33Continuation of the Story
Sybille didn't run. A lady didn't run. For a variety of reasons. Chief among them being that she couldn't afford to panic the people that looked to her for reassurance and leadership.
Which was why she only walked quickly as she moved through the new Paladin's Suite, searching with the desperation of a dying man for the fruit tart that had just been in her possession. It had been in her hand only a moment ago. She couldn't remember where she put it down, only remembering that she had been distracted by the adorable bassinet that the workmen were moving into the new nursery. It was vitally important that she find this tart. She was absolutely sure she would waste away without it.
She found the abandoned tart resting on the railing along the second floor hall that looked out over the foyer. A small sound of excitement escaped her throat as she grabbed the treat back in her hands, immediately taking a large bite.
The cream that surrounded the fruit jam was the single greatest thing she had ever eaten. There really was nothing better than this cream. She had already eaten an entire jar of it today for breakfast. It was so unhealthy, but she was rather certain she had needed to eat the cream. The compulsion had been far too powerful to ignore.
"You are the most obstinate babe in the entire country," she grumbled lovingly at her belly as she ate the tart while returning to her room. She wouldn't say that she was showing yet, but it seemed, to her, that there was a definite bump where there hadn't been one before.
The room she would be living in had been finished yesterday. She and Darian had moved into it immediately, eager to rest in their new bed, in their new home.
Today, they were putting the finishing touches on the nursery. Sybille had wanted to be there to oversee the entire process. It was incredibly important to her that she be able to make sure that the baby's room was set up exactly right. Master Hue had informed her that such maternal instincts were normal and that, so long as nothing she craved could harm herself or her babe, she was free to indulge the demanding urges as frequently as she liked.
Darian wasn't here today, as he was busy working down in the Gold ruins. He didn't need to be present to oversee the Suite's decoration, especially not since Sybille was already there. He presence, however, was needed for the raising of the scaffolding that would soon be the new Gold District. Before he could put the pylons down onto their new bases, he had to construct the scaffolding to begin holding everything in place.
It was a very involved process, and Sybille understood very little of it. However, he assured her that everything was going to plan. A plan that he had developed based on his own knowledge and the building notes that he had recovered from her family vault.
Taking a day off was not something she would have ever even considered before, but Sybille was actually quite excited to do nothing more important than seeing to the construction of her home. She fulfilled the simple duty with a strange joy.
Strange, because she realized that this was the path her life would have taken had she not been born a paladin. And joyful because this was exactly what she had wanted from her life before she had been discovered as a paladin.
Were it not for her power, she would have married a nobleman and he would have taken her name to continue her line – as Raimond would still not have been able to do it. She would have settled into an easy life of managing their estate and businesses while having their children. She would adore each child as it came into her life, raising and nurturing them with all the love in her heart. And she would especially be overseeing the preparation of the nursery for each one.
It was the only thing she had ever wanted in life. A dream that had been unhappily, but necessarily pushed to the side when her power had been discovered. She was too dutiful of a person to not take up the mantle of a paladin when it was discovered that she was one. And now she was so accustomed to her life that it didn't seem like a great sacrifice.
But today, even if only for a single day, she could pretend that her life had proceeded as normal. After hurriedly going over her reports and attending to her duties this morning as usual, she had come out here and taken the rest of her day off.
She couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun – even accounting for the panic of locating the missing tart.
She returned to the new nursery and to critiquing the job that the workers were doing. They had a great deal of patience with her perfectionist tendencies. She would have to speak to Darian about rewarding them properly later for putting up with her. These maternal instincts were making her even more particular than usual.
Which was unfortunate, because she had noticed that, recently, she had been having a little difficulty keeping all her thoughts straight. It was easier for her to lose her train of thought and find herself distracted or forgetful. According to her book, it was a common symptom of pregnancy and nothing to be concerned over.
Except that the lives of so many people depended on her not being forgetful and fluffheaded. She was even more grateful than ever for Adelaide and Giselle. Both of them were serving as her memory now that hers was faltering thanks to her obstinate babe.
Really, the most stubborn thing in the entire world. Incredibly picky about their food and relentless when it came to something that they craved. And those incessant demands were what she blamed for driving every other thought from her mind.
And yet, despite that, she was ecstatic. She was proud at the thought of having such a strong willed child. Someone this demanding and particular would be worthy to carry on her line. Just as soon as she taught him or her to behave a bit.
Until she could hold her babe, however, she was a slave to their machinations. And after she finished the tart, there was nothing else that could be done but she be given some spiced tea. She needed it immediately. Desperately. She would die without it, she was sure.
Before she could convince one of the workmen to go fetch a servant, Adelaide came in with the very tea she craved on a tray. It wasn't so much prescience on her part as the fact that Sybille craved that tea even more than the cream and wanted it at any hour of the day or night – sometimes waking her from sleep with the desire for it.
"Adelaide, you are a treasure," she praised as her maid poured her a cup on one of the side tables set beside the rocking chair that Sybille was pretty sure she was going to have moved. She didn't know if it was getting too much or not enough sunlight in that position, but she was absolutely, completely certain that she didn't want it there. Maybe.
"I'm happy to be of service, my lady." Adelaide beamed, folding her hands together as she looked around the mostly finished room. "The nursery is coming together beautifully. And what a lovely shade of mauve as well."
"Isn't it?" Sybille smiled before taking a sip of the tea. "I thought it to be the perfect color. Although... I'm not certain about the rug. Do you think it should be right in the middle of the room like that? Maybe it should be under the bassinet? In case the babe crawls out."
Adelaide chuckled. "Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren't we? The baby won't even be able to turn over on their own when they're born."
"I know. I just... want it to be perfect."
"And it will be, my lady." Adelaide smiled at her. "You have plenty of time to make it so. The babe won't be here for months yet."
"Sometime near the end of summer. According to Master Hue." Sybille smiled down at her belly and its subtle bump, excited for the day that she truly began showing proof of her pregnancy. "Oh, Adelaide. I almost can't stand how happy I am. Does that make sense?"
Adelaide smiled. "Yes, my lady. It very much does. I felt the very same way the day you asked me to be your lady's maid."
Sybille smirked, taking another drink of her precious tea. "That's hardly for the position. You were only happy because that meant you got to spend all your time with Giselle."
"The reason hardly matters. The point is that my feelings were the same." Adelaide chuckled, turning to face her fully. "Any word yet on when Giselle and I can move into the servant's wing in the Suite? I do hate to be so far separated from you if you'll be staying here now."
"Darian says that it shouldn't be more than a couple of days. He really is sorry that he didn't think about your living situation. He was so focused on getting our room ready."
"That's perfectly fine," Adelaide assured her quickly. "The servant's quarters in the palace aren't bad, it just makes tending to you more challenging. I wouldn't want the separation to at all affect the quality of our services. After all, I have to earn the right to spend all my time with Giselle."
Sybille chuckled. "And you can't be as free with your lover in the group setting of the servant's wing of the palace."
"Again, my reasons aren't important." Adelaide smiled innocently. "Shall I fetch you another cream tart, my lady?"
"You really are good at this. Yes, please. I'll take it in our room. Leave these poor men to finish their job in peace from me."
Even just in mentioning that she didn't think the rug was in a good location, she could see the despair fall over their faces. She had been running them ragged for hours now over something that she didn't think she would ever be perfectly happy with. Though, by the Lord's graces, she was going to do her absolute best.
But she figured it was probably safer to test Darian's patience with her endless demands and unreasonable changes of opinion. He certainly did seem to be much more tolerant of it than anyone else.
Then again, it was also his baby, so she could understand why he was so unbothered.
Unlike the nursery, her bedroom was fully completed. Extra effort had been taken to make sure that it was finished in a timely fashion. And she also wasn't nearly as picky about the organization of this room as she was the nursery. Darian had overseen the completion of this room and she was actually very pleased with his sense of taste.
Her last room in the Suite had been the epitome of high taste and class. She had actually adored the chandelier that had hung above her bed. She couldn't help but notice that the chandelier was conspicuously absent now. In its place was a lovely canopy of sheer curtains that came down from the ceiling, creating a beautiful, false waterfall around the bed. Darian hadn't said specifically it was because of the story she had told him about how it had fallen on her before, but the change was notable.
Sybille walked past it and sat down instead on the window seat built in an alcove. As she sat and sipped at her tea, she watched the workmen outside that were building the metal frame for what would be their solarium once it was complete.
For the first time in years, she was truly at peace.
Nina was on her way back to the capital. She had been due to arrive a few days ago, but had been delayed by a winter storm. Her impending arrival, however, meant that Prince Erec was extremely excited, thinking about being able to see his fiancée properly. The last time they had met, he had been unable to do more than weakly hold her hand as he recovered from his injuries. Returning their future queen to the capital was a good thing and being able to keep both her and Erec here, away from danger, was a step forward towards the end of this war.
She had also received a report from Rainier this morning . He and Amorette had arrived at the border and were joining with Andrea now. Elaine hadn't been able to convince the new general to fall for her dancer act, but it didn't much matter as Amorette was more than powerful enough to take over.
That battle wasn't done yet, but Rainier had already reported that Andrea had come up with a plan to reclaim the next city in the time it took the pair of them to meet up with her. He predicted that, if things went well, they would be able to make their attack on Gy-Hamelin in only a few weeks. Rainier was an older, experienced military man. If Rainier, an older, experienced military man, saw good things in their future, they must be true. He wasn't the type to see rainbows and sunshine where there weren't any.
Gael had also reported that Gascon hadn't made a single negative comment yesterday regarding the women he was working with. He still wasn't happy with it, but the smartest girl that Gael had deliberately paired with him had made it her personal mission to befriend the man – no matter how insistent she had to be to do it. They were going to kill him with kindness and understanding until his will broke and he began to see things from a new light.
He still refused to give them his real name, but he also wasn't trying to steal the silverware at the table for weapon purposes any longer either. It was a small step, but it was progress all the same. Gael told her that he was going to begin asking him to lead prayers soon. A small responsibility, but one that would hopefully make him open up more.
As for their other would-be assassin, Sybille had chosen to call him Vascon. While not a common surname in Vasconia like Gascon was in Gascony, she figured it was a connection between the two men and he, she was sure, could be more easily convinced to come around. He had scowled at hearing his temporary name, but made no efforts to give his real one. He wasn't actively trying to escape as Gascon had done when first imprisoned.
There was a problem, however, for Vascon that Gascon did not share. Vascon had actually killed people in their assassination attempts. Gascon might have been the one to have given Sybille and the queen poisoned soup, but neither had actually died. Vascon, on the other hand, was directly responsible for killing three royal guards.
The guards' families, upon hearing that he hadn't been immediately executed, had each independently put in a grievance to the king. They wanted him dead. They didn't want to give him the chance to see the error of his ways as they were giving Gascon. And while Sybille could understand where they were coming from, it was hard to punish someone who felt no remorse for what he did.
Besides that, she really did believe that he could be converted. At the very least, he could be made to understand that what he did was wrong.
She wasn't suggesting that he not be punished for what he did. Absolutely, he deserved punishment for his crime. She just thought that it didn't need to be death.
If the roles were reversed and he was their assassin instead, none of her people would call for his death. If Addie had managed to kill a high ranking general or even Queen Sabine herself, no one in Vasconia would condemn her. No, they would laud her name and hold parades in her honor. It was a matter of perspective and, the truth was, there were casualties in war.
A hard truth, but one that Sybille couldn't look past. She wanted to give both men the opportunity to atone for their sins. Even if she had to act a as a shield between them and the families that they had wronged.
It was certainly not a popular move, and even the king didn't agree with what she was doing, though he had been the one to give her permission to do it. She could only hope that people would call her benevolent for the action and not foolish.
Or traitorous.
Adelaide returned with a new fruit tart and informed Sybille that Giselle had finished overseeing the transfer of Sybille's wardrobe to the Suite. They were going to work on Darian's wardrobe next, if there was nothing else that she needed.
Sybille assured her that there wasn't. She was content to sit in her window, drinking her tea.
But that contentment only lasted for less than an hour before she became restless again. She was finding it so difficult to sit still recently, as though even just knowing about her pregnancy was enough to make it that much more powerful in her mind.
Instead of bothering the workers any further, however, she decided to leave the Suite entirely. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to see her husband. Another craving she had not denied herself since the start of her pregnancy.
The workers at the Suite were probably a little too eager to see her depart, truth be told. Though they had been patient with her, they were probably relieved to know that she was finally leaving them in peace. She was definitely going to have Darian reward them later. She couldn't quite control her compulsions at the moment, but that was no reason to needlessly stress the people around her without making apologies.
The fresh winter air was crisp and satisfying as she crossed the Royal Complex. She wasn't going to be traveling far, but the walk was pleasant after so long being inside. Although she missed her morning training sessions, the walks weren't a bad substitute.
Since the workmen were putting up the framework for the new district, the gates that normally closed off the ladders leading up to the maintenance paths on top of the district walls had been left open for ease of access.
Even as Sybille approached, one of the men was rushing up with a pail full of iron rivets. She could hear the loud pounding of hammers from just beyond, though she wasn't able to see any of the work until she crested the top of the ladder.
It had only been a couple days since Darian had begun constructing the scaffolds, and already the future district was beginning to take shape. All of the major support beams had already been placed and today they were starting the creation of the shape of the plate itself. Sybille knew how big the Districts were, by a lifetime of experience and from seeing the measurements on the plans for their construction. But seeing the outline in person really made it obvious just how massive they actually were.
The men working on constructing the supports, freshly delivered from Steel, were balanced on the beams suspended so far above the ground that to slip and fall would surely end in their deaths, but they traversed them as though they had learned to walk there.
Sybille was comfortable on the maintenance paths around the walls, but she wasn't brave enough to risk walking out on the beams without good cause.
Besides, she was only looking for Darian. She knew he had to be around here somewhere.
Rivets had to be red hot when they were driven into place. Hammering them down took a team of no less than three men. One to keep the fire burning, another to grab then place the rivet, and a third to hammer it home.
Darian had taken the place of the last, slamming his sledgehammer down against the red rivets, beating them into submission to bind the cross points of the two iron beams together. It was going to take days yet to finish the scaffolds, but this was always a part of construction that Darian loved. Seeing his eventual creation slowly taking shape off of paper for the first time was an immeasurable joy. Beaten only by the moment when he actually finished the project.
"Hey, boss!" One of his men yelled, catching his attention.
"What?" He yelled back, balancing his large hammer against his shoulder.
"Lady Sybille's here to see you!" The man who was yelling at him from the top of the Royal Complex shouted through cupped hands before pointing to the side.
Darian followed his gesture and grinned to see his lady standing on the wall, smiling out over the progress he had made.
Nodding to one of his men, he passed off the hammer so he could continue to hammer the rivets home and began walking her way. He was graceful and confident on the simple supports as he worked his way to the wooden bridge ladders that they were using to cross between the scaffolding and the district wall of the Royal Complex, which was close to the same height as any two districts had ever been. It was still a bit of a climb upwards, but he was used to making it by this point.
As he had walked her way, Sybille had similarly been closing the distance between them, so she was there to meet him as he alighted upon the wall.
"Afternoon, wife," he greeted, kissing her fingers. "How are you today?"
"Quite wonderful, husband. And yourself?"
"I am easily the happiest man in three kingdoms. And how is my babe treating you this day?"
"Unreasonably, as usual." She grinned as the two of them stepped out of the way so that they didn't disturb the workers going on about their business. "I suppose I should count myself as lucky, however, if I am only craving food constantly and not always sick as the queen had been. That does seem to be the worse of the two."
He chuckled, slipping his arm around her waist, and tucking her in close to his side as he gestured out to the massive scaffolding construction.
"What do you think, wife?" He asked, his voice proud.
Pride that Sybille couldn't begrudge him as she slipped her arm around his waist in turn, leaning her head down against his shoulder. She, dressed impeccably as a lady, and he, covered in grease and sweat stained clothes, made quite the contrasting pair.
"It's amazing, husband," she murmured, in awe. "I have to confess... Part of me didn't really believe that it would ever be possible for me to see Gold being raised again."
"I won't pretend that it's an easy project," he agreed with her, his other hand resting down on his hip as he smirked out over the work that had been done. "But I have to build us a home. After all, we're going to have a large family. We need plenty of space."
A small smile pulled at Sybille's cheeks. "I thought you wanted no more than four children."
"A man is allowed to change his mind." He grinned at her. "I'm not saying you're allowed to have a dozen of them but... five does seem like a good number."
She chuckled, leaning into his side. "How long do you plan to be out here?"
"I'll probably stop just before sundown. Or if it starts to snow again. Those clouds look a bit suspicious, don't they?"
She nodded without needing to look up. She found herself actually hoping that the gray blanket overhead would begin to release the delicate flakes. If it did so, then her husband would come home earlier and she would get that much more time with him.
"Did you need something from me, wife? Or were you just coming to see me?"
"I was taking a walk. Thought you might enjoy a break."
He tilted his head. "Well, I do think that I have a bit of time. Shall we?"
She nodded in eager agreement.
The maintenance paths weren't wide enough to walk abreast, so Darian stayed just a step behind her, ready to catch her in the unlikely event she slipped or fell. She had ever given him cause to be doubt her grace and balance, but he didn't feel comfortable watching his pregnant wife walk on a thin path a single step away from a deadly drop.
The moment they had stepped back onto the path in the Complex, he felt better. He took her arm in his, smiling as he walked with her, chatting without real purpose in their conversation. He was merely enjoying her presence.
The prospect of becoming a father seemed to have lit a fire in him that hadn't been there before. While it had been important to do as expected of him before, completing these projects was somehow vital now. He needed to provide a proper home for his family, and while the Suite would do for now, it was not the Alard family manor.
When he had married her, Darian had thought it might be strange to give up his name. Whenever he had imagined getting married, he had always done so with the assumption that it was his wife who would be taking his name. So he had fully been prepared for some sort of discomfort in having to surrender the Gage name.
But Alard fit around his shoulders like a perfectly tailored coat. He considered himself fully part of her family, along with which came with the responsibility of continuing the family line and replacing everything they had lost. Even making it better.
However, where it had been a requirement before, like a chore, it was now a pleasure. He was excited about everything he was building. Every day that brought new changes to the plate that would be built by his people filled him with more pride.
And seeing his wife, glowing from her pregnancy which still had yet to show in her belly, quickly banished his reservations on children. He wanted more. He wanted to be surrounded by his and Sybille's family. He wanted to see that smile on her face she had given him when she had realized he was happy about her pregnancy.
Again and again. Every day for the rest of his life, he was making it his sole purpose to chase that smile and see it again.
"What are you thinking about?" Sybille asked curiously when he fell silent. Lost in his ruminating over how much she meant to him.
"Just how much I love you, wife," he told her honestly.
She looked briefly surprised before laughing softly. Giving him that smile he adored. The most beautiful thing in existence.
It didn't escape his notice that she still hadn't returned his confession of love, though he had given it to her multiple times since first telling her. There was a special joy he found in adoring his wife that he wouldn't have believed possible.
And though it hurt that she hadn't told him the same in turn, she also had never dismissed his words or tried to insinuate that they weren't as true as he proclaimed. She accepted his affection without argument or disbelief.
It was enough. For now.
At least, it's what he told himself.
Though they didn't really have a set destination in mind, their path somehow managed to take them directly towards the memorial with their family tree. It was a favorite place of Sybille's and, whenever she found herself on the Complex grounds, she always seemed to find herself attracted to the shade of the sturdy behemoth.
According to the gardeners, replanting a tree was always a bit of a gamble. Especially one that had been stressed as her family tree had been by the fall. There was a chance that, by choosing to move it, they would have killed it. Or, even that it could already be dying after the fall and was only barely surviving, meaning it would have died anyway.
It was something they hadn't told her at the time, and she was glad that they hadn't. If she had heard of the risks, she would have been hesitant to have it moved. Though she knew that it would certainly die if allowed to languish beneath the new Gold plate, she would have been heartbroken to know that it was her actions directly that had killed it.
However, her family tree, her family itself, was stronger than most.
The tree was green year round, but there were no new leaves growing yet. The gardeners informed her that, most likely, new leaves would not grow until the spring thaw came. However, the leaves that did remain were still vibrant and strong.
And upon the marble pedestal, in pride of place beneath the tree, was the beautifully carved stone that held the names of all of those lost when Gold fell. Each word inscribed cut into the glossy, polished rock, revealing the matte gray of raw stone beneath.
The erection ceremony for the stone had only been yesterday. She gazed down at the elaborate wreath the king and queen had placed at the base of the plinth. Frozen by the chilled winter air. It wouldn't take long for the greenhouse grown blooms to decay.
However, they had since been joined by little candles that had blown out by the wind, placed around the edges of the stone. A few other, smaller, winter flowers decorated the area. Someone had left a ribbon tied into a bow. Another had left a small, hand carved, upturned cross. Sybille imagined that even more gifts would be laid out in coming days.
Searching the stone, she could pick out the names of members of her household that had been lost in the fall. Servants that weren't necessary to travel with them while they were attending an event. The chef and kitchen staff, the manor servants, their family pilot, the nanny that had helped raise Sybille and Raimond both who, though they were both too old to need her any longer, had been allowed to retire at the manor.
People she had known all her life. People that had helped take care of her, raise her, cared for her. All of them lost in a single instant. They had only recovered a little over half their bodies. The rest were buried now in the ruins of Gold. They would likely never be recovered. Inscribing their names here on the stone that rested beneath their family tree was probably the best they could hope to achieve. Sybille liked to think, prayed, that maybe it was enough.
"What are you thinking about, wife?" Darian asked, returning the question that she had given to him just a moment ago.
"Just how... peaceful this place is," she admitted, looking up from the stone to the high branches of the tree that stretched high over their heads.
"It really is," he nodded in agreement, casting his eyes around the memorial he had built. While he had no connection to the people before their deaths, he had gotten close to them afterwards. Closer than he could have imagined possible for people he would never meet.
While carving his way through the ruins, he had found a couple bodies and – more horrifically – a few body parts. Only one had been identified, thanks to a locket around the girl's skeleton. She had not been part of Sybille's household.
However, every other body or part he found belonged to someone on this list. He had gotten close to them as no one else could. And while that wasn't a circumstance he took any joy in, it was something he considered valuable. In a strange way, he was part of their story.
Maybe, building this memorial for them could offer them some semblance of peace. He certainly didn't want to be haunted by any of their restless spirits. Though, he supposed, they would have gone to be with their Lord like true Vasconians.
"Thank you, Darian."
Sybille's soft voice surprised him into casting his gaze down onto her.
"You're thanking me?"
"For building this." She looked around the memorial site. "I... really think this is my new favorite place in the Complex."
Darian smiled, turning and pulling her away from the tree. Confusing her.
"What's wrong?" She asked, baffled by the sudden motion, but not unwilling to follow him along as he pulled her towards one of the shaded areas.
Darian grinned as he pulled her into his arms. "It just doesn't feel right to kiss you before a memorial for those that have passed."
She chuckled as he pulled her close, kissing her in the shade near the tables instead. Her arms lifted, wrapping around his neck as she clung to him eagerly. She never got tired of these loving kisses from her husband. And he certainly wasn't shy about giving them to her, wherever they happened to be; regardless of what they were doing. And though it was embarrassing at times, how excited she became from the idea of people catching them being intimate, he never allowed it to actually happen.
He got that same thrill over being indiscreet without actually being seen as she did, but he didn't actually lose control of the situation. She didn't actually want to be caught, as exciting as it was to come close, and she trusted him to keep them from being found.
A trust that had never failed her. Even today, as a pair of gardeners came around the corner of the path, Darian had heard their chatter before they appeared around the turn in the memorial and had separated from Sybille. Though he still held onto her waist.
"We actually are going to get caught one of these days," she chuckled after the two had moved on to continue tended to their duties.
"And what will they say? That they saw a husband kissing his wife? How scandalous."
"It's not really the kissing that I'm particularly worried about them seeing."
Darian smirked, squeezing her hip. "Don't worry, wife. I'm not going to allow anyone to see you in that manner. That is for my eyes only."
She smiled before biting her lip, running her hand up his chest. "I suppose, you should get back to work."
"Yes, I really should." He sounded regretful.
"Or..." A smile pulled at her cheeks. "You could come back to the suite with me. Help us both warm back up."
He cocked an interested brow. His voice was conflicted when he answered. "As lovely as that sounds, my dear wife, I'm afraid that I wouldn't forgive any of my workers for sneaking off in the middle of the day. I cannot justify it of myself."
"It's already the afternoon."
"Wicked temptress." He leaned over and kissed at her neck. That beautiful neck that he had been attracted to since the first. "But no..."
He sighed unhappily, forcing himself to let her go. "You will have to be patient. Wait for me to return tonight, wife."
"I find myself being more unreasonable than usual today, husband." She grinned at him. "You might return home tonight and find that I've decided I don't want you to touch me. Are you really willing to tempt that and let me go now?"
"Willing to let you go? No." He took hold of her chin, lifting it up to meet his gaze. "But I would not tolerate such actions from others. I won't do it myself. And if I return to you tonight and find that your mood has soured, I'll simply adore you until you change your mind again."
Sybille could only smile. She had no argument. His passion was hard to fight against. Even if she actually wanted to do so.
And she adored how devoted he was to his duties. She wouldn't think less of him if he had skipped the rest of his day to spend some wasteful time with her, especially since that was what she was essentially doing today, but it was pleasing to see him putting duty first. He wasn't lazy or over indulgent and she greatly appreciated that about him.
Still, that didn't stop her from being lonely as she returned to the Suite. Though, he more than made it up to her when he did finally return that night.
The next day, Sybille returned to work with renewed vigor. She felt a bit guilty for spending so much time yesterday just slacking off. It was so odd to willingly take time off, but she felt so amazing when she returned to work that even the work that had accumulated didn't seem so daunting.
This renewed sense of purpose and devotion to her duties was not something she would have expected to have come from her marriage. And she knew that she could directly ascribe this newfound ease of spirit directly to her marriage. If it wasn't for Darian, she probably would have continued working herself to death. And while she was certain that she could have kept it up for quite some time, she didn't think she could have done it indefinitely.
And today, she was finally going to repay him for that gift.
Radelle knocked on the door of the war room before entering, a box in her arms.
Sybille turned from the map table she was updating to see her queen strolling inside and smiled, lowering the note board that Darian had gotten her for the winter festival.
"Your majesty, you didn't have to bring it to me yourself."
"I wanted to." Radelle assured her, smiling before lifting it slightly. "Would you like to see it?"
"Yes. You can put it on that table there." Sybille pointed to a spot in front of one of the wide windows that had been cleared for the box and its contents.
She set her notes aside and quickly joined Radelle at the window as she carefully set the long, slightly thin box down. The box itself wasn't particularly fragile, though it was old enough that the gold leaf decorating the filigree corners had long ago tarnished and dulled. However, the heavy lock on the front was still sturdy.
After checking the contents – although her father would have already done so – Sybille closed the box again, running her hand over the cover lovingly. The queen looked to her with a soft smile.
"How are you feeling, Sybille?" She asked softly.
"Hungry. Unreasonable. And I keep forgetting things moments after I start thinking of something else. Is this how normal people feel? Because it's awful."
Radelle laughed at her. "Any illness in your mornings?"
"No. Not even a bit. And the dizziness has faded a great deal."
"Some women have all the luck," she sighed sadly. "If you have any easy labor on top of this, I'm going to think I did something wrong to deserve Manon."
Sybille chuckled before looking her queen over. "How about you? Have you been having any more... bad thoughts?"
"Sometimes." Radelle sighed, staring out the window, past the city, looking to the far horizon. "I know that it's foolish, but I can't help but think..."
"No one would be made happier with your death, your majesty."
"I know that. Still... it does seem like the easier option. At times. When I'm feeling particularly bad for myself. I try not to think of it often."
"The kingdom would be devastated if we lost you. The king especially."
"Cyrille would be able to handle it. With enough time."
"I highly doubt that. He loves you very much."
"And I love him. I don't want to die. I know that I'm just being self-pitying and sad. I'm never going to act on those thoughts. I just look to my children and I remember what I have worth living for. And if my people are going to fight so hard for me, then I owe them no less than the same. Giving up would be like throwing all their efforts back into their face."
Sybille smiled stepping in closer to her. "As someone who is putting in those efforts, I appreciate that. And I want you to know, you're worth it.
Radelle smiled, with only a hint of sadness. "Sybille, if I could ask a favor?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"I want to speak to my assassins."
"All right."
Her brow rose at her easy agreement. "That's it? You're not going to fight me on it?"
"Did you expect me to?"
"Cyrille certainly did. He doesn't like the idea of me being near them."
Sybille chuckled. "I'm not giving them a knife and sending you into a locked room with them. You'll still be protected. And I think it would be good for them to know you. If they see you as more than just a target to destroy, maybe they'll start to really rethink themselves."
Radelle nodded once. "That's what I was thinking. And I really want to know them as well. I want to know how they think."
"I'll tell Gael. He's in charge of both of them for now. We'll work out a meeting time."
"They're both in the Sacellum? At the same time?"
"Well, we don't let them cross paths, but yes. They're both there. I really think that I can make progress with them. Maybe even save them."
Radelle nodded sadly, hoping along with her that it could be done.
The two of them enjoyed a cup of spiced tea together – with Radelle chuckling over how much Sybille enjoyed the drink now – before the queen left to return to her duties. Sybille, after giving the box she brought one last look, returned to her own tasks.
As it started to get dark, she put away her notes and lifted the box up into her arms. It was a bit heavier than she had initially expected, but not so much that she needed help carrying it out of the palace towards the new Paladin's Suite. Asce - the butler for the Suite - let her back in but she insisted she needed no help getting back to her room.
When she arrived, however, she found herself unable to open the latch with it in her arms. She had to use the corner of the box to awkwardly knock. When Darian called out for her to enter, she called back for him to open the door.
She could practically hear his confusion as he crossed the room to do so. He saw her standing there, holding the box, and immediately frowned.
"Why are you carrying heavy things?" He asked, immediately reaching out to take it from her. He lifted it with a great deal of ease, stepping back to allow her in. "Women who are carrying aught not carry heavy objects for the safety of the babe."
Sybille raised a brow at the book sitting on the side table next to his armchair. "I suppose that wisdom comes from the book?"
"Don't carry heavy things anymore." He chided without answering her. "What is this anyway?"
"Put it down there." She pointed to the low table between their two sofas in the corner. As he was doing so, she walked to the lamp against the wall and twisted its valve, turning it on. The bright light fell over them as Darian looked over the box curiously.
"This looks familiar..." He murmured curiously, standing over it as Sybille came back and sat down on one of the sofas.
"It should. You pulled it from my family vault."
"Ah, yes. I remember now. It was half buried when I got to it. You can still see some of the indentions in the wood from the metal and stone." He ran his fingers across the surface, pointing to the nicks and divots that were now as much a part of the box as what it held.
"Father kept the key to it in his study safe which is well and truly lost." Sybille certainly wasn't going to ask Darian to try to find that small safe in the rubble. If it could even be done, there wasn't much in there worth the danger it would require to get to it. "We had to ask a locksmith to make us a new key and it took quite a while."
"Excellent." Darian smiled and came to sit down beside her as she pulled the key in question from within the folds of her gown.
Though the lock was gold and slightly tarnished, the key was bronze and didn't quite match. It would turn in the lock, but at a glance, there was no way of telling that it was the key that would be paired with the ornate lock. She turned, holding it out to Darian. He cocked a brow, looking between it and her as he took it from her fingers.
"What's inside?" He asked, testing the key's weight.
"Open it and find out."
He grinned at her before bending over and sliding the mismatched key into the lock. It fit perfectly and the tumblers inside turned without protest, offering a single, quiet click. Darian left the key inside as he put his hand on the lid and lifted it up.
The body of the box was considerably deeper than the lid as the lid wasn't meant to hold anything. But that didn't make it a deep box by any means. Darian pushed the lid back and it was held up by a pair of satin ribbons along the side. He frowned as he looked at the stacks of paper that were neatly placed inside in three distinct piles.
"What is this?" He asked, lifting the top one off the middle.
"It's the history of my family," she said softly, watching his face.
The paper he was holding was the latest additions to their extensive family tree, going back for generations. Sybille and Raimond's names were the last ones added. The very last addition had been to add Sybille's title as a paladin to her entry.
"All of this?" Darian asked, his voice soft and awed as he looked past the paper and into the box. "This is your family tree?"
"Well, the tree. The histories. The stories. Going back generations. Back to before Vasconia was founded. Back when our family still had their roots in Gascony. Be careful. Some of those papers are older than the palace itself."
Darian's hands were shaking as he lifted the corner of the central stack of papers. He could see the gradual yellowing of the paper as the stacks became deeper.
"Sybille... this is..." He couldn't find the words. He was scared to touch anything, afraid that the pads of his fingers alone would be enough to make the ancient paper crumble.
"Don't worry. We make sure to have them cared for on a yearly basis. They're treated with a special resin to make sure that they don't fade or break."
"It's..." He couldn't think. It was only a stack of papers, but just in hearing how incredible they were, he was stunned.
"It's us." Sybille smiled, reaching out and stroking her fingers across the top papers. "This is what you wanted when you married me. My family line. The prestige and the pedigree. Look, there's my parents there. And my grandparents. Ah, see here?"
He turned his eyes from her entry on the tree to a couple she had pointed to – four generations ago – with a bright smile.
"Thierri? That's the royal line..." He murmured, looking at the bride's maiden name.
"My family has been married by the royal family multiple times. I have a cousin a few generations back that gave up the Alard name to become king himself. I imagine that, eventually, we're going to be married back to them again."
"This is incredible..." He whispered, picking up another paper, his eyes continuing to travel her long dead ancestors.
"When Vasconia was first founded, there were only a few family lines here. Only a few of which still continue to this day. They needed to be careful not to intermarry too often. Back then, betrothals were far more common than they are now, and the matchmakers needed to be certain that they didn't accidentally match people with too close a relation. So, they began starting family trees like these to keep up with them. My family is the only one that still has theirs. We bought it when the matchmakers became obsolete as the number of families grew and Gwenael enlarged. One of my great grandfathers did it. It's documented which one in here, actually. We just kept adding to it, even when we no longer needed it."
Darian was listening, but he was so struck by the amount of history and age placed in the box before him that he could think of nothing to say. Sybille, smiling, kept showing him particularly interesting members and telling him stories of her family that he had never heard before. He knew that the Alard family was an ancient one, but he never really thought of just how ancient and powerful until he saw it laid out before him on paper.
"What do you think?" Sybille asked, looking to him as his eyes traveled over a branch of the Alard family that appeared to have been wiped out by a plague a couple hundred years ago.
"I think... I didn't realize just how vast your history was," he admitted, his lips numb. Theoretically, he knew that he also came from an unbroken line of people – as everyone did – but his line couldn't be tracked further than his grandparents' parents. Sybille had so many grandparents that she could trace her line directly to Gascony, before the invention of the airship itself.
"I'm giving this to you," she told him softly, turning his widened eyes onto her.
"What? Me? Why?"
"It's yours. It's ours, actually." She smiled, lifting the page that held her and Raimond's entry. "I've made an appointment with a calligrapher. He's coming tomorrow to add your name and your family to mine. It's time to continue our family's story."
Darian stared at her and she chuckled.
"You've more than earned your spot in my family, Darian. This is what you asked for when you asked for my family name. And when our child is born-" her hand covered her belly sweetly, "-their name will join ours. And every child we have after them."
Darian very carefully set the papers he continued to hold down into the box before turning and grabbing his wife. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.
She chuckled, wrapping her arms up around his back. "I'm sorry it's taken this long to give it to you. Your name would have been added immediately after we married, but we thought the box to be lost. And it took much longer to make a new key than we anticipated. I was about ready to ask that the lock just be broken, actually."
Darian pushed her back slightly so he could stare into her face, a smile forming across his face as he caressed his thumb across her cheek.
"It's the third most amazing gift I've ever received, wife. Thank you."
She frowned, pushing herself back. "Third? What were the first two?"
He grinned, reaching out and placing his large hand over her belly. "My child, of course."
She chuckled, accepting her babe's life as better than her family history. "All right. What's the second one then?"
"That is the second one."
She frowned again. "What's the first?"
He smiled. "You are."
The simple sincerity in his tone brought her up short and she turned her eyes away as her heart thudded almost painfully in her chest.
"Good Lord, Darian... I'm already married to you. You don't need to try that hard to keep romancing me, you know."
He chuckled, bringing her back into his embrace. He placed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Being married to you doesn't mean I should stop appreciating you. It certainly doesn't mean I'm going to stop romancing you. I love my precious wife, and I want to take every opportunity possible to show her just how much."
"I love you, too."
It was Darian's turn to be brought up short. She felt his back stiffen just a second before he took her by the upper arms and pushed her back, staring at her with wide eyes.
"What did you say?" He asked making her chuckle.
"Did you not hear?"
"I heard you. I need you to say it again."
She continued laughing, reaching up to stroke a stray hair out of his face. He almost didn't seem to notice, focused as he was on her face. She made sure to enunciate clearly, looking directly into his eyes, when she said again-
"I love you too, Darian."
A tremor quickly traveled up his body as he grabbed her, lifting her into his lap with a surprised cry that turned into a giggle from her that was quickly cut off when he closed his mouth over hers. He took hold of her neck, controlling her even as she was technically above him, elevated by being seated across his thighs.
Before she even realized what he was doing, he already had half the buttons down the back of her dress undone. She might not have even noticed it then except he was interrupted in his motion by the ribbon she had tied around her torso, just under her belly. He had to then reach around to her front to grab the bow and pull it apart.
"Wait..." She broke apart from his kiss, trying to push away from his chest. But he didn't stop, taking away the ribbon and letting it drift to the floor. "We have to put away the papers first. Being exposed to the open air for too long is bad for them..."
"That's what you're thinking of?"
"It's important."
She was forced to turn in his lap because he didn't let her go. But putting her back to him only made it easier for him to access her buttons. Even as she was gathering up the papers to stack them properly and gently back into their protective box, he was pushing aside the back of her dress so he could slide his hands around her bare skin. His lips kissed up along her spine making her moan softly as her entire body quivered.
"Darian... you're gonna make me...ugh..." She was panting, quickly dropping the papers back into the box before she accidentally crushed them in her hands.
Her husband was more focused on torturing her skin as he pushed the sleeves of the dress down her arms, revealing her mostly nude torso, with only her lace breast bindings left on.
"You told me you love me. Forgive me if I'm not quite as concerned with some old papers anymore."
"Ancient papers."
"Very old. Not nearly as pretty as you, however." He pulled her back, laying her down against his chest so he could begin kissing and nipping at her neck as he reached around to pull at the small laces on her breast binder. He was definitely going to be leaving marks.
"Let me just... put them away..." She begged as he continued to suck and bite at her neck. She had no strength to fight him, trembling in his grasp as he pulled apart her breast binding and dropped it to the ground with her ribbon.
The air against her bare skin was cold, but not unpleasant, and lasted only momentarily before his hands cupped her breasts against his palm. He hummed thoughtfully as he tested their weight as though they were fruit at market.
"I hear women who are carrying get bigger breasts. Are they larger yet? Can you tell?"
"I think my belly will get bigger before my breasts," she moaned, her hands tightening into fists against his thighs.
"And won't that be a sight?" He lowered both hands, covering her belly. He thought maybe the skin felt firmer, though it was barely any rounder, if it was all. "My wife, round with my child. I can't think of anything more beautiful."
"You can't seriously mean... you're going to be desiring me like this throughout my entire pregnancy?"
"And what's wrong with that?" He asked, sucking now at her shoulder. Leaving more marks. She was going to be covered in them by morning. Spotted with proof of his love. Marks that she would hide. Though she could do nothing about the very real mark, evidence of his claim over her, that would soon begin growing beneath her heart.
"I thought... men stopped desiring their wives once they were with child." She was pretty certain that men wanted slim and fashionable wives. Not ones that were bloated and heavy.
But Darian scoffed at the very idea, wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight, pulling her against his chest, resting her head back against his shoulder.
"I can't wait for you to be heavy with my child," he promised, his voice raw and deep just in the idea of her growing his babe. "I'll make love to you for as long as it's safe, then start again as soon as you've healed and feel comfortable taking me again."
Sybille bit her lips, holding back a moan. Because she wanted nothing less.
"Darian..." She hesitated. "Are we perverts?"
"Mm... Perhaps."
"You admit it so easily!"
He chuckled, pushing her up so he could turn her around to face him again. His half naked wife was glorious and he was aching to plunge into her hot depths. But the moment would be all the better for the build up beforehand.
"I see nothing wrong with enjoying carnal desires with my own wife."
That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking to hear, but his unapologetic acceptance of their amorous proclivities somehow warmed her heart.
"Are you happy with the way I love you, Sybille?" He asked, flicking the peak of a single nipple with his thumb as he smiled into her eyes.
She nodded shyly. "You know that I am..."
"Then, that's all that I care about. Let me to take you to bed-"
"No! We have to put the papers away."
He chuckled, but couldn't deny her the delay. Not to say that he had no concerns for the ancient papers that detailed her – their – family's lineage, but it seemed so insignificant when he compared it to the wonder of finally hearing her tell him she loved him.
However, it was only after the papers were safely sealed and locked away within the old box that she allowed him to take her into their room.
Darian then spent the rest of the night showing her, in no uncertain terms, just how satisfied he was to have her as a wife. Just how much he loved the way she loved him. And just how much he valued being part of her family.
Not the Alard family. Not the Alard line. Not that ancient and most noble house. But just being part of her. Being one with with her.
His sweet, reckless wife who loved to care for others, even at a detriment to herself. Beautiful and powerful. Untouchable to anyone aside from himself.
And her love was finally his.
The next morning, Sybille returned to her duties as usual and Darian to his. However, they took off together about halfway through the day so that they could meet up with the calligrapher. Technically speaking, neither of them were required to be there for the moment that he joined Darian's family to hers, but they both wanted to witness the moment.
For completeness' sake, the calligrapher – who was an old man with incredibly steady hands despite his advanced age, and who had added both Sybille and Raimond and their parents to the family tree – asked Darian about his own family. He added in everything Darian could recall about his grandparents and their parents. He had a lot of uncles and a few aunts, and a great many cousins. Having his complete family tree wasn't that important, but there was precedence for including as many of the family members as possible for those marrying into her tree from afar. Going back to the days that the tree was in the hands of the matchmaker and that sort of information might prove vital at a later date.
The people of Lloegyr tended to prefer large families, so it wasn't a surprise to Sybille just how many names he listed, yet somehow, she was still struck by just how expansive her husband's family was when it was printed out on paper.
"I can't believe your family is so large," she remarked in awe as the calligrapher was putting away all the tools of his trade. The papers were being left out to dry before they would be added to the box with the others.
Since they weren't complete, the pages wouldn't be treated with resin yet as the resin made it impossible to add new ink marks to the paper. However, the papers weren't as susceptible to the ravages of time considering how young they were in relation to the other contents of the box.
All Sybille could think of was that, before this time next year, they would be adding another name to the Alard lineage.
"I have a lot of cousins," Darian admitted carelessly, relaxing back into the sofa of the sitting room they were occupying for today's activity.
"Do you miss them?"
"Hm? Why would I?"
"Weren't you raised with them? They are your family."
He shrugged. "I didn't like half of them, to be honest. Besides, mother and father have always made it clear that they wanted us to marry Vasconians. My parents have far more ambition than most people in Lloegyr."
Sybille chuckled, taking his hand. "I'm pleased that they do."
He turned his hand, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his side. "I never gave it much thought, but I suppose that makes me quite happy as well."
She grinned as he kissed her temple.
The two of them stood as the calligrapher did and Sybille thanked him profusely before Darian asked to escort him out to the front of the palace. Though his hands were steady, there was little else about the elder that could be called steady. He walked with a large hunch in his back and required a cane for each shuffled step.
The older man accepted Darian's help and Sybille wished him well before smiling at her husband and going on her own back to her office.
It took a bit longer for her husband to return to her than she would have expected. The elder certainly walked slowly, but it shouldn't take that long for Darian to walk him out.
When he returned to her office, however, he explained that he wasn't able to leave the old man at the front of the palace and had insisted walking him to the docks, then helping him into an aircab. The elder usually had an apprentice or two to help him, but he had chosen to leave them behind for his trip to the palace today.
Sybille was pleased that her husband had been so insistent on helping him and kissed his cheek to show her appreciation.
"Do you have any other work to do today?" Darian asked, looking around her office. Though she didn't tend to keep anything vital in the room, he still felt strange to be in there anymore. He tried to give her as much distance as he could when it came to her work since he no longer needed to fight to feed her every day.
"I can probably find something," she said, shrugging as she sat down at her desk, immediately opening the drawer to grab her note board. "Why do you ask?"
"Just wondered if perhaps you wanted to go to the Suite today and order me to rearrange the nursery. I've got plenty of time."
She grimaced. His tone was playful, but she immediately felt guilty.
"Your men told you about that?"
He laughed. "They weren't put out, so don't worry. They were only concerned that they had displeased you somehow with their poor work performance."
She sighed, sinking down into her chair. "Now, I feel badly. I'll have to apologize. Really, it wasn't anything that they did."
"I know. I told them that. But I certainly don't mind making the nursery perfect for you. So...?"
He gestured to the door and Sybille felt a smile forming. However, just as she was about to accept his offer, someone knocked on that very door.
Before she could bid them to enter, it opened on its own and a tall, willowy woman with long, platinum blonde hair wearing a bright green coat around her shoulders like a cape stepped through. She had a sword at her hip and a smile on her face and Sybille, in surprise, was on her feet in an instant as she looked at the woman she wasn't expecting to see yet.
"Nina?" She called out, shocked. "When did you get back?"
"Just now." Nina grinned, stepping into the room as Sybille quickly walked around the desk.
The two women met in the middle, holding onto each others hands, real smiles stretched across their faces.
"How are you?" Sybille asked, looking her over for injury and finding none. Nina had reported no battles in her time in Jorives, but she couldn't help but be afraid.
"I'm wonderful. Is this your husband?"
"Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce you. Nina, this is Darian Alard. Darian, this is Lady Nina Benoite."
"My lady." Darian bowed over her hand. "I'm glad to see you well. I was concerned when I heard you were delayed."
"We encountered more problems from the storm than I anticipated." Nina smiled back to Sybille. "It feels good to be home again."
"Have you seen Erec yet?" Sybille asked.
Nina shook her head. "No. My ship just landed. I came straight here."
Sybille frowned. "Well, I'm happy to see you, but there was no need to do that. Erec has missed you terribly. I'm sure he'll be eager to see you."
"And I, him. But duty must come first, I'm afraid."
"What duty?" Sybille cast her mind around quickly for some sort of order or expectation she had for or from Nina. It wouldn't be the first thing she had forgotten since being pregnant, but her mind came upon nothing.
Nina just smiled. "Nothing so serious. You don't need to be afraid. I just met up with some friends on the way in that I thought you'd like to meet first."
Friends? Who could she be talking about?
Before Sybille could ask, Nina stepped out of the way and called out for the people she had left beyond the open door in the hallway to enter.
Sybille realized just before they entered who she must be talking to. There were really only a couple other people she was expecting any time soon.
The door, which was only partially ajar, was pushed open further as a man with a cross shaped scar across his right cheek stepped into the room. His hair was a bit longer than she had last seen it, wild and unkempt, but he hadn't lost any of the strength in his body. Though, it was odd to see him out of his uniform.
Emilien Cesaire, former lieutenant general of Gascony, stepped into her office. His expression was chagrined and cautious, but he looked healthy and unharmed.
He pushed the door open further, stepping to the side, and allowing the lady that was with him to follow him inside.
Lea Severine gave him a quick, grateful smile as she walked past. Her hair was a bit shorter than the last time Sybille had seen her, and it looked as though whoever had cut it had done so with a dull blade and no care for how it left her appearance. She was also bit thinner and there was a long scar along her arm that hadn't been there before.
But the smile on her face was genuine and relieved when she stepped up beside Nina. Emilien closed the door behind them as Sybille beamed, holding out her hands to them. Each of them took one, Emilien half bowing over his, as Lea simply held on.
"Emile... Lea... It's so good to see you," she breathed in genuine relief. The tightness that had been in her chest when she had learned that Emilien had been taken away, compounded when she learned that Lea had similarly been captured, finally eased.
Both of them were obviously tired, and their time imprisoned in Gascony had left its mark upon them both, but they were alive. And they both smiled at her.
"It's so good to see you, Sybille," Lea said sincerely. "Congratulations on your marriage. And your baby. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear the news."
Sybille chuckled once, nearly crying in relief. "Not nearly so happy as I was to hear that you two were alive. And well, I hope?"
Lea nodded and Emilien shrugged.
"As well as can be expected, I suppose," he said. "Thank you, my lady, for your part in freeing the two of us from Gascony. I... know I do not deserve it."
Sybille was already shaking her head. "Don't be ridiculous. You are a friend, Emile. I couldn't allow you to be hurt because you stood up for us."
"I am a traitor to my country. And a friend to my enemy. I am poor general indeed."
Lea reached out and touched his arm gently, sadness in her own eyes. And though the touch was intimate and familiar, she said nothing. He only looked up and nodded to her, as though he could hear what she was saying.
"Please, sit." Sybille gestured to the sofa. "I'll have the servants bring us food and tea immediately. I need to hear everything."
The two of them appeared relieved to be told to take a break. As they were sitting down, Nina approached Sybille and nodded to her once.
"I'll leave them to you. My report won't be nearly as interesting or lengthy, and I've already heard what they have to say."
"I'll take it from here. Go see Erec. I know he's dying with impatience."
Nina blushes just slightly. "Thank you. And congratulations again. To both of you." She looked up at Darian who was waiting at her back.
Nina left the room and Sybille sent servants to bring food and drink. As they were waiting, Darian approached her, looking between her and the two that were waiting, side by side, on the sofa, with the sort of weariness that spoke of a long journey.
"I suppose I should return to the Suite then."
"Hm? Why?" She asked, surprised.
"I'm sure that I shouldn't be hearing their story."
She smiled, taking his hand. "You are my husband. You can stay if you wish. I trust you."
He smiled, lifting her hand and kissing it. "No, my lady. I won't put our country at risk by hearing something I ought not. I trust you to take care of yourself and not work too late."
She nodded, warmth filling her chest before turning back to Emilien and Lea, ready to hear their story...