It was no secret that the crown considered the Magic Tower to be the closest thing to a threat that existed within the borders of the empire. Elana’s eyes darted to her father. Was that the cause of their rift, when her brother’s prestige and accomplishments far surpassed what any parent could dare to wish for? Political differences? 

The duke’s golden eyes landed on Valkyrie, his features twisting with a combination of emotions that Elana couldn’t quite place. “And you brought that rabid thing with you?”

Valkyrie visibly bristled and she took a lunging step forward, only to be stopped by Antoine's outstretched arm. "Antoine—" she began, annoyed.

He shook his head. "Stand down." His attention shifted back to Gerard. Antoine’s eyes narrowed, his icy expression eerily similar to Marlena’s. “Valkyrie is here as my personal knight, is that a problem?”

“I’m to believe that you brought that rabid hound for a simple home visit?”

“And when was the last time you let me call this place my home?” Antoine smiled humorlessly. “You and I both know that isn’t possible anymore. Valkyrie was forced to spill that poor knight's blood when he tried to bar me from entering," he said, gesturing to the crumpled figure on the floor behind him. "I would rather she not spill yours too, father.”

“Gerard,” Marlena said, intervening by setting her hand on his forearm. “Enough, please.”

The spell swirling in Gerard’s hand finally quieted. 

“No one saw you come?” the duke asked, his face still rife with tension. “Are you absolutely certain?”

“I am, Your Grace,” Antoine said. He nodded in Elana’s direction. “You’ll be grateful I’m here. I came to deliver a gift for my baby sister—and to have a word with her. You do remember that I'm an instructor now, at the Academy?”

Elana tasted metal in her mouth. Antoine was an instructor… and their siblings had still perished at the Academy. All of them. Was this apparent concern with her the product of a guilty conscience, for letting the rest of them die?

Gerard stared stonily at his son.

“If they find out she can’t use mana, the other students will come for her head,” Antoine said, stepping forward as he met Gerard’s gaze. “Is that what you want?”

Gerard didn’t answer.

“I didn’t think so,” Antoine said. “I told you that you would be grateful I came.” He reached into his pocket, withdrawing a velvet-covered jewelry box and holding it up. “I’ve been working on a magic artifact that should prove useful.” 

“Then leave it and go,” Gerard said, narrowing his eyes. “I can overlook your intrusion, this once, for your sister’s sake.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to give her a little instruction if you want to make sure she doesn’t immediately get herself killed,” Antoine said. His eyes shifted as he scanned the room, sweeping it from corner to corner before he frowned. “And where’s the whelp? I intended to test his readiness as well.”

The whelp? Elana looked between Gerard and Antoine, frowning. “What is he talking about?” 

Gerard held his outstretched arm out in front of Elana, putting the conversation on immediate pause. “If your intention is to instruct those under my care, I’ll be the one to assess your qualifications.”

“Gerard, don’t,” Marlena said, grabbing his arm. 

“Let’s take this to the training ground,” Gerard continued. “If you can’t prove yourself to me, you’ll leave as soon as you hand over the artifact. Clear?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Antoine asked, arching an eyebrow. “You’re an old man now, you know?”

"Gerard," Marlena said, in a whisper-soft voice and a white-knuckled grip on his arm. 

“I have no intention of lowering myself and losing my head over such a childish provocation. I’ll be fine, Marlena,” Gerard said, resting his hand over hers for a brief moment before removing it with a gentle squeeze. He turned his attention back to Antoine. “If you can prove that what you have to offer holds any value or merit, that you’ve actually learned something worth teaching since you left this house, I can justify turning a blind eye towards your presence just this once. For your sister’s sake.”

Antoine crossed his arms, rocking back on his heels as he studied Gerard’s expression. “How seriously do you wish for me to take this, Duke Vanquise?”

“As if your life depends on it, Antoine. Because it does.” Gerard’s face was dark with tension. “I won’t be pulling any punches, nor will I be sparing you if you fall.”

“Then you should do the same,” Antoine said coolly. “I'm far from the child you remember.”

Gerard crossed his arms, mirroring Antoine’s body language. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Elana took a half-step back as her brother’s eyes landed on her, but he only nodded in her direction. 

“As should you, when the time comes,” he added. “Your life, too, depends on it.”

She couldn’t make heads or tails of him. Was he really here out of concern for her? If he was such a diligent brother, why had he let their brothers’ and sisters’ lives slip through his fingers? Distantly, in the back of her mind, it raised a question—was that the cause of the rift between Antoine and their father?

The training grounds, when they came upon them, were conspicuously empty. There were signs of recent activity. Abandoned practice swords, traces of resonant magic still glowing on tattered practice dummies, fresh blood on the floor of the stone courtyard used for sparring and mock-battles. The knights that had been using it had cleared out in a hurry. Had someone tipped them off to their approach? 

Elana frowned. If only one brave—or foolish—knight had dared to bar the banished heir’s entry, had the rest simply… vacated? If that was the case, it spoke to either the Knightage’s lack of discipline, or Valkyrie and Antoine’s overwhelming force, neither of which was a comforting thought. 

However, apart from Elana herself, no one else batted an eye. Instead, upon arriving at the training grounds, both Antoine and Gerard had split off to warm up, as if the veritable ghost town that the training grounds had suddenly become was to be expected. For being estranged, don’t they look a little too comfortable with this situation?

“Mother,” Elana said, hesitating as she turned towards the duchess. “Did something happen between father and Antoine?”

To Elana’s surprise, Marlena didn’t pretend not to hear the question. Instead, the duchess’ brow furrowed as she turned to face Elana. “That question would be better directed to your father,” she said, fidgeting uncharacteristically with the locket around her neck. 

Valkyrie, who had, up to that point, been a quiet shadow in their wake, snorted. “Coward,” she snarled, her lip curling with disgust. “You can’t even say?”

Marlena’s expression went cold, her eyes narrowing icily at the younger woman. “Pardon?”

“Valkyrie,” Antoine’s voice cut through the courtyard. “Leave it.”

Valkyrie’s mouth snapped shut and she resumed her silent vigil. 

Marlena hesitated, catching Elana’s eye. Valkyrie’s comment must have gotten under her skin. Elana had never seen her mother hesitate, in anything. 

“Your father and I are of a different mind,” Marlena said, quieter than Elana had ever heard her, “but we share similar sentiments about the matter. That’s as much as I can say.”

Of course it is. It gave her so little to work with that Marlena might as well have not answered her question at all—which was exactly the kind of communication that Elana had learned to expect from her family. 

There was a reason she’d adopted the habit of listening at doors and reading between the lines. But it was frustrating that whatever had happened between Antoine and Gerard was yet another thing being kept from her. She was more of an outsider than Antoine and he had been expelled from the family. 

Or perhaps she just wasn’t capable or trustworthy enough to be privy to her family’s secrets. If she were ever to be interrogated—unlikely, but technically possible—did they think she would crack and reveal the secrets of the Vanquise duchy? The thought left a sour taste in her mouth, but she was pulled from her rumination before she could spiral any further into it.

“Marlena.” Gerard’s voice echoed across the courtyard. “On your mark.”

Marlena stepped forward, murmuring a quiet incantation beneath her breath. As she touched the ground, a sphere of interlocked tetrahedrons swallowed it whole. Until it was deactivated, it would keep Gerard and Antoine, as well as their magic, contained. 

Elana had seen the magic barrier activated countless times, but this was the first time she had seen anyone deploy such an advanced version. She looked at Marlena, but it was Valkyrie who answered her unspoken question.

“It’s the only way to contain the damage when you have two SS class mages squaring up,” the female knight said, with no shortage of smugness. “You should be grateful for the privilege of seeing this next bout up close.”