"You must have mistaken me, Your Majesty."
Aster bowed his head just enough to pass as respectful. Inside, his thoughts churned. I would remember a face like his. If they had met before, it would not have slipped past him so easily.
"Hm."
Nikolai sighed, idly spinning the amber liquid in his glass. The light caught the surface, lazy, unbothered.
"Why do I find you interesting…" he murmured, more to himself than to Aster.
Aster's spine stiffened.
"I can sense it," Nikolai continued, eyes lifting at last. Sharp. Curious. Amused.
"You're hiding something."
Aster kept his expression mild, practiced. Years of survival had taught him how to look harmless.
"What would I have to hide, Your Majesty?" he said calmly. "I'm merely a waiter. Working for a paycheck."
Ah...
Nikolai's lips curved into a slow smirk.
"That's not what I meant."
His gaze sharpened, no longer languid. In his eyes, something flickered. Observation. Calculation.
There was no mana in Aster. None that should exist, at least.
And yet.
A faint disturbance shimmered around him.
A restrained wave, barely perceptible, like water held behind invisible glass.
Not absence. Suppression.
Nikolai's fingers tightened around the glass.
Interesting, he thought.
...Meanwhile…
Catherine brushed Elodie's hair with careful strokes, smoothing each strand, fixing the folds of her dress as if devotion alone could erase guilt. She indulged in the role she was meant to play, attendant, helper, invisible.
When she finished, Elodie lifted her gaze.
Sharp. Expectant.
Catherine swallowed.
Does she know?
The thought struck like cold water. Am I going to be caught?
Images flashed unbidden. Mad Dog. The patch-up shack. What would become of it if she failed?
Her worries betrayed her. Sweat gathered at her brow.
Then Elodie sighed.
"How long are you planning to stand there?" she said, grinning at her reflection. "My hair won't fix itself, will it?"
"Oh." Catherine hurried back to her side, fingers fumbling as she picked up the brush once more.
"How would you like your hair done, Your Majesty?" she asked, nerves threading her voice. She only knew messy buns and uneven braids, the kind born from haste and hunger.
Elodie met her eyes through the mirror.
"What do you do best?"
"I… I can half do a braid," Catherine admitted softly.
"Very well," Elodie said.
When Catherine finished, Elodie looked radiant. Her dress lay smooth against her frame, her hair neatly braided, a soft mint perfume lingering in the air like early morning leaves.
Elodie reached for the jewelry box.
Catherine waited.
When it opened, her breath caught. The pieces shimmered, delicate and luminous.
"They said it was made especially for me," Elodie said, studying herself in the mirror. "Strange, isn't it? They always favored my brother when it came to gifts."
Guilt bloomed in Catherine's chest.
But then another memory rose. Mr. Milford, taking her in when she was nothing but a street child, hands raw from stealing just to survive. Her most precious thing had been mercy.
"It's beautiful," Elodie said quietly.
She looked at the jewelry on her chest then turned and smiled at Catherine.
"Thank you for helping me prepare. I'll commend Duke Crimore for assigning me such a capable helper today. Who knows?" Her smile tilted, playful. "I might even bring you to the palace myself."
"It's an honor to serve you, Your Majesty," Catherine said, bowing low.
All the while, her fingers clenched tightly around the real Eye of the Forest, hidden in her palm.
....
Aster barely managed to slip out of Nikolai's sight.
The moment came when Nikolai raised his glass to drink, eyes lowering if only for a breath. Aster took it. One step back. Then another. Slow. Unremarkable. Gone.
He moved with purpose toward the room where Elodie had been prepared.
By the time the doors opened, Aster was already in position, a tray balanced in his hands, posture immaculate. Just another servant waiting to be useful.
Elodie stepped out.
Catherine followed close behind.
Elodie paused.
Her gaze lingered on Catherine for a brief moment before softening into a smile. She reached for a drink from Aster's tray, fingers brushing porcelain, then continued on without a word.
The guards approached at once.
They searched Catherine thoroughly.
Sleeves. Waist. Skirts. Efficient. Silent.
Nothing.
Catherine remained still, breath shallow, expression composed.
The guards stepped back and leaves her be.
Aster did not wait.
He slipped away with the natural flow of servants dispersing, careful not to draw attention. Only when he was swallowed by distance did his hand tighten around the jewelry Catherine had slid into his pocket the instant she stepped out of the room.
After a while, Elodie lingered at the top of the stairs, eyes tracing Aster as he moved below.
"Guess the Crimore household has new servants indeed," she murmured, voice soft, almost casual.
Her reflection caught her in the glass. She tilted her head, a slow smirk curling at her lips.
"Clever fox," she whispered, amusement and curiosity mingling in her tone.
....
The queen sighed and made her way to the balcony, seeking her son. There he was, still drinking alone. His pheromones prickled at her senses, sharp and insistent, but she forced herself to steady her breathing, to ask after the wellbeing of her firstborn.
She stepped closer, measured, careful, and noticed the faint amusement dancing across Nikolai's features.
"Something caught your eye, Nikolai?"
she asked, voice calm, probing.
"…Mother, do you think people can repress their own mana?" he asked, tilting his head.
The queen hesitated. She had never heard of such a thing.
"Though it may seem possible," she said slowly, "it would take years of practice to achieve."
For a fleeting moment, the queen caught something rare: Nikolai smiled. Not slyly, not cruelly curiosity glimmered in his eyes.
"Interesting," he murmured, the single word carrying weight.
.....
Meanwhile, Aster reached the stables. Catherine was already there, and the Mad Dog's grin split his face when he saw him.
Aster bolted, heart hammering, only for soldiers to give chase. He barely made it to the carriage. Hands trembling, he shoved the Eye of the Forest into Mad Dog's waiting grip.
The man's wicked grin widened, satisfaction cold and sharp. Then without warning he shoved Aster aside. The carriage lurched forward, wheels creaking, and disappeared into the distance, leaving Aster behind, wind whipping at his face, fury and panic coiling in his chest.
"No! Aster!"
Catherine snapped out of her daze and lunged forward, reaching for the carriage as it pulled away. Hands seized her arms. Rough. Unyielding. She struggled, breath breaking as she watched him disappear from reach.
"Aster!"
He was already running.
His breath hitched as more than twenty soldiers poured after him, boots pounding through the manor grounds. The world narrowed to sound and instinct and the burn in his lungs.
A dragon is definitely better than this he thought
Then the ground vanished.
A cliff.
Aster skidded to a halt, stones scattering over the edge below. Nowhere left to go. He turned, cornered, chest heaving.
Halt. Leave us be."
Elodie's voice cut through the chaos.
The soldiers froze.
She stepped forward, placing herself between Aster and the drawn blades, her expression amused rather than angry, eyes gleaming with interest.
"Surrender now," she said lightly, "and I will spare you."
Aster laughed, breathless, bitter.
"And live in the dungeons while my siblings starve?" He shook his head. "I don't think so."
"You still have the nerve to be cocky in your situation," Elodie said, her smile sharpening.
"I wouldn't go down without a fight."
He stretched out his hand, voice ringing with desperate resolve.
"I summon you Ancient sword Everanth"
The air split.
A blade tore through the space between them, flying true and fast, landing in Aster's grasp as if it had always belonged there. The sword hummed, obedient to its wielder.
Elodie's eyes lit up.
"How amusing," she said. "A divine weapon."
Her voice rose, clear and commanding.
"I summon thee. Luminara, bearer of light."
The sky answered.
Lightning crashed downward, white and gold tearing through the heavens. A spear of radiant brilliance descended into Elodie's waiting hands, its glow fierce enough to cast long shadows across the cliff's edge.
She lifted her chin, confidence effortless.
"You're not the only one full of surprises."
She leveled it at Aster, smiling.
"Amuse me," she said softly, "and I might grant you mercy."