As it turned out, things were already being handled. Which was good, since I didn’t have the experience or qualifications to manage military issues, but at the same time had to be involved in the political decisions.

I didn’t mind that the gathered officers, especially the commander of the Imperial Guard, hadn’t spared me more than a quick look and bow when we returned to the improvised command center. They’d make sure our front line didn’t fall completely apart with this betrayal, and get a grip on the state of the coup’s forces.

But I did note that Chancellor Gen had arrived, along with a few other high-ranking officials. He stood talking with Kiyanu, and after a moment of consideration, I joined them.

“There you are, Princess Inaris,” Kiyanu greeted me. “Good. I was about to go looking for you. And Lady Kariva.”

I nodded at them. “Kiyanu. How do we stand with the eighth stagers?”

He sighed a little. “Most of them appear to be dithering. Trying to wait until the dust clears some more and see how the situation develops, I’d say. At least they aren’t going to join the conspirators. And I have received several communications that expressed concern or interest. Her Majesty’s ascension didn’t go unnoticed.”

I raised an eyebrow. I should probably assume that the info is going around. Rumors travel quickly, after all. But that was a good thing in this case. At least, we were better off than if she’d really died.

“There are several who have assured us of their support,” he added. “But I thought it prudent not to invite them to the palace until we resolve some things.”

I nodded slowly. “Like the issue of leadership, I assume.” I glanced at the politicians. “Chancellor?”

Gen smiled and bowed his head to me. “This one is a loyal supporter of the Leri dynasty, Your Highness.” He raised his head and shrugged. “I would prefer to simply attend to my duties in peace. I’m certainly not the man to handle this war.”

I smiled at him and bowed my head slightly, as well. “I appreciate the support, and I think we can safely say that you will retain your position. As will the rest of the government.” I glanced at Kariva.

“Certainly.” She frowned thoughtfully. “The rest of the clan should not be much of a problem, either, if we work together.”

I hadn’t really considered that. Good thing that Kariva was so strong, and probably knew how to deal with the elders of the clan.

“But we’re talking around the point here,” she continued. “Who’s going to sit on the throne?”

“Well, I may be the heir but I’m still too weak,” I said. “Besides, Mother isn’t dead.”

“But she’s not around, either,” Gen said. “Rulers who ascend to the white stage have traditionally given up their mortal crowns. I can’t think of a case where the ascended remained on the throne. Of course, it still gives us some room to maneuver.”

“Probably the easiest short-term solution would be for you to marry a man in the black stage to be Emperor, and for the two of you to ‘rule together’,” Kariva mentioned.

I grimaced. “No. You can forget that idea.”

“I know. What happens when you ascend to the eighth stage, which shouldn’t take long?” She shook her head. “Besides, it would be hard to find someone capable and trustworthy. I know you wouldn’t agree, Kiyanu.”

The eighth stager nodded. “Right. Acura did consider that as well, but I think another idea fits this situation better.”

He produced a few sheets of paper from thin air. At a glance, I could see the Empress’ seal attached, marking them as official documents.

“She intended to name me as regent,” Kiyanu explained. “As guardian and mentor of the Imperial Princess, and entrusted with some responsibility of ruling in Her Majesty’s name.” He glanced at me, his face serious. “Once you reach the eighth stage, you would be formally crowned Empress. Until then, you could be a Crown Princess Ascendant, or whatever we may decide to call it. In effect, we’d be ruling the Empire together.”

I nodded slowly. This seemed sensible. I knew Mother trusted Kiyanu, although I didn’t know how far. Still, he’d been nothing but loyal. And knowing her special ability, I had even less reason to doubt her assessment. From what I’d read, regents weren’t really a thing for Imperial rulers, at least historically. But the concept wasn’t completely unknown, and should work well enough. After all, most people would be on my side almost by default. And Kiyanu was popular with the army.

“I remember she talked about that. This does seem to be the best course of action,” Kariva agreed.

Everyone else present agreed as well. They looked relieved that there wasn’t going to be drama about it.

Gan bowed to Kiyanu, the other politicians following suit. “Good luck, my lord,” he said. “I will try my best to manage the transition and serve you well. Let us hope your reign will be auspicious, prosperous, and short.”

I noticed Kariva stifling a smile, while Kiyanu nodded seriously. “Let us hope so.” He glanced at me. “Inaris, I know you have plans and visions, and I won’t get in the way of those. I aim to take care of the more irritating and mundane matters, but you will still be the true monarch, if anyone. The way I envision it, we will steer the Empire together.”

I smiled and bowed my head a little. “Thank you, Kiyanu. I appreciate the sentiment, and your support.”

I didn’t really want to be the Imperial monarch all of a sudden, but I couldn’t hand the reins to someone else entirely, so this suited me fine. It wasn’t going to be easy, but at least I had the support I needed.

For starters, I’d let him worry about how to present this to the rest of the world, especially the eighth stagers.

 

---

 

I didn’t turn around right away when I heard the door open and someone step into the room. He wasn’t hiding his presence, so I got a good sense of it, anyway. I stayed looking out the window for a moment, watching the soldiers cleaning up the shattered wall of a palace outbuilding. They worked quickly, but there was a lot still left to do once they’d finished.

Then I turned around. The room we were in was small and almost bare, except for the high, arched windows. But the sun was setting, painting the scene outside in orange light, so the room remained dim. There was more than enough light to see my guest, though, and I took a second to scrutinize him. Kei Yating was dressed in somber colors, and his hair looked a little mussed, but the real sign that recent events had battered him was the set of his face. Most people might not notice, but I recognized a hint of redness in his eyes, signs that he’d cried today.

Of course, he had every reason to, his lover was suddenly gone. Still, the sight sent a sharp stab into my insides for a moment, of some emotion I couldn’t quite name. I still hadn’t shed a tear for Mother’s departure. They just wouldn’t come, even though thinking of it brought a painful, hollow feeling to my chest.

“Rise, please,” I said.

Mother’s lover stood from where he’d been kneeling by the door, staying patiently still with his head bowed. “You wanted to see me, Your Highness?”

“I wanted to talk,” I said. “Take a seat if you want.”

But I stayed standing, and while Kei Yating walked closer, he didn’t sit down. Instead, after a moment of silence, he offered, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. Yours, too. I know you two were close.” I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts, then decided not to waste time. “I’m sure you guessed what this is about. Xiaodan.”

With Mother out of the picture, I was now primarily responsible for her and Al. The thought weighed on my mind. I certainly hadn’t expected to suddenly take the parental role for two younger siblings, and I didn’t feel ready or qualified. But at least they still had their caretakers and tutors. And there was Kei Yating.

The look in his eyes sharpened at her name, but he only nodded silently.

“I’ll be honest. I just don’t have as much time for her as I’d like.” I sighed softly. “She essentially just lost her mother. But the unrest isn’t over, much less the war. I imagine I’ll be quite busy for the foreseeable future.”

“Of course.”

“Well, you’re her father. I’d like you to keep an eye on her, help her adjust. Make sure she’s alright.”

His eyes brightened and he smiled as he realized what I was saying. “Of course, my lady. I’d be very happy to take care of Little An, if you’ll allow me to.”

I nodded and couldn’t help my own lips curling upwards. “Great. Don’t mistake me, though.” I paused for a moment, my smile gone now. “Mother didn’t name you her father officially, and I won’t go against her wishes by changing that.”

He nodded. “I understand, Princess Inaris. I wouldn’t expect anything else. And official recognition is secondary to me.”

I relaxed, giving him a full smile. Why didn’t Mother favor him over Carston? I couldn’t help but think. Oh well, they say the heart does as it likes.

“She’s going to stay in the city, under heavy guard, until we’re absolutely sure of the palace’s safety,” I explained. “But she should be back in a few days, at most.”

“Yes, my lady. If you’ll excuse me, there are a few things I’d like to prepare.”

I waved him off. “Of course. Good luck.”

“To you, too, and thank you again.”

I watched Kei Yating walk out of the room, his posture straight and gait confident. Unbroken. Knowing he’d take care of my little sister made me feel a little better about everything.

I shook my head, dismissing these thoughts, then left the room, as well. Four guards escorted me, with several more in positions farther away. I couldn’t help but notice that most of them looked just as battered, their immaculate robes betrayed by the lines in their faces and the shadows in their eyes. They must have lost friends, comrades, perhaps even significant others, in the fighting. I made a mental note to talk to commander Wu about the Imperial Guard’s numbers. They’d need a lot of recruitment, but it would take time, and their reduced numbers were yet another problem.

We reached our destination quickly, since the room was just a few doors over. This building was a part of the palace still mostly intact, so many things of importance had moved here, but this floor was intended for my use, and as personal quarters. Considering the situation, I really couldn’t complain, even if I’d much rather be in my own room. But I shook the feeling off and knocked, then waited for Al to invite me inside before I entered.

When I stepped into the room, he still sat in the chair where I’d left him, staring at the table in front of him. Or rather, the recording crystal lying there. I’d left him alone fifteen minutes ago to let him listen to it in peace. But he didn’t look very peaceful at the moment. His hands were clenched around the sleeves of his robe, and I could almost hear his jaw grinding.

Silently, I walked over and pulled up a chair next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. The guards all stayed outside, so we were alone here. An open door showed an unmade bed, and none of the furniture in the room looked used. There were no decorations or personal touches except for a spear and a sword he’d leaned against the wall. At least he smelled clean and nothing looked broken.

“What are you going to do with him?” Al finally asked, his voice calm but with an undercurrent of tension.

I sighed. “Well, first I want to wait for the others to get back and have Elia take a look at him. I doubt we’ll find anything important, but it’s worth trying.”

He finally moved his gaze from the device to me, turning to face me fully. “And, Nari? What then?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted. “It will probably end up being exile. Maybe we’ll manage to obstruct his cultivation. Kariva can keep him contained for a while longer, at any rate. She wouldn’t let me just let him go, even if I wanted to.”

Al nodded, looking down. “I’m not really sure what to say.”

I smiled and took hold of one of his hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t need to say or do anything, Al.”

“They wanted to use me in their scheme,” he stated, his voice still calm and even.

“They did,” I agreed. “It makes a certain kind of sense. But it’s not in any way your fault.”

He snorted. “Of course not.”

I withdrew my hand, and we sat in silence for a bit. He picked up the device and turned it in his hands. Good thing I’d made copies of the recording.

“Actually,” I finally said. “There is something I need to ask of you.” I scratched my cheek. “I want you to formally pledge your loyalty to me.”

He looked up. “Oh. Okay. Um …”

“Not here,” I clarified. “Later, in public. I want the rest of the important people from the clan to do it, too.”

Al nodded. “Of course, whatever you need. So, this thing with you and Kiyanu is working out?”

“It seems so. People are taking it well, so far.”

He nodded again, then stood up, placing the recorder back on the table. I took the hint and stood, as well, watching Al fidget for a moment.

“Well, I have stuff to do,” I said. “But you know you can talk to me if you need to, right?”

“Of course. That goes for you, too. Good luck out there.”

I smiled at him, stepped in for a short hug, then turned to go.

“Wait, Inaris.”

I was almost at the door, but stopped and turned around. Al had stilled and was looking at me with a new hardness in his eyes.

“Yes?”

He took a deep breath. “I want you to kill him. Don’t banish him or whatever, definitely not because you want to spare my feelings. Just let justice be done and execute him.”

I blinked. What? “You want me to have Carston executed?”

He nodded, taking a step closer, his eyes still meeting mine with determination. “Yes. Don’t spare him because he’s my father. He betrayed Mother. He deserves it.” He grimaced for a moment. “That’s what I want.”

I paused, studying his expression. I could tell Al was serious about this. Very serious. The fire in his eyes gave me the impression that if I did exile Carston, Al would run off once he was strong enough, to hunt him down himself.

“You might come to regret this later,” I said. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his voice. “I won’t regret it, and yes, I’m sure this is what I want. I know it’s your decision, Elder Sister, just be aware of that.”

I nodded slowly. This vehement reaction wasn’t quite what I’d expected. Maybe it’s a different cultural context. For me, it doesn’t really matter, but maybe for him the shared blood is more significant. It could be about wiping a stain off the family or something. Or that’s totally off and he just cares about Mother almost dying.

“I still want him to be interrogated with Elia there,” I said. “But after that … We’ll see. Maybe I’ll have them put something in his food.”

Al nodded, then turned back. “Thank you.”

I left, shaking my head a little. This was probably for the best, all things considered.

At least he hadn’t wanted to kill Carston himself. That, I definitely would have vetoed. He didn’t need patricide on his conscience. At least this way, it was still ultimately my responsibility. And I couldn’t say I was particularly affected by that.