"Your Excellency," he said softly, barely louder than the music. "His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to greet you in the eastern gallery, should it be convenient."
How politely discreet. How expected.
I glanced at the tray. The wine had a pale gold color and smelled faintly floral. A harmless vintage, most likely. Still, I let it remain where it was.
"Please inform His Highness that I would be honored."
The waiter bowed and moved on without pause.
Abi leaned closer the moment he was gone.
"Oh? The puppy called."
"Do not call him that where others can hear."
"You worry too much. I made sure they can't."
I glanced at him. There was a faint distortion around us, thin enough not to be noticed unless one had absurdly sensitive perception.
Of course. This Jinn really used space manipulation as casually as one might use a handkerchief.
"That's useful," I admitted.
Abi placed a hand over his chest. "A praise? From you? I shall treasure this moment for the rest of my eternal existence."
"Do not overreact. It's revolting."
"Too late. I already did."
I set the untouched glass aside and adjusted my cuff. The ring on my hand glinted briefly beneath the chandelier light. Within it, the vial of Vita's Tears remained perfectly hidden.
Not yet.
This meeting might be more useful than an immediate attempt.
After all, a villain who rushes is merely a thug with dramatic aspirations.
A proper villain observes, understands, and then ruins people in ways that make them thank him at first.
We made our way toward the eastern gallery at an unhurried pace. It would not do to appear as if I answered too quickly. The nobles watched us leave. Of course they did. They had nothing better to do with their decorative lives.
The eastern gallery was separated from the ballroom by a long archway draped with pale curtains. Beyond it, the noise of the celebration softened into a muffled hum. Moonlight spilled through tall glass windows, turning the marble floor silver.
The Crown Prince stood near the balcony doors, hands clasped behind his back.
Only one knight remained nearby, positioned far enough to give the illusion of privacy but close enough to interfere should something happen.
How adorable. As if one knight could stop me.
Not that I intended to do anything tonight.
That depends. My mind is quite changeable.
The Crown Prince turned when he heard our steps. His gaze moved from me to Abi and lingered for a fraction longer than courtesy allowed.
He was curious and wary too.
"Your Excellency," he greeted first, dipping his head with appropriate respect. "Thank you for accepting my sudden invitation."
I bowed with just enough depth to honor his status without compromising mine.
"Your Highness honors me. I had hoped to offer my greetings properly tonight."
That was a lie. But it was a pretty one.
The Crown Prince smiled faintly. "I feared the crowd would devour you before I had the chance."
"That is unlikely. I am not easily digested."
A brief silence reigned.
Then, surprisingly, the Crown Prince laughed.
It was not a loud and careless laugh. But it was real enough to be unexpected.
Abi's brows lifted. I also found it mildly interesting.
Most members of the imperial family laughed with their teeth first and their throat never. This one had either not been fully corrupted yet or had become particularly skilled at pretending otherwise.
Both options were worth studying.
"I can see why the stories about you never quite agree with one another," the Crown Prince said.
"Stories rarely care for accuracy, Your Highness. They prefer flavor."
"I suppose that is true." His eyes flickered with amusement. "Although I must admit, the newest rumors are especially bold."
Here we go.
"The Capital's imagination has always been energetic," I replied.
"A mysterious child. A brother no one has heard of. Your sudden arrival before the founding festivities." The Crown Prince tilted his head slightly. "You must understand why people are curious."
"I do understand their curiosity. But I am not obligated to reward it."
His smile grew a little.
"Then may I ask which part of the gossip I am allowed to believe?"
"That depends, Your Highness. Which version entertained you the most?"
The Crown Prince seemed to consider this seriously. "The one where you had a secret son with a northern princess during a diplomatic mission."
I blinked. Abi made a sound suspiciously close to choking.
"That is impressive," I said after a moment. "I regret to disappoint you, however. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting any northern princess in such a capacity."
"So it is false?"
"Unfortunately. It would have made a better scandal if it were true."
The Crown Prince laughed again, though softer this time.
I studied him with growing amusement. He did not summon me here merely to gossip, that much was evident. Yet he began with mundane talk. Testing the water like a hesitant toddler in a hot bath, feeling for the temperature before stepping in.
He wanted something.
No. It may not be a matter want. He needed something.
But he did not yet know if I was safe enough to ask.
The Crown Prince turned his gaze toward Abi.
"And this is Lord Abinatha Konstantin?"
Abi smiled brilliantly. "That is correct, Your Highness."
"I had not heard that Grand Duke Skandar had a brother."
"No one had," I said. "That was the point."
The Crown Prince looked between us, confused. "You are... twins?"
"No," I answered immediately.
Abi answered at the same time, "In spirit."
I slowly turned to him. He smiled.
I faced the Crown Prince again. "He is my sworn brother."
"I see."
No, he did not. But he was polite enough to pretend.
I'm giving a point in his favor.
"Then the child?" he asked carefully.
"My son."
The words left my mouth with more ease than before. How strange.
The Crown Prince's expression shifted subtly. Not disbelief, exactly. More like he had confirmed something he already suspected yet still did not know what to do with.
"Then congratulations are in order."
"Thank you."
"I imagine His Majesty will be... surprised."
"Many people have been surprised since my arrival."
"That does seem to be a talent of yours."
"One of many."
Abi's shoulders shook silently.
The Crown Prince's smile lingered, then slowly faded into something more thoughtful.
He turned his gaze toward the ballroom beyond the curtains, where music and laughter continued as if the empire itself was not built on cracks dressed in gold.
"Your Excellency," he began.
There it is.
"I have always admired Sonomi."
I raised a brow. "Oh? That is an uncommon sentiment in the Capital."
"Perhaps because most in the Capital admire only what they can possess."
Oh? Now that was a line. I liked that one.
Not bad, imperial puppy. Not bad at all.
"Sonomi is not easily possessed," I said.
"I know. That is precisely why I admire it."
He turned back to me, his expression calm but his eyes clearer than before. There was caution there. And also restraint. Yet beneath both, I caught something almost desperate.
"Your land survives by its own strength. It does not bend simply because the rest of the empire finds it inconvenient. Your people are said to be harsh, but loyal. Your soldiers are called barbarians by fools who fear discipline dressed differently from theirs."
My smile deepened slightly. He had done his research. Or it could also be that someone had done it for him.
Either way, he knew enough not to insult me accidentally.
"Careful, Your Highness," I said lightly. "If you praise Sonomi too much, the court might accuse you of eastern sympathies."
"They already accuse me of many things."
His tone remained mild, but the words had weight.
There it is. A crack showing in the golden paint on what looked like a perfect artwork.
I did not respond immediately. Silence was useful. People often rushed to fill it with truths they never meant to reveal.
The Crown Prince looked toward his knight, then back at me.
"Do you believe loyalty to the empire and loyalty to the imperial family are the same thing, Your Excellency?"
Abi's eyes gleamed.
I resisted the urge to smile too widely.
What a delightful question. He was feeling out my loyalty.
No, more precisely, he was trying to determine whether I served the throne, the bloodline, the current emperor, the future crown, or only myself.
A wise question. But also, a dangerous one too.
"That depends on whether the imperial family acts in the interest of the empire," I answered.
The Crown Prince stilled.
The knight nearby shifted almost imperceptibly.
I smiled.
"Forgive me if that sounded severe. Sonomi has always viewed duty in practical terms. A ruler exists to govern. If he fails to govern well, loyalty becomes a burden carried by those beneath him."
The Crown Prince studied me for a long moment.
"And if a ruler has not yet been given the chance to govern?"
"Then he must prove that the chance will not be wasted."
His fingers tightened behind his back.
Ah. There was definitely something there. A boy raised to inherit the sun, standing beneath chandeliers, wondering whether the light was his or merely borrowed.
It was almost pitiful. Almost.
Unfortunately for him, pity was not my primary emotion.
Amusement was currently winning by a generous margin.
"And what would you consider proof?" he asked.