Chapter 106: Chapter-106

Footsteps behind her.

Elara turned.

Duke Romian stood in the archive entrance, still in military uniform despite the late hour.

“I wondered if you’d find that,” he said quietly.

“You knew I’d investigate you.”

“I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t.” He walked closer, looking at the scattered documents. “You found the gap in the records.”

“Your daughter. Born forty years ago. Disappeared from all official documentation shortly after birth.” Elara met his eyes. “Where is she?”

Duke Romian was quiet for a long moment. Then he pulled out a chair and sat down heavily.

“She’s alive,” he said finally. “Hidden. Protected. And the reason I never remarried for forty years.”

“Explain.”

“My daughter—her name is Helena—was born with exceptional magical ability. Far beyond normal levels, even for imperial bloodlines.” His voice was controlled but Elara heard the edge of old pain underneath. “When the palace physicians examined her, they found something unusual. Her magic was… unstable. Powerful but uncontrolled.”

“Dangerous.”

“Potentially. The Emperor was concerned. He ordered her placed in imperial custody for ’observation and training.’ But I knew what that meant.”

“Experimentation.”

“Yes.” Duke Romian’s hands clenched. “The Emperor has a history of taking children with unusual magical properties and using them for research. Most don’t survive. The ones who do are… damaged.”

Elara processed this. The Emperor experimented on children. His own subjects. Possibly his own family.

“You refused to hand her over,” she said.

“I couldn’t refuse directly—that would be treason. But I found… alternatives.” Duke Romian looked at her directly. “I made a deal with certain parties. They took Helena, hid her, raised her in secret. In exchange, I provided military intelligence and protection for their operations.”

“Which parties?”

“I won’t tell you that. Not yet. It’s the only leverage protecting Helena—if her location became known, the Emperor would find her immediately.”

“So you’ve been hiding your daughter for forty years. Never remarrying because a spouse might discover the secret. Serving the Emperor loyally while simultaneously betraying him by concealing a potential magical asset.”

“Yes.”

Elara studied his face. “That’s treason. If discovered, you’d be executed.”

“I know.”

“And you’re telling me this because…?”

“Because you’ll be my wife tomorrow. And because secrets in marriage create vulnerabilities.” Duke Romian leaned forward. “You need to know what you’re getting into. If the Emperor ever discovers Helena’s existence, he’ll use her against me. Against us, once we’re married.”

“Does she know about you?”

“She knows I’m her father. We maintain minimal contact—too dangerous otherwise. She lives under an assumed name, far from the capital, with people who protect her.” His voice was quiet. “She’s forty years old now. Married. Has children of her own. Living a normal life away from the palace.”

“You have grandchildren you’ve never met.”

“Yes.”

Elara processed all this information. Duke Romian wasn’t just a loyal military commander. He was a man who’d spent forty years running a covert operation to protect his daughter from the Emperor’s experimentation programs.

That changed the dynamic significantly.

“Why accept my marriage proposal knowing it creates additional risk?” she asked. “A wife means another person who could discover Helena’s existence. Another vulnerability.”

“Because you’re different from other nobles.” Duke Romian met her eyes. “You don’t feel emotions the way others do. You won’t be hurt or offended by the fact that I’ve been protecting my daughter all these years. You’ll just… assess it strategically.”

“You’re correct.”

“And because you’re building power outside the Emperor’s control. That interests me. If anyone can eventually challenge the Emperor’s authority, it might be someone like you—someone who operates independently, who builds resources he can’t seize, who survives his tests.”

Elara tilted her head. “You want me to protect Helena eventually.”

“I want you to build enough power that the Emperor can’t simply take what he wants from people. Including my daughter.” Duke Romian stood. “That’s a long-term goal. Decades away, possibly. But having an ally working toward that goal is worth the risk of marriage.”

“So this alliance isn’t just strategic protection for me. It’s strategic protection for your hidden family.”

“Yes.”

“You should have told me this before I signed the contract.”

“Would it have changed your decision?”

Elara considered. “No. It actually improves the arrangement. You have personal motivation to keep me alive beyond strategic benefit. That makes you more reliable as an ally.”

Duke Romian smiled slightly. “Most people would be angry about not being told upfront.”

“Most people waste energy on emotional reactions to information that doesn’t change optimal strategy.” Elara stood as well. “I accept this new information as addendum to our agreement. Your daughter’s existence remains secret. If I ever meet her, I’ll maintain that secret. In exchange, you continue providing military protection and political support.”

“That’s it? No demands? No leverage attempts?”

“What would be the point? Using your daughter as leverage would make you an enemy instead of an ally. Inefficient.” She paused. “Though I do want one thing.”

“What?”

“When it’s safe—when we’ve built enough power that the Emperor can’t simply seize her—I want to meet Helena. I’m curious what kind of person survives forty years in hiding.”

Duke Romian stared at her. Then he laughed quietly. “You’re the strangest person I’ve ever met, Princess.”

“That’s been mentioned before.”

“But you’re also possibly the most trustworthy. Because you don’t want things for emotional reasons. You just calculate what’s efficient and execute accordingly.”

“Correct.”

“Helena would like you, I think. She’s very practical too. Had to be, growing up in hiding.”

“Does she know you’re marrying me?”

“I sent word yesterday. She replied this morning.” Duke Romian pulled out a small letter. “She said, and I quote: ’Finally. It’s about time you found someone smart enough to work with instead of against. Try not to mess it up.’”

Elara read the letter. The handwriting was neat, precise. The tone was dry, almost humorous.

“She sounds practical.”

“She is. Takes after her father.”

“And her mother?”

Duke Romian’s expression softened slightly. “Catherine was brilliant. Kind in ways I never understood. She died bringing Helena into the world, but she would have loved her daughter fiercely.”

“You still love her. Even after forty years.”

“Yes.”

“That’s the emotional attachment that prevents you from remarrying traditionally. You feel it would dishonor her memory.”

“Yes.”

“But marrying me doesn’t trigger that response because our arrangement isn’t romantic.”

“Exactly. Catherine would understand. She was practical too, in her own way. She’d want me protected. Want Helena protected. This alliance accomplishes both.”

Elara handed back the letter. “Then we’re aligned on all relevant points. Tomorrow at the dinner, we present as engaged. After the dinner, we formalize the marriage with proper ceremony. And we both work toward building enough independent power that the Emperor can’t simply take what he wants.”

“Agreed.”

“One question.”

“Yes?”

“If the Emperor’s testing extends to you—if he ever discovers Helena and uses her as leverage—what will you do?”

Duke Romian’s face went cold. “I’ve spent forty years preparing for that possibility. I have contingency plans. Resources hidden where the Emperor can’t reach them. Allies who owe me debts he can’t pay.” His voice was hard. “If he ever threatens my daughter, I’ll burn the empire down to protect her.”

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