The original novel had never explained where the demons had come from, so I just assumed that they spawned naturally. But now, staring at the charred pages, I knew why; the origin of their existence in the story was a plot hole. I could only assume that thousands of soldiers were killed and that millions had to be spent to fix all the damage they caused, so why would the imperial family risk the lives of their soldiers and their own territory by summoning them. Even more so, why would Sawyer fight them in such a dangerous manner when he could easily control them. I tried plotting it out in my head, but I couldn't make sense of it. I pulled the book closer to my face, hoping it would help my comprehension. As I did, faint markings on the paper started to come into focus, but the dim lighting of the third floor wasn't enough to make the writing clear. My interest piqued, and I hurried across the floor and down the stairwell. The lamp-lit desks on the first floor would hopefully be bright enough. If I picked one in the back corner, I wouldn't need to draw any more attention to myself.
When I hopped off the last stair onto the first floor, my head turned up to find a desk, but instead, all I found was Sawyer and Ryia's eyes staring at me. Unfortunately, a smile spread across Ryia's face, letting me know that she had noticed me. I quickly darted behind the nearest bookshelf, listening as her clicking steps and the thumping of Sawyer's boot grew louder and louder. If it had been just Ryia, I wouldn't need to worry, but if Sawyer saw such a book in my hand…
"Oh, there you are!" Ryia said as she entered the aisle I had attempted to hide in. I jumped around at the sound of her voice coming up behind me. One hand shook as it held the thin book behind my back and the other waved to her.
"We were confused when you suddenly hid from us!" She laughed lightly.
Sawyer stepped up behind her, "were you able to find what you were looking for?"
The way he looked down at me made it seem like he knew that the book I held had information that could be damming for him.
"Oh, um, yes, I was. I was able to find what I wanted. Thank you for allowing me to come here today. How was your tea?" I asked him a question in return, hoping to divert his inquisitive attention.
"It was very enjoyable, but much to my dismay, we had to return early."
"Yes, it is my fault. The sun was very draining for me, and I needed to come inside to rest," Ryia added apologetically.
"If that is the case, would you like to return to the room now?" I asked her.
"Yes, that would be very nice. Sawyer, could you please show us the way back?"
Sawyer nodded his head and the two began to turn around. In the moment of their absence, I took out the book and flipped through it. Pausing at the page on the Pythias Gem, I tore it out and folded it up.
"June?" I could hear Ryia remark from a short distance. I pushed the piece of paper into the top of my dress and haphazardly stuffed the book into the first open spot I saw. Before either of them had the chance to return and see me, I scampered out onto the open floor and caught up to them as they started their walk back.
***
"Ryia, would you allow me the pleasure of accompanying me later tonight for diner?" Sawyer asked Ryia as we turned a corner into a hall lit by massive, arched windows. The light that poured in was so bright that it became clear why Ryia grew tired in the midday heat. My eyes kept switching from the scenery outside to the chestnut hair cascading down Ryia's back, where light kept catching on individual strands and highlighting them.
"Yes, thank you for the invitation, your highness," Ryia responded with a polite smile, "if it isn't too much trouble, would Lady June be able to join us?"
Sawyer turned towards me, giving me a look of annoyance behind Ryia's back.
"Of course. Her presence would be happily welcomed."
After that, all that could be heard was the echoes' of our footsteps.
"Your highness, we have received a response from the Sommers's household."
A twitchy servant approached us from the opposite end of the hallway. The servant extended a thin, tan envelope addressed in elegant calligraphy to Sawyer.
"Thank you," Sawyer took the envelope and ripped it open. His lips silently mouthed the words as he read.
"Well, it appears that you have many duties to fulfill at your estate and that you should return at my earliest convenience," Sawyer turned to Ryia, dangling the paper in front of her.
She titled her head while her eyes darted across the papers "my father is requesting my return?"
Sawyer directed her down to the bottom of the letter.
"It is signed by the duchess."
Ryia nodded, the confusion quickly clearing from her face. A soft smile of relief crossed her lips as she spoke, "I'm sure she is concerned that I missed my etiquette lessons this morning. I'm sorry we will not be able to attend dinner tonight."
"It can't be helped. I'll call a carriage for you," Sawyer responded curtly, sending the servant away with the flick of his hand. He proceeded to walk down the hallway, and we followed him all the way to the room we had been staying in.
"Would you like me to send for a maid to pack your things?" Sawyer asked, stepping aside, and opening the door for us.
"No thank you, we will be just fine." Ryia smiled at him as she entered the room. I followed behind her and made my way over to the bed where I began to pile our outfits. Holding up my dress from the day before, I rubbed my thumb across the dusty patches that were scraped into the skirt of it. With a sigh, I dropped it down and began to fold it. It only took a few minutes for me to discover just how uncooperative the outfits were.
"How the hell are you supposed to fold these puffy things?" I grumbled, my hands helplessly flailing in the thick fabric.
"What did you say?" Ryia asked me, looking over from the vanity where she had sat down.
"Oh, just talking to myself," I let out a nervous laugh, "so, what did you talk about during your time together?"
"Well, we mostly made small talk. He asked how my father's business was going and how my mother's health was, I asked how his lessons were going... nothing special."
"That sounds… exciting."
My uninterested tone couldn't have made my lie more blatant. Ryia pushed her chair out and walked over to me.
"The only exciting thing we talked about was the ball being held for the summer solstice. Actually, can I confess something to you?" she said, sitting down on the bed next to where I was folding our clothes.
"Of course." I quickly nodded my head, curious as to what she could possibly want to keep secret.
"Well, I may have lied to the crown prince…"
"You lied to- "
"-Shhh," Ryia jumped up and covered my mouth, turning around to double-check if the room was still empty. The way she acted so secretively was childish, but the look on her face was dead serious.
"What are you doing!" my exclamation was muffled by her hands.
"Sorry, but you can't speak so loudly," she scolded me in a whisper, "but yes, yes I did."
"About what?"
"Well, he asked me if I already had a dress prepared for the ball, and I may have lied and said that I already had an outfit picked out even though I didn't." She giggled, her serious tone disappearing into thin air. I rocked back a bit as my nose scrunched up.
"Why?"
"If he knew I didn't have one, he might offer to pick one out for me."
"Why would that be a bad thing? I thought you would be excited to receive such a gift from his highness."
"While I'd appreciate it, I know that others would eventually find out that he was the one who gifted it to me, and it would draw unnecessary attention to me."
She hopped off the bed and picked up the folded clothes.
"The only issue is that now we will have to head over to the Eastern Province to pick outfits for the ball."
"The Eastern province?"
"If we shopped somewhere in the Western Province, my father would hear of it, and if we shopped somewhere in the Central province, it would show up on the trade records, which the crown prince oversees. Neither of them can find out that I lied to him. The only issue is trying to explain why we would need to travel there… I'm sure we can think of something!"
The glimmer in her eyes as she spoke surprised me. It was just a small lie to me, but to her, it was as if it was the most rebellious thing in the world. Given the candid nature of our conversation, I tried to bring up the portraits I had seen in the library.
"Ryia, do you know anythi—"
But my question was cut short by a loud knock on the door.
"Come in," Ryia called out. A sheepish maid opened the door, with a young man dressed in a doctor's coat shuffling behind her. Each of them bowed before fully entering.
"Here is the doctor's assistant, as you requested," the maid said, gesturing to the man behind her. She pulled out two small bags from behind her and placed them onto the bed beside me before quietly leaving the room.
"My apologies that the doctor himself is not able to attend to you right now, but I assure you that I am plenty qualified."
The visit with the doctor's assistant was rather short, and I was left with the advice to inform the medical staff at the Sommers's mansion of my accident, and to seek help if I began to feel unwell. I thought it would take longer, but what else besides a quick check-in could be expected from a fantasy world. As soon as he left, Ryia and I packed up our small bags and walked into the hallway where Sawyer was waiting for us. After a quick exchange, he took Ryia's bag off her hands and walked us to the front of the castle, where heavy, wrought iron doors were pulled open by guards.
Walking out into the sunlight, everything about my situation began to feel surreal. The bubbling fountains and dancing could once again be heard, a stark contrast to the honking horns and indiscriminate shouts that constantly sounded outside of my apartment. The sky was a bright blue, and the air that surrounded us was light and clean. Any soft breeze brought the faint scent of fresh flowers and grass, something I hadn't smelled since I moved to the city. I had only seen such a small portion of this world, but it was already so different from the city I had been living in.
I nearly tripped as we stepped off the brick walkway and onto a gravel path, not used to the pebbles shifting under my shoes. The clopping of hoofs against the gravel drew my attention to the arriving carriage, just as decadent as the one that had nearly hit me less than a day before. It, too, shined in the sun as the gold reflected shimmering light. A tug on the reins caused the horses pulling the carriage to stop a few feet in front of us. I wasted no time stepping up to it, waiting patiently as the driver hopped down and opened the door for us. Before I got in, I turned around.
"Thank you for your care and kindness, your highness," I bowed my head as I thanked Sawyer. Whether it was his fault that I was there or not, I was no longer in a world where I could act carelessly without consequences. I had to watch what I said and what I did, and this false gratitude was the first step of getting into habits necessary for surviving here. I then duck into the carriage before he could respond to me. The hem of my dress ruffled against the velvet cushions as I sat down.
After Ryia thanked Sawyer and joined me inside the carriage, it was only a matter of minutes until the horses had drawn us far past the castle gates. With no one able to interrupt me this time, I grabbed the opportunity to ask Ryia about the emperor's sister.
"Ryia," I began, breaking the silence between us.
"Ah, yes?"
"Do you know anything about the emperor's sister, Amara Echethier?"
"You haven't heard about her?"
"Not that I can remember…"
"She was supposed to marry the crown prince of Cairon, but instead, she broke off the engagement and married Lawrence's father."
Wait, if Lawrence had royal blood…
She leaned in close and whispered, "but it's very taboo to talk about. Even though they exiled his mother from the royal family, they couldn't erase his bloodline. Therefore, if he really wanted to, he could make a move on the throne." I swear that I could hear a slight grin in her voice.
She sat back in her seat and spoke normally again, "that's why there's been so much tension between the Eastern province and Imperial family. Lawrence has no intentions of becoming the emperor. No one in the east does, but you could never convince the imperial family of that."
The carriage hit a small bump in the road, and as I bounced a bit, the piece of paper in my top scratched against my skin as if to remind me of what I had read earlier. So, Lawrence had royal blood, and as shown through the Terrowin revolt, he couldn't be killed outright without risking a civil war. My fingers tapped against the windowsill and the clogs in my head turned.
The small-scale destruction of a controlled army would be a small price to pay when compared to an all-out civil war and empire-wide devastation. The royal family wouldn't be in any real danger as they could control the army, and fake fighting would be the best way to make it seem natural. It all fell into place.
"He doesn't have to die," I mumbled, eyes wide with my sudden realization.
"Who doesn't have to die?" Ryia asked me, her face scrunched in confusion.
"Ah nothing," I said, shaking my head. So, if the theory forming into my mind was correct then the demons' attack wasn't natural, and Lawrence's death wasn't an accident. Both were tightly orchestrated plans tied together for one goal. If I could just find a way to stop Sawyer from raising the army, or even better, take him down completely, then Lawrence wouldn't be killed and he could take the throne, living happily ever after.
My jaw tensed as the magnitude of the plan I had so excitedly created became clear. Taking down the crown prince wasn't something I could do on a random whim. It would take planning, and most definitely the help of someone else who had the same desires as me. If I wanted to even attempt something like that, I'd have to find someone who hated the crown prince enough to help me with my insane goal of toppling the imperial family. I rested my head against the window. Starring out it as buildings passed by, one particularly colorful dress shop caught my eye.
"Ryia, while we are in the Eastern province, do you think that we can stop at the Alterio's mansion, I feel like I need to formally thank Oliver for saving me."