Cecily's time with Satsume was short-lived, as it always seems to be at these social gatherings. Lord Faren's brother Albert cleared his throat as he approached her.
"May we speak in private?" Albert asked, offering her his hand.
Cecily did not like the sound of it. But, she had no means of avoiding the question.
"Of course," she answered, resting her hand in his.
The two broke from the crowd and proceeded down a hallway that quite clearly was meant to be off limits to the public. When Albert dismissed the guards from the entrance of a private study, Cecily knew that there was something going on.
Inside, the room was dimly lit; the room's fireplace provided much of the illumination. It has changed a little since Cecily was last in this room with Lord Faren. Numerous book shelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with various texts. Any average noble would not think much of them but Cecily's experienced eye was able to pick out spellcasting tomes scattered among the innocuous works. It would seem they are meant for self-defense, but Cecily wondered whether it was practical to pull one of those tomes from the shelf and cast a spell before being attacked by a sudden assailant.
Albert closed the door behind them and courteously offered Cecily a seat. She accepted it and Albert rested against the desk before it. Cecily could tell from Albert's grim face earlier that he was not happy to see her here and she could already guess that would be how he will open their conversation.
"It concerns me that you arrived here without invitation," he began. "Of course, custom would dictate that you be refused from the party, but Lord Faren was insistent that an exception be made for you."
"To which I am grateful," Cecily said.
"Yes, it would reflect badly for one of the celebrated heroes to be barred from her own party. Especially one whose face is familiar to this house," Albert replied. "But your presence here invites unwanted danger."
"Surely that danger is no greater than the refugees your country has openly welcomed," Cecily countered.
Albert shook his head. "Unfortunately, the nobility do not play by the same rules as the commoners."
He went around the desk, opened one of the drawers, and drew a letter from it. He held it up to the light and read:
Quote:Dear Faren, Lord of Geneva,
As you may be aware, the Empire of Lycia is undergoing great change. Various elements strive to rebel against our policies, sometimes with violent means. It is within the best interests of our march to assist our brethren in rooting out and arresting individuals suspected of inciting insurrections across the lands. It pains me to write, but we believe that Lady Cecilia has played a major role in spreading misinformation about the changes in Lausian policies as well as providing shelter from authorities. To our regret, she has managed to flee before being she could be apprehended and we believe that Cecilia may attempt to plead for asylum within Bern. I ask that you instead return her to us, since we are concerned that Cecilia may use her asylum status in order to instigate harm without reprisal. We hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Hannes, Marquess of Laus
Albert lowered the letter. "You can verify the seal of Laus yourself if you wish."
Cecily had no reason to doubt the letter. It certainly sounded like Marquess Hannes to lie if it meant that he could get what he wanted. In fact, for him to resort to a letter must mean that he could not continue using assassins to hunt her for some reason. She could only theorize that the previous assassination attempt at the refugee camp caused such a stir that further controversy would be politically untenable.
"And what will Lord Faren do now that I am here?" she asked.
"Nothing," Albert answered, returning the letter to its drawer as Cecily approached the desk.
"Do you object to his decision?" Cecily asked.
"Insofar as tempting the wrath of the Lycian Empire will cause immense bloodshed not seen since the reign of King Zephiel," Albert said.
"Like how Etruria 'invoked' the wrath of the Emperor?" Cecily said.
"It has never been proven that they were innocent," Albert glared at her.
"It has never been proven that they were guilty," Cecily retorted. "The Emperor does not play by the same rules that we have come to accept."
"Perhaps, but we are not ready to close our doors to refugees. Already public sentiment has become mixed following the incident in the refugee camps. The incident stirred by
your presence," Albert said.
Cecily stepped around to the back of the desk. Albert admitted that he was willing to sacrifice her for the sake of maintaining Bern's current political stance. Although he kept much of her feelings in check, even she could not hide her displeasure.
"Is that all? Arresting me at the banquet hosted for myself and my companions? Appeasing Lycia? Delaying the inevitable?" her voice matched the chill of her glare.
"I was of mind to inform you ahead of time to not surprise you at the eleventh hour," Albert said. "But if you were to think about escaping..."
"No, that will not be necessary," Cecily replied.
She knew the nooks and crannies of the desk from her past time with Lord Faren. There was a hidden slot for a dagger, which Albert seemed oblivious to. Cecily was able to draw it from its hiding spot behind her back. She took a few steps towards Albert with the same stern gaze.
"I will not bleed for Bern," she told him coldly.
It only took one quick motion to plunge the knife into his heart, the other reaching for his mouth to cut off his gasp. Albert crumbled under the combined assault and shock, weakly struggling as Cecily pushed the blade deeper with the weight of her body over his. Never did she think that the lessons she had with handling a knife, thanks to Theodore, would actually be put to use. But it was surprisingly... easy.
Cecily took a deep breath, processing what she had just done. Despite having planned it in her head in the middle of her conversation with Albert, it seemed surreal compared to the political dances she had done for Laus and Lycia. But there was one more thing that needed to be done to cement the scene. She walked over to the nearby windows, opening them, then rushed back to Albert's body.
"Guards!" she shouted. "Get help!"
The
thump of the heavy doors and metallic clank of the guardsmen's response came within moments.
"Assassin..." Cecily gave one of them a look of shock and terror.
One of them, presumably a captain by the difference in his garb, looked at her and then the open window and understood what she meant. He turned to his partner, barking out orders. The 'assassin' must be stopped before he left the premise.
"Let's get you out of here," the captain told her.
He offered her his hand, to which she took. With a sword drawn, the captain guided her out of the study.