"During my fourth year at the White Griffon, I only approached him because I needed a friend. I was tired of everyone around me, even my family, trying to turn me into the person they believed I was meant to be." Phloria cast a Hush spell, to make sure no one would eavesdrop.

"Over time, I came to like Lith more and more not because he was powerful or talented, but because he was the only one that saw me for who I was and accepted me anyway. He never cared if I always had a sword with me or if I wore pants instead of a dress.

"It was liberating after being weighed, measured, and found wanting all my life, no matter how much effort I put in."

Aside from Quylla, they could all relate to her words. Belonging to a n.o.ble family meant a life of duty, and competing with everyone from birth, no matter if they were peers or family members.

That was the reason why during the academy both Friya and Phloria were considering running away from their respective families. Why Gunyin"s whole existence was devoted to ensuring their bloodline would thrive and continue.

Tulion had chosen to become the Ernas"s black sheep to escape from such a destiny.

"Our relations.h.i.+p wasn"t all suns.h.i.+ne and rainbows. There were too many silences, too many secrets between us. I waited for him to open up and tell me, but he never did. Breaking up with him was painful, but it was the right thing to do. We both needed s.p.a.ce to grow and we did."

"Do you think Lith has opened up to Kamila?" Quylla asked.

"No." Phloria shook her head.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I asked him. After all the things mom told us about them, I hoped that Lith had finally found someone capable of cracking his sh.e.l.l, or at least someone he is able to show his weaknesses to.

"I can only pray that Kamila is stronger than I was, otherwise she"s destined to follow the same path as I did." Phloria sighed.

"Let me get this straight." Tulion looked her in the eyes.

"After scoping out the compet.i.tion, you went straight to him to see how solid their relations.h.i.+p is. I don"t know what you two talked about, but it"s pretty clear that Lith must have shared something with you that he didn"t with Kamila.

"So now you"re waiting for them to break up to catch him on the rebound and make him open up when he"s at his weakest. Your plan is vicious, cruel, and cunning. Mom will be proud of you."

"Agreed." Gunyin nodded, making Phloria facepalm.

"I simply meant that, even though Lith has changed for the better during the past four years, it"s still not enough. At least for me. Without trust and friends.h.i.+p, love is too fragile a feeling to last.

The more you love someone, the more painful it is when you realize they have always kept you at the fringes of their heart." She thought.

***

After several dances, the King had the musicians stop. Everyone on the first floor came down to the Ballroom, leaving a circular s.p.a.ce around the Royals.

"My dear subjects, I"m glad to see that even the most reclusive among us have accepted my invitation and took part in the gala. I hope you"ve been enjoying the evening."

Lith didn"t miss how the King had looked directly at the undead during the first part of his speech.

"Tonight, we haven"t a.s.sembled only to enjoy each other"s company, but also to honor and pay our respects to those who have loyally served the Kingdom, even at great personal cost.

Lady Jirni Ernas, step forward."

Jirni did as instructed, kneeling in front of the Royals with her head down.

"House Ernas has always been one of the pillars of our Kingdom, but your meritorious acts as a Royal Constable have exceeded what any of your forefathers have ever done. For that, you are promoted to the rank of Archon."

The crowd was left astounded. Archons were the supreme magistrates in charge of supervising the work of Royal Constables. It was a role usually reserved for members of the Royal family because the authority it granted was second only to the Crown itself.

"Stand up, Archon Ernas, and take the insignia of your new role." Jirni obeyed, her face was a mask of joy and respect. Yet Lith could see she wasn"t happy. Being an Archon meant more work, more danger, more enemies.

"I was expecting to be promoted to Head Constable, not this." Jirni thought. "There must be internal strife within the Royal family, and the King needs someone he can trust."

"Great Mage Verhen, step forward." The King said as soon as Jirni left the center stage.

"House Verhen is young and you are its very foundation. For freeing the Kingdom of the eternal threat of the Black Star, for protecting the city of Othre, and for your contributions in vanquis.h.i.+ng the monster outbreaks, I bestow upon you the t.i.tle of Spellbreaker.

"You are hereby recognized as one of the Kingdom"s most trusted elite in dealing with rogue mages and as such your help will be required in times of need. The t.i.tle grants you the t.i.tle of Baron and the annuities it deserves even though it comes with no fief."

"Money for my research and no new responsibilities." Lith inwardly sighed in relief. After what had just happened to Jirni, he was afraid that his reward was going to be bittersweet too.

***

After the gala, Kamila exchanged communication runes with Quylla and Friya. They were truly sorry for what had happened with Kallion and were willing to make it up to her.

"They seem to be sincere, but even if they are not, they are still part of Lady Ernas"s family and most importantly a part of Lith"s life. He"s very fond of them, so they deserve a chance. Besides, it would be nice to hear something about their days at the academy.

"Lith has never talked about his past except after I explained to him why I"m estranged from my family. I guess he"s the kind of man who opens up only if I do it first. Or maybe I should just ask him instead on walking on eggsh.e.l.ls.

"G.o.ds, now that he"s a Baron, my colleagues will never let me hear the end of it!" Kamila thought.

Jirni and Lith congratulated each other, and so did their respective families.

To Kamila Jirni said: "Be ready to a.s.sume your role as field a.s.sistant Constable. Now that I"m an Archon and Lith is a Spellbreaker, I"m sure that your application will coincidentally take priority."

Her voice oozed sarcasm.

"I hope I don"t have to wait four more years to see you again." Phloria said with a sad smile.

"I"m only half responsible for that. You have my contact rune and I doubt it would be hard for a Captain to locate a Lieutenant." Lith stressed his point by giving her a salute.

"Even if you choose to avoid Spellbreaker Smarta.s.s here, feel free to visit us anytime. We missed you a lot and so did the kids." Rena hugged Phloria, making her feel guilty for her prolonged absence.

"I"ll visit you when I get my next leave. Unless it"s a sick leave, I should have enough time."

"Don"t worry, dear." Jirni chuckled. "I"ve asked Lith to become our family Healer and he accepted. The next time you get injured in action, I"ll make sure you receive proper care.