Over the next few months, things settled into something of a routine. While I tried to learn more about the inner workings of the court, I discovered that Prince Altair's history lessons were not just a boring rehashing of things I already knew. He would often regale me with tales of ancient kingdoms, legendary battles, and forgotten heroes, painting a vivid picture of the past. The information painted a broader picture of Sanfelton, and the steps to take to bring my former nation to justice. For one, there was an old law that stated a nation could depose an emperor deemed by the church as unworthy. Armed with information he'd unintentionally given me, I fueled the unrest within the Lows, using Jatron to help.
The commoners took to the streets with pickets, demanding the church give Faluel justice, and screaming about the loss of a Phoenix. It kept the imperial family quite busy, so their interest in me waned somewhat, save for Altair.
Altair opened up to me more. He spoke of his mother, the first empress, Adeline. He barely remembered her now, but he remembered the loss of her. He was sure that Empress Erzebet had killed her somehow. He spoke of the lonely childhood he grew up in, and his refuge in science.
I told him of Aluraparine and their technological society that used little magic. He was fascinated, and I fought against a growing sense of pity I was feeling for the man, despite the monstrous secrets of his family and his tower.
Chevral proved to be a surprising asset in my quest for knowledge as he was desperate to please me. I always knew he was crafty and sly, but I had no idea that real ideas formed behind his pompous eyes. He provided me with intricate details about the influential students in the academy from their family backgrounds to their political affiliations. I kept all the information neatly filed away in the banks of my memory.
It was through Chevral that I learned a bit about Prince Kohl's special family, including where most of the meetings were held, though I was sure that Kohl had found a new place with Chevral no longer being in his control. Annoyingly, Chevral could not tell me who belonged to it. He told me that Kohl would always make sure that each member was masked, and they each had a code name after a bird.
Certain that I could get more information from Janicen, I made plans for a trip with Ursula to Aluraparine soon.
One of the influential figures I had gained the trust of was, of all people, Merx Lastender. It was while I was in the imperial library, seeing what state it had come to under Darla's care, that I found him studying there. Although my heart was breaking just to breathe the same air as him, I knew that he was a good man. Or at least, he was when I'd last seen him a year ago. That he'd so easily turned to his family's wishes when I "died" filled me with hurt and resentment.
And that he did not know it was Solace sitting with him, but thought it was the male exchange student, Kaashif, was bittersweet.
I found that Darla had made Peony actually do the work in the library and was nowhere to be seen. Peony looked happy to be of help, seeming to be a brighter person in the sunlit rooms of the library than she was at the ball. Under her care, the library continued to thrive as though Gladys herself still walked the halls.
On the day I met Merx there, I found occasion to speak to Peony. She had been shy when I approached her, but my questions, meant to stimulate her Seeker side to provide information, soon had her relaxing enough to share small bits of her life with me.
I looked down at her hand, spotting an antique looking ring on her left ring finger. "Are you to be wed, My Lady?"
She glanced at the ring, then blanched, nodding. "Yes. His name is Lord Wilkes."
"Lord Wilkes? That old fossil?"
I turned to the familiar smooth tenor who'd spoken and found Mercury Lastender standing there with books in his hands. He looked tired, with paler complexion and deep purple marks under his eyes. Despite all that, he still looked devastating to behold. His rumpled locks made him look more dangerous than he was at his coiffed best, and the shadows beneath his eyes made the blue-green stand out more brilliantly.
Peony ducked her head, shy again. "It is rude to call him such a name, but that is who I am to marry."
After I bashed down all my longing, I tried to match the name Peony said to a face, and I worried my bottom lip as I did so.
Merx chuckled at my action and sounded a bit sad. "My dearest departed love used to nibble at her lip like that when she was confused and vexed at the same time."
I kept my expression blank, not wanting to show how his still thinking of me caused my heart to leap. "Is that so? I feel sorrow for your loss." Then I turned to Peony before I either cried, or laughed...or both. "Do you really have to marry him? Seems Sanfelton gives you a choice in this matter."
She looked chagrined and nodded. "Our barony is penniless, and he's offering to save it. I had no other option but to accept."
"Penniless!" I realized I sounded too shocked, so I cleared my throat. "I mean, that's absolutely awful! And it's horrible that you must make a choice in that way. I will see what can be done to aid you."
She looked confused. "Why would you aid me?"
As I pondered the question of why I would aid a stranger, a myriad of excuses flitted across my mind. But I settled on the simplest one. "I just wish to help as any good person would."
She looked surprised. I knew that Darla had always treated Peony like a useless imbecile, but the way Peony shrunk away from the idea that someone would help for no reason saddened me.
"I would like to help as well. As you know, with the death of Duke Reigard, your barony now falls under my oversight." Merx said. I turned to him with a surprised smile, glad that he was still the good man I remembered.
Peony curtsied low. "Oh, forgive me, Your Grace. I had forgotten myself in my woes. I didn't know that Duke Reigard passed."
"No need for forgiveness. I will make sure that your barony is given aid. In the meantime, I will visit your sister Darla and get a full account of the state of it."
She paled. "Oh, that's not necessary. No... Darla would be..."
I put my hand over hers. "No word of you mentioning the state of things will reach her."
As a way of showing her that we meant it. We searched high and low for all listening charms or devices and destroyed them. Mercury left a signed document that he required all listening devices purged due to threats of spying by the rebels, and new, imperial ordained charms would be installed.
Determined to uncover the truth and help Peony, Merx left the library immediately after writing the document. Since Darla's Barony fell under Merx's control, she had no choice but to produce all ledgers, accounts, diaries, and documents to him at once. I wished that I'd been able to see her face when the Duchy sent guards to retrieve every bit of information, but I was struggling with my studies in level four Seeker. Isadora wasn't kind to me, as I wasn't able to do anything with my Homunculus. Plus, she was upset that I'd spurned her earlier. However, I was making progress in my room on my own.
Still, I was in danger of failing, and as the weeks passed by, it seemed that would be my doom. If I failed, I would be sent back to Calasha.
It was only after I managed to create an exact copy of my homunculus and another copy of a maid in my room in the embassy, that I was able to finally get Isadora's shocked approval.
When it happened at the embassy, only Ursula was there to see it. We'd danced, screamed, and carried on until the Ambassador sent someone to see what had happened.
After ensuring the aide that we'd seen a spider, but it was dead, we were much quieter. No sense in the ambassador knowing I was able to mimic.
Ursula toasted me with a goblet of water, her eyes shining, knowing that our future sneaky escapes would become that much sneakier. I just hoped I could keep the mimicry up and not tire out. I kept my homunculus in its pot within my bag when I went out for that reason.
When I revealed my successful change to Isadora, she stared at me, her eyes wide with surprise. "Taleat Kaashif, how did you manage to do this? Just last week you were worthless."
I couldn't help but smile at her reaction, then I took that time to worm my way into her heart through flattery. "It was all due to you, Lady Isadora. Your instruction finally clicked. You are a brilliant teacher."
Isadora nodded, her expression filled with self-satisfaction. "I am, aren't I? I'm so glad you managed to succeed."
It turned out that flattery got you everywhere with Isadora. I received much more leniency whenever I'd mention her hair, or the nice color of her dress. I also found myself as the object of her calculated stares, which worried me a bit.
Meanwhile, after extensive investigation, Mercury managed to unearth some evidence that pointed towards Darla's involvement in my uncle's death which he shared with me as the other concerned party. There were purchases made at an apothecary, one of which was the sale of a powerful poison called Gestramine. It made a person grow weaker and weaker with stomach ulcers with just one dose. It was a cruel way to die. The poison was also used to treat a skin fungus and Darla's excuse was that Uncle had suffered with that ailment.
When Mercury shared his findings with me while having lunch together at a small cafe near the academy, I had trouble hiding my rage and grief. "That's barbaric. It's a horrible poison with a long and painful death! How could she?!
Merx looked at me with a mix of sympathy and understanding. "I know, Kaashif. It's hard to believe that someone could be capable of such cruelty to her own family. The only problem we have here is the lack of proof that Baron Martin didn't have that skin ailment. It's quite common in the Martin Barony."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me as I thought of the betrayal that she'd already wreaked upon me and my father. "Do we have witnesses and other documents to support murder?"
"Not yet, but I did find evidence of Peony being the true heir. Darla failed to realize that she'd not thrown away every letter that the Baron wrote."
I deflated, my shoulders slumping. That could save Peony from having to marry the Duke, but it didn't bring me much satisfaction. "Well, that will be good news for Peony, and will bring questions about the will."
"Yes, I'll have it examined for authenticity."
"There was one more thing, but I'd like to speak with her regarding it." His mouth clamped down into a tight line. "She possessed a recording that was kept quite hidden in a wall in the attic."
I blinked at the realization that he'd torn up walls to find all her secrets. It seemed Merx Lastender also was on a vendetta. "You tore up the walls?"
He waved a hand, "Floors too. My men will start on the garden and search all the properties the barony owns. I've already ordered the repairs to the estate and Peony will have a room in my home for the time being."
"Why go to such lengths?" I asked.
He gave me a look so full of rage, hate, and anguish that I leaned back in my chair. Then he said, "On the day of my love's arrest, a recording was anonymously given to the royal family. I remember seeing Darla and Chevral fiddling with a listening device... I want to find out if she kept copies."
I noted that he didn't bring his lovely wife into the story and grimaced. "This is quite a good reason to go searching for it. Chevral happens to be under my care. Would it not be useful to have him recount that night?"
Mercury closed his eyes. "You would think so. Solace's death was hard on him as well. However, he claims he was much too drunk to realize what she was doing, and he kept blaming Renata." He made a sound of derision. "Renata would never form any plans in the open like that."
The hope in my heart that he'd turn against Renata, and I would finally get justice there, was dashed. Mercury dragged a hand through his jet-black hair. "... and with her being pregnant with my child, I cannot upset her with these questions."
Grief caused me to bow my head, which Mercury must have taken for sympathy. He clapped me on the shoulder, hard which brought the tears I'd been holding back to my eyes. "Thanks for your sympathy, Friend. Don't worry. With the evidence we have so far, I can at least arrest her for forgery."
Then, we shared the news with Peony who was aghast and refused to believe it. "I... never received that letter, but I can't believe what you say about Darla. Why would she put the barony into ruin?"
"Apparently, she had some large expenses to a group called Nereid."
Nereid sounded quite similar to Melusine. "Have you heard of this group?" I asked.
"No, and my investigations were met with resistance from the Palace."
I nodded, thinking of a certain raven-haired viper who would protect that information to the death.
It was only a few weeks later, that Darla was found dead, strangled near the seediest of Low neighborhoods - Valentine.