It Went Fine

“It went fine. Miss Lyra was outstanding in her impersonation tactics,” Elias said, undoing the collar of his coat and giving Thaddeus a wink.

“You should have seen me, Thaddeus,” Lyra added, leaping right into a spirited retelling as she made her way to the sitting room. “There was this one moment—I swear, my hands were sweating so bad…”

Elias chuckled as she reenacted her night. He walked past them, the amusement still tugging at his lips, and headed to the bar where a decanter of dark wine sat glistening under the candlelight. He poured himself a glass, the rich red liquid catching the flicker of flame.

Thaddeus bowed slightly. “I’ll have one of the maids draw you a bath, Miss Lyra. Will you like some dinner as well?”

“Yes, Thaddeus,” Lyra said sweetly, giving him a small wink before padding toward the bar to join Elias.

She leaned on the counter beside him, their shoulders brushing slightly.

“So,” Elias said casually, swirling his glass, “what was your conversation with Matthew… I mean the king.”

Lyra’s smile dimmed just slightly. She hesitated, her fingers tracing invisible shapes on the polished wood of the bar.

Elias turned to look at her fully, the humor slowly draining from his eyes. “You look like you’re about to give me bad news,” he said.

Lyra bit her lip, thinking back to Matthew’s words. Her stomach twisted into an anxious knot.

“That’s because it is,” Lyra finally said. “He mentioned that he and Lirae used to have… an intimate thing going on.”

The room seemed to still. Elias raised an eyebrow slowly. “That is not true.”

Lyra wasn’t convinced. She nodded slowly, unsure herself. She didn’t know enough to call Matthew a liar, but the look on Elias’s face told her he was one hundred percent ready to do so.

“Yes,” Elias continued, pacing a little, his hand flying through his hair. “He always cared a lot about Lirae—but she didn’t share the same feelings for him. She wanted me. Always wanted me.”

Lyra glanced away. “Sure,” she muttered under her breath, hating how bitter it sounded. Hating even more that it was sincere. The green-eyed monster had officially arrived and was snacking on her self-esteem.

Elias stopped, narrowing his eyes at nothing in particular, clearly chewing on Matthew’s claim. “Why would he say that?” he spat, his irritation growing.

A nagging thought surfaced.

Thaddeus had once mentioned that Lirae had been visiting the palace more often than usual before her death.

“No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “There must be an explanation. Lirae loved me.”

“Listen,” Lyra said gently, stepping closer. “I’m sure she did. But maybe the king has a hidden agenda. Maybe he’s trying to destabilize you, throw you off your game. There’s no use dwelling on it.”

He nodded, but the crease in his brow remained. The words had wormed their way into his mind, clinging to doubt.

“We hid our relationship, yes. But then the gossip sheets found out that I was seeing someone, news like that, it caught fire. I had no choice. I had to announce our engagement.” He explained.

“Why did you hide it?”

“Because my cousin, the king always had a crush on her. I knew it but she didn’t and she wasn’t interested in anyone else but me.”

He held his head in his hands, pacing a bit.

“You okay?” she asked, studying him with soft concern.

“I’m fine,” Elias said.

“I’m going to have a bath,” Lyra said, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “Will you be alright, Elias?”

“of course. Why wouldn’t I be? Its just one of Matthew’s lies as always.” Elias gave a small smile.

Lyra left him but when she came back down for dinner, he was nowhere to be found.

*****

Elias and Lyra sat hunched over a massive oak table in the study, surrounded by teetering stacks of books on The Great Purge—most of which had the audacity to be the size of bricks and still come printed in font so tiny it could legally be considered an act of aggression.

“I swear, these scribes hated the idea of people reading comfortably,” Lyra muttered, holding her forehead as she squinted at the archaic script. “Why is this even a font?”

Across from her, Elias calmly flipped through a worn volume using a brass-handled magnifying glass. “You’re going to get a headache,” he pointed out, not even glancing up.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Lyra snapped, rubbing her temples. “Do the words have to be so tiny? I feel like I’m being punished.”

Elias smirked, unbothered. “Take a break. You’re getting quite testy.”

“I’m not testy,” she replied in a tone that was the dictionary definition of testy. “I’m aggressively invested in not letting my eyeballs implode, thank you very much.”

Just then, the door creaked open and Thaddeus stepped in.

“Your Highness,” he began. “Marchioness Gemma has arrived.”

“Oh Lord!” he gasped, suddenly springing into motion. He started scooping books off the table at record speed.

“Hide the books! She can’t see what we’ve been researching.”

Thaddeus, clearly enjoying himself, folded his arms with a satisfied smile. “Take your time, my lord. I sent her carriage to the farthest end of the castle.”

“If I could love a man, Thaddeus…” Elias began, dramatically clutching his chest. “I’d marry you,”

“You guys need therapy,” Lyra muttered, pushing back from the table. “I’ll be in my room in the meantime. We don’t want Marchy Gem accidentally pushing my buttons.”

 “Why would she push your buttons?” Thaddeus asked with an entirely innocent look.

Lyra stopped mid-step and slowly turned to him, her eyes narrowed to slits. “It’s an expression, Thaddeus,” she said. She stepped around him.

Thaddeus turned helplessly to Elias, brows drawn.

Elias just shrugged and leaned back in his chair, a resigned smile tugging at his lips. “I’ve given up trying to understand her.”

Moments later, the door swung open.

The woman strode in and wasted no time launching into her complaint. “It is time you think of replacing your butler,” she announced. “He is the most disorganized man I have had the misfortune of encountering. I had to walk all the way back to the house, Elias.”