Julian nodded, casting one last wary look at Zane before turning toward the study. As he walked away, he could still hear Zane’s mocking remarks,

"The North is a cage, Julian! Even a gilded one is still a cage! You’ll see!"

Julian ignored him, pushing open the heavy oak doors to the study. But as he sat down across from a waiting Lucius, the weight of the morning’s peace felt suddenly fragile.

It was then that he noticed a small, white envelope tucked into the corner of his teaching lectern—something that hadn’t been there the previous day.

His hand shook as he reached for it. His fear of letters is still buried in his bones, as if it would magically become one of the late Duchess’s letters.

But thankfully, it bore the Crooked Cross of the Holy Inquisitors. It wasn’t the official post; it had been hand-delivered by someone already inside the walls.

He realized that while Alaric was watching the Prince, someone else was already watching him. Just who?

He shook his head and decided to check the content of the letter.

Julian broke the wax, and as his eyes scanned the elegant, sharp script, his blood ran cold.

"To the Saint of the North,

The Mirror of True Purity does not lie, yet its light belongs to the Heavens, not the frozen earth. We seek only a ’spiritual consultation’ to verify the miracle that has graced your form. Expect our Purifier, Elian, and the Holy Delegation within the fortnight.

Do not let the mountains hide what the Sun has already seen."

Julian’s heart hammered against his ribs. This was a hand-delivered warning, a shadow already inside the manor.

He looked up and saw Lucius watching him. The boy had stopped playing, his blue eyes fixed on the white parchment in Julian’s shaking hands. Lucius tilted his head, reaching for his slate.

[Is it a bad letter?]

Julian quickly folded the paper, shoving it into his pocket.

"It’s just... official business, Lucius. Nothing for you to worry about."

He truly hoped it was nothing to worry about. They might’ve sent this letter, but they were still a rival Empire. They can’t just come to the North without authorization.

And as if the world was mocking him, his fears came true.

Just as he was about to start the lessons and shove the contents of the letter to the back of his mind for now, a heavy thud echoed through the hallways—the sound of the great castle bells.

Julian and Lucius turned their heads. What had happened?

Julian sensed something wasn’t right. He felt an unease creeping into his heart.

"Come on, Lucius. Let’s go out and see what’s going on first," Lucius nodded and got down from the chair.

A few minutes later, Julian stood at the back of the Great Hall, Lucius gripping his hand tightly.

The Great Hall was crowded and uncomfortably quiet. Julian had never been in this room while the Duke was holding court with his lords. Standing at the back, holding Lucius’s hand, he felt out of place. The Northern lords were rough, silent men who looked at him with a mix of curiosity and wariness.

At the front of the hall, Alaric stood like a solid, dark wall of tension. His back was hunched, his shoulders tight. In his hand, he gripped an envelope with the gold seal of the Emperor.

This...

"They’ve authorized it." Alaric’s voice was a low, heavy rumble that made the knights in the room go still. "The Emperor has granted the Holy Empire’s delegation safe passage to the Northern gates. They claim it is a ’diplomatic and spiritual visit’ to check on the welfare of the Saint."

Alaric crumbled the letter in his hand, his knuckles turning white, his eyes burning with a fierce light.

"They aren’t coming to check on him. They’re coming to take him. They’re coming to take my Julian."

Julian felt the letter in his pocket, the letter suddenly feeling as hot as a brand against his thigh. He looked at Alaric—at the raw, protective fury etched into his face—and remembered the promise he had made just that morning.

No more secrets. He had promised.

Julian stepped forward, reaching into his robe. His fingers brushed against the white wax of the Crooked Cross before he pulled the small, hand-delivered envelope out.

"Lucien," Julian said, his voice clear and steady despite the trembling deep in his chest. "You aren’t the only one they reached out to. I found this on my desk in the study. It wasn’t sent by post; someone inside these walls put it there."

The room went deathly quiet. Alaric’s gaze snapped to the small white slip of paper in Julian’s hand. He took it, his movements slow and deliberate, and smoothed out the wrinkles. As he read the words from the letter—the mention of a ’spiritual consultation’ and the warning not to hide a miracle—the air in the Great Hall seemed to grow thin and heavy.

But Alaric didn’t explode in rage. Instead, he became unnervingly still. He looked at the letter, then at the doors, then back at Julian.

"On your desk," Alaric repeated, his voice dropping into a hard, flat tone. "Inside my home?"

It must’ve been a blow to him, but it was truly a cause for concern.

But Julian was looking at the issue they had at hand regarding the holy Empire.

"If the Emperor has authorized their entry, Lucien, we cannot bar the gates," Julian said, trying to bring the Duke back from the dark ledge of his anger. "An official order and a Holy visit... if we refuse, it will be seen as an act of war against both the Church and the Throne."

Alaric turned, ignoring the commanders and the curious eyes of the court. He walked across the hall and placed a heavy, grounding hand on Julian’s shoulder, his thumb pressing firmly into the fabric.

"Let them come," Alaric hissed, his voice thick with a dark, protective edge. "They may have a signature from the Capital, but they do not have my submission. I will find who brought this into the study, and I will find every shadow they’ve planted." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Julian looked at the man before him—a man who looked ready to tear the mountains down to keep him safe.

"We have two weeks," Julian whispered.

Two weeks before the priest named Elian and his Purifiers would arrive at the gate, coming to claim a ’miracle’ that Julian was beginning to realize he might never be able to hide.