Noble was still working through her feelings while Mori answered the Princess of Valor.
"While we deeply appreciate you taking a personal interest in the case, I am not at liberty to release Sleeper Keth."
"You will forgive my insistence…Awakened Mori, was it? The Solstice is upon us, and we need answers before this evening in case the unthinkable happens." Morgan lowered her head.
Noble wasn't fooled. Not only was Valor trying to get Keth away from the questions of the government and, eventually, Clan Song, but the Clan was also planning to keep Keth silent themselves.
Hopefully, that would mean keeping the young man under lock and key until things blew over, but Noble wasn't so sure.
'We cannot let them get their hands on the young man.'
Noble felt a little weird protecting someone who had just tried to murder someone else, but her resolve was firm.
"Your concerns are valid," Mori hedged.
"Then I will send someone over to escort him to the Valor Manor and return him to you this evening before sunset." Morgan tapped something offscreen.
"No, My Lady." Mori tried again.
"You are refusing me?"
Mori's Aspect did not work through the screen, but he could clearly see that her motive was to coerce him into compliance. No matter which way he answered the question, he would be on the losing end of an argument down the road.
Noble coughed lightly. "Awakened Mori is looking out for everyone's best interests, including yours. Letting the government keep Keth until this evening is truly the best option. Clan Song is likely about to make a similar call demanding answers, and then we will have a bigger issue on our hands. This way, we can keep things quiet, and no one can accuse you of withholding evidence in this case. If you take Keth, then perhaps the elders of Clan Song will assume you are hiding something more than just an overzealous teen."
Morgan opened her mouth only to shut it and smile sweetly. "We have nothing to hide, of course. We want justice as well. Impetuous teens make poor choices all the time. The boy will have to learn his lesson sooner or later."
"Then you will leave Keth in custody here?" Noble watched as the princess nodded.
"I will do better than that. I will place my personal protection on the Daughter of Saint Sorrow. What was her name again?"
"Lady Tamar." The professor provided, even though she was certain that the crimson-eyed woman already knew it.
"No one will lay a hand on Lady Tamar. I guarantee it personally."
"Thank you, Lady Morgan." Mori pressed his hands together in gratitude.
"No need to thank me. It would be terrible if things got out of hand over something so simple." Morgan shook her head sadly.
Noble felt like screaming at the woman. Using a young woman's death and a loyal young man as a pawn to start a war was truly despicable. What right did she have to decide what another person's life was worth?
Of course, those words would not only be dangerous to Noble, but they would also fall on deaf ears. The people she needed to tell were Ki Song and Anvil. Lady Morgan was a symptom of the problem, not the cause.
'There must be something I can do…' Noble nodded firmly.
"Indeed, it is a simple matter because no one was hurt. Had things gone differently, Clan Valor might have been villainized by all of humanity."
Mori hid his surprise behind a cough. What was Noble doing? Was she trying to make an enemy of the Princess by accusing her?
However, Morgan didn't seem upset. She leaned her chin on her fingertips.
"No one wants to be a villain. Clan Valor has a glorious history of valiant heroes. Even my dear adopted sister is a martyr." A dangerous expression passed across Morgan's face at the mention of Lady Nephis.
"Yes, well, thankfully Lady Nephis is alive and well for people to rally around." Noble had seen the hope Nephis had instilled in those who saw her. It was powerful. "Changing Star has expressed her desire to keep people safe even at her own personal cost."
"Yes, yes, she has. My darling sister is a saint in the truest sense." Morgan paused.
"I am sure Clan Sorrow feels the same way about Tamar." The professor added quickly. "If anything happened to either of them, there would be a public outcry."
"Astute observation." Morgan's teeth shone brightly as she smiled. "My cousin was right, Professor Noble. You are very clever. You have given me much to think about."
"Thank you." While Noble was glad that she had not angered the princess with her unsolicited advice, she couldn't help but feel that there was extra meaning behind the praise. "You will tell your cousin to make sure Tamar is safe?"
Morgan spread her arms wide.
"I will do that and more. I will let all of the Sleepers from the Sword Domain know to keep their fellow legacies from the Song Domain safe until tonight. It's the least I can do."
It was the veryleast, considering her protection amounted to a few hours of peace, but Noble was not about to point that out. Each day without a war was a small victory, at least that is what the professor told herself.
"Any help you can provide to keep our students safe is welcome," Mori bowed from his seat.
The door to his office opened, and the same frantic guard as before hurried into the room.
"Sir, the Chancellor has reached out and wants to speak to Lady Morgan. I came to let you know before I transferred the call."
Relief flooded the room as Mori nodded. "Thank you."
Morgan chuckled. "He is even more timely than usual. And just when things were getting interesting. Take good care of Sleeper Keth. I am counting on you."
"We will." The head of security made his promise. He hesitated. "If you wouldn't mind, please send Lady Nephis our warmest regards from the Academy."
Morgan's gaze became so sharp that the screen itself seemed to split. She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "I will be sure to remove any doubt that she is well-regarded."
With that, the stream was transferred. Mori's screen went dark.
He leaned back in his chair.
"That woman is terrifying."
"You just had to push it with that last line." Noble clicked her tongue.
"I had to. Lady Nephis is one of my heroes." Mori shrugged.
"Well, at least it's over now. Tamar is safe." The professor smiled.
The Chancellor would not cave to pressure just because it was convenient. That is what made him so good at his job.
In the end, the agreement went as expected. Clan Sorrow would be notified of the development at their earliest convenience, and the true motive for the action was buried under a guise of teenage angst.
'I wonder what Fort will think about this?' Noble thought as she finally left the fortified building and returned to the cold.
The professor couldn't help but feel a bit of uneasiness in her soul about how smoothly the interaction with Lady Morgan had gone.
But there was nothing that could be done. It wasn't like she was going to call up the Princess for another chat anytime soon. Noble would be fine if she never came face-to-face with the crimson-eyed lady ever again.
'Just like her brother…' Noble shrugged.
All too soon, she left behind the worries of the evening.
The solstice was upon them.