Chapter 24- The Most Dangerous Signature
There are many things in this world I do not fear.
War has never frightened me. It is predictable in ways people rarely are. Armies move. Men bleed. Kingdoms rise or fall depending on who calculates better and who hesitates less. There is logic in it. Structure. Even chaos, when observed long enough, begins to follow patterns.
Death, too, has never unsettled me. I have stood close enough to it and invited it often enough that it no longer feels like an unknown. It is a door. An inevitable one. Whether it opens today or years from now is a matter of circumstance, not terror.
But sitting in my office now, with the scent of blood curling faintly through the air and a box sitting in the center of my desk like it has every right to be there...
I find myself profoundly aware of something far worse.
My wife will be returning soon.
And she is six months pregnant.
And she is not in the mood for anyone's nonsense. That, more than anything else in this room, is what tightens something unpleasant in my chest.
"What next?" I ask.
The question settles into the room, quiet but heavy, forcing everyone to shift their attention from the box to something far less avoidable.
The future.
Levi answers first.
Of course he does.
He has not fully recovered from being insulted by Elias, which means he is now operating entirely on pride and the desperate need to prove he is still capable of forming thoughts that do not end in disaster.
"We send someone else," he says, his voice controlled but tight at the edges. "We make sure we're not jumping to conclusions."
There is a pause.
A long one.
Then Elias exhales.
Not like a man tired.
Like a man who has just been handed an opportunity.
"Oh yes," he says flatly. "Brilliant. Let's do that. Let's send another man. I'm sure this time they'll return both halves."
Levi's jaw tightens.
Elias straightens slowly, like a predator stretching after a long nap, his irritation dissolving into something far more dangerous amusement.
"Actually," he continues, correcting himself mid-thought, his tone shifting into something almost pleasant, "I love that idea."
I close my eyes briefly.
Because I know exactly where this is going.
"I think," Elias says, turning toward Levi with that smile, the one that has ruined more lives than most wars, "that you should go."
Levi blinks. "...what?"
"Well," Elias says lightly, "it was your plan. And since it is such a great plan, it only makes sense that a great man should execute it personally."
Silence.
Nathaniel's mouth twitches.
Jacline looks like she is reconsidering her life choices.
Veronica sighs, a long, suffering sound that suggests she has lived through this exact moment before and is deeply offended that it is happening again.
"There is only one thing to do," she says, cutting through the tension before Levi can respond.
Everyone turns toward her.
She does not look at any of us.
Her gaze remains on the box.
"We respond."
Her voice is calm.
Cold.
Certain.
"The king of Kyrian knows exactly what he did," she continues. "They crossed a line. And they knew we would not treat it as something small."
She finally looks up.
"This was not a warning."
A pause.
"It was a declaration."
Elias nods once, satisfied. "Great. If it's war they want, it's war; they will get it now. All we need is to draft the official declaration of war..." Heepause "...with both the king and queen's signatures."
The entire room reacts at once.
Not loudly.
But visibly.
Jacline grimaces as she has just been handed poison and asked to drink it politely.
Veronica's expression flattens into something that suggests she would rather fight an army alone than walk into this particular conversation.
Levi exhales sharply.
Nathaniel says nothing.
I say nothing.
Because I understand.
Jacline is the first to break.
"No ."
Elias blinks. "No, what ?"
"I know it is technically my job to get signatures," she says quickly, crossing her arms, "but I am not doing that."
Elias tilts his head. "You're refusing a direct responsibility?"
"I will accept punishment," she replies immediately. "Public. Severe. Creative, if necessary. But I am not walking in there with that document."
Veronica nods once. "Same."
Levi looks between them. "...seriously?"
"I like living," Veronica says.
Levi exhales. "Well, she doesn't like me, so I'm out."
Elias turns toward him instantly. "Perfect."
Levi freezes. "...what?"
"She already hates you," Elias continues smoothly. "You are the ideal candidate. A sacrificial lamb with a pen."
Levi stares at him. "You cannot be serious."
"I am always serious when it benefits me."
Levi points at him. "Aren't you her best friend?"
All eyes turn to Elias.
Elias blinks once.
Then, very calmly, says, "I am still recovering from the last piece of bad news I delivered."
Jacline snorts.
"He nearly died," Veronica adds.
"I did die," Elias corrects. "Internally. Parts of me have not returned."
Nathaniel finally speaks. "It's your kingdom." He looks at me. "Your war." A pause."So it's only fair."
I stare at him.
"Fair?" I repeat slowly.
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
"The woman is insane," I say flatly.
Veronica doesn't even react.
"I got scolded for existing near her last week."
"That's because you offended her," Veronica mutters.
"I told her she looked cute when she waddles."
The room goes completely still.
Elias closes his eyes.
"...you said what?" Jacline whispers.
"I said—"
"No, I heard you," Elias cuts in. "I'm just trying to figure out why you would say something so stupid ."
"I thought she looked cute."
"ohh god, you are stupid," Nathaniel says carefully.
"I was being affectionate."
"And suicidal," Elias.
Veronica pinches the bridge of her nose. "Someone has to tell her."
Silence falls again.
Because that is the problem, someone has to walk into a room where my pregnant, exhausted, temperamental wife currently exists...
...and inform her that we are going to war.
And that we need her signature.
"Decide," Veronica says. "Before she comes back."
That is when the arguing starts again. Levi insists he will not go.
Elias insists Levi is perfect. Jacline refuses repeatedly.
Nathaniel pretends neutrality while clearly enjoying this far more than he should.
Veronica looks one breath away from ending the discussion permanently with a blade. And I...I consider exile.
The door soon opens, making my heart drop
Everyone reacts.
Immediately.
Elias moves first and jumps behind the couch.
Fast. Far too fast for a man who was mocking everyone seconds ago. Levi follows, ducking behind Veronica like she is some shield.
"Coward," Elias to Levi, poking his head just enough to see.
"Shut up, prick," Levi whispers back.
Nathaniel turns abruptly toward a bookshelf and begins examining it as if it contains the secrets of the universe.
Jacline...gods help her... grabs a massive box of chocolate that was on the table and holds it out in front of her like she is attempting to calm something feral.
I stare at all of them, taking in how pathetic my commander and captain look. Before slowly turning towards the door and swallowing the lump I didn't realize was stuck in my throat.
"You look beautiful," I say immediately.
Her eyes narrow as she steps into the room slowly, her gaze sweeping across every present, lingering just long enough on each of us to make it clear she sees everything.
"...whose bright idea was it," she asks calmly, "to send a single messenger?"
There is not even a moment of hesitation.
"Levi," we say in unison.
Levi leans out from behind Veronica.
"Cowards," he mutters.
Ophelia looks at him.
Then at the rest of us.
Then at the box.
Her expression does not change.
That is worse.
Much worse.
Because I have learned something very important about my wife, when she is loud, you can argue. When she is emotional, you can comfort her. When she is quiet... You prepare to accept responsibility for everything you have ever done and for everything you have yet to do.
And right now, I would rather face a battlefield than that look.