In every man's life, a ti inevitably cos when he must face a choice between two paths: one leads to the satisfaction of his own desires, to the indulgence of his own anger and passions; the other is the hard road of duty, requiring the suppression of those very urges in favor of a greater responsibility.
And for Keval, this was that mont.
If he were to follow his desire, his hand would already be on his sword hilt, his blade drawn, ready to strike down the very kin sitting across from him. She wore a mocking, insolent smirk that set his blood alight, as if this entire affair was so trivial ga.
The fact that she had abducted her own son—his nephew—and held the young emperor hostage seed, to her, little more than an entertaining diversion.
Keval's fingers flexed involuntarily at his side, aching to silence her smug expression. But he knew what was at stake. To act in anger would be to ignite chaos, and to entertain a behaviour he could ill afford.
His duty was to protect the throne, and right now he knew he had done a ugly job at it, not that the people around him made it better.
As he stood there, jaw clenched, his choice beca all too clear.
Duty...
Keval crossed his arms, his voice cold and asured as he said, "The last thing I expected was for you to barge into my chambers as if nothing had happened."
Behind him, his guards stood alert, silent, but their expressions betrayed their mistrust and disdain, eyes hard as they took in the woman lounging before them. Their hands rested on their weapons, so fingers twitching at their daggers, ready to act should their lord so much as signal.
Valeria only laughed, her voice a low, mocking lody. "And how else was I to make peace with my family, dear brother?" she replied, the corner of her mouth lifting into a defiant smile, as if her presence here—after all that had transpired—were so delightful jest.
Keval's expression darkened. "If you want peace," he said, his voice tense and laced with anger, "release your son to at once. Do that, and I will forget about everything that happened here. Otherwise, your 'peace' will be worth nothing.Must I rember you that you are not going against , but against our whole family?"
Keval's voice grew sharp, his anger barely concealed beneath his words. "Our father and brother just won a battle, risking everything to secure your son's life and his throne. And this," he gestured at her dismissively, "this is how you thank them? By kidnapping him?"
Valeria's smirk faded, but he pressed on. "What our family needs is unity, Valeria. Not these petty feuds and betrayal. Fighting among ourselves is the last thing we should be doing."
She scoffed, her voice dripping with bitterness. "Unity?" she sneered. "You speak so easily of unity, yet this is the 'thanks' I get for everything I've done—everything—to keep our family's interests first and foremost."
Keval sighed, the exasperation clear in his eyes. "This again? Always the sa, Valeria."
But her patience snapped, and her face twisted with anger. "Of course you'd say that. It's easy for you now, isn't it? Now that you sit comfortably as regent."
Keval shook his head, cutting her off. "Regent," he repeated firmly, "for just a few more days, until Father returns. That's called filial duty, Valeria. A duty that doesn't include starting wars against one's own family. You can hardly justify this as 'for the family' when you're tearing us apart from within."
Valeria's face remained impassive, her eyes cold and unreadable. Keval cursed under his breath, frustration mounting as he realized his words were falling on deaf ears.
Fuck! This isn't working, Keval thought as his appeals were bouncing off her like stones off steel.
We captured two of her hired thugs,Yet neither of them could tell us where sha is being kept. Fucking Useless!
He knew they hadn't been lying—he'd been there personally, watching as his n employed every brutal thod available to pry information from them, to no avail.There are just so many nails and teeth that soone can pull before realizing they truly knew nothing, at this point they just did it for the sake of it.
It didn't help also that sha's guards were there too.
Keval's eyes narrowed, his voice low but sharp. "When Father returns from his campaign and finds out about this disaster you've stirred up—how do you think he'll react?" He leaned forward, his tone biting. "When he sees the ss you've made, what do you imagine he'll do?"
Valeria's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, he'll be thoroughly disappointed. No doubt. But first, he'll be swept through the city in his victory parade, hailed as a conquering hero. He'll bask in the people's adoration, walk through the palace as a triumphant general…" Her gaze turned piercing. "All the while, the emperor will be nowhere to be seen."
The aning of her words settled on him like a weight, and Keval felt a surge of irritation and reluctant admiration. So that was her ga. She wanted to dangle this scandal over their father's head, using his own pride and victory as leverage.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself, his expression darkening as he t her eyes. "All right, you want to play like that," he muttered, his voice tight with restrained fury. "What is it you want, then?"
Valeria's eyes glead with a fierce determination. "I want to be regent," she declared, her tone resolute, as if it were an unshakable truth rather than a request.
Keval let out a harsh, incredulous snort. "Father would never allow it. He'll take on the regency himself. You'd have better luck reaching out and touching the moon."
Valeria's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Perhaps I would," she murmured, a hint of sothing darkly playful in her tone.
Keval shot her a hard look. "This isn't a ga, Valeria. He's sacrificed too much for you to—"
"I don't care about the empire, Keval," she interrupted, her voice soft but edged like a dagger. "Let Father keep his power, let him handle the battles and politics. But sha… he is mine. I want to be the one guiding him, to oversee his education, his decisions. I want to shape him, Keval. Not as so distant, caged heir, but as my son, trained in the way I see fit."
Keval leaned forward, his voice low and tense. "If we agree to this madness—if we allow you to play regent over sha—will you let the emperor co back to the palace?"
Valeria smiled, almost indulgently, as if he were asking for so trivial favor. "Of course. I would never keep him from the palace." She glanced at him, her tone taking on a cold practicality. "Naturally, I'll require a personal guard of a hundred n. I wouldn't want anyone to conveniently forget our arrangent once Father returns."
Keval's gaze hardened, barely concealing his disdain. "I need ti to decide''
''Of course'' she added with a mocking smile, "I'm not the one pressed for ti here, Keval. Father is only days away. You'll have plenty of opportunity to think about what kind of welco to prepare for him."
With a graceful turn, she rose from her seat, her movents calm and deliberate, and swept out of the room without a backward glance.
As the heavy door closed behind her, Keval's restrained fury erupted. He slamd his fists down, sending everything on his desk crashing to the floor—papers, ink, and scrolls scattering in a furious display.
He hated to admit it but she had maneuvered him into a corner, and the clock was ticking.
-------------------------
In the dimly lit room, Garvin stood amidst twenty-seven other n, each casting uneasy glances at one another. The tension hung thick in the air. Every man knew exactly what they had done and who they held captive: the emperor himself.
Fear was etched on many faces, the enormity of their cri weighing heavily on them. So muttered nervously, others shifted uncomfortably, but none could deny they were far too deep into this sche to turn back.
In front of them, tables were laden with rows of bags filled with coins, the only tangible reward for the danger they'd undertaken. Ravinius stood before the group, his deanor steady, unbothered by the anxiety pulsing through the room.
"It's done," Ravinius began, his voice calm but firm. "The job is finished. You've completed your task, and now you have a choice. If you want to receive your pay and go, then do so. But if you're interested in keeping on with this work, then you'll be welco to stay."
The n exchanged uncertain looks, so eyeing the bags of coins hungrily, others casting nervous glances at the closed door. Finally, one of them stepped forward.
"I'd like to take my pay and be on my way," he said, his voice firm.
Ravinius nodded curtly, gesturing toward the table. "Take four bags, each one holds fifty silverii. That's your cut."
The man nodded, carefully selecting five bags instead of four before slipping out the door, his footsteps echoing faintly in the tense silence. Ravinius glanced around at the others, his gaze challenging, as if daring them to make their decision.
"Anyone else?" he asked, his tone cold. His gaze shifted to Garvin, who t his eyes steadily for a mont before he, too, took his step forward
Ravinius said nothing but gave him a long stare, awfully long , before nodding to the table. Garvin moved forward, swept up his silver, and turned for the exit, feeling the weight of the coins as he left the room.
Once outside, Garvin's legs felt heavy. He dropped to his knees, one hand covering his face as the other clutched the bag. He loosened the drawstring and peeked inside at the gleaming silver stacked within. The sight made his head swim—a fortune, enough to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life, far away from this ss. He tightened the bag again and got to his feet, pushing himself to move.
At the door, two n stood guard, their faces stony and watchful as he passed. Neither spoke, just eyed him with detached indifference. Garvin pushed through the door and out into the cool night air, feeling the chill settle around him. He walked further from the building, his thoughts racing with the newfound freedom the silver in his hand could buy him.
As he left, a strange mix of relief and disbelief filled him.
For the first ti in his life, he was free from worry about his next al, free from anyone's orders, free to live however he chose. And with the weight of silver in his bag, Garvin knew he'd never have to work again if he didn't want to.
All that remained now was to decide on how to spend it .
'' I believe a drink is customary,'' he murmured as he kept the bag close while walking forward deciding where he would spend the night.
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