AO 7 Ch 26

Emlyn giggled as she looked at me.

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. My anchors were their usual selves, donned in their kingdom blues, which stood out like a sore thumb in Zenovia even a touch beyond normal. Though, more than a few eyes were focused on other things about them rather than their blue monster leather attire. Maribelle was getting a little more attention than I’d prefer, but they were all gorgeous.

However, my outfit apparently had to be changed now that Lord Valken had introduced me as Harry's son. If I was part of the Zenov line, then I was told I needed to be in mourning too.

They had just managed to get the veil on me after I’d put up my best struggle back in our rooms.

"The veil is a fantastic look on you," Missy said, spinning around the room to ensure each of us were ready for the upcoming party.

"Yes, I feel so regal with a black cloth over my face.” I flicked at the offending material.

“It could be worse," Ditzy said, lounging in the corner of the suite we had been granted.

"Really?” I couldn’t help the annoyance in my voice.

“Yes, really. You have a mysterious aspect about you with your face covered.” She told me, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

I huffed out a breath that made the veil flap. "Well, if you like it so much, I am happy to loan it to you."

"Pass," Ditzy said. "Black really isn't my color."

"Funny, it's not mine either. Makes me look like too much of a villain, I think." I turned back to the mirror and straightened my clothes. The shirt, at least, was a bright blue in an attempt to counter the black veil and suit that I’d been stuffed into against my will.

Then again, the bright pop somehow made the black darker.

"Okay, everyone, calm down," Emlyn said, barely keeping the laughter from her voice as she patted the air. "We finally managed to get Ard to wear the veil. Don't make him take it off by pointing it out."

I reached up, teasing like I was going to rip it off.

Only for Emlyn to cut me off and wag a finger. "If you try and take it off, I will make one of the goddesses do enough magic that it will never come off."

I gasped. "You wouldn't."

"In a heartbeat." And when Emlyn and I locked eyes, there was a silent challenge occurring before I looked the other way, deciding to spare her.

"That's what I thought," Emlyn said, far too smugly for my taste, but before I could push back, there was a knock on the door.

Maribelle opened the door to reveal Eva and Lord Valken on the other end.

"Don't you just look dashing in a veil," Eva grinned.

"Har har. Please tell me you've come to save me?” I asked with big eyes.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in the cards today," she replied.

I groaned and closed my eyes. "Alright. Well, I guess that's that. My life is over." I flopped down on a chair dramatically.

Everyone ignored my antics. "Instead, the family is going to have a meeting. It seems that almost all of my relatives have arrived." Eva reported.

"Well, that makes sense," I said and sat up. "It's not like any of the other ones were traveling as far as we were."

"Regardless," Eva said, "dinner, unfortunately, needs to happen now. Even if you dislike the veil."

"No. I'll come. But if there's ever a chance that we can ditch the veil..." I bobbed my eyebrows suggestively at Eva. Honestly, the idea of eating with this made me lose my appetite.

"If there is, I will make sure yours is gone as quickly as possible.” Eva nodded.

“That's all I ask," I said, puffing myself up.

"Arden,” Uncle Valken stopped me. “If you would please take care of Eva tonight. I'm going to be dealing with a few things on my own."

"Of course, Uncle Valken. Have no fear. Arden is here." I cheered.

Emlyn turned her head very slowly in my direction. "Please never say that again. Also, you realize that he wanted your anchors to watcher her more than you personally, right?"

"What? It sounded a little catchy. But yes, we will take care of Eva. I understand you have your own matters you must attend to.” I wasn't really certain if anyone was going to be listening in on us during our time here at the Zenov Palace, so I tried to stay more neutral on topics. 

In the end, it was probably safest to assume there were prying ears.

"The place is lovely, by the way," I said to Eva as we got moving. "The palace really is quite beautiful.”

“Now I just wish that the rest of my family wouldn't cause quite so much trouble,” Eva stated.

Family always seemed to come with baggage, the bigger the family, the more baggage that you were handed.

I gave her a placating smile, unable to be honest with her. However, we quickly couldn't talk as we left the wing assigned to me.

As we left the guest wing into the palace proper, it was abuzz with people moving every direction. A constant stream of passersby kept me busy watching and staring at all of my extended family.

It wasn’t long ago that I had lived in a small village, separated from my family. The chances of meeting someone even blood-related to me had been a far cry from reality.

Now I stood in a palace surrounded by family, yet I felt not a drop of warmth from any of them. It was a hollow feeling as I realized they might be related by blood, but they weren't family.

With that realization, the whole ordeal became rather dull to me. Then again, they were all wearing black, so it was very dull by definition.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a woman stepped up atop a staircase. "Thank you all for coming to the palace and joining us to bid my mother a sweet farewell. She would have been absolutely delighted to see you all here today in attendance." She reached up under her veil and dabbed at her eyes.

I glanced at Eva. "She's the frontrunner for the next queen. The eldest princess, Gabriela Zenov." Eva filled in.

I nodded, committing the name to memory. If she was the crown heir, then when it came to picking someone who had something to gain from the murder, well, that certainly fit the bill.

"Is she, you know?" I nodded at her.

"Is she what?" Eva asked.

"Evil." I filled in.

Eva closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I don't know if it's going to be quite so simple as saying, this one is evil and this one is good, Ard.”

“Of course it's not going to be that simple. You've got to figure out if they're good or evil. It takes time." I sighed. Some people just didn’t understand.

My words caused a few to look in my direction and others kept their gaze on me because of my anchor's presence.

"Don't mind him," Emlyn said to one of the close onlookers. "He's always a little funny." She twirled a finger by her temple.

"Yep, that's me. The village idiot." I chuckled and my self-deprecation had the necessary effect of making many people look away and ignore me. I smiled to myself. They would learn soon enough that there was more to me, but I did not mind being underestimated.

The woman had continued on her impassioned speech. "It was so sad and so sudden," she continued to sniffle while projecting her voice which made it seem not quite genuine. "However, in her final moments, my mother did profess that she did not want to see me kill my siblings for the throne. Thus, I ask for many of you to abandon all notions of the throne and in turn I will make this transition as simple and painless as possible."

Eva leaned over, translating for me. "In order to do that, you would have to remove yourself from the line of succession. Essentially, give up your royalty.”

“That sounds, once again, less than ideal." I added.

Eva chuckled. "More than a few will gladly do it. However, many of the people here are afraid of Gabriela. The crowned heir is more than simply being the right daughter. It means she's strong enough to kill the rest."

"Oh, well, surprising good news there, Eva. I am too." I beamed at her.

"No, that is not what I meant." Eva scowled at me as if daring me to try it.

"I know, but important to point out nonetheless." I answered.

"Sister, I can't believe you would suggest such a thing." A man in his thirties stood up. “Zenovia and the Zenov family must adhere to traditions. Without them, what difference do we have from those of rabble and Avente, or those who used to be penal colonies in Garrish? Respecting traditions is vital to who we are at our core. To abandon that is to forget our past, forget our dear mother, and even Zenov's line from which we descend. Our mettle must be tested against one another.” He slammed a fist against the railing taking a step up towards Gabriela.

"You speak of it as if you were there when mother died," Gabriela leaned on the railing. "However, dear brother, by your emphasis, I suspect that you weren't on that friendly of terms. You've been off gallivanting and trying to deal with pirates rather than being home as our mother fell ill and passed away. For you to speak as if you know her will is disgusting."

Her brother looked like he had swallowed a sour grape.

"Ooh, never mind," I said, whispering to Eva. "I'm glad I came. This is a fantastic show." I reached into my shadows and pulled out some jerky that I began eating. There was something perfect about a good snack with a show.

When I went to reach for the wine bottle, Emlyn stopped me with a look as if to say, 'Are you fucking kidding me?'

"What? They're putting on a great show." I whispered back.

Our small discussion was largely ignored as the siblings bickered.

"If everyone would mind settling down," a woman who looked like she was well past her prime raised her cane before knocking it on the floor several times. "My dear cousin has passed away, and I respect her wishes that it is important that her children do not all slaughter each other. And I also recognize the idea that Zenovia is built upon a legacy of strength, so I would propose a tournament."

No! She was going to ruin my show, or perhaps that would prolong this whole ordeal. I was torn. This was an attempt at a compromise of sorts, though her words caused another wave of criticism, most loudly from the adult prince. 

“Fighting a tournament is meaningless. Without lives on the line, most of us cannot show our true prowess. Those of us who have spent our time fighting for Zenovia and gaining that experience, of course, know that well enough," he stared at Gabriela. 

"Unfortunately, knowing a battlefield does not prepare you in how to rule a civilization, a populace who largely need working roads and civil services." Gabriela answered.

I glanced over at Eva, "Are you going to get in on this?"

"Should I? What would you do, Ard?" Eva asked, and as a massive grin spread across my face. Her eyes immediately turned panicked. "Whatever it is, don't do it," she begged.

"Just a little?" I pinched my fingers together. "We could have a lot of fun." I begged.

"I don't know what it is, but I think it is probably a bad idea." Eva replied.

"It is most certainly a terrible idea," Emlyn echoed from behind us.

"Right now your goal, Ard, is to discover more about your father and to protect Eva," Zuri reminded me, "none of which requires you to get involved in this battle over succession."

"Right, right," I nodded along in agreement. "But I could definitely show off here and make them all think twice about going for Eva at the same time. Perhaps, and just saying this, perhaps, they might be more inclined to help me out in finding information about my father if they think doing me favors might earn them some of my strength."

Not only Emlyn, but everyone in my entourage looked at me as if I had just spilled a bowl of chili all over the carpet.

I waggled my head back and forth, considering what to do while turning back to the fight unfolding in front of us. However it seems that I had gotten more attention than I expected.

The entire room was looking at me. Fantastic.

"You'd really flaunt your strength here," The prince called out to me, puffing himself up halfway up the steps to Gabriela.

"He's young, brother, and does not understand what we're talking about. All the more reason to spare him.” Gabriela pleaded for me.

“As an older sibling, I'd be happy to teach him a lesson." From the stairs, Arthur pointed at me as darkness pooled up, as if trying to catch me. The room went silent as the shadows pulled from the walls to cage me in.

Not that I was going to let myself be put in a cage, the disgrace.

I took another tear off my jerky as the darkness meant to cage me, coalesced in front of me into a ball, then into a wine glass. I managed to sweep the wine out of my shadow before Emlyn could stop me and began pouring myself a glass.

"Well, thank you, cousin," I said with a large smile, as his face became utterly dumbfounded.

Gabriela on the steps was equally confused.

“The wine glass was a perfect gift. Really, this whole situation has made me parched." I plucked the wine glass of shadows out of the air and took a sip underneath my veil. "Ah, no glass, no metal, no wood to affect the flavor, nothing but rich darkness." I swirled the wine, doing my best impression of the nobles when they drank fancy wine.

"I'm sorry, cousin, you seem unfamiliar," Gabriela said, squinting at me and likely unable to make an affirmative mention with the veil on.

"Oh, pleasure to meet you. I am Arden Aldis." I crossed my legs and dipped myself low, making sure not to spill the wine. "I am married to Eva Zenov, though my father is Harry Zenov," I said, taking the wine and sipping the beverage. There were several people around the room that began to murmur my name.

"Arden Aldis, the four-sphere mage of Avente?" Someone in the crowd spoke up loud.

"I am glad to see my name resonates even here." I lifted my wine glass in their direction. "Yes, that is me, slayer of two kings, the king of Avente and Garrish, along with his horrifying vampire horde."

I shook my head and continued to sip my wine, enjoying the reactions as they played out around me. There were gasps. There were others who laughed to themselves, saying, ‘Of course, the next four sphere mage was of the Zenov line.’ And even more, there were those that cursed my sudden appearance and the announcement of my heritage.

"Pardon me, cousin," Gabriela said from the top of the stairs, "but it would be best if your lineage was verified before you attended an event like this."

"Oh, it is. The Vel'shae vouched for me," I said, swinging my wineglass around and causing several nearby royals to dodge like they were worried they were entering the splash zone. However, I kept it all neatly in the wineglass, only shifting its shape slightly to catch an overzealous sway.

"That remains to be seen as the crown princess and future queen--"

Gabriela's statement was cut off as several heirs began barking angrily at her and the hubris to announce herself as the future queen.

I just sipped my wine and gleefully enjoyed royals in a fit over some silly title.

All of them, no matter what they did for the rest of their lives, would have perks that most people couldn't dream of. However, the slight shift from being a royal to a monarch was enough to make some of them quite literally frothing at the mouth.

I did a double take at the particular woman standing and swaying and actually frothing at the mouth, feeling life magic pumping through her. "Uh, Eva? I think something's wrong with that one. She’s trying to heal herself."

My attention did not go unnoticed, and several people closest to that princess pulled back her veil to see panicked eyes and frothing mouth. She suddenly went limp, her eyes losing the spark of intelligence like a blown-out candle.

"Oh, that can't be good," I said as the entire area devolved into shouts and pointing. 

People darted away from the fallen princess. Guards and Vel'shae descended on her like a swarm of flies, only for the first one to reach her and read her pulse to shake his head. 

Gabriela, at the top of the stairs, was shouting for order. "Everyone, calm down. This will be managed quite simply. And no, there is nothing to worry about. Though it is similar to how my mother passed, this was far more sudden, and there is certainly nothing wrong in the royal palace." 

I noted an edge of panic in her voice before I took a long sip of my wine and went to refill the glass. Tonight was going to be incredibly amusing, and I was here for  a bit of entertainment. I had thought it would just be banter between entitled royals, but a little murder mystery was a fun twist. As long as nobody attempted to come for those that were mine.