Holding his young son in his arms, Issac walked towards a certian room withing the Palace. The Royal Guards let him in and, seeing the Imperial Children, he gently smiled and put his boy down. "Prime Minister." Frida and the other servants bowed towards Issac as Abu walked over, stretching his hand out.

"How are you, my friend?" Ignoring Frida and the servants, Issac smiled and shook hands with his friend.

"Samuel has been excited to come here." Looking at his son, he saw him blankly looking at the three other children and chuckled. "Well, he was."

"Have you received word from your father or His Majesty?" Abu asked and sat down, offering the chair next to him to Issac.

"No. But by his calculation, he should have arrived south by now. As for his Majesty, I will update him about the situation here." Abu nodded and leaned back, looking at the children.

"Your boy is growing well," Abu said, looking at the young child. It was obvious he inherited the best of both Issac and Johanna’s looks. His caramel hair, mixed with his blue eyes, made him look like a doll with chubby cheeks.

"Johanna is sad she couldn’t come. But she needed to rest." He paused and looked at Abu with a soft smile. "You have no plans on having children then?"

Abu sighed and played with his fingers. "No." The sadness in his voice was obvious, and looking at Issac, he saw a deep regret in his eyes. "I am undeserving of them. The joy they bring to a person’s life should only be reserved for those who lived good lives."

"You know..." Issac stopped himself but shook his head. "You aren’t a bad person, Abu. Maybe you were, but not anymore. By your logic, I should not have Sameul."

"It not the same. The way I act now doesn’t absolve me of my past. You do what you do not to be cruel but because you think it is the only way to live. In the same way, we can’t blame a hunter for killing a rabbit. They have to eat. You have responsibilities that mean you make hard choices. Even if they are evil."

Abu looked at the children. "I ordered the death of a pregnant woman when I was young because she couldn’t work." Abu looked at him in disbelief of his past actions. "Can you imagine that? Ordering a woman with a child to die because she can’t work. It sickens me that I ever did something like that. I may lose my family name, but I will ensure it dies with me."

Issac looked at Abu and sighed, gently grabbing his shoulder. "Just don’t regret it, my friend."

"I will not," Abu said, looking at the children seriously. "Besides. Those who work for me. Those to whom I gave a chance after their lives as slaves are now my responsibility. They need me to guide them until they can stand independently."

"Most of them can."

"Most. Not all. Some scars don’t heal, Issac. And I am ready to support them until my death." He smiled without regret. Issac could see that he was happy with his life and nodded. Getting up, he walked over to Samuel and knelt beside the boy. Picking up a small toy, he joined in with whatever game he was playing.

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Horace watched Ada and her maid. They had not spoken ever since her choice, and he knew things couldn’t continue like this. He needed Ada to function. Right now, she was spiralling into a pit of despair over he choice.

"Princess," Horace called out to her, and looking up, he saw her almost hollow eyes. "What do you want?"

"Wh..What?" Her mind had been a mess since killing for the first time. The moment she stabbed the man, she realised even then it wasn’t her own choice but Horace’s. Like she was told. The Underwells were evil. Looking at the man before her only reinforced that notion. He didn’t care about her, he just wanted her family name for whatever sick reason. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"You can’t be serious?" Ada spoke before she could even think and lowered her head in fear that Horace might do something. Despite that, nothing came, and slowly, she looked him in the eyes before quickly averting her gaze. His eyes were awful. It was the one thing she couldn’t get over. She knew the Underwells’ name, but seeing one in person made her wonder what type of life they lived to get to this point.

Horace thought. He could tell she hated him. He expected much. "Halfdan. Show me your hand." The small man groaned and lifted his sleeve, revealing a stump. Ada looked at them in confusion before looking at Horace, wondering what the point was.

"Halfdan here was our enemy. His Majesties. But my father felt he could be useful to the Empire alive rather than dead. His Majesty didn’t like this, obviously, but in the face of the needs of the Empire, he didn’t act." Horace paused and put his hands together. "Ada. His Majesty is a fair man. He judges people on their worth, not things like their name. You could be the dirtiest peasant on Gaia, but if you are of use, he will support you. So tell me what is it you desire."

"The Empire isn’t like this backward Kingdom. Women are actually people. They can climb up to the top of its hierarchy if they deserve to."

Ada played with her fingers and looked down. It was a test. She was sure of it. There was no way they would trust her with anything. They only wanted her name so she could be used to bargain with her father. She was sure of it. ’But what if it’s not? What if I waste my chance?’

She wanted to pull her hair out and scream. Her mind was a mess, and she didn’t know what to think. Looking at Horace, she gulped. This may be her only chance for any real control over her life. A chance to have real power. "In the Severian Empire, I know that there exists an ArchDuchy. A title that was created after the family founder forced the hand of the Emperor at the time." Ada took a deep breath. "I want to be Arch-Duchess."

The carriage fell silent as everyone looked at her with surprise at the boldness of her request. Even Horace was surprised and lightly chuckled. "Arch-Duchess." Smaking his lips, he stopped his chuckle. "Even for me, that would be a challenge. You would really have to prove to His Majesty that you are worth such a title."

"The power of a king. It’s what I want." Ada said seriously. She had already risked saying this, and she couldn’t back down now. "I know His Majesty wouldn’t dare allow someone to call themselves Queen in his land that wasn’t a part of his dynasty, so I am saving face."

Horace laughed again and looked at everyone else. But no one joined him in his laughter, looking at Ada like she was crazy for requesting such a thing. "Okay. Let’s pretend I am His Majesty. Make an argument." Horace’s mood instantly changed, and his face went cold.

Ada frowned and looked at him in silence for a couple of seconds. Horace said nothing and crossed his arm, staring at her. It was now or never. She knew she had to make a compelling case, or Horace would shut the idea down before she could even make her case to Alfred.

"The Livonik people are not simple." Lowering her head, she thought about every detail of her homeland. "We were a nation formed by combining two different people. Similar in every way but their name. It took a hundred years to make our people one. Livonik. It is not just a culture or race; it’s an identity forged from blood and hardship."

"The Empire may be in the good book of the people because of how you dealt with the pirates, but a war can quickly change opinions. You will need someone they can trust to watch them. To slowly ease them into the Empire. They need a name they can look to. One who fought for them. The Empire will be our master, but I’m the name they look to for guidance."

Horace looked at her and gave a slow nod. "Acceptable. His Majesty predicted the pacif way we took with the Safrid won’t be so easy with the Livonik so your proposal is quite good. Obviously, there are other things we need to worry about, such as the land you would hold and other things, but I believe this can at least get you through the door to plead a case."

Looking at his smile, Ada wondered if she had played into his hand once again and couldn’t help but get lost in her thoughts. Did he know everything, or was she that predictable? It scared her, but part of her was excited. Part of her was telling her that she wasn’t being lied to. She wanted to believe it. Even if she were under Alfred’s thumb, it would be a chance for her to live freely. Not forced into marriages she didn’t want. Not forced to stay out of politics and live as an observer.