“No, no, no, no, please, I have done nothing wrong, it was a mistake-”

  The portal closing cut off Lord Gulvére’s desperate pleas, and Vitala rubbed at her temples in a desperate attempt to abate her migraine as she returned to her private study. It had been... however many hours since she had sent Jeddard- Jeveraux away, and she had not felt as angry as she was now in a long time. Lord Gulvére had tried to defend himself and discredit the former Headmaster, but once the threat of imprisonment until this could be sorted out was used, the teachers and staff were all practically tripping over one another to throw blame around. Eventually she called in the Royal Guard to detain them all and spent the rest of the day getting the story.

  Evidently, the staff wanted someone more in-line with their views and more willing to bend the rules to run the Academy, and Gulvére was more than happy to take on the “burdens” of the position. That was about all she could get out of them before they devolved into screaming idiots, so she ordered the Guards to bring those who seemed involved to the dungeons until a full investigation could happen. Heads were going to roll for this, literally and metaphorically. The petty power grabs and politicking of nobles was one thing, she didn’t give a damn who ran a bunch of farmland barely big enough to be taxable, but one of the most brilliant minds of their age, of multiple ages, was tossed into a hole in the ground because of petty antics. How many years of invention and discovery were lost?

  Vitala slammed her fist into her desk, breathing deeply as her anger swelled, trying to assuage the growing fire in her mind. Eventually her anger ran cool, and she let out a long breath as she sat down. She’d have to reinstate Jeveraux as Headmaster, not to mention sort out new staff for the Academy depending on how deep the corruption ran. That was for another day, it’d likely take the Guard-

  Knock-Knock-Knock

  She sighed through her nose at the knocks on the door, “Enter.”

  A Steward slowly and hesitantly opened the door. Clearly he’d felt her anger before, holding a thick sheet of papers out towards her, “The familial charters and tax ledgers from the Volbaine family, Your Highness.”

  She took the papers and the Stewards quickly retreated as she began to read through the papers. “And the petty politics continue.”

  Reading through the data showed a typical tale of betrayal: the Noirus’ lent out money to a brother of the family patriarch, eventually becoming personally destitute to the point they borrowed money from Volbaine family. The Noirus lands were eventually taken as restitution when they couldn’t pay the Volbaine’s back, and the brother conveniently joined the Volbaine family in marriage with a massive dowry, more than likely the money he borrowed from his Noirus family members. The Noirus were sent to the mines when they couldn’t pay back the rest of what they owed plus their taxes, and that’s where they met their end and left their two heirs behind.

  Normally, Vitala would end whatever relationship there was with the two younglings, but... they were very close to Lord Jeveraux. It would behoove her to keep the two around for a better relationship, but that left the question of how to handle this whole Volbaine affair. There were as many benefits to disadvantages no matter what she seemed to choose... thinking to the two children she decided to let the elder make their case as to what they wanted. A Steward was sent out to find the two, and the first to arrive was Roanna in sleep clothes. Vitala wordlessly gestured to one of the seats in her study and Roanna sat, arms crossed. “Tell me, Roanna, what do you know of your family?”

  The younger woman’s brow furrowed and her frown grew, “I know what I told you. My parents were good people and didn’t deserve what happened.”

  “You are more correct than you know.” Roanna’s face softened from confusion. “Do you remember an uncle? One by the name of Amete?”

  “...Nooo?” The word was drawn out as Roanna looked to the floor. “I was young when we were forced to leave though, so maybe we only met once or twice?”

  “Your father had a brother by the name of Amete. He is the current head of the lands your family once owned.” The girl’s head shot up, completely shocked.

  “What?”

  “Lord Amete Volbaine is currently in control of Blackspire... and the reason your parents died.”

  Roanna shot to her feet, “What!? What are you talking about!?”

  “Do not raise your voice to me, girl.” Vitala flexed her Resonance and surprisingly the girl did the same, her body starting to glow as she shook... and then collapsed into the seat, clutching her head. There were a few seconds of silence before Roanna took a deep, shuddering breath, looking at Vitala.

  “What... Please, what happened?”

  “A typical tale, really; your uncle borrowed money from your parents to the point they had to ask the Volbaine’s help. Their lands were seized when they couldn’t pay the Volbaine family back, your family sent to the mines, and your uncle married into the Volbaine family with the money he borrowed.” The girl was shaking eyes growing wet and Vitala could see her Resonance flare and flicker. These were expected, but the sudden laugh was not.

  “So... ha, so what you’re telling me is, this uncle is the reason my parents died?”

  “...That appears to be the case, though further investigation is needed.” Vitala watched her carefully as Roanna’s hands balled into fists.

  “How did you find out about this?”

  “I’ve been investigating for some time, similar to how I investigated Lord Jeveraux.” The youth quickly stood.

  “Please... Please, you have to let us-”

  “Let you what? Do you think you could truly take over running those lands? Or do you want revenge?’

  “Revenge.” The answer was so immediate it threw Vitala for a loop, “I want to punch him in the face, then keep punching him in the face until I can’t feel my hands.”

  “So, you want to kill him?” Roanna opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again, looking conflicted. Vitala had pegged her for being a bit harder built than her brother, but it seems like she overestimated how much harder. “If you could, would you?”

  Roanna’s face curled before sighing heavily, crossing her arms again. “I dunno. I... Are you telling Haz this?”

  “You would let your brother decide?”

  “I trust him.” Despite her words her face still looked conflicted.

  “I am not asking what he would want or do, I want to know what you desire.” The girl met Vitala’s eyes and held her gaze before sighing heavily.

  “...yes.” The word was quiet but clear, “I want my uncle to suffer everything we had to in the mines. If he ended up... like my parents did, then I wouldn’t be broken up about it.”

  “And after that?” Roanna slowly shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I never even thought I had an uncle, so it’s not like I keep a plan for stuff like this.”

  Vitala hummed. At the very least, for now she likely didn’t have to worry about any nefarious plans from the girl. Still, stranger alliances have been made than a niece and uncle. She sent the girl off and briefly stood from her seat before she paused. Roanna seemed to have a lot of faith in her brother’s decision for some reason...

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  ...she might as well. Maybe it’ll be worth a laugh to hear his response.

  The boy was summoned next, though he took much longer to arrive, and when he did he was being held by the back of his shirt by a Guard. When he was set down he offered a quick thanks to the guard before looking to Vitala, “You wanted to see me, ma’am?”

  “Yes. I recently discovered some information involving your family.” She went through the same explanation as she did with Roanna, and it was fascinating to see how similarly the two siblings reacted. He had the same disruption of Resonance, the shaking, the unshed tears, but he actually managed to keep a tighter hold of his emotions compared to his sister. A deep breath and he looked at Vitala but seemed to be almost looking through her.

  “I... see. Did your... I’m sorry, may I please have a moment?” She raised a brow but nodded, and the boy spent a minute calming himself, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  “You are bearing this news much better than your sibling.”

  “Well... I am a Bright Soul or such. Suppose I’m just more mature, I have 40 years of experience.” He weakly chuckled then sighed. “Did the investigation tell you anything else?”

  “The whole situation is still under investigation, though your sister seemed ready to march there herself and tear your uncle apart.”

  “She would.” He nodded, his only response, and Vitala raised a brow.

  “Do you not also seek revenge?” Hazard made a face of deep thought, looking like he swallowed something bitter.

  “...I’m not sure, if I’m being honest. I mean I hate this uncle, but I need to know more before I decide anything. I need to know it was malicious.”

  “Are my words not your assurance of that?”

  “...Even the sharpest-eyed hawk misses a rabbit on occasion.” She’d give him this much: that was a quick way to save his skin. Complimenting her with the choice of animals while not outright saying “no.”

  She leaned forward, “And if it does turn out to have been a malicious plot?”

  He took a deep breath, “As much as I would love to watch Ro beat him like a pi?ata, I think figuring out what legal recourse we have is the better move. If there’s nothing to be done, then...”

  He trailed off and shrugged, and Vitala studied him curiously. “If you could punish your uncle, how would you do it?”

  He thought for a second, hand tapping on his knee, “I would either allow him to run the area until I was old enough then retire him to the tiniest plot of land I am allowed to give him, or seize his lands outside of a small area surrounding his house.”

  “That’s all?”

  “I don’t know enough about him or the situation to say I would do more or less, Your Highness. Sometimes though... you have to let things slide, even if only temporarily.”

  “A surprisingly mature answer... or perhaps a soft one.”

  “...Would you rather I say I’d want him burned at the stake, Your Highness?” She raised a brow. “I don’t want him to get away with it, of course, but I’m not spending all my life chasing someone that, until today, I had no idea even existed. If I have to choose between revenge or living, I choose to live.”

  Vitala studied the boy. He didn’t seem like he was forgiving the uncle and he remained calm despite the situation, but that maturity and thinking could just as equally be a problem in the future. “And if this uncle invited you back into the fold-”

  “No.” The interruption was instant. “If I get bit by a dog, I’m not going to try and pet it afterwards. I...”

  He took a breath, Resonance still that trembling mass as he pressed his hands together in front of his face and took a breath, “Do you need to calm yourself again?”

  “...No.” He sighed heavily, “I’m just not sure what else I am supposed to say here. Just... does he have kids? Children?”

  “He does not.”

  “Then I’m sticking with my original idea of what to do with him until we know it was done out of dickery, and if it was then I’ll go from here.” He huffed, and she figured perhaps he wasn’t as mature as she thought. Still, at this moment she couldn't think of any complaints that weren’t her circling the well. She was about to send him away when he raised a hand, “Can I ask something, Your Grace?”

  She raised a brow, “About what?”

  “The Rite of Forebears.” She nodded. “How does the Rite work now that we know about my family?”

  “I have not made a decision on that yet, but I presume you have something to say?”

  “Yes, I... well firstly I was thinking about “Chevalle” or “Chevalluna” for a name, if that would be fine?” Another nod, “Thank you. As for the other thing... does, does keeping the Noirus name put any potential danger on the Crown?”

  That caught Vitala’s attention immediately. Did he already figure out that his uncle might potentially have a claim to him? She leaned forward, eyes sharp on him, “And what makes you ask that?”

  He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, “It... I don’t know what the law is, but I don’t want him- my uncle, I mean, getting his claws on us because of some obscure law, or something. I don’t want to be having tea then suddenly he comes in talking about how we’re now his heirs or something and he starts causing problems, trying to worm his way into the royal family.”

  A point in his favor to show concern towards Dallia, likely what influenced Vitala’s next thought, “He would certainly not be the first to try, but unlike previous rulers I do not tolerate such attempts. As long as you remain in service to the Crown, you are as untouchable as fire.”

  He nodded but now seemed greatly hesitant as he spoke, “Thank... you, Your Highness. If... I may ask a question, of my own?”

  “I make no guarantee of answers, but you may.” He nodded, working his jaw before he took a sharp breath in and spat the words out rapidly.

  “Can-you-tell-me-about-Dallia’s-parents?” He leaned back in his seat as if expecting her to leap at him, though Vitala simply made a sour face. She wanted to avoid the topic, but... this would be a good place to plant a seed loyalty in his heart towards Dallia and the Crown.

  “What do you know of the past rulers?”

  “Not much, I know they are likely,” he paused, picking his words, “passed on, but politics wasn’t usually talked about in the mines and when it was it was with a lot of bias, so I took those with a grain of salt.”

  She wasn’t sure what that grain of salt comment meant, but she understood the gist. She kept the calming breath she took quiet as she could manage, refusing to show any weakness here lest it be used later, “The previous rulers were King Abbadellia Mallis and Queen Sophia Mallis... my daughter.”

  “...Oh.” His response was quiet, and she bristled at the pitying look he sent her but kept herself under control.

  “They were kind and good-natured rulers, something I thought foolish where my rule required a harder hand. I was proven wrong when they did much to undo stigmas between nobility and commoners, undid laws they found harsh, made great strides in foreign relations with other kingdoms. They were truly considered the greatest rulers of their age.” Two faces, a young man and woman, smiling beatifically manifested in Vitala’s memory, her fists clenching as every detail stood out perfectly in her mind.

  “And some people didn’t like that.” Hazard said quietly again, “I... you don’t need to go on, Your Highness, I think I know this story too well. Even more so now, given what I now know about my family.”

  “No. I would have you know it all, so you understand the position you and your sister are in.” That and she still hated that this child might see her as weak. She took a breath again, banishing the faces. “Several Upper Ring nobles close the royal family had plotted with foreign spies to strike at what they saw was a weakening Empire. The reasons for the coup were many but the point is it was, at least in part, successful. While the King and Queen were eliminated, the coup otherwise failed as more loyal forces quickly organized and eliminated as many of the traitorous bastards as they could.”

  “Which put you back on the throne.”

  “Which put me back on the throne.” She nodded, “For some that was the plan as intended, others wanted to put an entirely new face on the throne. I executed everyone who had a hand in the act, and spent the next few years raising Dallia and tending to my duty as ruler. She only knows that bad people are the reason her parents are no longer around.”

  Hazard leaned back against his seat while looking at nothing and both were silent, the boy processing all he learned while Vitala tamped down on long-imprisoned emotions. Quiet minutes passed on before Hazard leaned forward again, “I understand.”

  “Do you?”

  “I think I do. Why you’re so careful and why Dallia got attached to us so quickly.”

  “Then you understand how important you are to Dallia.” A bitter medicine to swallow, but the words were true. “You will be her... friends, you and your sister both, for many years to come. You will be closer to her than near anyone in this Kingdom and I will not tolerate any abuses of that position. Am I clear?”

  Despite her threat he seemed unphased, simply nodding. She returned the nod and summoned a guard to begin escorting him back, but he paused halfway to the door. She watched curiously as he looked back at her, bit his lip then approached her. He suddenly was on her and her arms raised as she got ready to blast him for whatever attack this was... before she realized he was hugging her side.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.” The words were soft but they carried a weight to them she wasn’t expecting. This... despite all he said about being a Bright Soul this was a child’s level of kindness she had not expected...

  ...or was used to. Awkwardly and stiffly her hand went down and patted his back, “Yes, well...”

  She trailed off and thankfully he quickly removed himself before shuffle-running to the guard and leaving. She watched him go and was left to awkwardly sit and ruminate on what had happened. The bitter, cautious part of her told her this was some ploy to prey on her emotions, but... if he wanted to do that, would he not have taken what he learned and used it to manipulate Dallia instead? Why approach her first? Vitala mulled over the whole thing but when she couldn’t reach a conclusion she sighed, tossing all her thoughts aside.

  She was going to have some tea. This was enough emotional and mental turmoil for one day. She could deal with all this tomorrow.