As the treaty negotiations closed, the Mayan envoys retreating under the weight of reluctant submission, familiar figures emerged through the stone archways of the lower council hall.
Callum, his bronze skin catching faint light, stood with effortless confidence, his sharp blackish-grey eyes scanning the chamber as his rustic orange hair tousled messily over the deep scar etched from his forehead to his cheekbone—a lasting mark of the tragic landslide he barely survived. At his side walked Calypso,eyes flickering with quiet amusement as she approached Luciana. Their young son, Lucius, clung close, his curly black hair tinged with rustic orange, his fair complexion unmistakably marked by both lineages, though his striking green eyes were pure reflection of his mother.
They paid formal respect to the imperial couple but switched to a more intimate familiarity of long established bonds as friends and family.
Calypso and Luciana exchanged a knowing glance, their clasped hands a familiar tether amidst the empire's relentless tide. The weight of the negotiations faded as they drifted toward the adjoining terrace, sunlight cutting through the stone pillars onto manicured courtyards.
Meanwhile, Callum lingered, issuing curt instructions to a cluster of messengers bearing Krovzaryan insignias. His voice, sharp yet efficient, cut through the quiet:
"Send word to the Lords of Wahrheit. His Majesty rides for inspection—mass armament, naval outfitting. No delays."
The messengers saluted swiftly before vanishing into the fortress corridors.
Erebus, his presence still taut with command, approached Luciana where she stood beside Calypso beneath the garden arches. His hand found the curve of her waist with ease, drawing her a fraction closer. His words, low and steady, left no room for argument.
"I leave for Wahrheit's inspection."
Luciana's eyes softened, though her posture remained composed. Erebus' thumb brushed briefly along her hip before he pressed a light, lingering kiss to her forehead—a quiet gesture of intimacy restrained by duty. He could see that she was still shy over his display of open affection for her Infront of others.
He smiled this time gently taking her hand and kissed the back of her hand.
"Pray it goes well," she said returning his affection with a smile.
Calypso, catching the moment, averted her eyes with a faint, knowing smile, retreating toward Callum just as he turned from his conversation, his gaze landing briefly on his wife with quiet warmth.
Luciana's fingers grazed Erebus' wrist before he pulled away, the message unspoken but understood—the empire moved forward, and so did they, with or without pause.
Within moments, the riders assembled, the fortress courtyard filled with Krovzaryan banners and armored soldiers. Luciana and Calypso watched from the terrace as Erebus mounted alongside Callum, the black and gold standards rippling beneath the morning wind, destined for the industrial heart of Wahrheit—the sharpened engine behind the empire's relentless rise.
Calypso saw Zeraf standing with Lilith as he placed a light kiss on her hand and mounted his beast leaving with his emperor.
The hum of hooves faded beyond the fortress walls, the black and gold banners of Krovzaryan shrinking against the horizon. Soldiers, officers, and lords of Wahrheit rode in formation behind Erebus and Callum, their departure leaving behind only the quiet rustle of the imperial gardens.
Luciana and Calypso remained beneath the marble archways, sunlight sifting through amber leaves overhead. The distant courtyard still echoed with drills, but within the gardens, calm settled—a rare reprieve in a world shaped by politics and empire.
Nearby, Lucius paced restlessly, his fair skin flushed with excitement, hi eyes sparkled as he craned his neck toward the corridor beyond.
"He's not given up yet," Luciana observed softly, a faint smile touching her lips.
Calypso exhaled with mock exasperation, though fondness curled beneath her words.
"He's been asking for them since the minute we arrived. Their highnesses Hades, Nemesis, Ra'el—he's utterly attached."
Luciana's smile deepened, warmth flickering behind her poised expression.
"They've missed him too."
Just as Lucius opened his mouth to plead again, Lilith appeared, her stride graceful, her dark hair pinned elegantly. She bowed respectful to Luciana and Calypso now Luciana's lady in waiting just like her but she was higher in rank. She regarded Lucius with quiet amusement, her expression softening.
"There you are, young Lord Lucius," Lilith greeted, extending her hand. "Come— the princes are waiting in the nursery. Ra'el's wide awake too."
Lucius beamed, practically bounding toward her as he took her hand.
"Really? Can I go now?"
Lilith chuckled, already guiding him down the path.
"Of course. But be gentle— his highness prince Ra'el is still small, remember."
With an eager nod, Lucius disappeared down the ivy-wrapped corridor, leaving the two women behind beneath the golden light.
A silence settled—familiar, easy—and Calypso turned toward Luciana, her emerald eyes studying her with quiet reflection.
"You've changed,your Majesty," Calypso remarked softly, tracing the lines of poise and weariness etched into Luciana's face.
"You left for Amanécer seeking protectiom from the very place. Now look at you—Empress of Krovzaryan."
Luciana's expression shifted, the memory of distant shores casting a fleeting shadow across her features.
"Amanécer feels like a lifetime ago," she admitted, her voice threaded with something heavier.
"Hades was born there… Ra'el too."
Calypso's eyes softened, the hint of protective anger beneath her calm.
"They forced you through that… alone?"
Luciana nodded faintly, gaze distant.
"Hades nearly cost me my life. Ra'el came when the world already saw them as nothing but pawns—half-demon heirs to a throne they never asked for." Her voice faltered briefly. "They didn't even see them as my children… just symbols of scandal."
Calypso's hand found hers, the contact grounding.
"They're more than symbols, your Majesty. They're yours. And they'll be stronger than those narrow-minded fools ever imagined."
The silence stretched a moment, until Luciana's gaze lifted, distant thoughts surfacing.
"There was someone else… in Amanécer. Lady Leila."
The name drew Calypso's attention sharply, curiosity blooming across her features.
"Lady Leila of house Vampir?"
Luciana nodded, the ache beneath her words lingering.
"Widowed. Her infamous husband killed in armageddon… left with her newborn daughter. The same age as Hades. A few months younger than Lucius."
The revelation quieted Calypso, her emerald eyes dimming with sympathy.
"Gods… She escaped Wahrheit? And stayed there?"
"She had nowhere else to go," Luciana replied softly, bitterness edged with understanding. " The realms bury cruelty beneath gold and piety."
The conversation settled in reflective quiet as Lilith returned, her expression serene, though the faintest flush of warmth colored her cheeks.
Before the silence could stretch further, Calypso's playful smirk reappeared, her voice laced with teasing.
"Lady Lilith… That little scene earlier—with general Zeraf—you've caught my curiosity."
Luciana's brow lifted, intrigue mingling with amusement.
"General Zeraf? The oversized wolf with more brawn than brain? That Zeraf?"
Calypso chuckled, her emerald eyes alight.
"The same Zeraf whose battle plan is swinging weapons and fists until something breaks?"
Lilith's composed facade faltered as her cheeks flushed deeper, a rare vulnerability softening her features.
"I was… surprised too," she admitted, brushing a hand across her cheek. "He proposed."
The statement landed with palpable disbelief.
Luciana blinked.
"Proposed?"
Calypso's expression mirrored her shock, amusement curling at her lips.
"He proposed? Zeraf? With his wild reddish-brown spikes, beard like an unkempt forest, and those fangs practically declaring his werewolf heritage?"
Lilith's smile turned shy, though fondness threaded her words.
"He told me… my son is his now. Even knowing that I was abandoned by my previous husband, he said that we deserve better than what was taken from us." Her voice softened. "I was reluctant at first but since he kept paying me visits and cared for my son...I said yes."
Luciana shook her head with quiet laughter, disbelief and fondness mingling.
"Who would've thought the oversized brawn had that in him?"
Calypso leaned in conspiratorially, her grin widening.
"Love tames even the wildest beasts. Callum wasn't just easygoing . He was wild...too wild. When we first met, he immediately proposed to me in a way which I disliked. I kept rejecting his repeated confessions and countless proposals and vows he made noatter how sincere he sounded." She laughed.
" So how did you come to accept lord Ashcroft's proposal?" Lilith asked amazed at how loving Callum is to Calypso.
" I accepted his proposal when he protected me while endangering himself for me," she blushed nonchalantly remembering the past as is it were just yesterday where Callum saved her from the threat.
" Lady Calypso you're no different than Lilith." Luciana teased.
Their laughter drifted through the garden, cutting briefly through the empire's shadows,—just women reclaiming fragments of peace beneath the sun.