Ethian paced restlessly around his room. Something had been bothering Verena that morning. She hadn’t wanted to talk about it but there was something wrong. It had been a month since the Founding Day feasts, and Ethian was even more convinced now that he was in love with Verena. He still didn’t think he could tell her, but it was getting harder to keep it a secret.
Fallon watched him pace. “What is wrong? You are more restless than usual.”
“Verena is upset about something. She would not tell me what, but I could tell. She was not her usual talkative self. I am worried.” Ethian continued pacing.
“Try to coax it out of her tomorrow. She may have gotten some bad news this morning and it was weighing on her.” Fallon watched him as he tried to work out his agitation.
“She said she might not be out tomorrow. Her father was planning something, and he might need her to stay inside.” Ethian scowled. He hadn’t liked her expression when she told him that.
“That does not sound promising.” Fallon frowned. “I will be right back.” He left the room. A short while later he returned with Silvan. “Silvan, send for Demetrios, will you? Ask him to come to Ethian’s rooms.”
“Of course, Your Imperial Highness.” Silvan sent the message and twenty minutes later, Demetrios appeared.
“How can I be of service, Your Imperial Highness?” Demetrios bowed.
“Demetrios, Lady Verena Kelcrag was upset about something this morning and her father is making plans. We want to know what those are.” Fallon wasn’t going to let it rest and if they couldn’t get an answer from Verena, they’d go to someone who could find the information in other ways.
Demetrios raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me, Your Imperial Highness, but what do the plans of a lower court noble have to do with the Imperial family?”
“Verena is a close friend of mine.” Ethian realized Fallon had the right idea. “I will not have her made unhappy by anyone, not even her own family.”
“Of course, Your Imperial Highness.” Demetrios looked thoughtful. “Let me do some digging. I’ll be back within the hour, if his servants are as talkative as they were last time.” He bowed and left.
“Let Demetrios worry about it now.” Fallon gave him a reassuring smile. “He is very good at his job. He will get us the information we want.”
“Only if the servants know something,” Ethian countered.
“Servants are notorious for finding out your deepest, darkest secrets.” Fallon gestured to where Silvan and Timur were standing. The two men contrived to look innocent, but Ethian knew what Fallon meant.
Ethian sighed and continued pacing. It was an hour later when Demetrios returned. “It seems Lord Mislav has been made an offer for Verena’s hand that he’s finding very hard to turn down, even though his initial plan was to wait until he ascended and offer her in marriage to an upper court lord. The price he’s being offered for Verena is very generous, and the trade deals will increase his family’s wealth. Not as much as he’d like, but it is a step in the right direction for moving towards becoming high lords.”
“I take it Verena is not thrilled with the offer?” Ethian asked.
“It’s not the offer, it’s the man.” Demetrios looked at the report on his pad. “Lord Dorian Heikkinen is his name. He’s in his late thirties, has slept repeatedly with all four of her sisters, and reputedly made a comment about a ‘try before you buy’ situation with Verena. Lord Mislav shot him down on that one, but it offended the young lady. She doesn’t want to marry him, but her father is encouraging his interest.”
Ethian did his best to hide his anger. “Thank you, Demetrios.” Demetrios bowed and left. “I am going to find out if father is available. I want this stopped now.”
“What are you going to do?” Fallon asked.
“Pressure Mislav into holding off on marrying Verena to anyone. He can wait until after they have ascended, and I can officially take an interest in her.” Ethian was determined to put a stop to any interference in his plans for Verena.
“You want father to back you on this.” Fallon looked at him seriously.
“The order has to come from father, or it will not work.” Ethian turned to Timur. “Timur, ask Imre if my parents are still awake and willing to see me. I have an urgent matter to discuss with them.”
Timur sent the message. “Imre just asked me if you really thought your parents would be in bed before midnight. He said for you to come ahead. They’re curious what this urgent matter is at this time of night.”
Fallon accompanied Ethian to Karis and Sayana’s rooms. Imre handed them both glasses of something to drink as soon as they came in. “All right, Ethian, what is this urgent matter that has you so frazzled at this time of night?” Karis asked with some amusement.
Ethian outlined what Demetrios had told him. “Is there any way I can convince you to speak to Lord Mislav and have him not go through with this marriage for Verena?”
“You are serious enough to want to actively pursue her when they ascend?” Karis asked.
“I am.” Ethian knew what he wanted and losing her to another man was not in his plans.
“Imre, would you please send for Lord Mislav? If he has already gone to bed, we may not get a response until morning, but if he is anything like I think he is, he will still be awake.” Karis looked at his valet.
“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre sent the message. A moment later the response came through. “He is astonished you know his name, and he is on his way.”
Karis snorted. “I do not know most lower court lords’ names, so he is one of the rare ones. There are too damn many of them.”
Mislav appeared at the door a short while later. Ethian got a good look at Verena’s father. He was tall, though not as tall as Karis and Ethian. He had black hair and silver eyes like Verena, but Ethian thought she must get her beauty from her courtesan mother. Mislav bowed deeply. “Your Imperial Majesty.” His voice was deep and resonant. “How may I be of service?”
“Hello Mislav. It has come to my attention that you have a daughter named Verena. Is this correct?” Karis gave the man some time to process his question.
Mislav blinked. “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. My youngest daughter is named Verena.”
“It has also reached me that you are due to ascend. May I ask why you have not done so yet?” Karis asked.
“I have some unfinished business I need to attend to, so it is not hanging over my head, Your Imperial Majesty.” Mislav didn’t say what the unfinished business was, but Ethian knew it was his oldest daughters. “Once it is dealt with, and it will be by the end of this year, then I will make the move to the upper court with my family.”
“Excellent.” Karis gave every indication of being pleased by what he heard. “We need more enterprising and clever men in the upper court, and you are definitely both of those things.” Mislav preened a little. “However, one thing I must ask is that you not make any marriage arrangements for your daughter until you reach the upper court.”
“May I ask why, Your Imperial Majesty?” Mislav asked.
“My son Ethian has taken an interest in her. Naturally he cannot express that while she is still in the lower court. That would be deadly for the young lady. He is willing to be patient while he waits for you to ascend, but there are to be no arrangements made until he has had a chance to make a decision regarding her himself.” Karis laid it out for Mislav so there would be no misunderstanding what they wanted from him.
“Prince Ethian has an interest in my Verena?” Mislav asked. “How did they even meet, if you do not mind my asking, Your Imperial Majesty? She has never said anything.”
“I have seen her at a distance in the gardens, and I found her name out from asking around.” Ethian entered the conversation smoothly. “I have heard her speak to certain individuals and found her conversations quite intelligent, something I prize highly in a woman. Of course, I have done all of this obliquely as if I had shown an interest in her you would be out a daughter by now. It is not surprising she does not realize I have taken an interest in her.”
“I will cease all marriage negotiations at once, Your Imperial Majesty.” Mislav nodded decisively. “Verena will be shocked to hear this, but I promise you she will tell no one of it. She is very good at keeping secrets. I shall have to tell my son about this, because he is the one who initiated the current match that we were negotiating. But he is as trustworthy as Verena. They are the only ones who will know.”
“Excellent.” Karis smiled at the man. “So long as it is kept a secret, Verena should be safe. I trust you know what her fate will be if it gets out to the power brokers.”
“I am not holding a funeral for my daughter any time soon, Your Imperial Majesty,” Mislav told him resolutely.
“I look forward to the day when you and your family enter the upper court, Mislav.” Karis nodded to the man.
“As do I, Your Imperial Majesty. As I am sure Verena will too now.” He bowed and Imre showed him out.
“There.” Karis was amused. “Problem solved.”
“Thank you, Father.” Ethian sighed with relief. “I will probably hear about this from Verena tomorrow. If I know the man her father is, he will wake her and Niklas up to tell them tonight so it can be dealt with in the morning. Assuming Verena is even asleep yet.”
“Do you want me to come out to the garden and referee the fight this is going to cause?” Fallon asked with a grin.
“You might have to because I have a feeling she is going to be angry at me for interfering in her life.” Ethian winced. “I just hope she lets me explain myself.”
“Let her vent first and then explain yourself.” Sayana gave him a clue to help him the next day. “Women like to feel we are heard when we are angry.”
“I will do that.” Ethian chatted with his parents for a few more minutes before heading back to his room and going to bed.
The next morning Ethian suffered through the council meeting and then made his way out to the garden. Fallon was with him to provide support if he needed it. Verena was already in there, pacing around. “Ethian, what in the name of all the stars did you do? You convinced your father to tell mine not to marry me off? How did you even know? I know you were behind it. The emperor would not have known.” Verena pounced on him as soon as he entered.
Ethian sighed. “You were upset and would not talk to me, so I asked Demetrios to find out what was going on. He told me about the abominable things that man said to you, and about how your father was in the process of negotiating the marriage. I convinced my father to speak to yours about waiting until you ascended so I could have a chance at courting you.”
“It could be years before we ascend. Did you even think of that?” Verena demanded angrily.
“You will ascend as soon as your sisters are sent back to Henebore.” Fallon looked at her. “Your father has the wealth to do it, and to a rather high level. He is pushing for high lord and if he continues as he has done, he might actually make it by the time he gets rid of those four.”
“He what?” Verena asked, shocked. “But he has said nothing.”
“To keep those four from making any demands on him, most likely.” Ethian had a feeling that was one of many reasons her father had kept it a secret. “Your father and your brother are incredibly gifted tradesmen, Verena. They are going to shine in the upper court. My father was right on that count last night when he talked to your father.”
“But why would you make up that story about seeing me casually in the gardens and taking an interest in me? I mean, I understand you did it to get my father to back off on the marriage proposals.” Verena looked at him. “But you could not possibly feel that way about me.”
Ethian walked over and took Verena’s hands in his own. “Verena, I love you. I realized I loved you about a month ago. I want to spend time with you. I want to be with you. And yes, I do want to court you and possibly even marry you if it comes to that.”
Verena’s eyes got bigger with every statement he made. Her eyes filled with tears. “I am just a lower court noblewoman.” Her voice broke as she spoke. “I am not worth much by anyone’s standards.”
Ethian reached out and brushed the tears from her cheek. “You are beautiful, clever, and brave. You are my friend, which is something I do not have many of. Fallon approves of you, and he does not approve of hardly anyone.”
“That is true enough.” Fallon watched them as they talked.
“My parents approve of you. They are just as hard to please. They understand the predicament we are in because of how they met. Mother was lowborn and nowhere near the social strata that my father was in. Yet they fell in love. They married. They have been married for twelve years now. If things had played out the way my father wanted them to, he would have married her a lot sooner. We have to be patient because of how the court works, but we have time. I love you, Verena. I want to be with you.” Ethian finished his speech and watched her.
Verena was crying in earnest now, but she was looking into his eyes and smiling. “I love you too, Ethian. I never thought I would be able to say that.”
Ethian, daring Fallon’s displeasure, leaned in and kissed her gently. Verena responded just as gently to the kiss, letting him know she was as willing as he was to be together. It wasn’t a long kiss, and they parted quickly, but it was their first one and it had been sweet. Ethian released her hands and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him.
The two wandered the garden, talking in low voices, discussing what the future might hold for them. Fallon kept an eye on them but said nothing. Ethian reveled in the feeling of being so close to Verena. He could smell the scent in her hair, feel the faint tremors that went through her every now and then as they brushed against each other when they walked. He delighted in her laugh and absorbed the sound of her voice.
“I hate to break this up.” Fallon sounded reluctant to speak. “But it is lunchtime and you two have to separate for the day.”
“Time simply rocketed by today.” Verena seemed sad as Ethian wrapped his arms around her.
“It did.” He held her for a moment longer. “As long as the weather holds, we will see each other tomorrow.”
“I know, but the mornings seem to me to be too short now.” Verena sighed. She stepped back. “I will see you tomorrow.” He leaned in and kissed her again and they parted.
Ethian went in for lunch and then went to the audiences. A few lords presented their daughters, but they were quickly sent packing by Karis. The rest of the petitions were the usual round of petty desires by the nobles sprinkled with genuine needs by the other political entities in the galaxy. Finally, audiences were over, and Ethian escaped back to his room and changed.
He sat down and got to work on the paperwork. He had a lot to do and not much time to do it if he didn’t want to be up past midnight working again. The time he’d have spent working on it with Verena this morning he’d spent talking to her instead. It was worth it though to see the concern and worry leaving her. Now she understood where he was coming from, and why he’d interfered in her life. She might still be a little cross with him for spying on her family, but she realized it was because he needed that information to keep her safe.
Ethian managed to plow through two thirds of his work before Timur got his attention. “It’s time to dress for court, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Starflare,” Ethian muttered. “Can I not say I am sick or something and skip it?”
“Do you want me to inform Their Imperial Majesties you’re feeling unwell this evening?” Timur asked.
Ethian realized he had a headache. “Send them the message I have a headache. Tell them I will see a doctor, but I am not in the mood to deal with the court.
Timur sent the message. A few minutes later, their response came through. “I’ve been informed to tell you that you’re excused from court tonight and council tomorrow. And that fresh air is a good cure for headaches.” He said it with an absolutely straight face. “So if you’re still feeling unwell in the morning to take yourself out to the garden straight after breakfast.”
“I think I will do that.” Ethian grinned. “Now, will you send for an Imperial doctor so I can do something about the headache tonight?”
“Of course, Your Imperial Highness.” Timur smiled. “Then I’ll go find your dinner.”
“No wine, Timur.” Ethian made a face. “I do not want any wine tonight at all.”
“As you wish, Your Imperial Highness.” Timur sent the message and then hurried off. The doctor arrived before Timur returned with Ethian’s dinner. A quick shot from the hypo spray and the headache began to ebb.
“Don’t stay up late working, Your Imperial Highness,” the doctor warned.
“I will not.” Ethian nodded to the man. “I am almost done. I plan on eating, finishing what little I have left, reading for perhaps an hour or two, and making an early night of it.”
“Good,” the doctor said. He left and Timur returned. He set out Ethian’s dinner. Ethian ate and got back to work. A couple hours later, he finished his paperwork. He read for a bit and then went to bed. He dreamed of a wedding day with Verena.
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