Chapter 29- Two Spycopaths
Veronica closes her eyes with the exhausted resignation of a woman who has spent years realizing the gods personally handcrafted one specific idiot solely to test her patience for the rest of eternity.
"You are unbearable," she mutters.
"And yet," Elias replies smoothly, "you continue choosing me every single day. Curious."
"That implies I had alternatives."
"You did."
"I killed most of them."
Nathaniel visibly chokes.
Jacline folds over, laughing.
I lean back carefully in my chair, as I watch Veronica standing there in Elias's robe with loose hair and the expression of a woman deeply regretting every decision that brought her to this exact moment.
And yet.
Despite the threats.
Despite the glaring.
Despite the fact that she has spent most of her days verbally assaulting him.
She still hasn't stepped away from him. Elias finishes the last piece of stolen chocolate with complete disregard for my emotional attachment to it before shoving the empty box carelessly back into my drawer like a raccoon hiding evidence of a crime.
Then, entirely uninvited and completely unashamed, he walks toward Veronica.
Nathaniel watches him with visible concern.
Honestly?
Fair.
Because Veronica in court and Veronica in private feel like two completely different women stitched together by violence and exhaustion.
In court, Veronica is terrifying.
She moves through the palace like a sharpened blade wrapped in silk and human skin.
Servants lower their eyes when she passes.
Guards straighten instinctively. Nobles trip over their own words because everyone knows exactly what Veronica is capable of, and very few people survive being interesting enough for her to notice.
The king's bloodhound.
That is what they call her.
Achille's monster.
The woman who carries out the crown's darkest orders without hesitation.
And to be fair...
Most of that reputation is earned.
Veronica does not flinch from violence. She does not soften difficult truths. She does not ask moral questions when survival is involved. If Achilles says kill, Veronica asks whether the body should be buried before or after.
People fear her because she gives them reasons to, but the kingdom never understood her correctly.
They think Veronica made Achilles cruel.
As if a woman alone could carve that kind of hatred into a man.
As if the kingdom itself didn't help create the monster they now fear.
It was easier for them to blame Veronica than accept the truth.
Achilles lost his brother.
Lost his wife.
Lost pieces of himself that no kingdom ever deserved to own in the first place.
And afterward, he became harder. Colder. More dangerous.
Veronica simply stayed when everyone else stepped back from the wreckage.
People always need villains. Veronica simply happened to look the part.
And somehow
Elias fell in love with her anyway... despite the blood that soaks her hand. despite the cruelty that lives in her eyes. He knows what she has done and will do, and still he stays with her.
Which, honestly, tells me there's something deeply concerning about his psychological state.
Elias stops behind Veronica now, close enough that his chest nearly brushes her back before bending slightly and dropping his head onto her shoulder with complete casual familiarity.
Nathaniel gasps softly.
Not because Elias touched her.
Because Veronica lets him.
She does not stiffen.
Does not threaten him.
Does not immediately reach for one of the six hidden knives she absolutely has somewhere beneath that robe.
She simply sighs tiredly, as if this is entirely normal behavior.
Which apparently it is. Elias looks completely content there, chin resting against her shoulder while one arm drapes lazily around her waist. Nathaniel stares as if he is witnessing forbidden knowledge.
"Also," Elias says conversationally, " you cannot tell anyone."
Nathaniel blinks rapidly. "Why not?"
"Because," Veronica says flatly, "it would become a political disaster."
Nathaniel looks confused. "huh?"
Jacline and I exchange a look.
Of course, Nathaniel wouldn't fully understand.
"My reputation," she says calmly, "is already unstable."
"That's one word for it," Jacline mutters.
Veronica ignores her completely.
"I am useful to the crown because people fear me," she continues. "But fear and trust are not the same thing."
Nathaniel slowly nods.
Elias speaks before she can continue. "People think she controls Achilles."
Nathaniel blinks. "...i can see why."
Veronica looks deeply annoyed now. "Idiots assume that because the king became more brutal after I joined the court, I must somehow be manipulating him."
"She became the villain in stories people needed explained," Jacline says, stretching lazily in her chair. "Which honestly worked out well because Veronica enjoys terrifying people."
"I enjoy efficiency."
"You stabbed a man with a dessert fork once."
"He was inefficient."
Nathaniel still looks overwhelmed.
"But what does that have to do with Elias?"
Elias smiles slowly. "Oh, sweetheart. Everything."
Veronica sighs heavily. "Elias is still viewed as politically valuable."
Nathaniel frowns. "Because he's close to the king?"
"Because," Jacline says carefully, "if anything happened to Achille..."
Understanding dawns slowly across Nathaniel's face.
"Oh."
Exactly.
Elias may not want the throne.
But blood matters.
Legacy matters.
And there are still factions in court who see Elias as safer than Achilles. Kinder. Easier to influence. Which means if the kingdom discovered Elias was romantically involved with Veronica, the woman many already suspect influences the crown, things would become dangerous very quickly.
"They would accuse her of manipulating him, too, and ask for her head," I say.
Nathaniel winces immediately.
"And I quite like her head," Elias kisses the side of her head casually.
Nathaniel looks physically distressed watching it.
Honestly?
Fair.
Because the strangest part about Elias and Veronica is not that they love each other.
It's how.
Veronica loves like someone who expects disaster. Like affection is dangerous when exposed too openly. Elias loves like a man who has never cared about dignity entirely.
He says things out loud.
Touches her constantly.
Annoys her deliberately just to watch her react.
And Veronica
Gods.
Veronica hates being touched by almost everyone.
I once watched her threaten to break a servant's wrist for grabbing her arm unexpectedly.
But Elias?
Elias drapes himself across her constantly like a very smug cat with no survival instincts.
And Veronica allows it.
Not just tolerates.
Allows.
That difference matters.
Elias lifts his head slightly from her shoulder just enough to look toward Nathaniel again.
"So," he says pleasantly, "for the next four months you know absolutely nothing."
Nathaniel blinks. "Why four months?"
Jacline glances toward me.
I answer before Veronica can. "Because the wedding invitations go out in four months."
Nathaniel freezes completely.
Then, it slowly turns toward them.
"...wait."
His eyes widen again.
"...you're engaged?"
Elias shrugs casually. "Yes."
Nathaniel looks personally betrayed.
"You kept THAT secret too?"
"I keep many secrets."
"You told me you hated commitment."
"I also told you that I don't dye my gray hair black. You need to become more selective about what you believe."
Nathaniel opens his mouth.
Closes it again.
Honestly?
Reasonable response.
Elias drops lazily into one of the chairs beside my desk while Veronica remains standing I reach carefully into my drawer and pull out several thick cream-colored invitation samples tied together with ribbon.
Veronica immediately notices them.
Her eyes narrow suspiciously.
"You have them already?"
I smile slightly. "Perhaps."
"Why," Veronica asks slowly, "is the unstable pregnant woman allowed to help plan my wedding while I am apparently banned from my own invitations?"
"Because," Elias says immediately, "you have terrible taste."
I nod supportively. "You really do."
Veronica looks deeply offended.
"You are both unbelievably rude."
Jacline immediately leans forward. "Wait, let me see."
I hand her one of the samples.
The card itself is black with intricate floral embroidery pressed into the edges in dark silver and gold. Elegant lettering stretches across the front while crimson detailing winds carefully through the corners like flowering vines.
Veronica stares at it in horror.
"...why is it so colorful?"
Elias looks personally offended. "Colorful?"
"It has silver flowers."
"Yes."
"That is excessive."
Jacline grins while examining it carefully. "I actually like it."
Elias immediately points at her approvingly. "See? Taste."
Veronica looks betrayed. "Traitors. All of you."
Nathaniel picks one up carefully. "This looks expensive."
"It was," Elias says proudly.
"How much did you spend?" Veronica asked, mortified
"Don't worry about it, you can't put a price on love, darling."
"This is extremely financially irresponsible."
"If you think this is bad, you should see how much your dress is going to cost." Veronica groans and collapses dramatically onto the couch, as if she no longer wishes to participate in reality.
"this is so exesive ."
"God forbid a man wants his first ever wedding to be grand," Elias replies immediately.
Jacline lifts another invitation sample. "Can I help? i love spending a man's money."
Elias nods immediately. "Absolutely."
Veronica lifts her head slowly.
"...but I can't?"
Elias points at her without hesitation. "Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"Because I say again, you have terrible taste."
Veronica throws the sample card dramatically back onto the desk. "Whatever. Since I'm clearly not needed, I'm leaving." Veronica walks toward the door, and Elias automatically moves ahead to open it for her before she even reaches it.
Nathaniel notices.
I see the exact moment realization settles into him fully.
Veronica pauses beside the doorway while Elias lingers behind her before, suddenly, he turns back toward Nathaniel.
The smile on his face is bright.
Pleasant.
Friendly.
"You tell anyone," Elias says calmly, "and I will kill you."
Nathaniel looks horrified. "Why am I the only one getting threatened?"
Jacline and I slowly raise our eyebrows at him.
Nathaniel pauses.
Then crosses his arms dramatically.
And pouts.
"That feels unfair."
Elias points at him immediately. "See? Weakness. You cracked first."
"I am emotionally overwhelmed!"
"That sounds like a personal problem."
Veronica sighs heavily, like she is exhausted by all men equally, before grabbing Elias firmly by the wrist and pulling him toward the doorway.
Elias laughs immediately.
Like being dragged around by a dangerous woman is his preferred form of affection.
Honestly?
It probably is.
"You're embarrassing me," Veronica mutters.
"And yet," Elias says smugly while allowing himself to be pulled away completely willingly, "you remain obsessed with me."
She pulls him through the doorway hard enough to make him stumble, laughing into the corridor. Just before the door closes, Elias leans back around it slightly.
"Goodnight, ladies," he says. "And next time, please knock before you end up losing an eye like me."
Then Nathaniel.
"Good luck sleeping knowing things now."
Nathaniel looks genuinely distressed.
The stone door shuts.
Silence settles over the office.
Long.
Heavy.
Nathaniel slowly turns toward us.
"...what the hell was that?"
Jacline smiles pleasantly.
"True love."