When I woke up, I spent a moment just lying there, thinking through the dream I’d just had. Of course, it being my dream, it was more like a controlled hallucination, and I’d had a lot of time to ponder the last few hours. Now I looked through my memories and senses to try and pick up if there was any point of concern.

Mior had cleared me for sleeping on my own again, but remained nearby, in the form of Aston, with guards around my rooms. That was a standard if perhaps a bit exaggerated practice for the wedding night of a royal marriage, so no one had questioned it. I searched my senses now and found that they’d lightened the guards, and Aston had moved a little further away. Well, I’d put up a barrier to block sound, but their qi senses should work just as well from this distance.

I sat up, stretched a bit and then got out of bed, looking at Kajare. He was still sleeping but seemed to be stirring now. I smiled a bit as I remembered last evening. He’d made it clear he was interested, but didn’t expect anything, instead offering to sleep on the sofa. I hadn’t been sure until then what I would do. If he’d pushed, I certainly would not have gone through with this, strengthening the alliance be damned, but I was glad that I was right about him.

Careful not to wake him, I padded to the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed. For the first time in a while, I didn’t sense any servants lurking around. I took a moment to hold my face up into the warm water and just relax. For no particular reason, wetness gathered in my eyes, and I blinked it away. The last few months felt like they’d gone by in a flash, punctuated with moments of danger, and I’d barely had any time to take a breather. Maybe the sleep deprivation didn’t help.

After a moment to collect myself, I stepped out of the shower, dried off, dried my hair and put on my clothes. Another set of red robes this time, since the celebrations would continue for three days straight, more or less. I hadn’t noticed it much, but yesterday had been a public holiday everywhere in the Empire, celebrating the wedding and especially the alliance. Many places would still be closed today and tomorrow, too.

I tried to be quiet as I crossed my room, glancing at Kajare. He was still snuggled into the bed with his eyes closed and breathing deeply. I’d let him sleep in.

When I walked into the corridor, a few guards fell into step around me. Aston wasn’t here anymore, though I could still feel his and Mior’s presence farther away. Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I followed the vague sense of direction I got from them. I’d need to talk to Mior about the Dominion, as well. I needed to know if Jideia was involved in what was happening, and the spirit might have some insight.

The family wing of the palace was pretty empty, although I could sense a number of presences in their suites. Probably sleeping off their hangovers. It took strong qi-infused drinks to get cultivators wasted, but that sort of alcohol had flowed freely yesterday. A quick glance out of a window showed me that the sun was only just starting to rise.

Quickly, I reached a hall not too far from the throne room and close to the areas where guests would be staying. The servants had set up buffet tables and a few people were already here, eating, drinking and mingling. For the size of the room, it was still quite empty. Well, it’s early enough that the celebrations won’t really start off again until later.

I was about to step into the hall when I caught sight of Aston. What made me pause wasn’t his presence, that I could feel Mior’s was quite receded, or that he was talking to richly-dressed visitors. It was his posture, a subdued tension in it that I’d only seen on the battlefield, if at all. A closer look revealed that the people he was talking to showed a definite resemblance to Aston.

I hesitated for a moment, then drew some darkness qi around myself. I didn’t want to cause a scene here, and my presence might stir everyone up. I didn’t make myself invisible, but did bank my aura and weave a technique that made me less noticeable, more likely to just be passed over by a disinterested observer.

Carefully, I walked into the hall, trying to keep my steps quiet, too. A few people that glanced around the room should have seen me, but their gazes skipped past my presence just as I’d hoped. If they were vigilant, they’d still see me, but none of them was higher than the fifth stage and they clearly weren’t paying much attention to their surroundings.

Of course, Aston and one of the people he talked to were stronger. There were a couple in the fifth stage and an older man who might be in the sixth or seventh, though I wasn’t sure since he kept his presence veiled. They all wore colorful cultivator’s robes, and the way they stood looked like they were subtly boxing him in, so he’d have to talk to them. I walked closer, regretting that I had never asked Aston about his family. At least not that I could remember.

“Come now, Aston,” the woman said. If my suspicions were correct, that was his mom. She looked about twenty years older than Aston.

“There’s nothing more I could say on that subject, Mother,” Aston replied with an air of tired patience.

“Don’t play daft, boy,” one of the men, the younger and weaker one, said. Probably his father. “You may not make it back home often, but we’re still your family. I know you’re a dutiful son.”

“You just care because of the prestige I bring you in the clan,” Aston said, some bite entering his voice. “Spirits know your position is hardly lofty. Having your son be a captain in the Imperial Guard is all you can say for yourself. And it’s the only reason the clan cares, anyway. Let’s not pretend otherwise here.”

All three of them drew in shocked gasps. Judging by their expressions, he didn’t speak this bluntly to them often. I cocked my head while I slowly walked closer. Who knows, that could be Mior’s influence. They’re not one to suffer fools lightly.

“Let’s all calm down,” the last man cut in, silencing the other two right away. The man smiled thinly at Aston. “You may be getting a little full of yourself, boy. Clan Tener has been quite gracious towards you and your family. Don’t forget that it was us who gave you the education and resources to succeed in the army.”

Aston nodded stiffly. “I haven’t. Although I always liked fighting, I know you simply wanted someone in the army to give the clan face and build connections. Perhaps find a spot for a talented cousin where he wouldn’t make trouble. I got to where I am from there on my own merits and hard work.”

The man took half a step closer. “Of course. And your loyalty to your lady is quite admirable. But what harm is there in talking about your work to your concerned family? We’re not asking you to do anything that would go against duty or tradition, just a simple conversation.”

I frowned. It sounded like this was about me in some way. Probably time to step in. He must be able to see me, anyway. Even if the others are too distracted to notice what’s right in front of them.

After letting my technique fade, I took the last few steps closer to them. “There you are, Aston,” I said. “I do not believe I have met your companions? Family, is it?”

The three of them twitched, while Aston didn’t betray any signs of surprise. He bowed, while his visitors quickly knelt to me.

“Imperial Princess,” their leader greeted as he dipped his head.

“I apologize if I was away while Your Highness had need of me,” Aston said. “They are indeed from my family. My Mother and Father, as well as my second cousin once removed, Tener Aoli, heir of clan Tener.”

I wore my best imperious expression, looking them up and down. “I see. You may raise your heads. Since this is a matter of family, I will excuse you diverting my guard this time.”

They raised their heads. Aoli smiled. “Thank you, Your Highness. I apologize if we were a nuisance. As loyal subjects, we would of course never intentionally cause problems. Although, may I say it gladdens me to see how much worth a scion of my clan has to Your Highness.”

“Of course. I caught the last sentence or two of your conversation as I approached. It sounded like you were asking Aston to betray my confidences, but surely that can’t be right.”

That caused Aston’s parents to pale and finally wiped the smile off Aoli’s face. He ducked his head. “Of course not, my lady. This one would never dare.”

“I’m sure,” I replied blandly. “Now, I need to have words with Aston. You may leave.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” The three of them quickly got up and walked away at a fast pace. I couldn’t help but enjoy how even Aoli’s composure had obviously been shaken.

Of course, if I were to make accusations, I could make his life very difficult. He knew Aston would support me instead of them.

I glanced around, noting that everyone was studiously avoiding looking at us, then turned back to Aston. “Let’s walk.”

He fell in beside me and we left the room in silence. I noticed his aura change subtly, more signs of Mior’s presence appearing.

“I actually wanted to talk with Mior,” I said as we walked down the corridor, putting up a shield around us to prevent eavesdropping. “But since this came up, I have to admit I’m a little surprised.”

Aston raised an eyebrow. “I apologize if I gave any offense, my lady.”

“Of course not. But I’m surprised they dared accost you like that, and it seemed to me like you rarely spoke that directly with them, but I would guess that your relationship was quite cold.”

Aston was quiet for a moment, before he sighed. “It was, and I usually did my best to ignore the clan. Bonding with Mior like I did may have had more repercussions than I thought.”

“Are there any changes we should be concerned about?”

He frowned slightly. “Not truly, Your Highness. It has been a tremendous boon to my cultivation, I may even break through to the next stage soon. It has also been somewhat … taxing to live with a spirit given access to my mind, but I have not noticed any real instability or mental breaks.”

I nodded. “Well, for what it’s worth, if you learn to loosen up and be more open with your emotions, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Not just to facilitate a closer connection with Mior.”

His frown deepened. “I had not considered that this may be that sort of trial. Perhaps the spirit is prodding me in some way. I am not well versed in psychology.”

I shrugged. “I doubt Mior wants to harm you. Anyway, should I be concerned about your family?”

“No, my lady.” Aston’s lip curled in a subtle sneer. “I doubt they would make real trouble. And while I may not have officially broken with Clan Tener, I have had little to do with them for decades, and no attachments that may be problematic. Now, you said you wanted to talk to Mior? Just give me a moment, please.”

For a moment, I considered prodding further, but decided to drop the matter. Aston had already opened up quite a bit right now compared to before the possession. I shook my head and waited to talk to Mior, although I already suspected what they would say. That they couldn’t be sure if Jideia was involved, but it seemed likely.

‘Let me guess, Inaris,’ Mior said. ‘You want my opinion on the Dominion.’ Aston’s aura was now clearly influenced by their qi. It was a good thing there were no other people around as we walked through quieter corridors in the palace.

“Of course,” I said.

‘I don’t know if Jideia is involved, although I wouldn’t put it past him to prod them into taking action like this.’

I nodded. ‘What are spirits likely to do? Are you going to be involved if it comes to war?’

Aston tilted his head. ‘Not likely,’ Mior answered. ‘At least not directly. Many won’t care. Jideia and Rijoko will simply continue acting like they have before, perhaps using it for their own ends.’

I sighed. That sounded just great.

‘Look on the bright side,’ Mior said. ‘All of us have an incentive to try and keep the destruction at least somewhat contained. Even Jideia would influence them to limit the use of eighth stage cultivators.’

I frowned. Although this should reassure me, for some reason it only made my throat tighten. Perhaps it was the realization that widespread destruction could easily happen, that, if they were unleashed, eighth stagers could do a lot of damage. And who knew how contained they would really be?

‘Can’t we keep them out of the war completely? Like a mutually assured destruction disarmament thing, or something?’

Mior was silent for a moment. ‘I daresay your father would prefer that, as well. It would have to come from the Storm or the Dominion, but I suppose we have good chances.’

I released a breath. Let’s hope so.

‘You do realize,’ Mior said. ‘You would give up a possible advantage.’

I grimaced. ‘I know.’

Sometimes, there was no clean and easy way.