The Baron nearly demanded that Rhea take a break from Flower Path and heiress duties after she was brought back to the Ipheion estate by Wren and Lord Easton. Both Lord Easton and the Baron fussed over her worried about her concussion after being hit over the head when getting kidnapped. Lord Easton sat with her while the doctor checked over her, helping keep her distracted so she wouldn’t fall asleep. And even after he left, he sent a letter each week to check on her.

The Baron merely raised an eyebrow when seeing the letters, “Is there something you are not telling me, Rhea?”

Rhea shook her head, wincing when it still caused the back of her head to twinge with pain. “What is there to tell?”

Rhea wasn’t completely oblivious despite what others might think. Of course, the notion of true love was still almost like a fairy tale concept to her, but she had seen many a happy match through her days at the Flower Path. She watched with curiosity as gentlemen courted ladies. She knew that the Baron was curious regarding Lord Easton’s intentions, but despite his attention, he had yet to specify he wished to court. Rhea wasn’t one to assume about such things.

At breakfast the following day she found her father figure uproariously laughing in his seat.

“What has happened, Father?”

In answer, he gave her a newspaper that covered all important news in the Capital.

In bold typeset, Marquis’s Heir Declares Empress Dead and Rallies the People to Create New Tomorrow.

Rhea raised her eyebrow, “But the empress is not dead.”

“Indeed,” her father chuckled, “It seems information regarding the coup’s failure was a bit late in arriving at the Marquis lands.”

“Didn’t the Marquis help subdue the coup members?” Rhea remembered reading from one of Althea’s letters about how she was able to end the coup before it had a chance to fully begin. Only a few people were injured when a closed capital business was set to flames.