Liceris Delacore was seated in his uncle's office, waiting for him to finish the morning confessions. The High Priest and the five cardinals were in charge of hearing the nobles' confessions, while the lesser priests dealt with the common people. Naturally, only those of the highest rank could have the High Priest as their confessor.
The door opened, and his uncle stepped inside. Liceris rose to greet him, and as always, his uncle offered him a smile that Liceris chose to interpret as paternal.
His uncle had never married, despite the pressure placed upon him. So when Liceris had been designated as his successor, he had thought it was some kind of mistake. After all, his uncle had been known as a genius since childhood and was even the emperor's cousin, while he himself was nothing more than an ordinary boy whose only merit was being his nephew.
"How are you, Your Holiness?" Liceris asked.
His uncle ignored the question and pulled out a paper resembling a newspaper, placing it in front of him. Liceris quickly skimmed through it, then looked up at his uncle in surprise.
"Who published something like this?" he asked.
His uncle removed his glasses and set them on the desk.
"That is precisely what I would like to find out. This morning, despite the strict ban on any mention of the upcoming trial, the entire capital was flooded with these papers."
Liceris couldn't tell whether the situation merely annoyed his uncle or if he was truly furious. His face revealed nothing.
"Do you think this could be the work of Duke Clover?" Liceris asked.
His uncle stood up and walked to the window, opening it toward the branches of a tree. A bird's nest rested there, and despite the gardener's repeated complaints, his uncle had always refused to have it removed.
"Rats have infiltrated the capital," he said. "No… perhaps they have even found their way into our own ranks."
"Do you think there are traitors within the temple… or among the nobles?" Liceris asked.
His uncle, busy watching the bird feeding its young, took his time before answering.
"It has been nearly a century since the north fell under our control. What do you think could have given Duke Clover the audacity to act against the temple now?"
Liceris pondered the question but found no answer. As far as he knew, the duke had discovered the island where the temple turned humans and corpses into heretics. Wasn't that reason enough? he wondered. His uncle had always possessed the ability to see further than others, to anticipate problems long before they arose. After all, he had become the youngest High Priest in the empire's history at only twenty years old… while Liceris, at fifteen, could barely grasp all the political implications of the situation.
"Perhaps… because of the evidence he holds…"
His uncle clicked his tongue in disapproval. Since the beginning of his training, Liceris had heard that sound so often that it haunted his dreams.
"Who is our enemy, Priest Liceris? Our true enemy?"
Liceris swallowed hard. Where was he going with this?
"Remember this well. Your enemy will rarely present themselves to you. Never trust what you see… and even less what you hear."
Liceris stood and bowed.
"Thank you for your teaching, Your Holiness."
He sat back down and stared at the newspaper for a long moment.
"Is a war about to begin, Your Holiness?" he finally asked.
"A war?" his uncle repeated. "One only goes to war when one knows their enemy. This trial… is more of a fishing expedition."
Liceris frowned, reflecting on his uncle's words.
"Do you think we will win this trial?" he asked.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door and a priest entered.
"Your Holiness, the cardinals are waiting for you for an emergency meeting," he announced before leaving.
Liceris watched his uncle close the window.
"Not without losing a few feathers," his uncle replied before walking out of the office.
Only as he followed him did Liceris realize… he had just answered his question.
⸻
That same afternoon, at the Ravenhurt manor…
Selen and Arie, closely followed by Margot, walked toward the knights' training grounds. In truth, Selen had expected things to end this way. Over the past two days, she had refused to see both Liam and Damian. She knew her brother well enough to guess that he would vent his frustration on Liam. And so, she intended to settle this matter once and for all.
"Oh my God… he's going to kill him," Arie gasped.
Liam was crouched on the ground, clutching his sword while Damian kicked him relentlessly.
"Get up. Aren't you a knight? I challenged you—defend your honor," Damian said.
Several knights had gathered to watch, and some were even cheering him on.
"He's afraid of losing his sword, young master!" one shouted.
"A coward!" another added.
Selen stepped forward. In the empire, losing a duel meant surrendering one's sword—a symbol of a knight's lost honor. The sword Liam held was the one Layla had once given to Selen, and which she had later entrusted to him. It was a magnificent blade, and Liam had looked happier than ever the day she gave it to him.
"What is going on here?" Selen asked loudly.
Damian smirked and stopped kicking Liam before walking toward her.
"I'm educating your knight, dear sister. As the heir of the house, I have the right to correct him."
"Correct him? I heard something about a duel," Selen replied, crossing her arms.
Damian spun his sword in his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Since you've been locking yourself in your room, I thought a little show might cheer you up."
Selen resisted the urge to cut his tongue out.
"Well, I'm here now. But from what I can see, my knight refused your challenge—so what exactly is the meaning of this?" she asked.
"Your knight?" Damian echoed. "The same one you've refused to see for two days? I assumed he was no longer in your service."
Selen stepped closer to him and smiled.
"Sir Liam is—and will remain—my knight. Whatever happens between him and me is none of your concern, Damian."
"Listen carefully," she continued, raising her voice. "This man is my knight, and from now on, he will ensure my protection day and night. Anyone who dares to challenge or mistreat him will answer to me."
Murmurs spread among the knights. They would think twice before touching Liam again.
"And how exactly do you plan to stop me?" Damian asked mockingly.
"Aren't you afraid that, in the end, my knight might accept your duel… and defeat you?" she replied provocatively.
The provocation worked. His face twisted with anger.
"If that is your wish, my lady… I will accept the duel," Liam said, rising to his feet, covered in blood.
Selen hadn't expected him to even stand. Clearly, his past in the arena had hardened him more than she thought. Even Sir Howard had acknowledged his talent. With proper training, he could become one of the empire's finest knights.
But she couldn't let him fight her brother.
"Margot, take Sir Liam to a physician immediately," Selen ordered.
Margot obeyed at once, supporting Liam with the help of another knight. Selen felt his gaze linger on her as he was led away. Damian was violent and impulsive, but not stupid. He wanted Liam to fight back—to give him a reason to have him dismissed.
"We'll wait until he recovers for our duel, I suppose," Damian said with a sigh.
"There will be no duel," Selen replied.
"Oh?"
"Tell me, Damian… aren't you planning to apply for the Holy Knights soon?"
He frowned.
"Yes. And?"
"Father has great ambitions for you. I hear he even wants you to become captain."
"You're changing the subject."
"Am I?"
"Tell me… what will the Holy Knights—mostly commoners—think when they learn that their future leader persecutes his own sister's knight simply because he's not noble?" she continued.
Damian blinked several times.
"You wouldn't dare spread such rumors. Father would destroy you."
"Really? Would he blame me… or the son who cannot preserve his reputation as a leader? Is it my fault if you despise those who will serve under you?"
Damian scoffed.
"You speak as if you're any better. We're made of the same wood, you and I."
Selen felt a wave of disgust.
The same wood? Hardly.
"Perhaps. But only one of us needs to earn the trust and respect of their subordinates. So choose wisely."
They locked eyes for a few seconds.
"You wouldn't dare. Not for someone like him. Would you throw away everything we share for a mere knight?"
Selen shivered in disgust. What exactly did he think they shared? As far as she knew, the only thing they had in common was being Ravenhurts.
"Do you really want to take that risk?" she said coldly. "I'll only say this once. Leave my knight alone… or you'll find yourself standing before the High Priest before I do."
With everything surrounding the trial, the temple could not afford another scandal—and Damian knew it.
She turned her back on him and walked away with Arie, who had remained silent until now.
Fortunately, this little incident reminded her of her upcoming meeting with the High Priest next week.
After all… one must stay close to their friends and even closer to their enemies.