Page 32 of Daughter of the Drowned Empire
“Protocol,” the Imperator said. “By order of the Senate, I’m afraid.”
Order of the Senate? I wasn’t that naïve. This was an order from the Imperator. And it was kind. Kind to let me go home instead of force me to wait here.
The Imperator was definitely not kind. He was plotting.
“We can take you home now, Lady Lyriana, if it pleases your grace,” Aemon said.
I got a whiff of the blanket again: stale sweat and mold. My eyes fell on the bucket and the indignity it promised. An old stink from some corner of the cell found its way to me, and I nearly gagged. “Who will guard me at Cresthaven?”
“As you are under arrest by me,” said the Imperator, “it will be my men, of course.”
“Your men?” I asked. “Ka Kormac? Inside Bamaria’s fortress?”
The Imperator nodded, and my stomach turned.
That was why he wanted me home. To bring his army inside Cresthaven. It would be a symbolic conquering of Bamaria. If they were already occupying the city, allowing them inside the fortress…I couldn’t allow it, I couldn’t agree to it.
And even without the symbolic defeat, it put Meera and Morgana in danger. Cresthaven was the only place they were safe because we kept our wing empty—no maids, servants, or sentries of any kind were allowed upstairs. How long before Kormac’s men saw Morgana with a headache or heard Meera’s screams?
I imagined my bedroom. Large, warm, with beautiful windows full of sunlight in the morning. A balcony I could step onto, a view of the ocean, the rolling waves lulling me to sleep each night. It was private, comfortable, and mine. The carpet on my floor was soft and thick and infinitely more welcoming than the prison bed. And the smell of my room was clean and floral with a hint of incense. Not to mention I had my own private bath made of pristine white marble. I’d do almost anything to be back in my bed. With my sisters. With Tristan, even. My throat tightened at the thought of him walking out of here.
“Well?” The Imperator’s black eyes remained expressionless and ever so slowly glanced at the bucket then back to me. Himself to fucking Moriel! He knew my weakness.
“No!” I shouted, afraid I’d change my mind. “I will not be prisoner in my own home, nor will I allow foreign soldiers in our fortress. Cresthaven hasn’t been breached in a thousand years. I will not be the reason for it now. I will remain right here.”
The Bastardmaker spat. “You think we want your little house?”
I pressed my hands against my hips to keep them from shaking. I had thought of my reasons out of pride. But now that the Bastardmaker had spoken, I knew it in my gut.
The offense was painted across the Bastardmaker’s face. He was a soldier, not a politician like his brother, the Imperator. He could not hide his true nature, and all at once he confirmed my suspicions. My imprisonment in Cresthaven was not protocol. Ka Kormac occupied the city, but they’d invade my country if the opportunity presented itself.
“Come now.” The Imperator’s eyes flicked to the Bastardmaker, whose skin had turned an orangey shade of red. “She’s a foolish girl, spouting nonsense. Refusing a generous offer.”
But I knew I’d made the right choice, and the look in my father’s eyes confirmed it.
“Let it be so,” he said, offering the Arkasva’s words of finality.
“Then it is done.” The Imperator pointedly examined the dank cell.
I involuntarily followed his gaze, and my eyes landed once more on the bucket.
“I will require a change of clothes,” I said, affecting my best Heir voice.
“Lyriana,” the Imperator addressed me informally, “you’re a prisoner, not vacationing in a summer home.”
My fists clenched.
“It’s fair what she asks,” said Aemon. “Especially after the special accommodations offered by the Senate. We have a written request from the Master of Education, Lady Arianna Batavia, to ensure she is comfortable here. As her grace is still enrolled in the University of Bamaria, certain dignities are expected, even if they are not currently being extended to Heirs.” He glanced around my cell, wrinkling his nose. “We’ll make suitable arrangements for bathing.”
I gave him a small smile, so relieved to have him on my side and grateful for Arianna’s quick thinking. He winked in response.
“We’ll have your things sent at once,” my father said.
“We will also provide a privacy curtain,” Aemon added, his eyes on the Bastardmaker.
“Only to be drawn when indisposed and a guard is present in the cell,” the Imperator said.
Aemon swirled on him. “A female guard. Turion Brenna will create a schedule tonight.”
