Lucrezia woke up feeling tired, and hollow like she had fasted for a week. She quickly took a bath, Saa'ryu already in the room standing ready to help, and dressed in her training gear, she left for the private room where she could let loose her magical might.
"Lu, you must focus on your Magnetism more, it's a rare power..." Saa'ryu started, Lucrezia already knowing what her friend would say, they had this talk every day after all.
"Saa, Saa my friend, A noble with a half-baked Affinity might as well be a country bumpkin, And let me tell you, I'm no bumpkin, I will be known as the Ice Queen of the Academy! Magnetism has no grace, no nobility, While Ice is our hallmark, my dear, we of the north must be exemplars of Ice magic!"
Offensive and Defensive magic are her forte, Lucrezia thought, as she mock-fought against Saa, her basic shield and missile spells improving daily. After about ten minutes of training, Lucrezia felt hollow again and called for a break. Saa'ryu was quick to return with a plate of mana-rich refreshments for her Lady.
"Lu, what's going on, it's not like you to time out so early, is everything ok?" she removed one of Lucrezia's bangs out of her face, looking at the young woman, she was paler than usual. Something was wrong, Saa felt.
"...I had a dream yesterday, more of a nightmare really, it scared me something fierce Saa...I'm sure it will pass once we get more food, now chop-chop, we have music and archery class before lunch with my parents." Lucrezia let a weak smile show.
She’s pushing herself, Saa'ryu thought, sighing to herself.
They made their way to the main wing of the castle, to meet with Bard Hayden. The woman hailed from the south and was constantly writing music about the cold, in her words, it was better to complain through music than snide remarks.
"I was told to not leave the castle you know, the staff is getting anxious, and the guards aren't saying a thing, do you know what's going out there Lady Lucrezia?" Hayden asked, tuning her harp. Lucrezia kept her poker face intact as she lied to the woman "No I don't Miss Hayden, now, if we could proceed with the class?"
Hours went by, music was a skill every noble in the kingdom sought after, to be able to sing at parties and balls was a great way to break the ice among the nobility.
The bard didn't ask any further regarding the situation in the city after they were done, they exchanged goodbyes and Lucrezia went alone to her archery practice. Saa’ryu was called by the Head Maid to help with the lunch, the masters of the castle were out of their mysterious ritual today so all hands were on deck for the feast.
Archery came and went like a blur. She wasn't very good at it, if Lucrezia was honest with herself, but any self-respecting northerner had to know how to fire a longbow and hit a target at least 300 paces, and so she trained daily to get there, so far she could get a bullseye at 150 paces, anything above it was pure chance.
Making her way to her room, Lucrezia thought about how to confront her parents. Fast and loud like her friends in the South? With subterfuge and bootlicking like the Imperium? Or with cynic honesty like the dwarves of Steinheim... she couldn't decide even after cleaning herself and getting dressed for the feast.
"Whatever comes, I must stand strong, for my people." she whispered.
The main banquet hall was filled with maids and butlers standing at the ready. Duke Amadour and Duchess Malar were eating and chatting with their court mage Kapha'tur. beside the mage sat the Commander of the city soldiers, Estauce Weller.
Lucrezia was tense, how was she supposed to bring the issues with the city up when the main suspect was sitting right in front of her? Steeling herself, she coughed to get their attention, speaking loud and firmly.
"Mother, Father, I'd like to speak about some of the things I've seen in the city yesterday—" Her dad moved to cut her off but she put her hand up, "Let me finish. Yes, I got out without an escort, and the things I saw made me furious! Beating citizens on the street?! Burning of entire sections of the city?! And who in all Hells is this incompetent wretch leading our guards? Where is Knight Commander Erwin and our Knights?!" She was fuming,
Commander Eustace looked furious after her remarks, but he said nothing. Lucrezia dared him to speak, if he’d so much as open his mouth she would be nailing him with an Ice Magic Missile right there and there—
Duchess Malar raised her hands to calm her daughter. When Lucrezia was done glaring at everyone in the room, she sat down with a plop, the woman then spoke in a harsh tone:
"Foolish daughter, you know not the accusations you levy against our Commander. So enthralled you were with your Contest that you completely missed the attempted coup on us by the former Knight Commander and his troops. If it wasn't for Eustace here, you, me, and your father would've all been killed!"
Her father placed a hand on his wife, calming her a bit.
"Your mother speaks true Lucrezia, had Commander Eustace not defected with several squires, we would've been smothered in our beds.. Yes, it's true things have been bad but we had grain shortages all year, my dear—” he paused. There is something in his eyes, Lucrezia thought.
"—As I'm sure you know, me, your mom, and Kapha'tur have been working on a ritual ever since the shortages started, a ritual to... ." he paused again, staring at something, or someone.
The mage spoke in his place, "To improve the grain situation My lady, there've been... complications but thanks to the duke's best efforts I'm sure we will be able to bounce back out of this by the time Winter's End rolls over."
Lucrezia was taken aback, grain shortages? Their Blessings with the three Winter Spirits that ruled over the land were in place to avoid any sort of shortages. As she was ready to raise this point, the mage spoke again.
"Yes we have contacted the Spirits but they only told us that this...this is beyond them, yes. It is up to us now to fix it." The mage looked like an undead, she knew well the signs of mana sickness, the constant depletion and topping off wrecked the body and soul.
Her parents also looked like that, she noticed. She turned to her father and levied another question,
"And the beatings? Our populace is suffering enough yet you would have would-be knights break the Oath to beat vagabonds?"
"Daughter, it's important to keep order on the streets we—" he was cut off as she slammed her fist on the table.
"Order?! Half the city is burning and you dare speak of order!" Lucrezia hissed in rage, Eustace moved to speak when she blew up on him "SPEAK A WORD AND I WILL NAIL YOUR BODY TO THE WALL COWARD WRETCH!" Ice coiled on her fingertips—
Her mom's hand flew faster than Lucrezia could've registered. A slap echoed inside the banquet hall.
She was taken aback but realizing the gravity of the threat she had spoken, Lucrezia lowered her head and spoke.
"Forgive me, mother, I couldn't control myself."
"Not another word about how we police our people, girl, or I will have your hide, just as those peasants you care so much would punish their kids.” she turned away from her, ”Now, Eustace, I must ask you to forgive my daughter, she has a bleeding heart when it comes to the duchy and its subjects." She spoke in a mild tone to the man who was glaring daggers at her daughter.
He responded with venom dripping from his voice, "As you order Duchess." he took his leave shortly after.
"Now, Lady Lucrezia, we are coming up on your 18th birthday, the Month of Spears is just around the corner," said the mage doing a fancy hand gesture to summon a... calendar? Yes, a calendar, the twelve months of the year were plain to see. He crossed her birthday.
"We still have five months, court mage, there's no need to start preparations for my Blessing ritual just yet," Lucrezia spoke with steel in her voice, something wasn't right here. She was beginning to piece things together, and the man looked like a prime suspect.
His blue eyes bore into her as she glared at him, a short cough from her mom was enough to break the staredown.
"You will have the ritual at the private wing daughter of mine, we have built an altar for it," she spoke matter-of-factly, giving no time to Lucrezia to get a word in.
Odd, she thought, an altar was only used when one needed a direct line to commune with a god, something used more commonly in the empire for specific Blessings.
"So I can get a blessing related to agriculture?" Lucrezia could only come up with this reason for an altar, her mom nodded. Lucrezia acknowledged the need, a Greater Blessing by an agricultural god could feed her duchy for decades to come.
"The people won't suffer from hunger," she murmured, to which the mage solemnly nodded.
"I must tell you this dad, mom, on my walk to the city I've heard multiple cries for Friede and Velkarius..." she tested the waters, her mom furrowed her brows at Lucrezia but said nothing, her dad looked between the two,
"We...we have been made aware, daughter. Do not be afraid, the situation will be resolved in the upcoming months after the ritual is done, we promise you." he gave a weak smile, turned to his wife and the mage, and nodded. All three got up and left the dining hall.
Sitting alone in the hall, Lucrezia thought about the things she had heard, and something was off here. She knew Knight Commander Erwin, he loved the duchy with a fervor few had, and Kapha'tur was their mage for nearly a decade, but something was odd about the man. She couldn't point a finger on what exactly, still, she was suspicious of him.
"Lady Lucrezia, would you care for seconds?" asked one of the maids left attending her. Lucrezia said no, leaving the hall to her room she summoned Saa'ryu for a private talk.
"Saa...Something's not right here, I fear whatever ritual my parents are doing in that wing is doing them more harm than good, they looked like zombies for Uumaries sake!" The maid hugged Lucrezia from behind.
"Lu, I swore I would protect you, ask me and I'll go there, see what they are doing. All you got to do is give me the order," she whispered in Lucrezia's ear.
"Go, and don't get caught." Lucrezia didn't dare look back, she only felt the faintest of motion as Saa'ryu dashed into the dark corridors.
Lucrezia moved to sit near a window. The Winter's End fast approaching the city, she felt the pain her beloved people must be going through. The rural communities would endure as they always did, but the city would suffer too big of a loss and untold civilians would die, worse still if an outright riot broke out.
"I’d bet the farmers with their closer bonds to the Spirits would know more, if only I could talk with some of them..."
Lucrezia thought about her friends in the south, could she remain in good light with the nobles there once word got out of what was happening in her lands? She was the heir to a duchy, yes, but to mistreat the masses in Vermilion was a grave crime, gods knew how many secret Orders were there to uphold the many oaths the Kingdom was forged on.
Even the most despicable nobles would not dare invoke the ire of both Goddess Friede and Velkarius. The Inquisitors of the Umbral Order of Velkarius, in particular, were a dagger ready to strike at anyone foolish enough to challenge their goddess. Their Order was public and every single member accounted for, of particular note was Long-strider Karl, who whenever dispatched by their goddess, would walk all the way, in a secret rite of pilgrimage.
Friede on the other hand was more subtle in her followers but much less so when meting out her judgment. Instead of surgical strikes against evil, the Goddess empowered her chosen with divine strength and zeal, whose thorough purges put the fear of the Juggernaut in the evildoer's souls.
Lucrezia kept thinking these dark thoughts until she felt weak again, the hollow feeling from before coming twice as strong now. She ringed for more mana-rich foods, then she decided to go down to the training yard to burn off the excess energy from her last meals.
Using her Magnetism Affinity, she drew power from the many metals around her. She thought it a curious power, allowing her to use mana almost like the Warriors and Knights would their Ki.
She was faster, hit harder, the running course Saa'ryu had made for her seeming as child's play whenever she used her rare Affinity like this.
after running the course twice, she went to the punching bags and threw some punches and kicks as Saa'ryu had taught her.
"I wonder if she will ever tell me her true story, probably not now, and to think father found her near the wastes in a hunt..." she muttered as she kept hitting the bag.
Fatigue setting in, Lucrezia took a break on a bench and drank eagerly from her water jar, using her Ice magic to make it cold. She then lay down on the bench, staring at the night sky, her mind going back to that weird dream.
Was it a message from the gods? A forgotten god, maybe? Spirits were far more direct when it came to human contact, they spoke clearly and without riddles, and the species they shared on this planet before the All-Father came were like that as well, from what she remembered of her history lessons.
She wondered if her private teachers were safe, they all lived in the better part of the city, but with these new "soldiers" roaming the streets... Lucrezia did a small prayer to Uumaries, promising a visit to her temple once things calmed down enough, as she doubted she would be able to sneak out of the castle now, the staff and the guards would be on high alert after that talk in the dining hall, on her parent's orders no doubt.
Suddenly, a coughing fit hit Lucrezia like a bag of bricks, she felt horrible for a solid minute before it finally subsided, so she decided to get herself checked.
Moving fast through the castle, she noticed how the staff were all apprehensive, The news from outside must've leaked, she realized. They all bowed when they saw her, but the fear in their eyes hurt Lucrezia fiercely.
"My entire life spent for the betterment of the land and her people, for our pride and it was all for naught…” she shook her head, “No, I must not falter, a true northerner will brave even the worst of snowstorms for their kin, I must set the example..." she nodded to herself regaining her spirits. It seemed a habit was forming, Lucrezia smiled inwards.
Arriving in the Doctor's Wing of the castle, she was assaulted by a cacophony of noise, wails, and cries of pain. It appeared to Lucrezia the new soldiers were reaping what they sow in tormenting the citizens, she felt pride at the fact her people were fighting back.
"If only I could help them, make mom and dad see reason, we mustn't hurt our people..." she whispered as she walked past a row of injured soldiers. The head doctor noticed her and marched over.
"Anything I can help you with, My Lady?" the man looked tired as if he had spent the last 3 days awaken, his medical fatigues were clean, with a fresh smell of water and bleach magic.
"Yes doctor, I'm feeling tired lately, and just a few minutes ago I had a terrible coughing fit, could you give a check-up?" she walked over to his side
"Yes My Lady, please come right this way," he guided her to a corner where there were no soldiers and cast a series of spells.
The first two she recognized, were standard Divinations for detection of common diseases in the north, the rest were more in-depth scans of her body, mind, and soul, along with another spell which she didn't recognize before he was done.
The doctor looked at the little board he had manifested mid-casting and noted down something, he coughed and spoke.
"My Lady, you have a case of farmer's fatigue, common among every citizen here, I recommend plenty of rest and less strenuous activities. Here's a list of potions and food to eat and drink, you can talk with our alchemist for them.” he gave her a bright smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. She bade him farewell and left to get her medications. The doctor was fast to return to the soldiers, she noticed.
As Lucrezia retrieved her prescribed potions and went back to her room, as she neared the door, Saa'ryu appeared out of the dark. Her entire body covered in a pitch-black suit, she muttered a few words, and the whole get-up melted into her shadows.
"That confirms it, you were an Assassin before dad found you..." Lucrezia voiced her suspicions.
"My Lady..." She saw the maid was very uncomfortable about the subject. Lucrezia raised her hand and continued,
"If you don't want to talk about it Saa, then I won't force you. Now get in before someone spots us." she rushed inside with the maid in tow, closing the door once they got inside.
"Thanks, Lu I… I can talk about it but not today, okay? it's just hard for me to talk about it" she was blushing, Lucrezia noticed.
"Very well, now tell me, what did you find in the private wing? I'm dying to know."
Saa'ryu sucked air and began her tale, "At first, I had to sneak through multiple checkpoints, but security got lax as I got into the heart of the private wing. In it, I found there was a normal-looking Altar, I didn't recognize the idol on it but nothing out of the ordinary there, Lu."
"When I checked the nearby rooms, I found multiple documents on warding and banishment rituals, but one thing was very odd, all of them were necromantic in nature, involving a huge amount of souls to pull it off."
"Maybe whatever happened to the crops was done by a necromancer?" Lucrezia could see a strong enough Illegal Necromancer attacking the duchy. It was the only known weakness of Spirits, after all.
"Maybe Lu, but something was off about that whole place, it felt like I was being stared at all time, I believe you were right, something is wrong with your parents and the court mage—"
Lucrezia suddenly had another coughing fit, Saa'ryu rushed over "What's wrong Lu!?"
"Nothing my friend, nothing, the doctor told me I'm just tired, an ordinary winter sickness." the young lady took a swig of her potions and felt life flow through her, she relaxed and nodded at Saa'ryu to continue from where she had stopped.
"I believe the court mage knows more Lu. We must concentrate our efforts there" the maid was resolute and Lucrezia had no reason to doubt her.
"I order you to spy on the court mage, bring me any evidence you can find tying him to this, I also want you to check on this Commander Eustace, I believe he's also neck-deep in this mess." Lucrezia gave her order and Saa'ryu nodded gravely. With a flash, she melted into the room's shadows and disappeared, off to gather more intel.
Lucrezia sat down in her study, pulling out one of her notebooks, she began writing about everything she found so far. She didn't even notice when she fell asleep on top of the desk, as tired that she was.
"Lu wake up!" Saa'ryu shook her lady up, Lucrezia was looking paler than ever before, almost like a ghost. she looked up to her friend's face, bleary-eyed,
"What...Saa'ryu what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to go spy on the Commander?" She yawned, got up, and stretched.
"It's been almost four hours since we last spoke Lu...Don't tell me you fell asleep at your desk... Are you really alright, Lu?" The maid was worried, the stress was getting to her lady badly if she was falling asleep anywhere but a fancy bed.
"Oh my, and I barely noted anything down," she said looking at her notebook "Well, we can do that tomorrow morning. So Saa, tell me, did you find anything?"
Saa'ryu fidgeted on the spot. She was looking tired as well, Lucrezia noted, whatever magic or Blessing she used was taking its toll on the woman. She grabbed a cup of water, gulped the thing down in a second, and began telling her finds
"There are multiple holding cells in the Knight’s Fort, I haven't spotted any torture tools or mass graves, what I did find were shipping manifestos, they are sending prisoners from the food riots to a newly built prison site off the town."
Lucrezia was bewildered, they were Incarcerating people without a trial? Do they want to have the Goddess of Justice send her Justiciar armies?! Never mind Friede or Velkarius, the second that mad goddess got a wind of this, there wouldn't be anything left of the North, she thought in dismay.
"What's worse is that your mother knows about this Lu, she signed the papers authorizing it," Saa'ryu spoke slowly, knowing this would get her Lady mad.
"Uumaries above, this is beyond fucked, what do we do Saa? What can I do to stop them?" Lucrezia was running her hands against her hair, if her parents were involved in this madness, there would be no hope left.
"Maybe he tricked her, Lu, the ritual they are performing is legitimate, I snooped around the court mage's room and all his documents and notes are about rituals for better crop yield..."
Lucrezia calmed down a little after hearing this, if this information was true, and she believed Saa'ryu to be, then all they needed to do was expose Commander Eustace and hope her parents would have him either killed or exiled.
"And this business about Knight Commander Erwin attempting a coup? Did you find anything on it?" Lucrezia asked.
"Yes, apparently, he truly had massed all of the senior Knights and older squires to march here and kill the Wulfgrem line," she reported grimly.
"I can't believe this Saa, the Erwin I know was a beacon for the North, he took pride in being part of a centuries-long line of Knights fighting for the Wulfgrem and the Duchy, why would he turncoat now?"
"I do not know my lady, there was nothing on that in the documents I read. All I saw were reports that he and his people are camping in one of the old abandoned forts bordering the wastes, five hundred men strong. They appear to be raiding merchants for supplies." Saa'ryu finished, looking disappointed. Lucrezia felt the same.
"From Knight Commander to highwaymen... What a mess we got ourselves into Saa, and I didn't see a thing, so busy with the Competition," Lucrezia sighed sadly "I’ve failed my people, and my Duchy..."
Her pride was like poison now, but she couldn't rest, no, she had to fix this. In a few days, her parents will have to attend the binding ritual with the Winter Spirits, that was going to be her window to set things right.
Lucrezia spoke at length with Saa'ryu on this, they mapped out a plan to avoid the mess that happened in the dinner hall, Lucrezia would appeal to her father the most, since he hadn't shut her down last time.
"Good night Lu, anything happens, don't hesitate to call for me, ok?" Saa'ryu hugged the young woman and left the room.
It took a while for Lucrezia to fall asleep, she kept staring at the window that overlooked the southern gates. There were no more smokestacks in the sky.
Come morning, she got the news from Saa'ryu that her parents would perform the ritual on that very day. Something had gone wrong with their Altar and they were furious.
Another setback to their plans, Lucrezia thought. Her father was always the mild one but even he could work up a temper to rival his wife.
"I've been acting on my emotions too much lately as well..." Lucrezia spoke to herself, she splashed her face with cold water before heading out of her room, Saa'ryu waiting for her by the doorway.
They made their way to the Spirit Wing of the castle, the stones making way to enchanted ice from a time before the All-Father came. Opening the door to the waiting room, Lucrezia gave Saa'ryu a final look and headed in alone.
Only her father was present, which was odd, a proper ritual needed all members of the bloodline present. They quickly went through the ritual motions after entering the main room of the Spirit wing, yet there was no response from the three Winter Spirits of the duchy.
"Ill omens," Lucrezia said in a small voice when she was assaulted by another coughing fit. Her father moved to assist her.
He spoke in a hollow voice "Daughter of mine, you are light, are you skipping on meals? Don't tell me those fashion tips from the Imperium made their way to you?" a small laugh came from the man, who by now looked like a senior necromancer with his cloudy eyes, hollow cheeks, and blue veins protruding all over his arms.
"It’s alright father, merely weariness.” she brushed off his worry, and decided to bring up the subject, “Father, I must speak with you about the commander! I've—"
"Not another word Lucrezia! Your mother told you to stop your inquiries on Commander Eustace! If you don't stop we will be forced to..." the man hissed at her, barely catching himself.
Lucrezia was caught flat-footed, her father being as mad as her mom was bad!
"Dad, he's locking people up! They have a prison camp just outside the city! If the Goddess of Justice or her followers find out about this we—"
"THERE WON'T BE!" he exploded and shouted at Lucrezia, she stood her ground while her father calmed down.
He spoke again, softer this time, "There won't be any issues, those prisoners were tried and condemned as the law dictates, with my and your mother's approval."
"But father!" she raised her voice in protest only for the man to turn his back on her and walk away.
"Great, now we are well and truly fucked." She made her way to Saa'ryu who was waiting for her by the entrance of the Spirit wing, she looked weary, ready to strike at anyone or anything.
"It was a bust, dad knew about the prison camp and gave the go-ahead for it," she explained to the maid, who was firing questions at her.
"So we won't get invaded by an army of angry Justiciars?" Saa sighed in relief, "A riot of angry commoners we can escape, but those lunatics? You can't outrun them."
Another hint to her past, Lucrezia thought but decided to not push it.
They decided to focus their plan on the castle guards, and after hours of investigations, they had pinpointed three guards who were in direct contact with Commander Eustace, their ringleader being a woman called Lautrec.
"I can tail her Lu, see who's she talking to and if she has more evidence, but to who are we bringing this?" Saa'ryu raised an important question, there was no point in talking with her parents.
"I'm taking this to Arch Duke Autumnflower in the capital Saa, my parents are part of the First Prince’s faction so the royals won't help us here, we must bring this to Old Man Jinn." Lucrezia knew the Arch Duke well, he was a man of true character, loyal to the core for his country, multiple times he went against the royals, all for the greater good of Vermillion.
"How are you planning to get the word out? With Winter's End so close, no merchant caravan or ship will come in unless staffed with enough magicians to ward off the bad weather."
Another good point, she thought, with a smug smile Lucrezia conjured a small fan and laughed, hiding her mouth behind it,
"Why my dear, money is something I don't lack, while you were away I inquired with the quartermaster about a few choice imports and he gave me the price. In a week, we can book a caravan to the capital," she was feeling good for once.
Saa'ryu rolled her eyes and said, "There's no ‘we’ in this plan Lu. if you leave the duchy will know something is up, I'll go and you stay here"
Lucrezia wanted to protest, but she felt Saa was right on this one so she decided to let it go.
"Yes, of course, forgive me Saa, it was a lapse of judgment on my part..." she gestured to the corridor, "Now my maid, we have some training to do, I was told we would finally get some hand to hand combat this time" she laughed.
They went to their training yard and spent hours on various exercises, Lucrezia wasn't that much of a fighter she thought frankly to herself, she was set very much on the arcane path, but it never hurt to know the basics of fighting. After asking for a break Lucrezia raised a question.
"Have you ever fought a Ki user, Saa?" She wanted some answers and was ready to push for them.
Saa'ryu looked at the sky, and with an audible sigh she plopped down on the ground and began talking,
"Yes, my... old teacher made us fight an Imperium Shieldmaiden. The woman was relentless, her bashing strikes knocked us down many times, it took an ungodly amount of probing strikes, faints, ample use of smoke, and a mechanical snake, but we took that indomitable wall down."
"A mechanical snake? What, did you scare the woman so she would give you an opening? And that worked?" Lucrezia chuckled at the absurdity of it.
Saa'ryu cracked a smile, a rare thing, This must be a fond memory, Lucrezia thought.
"Yes, Sister Ash didn't think it would work, she always was one for the more conventional methods after all .." she sighed again in remembrance, looking at the cloudy skies, "Don't you wanna ask about them, Lu? My sisters, I mean."
She left an opportunity there, Lucrezia saw, but her tone of voice, the way her body language conveyed her feelings, she knew if she pushed here it would hurt her friend.
So she decided to drop the subject there, "No, not until you are comfortable enough to tell me, that is." another smile crept across Saa'ryu's face, her lady was sharp as always.
"One day, then. Now, I think we’ve rested enough, time to work on your kicks."
"Not a fan of kicks, they make my legs hurt all day after I'm done with the drills, can't we do punches? Those I can do," she said as she flexed an arm. A small coughing fit came, Lucrezia quickly drank her potions, she was going through these vials fast, not a good sign.
"Anyone can throw a punch Lu, but a kick can end a fight faster than you can blink, now form up..."
They continued their training until it was nighttime, Saa'ryu left for more information gathering while Lucrezia went over the evidence she could bring to the Arch Duke. They didn't have enough material now, but if she could get some witnesses, and Saa was lucky in getting more writing material, they would be able to have Arch Duke Jinn’s and his armies' support.
"I promise, on Uumaries name that I will restore my family's honor, may the patron of Nobility watch over me and grant me the strength to undo the evils that poison my lands." She swore to herself, fists clenched tight.
Her small prayer would be answered in great measure, she later found.
