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chapter 22
Watch Your Back
Adeline stormed into the kitchen.
“With so many clues, why didn’t you expose it? Was the story too vulgar for Ordo’s refined standards?”
Ringo, who had been learning how to bake bread from the cooks, snapped his head up. Adeline was standing at the entrance, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, sneering at him.
“Tell me. What kind of test is this supposed to be? What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Princess, not here.”
“This time I need a clear answer. What’s Ordo’s real intention?”
Ringo let out a loud sigh, making a show of it, then grabbed Adeline’s hand and dragged her outside. His hands were covered in flour. His face and apron, too.
“They’re listening. Pick a better time and place!”
“They’re all Ordo, aren’t they?”
“There are ranks!”
“And weren’t you the one who said I was just a lowly underling? Sounds like those ranks change depending on time and place, huh?”
She was an opponent he could never win against with words. Ringo had always lived boasting that he’d never lost a verbal fight to anyone, but to beat this crooked princess, he’d need a lot more training.
Once they were by the garden pond, Ringo whispered softly.
“Madam Mirabeau—that woman—like I said, she was very close to me. We have secrets, too! And also—”
“If you’re going to make excuses, save it. What I want to know is—was this a test or not?”
“What made you think that?”
“You said Ordo wants to create a world without dynasties. But if you already knew the dynasty had ended, why hide it? Either you want something from me, or the information was a lie.”
“It’s true. You investigated it yourself, didn’t you?”
“Then you must have some scheme.”
She wasn’t going to back down.
“Tell me right here, right now.”
“And if I don’t, you’ll throw me out? Exile Ordo?”
That was Ringo’s form of defiance. In his mind, Adeline and Ordo were already inseparably tied together.
Adeline snorted and said to him:
“Get out of my kitchen.”
“What?”
“With such excellent chefs here, why should a novice like you keep making nonsense? I’ve tolerated it enough. Out. Get lost.”
“Then what do you expect me to do?”
“Be the head maid’s personal servant.”
Ringo sucked in a sharp breath.
Adeline grinned wickedly for the first time in a while.
“Butterfly’s been busy lately, said she could use a lackey.”
“That’s cruel.”
What started as banter almost sounded serious. Both of them glanced around quickly. The garden was empty. The gardeners who had been pruning branches for spring had long since gone. The imperial guards stood far beyond the walls, but nothing they said here would carry that far.
Ringo picked up a flat stone and tossed it low across the pond. It skipped a few times, then sank. Staring quietly at the rippling blue water, he muttered:
“What good is it if only the dynasty collapses?”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you clearly. What we want is… a world without dynasties, without classes, without borders.”
Adeline suddenly went silent. The smile was gone from Ringo’s face. His eyes, usually narrow and mischievous, now looked somber as he whispered:
“One Hugo VI isn’t enough. A spark can be small, but the fire must spread wide. Beyond Marma—across the entire continent. That’s the future we want. That’s why Ordo was created.”
“Ringo…”
“Use us, Princess. Use us to the bone. We’ll be your firewood, your kindling, fueling your revenge.”
It was the most honest expression she had ever seen on his face.
“That way, it’ll all be worth it.”
Conflict broke out. And of all places, it was at the southern border of Marma. Near Brovi Fortress, not far from Voltein—the border city where Adeline and the Lion King had once pursued a slavers’ ring. There, Marma’s border guards had clashed with warriors from Odium.
At first, it seemed like a minor standoff. But four messengers arrived within days, each confirming the situation was serious. The Emperor had no choice but to worry.
A conflict between Marma and Odium.
For the Emperor—who had kept the Lion King close, honoring him as a distinguished guest—it was a serious problem. After all, the Lion King had destroyed the bandit hordes that plagued Marma for years. Rumors of his romance with Adeline were already widespread.
Naturally, the people adored him—more than any Marma noble. He was the hero their country lacked.
The Emperor did not want to make him an enemy. But the nobles, as if conspiring, rose up together. They raged that ignorant desert savages dared invade Marma, and they bombarded the Emperor with petitions.
The Lion King, upon hearing the news, immediately prepared for war. As his men bustled about packing, Adeline arrived at his estate and distributed new armor to them.
“They say you’ll resolve this yourself?”
“If I might have to fight your country’s army, why would you gift my men new armor?”
The Lion King chuckled. He wore the same black armor and cloak Adeline had first seen him in.
Adeline clicked her tongue.
“You won’t be fighting anyone. I know who’s behind this. Don’t worry.”
“What?”
“They’re after me. You’re just the bait.”
She pointed at herself. His face showed confusion. Then she pointed at his mansion.
“Shall we talk inside?”
They entered, still wearing their coats, and stood by the window.
“What do you mean—they’re after you through me?”
“The Duke of Nord Hill is rallying the nobles behind Cesare. I told you before, didn’t I? He’ll take away what the Duke holds dearest.”
“Right. That’s why I dismantled his private army.”
Sitting on the window ledge, the Lion King gathered his unruly hair into a loose tie. Adeline approached him.
“The Emperor may not think it’s me, but the Duke does. He’ll believe I’m the cause of all this.”
“So?”
“Adeline Vita should be a powerless girl, treated like an outcast. But with the mighty Lion King at her side, things get complicated. He might even think the Emperor only granted me power because of you.”
“I see. So this is to drive me out to the border.”
When he concluded, Adeline nodded. Again she pointed at herself.
“The Emperor doesn’t want me apart from you.”
“What?”
“He’ll want me to go with you.”
“No. That could turn into a battlefield. Taking you there would be…”
“Which is why he will send me. The Emperor hates war more than anything. He’ll do anything to avoid it. And if you show up at the border with your lover by your side…?”
“You’re insane.”
The Lion King muttered.
She knew the feeling—angry, frustrated, yet unable to lash out. Lowering her eyes, she said softly:
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For all of this. It’s my fault.”
“How is it your fault?”
“Because the Duke created this conflict just to get rid of me.”
Either to get rid of her while the Lion King was away, or to drive both of them to the border. The Duke of Nord Hill was using war—the thing the Emperor hated most—to eliminate her.
“Do you have proof it’s the Duke?” he asked.
“We’ll have to get it.”
“Will you go alone?”
“Impossible. I’m the Empire’s only princess. I’ll have to travel with attendants, in a carriage granted by the Emperor.”
And indeed, the Emperor gave them a carriage—sturdy, spacious, and above all, extravagant.
At first, Adeline wondered why such a decorated carriage was needed for a trip to a battlefield. But as they left the capital and she looked out the window, she realized.
Of course.
The Emperor was still an Emperor.
Crowds lined the wide roads—hundreds, maybe more. They had gathered to send off the princess who was traveling with the Lion King to stop a border war.
Behold, my daughter goes to the border once more to prevent war. That’s the message the Emperor wanted to send.
Adeline scoffed. Beside her, Butterfly smirked coldly, echoing her thoughts.
“The people aren’t fools. If Her Highness stops yet another conflict herself, they’ll ask—what were the Emperor and Crown Prince doing when we were in danger?”
“He’s pragmatic. In a country this large, you can’t avoid opposition. So he manages it just enough, making sure it never grows too strong.”
“That’s foolish. He can bind bodies, but he can’t control thoughts.”
“If Marma were a theocracy, it would be even more interesting. He might have proclaimed himself divine, staged miracles, held massive sacrifices whenever the moon eclipsed the sun. Offerings, human sacrifices, the works.”
“It would suit him. He’s got an eye for theatrics.”
The two women laughed.
“Why am I the coachman? Why? Of all people, why me?!”
Outside, Ringo had been complaining nonstop since they set off.
“Wasn’t there anyone else? This is unbearable!”
The Lion King, lying in the carriage, sat up and grumbled. He had slipped inside as soon as they left the capital, ignoring his jealous men, and napped stretched out across the seats.
“I tried leaving him behind, but he swore he’d soil his pants if I didn’t take him.”
Adeline, snacking with Butterfly, asked:
“Why is he so desperate to follow us? Afraid I’ll betray Ordo?”
The Lion King readily accepted every treat she passed him, thinking back. Not long ago in a tavern on Traveler’s Street, Ringo had asked if he planned on waging a war of conquest. He had answered—perhaps. Now Ringo had to both aid Adeline and keep watch on him.
Outside, Ringo kept yelling.
“Damn it! How long to the south? Hey, knight, move your butt! All I see is horse rumps, and now yours too?!”
“You little—what’s wrong with my butt?!”
He was quarreling with the Lion King’s men.
Butterfly smirked. Her smile had grown so like Adeline’s that they could almost pass for sisters.
Then came another shout:
“Argh! I hate lions! Always have, always will!”
The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable.
This journey was unlike the last. The carriage pushed at full speed, messengers came and went daily, and there was no resting in inns. Adeline grew accustomed to sleeping in the moving carriage. The great road once built by Hugo I using slaves proved invaluable now.
The trip to Brovi Fortress should have taken a month. They traveled much faster.
One night, nearing their destination, they stopped at an inn to rest their weary horses. The Lion King asked:
“While you’re away, the Duke won’t cause trouble through Cesare, will he?”
Adeline wore wide pants tucked into boots, a shirt, and vest. After fastening the vest, she tied a leather strap tight around her waist.
“He won’t.”
“Did the Emperor catch on?”
“No.”
Her lips twitched, her eyes lowered, her cheeks quivered. She was stifling laughter.
The Lion King crossed his arms, watching.
“Adeline. What did you do?”
“What?”
“Let me in on the joke.”
And she burst out laughing.
While tracing the Emperor’s old courtesans, Adeline had reached a conclusion: the Duke of Nord Hill would not go down easily. His assassins had all been wiped out, his private army destroyed. He would strike back, and hard.
Waiting for that strike would be too late.
“I made the first move.”
She gathered her long hair high, slipped on leather gloves, and picked up the bow the Lion King had once gifted her.
“Where are you going?”
“To practice.”
They walked to a field beyond the inn. The southern air was full of spring, even the night breeze mild and pleasant.
Adeline raised her bow and drew the string.
“I have acquaintances in Saurian.”
“Saurian? You mean the Freefolk army?”
“Not exactly. The port city before that—Morgon, its lord.”
The arrow flew lightly into the dark sky. The Lion King’s eyes followed it.
A pigeon dropped onto the field.
“Cesare must be terrified right now, trembling without sleep.”
Just the thought made her laugh.
“They think I returned to this country empty-handed. But no. Ten years. I’ve been preparing revenge for ten years. Without allies who share my vision, how could I even speak of destroying a dynasty?”
She had sent a letter to Morgon, on Marma’s western coast—to a friend, to someone she had left something with. She asked them to cause a big stir.
The Lion King, unable to contain his curiosity, pressed:
“What did you do?”
“I set the port on fire.”
“What?”
“By now, the Emperor has received reports: the harbor burns daily, the navy cannot hold them back, the attackers are unknown. If all ships burn, the pirates will run free. Please, send reinforcements.”
Someone would have to go. With Adeline away at the southern border, Cesare would be sent west. Perhaps the Emperor even welcomed it—he wouldn’t allow Cesare to build power freely in the capital while Adeline was gone.
The mysterious chain of fires at Morgon Harbor.
“Think that fool can solve it?”
Adeline laughed.
“Not a chance.”
