Assassin, until the first moment (🇬🇧)

May I have this dance?

"What about your father?" Jace asked, sitting next to him in the back of the limousine.

Alec watched his best friend from the corner of his eye, who was staring down at a small tablet on his lap, his head slightly bowed in concentration. During the last few hours, Jace had gathered a list with names of possible suspects. Although Alec would have liked to put this subject aside, for now, he knew that Jace wouldn't let it rest, not until they'd discussed the list at least once.

"No, Jace. I can vouch for my father not being involved in this." Alec turned in his seat to face Jace, the bodyguard played with the touch pen nervously.

"Alec, we should take everyone into consideration, even though it might seem far-fetched at first." Jace looked up, meeting his gaze.

"My father is seriously ill, being confined to his bed for weeks now, he's not even able to think clearly, as you know. He is not in any condition to plan an assassination attempt. Strike him from the list. He is not behind this. He can't be."

Jace exhaled, but Alec noticed with relief that he was following his instruction and erasing his father's name from the list. Alec leant back into the soft pad of the seat, looking again out of the car window to observe the city.

The sun had already set and the bright lights of Alec's hometown were flashing past them in a blur. Alicante was not only the capital of Idris, a small country in the middle of Europe comprising five dukedoms but also the dukedom that Alec had ruled over for five months; a responsibility he had been required to assume much too early for his liking.

Normally he would have inherited this title only after the death of his father, but due to the rapid deterioration of Robert Lightwoods' health, Alec had agreed to follow in his father's footsteps prematurely. He had pulled up his stakes in New York and moved back to his homeland without hesitation. After a small and solemn ceremony in the circle of his family and Idris's most prominent people, Alec had plunged into the work of his new life as a duke. He visits public institutions and events regularly; tries to solve the different problems of the dukedom's inhabitants and takes part in the weekly council sessions. In addition, it was important for him as the duke to appear at the regular festive receptions of the noble society from time to time and that's why he and Jace were on their way to one of those festivities this evening.

They're due to meet up with Alec's sister Isabelle there, who, compared to Alec, loved to attend such events.

"Who's next on the list?", Alec asked after a moment of silence.

"Valentine Morgenstern, Duke of Renwick," Jace promptly replied.

Besides the Lightwoods, the Morgensterns were one of the oldest families in Idris, owning the largest dukedom in the western part of the country; a productive land covered in part with dense forests. Alec had met Valentine Morgenstern just a few times since his return to Idris and frankly, he didn't like the Duke of Renwick that much. Valentine Morgenstern was far too proud, to have pure, noble blood running through his veins for Alec's liking.

Alec sighed, indicating to Jace to continue with his narration.

Jace named the next on the list. "Asmodeus Bane and his Majesty Jem Carstairs." Alec pensively knitted his eyebrows together, thinking about what kind of benefit one of those families would derive to gain with his early demise.

Alec couldn't really take the measure of Asmodeus Bane. The last time he had seen the duke was at his ceremony of elevation to the title of Duke of Alicante, and they hadn't exchanged a lot of words then. The Duke of Edom led a withdrawn life at his mansion, which was located not far from Alicante, being consequently absent to any events, even to the regular council sessions.