Chapter 59 - The Crown Moves

Chapter 59: 59 - The Crown Moves

The last man left the meeting room and closed the doors behind him. Aurelian stayed seated at the head of the table, one hand beside the papers Margaret had brought in.

His attention moved from her to Vikir. "You interrupted a meeting with three ministers and two military advisers. So either this is serious, or you’ve finally decided you enjoy making my mornings worse."

Margaret crossed the room and placed the documents in front of him. "I already enjoyed that but this is serious, really." The hint of amusement on Aurelian’s face disappeared when he saw the first page.

"Start from the beginning." He pulled the bundle closer while Margaret sat opposite him, with Vikir remaining a few steps behind her.

"Adrien found an illegal operation north of Greymoor. Slavers, cages, hidden routes, payments through intermediaries. The documents connect it to House Arquenay." Margaret watched him start reading. "One of the prisoners was this man, his name is Vikir. Another was the Princess of Sylvamir."

That made Aurelian stop. "The princess herself?" Margaret nodded before continuing.

"Adrien helped free her." His attention shifted toward Vikir, and Margaret could tell that Adrien’s involvement had only made him more interested.

"You were there?" Aurelian asked. Vikir waited until he was addressed before answering, exactly as Margaret had asked him to.

"Yes, Your Highness." Vikir stood a little straighter as Aurelian studied him.

"And you can confirm the princess was being held there?" Aurelian asked.

Vikir gave a small nod. "I can."

That seemed to be enough for Aurelian.

He lowered his eyes to the documents again. "That alone would be enough to bury Arquenay if the evidence holds."

Margaret folded her arms. "There’s more. Léon Arquenay entered Clairmont territory with armed men and tried to kidnap Ariane. Adrien stopped them, and Léon died."

Aurelian’s eyes narrowed slightly. "And Gaspard?" he asked, already turning to another page.

"Vikir left before we knew what he’d do. Adrien believed retaliation was likely. Arquenay can field hundreds of Awakened, and if Gaspard moved quickly, they could already be marching on Greymoor."

Aurelian looked toward Vikir again. "When did you leave?" This time Vikir answered without hesitation.

"Several days ago, Your Highness." Aurelian’s expression became more serious.

"Could House Clairmont hold against Arquenay?" he asked.

Vikir’s jaw tightened before he answered.

"No, Your Highness." The simplicity of it changed the room, and Aurelian immediately returned to the documents.

He went through the papers faster, separating payment records, names and routes into smaller piles. Margaret knew that expression well enough.

Her brother was no longer deciding whether this mattered. He was deciding what he could do with it. Aurelian stopped on a page carrying repeated Arquenay initials and read it twice. His fingers remained against the edge of the paper as his thoughts moved ahead of the conversation.

’Yes... this is enough.’

Arquenay was one of the Great Houses whose loyalty to the Crown had become questionable, and now Aurelian could remove it without inventing a reason. Slavery, the abduction of a foreign princess and an armed attack against another Great House gave him more than enough.

Every house like Arquenay that disappeared weakened the balance his father depended on and brought Aurelian closer to taking control of the Crown himself. Things could move faster now.

’Thank you, Adrien.’

Margaret watched him carefully. "You’re thinking about how useful this is."

Aurelian finally looked up from the page.

"I’m thinking about several things dear sister." His expression barely changed, which only made Margaret more certain.

"That’s a yes." She knew her brother too well to believe otherwise.

"It’s also irrelevant if Greymoor is burning by the time we finish talking." That answer caught Margaret slightly off guard.

"So you’re going to help him." She leaned forward while Aurelian gave her a dry look.

"You say that as though I need your permission."

"You usually need a political reason before you move." Margaret tapped one finger against the table.

"And today I have several." Aurelian touched the documents beside him.

Margaret’s expression cooled. "Adrien could be fighting for his home right now."

Aurelian held her gaze. "I know."

"Then stop looking so pleased." Margaret wasn’t interested in pretending she liked where his mind had gone.

Aurelian closed the file. "I’m pleased Arquenay was stupid enough to give me legal grounds to remove them. I’m not pleased that they may currently be trying to kill someone I’d rather keep alive."

Margaret sat back. "You really do make everything sound unpleasant."

"And you make everything personal." Aurelian barely reacted.

"Sometimes it is personal." Margaret didn’t bother hiding it, and Aurelian studied her for a moment.

"Which is why you came to me instead of Father." Aurelian continued, "You knew these papers could disappear before they ever reached him."

"I knew they might." Margaret had already seen enough that morning to make that possibility uncomfortable.

"And you trusted me more." Aurelian sounded far too entertained by that conclusion.

"Don’t get excited." Margaret gave him a flat look, earning the smallest smile from him.

Aurelian stood and gathered the evidence into one stack. "Vikir, did Adrien send copies or originals?"

"Copies, Your Highness. The originals remain in Greymoor." Vikir kept his hands behind his back.

"Good. That was a smart move from him, I didn’t expect anything less from him when I met him.." Aurelian crossed the room and pulled a cord beside the wall, and a guard entered moments later.

"Your Highness?" The man waited near the door while Aurelian was already reaching for his coat.

"I need the Royal Guard ready to move immediately. Have the fastest mana vehicles brought around, and alert the mounted units. We’re going to Greymoor."

The guard straightened. "Understood, Your Highness." Aurelian stopped him before he could leave.

"I also want an arrest order prepared for Gaspard Arquenay. Conspiracy against the Crown, illegal enslavement, armed aggression against House Clairmont and attempting to provoke a war with Sylvamir. Have it ready before we leave."

The guard bowed and left. Margaret watched her brother fastening his coat.

"You’re going personally?" she asked, although his answer was already obvious.

"A Great House may be invading another while evidence ties them to the kidnapping of a foreign princess. This isn’t something I intend to handle from a desk."

"That’s not the only reason." Margaret knew him better than that.

Margaret knew better than to expect more. Aurelian turned toward Vikir instead and addressed him directly.

"I want you with us. If we reach Greymoor while they’re fighting, you’ll help us identify Clairmont positions and tell us anything we need to know."

Vikir bowed. "Of course, Your Highness." Only then did Aurelian turn toward Margaret.

"You should stay here." His tone suggested he already knew how useful that suggestion would be.

Margaret gave him a short laugh. "Absolutely not. I’m coming."

"I assumed you’d say that." Aurelian headed toward the doors, already sounding tired of the argument.

"Then why bring it up?" Margaret followed him, with Vikir close behind.

"Because occasionally I enjoy pretending you’re reasonable." Margaret rolled her eyes as they stepped into the corridor.

Orders were already spreading through the castle outside the room. For once, neither sibling had anything else to argue about, because neither of them knew how much time Greymoor had left.