left his shoulders.

As the prince began asking whether he could expect the same answer from the remaining Swords, Leon turned towards Scarlett.

“Scarlett.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Did His Majesty give you anything when you met with him?” he asked.

Several long breaths passed as she simply regarded him. Then she reached into the dark pouch at her waist and withdrew an old book with a worn, titleless cover.

The crown prince’s gaze turned sharply towards her.

“My father gave you that?”

“He did.”

“Why?”

“I am not entirely certain.” Scarlett lowered her attention to the book. “He said it no longer spoke to him. He also said it had originally been a gift from Her Majesty.”

The prince frowned, but Scarlett had already looked back towards Leon.

“What did His Majesty say about me?”

“First, I need to ask you something.”

“Then ask.”

“What is your connection to Eidolon?”

The woman considered it briefly.

“I do not yet know for certain that I have one,” she eventually said.

Leon’s expression hardened. “That can’t be true.”

“And why do you say that?”

“Because His Majesty told us to look to you for answers.”

He left the rest unspoken.

The emperor hadn’t said whether Scarlett would offer those answers willingly — or whether they would have to be forced from her.

“I see.”

Scarlett nodded faintly to herself. She rested one hand on the book’s cover, drumming her fingers against the worn leather.

“Then why do we not confer with this directly?”

She opened the book and glanced down at its pages. A flicker of surprise crossed her face, and a moment later, an amused breath escaped through her nose.

“What is it?” the crown prince asked.

“An invitation of sorts, I suppose.”

Scarlett’s gaze shifted towards the chamber doors.

“Your Highness,” she called. “Are you there?”

Several seconds passed in silence.

Then the doors swung open.

The corridor beyond them was gone. In its place was another empty chamber, its entrance almost entirely blocked by one massive figure standing behind a considerably smaller one.

Leon’s eyes widened as Holdger, the Fifth Sword, stepped through with the second princess walking before him.

“Hilde?!” the crown prince exclaimed.

The princess didn’t look at him immediately. Instead, her gaze settled on Scarlett, studying her in quiet curiosity.

“…Do you know Amy?”