Chapter 41: Chapter-41

“Father. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

He didn’t look up from the document he was reviewing. “I’m told assassins breached your chambers last night. Three professionals, vanished without a trace.” His tone was conversational, like he was discussing the weather. “How unfortunate.”

“Yes. Very unfortunate.” Elara remained standing, hands clasped in front of her. “Which is part of why I requested this audience.”

“Oh?” Now he looked up, eyes sharp and assessing. “Elaborate.”

“I wish to leave the palace. Not permanently—not yet—but for an extended period. Three to six months initially.” She kept her voice level, professional. “I need to oversee the implementation of the preservation magic with the merchant guilds. The contracts are finalized, but the technology requires field supervision, particularly during the initial rollout phase.”

The Emperor leaned back in his chair, studying her. “You want to leave the capital entirely.”

“Yes. Port Crestfall would be ideal—it’s the central hub for the major shipping operations, and Guild Master Verin’s main warehouses are there. I could work directly with their logistics teams, refine the anchor production process, train their people on proper usage.”

“And this has nothing to do with someone trying to murder you last night.”

Elara met his gaze directly. “It has everything to do with that, Father. I’m not an idiot. Someone in this palace wants me dead. I don’t know if it’s one of my sisters, the Empress, or some noble family I’ve inadvertently offended. But staying here while they make repeated attempts seems strategically unsound.”

The honesty seemed to surprise him. He’d expected her to lie, to pretend this was purely business.

“Running away, then,” he said flatly.

“Strategic repositioning,” Elara corrected. “If I flee in obvious terror, I look weak and my merchant partnerships collapse. If I leave to oversee legitimate business operations that will generate revenue for the imperial treasury, I look competent. The end result is the same—I’m not here to be easily assassinated—but the optics are vastly different.”

A smile flickered across the Emperor’s face. Not warm, but something like appreciation. “You’ve become remarkably pragmatic in a very short time.”

“Survival tends to clarify priorities.”

He stood and walked to the window overlooking the palace gardens. Several moments of silence stretched out. Elara waited, forcing herself not to fidget or fill the quiet with nervous words.

“Your mother did something similar once,” the Emperor said finally. “When she was facing political pressure from certain court factions. She claimed she needed to visit the eastern research facilities to study mineral deposits. Spent eight months there. By the time she returned, her enemies had moved on to other targets and she’d made several important magical discoveries. Brilliant woman.”

Elara’s chest tightened slightly at the mention of her mother—the previous princess’s mother, technically, but the emotion leaked through anyway.

“The difference,” the Emperor continued, “is that your mother was already an established researcher with decades of credibility. You’re a princess who’s been awake and functional for less than two weeks, who’s already caused multiple scandals, and who is now fleeing after one assassination attempt.”

“Which is why I’m framing it as business oversight rather than research expedition,” Elara said. “And why I’m requesting your formal approval rather than just disappearing. This needs to look legitimate.”

He turned to face her. “And if I deny the request?”

“Then I stay here and probably die within a month. Which solves whatever succession complications I’m causing, but also means you lose the preservation magic revenue stream and the merchants lose a valuable logistics tool.” She kept her voice even. “Not optimal, but your decision to make.”

The Emperor walked back to his desk and sat down, fingers drumming once on the polished wood. “You’re very confident that your preservation magic is valuable enough to justify protecting you.”

“I’m confident it’s valuable enough that the merchants will be upset if I die before full implementation. Whether that translates to protecting me depends on how much you care about merchant relations and imperial revenue.”

Another long silence. Elara’s heart was beating too fast, but she kept her expression calm.

“Three months,” the Emperor said finally. “Not six. You’ll go to Port Crestfall with appropriate household guard—I’m not sending you out there completely unprotected. You’ll report monthly on the progress of the merchant operations and any relevant developments. And you’ll return immediately if summoned for any reason.”

Relief flooded through her, though she didn’t let it show. “That’s acceptable. Thank you, Father.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” His eyes were cold. “I’m allowing this because your preservation magic does have potential value, and because having you out of the palace temporarily may reduce certain… tensions. But understand something, Elara: leaving doesn’t make you safe. It just changes the terrain. If someone wants you dead badly enough, they’ll find you in Port Crestfall just as easily as here.”

“I know. But at least there I’ll see them coming.”

He smiled slightly at that. “Perhaps. You leave in one week. Make your preparations. Dismissed.”

Elara bowed and left before he could change his mind.

’’’

She made it halfway back to her chambers before Eleana intercepted her.

The First Princess materialized from a side corridor with Sir Robin at her shoulder, both of them blocking Elara’s path with casual authority. Two of Eleana’s ladies-in-waiting flanked them, faces carefully neutral.

“Sister.” Eleana’s smile was bright and sharp as broken glass. “I heard about the terrible incident last night. How absolutely terrifying for you. Are you quite recovered?”

Elara stopped walking, the fox knight immediately moving closer to her side. “Recovered enough. Thank you for your concern.”

“Oh, I was ’so’ worried when I heard.” Eleana took a step closer, silk skirts rustling. “Three assassins, they say. Professional killers right in your own chambers. One can’t help but wonder who could have orchestrated something so bold.”

The subtext was clear: ’I know it was someone powerful. Maybe even me. And there’s nothing you can do about it.’

“The investigation is ongoing,” Elara said flatly. “I’m sure the truth will emerge eventually.”

“Will it? These things so rarely do in palace settings. So many possibilities, so little actual evidence.” Eleana tilted her head, examining Elara like a scientist studying an interesting specimen. “Still, you survived. That’s fortunate. Or perhaps just lucky. Though I’m told luck has a way of running out.”

Robin stood perfectly still behind Eleana, golden eyes fixed on Elara with unreadable intensity. Not quite threatening. Not quite neutral either.

“Was there something specific you needed, Sister?” Elara asked. “I have preparations to make.”

“Preparations?” Eleana’s eyebrows rose in exaggerated curiosity. “Oh? For what?”

So she didn’t know yet about the approved trip. Good—Elara could use that.

“Business matters. The preservation magic requires field oversight. I’ll be traveling to Port Crestfall to work with the merchant guilds directly.” She watched Eleana’s expression carefully. “The Emperor approved it this morning.”

For just a second, genuine surprise flickered across Eleana’s face before she smoothed it away. “How… enterprising of you. Running away to the coast while succession matters remain unsettled. That won’t look suspicious at all.”

“I’m not running. I’m conducting legitimate imperial business that will generate revenue.” Elara’s voice stayed level despite the anger simmering underneath. “Unlike some people, I’m actually contributing something useful to the empire beyond political maneuvering and assassination attempts.”

The words hung in the air like a thrown gauntlet.

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