Harmonia Calendar 715, Chelon 2 - Ashspire Estate, Elandor
Evening - Anton's Study
The lightstones in Father's study burned bright, casting their glow across the maps nailed on the walls.
The desk was a wreck, contracts and ledgers were scattered across it.
Father leaned over it, hands braced on the wood.
His red eyes looked over the papers, cold and unhurried.
I stood opposite him, one hand resting on the back of a chair, watching the way his gaze moved from paper to paper.
A single paper lay face-up between us.
A newspaper.
Written on its front page, the headline.
[Noble's Bastard Son Condemned.]
Adonis's name filled the second line.
Now the whole Empire knew.
Father pressed his palm against the paper, then slid it aside.
His voice was low.
"Three guilds have cut ties with us. Two trade partners demand new terms. Our alliance with Vallis County—gone."
He pushed a folded contract toward me.
"This is what one scandal costs."
I read the lines before speaking.
"A mining deal with Lord Halvors."
His voice came back cold.
"Declined."
My lips curved faintly.
"So they fear losing their buyers if they let Ashspire touch their mines."
His gaze lifted to me, sharp.
"They fear weakness."
I didn't flinch.
I met his stare, letting the silence stretch until—
Knock.
Father spoke.
"Enter."
The door opened.
A servant entered, holding a bundle of letters bound in thread.
Ink stains marked his fingers.
He bowed quickly and stepped forward, placing one letter on the desk.
"A letter from Lionsgate, my lord."
Father moved, breaking the wax seal with a knife.
He unfolded the parchment and read it, his face unreadable, save for the twitch of his jaw. Then he slid the parchment across the desk, toward me.
[All major houses and all border lords are summoned to attend the council in Lionsgate to discuss the rising tensions within the Holy Union.]
I read it twice, then looked up.
Our eyes met.
We had the same thought.
'Opportunity.'
Father told the servant.
"You may leave."
He bowed before leaving.
Father spoke first.
"The court will be filled with enemies tomorrow. They will strike while we are down."
I added.
"And we will use it to remind them. We are Ashspires. We are not weak."
He gave a single nod.
"Favian. Rest. Tomorrow decides the fate of our house."
I inclined my head, masking the smile that pressed at my lips.
"Then until tomorrow, Father."
I left the study.
***
The carriage rattled through Lionsgate, its wheels beating a rhythm over cobblestone streets.
Beyond the windows, the capital appeared, decorated in banners of crimson and gold.
Lions of metal glared down from marble towers. Houses rose between them, painted in bright colors, and crowds gathered in the streets.
Father sat opposite me, dressed in a black suit with a dark red cloak fastened at the shoulder by the Ashspire crest.
His posture was straight, his silence unbroken.
I sat across from him, my thoughts circling the council ahead.
An opportunity.
'To show them that the Ashspires are not weak. To remind them we still stand strong. Stronger than ever. To put them back in their place.'
The carriage slowed.
My gaze shifted to the window, catching my reflection in the glass.
I straightened my collar, buttoned my white vest, smoothed my trousers, adjusted the crimson mantle, and combed my hair back.
At last, my practiced smile came, charming as always.
I gave my reflection a nod.
'Perfect.'
My eyes returned to Father.
'No failures today. Everything must be perfect.'
Click.
The door swung open.
Knights bowed as Father descended first.
I drew a deep breath before stepping out behind him.
The council hall stood ahead.
White marble stairs led up to a vast circular building.
Columns rose around the hall, tall and imposing. A dome of crimson bricks crowned the roof.
Banners adorned the columns, crimson and gold hung proudly.
Father climbed the stairs first, boots striking stone in measured rhythm.
I followed one step behind.
Nobles already crowded the entrance, flowing toward the doors.
Their heads turned as they caught sight of the Ashspire crest.
The whispers came at once.
"The Ashspires..."
"They were on the rise."
"They fell after the tribunal."
"All because of a bastard. What a disgrace."
"They couldn't even control their own children."
"I heard a marquisate will soon be free."
"Could the Ashspires fall?"
Their whispers drifted through the air.
I heard them all, but gave no reaction.
'Not yet. But I would remember.'
Father's steps cut sharply as he strode past them.
His eyes were cold.
The nobles parted.
The great double doors already stood open.
We entered the hall.
The dome stretched above us, and paintings of the victories from the Age of Conquest decorated it.
Chandeliers hung low, their light filling the hall.
Rows of benches curved around the hall. At the center stood a vast circular table draped in crimson cloth, adorned with golden threads. The marble floor leading to it was covered with a carpet in the same color.
Columns lined the walls, each decorated with lions.
Between them were stained-glass windows. Sunlight shone through them, painting the marble gold.
The seats near the high table were already filled.
Only the highest nobles and border lords had been summoned today.
'The important ones.'
Father walked down the crimson carpet, unhurried.
I followed close behind, my eyes scanning the nobles.
Some dipped their chins in greeting as we passed.
Others turned away with disdain.
'Good. Show me your contempt openly. Make it easier for me.'
'I will remember every face that nodded and every face that sneered. And when the time comes, I will repay them all.'
Father reached the first row behind the central table and took his seat—the seat behind Grand Duke Valmontis.
The Ashspire marquisate lies within his territory.
I sat beside him, hands clasped in my lap, gaze sweeping the chamber.
This was the stage.
This was the beginning of our rise.