Chapter 225: Agreement With Valdris [1]

Ulrich lay against the cracked wooden ramp near the ruined prow.

At some point, he had fallen asleep.

He did not remember closing his eyes.

The exhaustion had simply taken him.

Sleep had come without permission.

Ulrich opened his eyes.

For a moment, his vision remained unclear.

Darkness pressed around the ship. The harbor lights had grown dimmer, and the fire at the broken ram had become little more than a bed of embers. Smoke still drifted above the deck, but the rain had stopped.

The air was cold.

The ship creaked softly beneath the movement of the water.

Ulrich blinked.

He did not know how long he had been unconscious.

Minutes.

Perhaps an hour.

It did not matter.

His body felt no better.

Pain remained everywhere. His ribs hurt when he breathed. His shoulder burned where the lightning had struck. The stump of his left arm throbbed beneath the bloody bandages. Even his right hand ached from holding the anti-magic sword for too long.

Then he felt the weight against him.

Ulrich lowered his gaze.

Airam was still there.

She knelt between his legs, her body pressed against his chest. Her hands remained curled in the torn fabric of his shirt. Her head rested over his heart, dark hair spread across his body.

She was asleep.

Or perhaps she had only fallen into an exhausted, restless sleep after everything that happened.

Her face looked calmer now.

The tears had dried beneath her eyes. Her lashes rested against her cheeks. One hand still held Ulrich's shirt tightly, as if she feared he would disappear if she released it.

Ulrich looked at her for a moment.

Then a voice came from across the deck.

"You are awake."

Ulrich's gaze snapped upward.

Valdris lay on his back several paces away.

His arms were spread across the wet wood. His black coat had been torn open over the massive wound in his chest. The bleeding had stopped, though the dark blood beneath him had dried in uneven patches.

He could not move much.

But his eyes were open.

Ulrich's expression changed immediately.

His right hand moved toward the black anti-magic sword resting not far.

"Do not look so murderous already," Valdris said.

His voice was weaker than before, but the faint amusement remained.

"I cannot move. And I believe you owe me some gratitude, Count Rubenhart. I gave her the serum that saved your life."

Ulrich's fingers closed around the sword's hilt.

Airam remained asleep against him.

Ulrich did not move her.

"And why would you do that?"

He demanded in a cold tone.

Valdris let out a quiet scoff.

"You should have seen her when she thought you were dying."

Ulrich said nothing.

Valdris's eyes moved toward Airam.

"She was losing control. The suppression dart was failing. Her witch veins were responding to her panic, and those black runes were beginning to gather around you."

His expression became more serious.

"If I had left her alone, she might have wiped this entire town from the map. The harbor, the ship, every soldier, every house in Hiddleston. I would have died with the rest of them."

Ulrich glanced briefly at the empty vial lying near Airam's knee.

The dark glass caught a faint reflection from the harbor lights.

Then he looked back at Valdris.

"You gave her the serum to save your own life."

"Of course."

"And you expect me to spare yours because of it?"

"I expect nothing from you."

Valdris shifted slightly.

Pain crossed his face.

"You may kill me if that gives you satisfaction. You have every reason to want it. I attacked your camp. Your knights died. I understand your anger."

His eyes narrowed.

"But killing me will bring consequences."

Ulrich's expression did not change.

Valdris continued.

"I am a Valmorian dignitary. I was sent to Skargardia to attend the Princess's coming-of-age ceremony. I arrived under diplomatic recognition. If I vanish, if my soldiers vanish, if word reaches the Empire that Count Rubenhart killed me, the matter will not remain private."

"A dignitary," Ulrich said.

The contempt in his voice was clear.

"You are a piece of trash who attacked my camp in the middle of the night. You slaughtered my knights."

"You killed more of my knights than I killed of yours."

"Do you expect me to feel pity?"

"No."

Valdris's voice remained calm.

"I know you do not."

Valdris stared at the dark ceiling of the sky.

"I also know that the Skargardian Crown will not defend you simply because you claim these girls belong to your House."

Ulrich did not answer.

The Queen.

His relationship with the Skargardian Crown had improved greatly after the events in the capital. He had saved the Queen during the demon assassination attempt. He had put his life on the line to protect her. The Crown had shown him favor afterward, and the Queen had spoken to him with a warmth he had not expected.

But Valdris was right about one thing.

The Queen's first responsibility was Skargardia.

If the Valmorian Empire demanded answers, she would have to consider the kingdom before Ulrich. She might protect him if she could. She might try to contain the matter. She might refuse to accept Valdris's version of events.

But she would not risk war without cause.

And defending three witches, three witches revealed to be daughters of the Valmorian Emperor, would give his enemies too much to use against him.

Valdris watched Ulrich's silence.

"I imagine you want this matter kept quiet as much as I do," he said. "Especially the part about you keeping three Valmorian princesses beneath your roof."

Ulrich's eyes narrowed.

"You came for them. You revealed that."

"I revealed it here."

Valdris looked toward the empty harbor.

"No Skargardian noble heard me. No member of the Crown heard me. No witness who matters heard the truth. The people who know are dead, injured, or standing on this ship."

His gaze returned to Ulrich.

"You have already made yourself unpopular by adopting witches. How do you think the nobility will react once they learn that the girls were royal princesses all along? How do you think they will interpret the fact that you adopted them and never informed the Crown?"

"I did not know they were royalty."

Valdris smiled faintly.

"They will not believe you."

Ulrich didn't reply.

Valdris continued.

"On the contrary, they will believe it confirms every suspicion they already hold. The Count Ulrich van Rubenhart, known for hating witches, adopts three daughters of Anna-Maria. Then it is revealed those same girls possess imperial blood."

His voice became almost conversational.

"They will ask why you took them in. They will claim you intended to use them against Valmoris. They will claim you hid them from their father. They will claim you built your House around their power. Your enemies will find a hundred reasons to accuse you."

Ulrich remained silent.

"And your fellow nobles will listen," Valdris said. "Some will do it because they fear witches. Some will do it because they envy your growing influence. Others will simply see a chance to weaken House Rubenhart."

The words were unpleasant.

But Ulrich knew they contained truth.

The nobles of Skargardia would not need proof if they wanted a reason to attack him. The sisters' royal blood would transform his adoption from an unusual act of protection into a political scandal. His enemies could say he had concealed Imperial princesses. They could say he had endangered the Crown by keeping them hidden or maybe worse, that he even plotted against them secretly.

They could say anything.

And once enough people repeated it, the truth would matter less.

Ulrich's gaze rested on Valdris.

Then he spoke.

"I had doubts at first."

Valdris glanced toward him.

"But now I understand," Ulrich said.

"You did not attack me on the Emperor's orders."

Valdris did not answer.

Ulrich's eyes grew colder.

"Sedhoran did not send you to retrieve his daughters."

"What are you talking about?"

"You were invited to the Princess's coming-of-age ceremony," Ulrich said. "You brought knights with you. More than a normal diplomatic escort would need. But those soldiers were not sent for Airam, Hermione, and Esther."

Valdris stared at him.

Ulrich continued.

"They were sent for something else. A diplomatic guard. A military display. Perhaps an assignment you have not mentioned."

Valdris just listened.

"You learned about the sisters while you were in Skargardia," Ulrich said. "You recognized them. You saw an opportunity. Then you acted on your own."

Valdris's eyes narrowed.

"You are making assumptions."

"I am."

Ulrich's voice remained calm.

"But I believe I am right."

He looked toward the black crest painted near the broken prow.

"Sedhoran may have wanted his daughters back," he said. "I do not doubt that. But he did not order you to storm my camp, kill my knights, drag Airam away, and create a diplomatic incident between Valmoris and Skargardia."

Valdris's face hardened.

"You do not know the Emperor."

"No," Ulrich said. "But I know men who want to please powerful people. You believed returning the three princesses would earn you the Emperor's favor. You thought it would make you valuable. Perhaps you expected gratitude. A promotion. A place closer to the throne."

Valdris's eyes remained fixed on him.

"You took the risk because you believed success would make it worth it."

Ulrich's fingers tightened around the anti-magic sword.

"But you failed."

Valdris's expression darkened.

"You failed to take Hermione and Esther. You lost most of your knights. You failed to bring Airam back to the Empire. And you allowed your actions to become a direct conflict with a Skargardian Count connected to Arcadia and the Crown."

Ulrich's voice lowered.

"If this matter becomes public, your Emperor will not be pleased."

Valdris did not answer.

"You acted independently," Ulrich said. "That is why you do not want this to spread. That is why you are trying to threaten me with scandal and politics instead of calling for Valmorian reinforcements."