Wicked Steps

It was no simple feat to adjust to life back in Xutia, and the expectations on her as both Marchioness and future Imperial Crown Princess. She met with the Emperor and readily disclosed all that had happened in her role as Ambassador, but publicly could only indicate the alliance's success. The change in Imperial Prince Damien's eye wasn't acknowledged at all, Ludwig's missing hand was explained away by an attack he fended off in his duty protecting Emberlee. And Aerig's Name correction was simply treated as something Adabans did after divorce.

Vivian was as excited to see them all returned as anticipated, though she noted the aforementioned changes they'd all undergone. There was an undeniably depressed air that smothered them and yet Vivian didn't ignore the charges but lovingly accepted them post-Adaba.

"Emberlee insisted I bring you Adaban literature," Aerig placed the blame at her feet, "but I'll either have to read it to you or teach you Adaban because it's not translated," He warned.

"Reading her Adaban romance might constitute a war crime," Damien teased.

"Only if I do the noises", Aerig confirmed and Vivian blushed a pretty pink colour.

She would have never survived the hedonism of the second festival day despite her literary preferences. Emberlee actually couldn't readily think of someone who would do well in Adaba, not with Uncle now married and respectable. It would likely take the Ivy House finding a Xutian Noble with enough 'tolerance' for that level of exhibitionism, and she'd be able to help train them for the rest with Aerig's tutelage.

"While you were away I did as you suggested and received Father's permission to send letters to the trade partners in Maphate," Vivian smiled at Emberlee now, "it was a lot of fun to research the area I was writing to so I knew how to properly address them and what was appropriate to discuss."

"You did say you wanted to see the world for yourself," Emberlee was using that fact to both their benefits.

"Mother wasn't thrilled," Vivian mourned, "but since I'd spoken to the Emperor about it first she couldn't forbid me from it. She does insist that we read the response that comes back together."

More likely that Empress Clara would intercept whatever response came in so she could determine if it was something she'd want her daughter exposed to. In Stussica Vivian was still considered a child until 19, but in Xutia she'd become an adult even before Emberlee had. Vivian had every legal right to privacy that other Noble adults had.

"If you'd like, we'll have the Minister of Correspondence expedite it straight to you," Damien suggested, using a polite title for the Imperial Spymaster.

"Why is the Empress trying to censor the Imperial Princess' mail," Aerig asked deliberately, helping Vivian see it for the control it was.

"I've never written letters abroad before," Vivian defended her Mother's actions, "in Stussica we had a drafter who wrote our dictated letters for us, his calligraphy was exquisite."

"I can only imagine how much of an adjustment its been for you to live in Xutia," Aerig's sympathy was real, "where you're expected to do all these things yourself after a lifetime of never having to."

"I make mistakes that are rather silly to anyone else," she admitted so easily, her ego not a burden at all.

"Mistakes are the price we pay to earn experience," Emberlee's Mother's lesson would help once again, "there is no such thing as perfection without practice."

"I'd like to be able to write letters without constantly having them reviewed for errors," Vivian seemed agreeable, "and I know Mother is so busy supporting the Empire..."

"If you're worried, we'll help you review it," Damien offered, no longer having to avoid his stepsister to prevent an unwanted engagement.

"You will?" Vivian seemed immediately cheered, her rapid-paced talking still a task to adjust to.

"Of course, what else are friends for?" Aerig asked kindly.

Emberlee felt a wave of guilt, she liked Vivian but had to get rid of her Mother. By disgracing Clara to force a divorce, Vivian would be stripped of her Xutian position too. Assassinating Clara might be the kinder method of resolution after all; Vivian could mourn her Mother's untimely death but keep the stepfamily her Mother's political marriage had gifted her. It would just be immeasurably harder for Emberlee to achieve.

As she looked at Aerig and Damien, she knew they'd take their lead from her. Aerig may have come up with the idea but he'd witnessed how often Emberlee deviated from the anticipated schemes. In Adaba she'd killed to protect those she cared about, now she had to kill to protect herself despite knowing it would hurt her friend. To dispose of the Empress would all too likely involve her Hound, like the child's game 'bed-wed-or-behead' but in a literal sense.

"Since you and I will be family soon, I'll make sure to take care of you," Maleficent promised, willing to kill to protect her loved ones without hesitation.

If Emberlee wanted to keep her friend, she'd have to play a bloody game without getting caught. It wasn't immoral; she knew Clara was trying to kill her right back. But it wasn't going to be quick, neither the trap nor the culmination. Clara had to die in a way that wasn't blatantly murder and couldn't start a war with any Nation. The most obvious option was to poison her slowly over time, using one that had a cumulative effect and couldn't be detected by the usual screening methods. But in Xutia it was common practice to screen for all poisons when served food or drink, venomous snakes had been eradicated in the Capital, and she had no idea if Stussica increased poison resistance as Mother had done to her. And if her instincts were right, she only had until her wedding in Mosaica to do it. Empress Clara wasn't just going to sit idly back while Emberlee wrested the control of Xutia out of Stussica's hands, she'd take some extreme action to rectify it if Emberlee married Damien.

"That'd be wonderful," Vivian would likely have embraced her if the table went between them.

If only it was as easily achieved as Vivian's enthusiasm. As they discussed Vivian's growing independence from her Mother, Emberlee was trying to determine the best method to eliminate Clara. It was going to be difficult to eliminate the Empress in a way that was undetectable in the time she had before the wedding, thus why she'd originally liked Aerig's suggestion to bypass a directly lethal option and go with irreversible disgracing. She was considering two options; seeing if she could pull Clara into a Mirror like she had the wayward assassin, or having Ludwig seduce Clara and then write a suicide letter confessing their sins before he killed her and then himself. One would be poetic irony, in that Clara had tried to make Emberlee disappear before, and with Clara missing but with no body to be found there'd be a search but no war; no body, no evidence, no crime. But it left her missing and could result in unexpected variables. Using Ludwig left the matter entirely concluded but risked blame still falling on Emberlee for her Knight's actions.

Finally, she realized the best solution would be to combine the two options.

Ludwig would still seduce Clara, or lay enough evidence to make it seem that's what happened. Then Emberlee would dispose of both in a Mirror after having the Knight write a confession about them running off together. No body, no search, and no political repercussions. Vivian would be able to stay as the Emperor's stepdaughter and the threat to Xutia would be neutralized most effectively. So she didn't have to poison the Empress at all, she had to dose her with aphrodisiacs and then throw her submissive Knight at her.

"To the coming months, and all the plans that we've set in motion," Emberlee toasted, her friends all saluting back.

"You're going to be married soon! We have to pick your wedding dress together!" Vivian's glee made the sentence almost unintelligible; Emberlee had gotten accustomed to the blower speech patterns in Adaba, and she desperately missed the seasonings.

The wedding dress she'd always intended to wear had been ruined by Jimena and her daughters, so Emberlee truly didn't care about selecting the replacement. It would be no fault of the dress or designer but no other item would compare to her Mother's wedding dress. "I don't think I'd be comfortable in the gauze your Mother wore for her wedding to Emperor Andrion," Emberlee liked the embroidery and hand panting of Stussican fashion, but hadn't become accustomed to the see-through materials. Adaba liked lace over the translucent fabric of the more northern Nation and had a similar sense to dress lightly for hotter weather than Xutia ever saw.

"The dress you wore to my debut was fairly revealing," Vivian didn't say it critically, but that dress had ceased to exist at Midnight that night.

"I'm more partial to the pale blue dress you gave me to wear to my Father's victory celebration," no mention was made that the dress in question had been hers before Jimena's daughters had stolen it. Vivian hadn't known their gift to her had been stolen from Emberlee, and there was no point in bringing it up now.

"Oh in that case I have the perfect designer to help you," Vivian had a better sense of current trends at the moment, so it be useful to take advantage of that.

"I just realized this means I am planning your bachelor party," Aerig turned to Damien.

"That's a dangerous concept," Damien didn't say no though.

"I leave my fiancé in your capable hands then; just remember rule one," Emberlee smiled innocently and both men gave her surprised looks at her implication. "Now tell me more about the designer," she refocused on Vivian.

After the Imperial Princess left to arrange a meeting with the designer, Emberlee updated Damien, Aerig, and Ludwig on her plan. The Knight never refused, accepting his role with the same obedience that had led to his fall from grace. They'd use several methods to dose the Empress with aphrodisiacs, continue the Emperor's disinterest, and send Ludwig to be a timely distraction. Damien would have the Spymaster forge Clara's writing on Ludwig's confession and Emberlee merely had to get an anointed Mirror into Clara's suite. Or find a way to claim the ones currently in there, she'd ask Aerig to help her if necessary.

It was harder to achieve than even Emberlee's pragmatism could anticipate.

Although the aphrodisiac selected wasn't a poison and its only side effect besides lust was increasing fertility, she couldn't just slip it into the Empress' food and drink with no one else knowing. So she once again used her maid Leah to lay the connections. The extract was from the libidinous orchid, in itself a beautiful flower, and although unprocessed it lacked the extract's strong effect it still had a rousing effect from the fragrance alone. So Prince Damien had a 'discreet' courier deliver a fresh bouquet of them to the maid for her Mistress, guaranteeing that the Empress' spies heard about the delivery. Given the already spread gossip about how she regularly slept in Damien's bed it'd be a simple manner of connecting such a salacious gift to their nightly endeavours.

So it wasn't even an hour after the orchids had been set up in her office before a butler announced the arrival of the Empress. It had been less than two days since returning to the Capital and this was the first time the Empress had come to Emberlee's rooms instead of summoning her; she needed to see for herself if the rumours were true. That was the dangerous part of being a schemer, sometimes you failed to trust your intelligence and had to check directly.

"I'm honoured by your presence Your Imperial Majesty," she quickly rose and gestured for Leah to bring some tea.

Empress Clara ignored Emberlee's humble curtsey and sat at the tea table by the window expectantly. Her face gave away no sign of her motivations or feelings, but Emberlee spotted how frequently Clara's gaze sought out the bouquet. "I heard that an entirely inappropriate gift was delivered to your office, and I come to see that it's sadly true," the afternoon sunlight wasn't coming in directly through the windows, but instead bathed the Empress in a golden glow; she'd selected her seat carefully to look like an unopposable authority.

Emberlee faked being demure and looked down, as if embarrassed to have been caught. "I would not dare reject such a precious gift, not from my fiancé. Besides, the flowers are symbolic more than they are effective." Leah returned with a fresh pot of tea, serving a cup to the Empress first before pouring a cup for Emberlee.

"Should I test it for poison, future daughter-in-law?" Clara taunted, taking a silver spoon to it to do exactly that.

"Should I drink from your cup to prove it's not?" it was easy to counteroffer, knowing that was exactly what the Empress would choose.

As expected, Empress Clara's spoon didn't reveal poison as there was none, but still, the Empress presented her cup for Emberlee to drink from. The tea was delicately sweet, with only a light hint of its floral origin, and thanks to the bouquet standing in the vase between them the Empress didn't realize the tea was laced. The fragrance didn't do much as an aphrodisiac, Emberlee had felt nothing even after having the bouquet in her office because the flowers were more a visual piece of foreplay, as was wearing a perfume with its scent. But the tea Emberlee served was doused with enough activated alchemy to cause even her inexperienced body to flush. It wasn't immediate, a light dose that would slowly increase until Clara was crawling out of her skin and into Ludwig's arms. For now, it felt like a stimulating coffee but without the jitters.

"So you will not discard of such a... lewd gift, and instead you proudly display it?" Clara gestured for Leah to refill her up even as she criticized Emberlee.

"I'll be honest, your Imperial Majesty," she set her teacup down as the urge to repeat her actions in Adaba flared up, "I plan to keep the flowers and the Prince who gave them to me." She plucked one of the orchids out of the bunch, careful despite the lack of thorns, "However I will offer you one of its blossoms."

The Empress looked at her with distrust and barely disguised hatred, "Why would you reject my advice but offer me part of your 'precious' gift?"

If the Emperor had been ignoring Clara's physical advances, it'd been at least two weeks since she'd had any intimacy. To someone as devious as Clara she'd want the blossom to use herself, but would be suspicious of it being too good to be true. So Emberlee would have to convince Clara that she'd been outwitted by the Empress' plots.

"Because I know you sent your maid to kill me in Adaba and I want I make a peace offering. I am going to marry Prince Damien in a few short weeks and I don't want to be looking for an assassin in every corner, so why don't we consider a ceasefire," she let Clara take the flower and she refilled the Empress' cup. "I know you wanted to marry your daughter to my fiancé, but it is better this way."

"How exactly do you believe that?" Clara's tone was so cold that Emberlee expected to see her breath on the next exhale.

She could tell Clara about the tea now, let her decide to do the same to the Emperor so he'd go back to satisfy her physical needs. There was a certain pleasure to be derived by convincing Clara to dose herself along with the Emperor, all while keeping Andrion away from her and plied with a counter dose. But Emberlee wanted to break Clara's will piece by piece, so for now, she merely replied with, "I am new to the role of Imperial Crown Princess, but I have Prince Damien's favour. Princess Vivian has been raised on the Imperial etiquette I am only just learning and has graciously offered to be my tutor until I'm more accomplished. She and I will be spending many hours together, so any assassin that comes for me may inadvertently injure her."

As if she'd ever willingly let anything or anyone hurt her people.

The Empress stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. The orchid was held carefully as the Empress finished her tea, eyes never leaving Emberlee's face. It was a trial to not let eye contact happen, she did not need the burden of honesty right now.

"I do not know why the maid I selected for you tried to kill you but it was not at my command," the denial was expected by now, "but if accepting your gift will help you believe that I had nothing to do with it, then I accept." She rose, forcing Emberlee to stand as well, "As you have said, Marchioness, you need to keep my daughter close to you so you may learn from her." No doubt Clara was wondering if she could set up Vivian as Damien's concubine since Emberlee was taking the role of wife. With aphrodisiacs being freely used accidents could happen, and if Vivian bore Damien's child Stussica regained its hold on Xutia. "I shall insist to his Imperial Majesty that your security is impenetrable,"

Emberlee curtsied, smiling slightly when Leah offered the Empress a satchel of the tea to take with her. It was a Stussican custom to gift favoured and expensive tea, and Clara didn't hesitate to take it as her due. "Thank you for your grace Empress, I look forward to being in your daughter's care." the Empress left as swiftly as she'd arrived and it was only a small part of the plan's first steps.

She'd gift the Empress a single orchid every week until the wedding as if to continue to supplicate for her favour. She suspected that from there Clara would have her people turn it into an extract as there was no physical proof the Empress would be behind the extract. No bill of sale from an apothecary would trace back to her if it was ever discovered the Emperor was being dosed, and to add to her innocence, Clara would dose herself too. Then she'd be a 'victim' as well and Emberlee's bouquet would be the suspect. But to ensure Clara's careful logic and reasoning were properly eroded, Emberlee wasn't satisfied with Clara passively dosing herself. Leah had already sent the Empress' suites the treated tea, and when Ludwig would go to her he'd be bringing a gift of Adaban wine that had been as carefully tainted. And not just with the aphrodisiac; Emberlee needed Clara to grow desperate so she'd added a second extract to the wine. The orchid's extract made one aroused, but the poppy's extract was fiendishly addictive. Having a drug-addicted Knight guarding her for a bit was a risk, but it'd keep the Empress needing him without understanding why. Especially the longer Andrion continued to ignore her while rumours of Emberlee's amorous encounters with Prince Demon churned out.

Emberlee took a deep breath, feeling flushed and energized but otherwise unbothered despite drinking the tainted tea. Still, that had only been a single dose so it gave her a standard to measure Clara's eventual frenzy against. The silk of her clothes felt very soft against her skin, almost distractingly so as she tried to focus back on the papers at her desk. There was so much she had to do in the limited time before her wedding, and she hadn't lied when she'd admitted to having to learn the things she lacked to be a good Imperial Crown Princess. But her heartbeat made her lips tingle and the papers under her hand were intriguingly textured.

Vapours damned aphrodisiac was persistently effective. If Clara was more sexually frustrated to begin with, it was likely a more effective distraction than Emberlee had imagined.

Emberlee didn't want to depend on luck, but she felt it prudent to prepare to dangle her Hound before the Empress as soon as possible. She'd alternate plying the Empress with man and drug as needed until Clara gave in and relieved her needs in the obvious way. Emberlee didn't expect it to be a quick seduction or affair; the Empress was iron-willed and the drugging had to be gradual, but she had a better anticipation for success now that she'd had a sample of be aphrodisiac herself.

The Imperial Knights were given a vacation after their return, a reward for guarding them abroad successfully. That meant Ludwig had a month off guarding her, paid, but Emberlee hadn't expected the Empress to summon him to report to her immediately after leaving Emberlee's office.

But the morning after Emberlee's bouquet arrived her Knight knelt at her feet, his scarred face exposed to her fully as he went into detail about the Empress' interrogation. As planned, he wore the Adaban style vest Aerig had lent, the turquoise suiting Ludwig's more pale brown hair but the lace back let the fresh whip scars show through. "Mistress," Ludwig sounded distressed, "she saw all your marks on me and she dared to criticize your care for me. She said it was a pity that such an honourable Knight like me was left in your inexperienced hands." Considering that Ludwig had begged for Emberlee to whip him so viciously, and had thanked her after, his distress made sense only to her.

He was free to display it here, but hid it there; as planned Ludwig had told the Empress a specific version of events. She had been focused, letting him tell the version through before dismissing him with the promise to follow up with questions. "So now she believes I lost my hand when her maid attempted to kill you. And she accepted the wine though we did not drink it." He summarized, looking at her like a puppy expecting praise.

"She will," Emberlee felt certain because Clara would be trying to find a way to target Emberlee without putting Vivian in danger too.

So it was no surprise to Emberlee when the Hound was summoned by Clara again the next day. Her Hound knelt before her, this time in her room while she brushed her hair and reported that Empress Clara had demanded that he recount all that had occurred at the Peak's garrison.

"Mistress, you commanded that I lure the Empress into trusting my company, so I did my best to feign disgust that you used me to behead the wretch," the Hound's distress at 'betraying' her was obvious in his body language and tone of voice, but he did it because she'd asked him to. "To convince her, I quoted the law of Nobles and bloodlines and insisted that 'Lady Jimena' should have faced a trial regardless of her status." He leaned against her leg like an actual dog would have, seeking comfort as he recounted how he confessed to Clara about holding Emberlee down while Jimena beat her and that he believed Jimena's mistreatment was all in retaliation for that. "And today she poured a glass of the wine I'd gifted the day before, though we each only had one before she dismissed me." That would explain the Knight's actions with her, he'd experienced the first dose of drug and aphrodisiac.

"Keep it up, my loyal Hound," she stroked a hand through his hair as if petting an animal, burying her disgust to be comforting a man she wanted dead, "if I'm right this is only the beginning."

Every day Clara called for him, in the evenings after that day, and asked him to go into detail about certain events. And not just the events of their journey, she asked him about being engaged to Deirdre and serving Jimena, how Emberlee acted throughout, and even about the night he lost his eye. And by the second week, she asked to see all his scars.

"It was difficult, Mistress, to bare myself to her as l readily do for you," he admitted, eyepatch on the ground beside his knees. But as he was wrapped in her power, and had willingly submitted himself to it, he'd do whatever it took to see her will fulfilled. "She kissed the scars of my eyelid," it'd been over two weeks of Clara's regular dosing with poppy and Libidos flower extract, along with whatever additional dosing Clara might have given herself in an attempt to dose Andrion as well.

By now the Empress was likely as pent up as a shaken bottle of Zacian bubbly wine, and all the while Emperor Andrion seemed unaffected. There was no love between the Imperial couple, but they used to address each other's physical needs with apparent regularity. Andrion hadn't touched her since Damien's letter, so her frustration had started even before Ludwig helped Emberlee drug her. Now Clara had to resist the temptation Ludwig presented, a pliant, compliant man who seemed to want to give her anything and everything she wanted as a matter of loyal obedience. They both knew the moment he'd exposed raw scars to her that he'd never tell her no, so it was only a matter of time before Clara fell for the trap.

But while all of that was happening, Emberlee was enduring her trials.

The Abeita Dukedom was now a cousin-by-marriage to the Ortega March, and as such they had sent Emberlee a lady-in-waiting to serve her as the eventual Imperial Crown Princess. So along with her maid Leah, Emberlee was now attended for most of the day by Lady Nimue, Igraine Abeita's younger half-sister. If Clara hadn't been intent on marrying Vivian to Prince Damien, Lady Nimue would have been an obvious contender, even if she was his cousin. Nimue had red hair, the freckled skin that often accompanied it, and green eyes that hopefully bred true into Uncle's child as Igraine's were just as emerald. She was also an effective administrator, helping Emberlee balance the duties of Marchioness and Imperial wedding planning with consistent support. Ortega was undergoing an economic boom, both Nationally and Abroad, she was building a fleet for leisure travel with a military naval to protect it, and expanding trade routes in all directions of her March. But she also had to seriously dedicate time to learning the duties of an Imperial Crown Princess, help the Emperor select a new Envoy to send to Adaba and pick a wedding gown that would then be custom-made for her.

And while all this occurred, Emberlee was also helping Aerig move into Xutia permanently, catching up with her Vassals and the Ivy House, sending word to Father and her new stepmother, and reaching out to Gemini Piiklani in Stussica to invite them to her wedding.

Emberlee's days had never felt so long in her life, including when she'd almost died in the flu epidemic. But by the third week of Dessicus, Ludwig had taken his clothes off at Clara's command, and Vivian had found the design for Emberlee's wedding dress. She wanted to combine Adaban, Stussican, and Xutian aesthetics into one gown given the multitude of roles Emberlee played. Stussicans had translucent and white as their traditional bridal essentials, Adaba had figure accenting details, and Xutia of course preferred Family colours. Somehow Vivian took all that and cohesively meshed it into a beautiful design. A white and blue gown, to blend her Ortega into Damien's Landquist, which used Adaban fabrics to complete a Stussican design. The only downside to a custom dress was the endless fittings it required.

If that was the greatest burden Emberlee had to bear before her wedding, she'd have been happy. By now servants were gossiping over how frequently a Knight on vacation was called to the Empress' suite, she had a flourishing March and an impending marriage, and in less than two months would see all her loved ones in one place. But despite reminding the Empress that any attack on her put Princess Vivian at risk, a possible assassin was apprehended near the Imperial Crown Prince's suite. As that included her room, Emberlee spent the following week on high alert; learning only that the assassin committed suicide before interrogation.

Sir Eloise and Ludwig were both still on vacation, the temporary replacements all but looming over Damien and Emberlee. Their presence helped guarantee her safety but made it hard to clandestinely meet with Aerig, Ludwig, and Damien as needed. And she knew that the gossip about Empress Clara calling on Ludwig so often was matched by the servants' ecstasy over all the tales of Emberlee and Damien sleeping in the same bed. Aerig gleefully informed them that there was a betting pool amongst the servants on whether Emberlee would be confirmed pregnant by her wedding date or not, the assumption being that they'd been together since departing for Adaba.

Even Uncle Albert believed it, "Have I been that bad of an influence on you firecracker?"

"An odd way to say hello, " Emberlee had managed to not flinch when he'd flung her office door open, "I've come to expect that from you Uncle Albert." She stood up when Lady Igraine entered, but not due to etiquette; the woman's pregnant belly looked massive. "Please sit down Aunt Igraine, Nimue, please get afternoon tea."

Lady Igraine was as beautifully redheaded as her half-sister, but while Nimue's hair was a reddish brown Igraine's was purest copper, though her emerald eyes were too strained looking to be beautiful. "Thank you, Marchioness," she sat down, the maternity wear looking comfortable despite her unexpected bulk. "I am starting to believe that the divination can't tell us the child's gender because I'm carrying two babes, how else am I this large already?" Emberlee watched as Igraine levelled a hateful glare and a carefully manicured finger at Uncle Albert, "I blame you for this Albert."

"Well you certainly didn't get yourself pregnant," he flippantly answered and it occurred to Emberlee that he HAD been a bad influence on her. "But neither Grunberg nor Ortega lines had many twins."

"So if divination can't tell either one, doesn't that imply one of each?" Emberlee pointed out the obvious and watched them both look shocked. No one was discussing the risks having twins would entail, but it was all well known.

"Enough about us, what is this I hear about you sharing the Prince's bed since you left for Adaba?" Her Uncle sounded scandalized despite having gotten Lady Igraine pregnant before they were even engaged.

"I slept in my bed to Adaba, thank you very much," her careful denial didn't escape their notice.

"But then?" Lady Igraine was a good match for Uncle Albert.

"I got sick in Adaba, and the maid sent to help me instead tried to kill me," now she told the truth which felt almost odd without eye contact forcing it," I've had two assassination attempts while alone in my bedroom, so it's hard for me to feel comfortable alone at night. Please rest at ease knowing that I will not be in a similar condition for my wedding."

Before they could pry into the assassination attempts, Lady Nimue returned with the tea. The half-sisters were glad to have a chance to catch up, and Emberlee eagerly shared brandy with her Uncle. Amongst all the Imperial etiquette training, managing her duties, endless threats, and exhausting counter scheming it was an oasis of comfort. Her Uncle seemed to know that she'd had encounters while in Adaba that had fundamentally changed her, but he seemed ready to love her as she was regardless. It was his fault for needing a servant to assist him to a guest room for the night after that though, she was only guilty of providing the brandy.

Fifteen days after being thoroughly dosed with the Libidos flower extract and ignored by her contentious husband, Empress Clara's resolve cracked and she asked Ludwig if he'd like to serve her as only a loyal Knight could.

He came to Emberlee's room after the fact, still smelly of sex and bearing the marks of Clara's frustrated passions so he could confirm the progress of her plan. It was after midnight when he'd knocked on the door, rousing both her and Prince Damien within, and despite smelling of wine and woman he spared not a single detail or his dignity while reporting. A careful look revealed that even his clothes were rumpled as if hastily put back on.

"You will be free to do every depraved thing you could have ever desired to perform on your Mistress," Damien tormented the fallen Knight, still in bed while Emberlee faced her Hound, "but on the Empress instead. Take all your thwarted obsession and spend it on her."

"Can I make a demand in repayment, Mistress?" he looked at her beseechingly, both of them knowing this plot ended in his death.

"You dare ask?" She ran her thumb along the scars of his eye socket, the actual eye desiccated and withered by now.

"I dare beg," he admitted, lifting the stump of his arm for her to fondle as sadistically, breath reeking of the drugged wine.

"In front of me no less," Damien groused, already seeming to anticipate what the fallen Knight would request.

"What recompense would you plead so fervently for?" Emberlee ignored Damien's discontent, peeling the leather guard off to expose his cauterized stump to the air. She had a strong suspicion, going so far as to press a soft kiss to the amputation site.

He'd sacrificed a limb and presented himself all for her, Damien seemed afraid that meat her loyal Hound desired her as a man would, but Adaba had taught her the truth of Ludwig's needs. "Let me kiss your feet," he begged abasing himself piteously, long lacking honour and now deprived of dignity.

Seven weeks until her marriage, and Emberlee had successfully tempted the Empress to violate hers, and now the instrument of her revenge wanted to prostrate himself further to her. Emberlee presented her bare feet to Ludwig, cleansed in a bath earlier. He knelt lower, pressing a kiss to the top of both her feet reverently. She'd already whipped him bloody at his insistence, this was a far easier task but more difficult for Damien to witness.

"Your Mistress has rewarded you must generously, now leave," the command was sharp.

"Yes, Imperial Prince," Ludwig agreed, exiting with a clear dismissal.

"You do understand he is my Hound and not my toy, yes?" she didn't let Damien ignore his possessiveness.

"You do understand his behaviour is unhealthy, yes?" Damien countered while lying in her bed.

Ludwig had come from being intimate with the Empress so he could beg to kiss her feet, healthy was no part of the conversation. "Be grateful, his dedication is helping solve a problem for us," she prodded, cruel enough to enjoy his jealousy.

"He's had sex with my stepmother and begged my fiancée's permission to kiss her feet, what part of my distaste is unnatural?" By now he knew her well enough to play along perfectly.

"Being left out; Aerig at least has the sense to flirt with you too," she didn't resist the urge to tease him.

"Our Adaban is one problem, this Knight of yours is a separate situation," Damien didn't seem fussed as she walked towards him in bed.

"I have taken pieces off that Knight, and will continue to do so until nothing is left, is that how you want me to treat you?" she knelt on the bed over the Imperial Prince, the glow of his red eye no longer strange.

"If it means you'll take me, Marchioness, I'm willing to give you that ever piece you require," at some point, he'd learned to flirt like Aerig did.

"Patience my dragon; rule one because at this point I'm testy yours as much as I am mine," she persisted in resolute sadism, getting in bed next to him despite her instances.

Their nightly intimacies remained as chaste as she enforced, his possessive jealousy only mollified by the approaching wedding date. She still hated the concept of trying to sleep alone, so this almost cruel stalemate was doomed to continue until then. He still managed to sneak quite a few surprises into the distance between now and then all while adhering to her rule one.

A month before her wedding some of the primary guests started to arrive in Xutia's Capital. They were into the month of Commodius, the leaves were starting to change their colours, the weather fluctuated from hot enough for bugs in the day but cold enough for fires at night, and the Capital enjoyed mid-autumn to its fullest advantage. The sun would set but markets continued until late, merchant and trade caravans set out by the hour almost from every major city, and the streets swarmed with those wishing to bear witness to the Imperial Crown Prince's marriage.

After arriving Uncle Albert had been able to confirm that all the Mirrors Emberlee had connected to had shattered, not just the one in Ortega. It left her wondering if the one at Aerig's old palace had survived, but more importantly, it left her having to find suitable replacements. Then she'd have to determine a way to anoint and claim the Mirrors as she now knew how to do. Though it'd be a little grotesque to have to smear blood on each, it seemed inevitable at this point. Taking advantage of Méabh's efforts, she requested the Mirrors from Emperor Andrion, knowing that she needed at least four and as quickly as possible. One to send with her Father back to his new March, one to go with her Uncle, one for her Imperial room, and finally one to be sent to Ortega. Out of the dozen or so gifted to Andrion it wasn't insignificant, but as Xutia had Mirrors aplenty there was no reason for him to refuse. And since Damien knew how a Fairy could use a Mirror it was easy to assume that Emperor Andrion did as well, making it all the easier for the Emperor to use them on Xutia's behalf by gifting them to her.

"You've explained all that has transpired in your travels," Emperor Andrion had invited Emberlee into his study after being too busy to attend supper again, "and I have had Damien's reports well." He watched her like a butterfly pinned for inspection, "so tell me what it is you're planning?"

"Plausible deniability my Sovereign," she didn't extrapolate, "I trust Damien to share what is sensible to share, but you would be better served by having your surprise be real." Since she was telling her Emperor to act ignorant, it wouldn't be a surprise for him to be angry, but instead, Emperor Andrion laughed.

"Then keep your details, I've had enough to anticipate what your doing," her future Father-in-law was either bluffing or more magnanimous than expected.

After all, she was plotting to dispose of his wife; political marriage or not Andrion had a complicated relationship with Clara. He'd agreed to the union to gain Stussica's support and grow Xutia into an Empire only a few short years ago, and yet here she was disrupting it and telling him to stay in his seat without taking action. "I'm ensuring the safety of any future children I may bear."

"As did my ancestor so long ago," now he seemed solemn, "take care that it doesn't cost you your heart and humanity too."

She'd been afraid Damien and his Father might plot to sacrifice her specifically to match the founding, and Damien had promised in Fairy honesty that he wasn't. Now this helped her realize the Emperor wasn't plotting to either. A sense of relief welled in her as she subconsciously relaxed; she wouldn't have to plot to take out her Emperor. Mother had always taught her to care about the Nation over blind obedience to its leader, it might be treasonous to consider removing Emperor Andrion, but if he'd chosen Clara over the needs of Xutia Emberlee would have done what was necessary.

"Adaba required a pound of flesh and blood in repayment for my deeds," Not just Ludwig's hand had been sacrificed but it was difficult to explain Cinderella's demise while Emberlee still lived, "I am curious what boon you may ask in repayment your Imperial Majesty."

Nothing was ever free; no information, favour, or even inaction was ever done without something being expected in return. Emperor Andrion was complying with Damien's requests to all but ignore Clara at his own potential expense, it was pragmatic to realize he was likely going to use that cooperation to gain an advantage. She just didn't know in what form that coercion was going to appear.

"Don't be so certain it's you that will have to fulfil my request," he cautioned, proving that being amiable didn't make him any less of a threat.

With a simple statement and a friendly smile he all but admitted to intending to use her People and connections to fulfill whatever demand enlisting his help had cost. He could choose to claim some of Ortega's wealth, the naval fleet being built with supplies coming in from Piiklani's new territories in Stussica, or even demand Father return to duty as General so he could serve in a future war. If he were cunning he could impose his will on Uncle Albert and the Ivy House, folding the independent information Guild into his Imperial Spymaster's hands, if he were cruel he could claim Ortega as Imperial Family property due to her lack of Heir. But because Emperor Andrion was an unrepentantly ambitious man gave no hint to his eventual demand. He wanted her worried about it, ruminating over the possible outcomes so that she'd build her anxiety and offer something greater than would otherwise be asked.

Emberlee smiled as she realized that meant he hadn't decided on what to request at all yet, but was waiting to see what would favour him best. "I would gladly introduce you to Méabh via a Mirror your Imperial Majesty," it wasn't hard to bait an ambitious man, even if he was cautious, "she has all manner of interesting treasures to offer. Damien has a Relic for an eye and I took her husband as our Envoy; imagine what marvels she'd reserve for a fellow Sovereign." The one thing Méabh wouldn't be able to do was gift Andrion a Fairy Bond, not unless he left Xutia permanently and became hers. And although Emberlee had explained all the events that had occurred, she hadn't gone into the revelations she'd discovered. Like one day being able to forge a Fairy Bond like Méabh could. But there was still so much potential left in what could be gifted that it'd be tempting, even if the Emperor inevitably recognized it as the obvious manipulation it was.

He smiled at her, a strange mix of paternal pride and irritation, "My son is going to be kept on his toes until the day he dies with you around." That might have been a compliment.

"You once feared I wasn't vicious enough," she reminded.

"I was wrong," her Emperor admitted freely. "There is no need for such precise paranoia my dear daughter-in-law; by aiding you a thorn will be removed from my paw, the act is payment in itself." He poured some of the Adaban wine the treaty included the importation of, "I imagine that in the next five weeks, I'll see the culmination of your plans and the simplification of my life, only this plan allows me to keep my darling stepdaughter alive while also gifting me an ideal daughter-in-law."

The Emperor had figured out they were removing Clara, even if not now, and was agreeing to remain uninvolved while also not asking for a return favour. He'd been looking for a way to neutralize Stussica's hold on Xutia from the moment he leveraged a political marriage into Imperial status. Even while engaged in a passionate, if not loving or healthy, relationship with Empress Clara his goal had always been to eventually dispose of her. Emberlee had merely expedited the process; she'd thought him powerless before Clara's attempts to marry Vivian to Damien but now Emberlee understood; by arriving when she had, Emberlee had incidentally saved Princess Vivian's life. Andrion would have seen his stepdaughter dead before wed to his son. It'd be easier to set up an Imperial Princess' death without an international war as she was excluded from the inheritance of either Empire. All the variables that made killing Care directly a bad plan simply didn't apply to the endearing Vivian.

"You should take her Imperial Highness with you to the Roblee March and invite her official pen pal from Maphate to arrive at the same time," she wasn't trying to be subtle, "It might be a very fruitful encounter." She'd rather the Emperor think of Vivian as a piece of his treasure hoard that had value instead of a discernable trinket.

"I have no intention of hurting Vivian once her Mother has been resolved," he seemed as fond of the Princes as Emberlee was, "If she'd like to travel I will take her, but I don't plan to force a political marriage on her." That was a surprise to hear, the cunning Emperor of moments ago gone, "I'm thinking about my future, I believe the Princess might be a good caretaker if I decide to retire after things settle down." Vivian had no skills or training for the task whatsoever, and yet Emberlee nodded in agreement. Vivian was just so delightful that being around her made even the darkness in Emberlee easier to endure. She spoke too quickly, her accent some lines obscuring words, and there were a plethora of errors even when she tried her hardest, but there was also no subterfuge or ulterior motives in her.

Their Nation has gone through two expansion wars and growth into an Empire in the last two decades of his Reign, and before that, he'd been building Xutia's economic and military might. He wasn't abdicating the throne immediately after the wedding, not after exerting that much effort to be the Emperor he'd become. "So instead of parading the Imperial Princess around as a potential bargaining chip," she slightly changed tactics, "you'll give her the liberty to select her spouse to assist her in governing your estate after you retire."

"Did you think Maphate would be a suitable place for her?" He criticized than haphazard attempt to separate Vivian from her Mother's careful clutches.

"She wants to see and experience the world for herself," she wasn't bothered by her old plan's failure, "and she's got a devastating soft spot for a handsome face, it's a decent compromise."

"They do believe the beautiful have been blessed by their gods," he didn't deny. "She wrote to the Magistrate over the Kulotis/Pirin border region, a patient diplomat but not a young man to dazzle her with his face. It was a worthy endeavour, but unnecessary now."

"Not an issue," she wasn't desperate to marry Vivian off, so it was easy to concede.

"With the updates you've given me to Adaba's cultural practices," the Emperor changed topics so quickly it almost surprised her, "It's hard to think of a permanent Envoy to send there as Xutia's Ambassador." He wanted her to suggest someone, likely to assess her reasoning.

"It helps that Noble rank means nothing to Adaba, so your field to select from is wider than before," she carefully avoided answering directly.

Normally an Ambassador would be a Marquis, a Duke, or a Royal-born to demonstrate the serious nature and authority of the position. But with Adaba, it'd be better to send even a Baronetcy rank if it meant the Ambassador would tolerate Adaba well. She simply didn't know the Xutia Nobles' private lives well enough to determine the appropriate fit, she had planned to hire the Ivy House to figure it out.

"Don't forget I lose the person I send," as they'd gained Aerig with the expectation he'd now find a Xutian spouse, so two it'd be expected of their Envoy.

"Were there any exemplary Heroes that weren't given Noble titles at Father's victory banquet?" she tried looking at it from a different angle.

To a lot of commoners, an Ambassador WAS a Noble position, so in this specific instance, the Emperor could theoretically pull off promoting a commoner to Ambassador and get the best of rewarding a loyal subject without losing a well-serving Noble. The other option would be to select a Noble scion that wasn't in direct inheritance, though that also risked connecting the Noble family to Adaba outside of Xutia's control, while using the commoner bypassed it.

The smile on Emperor Andrion's face promised that he'd already thought of all of this, but he seemed pleased to hear her echo it. "I'll send the files on my current considerations to your room, it'll help keep you distracted from any pre-wedding jitters that might arise these last few weeks." As if she were one of the fainthearted romantics in the novels Vivian and Aerig often discussed.

"If I wanted to run, I had a Palace all my own in Adaba." That might be a lie, despite all commentary about Méabh being prepared to keep her she'd never been shown a palace made for her.

"Even as your Emperor, I have no illusions that you are domesticated, Marchioness," he signalled her dismissal even as he laughed.

She had her Mirrors finally, and the Emperor's compliance meant all she had to do to ascertain Clara's downfall now was to get the Mirrors anointed for her use. She'd start with these but still had to find a way to gain access to the one in Clara's bedroom. Maybe she could slip in while Ludwig kept her otherwise engaged, though the idea of witnessing that in any fashion was unsettling.