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So, on hold the negotiations were. Leon hated it but knew it had to be done. He was laying low, too, only leaving his villa when he had business at the Hexagon. For the most part, he was taking a back seat to how Research and Development was being run, leaving all of that to Talal. He’d been tempted to simply hand over the reins of the branch to the Samarid, but after some second thoughts, he decided against it. He lost nothing by remaining in charge of the branch and would have greater official authority by remaining at least titularly in charge.

Besides, he still had a few names on his list to recruit directly into his Kingdom, and being a Chief in Heaven’s Eye rather than only one of the Director’s allies made that much easier.

He had plenty to do in his villa, too, what with the emphasis the Thunderbird was putting on his training. He wasn’t getting much from Nestor, though, since the dead man was far too busy talking shop with Asger and the rest of the Raven elders to give him any proper lessons. However, those times when Leon participated in their conversations were quite illuminating and served almost as well as lessons in their own right.

On top of all that, he also had to coordinate the moving of his household to Kataigida. Elise was cataloging furniture and making sure the many varieties of alchemical plants they grew could be moved as safely and securely as possible. Valeria was doing the same with the various weapons they stored in the villa, including several MALLs, while also keeping Leon’s retinue on their toes in his stead. Maia mostly trained on her own, as did Red.

Tikos was taking care of Leon’s most carefully-guarded resources: the thunder wood and Hesperidic Apple groves. Unfortunately, keeping the trees alive in Tikos’ soul realm required quite a bit of work, even for the tree sprite, so it would take some time for Tikos to actually move the trees. Until then, Leon could only hope that they weren’t forced to leave before they were ready.

Helen was Leon’s biggest concern; in the decade and a half that he’d lived in Occulara, Helen had built a fairly robust chain of supply for her alchemical experiments. She sold most of the potions that she made and had to source many ingredients that couldn’t be grown on the villa’s estate, and Leon was asking her to leave all of that behind and move to Kataigida.

She agreed, to his immense relief, thanks in no small part to Anna’s persuasion, and he had to also move her workshop in addition to his own.

Throughout these days, the Lord Protector and Grand Druid continued to stay in his home, and they both assured him that they were working with their diplomats to try and speed up the negotiations. Spending weeks demanding apologies for every individual grievance suffered and inflicted over eighty-thousand years wasn’t getting them anywhere, and if they wanted proper peace, they’d have to start talking terms soon.

Unfortunately, about four days after his arrival, Leon was contacted by the Director and told something that had his heart rate and his irritation spiking in equal measure.

The Sunlit Emperor was on his way to Leon’s villa.

---

“Who can say what he wants?” Anastasios said with a carefully-neutral expression. “He could be coming here to bemoan many things; we won’t know until he gets here and looses his complaints.”

“I still don’t want him here,” Leon rather petulantly replied. “Not much we can do about it; how would someone even go about refusing an Emperor entry into their home?”

“You could just tell him to piss off,” the Grand Druid helpfully suggested. “We’re here; what’s he going to do?”

“I don’t know, that’s the problem,” Leon replied.

A knock came to the door of the study they were meeting in, and after a moment, Elise hesitantly entered. She was wearing not only a stunning red dress that emphasized her—in Leon’s opinion—spectacular body, while not showing too much skin, as well as a rather nervous smile.

“His entourage is close,” she said. “He’ll be here in a matter of minutes.”

“Then we’d better head out to meet him,” Anastasios said with about as much enthusiasm as discussing an imminent dentist appointment.

As a group, the four of them made their way out to the villa’s forecourt. As befitting the arrival of an Emperor, Leon’s entire household had come as a welcoming ceremony. His retainers were all present, though his contingent from Kataigida was laying low in their wing of the villa. Alongside Leon’s people were quite a few from Ilion and Evergold, including several ninth-tier mages in the Lord Protector and Grand Druid’s entourages.

As Leon took a position in the center of the waiting group at the top of the short flight of stairs between the forecourt and his front door, Cassandra appeared at his side. Elise took a position on his other side, and Valeria and Maia stood to either side of them. Anzu stood just behind Leon.

Elise gave him a comforting grin. “We’ll deal with this,” she whispered. “Just have to get through it. We’re not alone, either…”

“We’re not,” Cassandra whispered in turn. “Should anything happen, we’ll all fight alongside you.”

She confidently nodded to Leon, and he smiled back. He knew all of that, but it helped to hear it, too.

Anastasios and the Grand Druid took up positions on either side of Leon’s family, their immediate subordinates alongside them. And there, they waited as the huge entourage visible further down the road made its way in their direction.

The Sunlit Emperor’s entourage was characterized by carriages of gold and silver, though, unlike many others that Leon had seen in the Ilian Empire, these appeared to be pulled by horses. Only appeared, though, as Leon could sense the same enchantments within these ostentatious carriages as in other horseless carriages. The gorgeous red and white horses seemed as much an expression of wealth as the carriages themselves, given their size and the sixth-tier equivalent power they radiated.

The largest carriage appeared made of polished silver and trimmed with turquoise, and ‘pulled’ by a quartet of huge white horses. As it moved, it caught the light of the midday sun and Leon saw dozens of large blue gemstones sparkling in lightning patterns along the sides and top of the carriage.

The symbolism was clear, in his opinion, and it enraged him. But he took a few deep breaths and steadied himself, not wanting to appear too tilted before the Emperor had even arrived.

The Sunlit Emperor’s convoy arrived in Leon’s forecourt—or at least, some of it did as it was simply too large for even Leon’s villa to hold all of them on top of everyone already present. Still, dozens of men were disgorged from their carriages, including four ninth-tier mages and twenty eighth-tier mages. These mages formed up in front of the Emperor’s carriage, and only then did Sunlit show himself.

He emerged from the enormous carriage like a conquering hero, bursting out with his arms spread wide and a spectacular grin on his face. He wore a suit of bright blue with silver lightning bolts running up and down his body. Leon was rather disgusted to see the resemblance to what he’d worn to the celebration he’d attended following the sack of Argos, though he at least took comfort in never having worn such a codpiece.

“What a joy it is to be here!” the Emperor exclaimed in delight as he stepped out into the sun. As he took a few more steps, his eyes scanned the crowd, eventually landing on Leon, and for a moment, Leon felt like he stood alone and naked under the scrutinizing gaze of a hostile god. But as the Sunlit Emperor’s eyes slid from Leon to the rest of the party, that feeling vanished, only for more anger and indignation to replace it as Sunlit’s eyes lingered on Leon’s ladies, but he kept his cool.

It seemed others needed a bit more support, however, for Elise’s hand quickly sought Leon’s as the Sunlit Emperor approached. Leon could feel his wife shaking as Sunlit stared them down, his pleasant smile seeming more and more threatening the closer he came to the stairs.

As the Emperor took the last few steps, an eighth-tier mage from the Emperor’s party ran forward and shouted, “His Most Noble and Imperial Majesty, the master of Thunderhaven, Beloved of the Sun, Most Favored Son of the Heavens, and Emperor of the Sunlit Empire!”

Sunlit stopped at the foot of the stairs, his eyes now firmly locked on Leon. There was something in his gaze, something confrontational, as if the man were daring Leon to turn him away.

Leon unclenched his jaw even as the Emperor’s aura pressed against the mass of auras that surrounded Leon, and said, “Welcome to my home, Sunlit Emperor! Consider yourself more than welcome!”

Those standing in front of Leon parted, allowing the Sunlit Emperor to climb the stairs, which he did immediately, closely followed by his ninth-tier mages.

“Much gratitude,” Sunlit said as he came to a stop in front of Leon. Leon had been standing close enough to the edge of the stairs that would’ve taken a step or two back for anyone else as they ascended, but for Sunlit, he stood his ground, leading to them standing close enough for Leon to feel uncomfortable. “We have… much business, I should say…” Sunlit said, his eyes boring holes into Leon. However, a moment later, he added, “… don’t we, Lord Protector? Grand Druid? I almost feel left out, like this is the place to be for tenth-tier mages, and yet I received no invitations to join you here!”

“Why don’t we take this inside?” the Lord Protector suggested.

Sunlit’s smile turned into more of a sneer. “Sure, sure, no need to address deliberate snubs; about what I could expect from Ilion!”

Even though he was expecting something caustic, Leon was a little taken aback at just how public Sunlit was being. He would’ve expected any other monarch who might’ve had a problem with a tenth-tier mage to remain at least cordial in public, but Sunlit apparently didn’t subscribe to such political strategy.

“As for snubs…” Sunlit continued as he turned back to Leon, “Why hasn’t anyone introduced these lovely creatures to me before?” His eyes slid from Leon to first Elise, then Valeria, and then over to Maia. His gaze didn’t linger that long on Cassandra, Leon noted.

“Forgive my manners,” Leon said without too much conviction. “These are my wives, Elise and Princess Cassandra. Next to them are Valeria and Naiad, my partner and mate, respectively.”

“Mate, is it?” Sunlit said. “Ah, I see… that one’s not human, is she? Well, Leon, I have to say that you have spectacular taste in women! After we get done with business, I’d like to propose a concubine swap with you, if you’re interested. I have several beautiful women I think you’d like that I can give you if you allow me a few rounds with these gorgeous women.”

Leon glared at Sunlit, ‘disbelief’ far too weak of a word to properly describe what he felt. He was utterly and completely flabbergasted that Sunlit would even propose such a thing, his anger and shock causing his mind to lock up for the moment. Had it been just about anyone other than a tenth-tier mage who made such a ‘proposal’, Leon might’ve made them a head shorter right then and there.

Cassandra, however, spoke in his place, even as Elise’s hand froze in Leon’s, and she took a step back from the Sunlit Emperor.

“Never,” Cassandra declared. “Absolutely not.”

Valeria and Maia were similarly shocked, but whereas Valeria looked more disgusted and less angry, Leon could feel the hatred and rage that Maia felt surge through their connection like water from a burst dam.

“Ah, Princess,” Sunlit said as he turned his full attention to Cassandra, “I’m so disappointed that you turned down my marriage offers. It’s not too late, I should say; besides, it’s not like this marriage of yours is all that valid, anyway.”

Leon glared at Sunlit; in that moment, nothing seemed more attractive to him than introducing the Emperor to the Iron Needle as violently as possible. He shifted forward a bit, putting himself and Sunlit even more uncomfortably close together but also pulling Elise to stand a bit more behind than she was before. Sunlit smirked back at Leon, not giving an inch and staring at Leon like he was the juiciest of steaks.

“Watch what you say,” the Grand Druid said as she marched over and interposed herself between Cassandra and Sunlit, slightly deflating the tension as she drew Sunlit’s attention. “You are crossing lines.”

“It’s the height of impropriety to so insult someone who has given you welcome to his home,” the Lord Protector imperiously intoned as he moved to get closer to Leon, though not quite as much as the Grand Druid. “I suggest you abandon such talk.”

“What insult?” Sunlit asked. “You people…” He didn’t finish his sentence, though he turned back to Leon, shook his head, and clucked his tongue.

“You have come to my humble home,” Leon said through clenched teeth. “What business brings you here today that was important Your Imperial Majesty couldn’t inform us ahead of time that you’d be coming?”

“Impropriety,” Sunlit said as he shot Anastasios a sharp glare and an even sharper smirk.

“Then let’s bring this inside and we can talk,” Leon said.

“Let’s,” Sunlit agreed.

It took as much willpower as Leon possessed to turn his back to the Sunlit Emperor and lead them inside, his ladies following just behind him, and then the Lord Protector’s, Grand Druid’s, and Sunlit Emperor’s entourages after them. As everyone filed in, Leon whispered to his ladies that they could make themselves scarce; he didn’t want them in sight of Sunlit after such a display.

They agreed and moved deeper into the villa, though Leon noted that they remained together and remained only a few halls away. It seemed there wasn’t going to be any relaxing while Sunlit remained beneath their roof.

Once everyone was inside, Leon led their group to a private conference room. He was tempted to take them somewhere where he and the tenth-tier mages could speak in private, he didn’t want to speak with Sunlit alone.

So, he and his retainers, along with Anastasios, the Grand Druid, and all the ninth-tier mages they had, took their seats in his biggest meeting hall, while Sunlit and his ninth-tier mages sat at the other end. Eighth-tier mages from both sides lined the hall, and Leon’s confidence was boosted to see that all of those from Ilion and Evergold were about as enthused by Sunlit’s presence as he was. He felt like it wouldn’t take much for those on his side to attack Sunlit’s people, and the same he felt was true in reverse with how tense the atmosphere in the room became.

“Now,” Leon repeated as everyone took their seats, determined as he was to lead the conversation as best as he could, “what business brings you to my home?”

“Heh. ‘What business’, he asks,” Sunlit derided. “Is it that hard of a thing for you to guess on your own?” Sunlit’s expression hardened, and he slammed his fist down upon the table, sending cracks spider-webbing across its surface. “You three have formed a power bloc designed to destroy my Empire! How else can I interpret what you’ve done over the past decade?!

“What happened to the supposed neutrality of Heaven’s Eye?! You three have grown so close that no one in their right mind could ever consider Heaven’s Eye ‘neutral’ anymore! Not after you have married an Evergolden Princess to one of Heaven’s Eye’s Chiefs! And not just any Chief, but a man who bears the power of the Thunderbird!”

Sunlit glared directly at Leon with such intensity that Leon could feel his anger was real. But it wasn’t quite the same as the cold hatred that radiated from Sunlit’s people as their eyes turned his way; rather, Sunlit’s wrath burned white-hot, and seemed almost like he was taking Leon’s power as a personal slight.

Leon was taken aback by the shouted accusation, thrown for quite the loop. But as he quickly glanced about the room, he noted that none of Anastasios’ or the Grand Druid’s people so much as looked at him. It seemed they knew and didn’t care, to his immense relief.

“Ah,” Sunlit said as he glanced around the room and seemed to come to the same conclusion. “You didn’t hide it. No wonder you felt such confidence declaring your support for peace with the Sky Devils! I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re hiding Sky Devils in this very palace!”

Leon’s anger faltered for a moment as fear and anxiety flickered through him. ‘Does he know?’ he wondered.

“Enough!” the Lord Protector interrupted. “Is this all you have, Sunlit? A few grave accusations? And for what? Because we seek peace instead of a future where we send millions of our people to die in a hopeless war?”

“Of course the war’s hopeless!” Sunlit riposted. “I could’ve retaken the Sword if you hadn’t cut your support! Support that you’re bound to provide by treaties that go almost all the way back to the Brilliant Eleven!”

“Times change,” the Grand Druid growled. “Peace is a necessity if we want to move into the future.”

“And you intend to meet this future by selling out my Empire, cutting support when it’s most needed, and destroying a planned campaign against our common foe? You seek to take over Heaven’s Eye with this marriage! You have corrupted and destroyed all traditions and norms that have kept the peace between our Empires for millennia with your illegitimate marriage to Heaven’s Eye and your undermining of the shared war effort!”

“You slander us,” Anastasios sternly said. “We do what’s best for our people, nothing more.”

“Apparently, reneging on ancient treaties is ‘what’s best for your people’,” Sunlit mocked. He turned his furious gaze back to Leon. “I demand that you, Leon Raime, resign immediately from Heaven’s Eye and report to Thunderhaven immediately! If you refuse, then I will have no choice but to demand your head instead!”