22. Luna
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LUNA
After three weeks of exhausting political maneuvering that went nowhere and the sudden excitement of averting a duel when Benedetto lost his temper, I waited in the afternoon sun with my stomach fluttering with pleasant anticipation.
Pip swooped and landed on my shoulder, chirping excitedly as if sensing my emotions. It'd been too long since I'd seen my sister and Sofia. My stomach twisted with nerves. I just hoped they'd been well.
And I needed to find out what my father was up to. There was no gossip about it, just veiled hints, which worried me more than outright slander. What did he have in store for Rose?
Vala was coming with them, and I sincerely hoped she didn’t stir up trouble right away.
The carriage rolled to a stop, and the door swung open. Rose leaped out, blond curls bullying, her face lighting up when she spotted me.
"Luna!" She rushed to squeeze me tightly. I returned the favor.
Sofia followed at a sedate pace, her expression calm and kind as always. Rose let go of me, standing close by.
Vala stepped down last, graceful and poised, her smile serene but calculating.
"You look well." Sofia looked me over critically. "Kalion suits you."
"It's good to see you." A lump formed in my throat. I glanced at Vala, who watched us with a practiced smile. "Welcome, Lady Vala."
Vala stepped forward and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Of course, my dear. Now, is this the drake I've heard so much about? Is this him?"
Pip hissed and back winged off my shoulder. He circled Sofia and Rose, nipping at their hair. Then he landed on the wall and watched Vala, giving a wary chirp.
“Yes,” I said. “Though, technically Pip is an it. Drakes choose their sex when they’re grown. We call him he because it doesn’t seem to bother him and it’s easier in conversation.”
"Well, well," Vala said with a laugh, meeting Pip's gaze. "A feisty little creature, isn't it? It suits you, Luna."
Everything was a game to her. I thought and suppressed an eye roll. But at least she seemed genuinely interested. Why hadn’t she ever tried to find a drake for herself? She was more than powerful enough magically.
As we moved inside the villa, Benedetto stepped into the hallway, his expression pleasant. He locked eyes with Vala, and I sensed the shift in the atmosphere, a tension that was like the calm before a storm.
"Mother," Benedetto said tersely, inclining his head in a barely respectful nod. "We need to talk. Now."
Vala raised an eyebrow, her smile unfaltering. "Oh, Benedetto. Always so direct. A good host would give me time to wash first, but very well."
“That’s a signal for us to go and clean up after our journey.” Sofia gave me a knowing glance.
I indicated the maid waiting in the hall. “She’ll lead you to your rooms.”
Rose laughed as they walked down the hall.
Benedetto and Vala had stepped into the study, leaving the door slightly ajar. I positioned myself to linger nearby, listening as their voices rose and fell.
"You're building a faction in my name," Benedetto bit out. "Without my knowledge or consent."
Vala's reply was calm, almost mocking. "I simply did what you would not. You may not want the throne, but the empire needs strong leadership. And if not you, then who? Vivaldo? Do you want to burn on the same pyre as the emperor? He’ll see you dead in minutes if he ascends to the throne."
She was manipulating him, but she also had a point. I had a surge of sympathy for Benedetto. He hated this kind of game, and she knew it.
The fact she’d put him in the position where he had to dominate or die wasn’t lost on me either.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Mother," Benedetto said. I heard the slam of his fist on the table. "This isn't just about power, this could get us all killed."
I could just see Vala through the crack in the door without leaning forward and making it too obvious.
Vala's shrug was elegant and dismissive, her tone level. "Power is always dangerous, Benedetto. But it's a risk worth taking. If not for yourself, for your wife and any children you might have. Or would you like to see them all burn with you?"
He stormed out of the room, nearly colliding with me. His face was flushed with anger, but when he saw me, his expression softened. Slightly.
"We're going for a walk," he said shortly. "I need air."
Luckily Rose and Sofia had almost finished dressing after cleaning up, and we were on our way swiftly.
The four of us walked through the streets of Kalion, Pip perched happily on Rose's shoulder, preening and ruffling her blond hair. The city felt gentler and more welcoming when I was with them.
I glanced at Rose's wide-eyed wonder and Sofia's amused expression. Their presence made it feel like it could be a home.
Benedetto walked slightly ahead, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He scanned the crowd constantly, his posture tense and alert.
Sofia noticed, giving him a tart smile. "Are we really that dangerous at your back? Or are you just worried someone might try to steal your wife away?"
Benedetto glanced back, wary as he always was around Sofia.
"I'm worried about the attacks we've been dealing with," he said dryly. "But if you'd rather I leave you to fend for yourselves..."
I cut in with a smile. "We appreciate the escort. Truly."
As we passed through a quieter part of the market, Rose spotted a small child standing alone, her face streaked with tears.
"Oh, the poor thing." Rose hurried over before anyone could stop her. She knelt down to the child's level. "Are you lost?"
The girl nodded, hiccupping through her sobs.
Benedetto's expression hardened, and he grabbed my arm. "This could be a trap," he said. "We've been targeted before, using a child wouldn't be beneath them."
I frowned, half agreeing with him but torn. He was right, but the poor thing was terrified.
Sofia stepped forward, murmuring a few words under her breath. A soft, silvery light glowed around her hands, and the air hummed with a faint magical resonance.
I stepped away as my magic reached hungrily for her spell.
"Her parents are nearby." Sofia pointed down a side street. "That way."
The magic Sofia displayed was always subtle but powerful. Everyone heard about the destruction sorcerers and their students could rain down on those who opposed them, and I’d heard Sofia quietly mocked for her lack of offensive magic.
Though not using something was not the same as lacking it. Sometimes I wondered why she chose the path she did.
Other moments, like now, I was simply grateful. I didn’t know what Rose and I would do without her. Why had Father made a contract for her to teach Rose and stay with us so long? How could he have afforded it?
We followed Sofia's lead down the side street. A couple came into view, both of them dressed in the plain style of merchants, the cloth sturdy and the color muted.
Both their faces were etched with worry as they frantically searched the crowd. Terrible things could happen to a child alone, even in the day.
When the mother spotted her little girl in Rose's arms, she let out a sob and rushed forward, scooping the child into a tight embrace.
Rose stepped back.
"Thank you, thank you." The father bowed repeatedly. Tears glistened in his eyes. "We thought we'd lost her."
"She’s a sweet child. It’s good you found her and us so quickly," I said with a warm smile.
As we headed away, Benedetto slipped a small pouch of coins into the father's hand. His expression softened as he said, "For lost business."
Then he quickly turned away, as if embarrassed by his own act of kindness. He hid any gentleness as if it were a weakness.
Rose beamed at Benedetto as we walked. "You're kinder than you let on."
Benedetto scowled, but there was no real heat behind it. "Don't spread that around. I have a reputation to maintain. And gossip is a bad habit."
I laughed, slipping my hand into his. His fingers tightened around mine, and for a moment, I imagined a future where these small gestures of affection weren’t a temporary arrangement. "Your secret's safe with us."
In rapid succession, Benedetto took us to four dealers of rare books, all of whom, while full of gossip, had no news on Tullio Lucardi’s whereabouts.
The sun dipped low on the horizon by the time we were done, painting the sky in vivid shades of orange and pink as we approached the villa. Rose and Sofia walked ahead, their laughter carrying on the evening breeze as it carried the scent of supper cooking.
I slowed my pace, falling into step beside Benedetto. The golden light cast his angular features in a softer glow, and I studied his profile.
Benedetto glanced at me, a single eyebrow arched in that infuriatingly confident way of his.
"You know," I said, "you're not as heartless as you pretend to be."
"Maybe I'm just trying to fool you," he said, his lips curving into a smirk. "I might abandon you tomorrow, for all you know."
I rolled my eyes, half disguising my laugh as a snort. "I doubt that. You're too honorable to go back on your word, even if you won't admit it."
He scoffed, but I caught the flicker of amusement in his dark eyes. "Careful, Luna. Keep talking like that, and people might start to think you actually like me. And keep in mind that my honor can be flexible when needed."
If only he knew how much I cared. If only I could be sure that this wasn't all just a game to him. And there’s been an ever so slight warning tone in his last sentence.
But I wouldn't let myself dwell on those thoughts, I’d steal joy while I had it in my hands. Instead, I bumped my shoulder against his, a carefully casual gesture. "I think I'll take my chances."
As we neared the villa gates, I reluctantly let go of Benedetto's hand. Appearances needed to be maintained in front of the servants and guards. But even as we stepped back into our roles as the dutiful nobleman and high-born wife, I couldn't shake the warmth that had blossomed in my chest.